Characters
Each Boogiepop title has its own cast of characters, and many of these characters will make appearances in more than one title, but there are only four central characters that are consistently at the center of the plot.
The shinigami whispered of among the female students of Shinyo Academy, few people know that Boogiepop actually exists. Normally dormant, Boogiepop rises to the surface when enemies of the world appear. Boogiepop's appearance and voice are ambiguous: they seem both masculine and feminine at the same time. However, hidden beneath his signature black cloak and black, pipe-shaped hat, little is ever seen of him. Straight-faced and to the point, Boogiepop acts as mechanical as he claims to be. Boogiepop speaks in an archaic manner, and seems fond of whistling the prelude to Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. In the 2019 anime adaptation Boogiepop speaks with a particular drawl that gives their speech an ironic, condescending air.
An ordinary, happy school girl at Shinyo Academy, Miyashita is in love with her boyfriend, Keiji Takeda, and close friends with Suema. Not particularly good at school, she does not stand out in any way. Unknown to most, she was hospitalized as a child, and this saw her life change, though even Miyashita herself does not seem to know the truth of what happened, and was simply told that she had been possessed by a kitsune. Unknowingly, when the world is in trouble, she carries a Spalding sports bag containing the effects of Boogiepop, her alternate personality. She has no recollection of her time as Boogiepop, and alters her memories to explain the blanks.
Known as the Fire Witch to many, Kirima has made few friends due to the way she distances herself from others: she knows that she is too dangerous for 'normal' people to associate with. She has a messianic complex, and seeks to save the world from whatever may threaten it. As such, whenever there are unusual happenings within the city, Kirima can be found investigating what has happened. In the past, she had spent a period of time in hospital. A combination of the events from that period of her life, as well as the death of her father, the famous writer Kirima Seiichi, brought her to follow this path in life. Extremely gifted both physically and intellectually, she has the basic tools she needs to carry out her self-appointed mission.
As a result of a childhood trauma, Suema has developed an unusual fascination with criminal and abnormal psychology, as well as the desire to not let anything occur around her without her knowing. As a result of this, she desperately seeks the truth about the unexplained events happening in her city, and meddles with forces best left untouched. Good friends with Miyashita Touka, Suema appreciates how she so open and unconditionally accepting of her, and looks out for her friend. She seeks to be closer with Kirima Nagi, who seems to know the answers to the questions that have haunted her all these years. Despite her involvement in several incidents, she has yet to see Boogiepop in action.
