This is the details page for the manga "Yotsuba&!". Here you can see what the manga is about and what the main characters are. You can also read the manga.

Plot synopsis:

Yotsuba&! (Yotsuba to!) is centered on Yotsuba Koiwai, a five-year-old adopted girl who is energetic, cheerful, curious and quirky. This to such extent that even her own father calls her strange. She is also initially ignorant about many things a child her age would be expected to know, among them doorbells, escalators, air conditioners, and even playground swings. This naiveté is the premise of humorous stories where she learns about, and frequently misunderstands, everyday things. At the start of the series, Yotsuba and her adoptive father, Koiwai, relocate to a new city with the help of Koiwai's best friend, an impressively tall man nicknamed Jumbo. Yotsuba makes a strong impression on the three daughters of the neighboring Ayase family, Asagi, Fuka, and Ena, and many of her misadventures come from her interactions with them.

Main characters:

Yotsuba Koiwai (Koiwai Yotsuba)
She is depicted as an energetic five-year-old girl with a child's wonder towards even the most unremarkable of new discoveries. Her imagination meets up to a 100% and she never misses a chance to try something new! She is shown finding enjoyment in nearly everything, and her constant enthusiasm is infectious. Nothing is known about Yotsuba's parentage other than that she was orphaned somewhere outside of Japan and subsequently adopted by Koiwai and that she is sometimes taken for a foreigner by strangers.

The name "Yotsuba" can be translated as "four leaves," and is part of the phrase yotsuba no kuroba ("four-leaf clover"). Her green hair is always worn in four pigtails, giving her somewhat the appearance of her namesake.


Mr. Koiwai (Koiwai) / "Dad" (too-chan)
Koiwai, given name unknown, is Yotsuba's adoptive father. The circumstances of her adoption are obscure—he tells Fuka that without intending to, he found himself taking care of her while somewhere overseas, but gives no other details. Though he acknowledges Yotsuba is a bit odd, he can be offbeat himself. He is depicted as something of a slacker, as he habitually wears an undershirt and boxer shorts when working at home, and apologizes more than once for being "irresponsible." He works from home as a translator, though what languages and materials he translates is unknown. Regardless of his skills as a parent, Koiwai tries to be a good father to Yotsuba.


Takashi Takeda (Takeda Takashi) / "Jumbo" (Janbo)
A friend of Koiwai and Yotsuba, having known Koiwai since they were childhood classmates. He is 210 centimeters tall, so he dwarfs the other characters. He is always called by the nickname "Jumbo," and when Fuka learns his real name she calls it "common." He helps the Koiwais move in and frequently visits their house, where he is more or less treated as a member of the family by Yotsuba.

Jumbo has a dry sense of humor and is prone to deadpan quips, which sometimes confuse members of the Ayase family. At the same time, he is impulsive, and sometimes spontaneously organizes activities for the younger children, such as fishing and star-gazing.


Ena Ayase (Ayase Ena)
The youngest Ayase sister, Ena is a few years older than Yotsuba and her most frequent playmate. She is sensible for her age and tries to be responsible by recycling and limiting her use of air conditioning. Her attempts to spare Yotsuba's feelings sometimes lead her to make little white lies, such as praising Yotsuba's childish sketches. Ena likes drawing, something at which she is quite skilled, and playing with her teddy bears, either by herself or with Yotsuba. Ena is unsqueamish and even enthusiastic about such things as handling large frogs and gutting live fish.


Fuka Ayase (Ayase Fuuka)
The middle Ayase sister, Fuka is 16 years old and in her second year at a local high school. She is the most responsible of the sisters, and during Yotsuba's first visit to her school, one student calls her "vice-president." She finds herself frequently helping the Koiwais, even though she does not intend to and is more flustered by their eccentricities than anyone else. Fuka is often teased by the other characters, especially about her fashion sense and sense of humor. She is fond of making bad puns and wearing shirts with odd or interesting graphics.


Asagi Ayase (Ayase Asagi)
The eldest of the three Ayase sisters, Asagi lives at home while attending a nearby university. She is depicted as an attractive young woman who enjoys teasing people, especially her parents. She is the best of her family at managing Yotsuba and her mother claims she was much like Yotsuba when she was young.


Mrs. Ayase (Ayase-ke no Haha) / "Mom" (kaa-chan)
The mother of the Ayase sisters, who frequently has Yotsuba over as a visitor. Unlike her daughters, she seems unfazed by Yotsuba's habit of calling her "Mom." She is often irritated with Asagi, possibly because, as her husband observes, they have similar personalities. Mrs. Ayase has something of a sweet tooth, with cravings for ice cream, cake, and other desserts.


Miura Hayasaka (Hayasaka Miura)
A friend and classmate of Ena. She is boyish and brusque, in both her appearance and speech. Sometimes, she can be too straightforward and insensitive, and she counters aggressively in a tsukkomi-like manner if she feels mistaken or made fun of. Because of this, Miura appears less kind and thoughtful than Ena, but she is aware of others' feelings. She is also extremely squeamish: when Jumbo takes the younger children fishing, Miura refuses to handle live bait, using salmon roe instead, and hides while Jumbo and Ena clean their catches. Miura often wears sports-related clothing and rides a unicycle. Her relationship with Jumbo doesn't quite meet up to the "friends" mark, but that hasn't bothered either of them.

Chapters: