Naoka Ueno (植野 直花, Ueno Naoka?) is a supporting character in the Koe no Katachi series, sometimes also acting as an antagonist. She was Shōya Ishida's classmate and friend back in elementary school until she denied any part in helping him bully Shōko Nishimiya. When she meets Shōya and Shōko again in high school, old feelings of infatuation and resentment begin to resurface.
Personality[]
Naoka is rather blunt about her negative feelings towards people she dislikes, especially with Shōko Nishimiya. Where she struggles is in her ability to showcase her more positive qualities, such as her soft and caring side, often resorting to rather rude and insensitive approaches to certain interactions. While it can be argued that her ability to confront her own negative feelings is respectable when used rationally, Naoka's tendency for rash actions and anger causes her to lash out in several instances. In particular, during Chapter 44 when she assaults Shōko, who is still recovering after attempting to take her own life.
Naoka has some degree of self-awareness when it comes to her own flaws and actions, even showing remorse at certain points and expressing a desire to be different, though she is hesitant to believe that kind of change is possible. It’s this belief that people can’t change who they really are that Naoka tends to project onto several characters during the series, particularly Shōko and Shōya Ishida, who challenge her belief with their actions.
Ultimately, Naoka does begin to show hints of progress towards the end of the series, seen through changes in her behavior towards several people and even during a conversation with Shōya where she is hesitant to come to like Shōko despite her trying to do so.
Physical appearance[]
Naoka is a beautiful pale-skinned teenage girl with straight mid-back length black hair that has long bangs and dark-purple eyes.
She is normally seen in her school uniform: a traditional white and red sailor fuku uniform, along with a dark skirt and a tan school sweater. Naoka is also shown in her part-time job uniform, in which she wears glasses and ties up her hair as well as her bangs, making her unrecognizable to Shōya and Tomohiro.
List of appearances[]
Volume 01[]
- Chapter 01 — "Shōya Ishida"
- Chapter 02 — "Just One of Those Things"
- Chapter 03 — "Hahahahaha"
Volume 03[]
- Chapter 18 — "I Don't Care in the Least"
- Chapter 19 — "How a Cat Feels"
- Chapter 20 — "Reason"
- Chapter 21 — "Pretend Friends"
- Chapter 22 — "I Want to Know"
Volume 04[]
- Chapter 24 — "Change"
- Chapter 25 — "Just My Imagination"
- Chapter 26 — "Birds of a Feather"
- Chapter 27 — "Hate"
- Chapter 28 — "Reply"
Volume 05[]
- Chapter 33 — "Big Friend 'N'"
- Chapter 36 — "What I Wanted"
- Chapter 37 — "Now and Forever"
- Chapter 38 — "Jumping at Shadows"
- Chapter 39 — "Just Some Passerby"
- Chapter 41 — "Everyone"
Volume 06[]
- Chapter 44 — "Blight"
- Chapter 45 — "It Was All for Nothing?"
- Chapter 46 — "Tomohiro Nagatsuka"
- Chapter 47 — "Miyoko Sahara"
- Chapter 48 — "Miki Kawai"
- Chapter 49 — "Satoshi Mashiba"
- Chapter 50 — "Naoka Ueno"
Volume 07[]
- Chapter 57 — "Reunion"
- Chapter 58 — "Results"
- Chapter 59 — "The Future"
- Chapter 61 — "Graduation"
- Chapter 62 — "A Silent Voice"
History[]
Please Note: This section has spoilers for the manga.
Suimon Elementary[]
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| At Suimon Elementary, Naoka develops a crush on Shōya Ishida during their school’s sports festival when they accidentally bump into each other. After that incident, she makes numerous attempts to catch Shōya's attention and impress him. She compliments him on his speed and offers him chocolate, even helping him, Kazuki, and Keisuke by luring an opponent to an area for them to fight after Shōya's shoes are stolen by them.
When Shōko Nishimiya transferred into Naoka and Shōya's sixth grade class, her desk was placed directly in front of the two, which unintentionally began creating tension. While Shōya initially avoided interacting directly with Shōko, Naoka tried to be friendly and helped her write notes during lectures. Naoka's patience with Shōko and her disability quickly declined, beginning to resent Shōko due to seeing her as a burden to the class. It's revealed later on that Naoka's sixth grade teacher, Takeuchi, put the responsibility of looking after Shōko solely onto her despite her age, which exasperated her resentment. Naoka began badmouthing Shōko as a result and even began helping Shōya pick on Shōko, though she would deny any involvement when he was confronted by Takeuchi. Much like Shōya's other peers at the time, Naoka's behavior appears contradictory, willing to throw him under the bus to avoid punishment. She also seemed to behave according to what people like Shōya or her other friends approved of, which is why she gets involved with the bullying of Shōko and eventually the bullying of Shōya, who is supposed to be her crush. Though reluctant, Naoka helps Kazuki write mean comments on Shōya's desk and ostracizes him like the rest of their friends. After witnessing Shōko clearing the harsh messages off of Shōya's desk before class, Naoka begins to panic, believing Shōko to be a threat to her feelings for Shōya by putting on an innocent girl act. This event causes Naoka to gain a hatred for and feel jealous towards Shōko and begin pouring dirt into her shoes as a way to retaliate. Naoka would continue this behavior until Shōko transferred out of the school. |
Taiyo Girl’s Academy[]
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| Naoka begins attending Taiyo Girl’s Academy for her high school years and is surprised when she is put into the same class as Miyoko Sahara. The two avoid interacting due to Naoka being the reason Miyoko left their sixth grade class before they could graduate, but become friends after Miyoko kindly defends one of Naoka's designs and saying that Naoka inspires her own work. Naoka and Miyoko appear to be in the academy for a decent amount of time before the events of their senior year and become closer during that time, working very well together and becoming top students in the school's design department.
The majority of the series' events take place while Naoka and Miyoko are still attending the academy, though their time in the school isn't shown aside from flashbacks. At some point in time, Naoka also starts her part-time job at the Meow Meow Club. |
Pre-Graduation[]
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| Some time before graduation, Shōya finds Naoka sleeping in his bed before flicking peanuts at her when she asks what he'll do if she refuses to leave. Naoka reveals that she just wanted to talk to him and the two take the conversation to a park nearby.
Naoka tells Shōya she heard that Shōko plans on moving to Tokyo, and asks him why not go Shōko if he likes her that much. Shōya admits he thought about it, but decided to remain in Suimon and attend college there like originally planned to, saying he wants to take over his mother’s hair salon one day. Naoka teases him and reveals that Shōko wants to pursue the same career as him. Shōya believes Shōko wants to be a beautician, but Naoka corrects him saying there's three things he doesn't know. The first is that Shōko wants to be a hairdresser, much like how he wants to (She knows this because Miyoko told her). The second fact Naoka reveals to Shōya is that Kazuki and Keisuke were the ones to pull him out of the river when he fell from Shōko's balcony. She admits that neither of them wanted Shōya to know they saved him but decided to tell him anyway, saying that both Kazuki and Keisuke did genuinely like Shōya when they used to be friends with him though they tried to erase the fact that they were ever his friends. Naoka apologizes for writing on Shōya's desk and joining in on the bullying. She tells him that she’s an awful person and admits that even after everything that's happened, she still can't bring herself to like Shōko (though it's implied that she has an underlying desire to like her). To her surprise, Shōya responds by telling her that he believes she'll be able to find the motivation to change when she needs it. Shōya's kind words cause Naoka to tear up, calling him soft. She leaves before telling Shōya the third thing he is unaware of (which is her crush on him), and tells him to use his brain for once when he asks what that third thing was. |
Coming-of-Age Ceremony[]
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| In Chapter 62, Naoka is seen styling Miyoko’s hair alongside Shōko. Naoka and Shōko appear to get along now, with all the three girls sitting together during the ceremony. Naoka watches Shōko sign at Shōya and tells her to stop flirting. Shōko's mother appears to know about Shōko and Naoka's growing friendship as well, telling Shōya that Naoka and Miyoko are planning to start their own brand.
Later, when asked about a ring by Miki, Naoka teases that it given to her to by someone she describes as tall, gorgeous, and wouldn't stop bugging her about being their partner. Though it could be seen as her trying to make Shōya envious, it's clear that she was describing Miyoko, who makes it apparent that she gave Naoka the ring while smacking the back of her head. Naoka is last seen making her way to the Suimon Elementary class reunion. |
Relationships[]
Love Interests[]
Shōya Ishida: Naoka was one of Shōya’s friends during sixth grade until he was solely blamed for the bullying of Shōko Nishimiya. Though reluctant, she wrote awful comments on his desk and watched as his life began spiraling downward. Naoka has a crush on Shōya that resurfaces after they meet again years later, though she never clearly expresses her feelings to him.
Initially off-put by how different Shōya is, Naoka becomes distraught after learning he has befriended Shōko and even gave her his cat pouch from the Meow Meow Club (the symbol of Naoka’s feelings for him). She mocks Shōya for being nice to the girl he used to bully, though her laughter is a front for the underlying distress she feels believing the two might be dating. Shōya clarifies that he’s just friends with Shōko, causing Naoka to continue trying to win him over, starting by apologizing for helping ostracize him. He refuses her apology and kicks her out of his house, though they continue to interact later as Naoka persists, whether Shōya wants to be around her or not.
During the group’s trip to the amusement park, Naoka sets Shōya up for an encounter with Kazuki that neither boy wished for, causing her and Shōya’s ideologies to clash. Naoka believes that she's a lot like him in wanting to repair relationships (not recognizing the difference in their approaches). After Shōya watches Naoka get on the ferris wheel with Shōko and sees Shōko return with a blemished cheek, he confronts Naoka for resorting to violence, however she responds by claiming it has nothing to do with him before storming home in anger.
When everyone begins arguing at the bridge after Miki exposes Shōya’s past, he tells Naoka that she’s barely any different from Miki. Like the others, Naoka leaves Shōya alone for some time, later finding out that he fell into a coma after saving Shōko from attempting suicide. She begins visiting his hospital room daily to care for his unconscious body, even gatekeeping the room from his other friends, especially Shōko.
At this point, Naoka recognizes that her feelings for Shōya are one-sided as any romantic interest he has is only for Shōko. Desperate to cling on to any hope that he would look her way, Naoka expresses that she’d rather have Shōya remain comatose than pick Shōko over her. After he wakes up, Shōya thanks Naoka for her help and the two become genuine friends, appearing to get along rather well.
Friends[]
Shōko Nishimiya: For most of the series, Naoka hates Shōko. When Shōko first transferred to her sixth grade class, Naoka was friendly and helpful. However, the pressure of Takeuchi making Naoka responsible for looking after Shōko caused her to start seeing her classmate as a burden. Naoka began badmouthing Shōko, though what truly established her hatred was witnessing Shōko clean the mean comments from Shōya’s desk, making her believe that Shōko liked Shōya and that her kind behavior was an act. Until Shōko transferred out of the school, Naoka regularly poured dirt in her shoes in retaliation for her crush on Shōya being challenged.
When they meet again years later, Naoka still views Shōko as someone she can mock and pick on with Shōya. However, she is caught off guard after finding out Shōya has befriended Shōko, believing the two are going out. Naoka starts viewing Shōko as her rival for Shōya, her resentment growing as she witnesses how close the two become.
The second reason for Naoka’s hatred is her inability to understand Shōko, believing her to be a blight who ruined the dynamic between her friends and caused them to suffer. Naoka lashes out at her both during their ride together on the ferris wheel and outside of the hospital while Shōya is comatose. Even after Shōko clearly expressed feelings of self-hatred and had attempted to take her own life, Naoka still believed that Shōko was self-absorbed and inconsiderate to other people’s feelings.
Ultimately, Naoka seems to begin understanding that most of her hostility towards Shōko is unwarranted and tries to like her, despite her reluctance to do so. At the end of the series, the two appear to get along way better than they ever had before, likely now being true friends.
Miyoko Sahara: Miyoko is arguably Naoka’s closest friend, though their relationship was tense until they reconciled during high school. When Miyoko befriends Shōko after she transfers to Takeuchi’s class, Naoka begins mocking her until Miyoko stops coming to class.
The two don’t meet again until they’re placed in the same class for their freshman year of high school. They avoid interacting with each other at first, but later become friends after Naoka hears Miyoko defend one of her costume designs from the harsh criticism of other students. Naoka has a change of heart about Miyoko and the two ride the train home together after school where they reconcile about their past and begin to understand each other better.
While Naoka can still be quite frank, the two have established a close friendship and feeling of mutual respect. However, this doesn’t mean they aren’t willing to criticize each other, seen when Miyoko calls Naoka out for ignoring people’s feelings (though they are able to reconcile and continue being friends soon after).
Both girls are talented at costume design and tailoring, becoming an exceptional collaborative duo during their time at Taiyō Girls Academy. Towards the end of the series, Naoka and Miyoko win first place in a fashion design contest and are offered a chance to attend the college sponsoring the contest. Accepting the offer, the two move to Tokyo to attend the school, deciding to start their own brand two years later.
Miki Kawai: Miki was one of Naoka’s closest friends in elementary school, remaining in contact after enrolling in different high schools. Naoka has Miki help her in her pursuit of Shōya Ishida, with Miki setting up an encounter between the two and inviting Naoka to the group's trip to the amusement park.
It’s made clear that both girls have underlying resentment towards each other, demonstrated during their arguments when the group was falling apart on the bridge and when Naoka was gatekeeping Shōya’s hospital room while he was comatose. While Miki believes that unlike Naoka, she isn't guilty of bullying Shōko and that she suffered just as much as everyone else, Naoka claims that what she went through meant more and Miki didn't struggle due to her just being a follower.
Their conflicting perspectives on the past create a huge amount of tension between the two, though it appears to have mostly subsided with the reconciliation of the friend group.
Tomohiro Nagatsuka: Naoka meets Tomohiro when he joins Shōya to visit the Meow Meow Club while she’s working, though neither boy realizes that Naoka is the employee talking with them. When they go to leave, she decides to give Shōya a cat pouch containing a note that expresses her feelings for him, which accidentally gets mixed up with Tomohiro’s own cat pouch when she accidentally drops it. When Tomohiro finds the note, he is elated and finds Naoka after one of her shifts to reciprocate the feelings he thinks she has for him, which ends disastrously.
Naoka makes her disgust for Tomohiro very clear and tells him to not tell Shōya the truth about the note. From then on, Naoka appears to tolerate Tomohiro while he is afraid of her. Over time, the tense nature of their relationship seems to have dissolved, though how fond they are of each other at the end of the series is unclear.
Etymology[]
- The name Naoka means "straight/straightaway, direct, fix, frankness, honesty, repair" (直) (nao) and "flower, blossom" (花) (ka).
- Naoka's surname Ueno means "plant" (植) (ue) and "field, wilderness" (野) (no).