List of The Road to the Promised Land characters

Characters that make an appearance in The Road to the Promised Land. This page refers mainly to characters who either did not previously appear or changed their status since the prequel story, Dream or Premonition. Most of the returning characters can be found here.
Note: The characters and incidents portrayed herein are fictional. Any similarity to the name, character or history of any actual persons living or dead, other than from the Canon Area no Kishi, is entirely coincidental and unintentional.
==Manchester United F.C.==
*Andrew Butler: ♂. English. Current manager (head coach) for Manchester United. -voice sample
===Players===
*Kakeru Aizawa (逢沢 駆 Aizawa Kakeru): ♂. Japanese, #10. Position: Forward.
*Nana Mishima (美島奈々 Mishima Nana): ♀. Japanese, #19 (#7 in the epilogue). Position: Midfielder.
*Yusuke Saeki (佐伯 祐介 Saeki Yusuke): ♂. Japanese, #17. Position: Defensive midfielder.
*Jan Farkas: ♂. Slovakian, #1. Position: Goalkeeper.
*Erik Johansson: ♂. Swedish, #2. Position: Centre-back.
*Didier Kamara: ♂. Ivorian, #3. Position: Centre-back.
*Chris Clarke: ♂. English, #4. Position: Centre-back.
*Matthias Köhler: ♂. German, #5. Captain. Position: Centre-back.
*Wesley McLaren: ♂. English, #6. Position: Centre-back.
*Nikolaj Kristiansen: ♂. Danish. #8. Vice-captain. Position: Midfielder.
*Marius van Leeuwen: ♂. Dutch. 9. Position: Striker.
*Anthony Laurent: ♂. French. #11. Position: Forward/Winger.
*Aidan Whelan: ♂. Irish. #12. Position: Midfielder.
*Kevin Flynn: ♂. English, #14. Position: Winger.
*Andreas Monteiro: ♂. Brazilian, #15. Position: Midfielder.
*Diogo Blanco: ♂. Portuguese. #20. Position: Right-back.
*Francisco Serrano: ♂. Spanish, #21. Position: Midfielder.
*Luca Mancuso: ♂. Italian, #22. Position: Goalkeeper.
*Andrew Shaw: ♂. English. #23. Position: Left-back.
*Santiago Araya: ♂. Chilean-Colombian, #26. Position: Winger.
*Aleksandar Rukavina: ♂. Serbian, #27. Position: Defensive midfielder.
*Joel Muamba: ♂. English, #29. Position: Right-back.
*Jeremy Williams: ♂. English. #33. Position: Left-back.
*Bradley Mitchell: ♂. American, #35. Position: Left-back.
*Adewale Makinde: ♂. English, #38. Position: Centre-back.
*Liam McGregor: ♂. Scottish, #39. Position: Midfielder.
*Bernard Henderson: ♂. English, #40. Position: Goalkeeper.
*Timothy de Vries: ♂. Dutch. #44. Position: Winger.
*Sean MacKinnon: ♂. English, #54. Position: Striker.
List of Nicknames 	List of Nicknames	List of Nicknames
Player 	Nickname 	Reason(s)/Origins
Kakeru Aizawa 	Knight 	Based on the canon designation of the kind of striker Kakeru was meant to become.
Nana Mishima 	Witch 	As an adult, Nana is less often referred as "Little" from the canon nickname. Later on, her nickname would be expanded into "Scarlet Witch" in a reference to a powerful Marvel Comics superheroine.
Yusuke Saeki 	Fury 	In a match incident that degenerated into fisticuffs, Yusuke knocked out his opponent with a single punch. Teammates started calling him "Fury" in a direct reference to heavyweight boxer and United fan, Tyson Fury.
Jan Farkas 	Wolf 	The surname "Farkas" is a Hungarian word for "wolf".
Erik Johansson 	Viking 	First used because Erik is Swedish, but also because he would later decide to sport a playoff beard in later stages of the season.
Didier Kamara 	Didi 	"Didi" is a simplification of his first name.
Chris Clarke 	Clarkey 	It is derived from his surname.
Matthias Köhler 	Skipper 	Matthias is the captain of the team. Hence the nickname.
Nikolaj Kristiansen	Nicky 	"Nicky" is an anglicized simplification of his first name.
Marius van Leeuwen 	Roman 	It comes from the fact that "Marius" is an old name of Roman origin.
Anthony Laurent 	Tony 	"Tony" is a simplification of his first name.
Aidan Whelan 	Clover 	It comes from the fact that Aidan is Irish.
Kevin Flynn 	Kev 	"Kev" is a simplification of his first name.
Andreas Monteiro 	Monty 	It is anglicized and derived from his surname.
Diogo Blanco 	Whitey 	His last name means "white" in Portuguese and Spanish. Hence his nickname is derived from the anglicization of his surname.
Francisco Serrano 	Frankie 	"Frankie" is an anglicized simplification of his first name.
Andrew Shaw 	Shawzy 	It is derived from his surname. Coincidentally, "Shawzy" is the actual nickname of a Canadian hockey player also named Andrew Shaw.
Santiago Araya 	Santi 	"Santi" is a simplification of his first name. The film character named Santiago Muñez was also called as such by his friends in Goal!
Joel Muamba 	Spider 	It comes from the fact that he has long legs.
Aleksandar Rukavina	Alex 	"Alex" is an anglicized simplification of his first name.
Liam McGregor 	Big Mac 	Unwillingly inherited because he is tall/stocky and because his Scottish surname starts with "Mc/Mac".
Timothy de Vries 	Afro 	It comes from the fact that he sports an Afro haircut.
Sean MacKinnon 	Kinner 	It is derived from his surname.
Jeremy Williams 	Jerry 	"Jerry" is a simplification of his first name.
Ella Toone 	Tooney 	It is a simplification that is derived from her surname. She is known under that nickname in real life.
Bryan Robson 	Captain Marvel 	Known for his incomparable leadership as the captain for both Manchester United and for England in the 1980s, the nickname emerged after he had inspired United to a thrilling comeback win against F.C. Barcelona in the now-abolished UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup in 1984.
Park Ji-sung 	Three-Lungs 	In his playing days, he was known for his exceptional endurance levels, pace, work ethic, and off-the-ball movement. The nickname came as result of his relentless efforts on the pitch.
=== Supporting Staff ===
*Michael Schneider: ♂. German. Assistant manager.
*Kieran O'Sullivan: ♂. Northern Irish. First-team coach.
*Ridley Nolan: ♂. English. First-team doctor.
*Ethan Hunter: ♂. English. First-team physiotherapist.
*James Llewelyn: ♂. Welsh. Kit man (Equipment manager).
*Karen Shotbolt: ♀, English. Head of football communications.
=== Directors and Ambassadors ===
*Sir Alex Ferguson: ♂. Scottish. Director and former manager (1986-2013).
*Sir Bobby Charlton: ♂. English. Director and former player/captain (1956-1973).
*Bryan Robson: ♂. English. Global ambassador and former player/captain (1981-1994).
*Park Ji-sung (박지성): ♂. South Korean. Global ambassador and former player (2005-2012).
=== Manchester United's Women F.C. ===
* Taeko Isshiki (一色 妙子 Isshiki Taeko): ♀, #23 (#19 in the epilogue). Japanese. Position: Forward.
* Ella Toone: ♀, #7. English. Position: Forward.
* Casey Stoney: ♀, English. Head coach for the Women's Team. Although Stoney left in the summer of 2021 to become head coach in San Diego, she was the head coach in Manchester in the timeline of the story (as a fictional account of the 2018-19 season).
==Opposition Players (Area no Kishi characters)==
*Ryuichi Araki (荒木 竜一): ♂. Japanese, #22. Position: Attacking midfielder. Club: Arsenal F.C.
*Patrick Jenpa: ♂. Cameroonian, #99. Position: Striker. Club: Arsenal F.C.
*Ryoma Oda(織田 涼真): ♂. Japanese, #24. Position: Defensive midfielder. Club: Arsenal F.C.
*Lee Chu-joon (a.k.a. Akitoshi Li): ♂. South Korean, #25. Position: Goalkeeper. Club: Celtic F.C.
*Koichi Hibino (日比野 光一): ♂. Japanese, #23. Position: Left-back/Centre-back. Club: A.F.C. Ajax.
*Mai Murasaki (群咲 舞衣): ♀. Japanese, #19. Position: Forward. Club: Chelsea F.C.
*Ricardo "Ricky" Bernardi: ♂. Argentine, #6. Position: Centre-back. Club: Manchester City F.C.
* Akira Takajo (鷹匠 瑛): ♂. Japanese, #13. Position: Striker. Club: Leicester City F.C.
*Ukyo Sera (世良 右京): ♂. Japanese, #26. Position: Attacking midfielder. Club: Leicester City F.C.
*Takumi Emishi (蝦夷 巧): ♂. Japanese, #19. Position: Striker. Club: Liverpool F.C.
*Angelina von Seckendorff: ♀. German, #9. Position: Striker. Club: Chelsea F.C. Women.
*Toru Asuka (飛鳥 享): ♂. Japanese, #5. Position: Centre-back. Club: F.C. Bayern Munich.
*Karl von Seckendorff: ♂. German, #15. Position: Centre-back. Club: F.C. Bayern Munich.
*Mina Meier: ♀. German, #23. Position: Forward. Club: F.C. Bayern Munich.
*Mikiya Tono: ♂. Japanese, #29. Position: Goalkeeper. Club: Paris Saint-Germain F.C.
*Marco Antonio: ♂. Brazilian, #39. Position: Forward. Club: Paris Saint-Germain F.C.
*Leonardo Silva: ♂. Brazilian, #10. Position: Midfielder. Club: Paris Saint-Germain F.C.
==Opposition Players (Real players - dialogue appearances)==
*Yuji Nakazawa: ♂. Japanese. Club: Yokohama F. Marinos.
*Bernd Leno: ♂. German. Club: Arsenal F.C.
*Laurent Koscielny: ♂. French. Captain. Club: Arsenal F.C.
*Shkodran Mustafi: ♂. German. Club: Arsenal F.C.
*Granit Xhaka: ♂. Swiss. Club: Arsenal F.C.
*Aaron Ramsey: ♂. Welsh. Club: Arsenal F.C.
*Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: ♂. Gabonese. Club: Arsenal F.C.
*Morgan Schneiderlin: ♂. French. Club: Everton F.C.
*Scott Brown: ♂. Scottish. Club: Celtic F.C.
*Daley Blind: ♂. Dutch. Club: A.F.C. Ajax.
*Matthijs de Ligt: ♂. Dutch. Captain. Club: A.F.C. Ajax.
*Ciaran Clark: ♂. Irish. Club: Newcastle United F.C.
*Jonjo Shelvey: ♂. English. Club: Newcastle United F.C.
*Jordan Henderson: ♂. English. Captain. Club: Liverpool F.C.
*Dejan Lovren: ♂. Croatian. Club: Liverpool F.C.
*James Milner: ♂. English. Club: Liverpool F.C.
* César Azpilicueta: ♂. Spanish. Acting captain. Club: Chelsea F.C.
*N'Golo Kanté: ♂. French. Club: Chelsea F.C.
*Eden Hazard: ♂. Belgian. Club: Chelsea F.C.
*John Stones: ♂. English. Club: Manchester City F.C.
*Fernandinho: ♂. Brazilian. Vice-captain. Club: Manchester City F.C.
*Kevin De Bruyne: ♂. Belgian. Club: Manchester City F.C.
*Kasper Schmeichel: ♂. Danish. Club: Leicester City F.C.
*Jonny Evans: ♂. Northern Irish. Club: Leicester City F.C.
*James Maddison: ♂. English. Club: Leicester City F.C.
*Maya Yoshida: ♂. Japanese. Club: Southampton F.C.
*Javier Hernández: ♂. Mexican. Club: West Ham United F.C.
*Cristiano Ronaldo: ♂. Portuguese. Club: Juventus F.C.
*Leonardo Bonucci: ♂. Italian. Club: Juventus F.C.
*Giorgio Chiellini: ♂. Italian. Captain. Club: Juventus F.C.
*Alex Morgan: ♀. American. Team: Team USA (women's).
*Megan Rapinoe: ♀. American. Captain. Team: Team USA (women's).
*Rose Lavelle: ♀. American. Team: Team USA (women's).
*Alyssa Naeher: ♀. American. Team: Team USA (women's).
*Carli Lloyd: ♀. American. Team: Team USA (women's).
*Sergio Ramos: ♂. Spanish. Captain. Club: Real Madrid C.F.
*Luka Modrić: ♂. Croatian. Club: Real Madrid C.F.
*Toni Kroos: ♂. German. Club: Real Madrid C.F.
*Gareth Bale: ♂. Welsh. Club: Real Madrid C.F.
*Manuel Neuer: ♂. German. Captain. Club: F.C. Bayern Munich.
*Thomas Müller: ♂. German. Club: F.C. Bayern Munich.
*Robert Lewandowski: ♂. Polish. Club: F.C. Bayern Munich.
*Thiago Silva: ♂. Brazilian. Captain. Club: Paris Saint-Germain F.C.
*Kylian Mbappé: ♂. French. Club: Paris Saint-Germain F.C.
*Raphaël Varane: ♂. French. Team: Aizawa All-Stars (formerly Real Madrid C.F. and then Manchester United).
*Casemiro: ♂. Brazilian. Team: Aizawa All-Stars (formerly Real Madrid C.F. and then Manchester United).
==Japan National Football Team==
*Raimond van der Meijde: ♂. Dutch. Head coach of the Samurai Blue. He is later revealed to be a former member of the Netherlands National Football Team before an injury kept him away from playing in UEFA Euro 1996. The character is inspired by the late Rutger Hauer's performance as Real Madrid manager Rudi van der Merwe in Goal II: Living the Dream.
===Players===
*Mikiya Tono: ♂. #1. Position: Goalkeeper.
*Hiroki Sakai: ♂. #2. Position: Right-back.
*Koichi Hibino: ♂. #3. Position: Left-back.
*Toru Asuka: ♂. #4.Vice-captain. Position: Centre-back.
*Yuto Nagatomo: ♂. #5. Position: Left-back.
*Gaku Shibasaki: ♂. #6. Position: Central midfielder.
*Haruki Onimaru: ♂. #7. Position: Right winger/Right-back.
*Genki Haraguchi: ♂. #8. Position: Left winger.
*Akira Takajo: ♂. #9. Position: Striker.
*Shinji Kagawa: ♂. #10. Position: Attacking midfielder.
*Ryuichi Araki: ♂. #11. Position: Attacking midfielder.
*Eikichi Oba: ♂. #12. Position: Goalkeeper.
*Yusuke Saeki: ♂. #13. Position: Defensive midfielder.
*Takashi Inui: ♂. #14. Position: Left winger.
*Yuya Osako: ♂. #15. Position: Striker.
*Ryoma Oda: ♂. #16. Position: Defensive midfielder.
*Kaoru Matoba: ♂. #17. Position: Forward.
*Ukyo Sera: ♂. #18. Position: Attacking midfielder.
*Kakeru Aizawa: ♂. #19. Position: Forward.
*Michirou Takase: ♂. #20. Position: Left winger/Centre-back.
*Ryosuke Shima: ♂. #21. Position: Centre-back.
*Maya Yoshida: ♂. #22. Captain. Position: Centre-back.
*Kosuke Nakamura: ♂. #23. Position: Goalkeeper.
==Nadeshiko Japan==
*Akane Katsumoto: ♀. Head coach of Nadeshiko Japan.
*Naomi Minaba: ♀. Assistant coach.
=== Players ===
*Rumi Utsugi: ♀. #2. Position: Midfielder/Defender.
*Aya Sameshima: ♀, #3. Position: Left-back.
*Saki Kumagai: ♀. #4. Captain, Position: Centre-back.
*Mina Nakae: ♀, #5. Position: Centre-back.
*Hina Sugita: ♀. #6. Position: Midfielder.
*Nana Mishima: ♀. #7. Position: Midfielder.
*Mana Iwabuchi: ♀. #8. Position: Striker.
*Mai Murasaki: ♀. #9. Position: Striker.
*Mizuho Sakaguchi: ♀. #10. Position: Midfielder.
*Chika Nakamura: ♀. #11. Position: Right Winger.
*Saori Takarada: ♀. #13. Position: Striker.
*Yui Hasegawa: ♀. #14. Position: Midfielder/Left winger.
*Yuka Momiki: ♀. #15. Position: Midfielder.
*Sakura Otsuki: ♀. #16. Position: Defensive midfielder.
*Emi Nakajima: ♀. #17. Position: Midfielder/Right winger.
*Ayaka Yamashita: ♀. #18. Position: Goalkeeper.
*Jun Endo: ♀. #19. Position: Left winger.
*Taeko Isshiki: ♀. #20. Position: Striker.
*Risa Shimizu: ♀. #22. Position: Right-back.
==Broadcasters==
*Clive Tyldesley: ♂. English football commentator. Known for commentating important UEFA Champions League matches, international matches, and FIFA video games. Having previously worked as the lead commentator in the UEFA Champions League between 1998 and 2020 for ITV Sport, he resumed that position for CBS Sports since 2020 after leaving ITV Sport. -Sample
*Martin Tyler: ♂. English football commentator since 1974. Regarded as a broadcasting legend, he is the main commentator for Premier League matches on Sky Sports at the time of the story, which is before he left Sky Sports in 2023. -Sample 1 -Sample 2
*Gary Neville: ♂. English football pundit and commentator. Former right-back for Manchester United and England. He is the co-commentator in Premier League matches on Sky Sports alongside Martin Tyler. -Sample
*Rob Hawthorne: ♂. English football commentator. After Martin Tyler, he's the main commentator for Premier League matches on Sky Sports. -Sample
*Alan Smith: ♂. English football pundit and commentator. Former striker for Arsenal Football Club. He is the co-commentator in Premier League matches on Sky Sports alongside Rob Hawthorne. -Sample
*Daniel Mann: ♂. Scottish football commentator. Daniel Mann primarily works for Sky Sports in their coverage of lower English football divisions. However, he also provides English commentary for international broadcasting of the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League. -Sample
*Guy Mowbray: ♂. English football commentator. Working for the BBC, Mowbray provides match commentary in the FA Cup and for some Premier League matches. -Sample
*Ian Crocker: ♂. English football commentator. Ian Crocker provides commentary for matches involving the Scottish national team and some Premier League matches (international coverage) on Saturdays. He's the main English-speaking voice for the Old Firm (Celtic vs. Rangers) matches in the Scottish Professional Football League. -Sample
*David Stowell: ♂. English football commentator. He provides commentary in matches for the Manchester United Women's and U23 Men's teams for the Manchester United-owned television (MUTV). -Sample
*Takumi Okada: ♂. Japanese football commentator. He's the commentator for Nadeshiko Japan matches on Japanese television. Takumi Okada is an original character.
*Makiko Yurikawa: ♀. Japanese football pundit and commentator. Former striker for Nadeshiko Japan. She commentates Nadeshiko Japan matches alongside Takumi Okada on Japanese television. Makiko Yurikawa made an appearance in episode 18 of the anime series.
*Geoff Shreeves: ♂. English reporter. He's specialized on reporting injuries, touchline updates and other sideline-based news during matches, and on interviewing players after football matches for Sky Sports. -Sample
*Gary Lineker: ♂. English sports broadcaster. Former striker for Leicester City, Everton, F.C. Barcelona, Tottenham Hotspur, Nagoya Grampus Eight, and England. Although he works for several sports channels, he is mostly known as the host of the BBC's football programme Match of the Day since the late 1990s. -Sample
*Rio Ferdinand: ♂. English football pundit. Former centre-back for West Ham United, Leeds United, Manchester United, Queens Park Rangers, and England. He's also a host who interviews footballers and celebrities. -Sample
*Owen Hargreaves: ♂. Canadian-English football pundit. Former defensive midfielder for Bayern Munich, Manchester United, Manchester City, and England. -Sample
*Des Kelly: ♂. English reporter and interviewer. He works as a part of BT Sport's coverage of the UEFA Champions League as the one who interviews players after matches. -Sample
*David Jones: ♂. English sports broadcaster. He currently fronts the live coverage for Sky Sports on Super Sunday and Monday Night Football. -Sample
*Roy Keane: ♂. Irish football pundit. Former central midfielder for Cobh Ramblers, Nottingham Forest, Manchester United, Celtic F.C., and the Republic of Ireland. Known for his sharp tongue and a very direct style, Keane provides his impressions before matches, at halftime, and after matches in the studio for Sky Sports. -Sample 1 -Sample 2
*Momoko Fukushima (福島 桃子 Fukushima Momoko): ♀. Japanese reporter and interviewer. Formerly the announcer of Enoshima High School's broadcasting club in the anime/manga series, she now works for the Japanese broadcasting company that covers the UEFA Champions League.
*Makoto Hyodo (兵藤 誠 Hyodo Makoto): ♂. Japanese football pundit and commentator (by the year 2034). Former midfielder for Enoshima High School and unspecified professional clubs. In the epilogue, he is the co-commentator alongside Takumi Okada for the Japanese TV coverage of Kakeru and Nana's testimonial match.
==The Impossible Dream (Documentary interviewees)==
*Steve Bower: ♂. English former MUTV presenter (1998-2007).
*Andy Cole: ♂. English former Manchester United striker (1995-2001).
*Lee Dixon: ♂. English former Arsenal right-back (1988-2002).
*Raphael Honigstein: ♂. German football journalist and Bayern Munich fan.
* Gary Lineker: ♂. English former striker for Leicester City, Everton, F.C. Barcelona, Tottenham Hotspur, Nagoya Grampus Eight (1978-1994).
*Jim Rosenthal: ♂. English sports presenter.
*Rachel Riley: ♀. English television presenter and Manchester United fan.
*Peter Schmeichel: ♂. Danish former Manchester United goalkeeper (1991-1999).
*Ole Gunnar Solskjaer: ♂. Norwegian former Manchester United striker (1996-2007). In real life, Solskjaer was the Manchester United manager between December 2018 and November 2021.
*Clive Tyldesley: ♂. English football commentator.
*Martin Tyler: ♂. English football commentator.
== The Younger Generation (2034 Epilogue) ==
* Keiko Aizawa (逢沢 恵子 Aizawa Keiko): ♀, age 11. Kakeru and Nana's eldest daughter and child, she was born on February 14, 2023. Her character is a nod to the character from this website's other fanfics written by SkyGuy.
* Hiroyuki Aizawa (逢沢 広之 Aizawa Hiroyuki): ♂, age 8. Younger brother to Keiko and twin brother to Haruka, he was born on March 23, 2026. Hiroyuki is named after the famous actor and martial artist Hiroyuki Sanada.
* Sakura Aizawa (逢沢 桜 Aizawa Sakura): ♀, age 8. Younger sister to Keiko and twin sister to Hiroyuki, she was born on March 23, 2026. Her first name means "cherry blossom" and is a nod to Sakura Kinomoto from Cardcaptor Sakura.
* Kotaro Aizawa (逢沢 虎太郎 Aizawa Kotaro): ♂, age 5. Kakeru and Nana's youngest son and child, he was born on September 1st, 2028. His first name is a nod to Kotaro Kashima from Gakuen Babysitters.
* Mitsuha Saeki (佐伯 三葉 Saeki Mitsuha): ♀, age 10. Yusuke and Noriko's eldest child, she was born on January 1st, 2024. Mitsuha is named after Mitsuha Miyamizu, who is one of the dual protagonists in Makoto Shinkai's Your Name.
* Taki Saeki (佐伯 瀧 Saeki Taki): ♂, age 8. Yusuke and Noriko's youngest child, he was born on May 26, 2026. Taki is named after Taki Tachibana, who is one of the dual protagonists in Makoto Shinkai's Your Name.
==Other - Fictional (by order of appearance)==
*Hikaru Wakahisa: ♂, age 23. Japanese. Medical student at Tokyo Medical University.
*Chisa Miyama: ♀, age 23. Japanese. Medical student at Tokyo Medical University.
*Shigeru Aizawa: ♂, age 47. Japanese. Kakeru's uncle. While being the landlord of the apartment building where Kakeru and Nana live in during summer, he's also a freelance writer.
*Kaoru Matoba: ♂, age early-20s. Japanese. Forward for Urawa Red Diamonds and later Celtic F.C.
*Michirou Takase: ♂, age early-20s. Japanese. Forward for Urawa Red Diamonds.
*Noriko Catherine Lewis: ♀, age early-20s. Half-British, half-Japanese. Kakeru and Nana's roommate and friend. Clinical apprentice in the orthopaedics department at Trafford General Hospital.
*Sarah Davies: ♀, age 24. English. Noriko's friend since the early days in medical school. Clinical apprentice in the nephrology department at the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital.
*Owen Colman: ♂, age 46. English. Steward at Old Trafford, usually assigned in the players' tunnel.
*Sayuri Lewis (ルイス サユリ Ruisu Sayuri): ♀, age early-50s. Noriko's mother and Taeko's maternal aunt. Registered nurse and lecturer at the University of Manchester.
*Robert George Lewis: ♂, early-50s, Noriko's father and Taeko's uncle-in-law. Businessman formerly attached to the British Chamber of Commerce in Japan (BCCJ).
*Harry Lewis: ♂, age 74. English. Noriko's paternal grandfather. Retired radio host and lifelong Manchester United fan. His physical appearance and sonorous voice are reminiscent of boisterous actor Brian Blessed.
*Emily Mallory: ♀, age 32. English. Nurse at Wythenshawe Hospital.
*Nigel Bentley: ♂, age 21. English. Medical student at the University of Manchester.
*Geoffrey Stephens: ♂, age 62. English. Patient in the cardiology department at Wythenshawe Hospital
*Brendan Walker: ♂, age 11. English. One of the children who join Kakeru and Nana to play football inside Fog Lane Park, East Didsbury.
*Claire Walker: ♀, age 10. English. Brendan's younger sister.
*Olivia Walker: ♀, age 35. English. Brendan and Claire's mother.
*Timothy Walker: ♂. age 36. English. Brendan and Claire's father.
*Jonathan Montgomery: ♂, age 41. Scottish. Nephrologist at the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital.
*Mei-Ling Chang: ♀, age 10. English (of Hongkongese descent). Patient in the nephrology department at the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital. Mei-Ling is also a friend of Brendan and Claire.
*Isamu Tomonaga: ♂, age 60. Japanese. President of the Japan Football Association (JFA).
*Keizo Takeyama: ♂, age 54. Japanese. Vice-president of the Japan Football Association (JFA).
*Masahiro Murai: ♂, age 53. Japanese. Vice-president of the Japan Football Association (JFA).
*Corey Dubois: ♂, age 37. English. Brand director for Adidas Football, his character is directly inspired by a minor character from FIFA 17 in the same position.
*Tetsuya Kanno: ♂, age 45. Japanese. Traumatologist at Kamakura Central Hospital.
*Teppei Iwaki: ♂. age mid-30s. Teacher and coach at Enoshima High School. He's now married to Ayaka (née Mine) and is the father of their son, Noboru.
*Ayaka Iwaki: ♀. age mid-30s. Psychiatrist under pay from Kamakura Central Hospital. Ayaka does online consultations from home nowadays to fit her current life as a mother. 
**Noboru Iwaki: ♂. age 19 months. Teppei and Ayaka's son.
*Richard Caldwell. ♂, age 55. English. Chief executive of the Premier League.
*Eiichiro Maruo: ♂, age 24. Japanese. Main protagonist of Baby Steps , Natsu Takasaki's boyfriend, and professional tennis player.
*Natsu Takasaki: ♀, age 24. Japanese. Main female protagonist of Baby Steps , Eiichiro Maruo's girlfriend, and professional tennis player.
*Satsuki Kobayashi: ♀, age 27. Japanese. Rickshaw driver in Kamakura. The character is inspired by real-life female rickshaw drivers featured in various YouTube channels presenting touristic travels in Kamakura.
==Other - Real People (by order of appearance)==
*Adam McKola: ♂. English. Manchester United fan and reporter for FullTimeDEVILS, a Manchester United fan channel on YouTube that has been merged with Stretford Paddock since July 2020.
*Pete Boyle: ♂. English. TV presenter, songwriter, former DJ, and lifelong Manchester United fan. He mainly acts as the leading singing voice of the fans, especially on away matches alongside the travelling group of supporters.
*Eva Carneiro: ♀, Gibraltarian. Sports medicine specialist, guest speaker at the Manchester Medical School, and former first-team doctor at Chelsea F.C.
*Éric Cantona: ♂. French. Actor, retired footballer, former Manchester United player and captain. He is nicknamed by Manchester United fans as "King Éric".
*Keira Knightley: ♀, English. Actress and West Ham United supporter. She played the role of Juliette "Jules" Paxton, who was Nana's favorite childhood character in Bend It Like Beckham.
*Marco Dejana: ♂. Italian. Stadium public address announcer for Juventus F.C.
*Giorgio Marchetti: ♂. Italian. Deputy secretary general at UEFA.
*Thierry Henry: ♂. French. Former striker for AS Monaco, Juventus F.C., Arsenal F.C., F.C. Barcelona, and New York Red Bulls F.C.
*Pedro Pinto: ♂. Portuguese. Director of communications at UEFA and host for UEFA Champions League draws.
*Arturo Sisó: ♂. Spanish. Stadium public address announcer for Real Madrid C.F.
*Martin Atkinson: ♂. English. Professional football referee who officiates primarily in the Premier League and also for FIFA.
*Stephan Lehmann: ♂. German. Stadium public address announcer for F.C. Bayern Munich.
*Kris Temple: ♂. English. Stadium public announcer for Wembley Stadium, covering England international matches, the FA Community Shield match, and the FA Cup semi-finals and final.
*Prince William: ♂. English. Grandson of Queen Elizabeth II, son of King Charles III, and heir apparent to the British throne. President of the Football Association (FA). He still is known as the Duke of Cambridge for contextual purposes in the story as it happens at an unspecified time, yet a few years before he became Prince of Wales on Sept 8, 2022.
*Statman Dave: ♂. English. Manchester United fan and freelance TV/YouTube analyst specialized in presenting tactics and players from the biggest matches across all European football leagues.
*Usain Bolt: ♂. Jamaican. Former Olympic champion sprinter and Manchester United supporter.
*Michel Montana: ♂. French. Stadium public address announcer for Paris Saint-Germain F.C.
*David Beckham: ♂. English. Former midfielder for Manchester United, Real Madrid, Los Angeles Galaxy, A.C. Milan, and Paris Saint-Germain.
*Aleksander Čeferin: ♂. Slovenian. President of UEFA.
*Liam Fray: ♂. English. Founder and frontman of indie rock band The Courteeners.
*Ian Brown: ♂. English. Lead singer of alternative rock band The Stone Roses.
==Notes & Trivia==
*Until late in April 2019, most of the Manchester United team contained names of the current players. Since then, the entire squad has been changed to be all made of fictional players.
* Meanwhile, opposing teams contain real-life players and formations from the 2018-19 season.
*Andrew Butler's character is strongly inspired by the no-nonsense coach appearing in The Journey story mode in video games FIFA 17, FIFA 18, and FIFA 19.
*Matthias Köhler is loosely based on German defender Mats Hummels. Overall, he embodies the best qualities from top defenders in their day like Hummels, Rio Ferdinand, and Nemanja Vidic.
*From the very start of the story, Matthias was heralded as the undisputed leader of the D-man corps. Since the transition from real-life players to an all-fictional squad at Manchester United, Matthias has been promoted into full captaincy.
*Marius van Leeuwen is a Dutch striker who is strongly inspired by retired Dutch strikers Robin van Persie and Ruud van Nistelrooy.
*The Manchester United team doctor Ridley Nolan has his name taken from 2 of my favorite film directors: Sir Ridley Scott (Alien, Blade Runner, Black Rain, Thelma and Louise, Gladiator, Black Hawk Down, The Martian, Napoleon) and Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight Trilogy, The Prestige, Inception, Interstellar, Dunkirk, TENET, Oppenheimer).
Category:The Road to the Promised Land
Category:Characters