TV-Series
Description
Gentoo Penguin is a character from the Kemono Friends franchise who is also known by the nickname Gean. She is a member of the Penguins Performance Project, more commonly referred to as PPP, an idol group composed of penguin Friends. In the original Nexon game, she was part of a different group called PIP and played the keyboard, also expressing a desire to become an actress, but her most recognized and consistent role is as a member of PPP.
In terms of appearance, Gentoo Penguin has long black hair that reaches her waist, featuring orange highlights in the center of her bangs that are symbolic of a gentoo penguin's beak. Her eyes are amber, a color that matches the circular designs on her white headphones. She wears a windbreaker-style sports jacket designed to reflect the black and white plumage of a real gentoo penguin, paired with a white ruffled skirt and yellow calf-high boots. Her sleeves double as mittens that cover her hands entirely.
Personality-wise, Gentoo Penguin is characterized as being kind, gentle, and soft-spoken. She is described as an orthodox idol, acting in a formal and respectful manner toward her fellow group members and others. She speaks proper Japanese even with her closest friends. Despite her celebrity status as an idol, she is also somewhat timid and known to fold easily under pressure, according to her bandmate Royal Penguin. Nevertheless, she has a strong enjoyment of singing and dancing and always gives her best effort. In the stage play adaptation, her character was portrayed as a bit more mischievous than her anime counterpart.
Her motivations are largely tied to her role as an idol, as she is dedicated to her performances and to the success of PPP. She is shown to be determined, as seen in the original mobile game where she agreed to become a poster girl for a waterpark to help convince Eurasian Otter to join the Water Girls group. In the stage play, she was forced by Royal Penguin to participate in a rigorous training camp to compete in an idol showdown, demonstrating her commitment to the group's activities even when pressured.
Within the story, Gentoo Penguin's role is primarily as a supporting character and a member of the idol group PPP. In the second season of the anime, she appears with the other penguins in a post-credits sketch where they react to a coffee jelly dessert. In the stage plays, she takes on a more active role, such as traveling to a snowy mountain area with Emperor Penguin to find a new song for the group, which leads to encounters with other Friends like Western Parotia and Greater Lophorina. In fan-made stories, she is depicted as a member of the Japari Park Rangers and participates in battles against enemies like the Emotionless and giant Cerulean.
Key relationships for Gentoo Penguin include her fellow PPP members. She has a close bond with Emperor Penguin, who was concerned enough about her to initiate a trip to the snowy mountains in the stage play. Her relationship with Royal Penguin has some tension, as Royal Penguin admitted to becoming jealous of Gentoo Penguin and once suggested she was not sexy enough during dance practice. In the original game, unlike another member named Rocker, she never berated Humboldt Penguin for missing practice. She also has connections to members of the Water Girls group, including Eurasian Otter, Asian Small-Clawed Otter, and Japanese River Otter, whom she recruited.
Regarding character development, the stage plays show her struggling with criticism about her stage presence and later receiving an apology from a jealous bandmate. An offhand comment reveals she was once forced to participate in a training camp for an idol showdown, suggesting a history of being pushed outside her comfort zone by her fellow penguins. Though generally timid, she shows courage when the situation calls for it, such as agreeing to become a poster girl for a waterpark to help a friend.
In terms of abilities, Gentoo Penguin has been shown to use her flippers to slap enemies in combat situations. In the Kemono Friends Kingdom game, she possesses defensive abilities, including a Miracle skill that grants a significant defense boost to all Friends in combat and converts a portion of incoming damage into damage over time. She also has a Nature Skill called Swimming Champion, which references the real-world gentoo penguin's reputation as the fastest swimming penguin species, capable of reaching speeds of 36 kilometers per hour underwater.
In terms of appearance, Gentoo Penguin has long black hair that reaches her waist, featuring orange highlights in the center of her bangs that are symbolic of a gentoo penguin's beak. Her eyes are amber, a color that matches the circular designs on her white headphones. She wears a windbreaker-style sports jacket designed to reflect the black and white plumage of a real gentoo penguin, paired with a white ruffled skirt and yellow calf-high boots. Her sleeves double as mittens that cover her hands entirely.
Personality-wise, Gentoo Penguin is characterized as being kind, gentle, and soft-spoken. She is described as an orthodox idol, acting in a formal and respectful manner toward her fellow group members and others. She speaks proper Japanese even with her closest friends. Despite her celebrity status as an idol, she is also somewhat timid and known to fold easily under pressure, according to her bandmate Royal Penguin. Nevertheless, she has a strong enjoyment of singing and dancing and always gives her best effort. In the stage play adaptation, her character was portrayed as a bit more mischievous than her anime counterpart.
Her motivations are largely tied to her role as an idol, as she is dedicated to her performances and to the success of PPP. She is shown to be determined, as seen in the original mobile game where she agreed to become a poster girl for a waterpark to help convince Eurasian Otter to join the Water Girls group. In the stage play, she was forced by Royal Penguin to participate in a rigorous training camp to compete in an idol showdown, demonstrating her commitment to the group's activities even when pressured.
Within the story, Gentoo Penguin's role is primarily as a supporting character and a member of the idol group PPP. In the second season of the anime, she appears with the other penguins in a post-credits sketch where they react to a coffee jelly dessert. In the stage plays, she takes on a more active role, such as traveling to a snowy mountain area with Emperor Penguin to find a new song for the group, which leads to encounters with other Friends like Western Parotia and Greater Lophorina. In fan-made stories, she is depicted as a member of the Japari Park Rangers and participates in battles against enemies like the Emotionless and giant Cerulean.
Key relationships for Gentoo Penguin include her fellow PPP members. She has a close bond with Emperor Penguin, who was concerned enough about her to initiate a trip to the snowy mountains in the stage play. Her relationship with Royal Penguin has some tension, as Royal Penguin admitted to becoming jealous of Gentoo Penguin and once suggested she was not sexy enough during dance practice. In the original game, unlike another member named Rocker, she never berated Humboldt Penguin for missing practice. She also has connections to members of the Water Girls group, including Eurasian Otter, Asian Small-Clawed Otter, and Japanese River Otter, whom she recruited.
Regarding character development, the stage plays show her struggling with criticism about her stage presence and later receiving an apology from a jealous bandmate. An offhand comment reveals she was once forced to participate in a training camp for an idol showdown, suggesting a history of being pushed outside her comfort zone by her fellow penguins. Though generally timid, she shows courage when the situation calls for it, such as agreeing to become a poster girl for a waterpark to help a friend.
In terms of abilities, Gentoo Penguin has been shown to use her flippers to slap enemies in combat situations. In the Kemono Friends Kingdom game, she possesses defensive abilities, including a Miracle skill that grants a significant defense boost to all Friends in combat and converts a portion of incoming damage into damage over time. She also has a Nature Skill called Swimming Champion, which references the real-world gentoo penguin's reputation as the fastest swimming penguin species, capable of reaching speeds of 36 kilometers per hour underwater.