is an arcade

Arcade game

An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...

 and console raising simulation game

Life simulation game

Life simulation games is a sub-genre of simulation video games in which the player lives or controls one or more virtual lifeforms...

 released exclusively in Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

 by Namco

Namco

is a Japanese corporation best known as a former video game developer and publisher. Following a merger with Bandai in September 2005, the two companies' game production assets were spun off into Namco Bandai Games on March 31, 2006. Namco Ltd. was re-established to continue domestic operation of...

 (now Namco Bandai Games

Namco Bandai Games

is an arcade, mobile and home video game developer and publisher based in Japan which is the product of a merger between the video game development divisions of Bandai and Namco. Namco Bandai Games is a wholly owned subsidiary of Namco Bandai Holdings and specializes in production and sales of...

) on July 26, 2005. It was released on the Xbox 360

Xbox 360

The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...

 on January 25, 2007. The game follows the career of a producer who works for the fictional 765 Production studio and has to work with a group of prospective pop idols

Japanese idol

In Japanese culture, are media personalities in their teens and early twenties who are considered particularly attractive or cute and who will, for a period ranging from several months to a few years, regularly appear in the mass media, e.g...

. An anime adaptation by A-1 Pictures

A-1 Pictures

is a Japanese animation studio, a subsidiary of Sony's anime production firm Aniplex.-History:The studio was established by Sony's animation production division, Aniplex, on May 9, 2005, to animate its anime series and productions. In 2006, it co-produced the original production Zenmai Zamurai,...

 began airing on July 7, 2011.

Characters

Studio 765 Idols

The “765” is pronounced na-mu-ko, which is the katakana name for Namco, the company releasing Idolmaster. In the iDOLM@STER 2, an idol unit within the studio named Ryugu Komachi is introduced as a rival unit within the game. In the anime, Ryugu Komachi is developed as their flagship idol unit and becomes very popular.

Age: 16/17

Image Color: Red

Image Songs: "Taiyou no Jealousy," "I Want," and "Watashi wa Idol" (shared with Iori)

Haruka is the all-around good girl and main heroine in The Idolm@ster. She has enjoyed singing and making sweets since she was a child, despite the fact that she seems to be quite inept as a cook in general. She is easily excited and a bit clumsy, admitting herself that she usually falls down somehow at least once a day. However, Haruka remains positive and keeps a strong resolve, always working the hardest to make the Producer happy. Although her character image color is red, personally, Haruka actually tends to be more partial toward the color pink (which is Iori's image color).

Age: 15/16

Image Color: Blue

Image Songs: "Aoi Tori," "Me ga Au Toki," and "Omoide o Arigatou" (shared with Azusa)

Cool and serious, Chihaya has the greatest enthusiasm towards music (and according to the game, the greatest natural talent for it as well) out of all of the girls, earnestly believing that if she were no longer able to sing, she would rather die. She does not very much care for the title "idol" in fact, and prefers to refer to herself as a "vocalist" instead, somewhat shunning the non-singing parts of being an idol. During her time off, Chihaya enjoys listening to classical music, along with generally spending time by herself, giving an aura of maturity about her, though in actuality, she is really just awkward when it comes to communicating with other people. Despite her age, she has the smallest bust out of all of the characters. Chihaya has a troubled past due to the death of her younger brother in a car accident eight years which she blames herself. Her brother's death also lead to her parents divorcing and driven a wedge between her and her parents.

(The Idolmaster: Arcade,Xbox 360 versions,The Idolmaster: SP,and,The Idolmaster: Dearly Stars), Azumi Asakura (The Idolmaster 2, Anime)

Age: 16/17

Image Color: White

Image Songs: "First Stage," "Kosmos, Cosmos," and "My Best Friend" (shared with Ritsuko)

A terrible crybaby, Yukiho aspires to become an idol in order to one day shed her cowardly disposition. She is afraid of dogs (even chihuahuas

Chihuahua (dog)

The ' is the smallest breed of dog and is so named for the state of Chihuahua in Mexico. Chihuahuas come in a wide variety of sizes, head shapes, colors and coat lengths.-History:...

 seem threatening to her) and also does not do well with boys. Having grown up in a strict, traditional Japanese household, Yukiho's drink of choice is tea, predominantly green tea. Among her hobbies is writing poetry, but she is usually too shy to even share her poems with anyone. Whenever she is depressed, she has a habit of running off, exclaiming she will "go dig a hole and bury herself in it", however whether this is just a saying or if she actually digs holes remains a bit of a mystery.

Age: 13/14

Image Color: Orange

Image Songs: "Ohayou!! Asagohan," "Kiramekirari," and "GO MY WAY!!" (shared with Futami twins)

Yayoi is a bright and cheerful girl who cares for her family very much. Due to her father's unstable occupational status, her family is actually quite poor, as indicated by Yayoi's plain clothing, which she has actually had for a very long time. To earn extra money, Yayoi often does cleaning and other odd jobs around the 765 Production building, and continues to do so even after she debuts as an idol. She is endlessly energetic, however, and never lets the weight of the world discourage her. Yayoi is the oldest of six siblings and always has to be the one to look after them, but also wishes that she had an "older brother" type around to look after her.

Age: 18/19

Image Color: "Normal" Green

Image Songs: "Mahou o Kakete!" "Ippai Ippai," and "My Best Friend" (shared with Yukiho)

The cool, smart-girl type, Ritsuko believes in theory more than her own inner strength. Originally an intern working at 765 Production after graduating from high school, due to a lack of girls scouted by 765 Production Ritsuko became an idol herself. Despite being an idol, she still has one hand in the business side of her own celebrity, and is quick to chide the Producer if she thinks he is not doing his job correctly. Ritsuko's appearance remains conservative and business-like, as she always wears glasses and keeps her hair in two modest pigtails. No matter the costume or event in the game, she never takes her glasses off, or lets her hair down, with the exception of the pajama costume in The Idolmaster: Live For You!

In The iDOLM@STER 2, Ritsuko becomes the producer for the idol group Ryugu Komachi and ties her hair up. In the anime, she's was a former idol before becoming a producer for 765 Production. She goes back on stage for a concert when Azusa was ill in episode 18 and uses her original look.

Age: 20/21

Image Color: Purple

Image Songs: "9:02 PM," "Tonari Ni..." and "Omoide o Arigatou" (shared with Chihaya)

The oldest amongst all idols in the game, Azusa's personality reflects that of a kind-hearted but ditsy "big sister" type. She has a very easy going and carefree personality, though also an incredibly terrible sense of direction, and while walking her dog will occasionally end up in strange, distant places with nary a clue of how she got there, or how to get back. Azusa also enjoys giving and reading fortunes, and has a firm belief that she will one day fall in love with her "destined someone". One of her motivations for becoming an idol, in fact, is for her someone to one day perhaps find her first.

In The iDOLM@STER 2, Azusa cuts her hair short and makes an idol group with Iori and Ami called Ryugu Komachi. In the anime, Azusa still retains her long hairstyle but later cuts her hair short after she joins Ryugu Komachi.

Age: 14/15

Image Color: Pink

Image Songs: "HERE WE GO!!" "Futari no Kioku," and "Watashi wa Idol" (shared with Haruka)

The daughter of one of the associates of the 765 Production president, Iori is a spoiled rich girl who flaunts her family's wealth. Although she is quite polite and refined on stage and in public, when with the Producer and other girls she has a very sharp tongue, and is quick to berate other people's intelligence (especially the Producer's). As a result of having two older brothers, Iori has grown up with a deep complex of hating to lose, and thus rarely shows any weaknesses. She does, however, have a much softer side that she shows from time to time, making her personality that of a perfect tsundere

Tsundere

is a Japanese character development process that describes a person who is initially cold and even hostile towards another person before gradually showing their warm side over time. The word is derived from the terms , meaning to turn away in disgust, and meaning to become 'lovey dovey'...

 character. The stuffed rabbit that she carries around with her constantly is named "Usa-chan".

In The iDOLM@STER 2, Iori makes an idol group with Ami and Azusa called Ryugu Komachi.

Age: 16/17

Image Color: Black

Image Songs: "Agent Yoru o Yuku," "Meisou Mind," and "Massugu"

Makoto is popularized as the "pretty-boy idol" within 765 Production, and has accumulated more female than male fans because of this. She was already rather popular among her fellow students at the all-girls school she attends, and her current work as an idol does not make the situation any easier for her. While not ungrateful of her popularity, underneath her gruff, boyish exterior Makoto is actually an honest, sensitive girl, and wishes to make herself more feminine. Therefore, unbeknownst to her father she decided to become an idol in order to find a way to a new, more feminine presence for herself and to show others that she can have a girly side as well.

In The iDOLM@STER 2, Makoto grows her hair and parts her bangs in the middle.

Age: 12/13

Image Color: Yellow

Image Songs: "Positive!" "Star to Star," and "GO MY WAY!!" (shared with Yayoi)

A playful pair of twin sisters who make a two-girl singing sensation. Ami and Mami both enjoy doing impressions and teasing their friends, though Mami seems to somewhat be a little more mature than Ami. The only way to tell the two girls apart is through their hairstyles—Ami ties her hair to the right, Mami to the left—otherwise, they are completely identical. They use this to their advantage by switching their hairstyles and both performing as idols, but only underneath Ami's name, and the only people who know about it are the members of the 765 production.

In The iDOLM@STER 2, the public now knows about the twins and Ami makes an idol group with Iori and Azusa called Ryugu Komachi. In addition, Mami extends her hair longer to further differentiate between her sister. In the anime, the twins are already produced as separate idols and Mami still keeps her extended ponytail.

Project Fairy / Studio 961/765

Project Fairy is an idol unit introduced in The Idolmaster SP, produced by rival studio 961 Productions. The group was specifically created so that each of its three members harmonize perfectly, and have different specialties in singing. In The Idolmaster 2, Project Fairy has become part of 765 Productions.

Age: 14/15

Image Color: Fresh Green

Image Songs: "Relations," and "Overmaster"

Miki has rarely had to work hard for anything. It is because of this that she always approaches tasks with a very laid back attitude. She manages good grades with minimal effort, and was born with good-looks that belie her age. She even receives around 20 confessions of love per day from boys. She's grown up in a very laissez-faire family, who had no problems with her becoming an idol. While she doesn't really have cruel intentions, she believes like everything else, she can make her way to becoming top idol easily. As she appears only in the Xbox 360 version of the game, Miki is in some ways the second main character (behind Haruka) and her character is developed considerably over the game's year-long timespan. Later in the game, she cuts her hair short and no longer dyes it blonde. Originally, Miki wasn't supposed to be in the game (as seen in the promo), which could be why she is the only idol from the 360 game not to appear in the anime spin-off Idolmaster: Xenoglossia

Idolmaster: Xenoglossia

is an anime television series by Sunrise, based on the Bandai Namco game series The Idolm@ster. It was first broadcast in Japan on April 4, 2007 on Kansai TV and various other UHF television stations...

. In the PSP games, Miki is unsatisfied with the way she is being managed, and switched to another production company, '961 Production', as a member of the group 'Project Fairy'.

Miki grows her hair at the front in The iDOLM@STER 2.

Age: 15/16

Image Color: Cerulean

Cerulean

Cerulean, also spelled caerulean, may be applied to a range of colors from deep blue, sky-blue, bright blue or azure color through greenish blue colors.The first recorded use of cerulean as a color name in English was in 1590...

 (sometimes called Light Blue)

Image Song: "Next Life"

Hibiki is a member of 'Project Fairy', and appears in the PSP Games as a rival. Hibiki has long, black hair tied into a wild ponytail, and is usually seen in sporty outfits, and usually wears hoop earrings. Hibiki is from Okinawa, and is highly energetic and cheerful, and despite rivalries with the other idols, she always remains friendly and happy, without becoming overly competitive like Takane. Hibiki has an outstanding amount of pets, who she happens to lose quite frequently; her pets include a mouse, a hamster (named Hamzou in anime), a gerbil, a parrot, a rabbit, a cat, a dog, a pig, a flying squirrel, and oddly enough, a crocodile.

Hibiki joins Studio 765 in The iDOLM@STER 2.

Age: 17/18

Image Color: Carmine

Carmine (color)

Carmine is the general term for a particularly deep red color. Some Rubies are colored the color shown below as rich carmine. The deep red color shown below as carmine is the color of the raw unprocessed pigment, but lighter, richer, or brighter colors are produced when the raw pigment is...

Image Song: "Flower Girl"

Takane is a member of 'Project Fairy', and appears in the PSP games as a rival. Takane has long, white, wavy hair, and fringe cut bangs which she accessorizes with a hairband. She is usually seen in elegant outfits, and has a snobby, stuck up attitude due to her wealthy upbringing. Her mother is deceased, so she lives with her strict Butler due to her father's frequent business trips. Her father owns a large company - like Iori's father - which causes tension to spark between the two. Takane has an amazing passion for music. She is considered one of the smarter characters in the series, and is fluent in numerous languages, one of which being German.

Like Hibiki and Miki, she also joins Studio 765 in The iDOLM@STER 2.

Project Jupiter / Studio 961

An all male idol group produced by Studio 961. It was formed after Miki, Takane and Hibiki left Studio 961. In the anime, they are an established and popular idol unit. They left Studio 961 to start on their own after finding out Kuroi's dirty tactics.

Age: 17

Touma is one of the newest idols added in the iDOLM@STER 2. He is the same age as Haruka. His hobbies are soccer, cooking and figure collecting and his character song, which is shared with the other 2 members of Jupiter, is "Alice or Guilty". He slightly admires Chihaya's recovery from the exposure and her singing during Idol Jam.

Age: 20

Hokuto is one of the newest idols added in the iDOLM@STER 2. He's a year younger than Azusa. His hobbies are playing the piano, violin and going on dates. He is the oldest idol in Project Jupiter. His character song is "Alice or Guilty".

Age: 14

Shouta is one of the newest idols added in the iDOLM@STER 2. He's the same age as Yayoi. His hobbies are napping and honoring parents. He is the youngest idol in Project Jupiter. His character song is "Alice or Guilty".

Studio 876 Idols

Three new idols from 876 Production Studios that were introduced in The Idolmaster Dearly Stars. They also appear in an episode of the anime.

Age: 13

Image Color: Peach

Image Song: "ALIVE"

Considered as a younger clone of Haruka, Ai is described as the unstoppable mini-tank who never loses heart. Her mother, Mai Hidaka, was one of the most well-known idols in Japan, and became pregnant with Ai when she was 15 years old.

Age: 15

Image Color: Robin's Egg Blue

Image Song: "Precog"

A former hikikomori

Hikikomori

is a Japanese term to refer to the phenomenon of reclusive people who have chosen to withdraw from social life, often seeking extreme degrees of isolation and confinement because of various personal and social factors in their lives...

 and internet celebrity known online as "Ellie" who was scouted to become an idol in real life.

Age: 15

Image Color: Mint Green

Image Song: "Dazzling World"

Ritsuko's cousin, though very soft-spoken compared to her. Ryo's actually a boy trying to pass himself as an idol, and keeps that as a secret from the other idols. He wanted to become a male idol, but when he goes to see Ritsuko about it, she takes him to Studio 876 to become one. There, he ends up covering for a female idol. He does so well, the studio hires him as a female idol.

765 production staff

(Drama CDs), Kenji Akabane (Anime)

The protagonist of The Idolm@ster. He is a young, rookie producer who has been put in charge of a new set of pop idols. In the game, his name is never given, and is decided by the player. His personality is also dependent on the player's choices, and can range from sweet and protective to very perverted. However, in the Drama CDs, he's most usually portrayed as somewhere in between.

In the anime, he is shown as a young man with blue hair and glasses. As the girl's producer, he is a very hard working individual who tries his best to help the idols as their mentor figure. As their producer, he will go to whatever lengths to make sure the girls are happy, healty and able to make their appearances. Like Yukiho, he too is afraid of dogs. While he mainly produces the rest of the girls, he sometimes co-produces Ryuugu Komachi with Ritsuko, often taking over when she is unable to, usually when it only involves a single member or when Ritsuko is busy, even temporarially producing Ritsuko when she goes back on stage for a concert.

The president of 765 Production. He takes the Producer under his wing and monitors his performance in charge of the girls. He is never seen as anything but a silhouette, and rarely encountered outside of the 765 building, except at the final performance in the Idolm@ster game. In THE IDOLM@STER Break! manga, his appearance is revealed to be a middle age man around his fifties or sixties.

Junichirou's cousin and the new president of 765 Productions in iDOLM@STER 2. Like his cousin, only his silhouette appears in the game. However, he appears in the iDOLM@STER anime, but his face is not shown.

An office clerk at 765 Production, while Kotori only appears at the end of the actual Idolm@ster game, she is a recurring character within the Drama CDs. Originally featured on the Idolm@ster arcade game webpage in the F.A.Q. section, she has accumulated enough fans to appear in other aspects of the Project IM@S franchise. Among the few things disclosed about her personality and character, we know that Kotori is a little older than Azusa (making her somewhere in her twenties), and despite not being an idol herself, loves to sing. Her last name literally means "soundless". In the iDOLM@STER anime, Kotori takes an active role with the girls whenever the Producer and Ritsuko are busy.

Junichirou's grandson and protagonist of THE IDOLM@STER Break! manga. Yutaro is a fan of the idols of 765 Productions, especially Haruka. But when his grandfather gets sick, Yutaro is forced to take over the company as both its new president and its producer as he deals with the company's financial problems and managing the idols' careers.

961 production staff

He is the producer to Hibiki, Miki and Takane, and like the other producers, he's not seen, but like the Studio 876 producer, is seen as a silhouette. His idols join with Studio 765 in iDOLM@STER2, but forms a new idol group called Project Jupiter, formed by male idols. He is shown to be a cruel and ruthless businessman who will do anything, legal or not, to sell his idols and get ahead of 765 Pro and tell lies about them to his idols.

He and Junjirou were once old colleagues and friends but later they had a falling out after Junjirou disagreed in the way Takao raised his idols. Since that incident, Takao has vowed to destroy Junjirou's company and his idols by whatever means necessary.

His company is actually named after him, as “961” is pronounced ku-ro-i.

876 production staff

Other

Ai Hidaka's mother and a former well known idol herself. She had to quit because she became pregnant with Ai when she was only 15 years old.

A high ranking net idol who is also Eri's chat buddy. She seems to dislike her name and goes by the stage name 'Cineria'.

An idol who is the rival of Ryo. She was thought to be extremely talented until it is revealed that she sabotaged other idols so she could get to the top.

Xbox 360 version

The Idolm@ster has been credited with making Japan's ratio of sign-ups for Xbox Live

Xbox Live

Xbox Live is an online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft Corporation. It is currently the only online gaming service on consoles that charges users a fee to play multiplayer gaming. It was first made available to the Xbox system in 2002...

 compared to the number consoles sold the world's highest. Over four times as many Microsoft points were sold on the date of The Idolm@ster 360 release as on the date before it. The Xbox 360 version contains new songs and an additional idol, Miki Hoshii, for the player to work with along with the original idols from the Arcade.

The Idolmaster: SP

On July 23, 2008, a PSP version of The Idolm@ster was announced by gaming magazine Famitsu. It is a direct port of the Arcade game, but will have three different versions, each featuring 3 different idols to work with. All three versions were released February 19, 2009 in Japan. There has also been shown in a teaser that there will be a fourth group that consist of Miki and 2 new characters to the series, one named Takane Shijou, the other named Hibiki Ganaha.

The Idolmaster: Dearly Stars

A Nintendo DS

Nintendo DS

The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...

version of the game, entitled The Idolm@ster: Dearly Stars was released on September 17, 2009. The story will take place from the idols perspective as they enter 876 Productions. The idols hope to make it big with the help of the current stars. Unlike other games, instead of taking the idols' producer role, the player portrays the idol themselves. The game also includes Wi-Fi functionality.

The Idolmaster: Live For You!

A sequel titled The Idolmaster: Live For You! was released on February 28, 2008.

The Idolmaster 2

A second sequel called The Idolmaster 2 was announced at the Idolmaster's 5th anniversary concert, and was released exclusively for Xbox 360 on February 24, 2011. The game will also be release on the PlayStation 3 on October 27th, 2011.