Nana Osaki is one of the two main characters in the manga series by Ai Yazawa known as "Nana." She is one of the two Nanas in the story with the other one being known as Nana Komatsu a.k.a. Hachi. While she is one of the two main characters in the story, Nana is perhaps the underdog heroine who is trying to make it big in Japan's music industry. Of all the characters in Nana, Nana O has had it rough for the most part. There are many facets to Nana O's personality that could appeal to most people. She is also the embodiment of willpower and determination through the story.

The story starts out with Nana Osaki bumping into Nana K a.k.a. Hachi by chance on a train ride towards Tokyo. Nana O is headed towards Tokyo to start a new life while trying to make it big as a solo performer. Hachi is moving to Tokyo to be with her then boyfriend Shoji Endo. When Hachi is forced by Shoji to find her own place, she meets Nana O by chance again. After they bicker with each other, the two of them agree to be roommates. As time progresses, they become fans. From there, they have their own paths in the story.

Nana O is the complete opposite of Hachi. She can be considered a seasoned veteran while Hachi is very scatterbrained and extremely nave. Nana O is determined to find fame while Hachi is determined to find true love. Throughout the beginning of the story, Nana O divides her time between working odd jobs and practicing the guitar. While they are low on cash, Nana O is actually good at carpentry and furniture making. However, she decides not to pursue that as a job because she does not want to mess up her fingers which are important to playing the guitar.

By the sudden appearance of friend and former "Black Stones" band mate Nobuo "Nobu" Terashima at the apartment, bits of Nana O's past are revealed. At the same time, the character plotlines of Nana O and Hachi constantly intertwine and overlap with each other.

Eventually, it is revealed that Nobu is the first real friend that Nana O made in high school. Due to being the most beautiful girl in high school, Nana O got picked on. Rumors started to spread that Nana O was a prostitute. Eventually, Nana O found an outlet for music after being introduced to Ren Honjo and Yasushi "Yasu" Takagi. It is revealed that Ren is the guitarist of the now popular band called "Trapnest." Then it is revealed that she and Ren used to be lovers since meeting him at a performance. But, they broke up when Ren decided to head out to Tokyo and try out to be Trapnest's guitarist.

Afterwards, BLAST gets reformed with a new bassist. As a result, Nana is driven to become famous. However, Nana goes through a lot of obstacles such as reigniting the romance with Ren along with dealing with the paparazzi. It is also revealed that Nana was born out of wedlock and ended up living with her grandmother. All of the pressure, she is able to lean on the shoulder of Hachi. Throughout the obstacles, disappointments, and hardships, Nana keeps on moving through willpower and motivation.

Throughout the series, more aspects of Nana O's past are revealed. It simply makes Nana O's life more complicated throughout the story. Ai Yazawa has done a good job of fleshing out a heroine such as Nana O. While Nana O has had a tragic past, she has less personality flaws with Hachi. Because of this, Nana O manages to act as a good balance to Hachi's scatterbrained, impulsive, and childish attitude. She is perhaps one of the most realistic and interesting manga heroines ever created. On top of that, Nana O is a character that most people let alone females can relate to.

Learn more about this author, Can Tran.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

---

Add your voice

Know something about Character analysis: Nana Osaki in Nana, by Ai Yazawa?
We want to hear your view. Write now!