is a Japanese multimedia spin-off project from the Love Live! series and its game series Love Live! School Idol Festival. It was first introduced in 2017 as "Perfect Dream Project" and was initially created as part of the game Love Live! School Idol Festival All Stars. Unlike μ's and Aqours, the previous groups from the franchise, they are a group of individual school idols who compete with each other while working together to keep their school idol club alive. Together, they are referred as the
They are featured in the spin-off game Love Live! School Idol Festival All Stars along with μ's and Aqours. They also appear as SR rarity cards in Love Live! School Idol Festival. The girls were initially split up into groups of three to begin activities in three different apps before their addition to the game: Dengeki Online website (Kasumi, Karin, Setsuna), Famitsu App website (Ayumu, Ai, Rina), and the game's official website (Emma, Shizuku, Kanata). Each place is working as a separate room or branch office for the Nijigasaki High School. Later, they were officially split into three subunits: DiverDiva, A・Zu・Na, and Qu4rtz.
An anime television series adaptation by Sunrise aired from October to December 2020. A second season aired from April to June 2022. An anime television series adaptation of the spin-off manga Nijiyon: Love Live! Nijigasaki Gakuen School Idol Dōkōkai Yon-Koma, titled Nijiyon Animation, aired from January to March 2023. A second season aired from April to June 2024. An original video animation episode, Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club Next Sky, was released theatrically in Japan in June 2023. A trilogy of theatrical films will serve as the anime's finale; the first film was released in September 2024, the second film was released in November 2025, while the third film will be released in winter 2026.
Plot is a large academy located in Odaiba, Tokyo. The school is popular for its free school style and diverse majors. The story centers on the members of the school idol club in Nijigasaki, who work together as solo idols and their attempt to prevent the club from being abolished. As the story progresses, more girls begin to participate in the club's activities.
Characters Where appropriate, plot descriptions mentioned below refer to the story in Love Live! School Idol Festival All Stars. Other parts of the franchise, such as the manga and animation series, feature some variations in the storyline.
Nijigasaki High School Idol Club
Yu is the anime equivalent of the Love Live! School Idol Festival All Stars protagonist and a second year at Nijigasaki High School who is Ayumu's childhood friend and neighbor. She becomes infatuated with school idols after seeing Setsuna Yuki's performance and decides to join Nijigasaki's school idol club upon discovering that Setsuna is a student at their school, but chooses to be the group's manager rather than becoming a school idol herself. Her catchphrase is and "I can't choose just one!" (ヒトリダケナンテエラベナイヨー). Her charismatic and supportive nature easily attract others and make them interested in idols. Yu made her first in-game appearance in School Idol Festival 2 Miracle Live!.
Ayumu is a second year who became a school at Yu's suggestion. She is hard-working and kind, but a little bit shy and insecure, and can be a little too dependent on Yu at times. Her image color is light pink. Ayumu is described as a .
Kasumi is a first year who refers to herself as "Kasumin." Due to her full name, she is often called "Kasukasu" as a joke, which she dislikes (as it means "dried out" in Japanese). She is incredibly passionate about her goal of becoming a school idol and can be mischievous towards her rivals, but is a good-hearted and friendly young girl despite her claiming to be mean. Her image color is yellow. Kasumi is described as a .
Shizuku is one of the five original members of the school idol club, but unintentionally departed as she became more devoted to the theater club. She is one of the original N-rarity girls introduced in School Idol Festival. Shizuku is considered a yamato nadeshiko, and is very level-headed, kind, and mature. She comes from a wealthy and is an only child. Shizuku is described as a .
Karin is a third year student who aims to become a model and is very confident about her appearance. She has a passionate and mature personality, yet she also somewhat of a pure side, and can be quite clumsy. She is good at coordinating clothes. She is described as a . Karin is regarded as "2018 MVP" for ranking first-place for three consecutive months; taking only 2nd and 3rd in the other monthly polls.
Ai is an energetic second year who is an honor student despite her gyaru appearance. She loves to make puns especially using her given name ("Ai" means "love" in Japanese) and refers to herself as "Ai-san." She joined the school idol club because she likes to try new things. She is usually kind and friendly, and quick to socialize. While she is intelligent, she is also quite goofy and has a rather childish sense. She is Rina's only friend at first, and her caring, supportive nature is shown when she helps her overcoming her social issues. Ai is described as a .
A third year who always looks sleepy, lazy and unmotivated, she belongs to the life design course. Kanata refers to herself as "Kanata-chan." She often looks sleepy because she studies hard to keep her scholarship. One of the original five school idol club members, she stopped coming to the club because she had to repair her exam scores; she agrees to return as Ayumu promised her that Shizuku and Ai would help her with her studies. She is one of the original N-rarity girls introduced in School Idol Festival; she is originally a Shinonome Institute student. She became a school idol to get motivation from her younger sister Haruka Konoe, also a school idol. In the anime, she is a selfless older sister who supports her Haruka and does house chores, though this results in a poor sleep schedule. She is also a good listener and counselor, helping Yu and Ayumu overcoming their issue of leaving each other to follow their dreams. Kanata is described as a .
A second year who, for reasons, does not wear a school uniform nor had anyone seen her at the school. Setsuna is an otaku-type girl who liked singing. It is revealed that Setsuna Yuki is actually her stage name, with her real identity being Nana Nakagawa, Nijigasaki Academy's president of the student council. She is one of the original five school idol club members and had left because she was unable to tolerate its atmosphere due to her strong feelings towards school idols. This caused the club's failing state. Under her student council president disguise, she commands the protagonist to gather 10 members in order to keep the club alive. After 8 members (excluding the protagonist) gathered, she reveals herself to be Setsuna Yuki and rejoined the club. Setsuna is described as a , and once her true identity is revealed, she is shown to be a kind and charismatic person with a very passionate nature that makes others infectious. Setsuna is regarded as "2017 MVP" for ranking first-place three times out of the six monthly popularity polls held; she held second-place in the other polls.
A cheerful and good-natured third year exchange student who came abroad from Switzerland. Growing up there, she loves what nature brings, like mountains and forests. She belongs to the international exchange course. Emma is distinguishable by her twintail braids, freckles on her face and her well-endowed figure. Like Karin, she also models occasionally; the two are also friends and roommates, and Emma helps her at being more organized and orderly. Her favorite food is bread and she is able to eat a lot of slices, as well as mixing it with other food. Emma is one of the original N-rarity girls introduced in School Idol Festival as a student of Y.G. International Academy. She is one of the five original school idol club members; her absence from the club was simply because she went back to her home country for a while, leaving a letter that Kasumi misunderstood as a challenge letter from another school's club. Emma is described as a .
A first-year student who claims to have a very cute face, but is too shy to show it; thus, she covers her face with the "Rina-chan board," a small notebook with a drawing on it of a facial expression she made with Ai. During live shows, she wears a cat eared pair of headphones with a small monitor that covers her face. She belongs to the information processing course, explaining her well-informed personality on technologies. In one of Rina's bond episodes of the game and anime series, she eventually decides to reveal her face to the protagonist; in All Stars, after reading this story, the player is also able to remove Rina's mask during live shows. She has difficulty expressing emotions and is shy, but she also has a kind and supportive nature, and is shown to work hard on her technologic gadgets to cure the technical side of the idol club. Rina is described as a .
Shioriko is a smart and hard-working first-year student. She becomes the student council president, taking Nana Nakagawa's position, to abolish clubs she believes hold no educational merit for the school, including the school idol club. However, she eventually joins the school idol club herself. In August 2020, Shioriko joined the All Stars game's playable cast and Nijigasaki High School Idol Club as an official member, receiving a solo song, a 3D model, and cards obtainable within the games scouting boxes. Her personality in the anime is completely different from the game. Although still diligent and serious, her anime counterpart is not aggressive and is shown to be kind and supportive towards the club even before she joins. She is also friends with Setsuna to begin with, and keeps her true identity secret when she discovers it.
Mia is Lanzhu's friend, who was raised in New York. She is bilingual; she speaks Japanese and English. Unlike Lanzhu, Mia applies to Nijigasaki only because she was persuaded by Lanzhu. She is fairly, aloof, standoffish, and apathetic at first, but she gets on good terms with Yu and they help each other with musical compositions. Mia is a 14-year-old girl but, since she is a genius, skipped grades and is a third year student; she also helps the other members at studying. She is the youngest main character in the franchise history. She gets her solo song and a 3D model a while after her first appearance, but was only added as a playable character in September 2021.
Lanzhu is a second-year student and Shioriko's childhood friend. She was raised in Hong Kong. Her mother is the chairwoman of Nijigasaki High School. She is trilingual and speaks Japanese, Mandarin, and Cantonese. She applies to Nijigasaki to study together with Shioriko along with Mia. In All Stars, she got her own solo song as well as a 3D model a while after her first appearance, but was only added as playable character in September 2021. She is an arrogant and stuck up girl who has no empathy for others, but she will secretly would like to connect with others on an emotional level; in contrast, while still cockling, her portrayal in the anime is much soft.
Others
Haruka is Kanata's younger sister and a first year member of the Shinonome Institute Idol Club. Like her sister, she was originally one of the N-rarity girls introduced in School Idol Festival, but did not place in the top three of the popularity poll that determined which girls would be a part of the "Perfect Dream Project." In All Stars, she appears in her sister's bond episodes.
Ai's "older sister whom she doesn't have blood connection with."