K-on.. Light Music Club, ^

Ritsu Tainaka

First Appearance
Anime Debut	Season 1 Episode 1: Dissolution!
Other Appearances
Videogames	K-ON!! Ho-Kago Live!
Stages	K-ON!! Let's Go! Live
Voices
Seiyuu	Satomi Satō
English	Cassandra Lee
Profile
Also Known As	Ricchan Sempai
Age	16-?
Birthday	August 21
Class	1-2 2-2 3-2
Light Music Club Profile
Role	Drummer
Instrument	Drums Yellow Rick Marotta Signature Yamaha Hipgig Drum kit with an add-on floor Tom, Cymbal set from Avedis Zildjian
Characteristics
Gender	Female
Height	154 cm
Weight	48 kg
Hair	Light Brown
Eyes	Hazel
Blood Type	B

Ritsu Tainaka (田た井い中なか律りつ Tainaka Ritsu) is a drummer. She proclaims herself as the president of the light music club. She is the one who formed the Light Music Club.

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CharacterEdit

She has an ambiguous yet upbeat personality, but often has trouble remembering important club activities and announcements. She gets constantly yelled at, and whacked, by Mio after forgetting to send in important forms concerning the club even though often reminded by Nodoka . Ritsu is cheerful, often likes making jokes and is sarcastic most of the time. She usually brainstorms for ideas to earn more money and for the club’s success (some times claimed as evil deeds by her friends). She has developed a certain endurance against Mio's hits, since she was little, as she often teases Mio whenever Mio is cowering from something and has the opportunity to do so. Ritsu is always on the go and will stop at nothing for the success of the light music club.

However, time to time Ritsu had been a lazy character as well. When it comes to practicing, she only thinks of having fun with her band mates (such as having tea breaks that almost drove Azusa away). During training camps, Ritsu would always vote to play first the moment they arrive and is often supported by Yui. She is also weak in studying, as she often needs Mio's help, but when she becomes determined, she can get her work done in no time. Such determination can be seen on her goal towards Budoukan as well. She has a strong sense of confidence from an unknown source, although her confidence would often lead to the club's despair, such as losing their way in the middle of Kyoto. Ritsu has a tough front, and would not cry easily. Her weak spot is seeing her friends cry and would do anything to cheer them up.

Interactions with other Characters Edit

Mio AkiyamaEdit

Mio clinging onto Ritsu hoping Ritsu would save her from her distress.
Added by Kaitok

Mio and Ritsu are childhood friends, but the latter could not remember how they first met. Their first 'serious' interaction came when Ritsu encouraged Mio into imagining her as a pineapple and read out her essay in front of the school when they were still in elementary school. Ritsu really loves to tease and scare Mio since they were kids, especially about ghost stories or barnacles. However, the end results is always a fresh new bump on the drummer's head. Ritsu was first amused over Mio's silky black hair and Mio being a left-handed.

Ritsu also clings onto Mio like a lifeline when it comes to studies, and claims that Mio is the best tutor she have ever met. There were times when Mio clings onto Ritsu instead, when Mio was being bullied by Sawako or other people, hoping Ritsu would save her (but some times Ritsu joined in the bullying too). They both also have a similar interest in photography, as Ritsu always brings a digital camera around, and Mio brings a film camera around. Ritsu was also the one who introduced music to Mio, and encouraged her to learn bass. It was their promise that they would form a band together, as the bassist and the drummer, since they were little. Ritsu and Mio understood each other so well that they could easily imitate each other, and at the same time act as Romeo and Juliet for their school's festival performance. There were moments when Ritsu got jealous when Mio was spending more time hanging out with others than with her.

During Mio's Fan Club Tea Party presentation, their other band members questioned if the slide show was about Ritsu or Mio. Ritsu claimed that those were her photo collections she had with Mio since they were little, therefore she had appeared in every single photo. Those photos showed how they grew up together as best friends.

Yui Hirawasa Edit

"When we die, we will die together"- Yui and Ritsu's Pledge

Ritsu's first impression on Yui was clumsy, childish, and useless girl without tempo, but when Yui joined the Light Music Club, Ritsu stated she misjudged her. Later they became really good friends. Yui and Ritsu have a lot in common, such as their lazy and laid-back attitudes. They love to act and pretend as if they were stranded on a deserted island every time they go to the beach. They also have a sweet tooth for Tsumugi's treats. Yui some times claimed that she thought that Ritsu was in the same boat as her and gets disappointed when she found out that Ritsu did well for her exams, and did care for her drums. In the anime, Ritsu had passed a flu to Yui which made the band frantic because their performance date was near.

Tsumugi Kotobuki Edit

Mugi's first try over neighborhood snacks she bought with Ritsu!
Added by Kaitok

Ritsu and Mio first met Mugi when Mugi originally intended to join the choir club. Mugi later joins Light Music Club only after witnessing the "fun and painful interaction" between the duo. Ritsu had been polite to Mugi all along, until once when Mugi suggested that if Ritsu was a male and she would be really popular among girls. It was the one and only time Ritsu hit Mugi on the head and shouted at Mugi.

Mugi treasured her friendship with Ritsu very much as seen that she always enjoyed Ritsu's company. Being as observant and wise, Ritsu had brought Mugi to commoners' places like tuck shops and the arcade, as she knows that Mugi might not have visited those places before. Ritsu had once said that even without Mio, she still has Mugi to tutor her in her studies. Ritsu was shocked speechless when she first found out in a phone conversation with Azusa that Mugi's house had a housekeeper.

Azusa NakanoEdit

Ritsu being the bigger sister for Azusa.
Added by Kaitok

Other than Yui, Ritsu is can be considered her next closest senpai (probably because of Ritsu's friendly nature as well). In the anime, Azusa had laughed over Ritsu's embarrassing moments twice, once during Mio's special training when Ritsu wore a maid's dress, the other was when Azusa found out that Ritsu is going to play her role as Juliet. Ritsu always pull Azusa into a chokehold, be it because of Azusa's laughing at her, or because Azusa had indirectly insulted the band. One of the earlier chokeholds happened before their first training camp, that was for the school festival, when Ritsu overhead Azusa badmouthing about her in a fast food restaurant. Azusa had badmouthed about Ritsu being a "lazy and irresponsible leader", although the latter does not seem to mind that comment. It was because of that comment that the two of them grew closer and even found out about Mugi's family wealth together. Azusa had praised Ritsu's cooking before, yet in the same episode, Azusa was the one who pointed out Ritsu's father's underwear in the living room. Bullying Azusa in the manga happened more often than in the anime.

Despite being disappointed with the club president, Azusa still held her respect and admiration over Ritsu and the band's coherent performances. When Azusa first mentioned that she is joining the Light Music Club, Ritsu had practically pounced over her. Ritsu and Yui had been scolded by Azusa numerous times when they were lazing around and procrastinating during their training sessions and training camps.

At the end of the series, Ritsu could be seen worried over Azusa taking over her role as the president of Light Music Club. Ritsu would act responsibly as the leader whenever the club does some thing for their junior, most memorable scenes were when Ritsu went all out trying to recruit freshmen for Azusa so that she would not be lonely after they graduate, and when Ritsu initiated to perform for Azusa when Azusa was considering quitting the Light Music Club. Similar to Ritsu, Azusa was quite a natural leader.

Appearance Edit

Ritsu has light brown hair that slightly touches the edge of her shirt's collar, her bangs pulled back with a yellow hairband. Two longer locks of hair would fall at the ends of her hairband and touches her shoulder. She has golden eyes, similar to her hair, and often wears a trademark grin.

Without her hairband, Ritsu's bangs could reach her nose. When she is without her hairband, she looks like yui. Other than yellow, Ritsu would wear other colored hairbands once in awhile, such as white, black, and red (especially when she was a child). At some point of the anime, Ritsu would use other objects to hold her hair up, like goggles when the girls visited the beach, or put it up in a ponytail that sticks up when she was about to sleep during a field trip.

AnimeEdit

Her school uniform is often untucked (tucked in once when Sawako forced her to), and blazer unbuttoned. When the rest wears a beige-color pull over, she will only wear her blouse. Ritsu is seen wearing the school's track suits and most often among her friends. She had once exclaimed that she prefers wearing comfortable clothing than any other outfits, as she had difficulty drumming in those clothes.

Manga Edit

Ritsu in the manga does button her blazer, yet, like the anime, she does not tuck in her uniform when seen without her blazer. Besides her school uniform, she is often seen in polo t-shirts.

Ritsu has a habit of putting both her arms at the back of her head.

Ritsu also happened to be the character who has the most number of bumps on her head through the series (mostly done by Mio).

Memorable Quotes Edit

This is Japan! We don't need filthy English! Screw it! (Yui) We will live on our sacred Japanese language! Live on! (Yui) Hahahahaha!

"I am a pen."

"Skull"

"Lycopene"

"The cabbage God will get mad!"

"Cabbage is tasty!" (Sleep-talking)

"Japanese should always eat rice!"

"Our goal is Budokan!"

"Gelcome! Rice is great!"

TriviaEdit

Ritsu eats rice, lots of it. When the girls visited a shop that sells travel equipment, Mio had pointed out the rice section to Ritsu and said that Ritsu would need it more than anyone else.
Ritsu is very, very proud to be a Japanese.
Although Ritsu had once mentioned that, being a drummer, it was impossible for her to sing (back when Mio was forced to sing for the first time), Ritsu still sang Tenshi no Fureta Yo! for Azusa while playing the drums and has a wonderful and determined voice.
She is a fan of The Who and her favorite drummer is Keith Moon.
Although Mio had mentioned Ritsu's room to be "so messy it is impossible to walk", scenes of Ritsu's room seems generally neat. Interestingly, Ritsu's own accounts of Mio's room (e.g. covered in panties) holds similar amounts of water.
Ritsu had a weird way of entertaining everyone, e.g. Lycopene, Skull.
Ritsu has the widest social life among her friends, considering she could clique well with Ui in their first meeting, becoming close friends with Sokabe-senpai (manga only), immediate buddies with Ayame (manga only), and still kept in contact with Maki despite graduating from elementary for 2 years already (anime only).
She plays drums because she hates having to do complicated stuff with her fingers but she thinks drums are cool.
- Apparently, she lets out an ear-piercing screech just thinking about it.