Itsuki Nakano is the youngest sister of the quintuplets in The Quintessential Quintuplets. She is known for her wavy long red hair, a hair antenna on the top of her head, and star-shaped hairpins. Her character color is red, and she always speaks very politely. Itsuki is serious and hardworking, but struggles with studies despite trying her best. She loves to eat, has a soft spot for her mother, and is afraid of scary things. While her relationships with the sisters and Fuutarou Uesugi start off rough—especially because of misunderstandings—they grow closer over time, and she learns to open up. Itsuki aims to become a teacher like her mother, helps with a cram school job, and even works as a secret snack reviewer known as “M.A.Y.”. She stands out as the “face” of the series with many memorable, sometimes funny, and heartwarming moments.
Itsuki has long, wavy hair that is red in the anime and scarlet in the manga’s later series.
She wears twin star-shaped hairpins and has a distinctive ahoge (hair antenna) on her head.
Her bangs have a longer part that goes behind her ear.
Itsuki’s eyes are a deep shade of red.
She likes wearing open-shoulder tops with long skirts in her casual clothes.
Her school uniform consists of a shirt (short-sleeved in second year, long-sleeved in third year even in summer), a red vest, and the longest skirt among all sisters.
She wears white high socks.
She uses red-rimmed square glasses when studying, and uses glasses regularly as her eyesight worsens in the future.
In later future scenes and after September 2024, her glasses design changes to an under-rim style.
She is 159 cm tall.
Itsuki is serious, polite, and wants to do things properly.
She’s the youngest, but acts more mature and is like the “big sister” of the group.
She has a strong desire to study and improve, but lacks efficiency and is slow in answering test questions.
Despite her efforts, her grades are not the best—but among the sisters, only Miku Nakano does better.
She is quite honest and struggles to lie or pretend, especially when she has to disguise herself as a sister.
Itsuki is also not very good at romance, often failing to notice feelings around her.
She loves eating and is known for her large appetite.
Despite this, she does not gain weight visibly, speculated because the sisters all have similar body measurements (or even slightly bigger bust).
She is neat, kind, and careful with her wording to avoid hurting others.
Itsuki is easily scared, especially by ghosts and horror movies.
She looks up to her late mother and visits her grave every 14th of the month.
Her favorite daily routines include sit-ups and yoga.
Itsuki is one of the main heroines in The Quintessential Quintuplets, introduced when she bumps into Fuutarou Uesugi in the school cafeteria during a transfer school tour.
She is the youngest of five sisters, yet seen as the most mature in some ways.
Her biological father, Jinnosuke Mudou, abandoned the family; her mother, Rena, raised the girls alone until she passed away from illness.
Their stepfather, Dr. Maruo Nakano, is a hospital doctor.
Itsuki grew up in a poor household before her mother remarried.
This experience shapes her careful, hardworking, and sometimes overly cautious behavior.
With Fuutarou Uesugi
She calls Fuutarou “Uesugi-kun.”
At first, the two had a poor relationship—Fuutarou was insensitive and rejected her request to study together, making rude comments about her eating and ignoring her politely.
Later, they slowly become friends, with fewer arguments as they come to understand each other.
She admires Fuutarou’s efforts and is often inspired by his determination.
Sometimes, Itsuki gives advice to Fuutarou, often without realizing how helpful she is.
With Her Sisters
She often talks to Nino Nakano and Yotsuba Nakano the most, sharing strong bonds with all.
She occasionally gets involved in sisterly arguments, especially about family issues or Fuutarou.
With Raiha Uesugi, Fuutarou’s little sister, Itsuki is very close—Raiha sees her as an older sister-type friend.
Itsuki’s best school subject is science.
She is quite diligent and does extra studying without needing prompting.
She can be awkward in tests, spending too much time on single questions.
She works as a secret snack reviewer under the name “M.A.Y.”
After advancing to third year, she helps as an assistant at a cram school.
Her birthday is officially listed as May 5, but her real birthdate is May 6 because she was born after midnight.
Her star sign is Taurus.
Blood type: A.
Favorite food: meat.
Favorite drink: curry (strangely—it counts as both food and drink for her).
Dislikes: pickled plums.
Favorite animal: kangaroo.
Favorite TV shows: talk shows.
Favorite movies: sad movies about dogs.
Favorite books: guidebooks.
Her icon is a star.
She is fire-type in attribute-based game appearances.
She weighs around 50 kg, but jokes are made about her being heavier due to her big appetite.
In merchandise and official posts, Itsuki is often used as the series’ “face.”
She uses polite language, influenced by her late mother.
Her daily routines are sit-ups and yoga.
She is especially close to Nino for sharing several interests, like yoga and disliking pickles.
- “Please look. The moon is really beautiful tonight.”
- “I just can’t... I can’t say it... About Kyoto... about everything...”
First Meeting and Early Troubles
The story begins when Itsuki meets Fuutarou Uesugi while visiting her new school.
She asks for his help studying, but he brushes her off and makes a rude comment about her eating, which hurts her feelings.
Because of this, she and Nino Nakano both treat Fuutarou coldly at first.
Later, when he becomes their tutor, Itsuki is not eager to make up with him, and their friendship develops slowly.
The Siblings' Argument
During the second term’s final exams, Nino and Miku Nakano get into a fight and destroy the hand-written worksheets Fuutarou made for them.
Seeing this, Itsuki gets angry at Nino, slaps her, and demands she apologize to Fuutarou.
Itsuki spends a few nights at Fuutarou’s house, revealing to him that the quintuplets once lived as poor as his family, and their mother raised them alone.
She is deeply motivated to honor her late mother’s efforts.
The Ghost Story and Trust Building
Itsuki is terrified of ghosts, and during a test of courage at school camp, she gets lost and ends up crying in fear.
Through this and other events, she gradually grows to trust Fuutarou as he helps and supports her family.
The Kyoto Incident and Mystery Girl
There is a side story about Fuutarou’s encounter with a girl in Kyoto years ago, with several hints that Itsuki is involved.
She sometimes disguises herself as another girl, “Rena,” with a wig, trying to help both Fuutarou and her real sister reveal their true feelings.
Eventually, the story makes clear that Itsuki was only an impostor in this incident, covering for her real sister.
In the end, she encourages the real “Kyoto girl” to confess her feelings to Fuutarou, putting others’ happiness before her own.
Dream and University Life
After struggling academically, Itsuki manages to get into university and later becomes a science teacher, as she dreamed.
Over the years, she becomes more confident—even helping with English, despite once being insecure about foreign language skills.
In Games and "What If" Endings
In some spin-off games, like "Memories with You" and "Promises with Her," players can choose Itsuki's route.
There, Fuutarou confesses to her, and after some hesitation, she eventually accepts and starts her own love story with him.
These routes show Itsuki acting more openly as a girlfriend, trying to change how she addresses him and sharing sweet moments.
In the anime and original manga, Itsuki stays in a position closest to Fuutarou by family and friendship, but never truly enters the romantic race, making her "what if" endings a special treat for fans.
In popularity polls, Itsuki usually ranks third overall.
She is treated as the “face” of the franchise and is the “star” icon for official accounts, events, and promotions.
Her image and weekly posts often involve her eating or talking about food.
If anyone teases her about her real birthday being one day later, the series calls it “quintuplet harassment.”
In attribute-themed games, she always gets fire powers.
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