NAME_TRIVIA_

(Note: All singular kanji readings are written as they are pronounced in the name itself.)

Impish Crow

Group Name: As explained in their official introduction, the name is meant to appear at first glance playful and 'impish', but because of the similarity in Crow and Claw (at least in the Japanese pronunciations of the words), there is a hidden layer of fighting spirit and determination. Feels very fitting for these guys, even if it doesn't work too well in English.

Character Names:

All of ImpCrow's names are bird puns. Or at the very least, they've got the name of a bird somewhere in their name. Additionally, their surnames are all very nature-themed.

Tsugumi Nonaka: ツグミ (Tsugumi) refers to thrushes. According to Google, particularly the Dusky Thrush. A songbird for a vocalist! His surname literally means 'middle of a field.'

Toki Mizukawa:トキ (Toki) are known in English as the Crested Ibis. There's a specific shade of pink named after these birds, 鴇色 (tokiiro), which refers to the color of their wings. Mizukawa could be translated as 'river of water.'

Mitsuru Hayama: Slightly less obvious than the rest, but the ツル (tsuru) part of Mitsuru can be translated as crane. The 葉 (ha) part of Hayama means leaf or grass, whereas the 山 (yama) means mountain.

Hibari Shibasaki: This one's the most obvious. It's uncommon to see it in kanji but 雲雀 (Hibari) is literally just the word for skylark. The 柴 (shi) of Shibasaki can mean firewood, while the 咲 (saki) means blossom or bloom.

Sora Tobikura: Though it's written differently in his name, Sora literally just means 'sky.' I take this as a follow-up on the bird puns, with Tobikura being the 'sky' allowing the birds of Impish Crow to fly higher than ever before, or something.

RUBIA Leopard

Group Name: This is also briefly explained in the introduction but I'll delve a bit deeper here. There's a natural red dye known as Madder red, derived from the Madder flower. Akane's name (茜) refers to both this dye and the flower, particularly the Japanese native species of the flower, the Rubia Argyi, hence the RUBIA part of the name. The Leopard half is just more Akane, since his eyes are meant to resemble a leopard's, but there's no connection to his name there really.

Character Names:

Their names all correspond to their hair colours. That's kind of it, but it's still interesting. Even more interestingly, most of their given names are distinctly feminine sounding. Do with that info whatever you will!

Akane Higurashi: Aside from the previously mentioned connection to Madder red, the 'aka' part of Akane can literally just be 'red'. Higurashi are also a kind of cicada native to Japan, though I don't see that being particularly important.

Kurono Tokito: 黒 (kuro) means 'black.' Additionally, the 任 (tou) part of his surname literally means 'obligation' or 'responsibiliy' and is the same kanji used in 任せて (makasete) or 'leave it to me!' which I assume is not a coincidence.

Mashiro Fuyuki: 真白 (masshiro) literally means 'pure white' and 冬木 (fuyuki) normally refers to barren winter trees. The 'fuyu' part also matches with the white theming, meaning winter standalone. It's safe to assume Kurono and Mashiro's names are meant to mirror their opposing rivalry.

Haiji Sumizome: 灰色 (haiiro) means 'gray' and the 'hai' part of Haiji, while written using different kanji, brings that to mind. 墨染 (Sumizome) is the word for something that is being/has been dyed black, so once again connecting to that 'gray' themeing.

Shiki Iwahara: This could be a bit of a stretch, but the 岩 (iwa) part of Iwahara means rock or boulder, and I guess you could say his hair is... rock colored? Also the 獅 (shi) kanji in Shiki means lion, which I assume is meant to connect him to the 'Leopards.'

HOUND ROAR

Group Name: The description for HOUND ROAR specifically mentions to hunting hounds, and their logo resembles a bloodhound. This themeing is further supported by their tagline, which is the same text you'd see on any 'beware of (agressive) dog' sign in Japanese.

Character Names:

From what I can tell, the connections between the HOUND ROAR members' names aren't as clear as the other, but there's some arguments to be made! Mainly, their names all seem to contain kanji that allude to aspects of their personality. Generally, they all also contain characters that give an enigmatic feel.

Hibiki Kouno: 'Hibiki' itself, and the 響 (hibi) part of the name both mean 'echo' or are used to describe the resonance of certain sounds, giving it a musical vibe. The 茜 (ki) part of his given name is the same 'red' kanji as Akane's given name, a clear nod to Hibiki's hardcore oshi-ism. His surname contains the the Kanji are for 'mingle' (交, kou) and 'rustic' (野, no) -- though more importantly, that 'no' kanji can also be a prefix for wild or stray animals -- such as dogs.

Shoma Endo: 翔 (sho) means 'soar', while 舞 (ma) means 'dance'! It comes off very enegetic, as one might expect of Shoma. The 藤 (dou) part of Endou also means 'wisteria', very on-brand with hauro's overall theming.

Toya Hayama: 透 (tou) means 'transparent' while 夜 (ya) means 'night'. Together both of these characters give a very mysterious vibe, and may be alluding to Touya's disappearance. For notes on his surname, refer to Mitsuru's trivia!

Shion Onozato: 詩 (shi) means 'poem' while 音 (on) means 'sound' -- music as poetry definitely fits in with Shion's passion for music. The 野 (no) part of Onozato is the same as in 'Kouno'.

Sogo Kido: 想 (sou) means 'thought' and 吾 (go) is the same kanji as an older-fashioned personal pronoun, 'ware'. In line with many of the others, it leaves an impression of mystery. Similarly, the 綺 (ki) in Kido means 'beautiful' and also refers to fabric.

Tadaaki Kasuga: 崇 (tada) in Tadaaki means 'adore' or 'honor', probably a reference for the industry's respect for him. His surname can also be read 春日 (haruhi), meaning 'spring day'.