ONA
Description
Kanata Shinkai is a character from the idol franchise Ensemble Stars!!, specifically appearing as a main character in the ONA Tsuioku Selection "Element". At seventeen years of age, he stands 176 centimeters tall and has a B blood type. His appearance is marked by short, wavy cyan hair that features a curved ahoge on top, as well as narrow light green eyes. He is a member of the unit RYUSEITAI, where he takes the role of Ryusei Blue under the Starmaker Production agency. His image color is cerulean blue.
Kanata’s background is highly unusual. He was raised as a living god within a secluded religious household. As a child, he lived a reclusive life under strict restrictions, including wearing a mask to limit his vision, being forbidden from cutting his hair, and undergoing purification rituals. He was cared for by worshippers and maids in a large rural mansion where he was surrounded by fish and water features. His only close companion during this time was Madara Mikejima, a childhood friend whose family were designated caretakers of the god. Madara would secretly bring Kanata candy and idol magazines to help ease his boredom, and through these magazines, Kanata first became intrigued by idols. It was later revealed that Kanata’s mother had not actually died but had fled the religion with help, leaving Kanata behind with an empty urn as a memento. As Madara began breaking rules to treat Kanata more like a human, his life became threatened, prompting Kanata to pretend to despise him to drive him away. This resulted in a long period of depersonalization for Kanata.
Upon entering Yumenosaki Academy, Kanata initially felt lost and struggled to fit in due to his sheltered upbringing. In his first year, he met Chiaki Morisawa at the school pool, where Chiaki reminded him of what heroes are—a pivotal moment for Kanata. In his second year, he found companionship among the Five Eccentrics, a group of talented idols who were being targeted by the student council. Kanata understood that he was being targeted but accepted it as natural, believing his bloodline had historically been consumed to purge evils. During the war era, he was executed as an eccentric in the Battle of the Sea God against the unit AKATSUKI. He arrived late to the venue alongside Chiaki, having just abandoned his godhood and joined RYUSEITAI, resulting in a default loss, though both units performed against each other anyway.
Kanata possesses a calm, carefree, and easygoing personality. He is generally relaxed and rarely becomes genuinely angry, and he is surprisingly tactful regarding the emotions of others. Despite his isolated upbringing, he genuinely loves being with people he cares about and prioritizes making others happy, sometimes to the point of hiding his own problems—a tendency that has worried his friends. He appreciates the simpler things in life, such as being together with loved ones and living as a human rather than the god he was raised to be. Initially perceived as distant and mysterious by his RYUSEITAI juniors, he gradually becomes more at home in the unit and bonds with them over time, rediscovering his desire to become a hero. Within RYUSEITAI, he watches over the other members as their leader Chiaki leads them forward with enthusiasm.
Kanata is defined by his deep love for the ocean and all marine life. He becomes excessively excited when the topic of sea creatures arises, referring to them as his sea friends. He maintains an aquarium and has been known to install a giant fish tank and other apparatuses at school as the head of the Marine Bio Club. He loves soaking in water and watching the ocean, and he physically feels suffocated if he spends too long away from water. Despite this affinity for water, he cannot swim and has a habit of occasionally drowning. He also demonstrates an obsession with eating his food with soy sauce. He has a unique way of speaking and writing, using only hiragana characters rather than kanji or katakana, which reflects his slow and relaxed manner of speaking and has caused trouble for teachers grading his work. The only word he writes in its proper spelling is hero.
Contrary to his seemingly delicate nature, Kanata is notably strong. He is the one who transports the large fish tanks for the Marine Bio Club, and other characters have stated that his strength rivals that of some of the strongest known individuals in the school. He has a hobby of taking walks on the beach and lists karate chopping as a specialty. He also enjoys crafts, having made seashell replicas by hand and crafted stuffed fish similar to keychains he has given to others. Among his more unusual traits, it has been mentioned that he can communicate with sea creatures, an ability that his ancestors also possessed.
Kanata’s background is highly unusual. He was raised as a living god within a secluded religious household. As a child, he lived a reclusive life under strict restrictions, including wearing a mask to limit his vision, being forbidden from cutting his hair, and undergoing purification rituals. He was cared for by worshippers and maids in a large rural mansion where he was surrounded by fish and water features. His only close companion during this time was Madara Mikejima, a childhood friend whose family were designated caretakers of the god. Madara would secretly bring Kanata candy and idol magazines to help ease his boredom, and through these magazines, Kanata first became intrigued by idols. It was later revealed that Kanata’s mother had not actually died but had fled the religion with help, leaving Kanata behind with an empty urn as a memento. As Madara began breaking rules to treat Kanata more like a human, his life became threatened, prompting Kanata to pretend to despise him to drive him away. This resulted in a long period of depersonalization for Kanata.
Upon entering Yumenosaki Academy, Kanata initially felt lost and struggled to fit in due to his sheltered upbringing. In his first year, he met Chiaki Morisawa at the school pool, where Chiaki reminded him of what heroes are—a pivotal moment for Kanata. In his second year, he found companionship among the Five Eccentrics, a group of talented idols who were being targeted by the student council. Kanata understood that he was being targeted but accepted it as natural, believing his bloodline had historically been consumed to purge evils. During the war era, he was executed as an eccentric in the Battle of the Sea God against the unit AKATSUKI. He arrived late to the venue alongside Chiaki, having just abandoned his godhood and joined RYUSEITAI, resulting in a default loss, though both units performed against each other anyway.
Kanata possesses a calm, carefree, and easygoing personality. He is generally relaxed and rarely becomes genuinely angry, and he is surprisingly tactful regarding the emotions of others. Despite his isolated upbringing, he genuinely loves being with people he cares about and prioritizes making others happy, sometimes to the point of hiding his own problems—a tendency that has worried his friends. He appreciates the simpler things in life, such as being together with loved ones and living as a human rather than the god he was raised to be. Initially perceived as distant and mysterious by his RYUSEITAI juniors, he gradually becomes more at home in the unit and bonds with them over time, rediscovering his desire to become a hero. Within RYUSEITAI, he watches over the other members as their leader Chiaki leads them forward with enthusiasm.
Kanata is defined by his deep love for the ocean and all marine life. He becomes excessively excited when the topic of sea creatures arises, referring to them as his sea friends. He maintains an aquarium and has been known to install a giant fish tank and other apparatuses at school as the head of the Marine Bio Club. He loves soaking in water and watching the ocean, and he physically feels suffocated if he spends too long away from water. Despite this affinity for water, he cannot swim and has a habit of occasionally drowning. He also demonstrates an obsession with eating his food with soy sauce. He has a unique way of speaking and writing, using only hiragana characters rather than kanji or katakana, which reflects his slow and relaxed manner of speaking and has caused trouble for teachers grading his work. The only word he writes in its proper spelling is hero.
Contrary to his seemingly delicate nature, Kanata is notably strong. He is the one who transports the large fish tanks for the Marine Bio Club, and other characters have stated that his strength rivals that of some of the strongest known individuals in the school. He has a hobby of taking walks on the beach and lists karate chopping as a specialty. He also enjoys crafts, having made seashell replicas by hand and crafted stuffed fish similar to keychains he has given to others. Among his more unusual traits, it has been mentioned that he can communicate with sea creatures, an ability that his ancestors also possessed.