Nao

Nao
Nicknames	Nao-Nao
Age	Late teens
Gender	Female
Race	Human
Classification	Player
Partner(s)	Sota Honjo
Status	Presumed deceased (game) Alive (anime)
Voice Actor(s)	Brittany Lauda (English anime) Mami Fujita (Japanese anime)

"Yeah! Like, that was totally moving? Like, I think I'm in love? Hope your granddaddy, like, cheers up?"

— Nao to Makoto

Nao (ナオ, Nao) is the girlfriend of Sota Honjo. She and Sota appear briefly during Day 6 when Makoto Miki attempts to sell her a Red Skull pin.

Appearance

Nao has slightly darker skin compared to most of the people in Shibuya, although it is unclear if it is natural, a spraytan, or her being a follower of ganguro fashion, She has dark green eyes, long blonde hair and seems to wear bright pink lipstick. She wears a black corset-like shirt that has pink spaghetti straps and edges which shows her mid-riff, and shredded dark green pants. She wears a thick black belt with a large gold buckle. She accessorizes with two necklaces. Although her shoes are not shown in the game, she wears brown heel sandals in the anime.

Personality

"Yeah! Like, fighting so isn't the answer? We all want to be alive again. Nobody "deserves" it most, right? ...I want you to win, too, Nekky."

— Nao to Neku

Nao is a stereotypical perky ganguro girl. She is outgoing, but hides behind her boyfriend Sota when she finds fit. She is very supportive of others and assists Neku with opening himself to others. She may have a bit of a playful, mischievous side as when Makoto tries to approach her, she claims he said she was cute when he did not. When Makoto claims he does not think she's cute, she then seems sullen, hinting she ties her self-esteem to her appearance. She says "like" frequently.

Story

Main Story

Nao first appears on Shiki, Day 4 as a fangirl crowding around The Prince in 104.

She is then seen on Day 6 with Sota by Neku and Shiki during the promotion of the Red Skull pins.

Sometime after, she and Sota die together. While her death is a mystery in the game, the anime shows her and Sota were killed in a car crash near the end of Week 1. She becomes a player during the second week of the Reapers' Game and is the partner of her boyfriend Sota. She is seen in the Tin Pin Slammer Challenge on Joshua, Day 2.

Neku and Joshua inform Sota and Nao about the Reapers' Game.

She sees Neku and Joshua again on the fourth day. Joshua reveals to them only one player is brought back to life if they win a Reapers' Game, while Neku tells them about Shiki being his entry fee. Sota convinces Neku not to give up hope, and that he must truly care about Shiki to go through so much for her. They give Neku the Tin Pin Golem pin they won at the Slam Off.

On Day 6, she battles Taboo Noise with Sota before perishing leaving Sota to the same fate.

Another Day

Nao is one of Shiki's White Angels and is a big fan of The Prince. She can be played in Tin Pin twice.

Non-Canon Appearances

The Animation

Sota and Nao appear in the first seven episodes of The World Ends with You The Animation in some form or another.

In the first episode, they are seen walking across the street when Neku wakes up.

In the second episode, Neku and Shiki find Sota and Nao sitting down. Nao comments that the water Eiji Oji promotes is delicious, making Sota wonder as it's just water. Nao mentions she only got it because Sota waited in line for her and she thanks him. Shiki scans Nao to find Oji's location.

In the third episode, a news broadcast is shown announcing their deaths. They are revealed to be in their late teens, as well being caught in a car accident. They were noted to be "unconscious", meaning they died in the hospital.

In the fourth episode, they are gathered with the other players outside 104 Building. Neku recognizes them as the people on the broadcast the previous day.

In the fifth episode, they flee from a Taboo Noise attack and meet Neku and Joshua, warning them to stay away from the area. Joshua tells them that only one partner gets to come back to life, while Neku tells them his partner was taken as his entry fee. Sota and Nao hear a weird sound and continue fleeing.

Sota and Nao motivate Neku.

In the sixth episode, Sota and Nao find a lone Neku at Cat Street. Nao tells Neku that it seems they may be the only players left. Sota sits beside Neku and tells him not to feel guilty that his partner was taken as his entry fee because it shows how much he cares about them, and that it's very unlikely Neku's partner would hold it against him. Because there is no mission for today, Sota and Nao leave.

Nao being erased by the Noise.

In the seventh episode, Nao is erased from existence by a Noise. Sota cries as Neku and Joshua arrive too late, and Sota fades from existence after.

In the final episode, Sota and Nao are both revived and they cross path with Neku's group.

Quotes

• "The prince looks sooo hot!"
• "Sota? Like, this guy. He's, like, talking to me? Like, he said he thinks I'm cute... Right?"
• "What? You don't?"
• "Yeah! Like, that was totally moving? Like, I think I'm in love? Hope your granddaddy, like, cheers up?"
• "You, like, remember us? Super yay!"
• "Yeah! It's, like, totally not your fault! I'd gladly be Sota's entry fee if it gave him another chance."
• "Sota, sorry... I can't... I'd... love to... but it... doesn't look like I can. Sorry... Sota.." (final words)

Trivia

• In the English version of the game, she asks to be called Nao-Nao "for short". In the Japanese version, she instead asks to be called Nao-rin (ナオりん), as she most likely thinks it's a cuter name.
• In the Japanese version, she uses star symbols at the end of her speech to look cuter, much like Uzuki Yashiro does.
• By scanning people during Shiki's week, it is revealed that a tanned girl with blonde hair is a suspected criminal; this could possibly refer to Nao, but as the detective himself says, there are many other ganguro in Shibuya.
• Because the game and The Animation have a lot of differences, it is unclear if Sota and Nao are canonically alive. She may be considered dead in the game canon and alive in the anime canon. It is never shown if she was revived in the original game and she is never mentioned in NEO: The World Ends with You
  • In NEO, the player can scan a woman who mentions there is a new Def Märch album, suggesting that its band members (who were all similarly only shown to be revived in The Animation) are now canonically alive, possibly meaning Sota and Nao are now canonically alive as well given that it seems to coincide with The Animation. However, it is possible that any of its members could have been replaced and that the characters who apparently died in the game canon remain deceased in its canon.
  • Nao speaks with stereotypical Valley Girl accent.

Gallery

Concept artwork of Nao in The Animation

Sota and Nao (right) making a cameo in The Animation

Sota and Nao revived in the ending of The Animation