Mao Isara/Relationships

==Protagonist==
===Anzu===
==STARMAKER PRODUCTION ==
===Eichi Tenshouin===
===Wataru Hibiki===
===Tori Himemiya===
===Yuzuru Fushimi===
===Hokuto Hidaka===
:Members of the same unit, Trickstar. Mao often has to play mediator to Subaru and Hokuto's constant disagreements. During the Sakura Festival, after Hokuto got into an argument with Subaru, Mao tells Hokuto that he needs to try understanding Subaru's behavior better,Sakura Festival saying that even if Hokuto's correct he needs to sympathise with how Subaru thinks more.
:Mao and Hokuto are shown to trust and rely on each other a lot. Mao thinks of Hokuto as a person with a strong sense of responsibility, even for things that are beyond his control, and in return, Hokuto views Mao as someone he can relax around whenever Mao's in charge, though he often scolds Mao for not relying on Trickstar more and for taking everything on himself.
===Subaru Akehoshi===
:Members of the same unit, Trickstar. Subaru has given him the nickname "Sally," a play on his family name, Isara. Mao often has to play mediator to Subaru and Hokuto's constant disagreements. Mao is one of the people who sees through Subaru's bright and chatty persona, understanding how smart and observant Subaru actually is. In one of Subaru's management stories, Subaru plays dumb and pretends that the magazine lent to him by Chiaki is too complicated and he doesn't really care about the contents, but Mao only laughs and comments that Subaru must've actually been trying really hard, to which Subaru quickly changes the subject.
:
:Mao often refers to Subaru as a star that shines so bright that someone like Mao could never hope to reach him. In contrast, Subaru is always throwing his arms around Mao and telling him he loves him, which is Subaru's typical reaction with people he feels really comfortable around. Subaru's go-to phrase whenever talking about Mao is to laugh and say that everything's fine because "Sally can do anything!"
===Makoto Yuuki===
:Members of the same unit, Trickstar. The two share a close relationship, as shown in Revolution when Mao stood up to defend Makoto. Mao strongly believes that Makoto underestimates himself, and that he is really very talented.
:
:Before they ended up together in Trickstar, both of them got sorted into the same class, 1-B. Makoto's first impression of Mao wasn't exactly good. In Rocket Start, Mao was prompted by the student council to give an abolishment notice for the Game Club. Makoto, who was confused, asked for more elaboration and help from Mao before being rejected. Mao said that he was only told to give information and the rest of it was not his problem. He told Makoto to handle his club problems by himself, as he was just a mere messenger.
:This results in Makoto revising his opinion on Mao; he considers Mao to be an awful person, contradicting his initial thought of him being kind and "bright person who is always in the center of everyone in class." Mao then claimed that he wasn't that kind, he just happened to be quick-witted. Later on, Mao helped Makoto to save the Game Club from being abolished, and Makoto apologized for immediately thinking that Mao was a cruel person without understanding his difficult position first. To show his gratitude, Makoto helped Mao to find 1-B representatives for the Venus Cup. Since Ritsu—who was supposed to be one of the 1-B representatives—already belonged to a unit, Makoto offered himself as a substitute, as he happened to be free and wanted to return Mao's kindness. Performing together for the first time in Venus Cup allowed them to form a friendly and supportive relationship with Trickstar.
:
:In the Ensemble Stars Trickstar livestream course, Mao and Makoto are described as best friends who trust each other deeply.
===Chiaki Morisawa===
:Chiaki is the captain of the Basketball Club. Though Mao doesn't seem to dislike Chiaki's personality entirely like Subaru does, he has warned others, including Yuzuru, about Chiaki's "skinship." Chiaki once came to Mao's house at 6 AM to pick him up for the sports festival.
===Kanata Shinkai===
: 
===Tetora Nagumo===
: 
===Midori Takamine===
:Fellow members of the Basketball Club. Midori feels at ease with Mao around the club, as he isn't as overwhelmed by him as he is by the loud energy of Subaru and Chiaki. He sees Mao as "above" him, believing Mao is more important and renowned than him. Mao feels the opposite, as he sees the two of them as equal human beings. Despite Mao's attempts to make Midori understand this, Midori still highly respects his status, as he thinks it's amazing that Mao can manage to work as part of the student council and as an idol, all while managing his studies.
:
:In the sub story Birth of Basukebon, Mao finds Midori alone in the gym, cleaning basketballs instead of returning home. In order to motivate him to finish his work before midnight, he plays a character through one the basketballs (given the name "Basket-bon") under Anzu's advice. This successfully motivates Midori. From then on, Midori occasionally asks Mao to pretend to be Basket-bon for motivation, as heard in his conversation with Mao in his voice list.
:
:After SS in winter, the two start to learn more about each other and become a bit closer. Mao opens up to Midori about crying from the affection he received from his family after winning SS, and asks Midori to keep it a secret from everyone else. Midori says he sees Mao as the ideal because he's so nice and friendly to everyone, which also makes him hard to read at times. It's because of this he says he can't see Mao ever getting angry. However, Mao sees Midori to be the same kind of a person as he is, so he encourages Midori not to distance himself because it makes him feel lonely. By the end of the year the two have built a friendly bond with one another, coming to a point where Midori will gladly indulge with Mao in their common interest in manga and comics.
: Fellow members of the Basketball Club, the shuffle unit Ring.A.Bell, and the circle Manga Club.
===Shinobu Sengoku===
:As the one who kept the Ninja Association from disbanding, Shinobu holds Mao in high regards, equal to that of Anzu. In Youth RADIO, it's mentioned that he visits Mao's home often during break days.
:
:In Orihime and Hikoboshi, Shinobu states his faith and admiration for Mao many times, and tells the story of how Mao helped him form the Ninja Association. Shinobu considers Mao a role model, and Mao in turn says that he wishes he had a younger brother like Shinobu.
===Hiiro Amagi===
===Aira Shiratori===
===Mayoi Ayase===
===Tatsumi Kazehaya===
==COSMIC PRODUCTION ==
===Nagisa Ran===
: Nagisa and Mao first meet in Revenge Match, where Nagisa calls Mao ordinary and replaceable in Trickstar, saying that Mao is a flashlight among stars and there's nothing special about him at all. This affects Mao deeply as he already feels like an imposter in his unit, just a normal boy trying to keep up with his much more talented friends who he believes shine brighter than he could hope to reach.
: Later, Mao accepts Nagisa's criticism in stride and vows to become the brightest flashlight he can possibly be.
:
: Despite Nagisa's hurtful words, Mao has never held it against him, thinking Nagisa was only speaking the truth. Nagisa, in turn, develops a faint respect for Mao and says that he's excited to see where Mao goes next.
===Hiyori Tomoe===
: 
===Ibara Saegusa===
: 
===Jun Sazanami===
: 
:Fellow members of the circle Manga Club.
===Shu Itsuki===
===Mika Kagehira===
===Hinata Aoi===
===Yuta Aoi===
===Rinne Amagi===
: 
===HiMERU===
: 
===Kohaku Oukawa===
: 
===Niki Shiina===
: 
==Rhythm Link ==
===Rei Sakuma===
===Kaoru Hakaze===
===Koga Oogami===
===Adonis Otogari===
===Tomoya Mashiro===
:Mao and Tomoya met when Hokuto found Tomoya and Mitsuru hiding to watch one of Trickstar's practice sessions. At the time, Mao found Tomoya's panicked behavior entertaining, saying that it'd be hard to get bored of his constantly changing facial expressions.
===Nazuna Nito===
: 
===Mitsuru Tenma===
: 
===Hajime Shino===
: 
===Keito Hasumi===
===Kuro Kiryu===
===Souma Kanzaki===
==NEW DIMENSION ==
===Tsukasa Suou===
:Tsukasa thinks of Mao and the rest of Trickstar as his rivals.Please Teach Me! Ritsu-senpaiDuelRequiem
===Leo Tsukinaga===
: In the prologue of Close Encounter it is mentioned that Mao thought Leo was an annoying person for making a loud ruckus in the early morning, though he still acts respectful to him when they meet.
: Fellow members of the shuffle unit Ring.A.Bell.
===Izumi Sena===
:Mao and Izumi meet during Checkmate, where Izumi scolds Mao for not taking better care of Ritsu. Izumi says that childhood friends who still get along during high school are precious (foreshadowing Izumi and Makoto's relationship at that time).
:
:In Close Encounter, Izumi says that he doesn't hate guys like Mao because it wouldn’t be bad if there's someone as easy to boss around as him. However, Mao's complete deference to other people still catches Izumi off guard, as Izumi doesn't understand how someone could disregard their own pride and bow to others as easily as Mao does without hesitation.
:
:Mao remarks that Izumi exudes cold vibes even though he is smiling, and he's almost used to it by the time of Close Encounter.
:Izumi shares a room in the Starmony Dorm with Mao. Like the other members of their dorm, Izumi scolds Mao for working too hard and not taking better care of himself. 
===Ritsu Sakuma===
:Childhood friends and neighbors. Mao often takes care of Ritsu. Ritsu cares deeply about Mao and enjoys being spoiled by him. Ritsu has deep affection for Mao and considers him his family. When Ritsu was younger, Mao was one of his only friends, as Ritsu wasn't encouraged to get involved with anyone outside of his family due to his condition. To Ritsu, Mao was the person who gave him warmth and dragged him into the light after Rei began to leave him behind. Mao ensured Ritsu continued to attend school during that time.
:They met for the They first met when they were in elementary school, after teachers from his Youth Group asked him to deliver a message to Rei in hopes for him to continue attending the group. Upon inviting Mao into their house, Mao was subject to a rubber band gun attack by a young Ritsu, hoping to kill him and get him away from his older brother. After hearing from Mao why he was sent, Rei figured it would be a good idea for Ritsu to join the Youth Group instead, and they became acquainted through their time in the Youth Group together. While they struggled to get along at first, Mao found Ritsu easy to work with as he found Ritsu to be a similar temperament to his younger sister; someone who acts like a spoiled princess who can be appeased by acting like a prince and doing whatever they say. Eventually their bond grew into a genuine and close friendship.JANUS After having misheard is name the first time hearing it, Ritsu nicknamed Mao "Maa~kun", and Mao nicknamed Ritsu "Ricchan". However, as Mao grew older, he began to more often call Ritsu by his first name when talking to or about him, only calling him "Ricchan" very occasionally. Mao says that their fight in Band Ensemble was the first time they've ever fought.
:Aware that he's unsociable and lacks the power to keep people he loves by his side, Ritsu clings to Mao, as he is the only friend he has. This often causes Ritsu to expect the worst, even when Mao makes trivial mistakes such as forgetting to bring Ritsu his juice, believing it's a sign that their friendship is ending. He's often paranoid that Mao is his friend only out of obligation and that Mao shouldn't have gotten involved with him from the start, resulting in Ritsu often lashing out at him. Ritsu also describes himself as feeling out of place, and that Mao is akin to the sunlight that burns him, referencing that he should have stayed "in the dark" where nobody could have hurt him.
:As children, Mao made a promise to Ritsu to always keep him as his top priority. After their fight in Band Ensemble, when Ritsu was ready to give up on friendship, it was Mao who reached out to him. He and Rei's support encouraged him to change his perspective and hold onto the things he loves. They exchange promises again; Mao repeats his promise, and Ritsu promises he would never hate Mao, even if the world comes to hates him. In his words, "I'll be the only one to stay by Maa~kun's side."
:Towards the end of his second year, Ritsu began to expand his social circle and teasingly asked if it made Mao jealous that Ritsu didn't need to rely solely on him anymore, but Mao only expressed how grateful and relieved he felt that Ritsu was finally making other friends, as this was something he was previously worried about.
: Mao and Ritsu continue to be as close as ever during era !!. Though Ritsu complains that Mao is so busy being the new Student Council president he barely has time for him anymore, Ritsu still does his best to hold himself on his own and not depend as much on Mao so he won't put even more burdens on him. Mao, however, still tries to make time for his best friend even with his busy schedule. In Sweet Hunt, when asked to do his "Idol Linkterview", Mao chooses Ritsu as his partner since it's been a while they spent time together. It's also revealed in Ritsu's idol story Have a Break, and then again in The Dozing Black Knight, that Mao sometimes uses the excuse of "patroling the clubs" to slip out from the StuCo and hangout with Ritsu in the Tea Club.
: Mao also seems more aware and less annoyed of Ritsu's flirty remarks as of late, as during Seven Bridges Mao even answers Ritsu's marriage proposal with "you have to wait for the laws to change". The two are met with conflicting feelings when they're pit against each other in CHANBARA NIGHT, but by being honest with each other and recognizing their talents as well as their shortcomings, they're able to devise a plan where both of them would emerge victorious.
===Arashi Narukami===
:Fellow classmates and on relatively good terms. Arashi calls him Mao-chan, which Mao initially seemed to dislike, saying that it made him "feel like a kid," but eventually he warmed up to the nickname. Arashi finds him to be someone friendly and easy to talk to, while Mao sees her to be someone who's "surprisingly an upright person who's good at sympathizing with others." He feels that Arashi is the one that keeps Knights all together, which Arashi feels to be an overestimate. At times Mao will think of her when met with cute things, remembering how those are the type of things she likes.In the Rose GardenPoison À La Mode
===Natsume Sakasaki===
===Tsumugi Aoba===
===Sora Harukawa===
===Madara Mikejima===
==THUNDERBOLT CHALLENGE 4piece==
===Esu Sagiri===
: 
===Ibuki Taki===
: 
===Kanna Natsu===
: 
===Fuyume Hanamura===
: 
===Raika Hojo===
: 
===Nice Arneb Thunder===
: 
==Reoccurring Characters==
===Jin Sagami===
: 
===Akiomi Kunugi===
: 
===Seiya Hidaka===
===Mademoiselle===
===Hitsugi Kurone===
===NEGI===
==Others==
===Anzu's Parents===
:As Mao often escorts Anzu home, her parents invite him over for dinner occasionally. He remarks that the atmosphere at her place is comfortable, and a big reason he could feel the harmony in her family. Once he let his guard down when visiting, resulting in him being late for Trickstar practice during Chocolat Fes. He calls Anzu's mom "auntie".
===Gatekeeper===
==Sources==
Category:Relationships