The TV anime Oshi no Ko is scheduled to broadcast its third season starting January 2026 on Crunchyroll. The story follows twin siblings Ruby and Aqua Hoshino, children of legendary idol Ai Hoshino, as they navigate the entertainment industry.
In this article, we've compiled information about Kana Arima, the former child prodigy actress who becomes the center of the idol group "B Komachi." We'll explain Kana's profile, her scandal incident, her relationship with Aqua, and more—with spoilers included.
※This article contains major spoilers for the story.
Basic Information About Kana Arima
Grade: Yoto High School, Entertainment Department, 2nd Year
Height: 150cm
Agency: Freelance → Strawberry Productions
Occupation: Actress, Idol (Center of "B Komachi")
Works: Today's Sweet Talk, Tokyo Blade, and others
Dislikes: Green peppers
A Hardworking Former Child Actress with a Strong Sense of Responsibility
Kana has been in the entertainment industry since childhood. During her child actor days, she swept the nation as "the child actor who could cry in 10 seconds," but as she grew older, her work opportunities drastically decreased. Now in high school, she has almost no work, yet continues her entertainment activities as a freelance actress.
Even during what she calls her "dark ages"—a period when she struggled to find work—she never stopped rehearsing her craft, maintaining genuine acting ability. Her hardworking nature and strong sense of responsibility mean she approaches every job, no matter how small, with sincere dedication.
Kana has a cynical personality and a habit of putting herself down, but this was shaped by growing up in the harsh adult world of entertainment from a young age.
As she was no longer the popular child actress she once was, fewer and fewer adults paid attention to her. Even so, she desperately tried to meet the expectations of those who still gave her work. However, the results didn't follow, and what she received in return were the disappointed looks of industry professionals.
After spending over a decade in such an environment since childhood, her heart became jaded, leading to her current cynical personality.
"Someone, please look at me"—she's been crying out these words for over a decade, and we can only hope that the day will come when her efforts are finally rewarded.
What's This About "The Former Child Prodigy Who Licks Baking Soda"?
Kana was known as "the child actor who could cry in 10 seconds" during her child acting days. However, Ruby mistakenly remembered her as "the former child prodigy who licks baking soda," and readers began calling Kana "Baking Soda-chan."
This "Baking Soda-chan" connection even led to a collaboration with Kaneyo Soap! A limited-edition package featuring Kana Arima's design was released.
https://x.com/anime_oshinoko/status/1657980078566014978?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1657980078566014978%7Ctwgr%5E581a1bb254f25b201a0444ed5bc6299772e4f5a6%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fnordot.app%2Fcms%2Fch%2F1169000137903751825%2Fposts%2Fedit%2F1371687144556577465%3FisIframe%3D1done%3DCLOSE_TAB
🌟Collaboration News🌟
TV Anime #OshinoKo
Big grains mean better cleaning!
Kaneyo Soap's baking soda "Baking Soda-chan" x Kana Arima collaboration "Baking Soda-chan Main Product [Oshi no Ko] Model"
Set to release in early July!!
Package design featuring Kana Arima revealed!
Available at mass retailers nationwide and EC sites!
※This product is not edible
— "Oshi no Ko" TV Anime Official (@anime_oshinoko) May 15, 2023
Her Acting Ability
Kana, who was "the child actor who could cry in 10 seconds," has honed her acting skills through continued rehearsal, combined with her life experiences as she's grown. During her child acting days, Kana performed in a way that drew all attention to herself without regard for other actors. However, after going through her "dark ages" when she wasn't selling anymore, she learned to match others' performances and elevate her co-stars.
She's also skilled at improvisation—during the stage production of Tokyo Blade, she ad-libbed to cover for a co-star's mistake and could instantly respond to improvisation thrown at her.
However, actress Kana Arima shines brightest not when matching others' performances, but when performing in a way that says "Look at me!" This star-quality acting is Kana's true essence, and what made her a sensation during her child acting days wasn't just her "crying"—it was this sun-like, dazzling performance.
When performing this way, Kana is genuinely enjoying the acting she loves from the bottom of her heart, and that fulfilled feeling makes her shine even brighter.
Kana Arima's "Green Pepper Exercise"
A song Kana released during her child acting days that reached #1 on the Oricon charts. She appeared on numerous music programs and was hugely popular, but Kana calls it "a past I want to erase."
On social media, dance videos have been uploaded, showing the song's immense popularity among anime viewers. A video of voice actress Megumi Han dancing to it also became a hot topic.
Later, after she was no longer a child actor, Kana released several more songs, but none of them took off. However, her singing improved with each release, showing that she practiced extensively.
After joining "B Komachi," she was selected as center partly because the other members lacked vocal ability. Though she was initially reluctant about the position, she eventually shed the "former child actor" label and set out on a new path as a "rookie idol."
Scandal Surfaces
Invited by fellow actress Azami Mako, Kana visits a members-only bar. There, she exchanges LINE contact information with film director Shima Masanori, and later they have dinner together.
During the meal, Director Shima makes comments hinting at casting Kana in his work. However, as the restaurant's closing time approaches, they head to his work apartment.
Though the potential casting couch situation ended without incident, Kana was photographed by a tabloid magazine coming out of the apartment.
However, to overwrite Kana's scandal story, Aqua publicly reveals that he and Ruby are Ai's secret children. Aqua and Ruby instantly capture attention, and Kana's incident never makes it to the public.
Is Aqua Kana Arima's Boyfriend?
Kana and Aqua co-starred during their child acting days, and for the first time, Kana was impressed by someone else's acting ability. Since then, Kana kept Aqua in her thoughts, but they didn't meet again until they'd grown into high school students.
Kana is delighted that Aqua continued acting. As opportunities to interact increase—same agency, same school—her feelings gradually transform into romantic love.
However, Starting My Serious Love♡ Now becomes a catalyst for Akane Kurokawa to become Aqua's girlfriend. Kana is shocked but works hard at her idol job while keeping an eye on Aqua.
Relationship with Akane Kurokawa
Akane Kurokawa is the young ace of Lalalai Theater Company, said to have only first-rate actors. Though she and Kana are the same age and have co-starred several times, they don't get along well and clash whenever they work together.
The cause is their vastly different approaches to acting—their methods of engaging with their craft and approaching their roles. Moreover, during the period when Kana lost work after her child acting fame faded, Akane was gaining recognition, which became another reason Kana became intensely aware of her. Akane is similarly conscious of Kana.
The two were truly fierce rivals, honing their skills against each other. With the addition of being romantic rivals for Aqua's affection, they've become adversaries in both professional and personal matters. Sparks fly when these two young actresses clash.
What Is "Arima Kana Genki Kana"?
It's a smartphone-exclusive site on Young Jump where you can interact with Kana. You can see various versions of Kana depending on the time of day in this game where you raise her affection level.
Affection changes based on login count, tap count, shares of the site, and trial readings.
*Only available in Japanese
For more details, click here
Kana Arima's Voice Actor Is Megumi Han!
Voice actress Megumi Han was born on June 3rd in Tokyo.
In addition to playing Kana Arima in Oshi no Ko, she voices Gon Freecss in HUNTER×HUNTER, Himeko Shirayuki/Cure Princess in Happiness Charge PreCure!, and many other characters in popular works.
Oshi no Ko Series Overview
Synopsis
"In this world of entertainment, lies are a weapon." Goro, an OB-GYN working in a rural town, lives a normal life. One day, his absolute favorite idol, Ai from "B-Komachi," appears before him. She is harboring a forbidden secret... From the "worst" possible meeting between the two, the gears of fate begin to turn.
Cast
Ai: Rie Takahashi
Aqua: Takeo Otsuka
Ruby: Yurie Igoma
Goro: Kent Ito
Sarina: Tomoyo Takayanagi
Aqua (Child): Yumi Uchiyama
Kana Arima: Megumi Han
Akane Kurokawa: Manaka Iwami
MEM-cho: Rumi Okubo
©Aka Akasaka x Mengo Yokoyari/Shueisha, "OSHI NO KO" Production Committee
© Animate Times
*Some parts of this text have been translated using machine translation
