Kanako Ōno is a central character in the later arcs of her series, joining the story at the beginning of the fall term. Her background is distinctive as she was raised in the United States from the third grade and graduated from an American high school, which gives her a slightly different perspective from her peers. She becomes the fourth president of the university club around which the story centers.

In terms of personality, Kanako is generally soft-spoken, polite, and easily embarrassed in everyday situations. This shy demeanor, however, contrasts sharply with her behavior when discussing her hobbies. When the topic turns to her passions, she becomes surprisingly upfront, enthusiastic, and even competitive. This duality defines much of her interaction with the world, as her quiet exterior often gives way to a fierce dedication to her interests.

Kanako is driven by two main passions. The first is cosplay. She possesses a nice figure and is well-endowed, and she quickly becomes the club's primary attraction at university fairs when she dons her costumes. The costumes she wears are sewn personally by a fellow club member named Tanaka, whom she begins a romantic relationship with. Her second, and more unusual, passion is for yaoi, specifically the subgenre featuring romantic pairings of muscular, middle-aged, exceedingly bald men. This specific preference is known as oyajicon. It is explicitly stated that one of the primary reasons she joins the club is because its members are uniquely accepting of her unconventional fetish, a niche interest that might be met with confusion or ridicule elsewhere.

Within the story, Kanako serves as a major catalyst for other characters. Her infectious enthusiasm for cosplay acts as a foil for other female members who are initially resistant to participating in club activities. She persistently attempts to involve them in photoshoots and events, often dragging them out of their comfort zones. Her decision to become the club president comes from a suggestion by a close friend, Saki Kasukabe, who proposes that Kanako could transform the organization into a cosplay-focused club. She later passes the presidency on to another member, Chika Ogiue.

Key relationships are central to her character development. She is very close to Saki, who was the first person to discover Kanako's preference for older male characters and accepted it without judgment. This bond of trust is a foundation of their friendship. Her romantic relationship with Tanaka is also significant, as he creates her elaborate costumes. In later material, it is revealed that she is not actively job hunting after graduation, as she is waiting for him to finish his additional schooling, implying her future plans are intertwined with his.

Kanako holds a notable personal code regarding her hobby. She is against cosplay sex, claiming that doing so betrays the characters being portrayed. However, when asked if this rule applies to cosplaying as characters from adult pornography, she becomes very embarrassed and her reaction indicates she has already used that loophole. Her notable abilities lie primarily in her modeling for cosplay, where her figure and Tanaka's costumes combine to make her a standout participant, and in her unwavering dedication to pursuing her interests without shame, despite her usually reserved nature.