Morning Musume。

a primer for:

モーニング娘。

Last Updated: November 17th, 2025 -- Updated member pictures & new single MVs

disclaimer

• i am just someone who loves h!p and morning musume.
• some notes are silly non-serious opinions, not legitimate facts.
• this primer has been made and edited over the course of around 7 years, so there’s a lot of content, and a lot of room for tiny mistakes or outdated sections.
• i try my best to keep everything current!! but i’m just me.

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if you have any comments/suggestions/corrections/notice broken links/etc then dm me on twitter!! (@_ayuming_) or use the comments function.

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PLEASE do NOT mark comments as resolved!!!!

DON’T DO ITTTTT. WHEN YOU RESOLVE IT RESOLVES FOR EVERY VIEWER DON’T DO ITTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT PLEASE IT’S SO ANNOYING UN-RESOLVING.

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• i would like to credit sarah, because i got this idea when i saw her primer for ske48 all those years ago. stan ske48.
• i would also like to credit maxi, who helps keep this primer corrected & updated!

Table of Contents

1. Brief Introduction
1. Formation, how Morning Musume operates, a little history lesson, tsunku, some fun facts, what is hello!project
2. Name Changes
• Explanation for why Morning Musume has a number at the end of their name (Morning Musume ‘14,15,16, etc)
3. Links
• Official sites, fan-made sites, translation sites, subbing communities, variety shows, etc
4. Eras
• Information on Golden, Platinum, Colorful, Fukumura, Erapon + OG and Twilight
5. Members
• Individual slides of current & graduated members, broken up into their respective generations
6. Musicals
• Summary of Morning Musume’s musical history (some links available but unfortunately not all bc copyright hell)
7. Sub-Groups
• Includes official Morning Musume units and Hello!Project units with Morning Musume members. Yes there’s a difference!!
8. Shuffles
• These are units that have Morning Musume members mixed with other Hello!Project idols, with little to no longevity
9. The Other Musumes
• Sisters & Cousins: Country Musume, Coconuts Musume, Ice Creamusume, Dream Morning Musume, etc
10. Albums
• Chronological list of albums with YouTube links for streaming
11. Songs
• Link of entire singles discography with MVs & B-sides with streaming links
12. Concerts
• Concert links for streaming + a slide of medleys cause those are fun

welcome to the wonderful world of morning musume

from here on out every picture of mm will have their names attached.

if they’re highlighted in color, they’re still a member.

black means they have graduated / left.

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(sometimes i screwed up and it’s backwards lol but the idea is the same:

color is a current member and black is not)

their superhero origin story + heike michiyo

• morning musume formed in 1997.
• they were created from a tv show called ASAYAN (think if TLC hosted a singing competition)
• this is a playlist of ASAYAN episodes following morning musume as they try to sell 50,000 copies of ai no tane.
• this is a playlist that compiles almost every episode of ASAYAN. None of the videos are translated, but it still gives a pretty comprehensive idea of how Morning Musume operated before, during, and after their debut.
• here’s a link with a description for each episode, providing context and a nice summary.
• the winner would be the vocalist for the rock band Sharan Q (warning: i go back and forth spelling it sharaN and sharaM)
• although all 5 members were part of the 11 finalists selected, none won
• Heike Michiyo did.
• but she didn’t become a vocalist for Sharan Q and instead became a soloist under Hello!Project, the same umbrella company Morning Musume would be under. her producer was Hatake, a Sharan Q member.
• ASAYAN gave her a debut and performance in front of 10,000 people (Budokan)
• but she was quickly ignored in favor of Morning Musume.
• [she said the marketing strategy was to "make her better behind the scenes" (which basically meant they wanted to focus on MM) and confessed she became a hikikomori (aka depressed)
• but said she appreciated learning how to sing from Tsunku by marking the 16-beat with "n"s and "a"s] - comment from Justin K
• In 2015 she appeared on a variety program under the segment “I lost everything to Morning Musume” and spoke about the various struggles she faced (however she doesn’t hold any grudges nor blames them)
• in her 1998 joint concert with Morning Musume, fans of the group would get up and leave once Morning Musume had finished their set and Heike’s started.
• during fanmeets with Morning Musume, she would be skipped or ignored entirely
• During her time in Hello!Project, she was pretty much sidelined into the shuffles units, until she graduated in 2002.
• Since then she started back singing, but in 2021 has officially retired from singing/songwriting and the entertainment industry entirely.

Morning Musume and Heike Michiyo in 1998

yaguchi

mari

fukuda

asuka

abe

natsumi

ichii

sayaka

yasuda

kei

iida

kaori

heike

michiyo

ishiguro

aya

nakazawa

yuko

their superhero origin story + tsunku

• okay, back to morning musume: they lost, and assumed that was that and went back home.
• but then ASAYAN did a callback
• and the greatest thing to happen to music, the king, the legend, the man himself Tsunku decided to gather these 5 losers and turn them into a girl group.
• and we got Morning Musume (who would become the 1st generation)
• a name he came up with at random bc the ASAYAN camera crew notoriously followed him everywhere and never gave him a moment of peace lol
• when the name was revealed the audience in the studio cackled and 1st gen looked horrified
• ASAYAN would follow the member’s journey as Morning Musume for several years.
• while originally given a cool girl R&B vibe, the group’s concept eventually turned into “lame but fun/cool” (see: Love Machine)
• tsunku was the head producer from 1997-2014
• their name can be shortened to “momusu”
• in japanese: モー娘。
• fun fact: tsunku never expected Morning Musume to last more than a year lol
• “In all honesty, I didn’t expect it to last for long. I saw it as nothing more�than one of ASAYAN’s many projects[...] I thought we might get one or two�seasons out of it, and that’d be the end of it.” (source)
• “Still, what I really expected to happen was that they would have a cool�break-up after a song or three. After their debut they’d be all lively and we’d�have them sing two songs about youth, and then we’d give them one more�song where they would be just smiling and saying goodbye.” (same source)
• i recommend his interview about momusu: part 1, 2, 3 !!!!!

this is tsunku

Tsunku♂

• Japanese: つんく♂
• Real Name: Terada Mitsuo (寺田光男)
• Born October 29, 1968
• He was the lead singer of rock band Sharam Q (1988-2015)
• The band obtained success, but towards the late 90s found their sales and popularity diminishing
• At this point, Tsunku’s ASAYAN era began
• Tsunku worked as head producer of Morning Musume, and he was heavily invested in their management
• Which is impressive because he was still working as Sharam Q
• And I mean heavily. Their music, the members, the costume, the choreography, the styling, the production…everything you can think of: Tsunku was behind it.
• There’s actually a lot of Tsunku demos online of his own recordings of Morning Musume songs
• I remember whenever there was a surprise announcement during a concert, his cover of a H!P song would play lol
• In 2014 it was revealed that Tsunku was diagnosed with laryngeal cancer.
• In his memoir “Dakara Ikiru”, he details a lot of the struggle and pain he experienced while undergoing treatment. It’s been translated, and you can read it here (each chapter has its own post).
• His cancer went into remission but eventually came back, and in 2015 he had his vocal cords removed.
• Because of this, when Tsunku appears on TV or in any media, he wears a scarf and communicates with a laptop.
• In 2014 he stepped down as head producer of Hello!Project, not because of his cancer but due to differences of opinion between him and management. In his memoir he says he was asked to step down.
• In general, Tsunku says a lot of the decision about Morning Musume’s sound comes from management orders. For example, management wanted mature and moody, and so Platinum Era’s iconic sound was done. Management wanted Cool Japan, and so we got EDM Musume. Apparently a lot of his happy/fun songs get plain out rejected now.
• 11th generation (Oda Sakura) was the last generation Tsunku ever decided on.
• But!! He still writes for Morning Musume frequently and still very much loves Hello!Project.
• He’s just now experiencing a more chill life in Hawaii with his family
• Seriously, his work ethic back then was CRAZY, so it’s well deserved.
• Tsunku is heavily respected by past and present Hello!Project members, with many who worked under him seeing him as a father figure. Tsunku has also said that he views them in turn as if they were his own daughters.

he deserves his own slide okay!!!!!!!!

The Hello!Project Chronology: Morning Musume

watch here

“an (almost) comprehensive look at Hello!Project through the lens of

Morning Musume”

released: 2020

Morning Musume, a history

watch here

this is a fan-made video going over the history of the group

released: 2021

Morning Musume 20th Anniversary Special Episode

then watch this video

they go over their history, including some fun facts like why they have a “。” at the end of their name; meanings behind songs & dances; eras, etc.

released: 2017

Morning Musume 20th Anniversary Special

watch here

this is an hour and a half special, going over the history of the members with a special focus on Hello!Morning (their variety show).

it features both current and graduated members.

released: february 12, 2018

quick facts about how momusu works

• morning musume has a rotating line-up
• it’s common, but not a rule nor required, to see at least 1 member graduate every year
• platinum era became the exception by not having graduations for 2 years straight until kusumi koharu’s graduation on december 6, 2009.
• fukumura era was 2 weeks away from breaking this record in december of 2021, however sato masaki’s graduation on december 13th ended their streak.

i mean sometimes the company will go to an idol and be like “so…...ur still here huh hahahaha...any plans….dreams….goals....you’re kinda old haha jk”

• the length of time they spend in the group varies member to member
• recently the members are staying longer than previous generations
• the longest a member has been in the group is 14.5 years (ikuta erina, 2011-2025)
• the shortest a member has been in the group is 1.6 years (fukuda asuka, 1997-1999)
• for mm’25, the oldest members have been in the group for 9-13 years (11-13th generation)
• the rate new members join isn’t That predictable, but there is a general gap of 2 years or more.
• platinum era holds the record for longest time without new members at 4 years (2007-2011)
• the new addition of members are grouped into their own respective “generation”
• generations play a huge part in the group, highlighting their very strict senpai-kohai relationship
• ex: bentos are chosen in generational order (update: as of 2024 this has been abolished!)
• ex: kohai can’t speak to senior members using casual/plain language
• this has a lot to due with nakazawa yuko, who was the only adult amongst teenagers.
• not generation specific, but: the members absolutely could not have the same hairstyles. they had to get permission to change their hair. niigaki risa had to beg to be freed from pigtails, yoshizawa hitomi had to ask for permission to dye her hair blonde (she didn’t lol).

quick facts about how momusu works ‘2

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• when members leave they “graduate”, either from just the group or also Hello!Project
• unless they’re fired, need to leave asap for health reasons, quietly withdraw, etc
• see: yaguchi mari, fujimoto miki, and kago ai
• it’s rare to see not just morning musume, but any hello!project member over 25 years old, but there are exceptions **especially** in recent years. members are staying longer and reaching their mid-late 20s!!
• nakazawa yuko graduated at 27 in 2001. it’d be 22 years before it happened again with fukumura mizuki in november of 2023; 23 years with ishida ayumi in december of 2024.
• 9th generation ikuta erina turned 28 the day before her graduation, making her the oldest member of the group in its history! also, Oda Sakura and Nonaka Miki will both turn 26.
• a lot of the girls hitting their mid to late twenties is in part “thanks” to the covid grad delay. many members wanted to graduate yeaaaars ago, but stayed because not everyone could graduate the same exact tour or year without causing chaos.
• regardless, see: 25sai Teinen Setsu (Age 25 retirement theory)
• members aren’t required to graduate once they turn 25. it’s just assumed from fans that they’re encouraged by management to think of their future plans.
• ishikawa rika, for instance, was asked to graduate when she reached her 20s
• graduation ceremonies normally take place on the last day of tour during either the spring or fall concerts
• so they’ll either graduate in may, june, july, november, or december basically
• it’s pretty elaborate, consisting of farewell messages from the members with one final solo performance and a handwritten letter by the graduating member.
• each girl gets their own unique graduation outfit that represents them!! they’re mostly tacky but fun
• i cry every time
• here’s an example of graduation messages (kamei eri, junjun, and linin’s grad in 2010)
• here’s an example of a solo performance (ogata haruna’s grad in 2018)

a useless slide to show some of the graduation “gowns”

suzuki kanon

michishige sayumi

takahashi ai

ogata haruna

iikubo haruna

kamei eri

kudo haruka

ishida ayumi

sayashi riho

niigaki risa

• it’s a common misconception that

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• are all different groups (or affiliated with the 46&48 groups), but they’re not
• in 2013 tsunku announced that momusu would undergo a name change beginning in 2014
• the group’s name would change annually to match the year (hence the numbers)
• it’s just a method to make searching up info easier being that the group has existed for 20+ years now
• Tsunku♂: “From now to 10, 20, 30 years, in order to continue the group, and for people to immediately know the answers to simple questions such as, ‘when was that single released?’ or ‘which generation Morning Musume was she?’, I decided to add the ‘year’ to the name.” [source]
• the number isn’t pronounced “twenty five” but “two five”
• THIS DUMB FUCKING IDEA ALSO MEANT THAT THE RECORDS THEY WERE HOLDING FOR MOST #1S WERE SOON OVERTAKEN BY OTHER ACTS BC EACH NEW YEAR IS NOW CONSIDERED A DIFFERENT ARTIST…….!!!AGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1. morning musume ‘14
2. morning musume ‘15
3. morning musume ‘16
4. etc etc u get the point

this picture has no real purpose but here it is anyway

sayumi

reina

• morning musume is under hello!project
• hello!project is under the company up front promotion
• they’re an umbrella...brand……..thing, for female idols
• acts currently under h!p:
• Morning Musume (1997)
• ANGERME (2009)
• formerly known as S/mileage
• Juice=Juice (2013)
• Tsubaki Factory (2015)
• BEYOOOOONDS (2019)
• CHICA#TETSU
• Ame no Mori Kawa Umi
• SeasoningS
• OCHA NORMA (2022)
• Rosy Chronicle (2024)
• they also have trainees: the kenshuusei, formerly known as the Hello!Pro Eggs
• hello!project as a whole holds concerts throughout the year
• individual group concerts are during the spring and fall

hello!project (1998 - )

the next 6 slides are about the above groups so feel free to skip ahead lol

ANGERME

アンジュルム

• ANGERME originally debuted in 2009 under the name S/mileage as a 4 member girl group.
• They re-debuted in 2014 under the name ANGERME to signify a new era and image.
• french; ange (angel) & larme (tear)
• They have a rotating line-up like Morning Musume.

Juice=Juice

ジュースジュース

• Juice=Juice debuted in 2013 as a 5 member girl group and remained with a fixed line-up until 2017.
• They now have a rotating line-up.
• Juice=Juice are revered for their strong vocalists.
• Seriously not a single vocal hole.

Tsubaki Factory

つばきファクトリー

• Tsubaki Factory debuted in 2017 and had a fixed line-up until 2021.
• They now have a rotating line-up.
• They had a sister group, Kobushi Factory, who disbanded in 2020.

BEYOOOOONDS

ビヨーンズ

• BEYOOOOONDS debuted in 2019 and have a theatrical concept.
• They have three sub-units within the group who release their own unit songs.
• CHICA#TETSU
• Ame no Mori Kawa Umi
• SeasoningS

OCHA NORMA

オチャノーマ

• OCHA NORMA debuted in 2022
• The group’s concept is the ability to entertain fans from their living room television.

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Rosy Chronicle

ロージークロニクル

• Formed in 2024
• Consists of 9 Kenshuusei members
• Debuted in 2025
• “The combined name of Rosy Chronicle is derived from the hope that the history of Rosy will be passed down from generation to generation.”

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Official Sites:

Official Website (Member Profiles)

Official Facebook

Official YouTube

Official Twitter

Official Instagram

Apple Music: MM, MM’14, MM’15, MM’16, MM’17, MM’18, MM’19, MM’20, MM’21, MM’22, MM’23, MM’24, MM’25

(yes they really give each year their own artist page and calling it annoying would be an understatement)

THEY ARE NOT ON SPOTIFY </3 (but other non-current h!p acts ARE!)

Official Associated YouTube Channels:

Hello!Project Station - News updates about H!P given by different H!P members every week

Upcoming - BTS footage of rehearsals, shoots, music videos, concerts, etc.

tiny tiny - (Inactive) Weekly interviews with a different H!P member

OMAKE - MV reactions, short vlog type content, dance covers

Hello! Anime Song Club - (Inactive) H!P members sing their favorite anime songs

Up-Front Channel - Has official MVs for old/disbanded H!P groups & official duets of covers

Satoyama & Satoumi Movement - Features content and MVs related to the movement

UF Goods Land - Advertising H!P Goods

UFfanclub - Excerpts from DVD releases of live events

Official Blogs:

11th Generation Blog

12th Generation Blog

13th Generation Blog

15th Generation Blog

16th & 17th Generation Blog

Instagram Accounts

• Group
• Morning Musume
• 1st Generation
• Nakazawa Yuko
• Ishiguro Aya
• Iida Kaori
• Abe Natsumi
• Fukuda Asuka
• 2nd Generation
• Yasuda Kei
• Yaguchi Mari
• Ichii Sayaka
• 3rd Generation
• Goto Maki
• 4th Generation
• Ishikawa Rika
• Tsuji Nozomi
• Kago Ai
• 5th Generation
• Takahashi Ai
• Konno Asami
• Ogawa Makoto
• Niigaki Risa
• 6th Generation
• Fujimoto Miki
• Michishige Sayumi
• Tanaka Reina
• 7th Generation
• Kusumi Koharu
• 8th Generation
• Junjun
• Linlin

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• 9th Generation
• Fukumura Mizuki
• Ikuta Erina
• Sayashi Riho
• Suzuki Kanon (she does not acknowledge she’s Kanon but it’s an open secret atp)
• 10th Generation
• Iikubo Haruna
• Ishida Ayumi
• Sato Masaki
• Kudo Haruka
• 12th Generation
• Ogata Haruna
• Nonaka Miki
• Makino Maria
• Haga Akane
• 13th Generation
• Kaga Kaede
• Yokoyama Reina
• 14th Generation
• Morito Chisaki
• 15th Generation
• Kitagawa Rio
• Okamura Homare
• Yamazaki Mei
• 16th Generation
• Sakurai Rio

if a member is missing it’s because

they don’t have one

Ameba Accounts

• 1st Generation
• Nakazawa Yuko
• Ishiguro Aya
• Iida Kaori
• Fukuda Asuka
• 2nd Generation
• Yasuda Kei
• Yaguchi Mari
• Ichii Sayaka
• 3rd Generation
• Goto Maki
• 4th Generation
• Ishikawa Rika
• Tsuji Nozomi
• Kago Ai
• 5th Generation
• Takahashi Ai
• Konno Asami
• Ogawa Makoto
• Niigaki Risa
• 6th Generation
• Fujimoto Miki
• Michishige Sayumi
• Tanaka Reina
• 7th Generation
• Kusumi Koharu
• 8th Generation
• Junjun [WEIBO]
• Linlin [WEIBO]

• 10th Generation
• Iikubo Haruna
• Ishida Ayumi
• Sato Masaki
• Kudo Haruka
• 11th Generation
• Oda Sakura
• 12th Generation
• Nonaka Miki
• Makino Maria
• Haga Akane
• 13th Generation
• Yokoyama Reina
• 15th Generation
• Kitagawa Rio
• Okamura Homare
• Yamazaki Mei
• 16th Generation
• Sakurai Rio
• 17th Generation
• Inoue Haruka
• Yumigeta Ako

• If a member is missing it’s because they don’t have one.
• For past members I’m only counting new official blogs, not archived blogs from their time as a member.

YouTube Channels

• Group
• Morning Musume
• 1st Generation
• Abe Natsumi
• Fukuda Asuka
• 2nd Generation
• Yaguchi Mari
• Ichii Sayaka
• 3rd Generation
• Goto Maki
• Vlogs, Games, etc
• Fashion etc
• 4th Generation
• Tsuji Nozomi
• Vlogs etc
• Shorts
• With husband
• Kago Ai
• Vlogs, Music, etc
• Daily life
• 5th Generation
• Takahashi Ai
• Konno Asami
• Ogawa Makoto
• With IDOBATA
• English Study
• Niigaki Risa
• 6th Generation
• Fujimoto Miki
• 7th Generation
• Kusumi Koharu
• 8th Generation
• Linlin
• 9th Generation
• Sayashi Riho
• Suzuki Kanon [she doesn’t acknowledge that she’s Kanon & has never officially confirmed her identity]

• If a member is missing it’s because they don’t have one.

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• Hello!Project Listography
• Masterlist of various official and fan-made sites, separated within their own categories
• Basically made this entire slide redundant so just use the above link!!!!
• Hello!Station performances
• this includes all of hello!project, but it’s a collection by twitter user @helloprost of all live performances aired on Hello!Station through ~2023
• Jpopization | YouTube Channel
• Restores and uploads old H!P music videos into HD, many (if not all) with English CC

Fan-Made Creations:

Utaban Episodes with English subtitles

that i can find for streaming atm

green = bilibili / purple = youtube / pink = dailymotion

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Utaban was a music talk show that hosted various artists to promote their releases.

Morning Musume became pretty well known from the show due to the dynamic they had with the hosts.

Here is a direct playlist of a collection of Utaban episodes, with English subtitles (bilibili)

• June 2, 1998 / Morning Musume’s first appearance
• September 15, 1998 /
• February 16, 1999 / The birth of “Johnson” and “Nee Waratte”
• March 23, 1999 /
• July 15, 1999 / They play dodgeball to determine seating arrangements aka who gets the most screen/talking time
• June 1, 2000 / They play a trivia game with balloons
• June 15, 2000 / 4th generation’s first appearance
• October 5, 2000 / They play a trivia game where each wrong answer raises them higher off the ground on a slide
• October 4, 2001
• November 8, 2001 / 5th generation’s first appearance
• December 27, 2001
• February 28, 2002 / The Roast of Yasuda
• March 28, 2002
• December 26, 2002 / Variety of different games
• November 29, 2007 / OG Members + 8th generation JunJun and LinLin’s first appearance

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op note: while utaban is useful for learning older generations and is the source for a lot of inside jokes, there is a lot of sexual harassment and overall lewd tone towards the girls, majority who were underage. so, viewer discretion is advised here.

DVD Magazines (2004-)

A DVD Magazine is basically an hour or more of content that either comes from bts of concerts, photoshoots, etc or

location/studio shoots where they compete, play games, talk, etc.

Some releases may be generation/member specific. It really depends, but basically it’s good for learning about the girls and the group.

Here’s a playlist with every single DVD magazine, regularly updated!

None have English subtitles.

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A list of DVD Magazines with English subtitles:

• Volume 14 (2007)
• Volume 23 (2009)
• Volume 80 Part 1 & Part 2 (2015)
• Volume 95 Part 1 and Part 2 (2017)
• Volume 98 (2017)
• Volume 100 Part 1 and Part 2 (2017)
• Volume 105 Part 1 and Part 2 (2017)
• Volume 116 Part 1 and Part 2 (2019)
• Volume 120 (2019)

random eng subbed variety shows i found

• Hey!Hey!Hey | Eng Sub
• Morning Coffee (1998)
• This is an interview with the original lineup of Morning Musume, when they first debuted as five!
• Kizuna Restaurant | Eng Sub | Veoh (2009)
• This was a special that interviewed OG Musume members. They spoke honestly about their time as a member, as well as tensions and difficulties they experienced.
• Banana Zero | Eng Sub
• Features Morning Musume ‘17 and Morning Musume OG members in a 20th anniversary special where they go over the group’s history.
• Music Fighter | Eng Sub
• Osaka Koi no Uta (2005)
• Resonant Blue Part One Part Two (2008)
• Nanchatte Renai (2009)
• Kimagure Princess (2009)
• These are variety show talk segments, the names are the songs they were promoting at the time.
• Megami no Kiseki | Eng Sub (2011)
• This features Dream Morning Musume as never before seen audition footage is shown & is advertised as a “Say What You Couldn’t Back Then!” special, so they get pretty candid!
• #askMORNINGMUSUME Live Stream Part 1 and Part 2 (October 5, 2018)
• Morning Musume ‘18 held a live stream with English and Spanish translators to answer questions from fans mainly about America and Mexico for their upcoming concerts.
• They split up into groups of three:
• One: Akane, Mizuki, Miki, Masaki, Kaede (In part 1)
• Two: Maria, Erina, Miki, Sakura, Chisaki (In part 1 and 2)
• Three: Ayumi, Haruna, Miki, Reina (In part 2)

A special on Morning Musume aired in September 2020 and

Tsunku officially confirmed the years for each respective era.

Golden Era

• 1999 - 2004
• it was That era for momusu
• began with “LOVE Machine” ; ended with “Ai Araba It’s All Right!”
• Goto Maki’s addition and Abe Natsumi’s graduation.
• the time they were most popular and successful, ending at basically the beginning of the end.
• an era of nostalgia - the only momusu the general public & media will acknowledge rip
• they were so busy during this era it was common for them to routinely get nosebleeds, fevers, suffer memory loss, and endure sleep deprivation with no breaks throughout the year
• nakazawa recalled having to recollect events from the previous day to staff to make sure she hadn’t blacked out
• iida kaori mentions that they never felt famous despite being at their peak because it was as if they existed outside it
• there’s also stories of members like kaori and natsumi only shopping at convenience stores during flash sales, and because they were so poor they’d eat bread crusts for regular meals
• very open about the discord between them
• there’s a few “tell all” specials where the og members talk about how much they disliked and fought with each other.
• i also wanna clarify here that while they speak about their past�frustrations with one another, they all deeply respect one another.
• they all have deep bonds and friendships that are ongoing to�this day!
• they were children and teens, it’s normal for them to fight!
• idolm@ster was based off of this era of members
• there are also various different anime and manga that either�parody the group with cameo features, or draw inspiration from�the idols
• for example: mitsuki from full moon wo sagashite’s appear-�ance is based off of kago ai!

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look they're literally gold

kaori

tsuji

yaguchi

natsumi

rika

maki

yossie

kago

kei

Golden Era

Platinum Era

• 2007 - 2010
• began with Onna ni Sachi Are - JunJun and LinLin’s debut.
• least successful era rip
• im talking they went from selling half a million to struggling to hit 50k
• constantly called failures and heard nothing but “ugh i miss golden era these members are BORING :(”
• their most mature era
• had the most stable line up; only saw graduations at the end (koharu in december of 2009)
• ended with the graduation of Kamei Eri, JunJun, and LinLin (Onna to Otoko no Lullaby Game)
• their graduations led to morning musume having its smallest line-up since the group’s start with 5 members
• now a heavily respected era
• “If everyone was going to praise us later

I wish they’d have done it back then.” - Sayumi

• tsunku said he didn’t have any real reason�for not having any new generations added dur-�ing this time, just that he liked the line-up as was.
• he wanted to watch them naturally grow
• he told the members to just focus on improving

their singing and dancing

• because of this, platinum era is regarded as hav-�ing one of the best performance abilities in the�group’s history

eri

aika

koharu

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sayumi

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linlin

junjun

Platinum Era

• 2011 - 2014
• began with 9th generation’s debut Maji Desuka Ska!
• One Two Three is highly accredited to colorful era and was the beginning of their revival.
• momusu rose like a phoenix during this era
• this era ended with the graduation of Michishige Sayumi (Tiki Bun / Shabadaba Doo~ / Mikaeri Bijin)
• this era also saw a lot of “ugh this era sucks i miss the old era, platinum was cool and golden was fun :(”
• but now it’s an extremely beloved era, too. it’s an endless cycle isn’t it,,
• a popular colorful era video is this prank where their hotel room collapsed on stage with hundreds of wota in attendance awaiting a performance, with love machine blaring in the background
• formation dancing and a lot of edm
• the inspiration for formation dance: “Thousand-Hand Bodhisattva” by the China Art Troupe of Disabled Persons.

reina

kanon

masaki

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haruna

erina

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sayumi

Colorful Era

Colorful Era

Fukumura Mizu-ki

• 2014 - 2023
• this was a joke slide but not anymore!!!!!
• from haga akane’s lips to this ppt’s slide, so shall the era be named
• confirmed by the man himself, tsunku!!
• this name warms my heart!! so much!! mizuki deserves the world
• she has put so much love and heart into mm and all the girls love and respect her so much
• my heart is full
• this era began with mizuki’s leadership
• it ended with her graduation in nov 2023
• mizuki became leader in 2014, but the first

single as leader was in 2015 with

12th generation’s debut

• shortly before her graduation, mizuki said�that she divided this era into smaller eras:

mizuki

sakura

haruka

erina

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• 2014 - 2018: Bud Era (Mebuki-ki)
• 2019 - 2023: Radiant Era (Kagaya-ki)

Mizu-ki

Era-Pon

• 2023 - 2025
• not the era’s real name but it’s iconic
• also not an official era at all but who cares
• Consists of Erina’s time as leader
• You can see how earnest she was to have the group grow
• Under her leadership she changed:
• A bigger online presence: She was behind the members�having an instagram live relay.
• The bento rule was abolished�(see this slide for context), as she�found it unnecessary.

​

sakura

haruka

erina

rio

reina

ako

maria

akane

ayumi

miki

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homare

rio

• Really wanted more variety show & CM appearances for both as a group and as individuals.
• Campaigned for a world tour. (UFP!!! PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!)
• Erina wanted a less tense and strict environment for the new members, and hoped to be regarded as kind and reliable. She said in an interview that while it’s important to critique when a new member does something wrong, it’s equally important to praise them for doing good. & that it’s only natural new members will have lower skill levels and/or are ignorant on a lot of things.

Era-Pon

Nonaka Mi-ki

• 2025 -
• Glorious name by Maxi
• The era of Nonaka Miki’s leadership

​

The Fake But Who Cares Eras

• there are some made-up eras by fans (lowkey includes era-pon and mi-ki… but give me a break okay…)
• OG era = original line-up morning musume / pre-love machine
• it’s used in a very general way, so tbh it depends on context lol
• twilight era = yoshizawa hitomi’s leadership (okay and i guess the following 25 days of fujimoto miki’s leadership), right before platinum
• singles: Iroppoi Jirettai to Kanashimi Twilight
• it’s called twilight era because of the latter single

​

OG era Twilight era

aya asuka natsumi yuko kaori

risa

yossie

aika

koharu

sayumi

reina

ai

miki

eri

OG & Twilight

This section includes:

• Morning Musume: at a Glance chart
• Jump to slide: Any member of your choice
• Individual slides on past and current members, as well as generations
• Group/Member photos with names
• Interviews, subtitled videos

Strike fear into your enemies with this members chart (source)

Jump to a generation or member, gens 1 - 10�*names in color = current member, names in black = past member*

• 1st generation 1997
• Nakazawa Yuko, Ishiguro Aya, Iida Kaori, Abe Natsumi, Fukuda Asuka
• 2nd generation 1998
• Yasuda Kei, Yaguchi Mari, Ichii Sayaka
• 3rd generation 1999
• Goto Maki
• 4th generation 2000
• Ishikawa Rika, Yoshizawa Hitomi, Tsuji Nozomi, Kago Ai
• 5th generation 2001
• Takahashi Ai, Konno Asami, Ogawa Makoto, Niigaki Risa
• 6th generation 2003
• Fujimoto Miki, Kamei Eri, Michishige Sayumi, Tanaka Reina
• 7th generation 2005
• Kusumi Koharu
• 8th generation 2006 & 2007
• Mitsui Aika, JunJun, LinLin
• 9th generation 2011
• Fukumura Mizuki, Ikuta Erina, Sayashi Riho, Suzuki Kanon
• 10th generation 2011
• Iikubo Haruna, Ishida Ayumi, Sato Masaki, Kudo Haruka

Jump to a generation or member, gens 11 - 17�*names in color = current member, names in black = past member*

• 11th generation 2012
• Oda Sakura
• 12th generation 2014
• Ogata Haruna, Nonaka Miki, Makino Maria, Haga Akane
• 13th generation 2016
• Kaga Kaede, Yokoyama Reina
• 14th generation 2017
• Morito Chisaki
• 15th generation 2019
• Kitagawa Rio, Okamura Homare, Yamazaki Mei
• 16th generation 2022
• Sakurai Rio
• 17th generation 2023
• Inoue Haruka, Yumigeta Ako

Morning Musume ‘25

• 11th generation: Oda Sakura (2012)
• 12th generation: Nonaka Miki, Makino Maria, Haga Akane (2014)
• 13th generation: Yokoyama Reina (2016)
• 15th generation: Kitagawa Rio, Okamura Homare, Yamazaki Mei (2019)
• 16th generation: Sakurai Rio (2022)
• 17th generation: Inoue Haruka, Yumigeta Ako (2023)

sakura

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Ki ni Naru Sono Ki no Uta (2025)

[The On My Mind When I Put My Mind To It Song]

Akaruku Ii Ko (2025)

[Energetic Good Girl]

NEWEST RELEASE: 75TH SINGLE

• Released July 2025
• This was 9th generation member & then leader Ikuta Erina’s last single with the group
• 15th generation member Kitagawa Rio is absent from this single & its promotions due to her scandal & subsequent hiatus

CURRENT EVENTS: 2025

• January 2nd: Ikuta Erina announces her graduation from the group
• April 12th: Kitagawa Rio’s priv socials get leaked and cause havoc
• April 17th: Kitagawa Rio goes on official hiatus
• July 1st: Nonaka Miki announced next leader after Erina
• July 1st: Oda Sakura announces her graduation from the group sometime in 2026
• July 2nd: New single!!
• July 8th: Ikuta Erina graduates from Morning Musume
• July 8th: Nonaka Miki becomes new leader of Morning Musume
• July 10th: Haga Akane & Yokoyama Reina announce their joint graduations for Fall 2025

sakura

akane

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(2023) Current Morning Musume Members: From Debut to Now

This is a video from the wonderful KikiMegami, highlighting each current member of Morning Musume ‘23 from their debut to now with a series of various clipped live performances. It’s a great video to witness their growth as idols, and good for learning voices and faces!

more on morning musume ‘25

• morning musume ‘25 consists of members from 2012 onward
• singles wise, that’s starting from “Help Me!!”
• they currently consist of generations 11-17, excluding 14.
• 11th gen is the last to be basically a product of colorful era under the guidance of platinum.
• Oda also marks the last member ever decided on by former producer Tsunku. Truly the end of an era.
• I think we’re really entering a new era of sorts in the group as the eldest influence will now have been the 9th generation members, notably Ikuta Erina and Fukumura Mizuki.
• I think it’ll be interesting because new members haven’t experienced firsthand Flop Musume (i say this endearingly). They don’t know what below 100k sales look like. Are they Golden Era level? No, but they’re also definitely not Platinum Era where they were the butt of every joke, neither baby Colorful Era with “I didn’t even know Morning Musume was still active”.
• We’re also entering a new change in how the group functions. Before, the new thing was formation dancing and basically “the whole is better than the sum of its parts”. Now, however, there’s a shift in a major focus on individuality, setting yourself apart, with a lot more freedom in expression choreo wise
• the name “endurance monsters” has been coined for them due to the general public being really impressed with their lives at rock in japan
• you can see their 2018 perf in parts: one, two, and three
• in 2019 they performed 50 minutes straight without a single break: one two and three
• they practiced in a room with no ac to prepare for the summer heat
• they’re routinely given dirt when it comes to variety/music show appearances so it’s honestly nice to see the public wake up to a morning musume that isn’t from 20 years ago singing love machine

variety eps with mizuki era

• Lay Your Heart Bare! Emergency Meeting! (January 25, 2020)
• They discuss thoughts, feelings, and first impressions; mainly centered around 15ki.
• Google Drive
• DailyMotion
• YouTube
• Premium MelodiX (January 28, 2020)
• Interview and performance
• Google Drive
• DailyMotion
• Web Talk (May, 2020)
• A zoom call with Morning Musume members during stay at home quarantine. �It’s a laid back conversation with some games.
• YouTube (P1)
• DailyMotion (P1)
• YouTube (P2)
• DailyMotion (P2)
• SoloFes2 (2021) UNSUBBED
• This is an annual Hello!Project event where each member performs a solo, and they vote for who they think did best. 2021’s winner was Nonaka Miki.
• SONGS FOR YOU (2021) UNSUBBED
• As her prize, Nonaka Miki got to create and direct a one-time live special starring Morning Musume.
• MUSIC BLOOD (December 24, 2021) UNSUBBED
• The group discusses the 3 key members that make Morning Musume the powerhouse it is today.
• Kessei Kinen FC Event ~Musume×FAN×Fun!×Christmas~ (2021)
• Morning Musume ‘21 hold a fanclub event; they talk and play games basically.

First Generation

• 1st gen consisted of 5 members
• They were the original lineup (1997)
• There was known tension b/t them bc they all wanted to be soloists
• Had a large age gap with the oldest being 24 and youngest only 13

1. Nakazawa Yuko
2. Ishiguro Aya
3. Iida Kaori
4. Abe Natsumi
5. Fukuda Asuka

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natsumi

Nakazawa Yuko

中澤裕子

• Born June 19, 1973
• 1st Generation Member
• Duration: 1997 - 2001
• Nickname: Yuu-chan
• First leader of Morning Musume
• The Original Bad Bitch
• Everyone was scared of her lol
• Members expressed that she was hard to deal with due to her anger issues
• Newer members are surprised she’s called scary bc of how encouraging and warm of a person she is, which Nakazawa credits to becoming a mother
• She was extremely passionate about the group and making sure they succeeded
• Another factor into her enacting such strong discipline was that management looked at her as being responsible for everyone and their actions; she was often soloed out and punished because of this.
• Had a solo career outside Morning Musume as an Enka singer
• All her solo lines in the group
• instagram: @yuko_nakazawa_

​

Some iconic Nakazawa Yuko stories

• Not allowing bananas in the dressing room because she hated them (members would eat them in secret outside)
• Beginning the tradition of bento boxes being chosen by seniority because she hated being left with the crap options
• Taking the 2nd generation members into a deserted hallway and ripped into them because she felt they weren’t taking the recording session seriously enough (here’s the video)
• 1st generation are also seen on camera sitting outside together on a couch and just glaring at 2nd gen while they record their lines.
• There was an unspoken rule to never speak to her in the mornings
• Would often chunk her chopsticks in disgust when she wasn’t happy with the way her lunch tasted
• Being behind the other members made her irritated so she was always in the front, whether in a vehicle or walking
• Had a special seat reserved for her on the bus (front row, by the window)
• Once, Goto Maki accidentally sat in her spot in a car lol. Without saying anything Goto got the “I fucked up somehow” vibes and immediately retreated to the back.
• Kicked certain Hello!Project members in greeting (out of love) enough for it to freak others out.
• Tried to reconcile her relationship with Fukuda Asuka by buying her a croissant, but the gesture only scared Asuka instead.

​

• But!! it’s important to note that Nakazawa corrected her behavior down the line and recognizes that her actions weren’t right. The members look back and laugh at it all now.

“You were laughing.”

Nakazawa Yuko’s solo music (*= single)

Album: Nakazawa Yuko Dai Isshou (1998)

1. Karasu no Nyoubou*
2. Sutenaide yo
3. Osaka Rhapsody (Unabara Senri Anri cover)
4. Koi (Matsuyama Chiharu cover)
5. Tsugunai (Teresa Teng cover)
6. Cosmos Biyori
7. Odaiba Moonlight Serenade* with Takayama Gen
8. Ame no Midousuji (OuYang FeiFei cover)
9. Otonashibashi
10. Eki (Takeuchi Mariya cover)
11. Etto Tsubame (Mori Masako cover)
12. Koibito-tachi no Ballad with Takayama Gen

Album: Dai Nishou ~Tsuyogari~ (2004)

• DO MY BEST*
• Nagaragawa no Hare*
• Tsuyogari
• Tokyo Bijin*
• Shanghai no Kaze*
• GET ALONG WITH YOU*
• Shinki Itten ~CHANGING THE MIND~
• Futari Gurashi*
• Kuyashi Namida Porori*
• Genki no Nai Hi no Komoriuta*
• Junjou Koushinkyoku*
• Furusato (Nakazawa Version) (Morning Musume cover)

Album: Legend (2007)

1. Urara*
2. Danna-sama*

*this was a best-of album

Nakazawa Yuko

中澤裕子

Ishiguro Aya

石黒彩

• Born May 12, 1978
• 1st Generation Member
• Duration: 1997 - 2000
• Nickname: Ayappe
• Nose ring
• Staff was very lenient with her style, letting her tan as much as she wanted and keep her nose piercing
• Her voice was often used for harmonies
• Here’s a solo from her!
• She left at the group’s peak, right after Love Machine
• Aya expressed that she felt she had the most fun she ever would at that point
• She later ventured into fashion designing
• She has written a few short essays and books about marriage, childcare, childbirth, and her life as an idol.
• One of her big hobbies is golf
• Her daughter is a Morning Musume fan
• insta: @ishiguroaya.official
• Units: Tanpopo
• All her solo lines in the group

​

Ishiguro Aya

石黒彩

Iida Kaori

飯田圭織

• Born August 8, 1981
• 1st Generation Member
• Duration: 1997 - 2005
• Nickname: Kaorin, Johnson
• Was leader for 3 years
• A National Treasure
• Despite her stern appearance, she was actually pretty laid back and had a “Love & Peace” mindset
• Often times she was made fun of on shows like Utaban because she would take sarcastic comments at face value
• She is so loving and caring!!!!
• Literally cries over her adoration for the current Morning Musume
• Published a few children's books
• Her and generation mate Abe Natsumi were born in the same hospital two days apart
• “Nee Waratte” is a popular meme of her
• instagram: @iidakaori.official
• Units: Tanpopo
• All her solo lines in the group

Iida Kaori’s solo music

Albums:

• Os Avrio ~Ai wa Matte Kurenai~ (2003)
• Paradinome ~Koi ni Mi wo Yudanete~ (2003)
• Avenir ~Mirai~ (2004)
• Plein d'Amour ~Ai ga Ippai~ (2005)
• ONDAS (2016)

Singles:

• Aegekai ni Dakarete (2004)
• Door no Mukou de Bell ga Natteta (2004)

Kaori’s Iconic Bus Tour (yes this gets its own slide)

• Alongside soloist Maeda Yuki, Iida Kaori held a bus tour for fans on July 6-7th of 2007.
• Right as the bus was departing, fans were informed that Kaori was both pregnant and soon to be married.
• The news broke the night before, but having it officially announced was probably salt in the wound lol
• For the BBQ special provided with the fee of attending (19000 yen), you got literally 1 sausage and 1 slice of meat. Beer wasn’t included in the fee and you had to purchase it separately.
• Each attendee also received exactly 1 banana. A 1.5 liter of tea had to be shared amongst a table of 8.
• There’s a story where evidently one fan ate two bananas, and he was called a disgrace to humanity by staff.
• There was a stop along the way to a maze that I guess in theory would have been “haha fun” but instead felt more like being trapped inside a horror movie. Half the fans ended up stuck and lost in the maze.
• From the heat of summer, a lot of fans were vomiting�and fainting.
• When Kaori’s marriage was announced, fans congra-�tulated her while simultaneously weeping.
• There was even a comic strip made of the event
• It was referred to thereafter as:
• The Biggest Devil Incident In The Idol World

​

Iida Kaori

飯田圭織

Abe Natsumi

安倍なつみ

• Born August 10, 1981
• 1st Generation Member
• Duration: 1997 - 2004
• Nickname: Nacchi
• The original ace
• Experienced extreme pressure from the burden of being center
• Worked nonstop to uphold expectations, to the point she thought she would die from exhaustion on stage
• Routinely suffered from hyperventilating and breaking out in hives from stress
• She wasn’t allowed to be in units like the other members because she was the “face” of Momusu
• Sung ¾ of every song
• The drama that ensued bc of this…phew
• Her murder was probably routinely contemplated
• Once admitted she didn’t listen to her fellow member’s music outside the group because “it’s too difficult. sorry <3”
• An icon
• For their 20th anniversary she even got a solo on the album
• Her reign will never end
• All her solo lines in the group

​

Abe Natsumi’s solo music

Albums:

• Hitoribocchi (2004)
• 2nd ~Shimiwataru Omoi~ (2006)
• Dreams (2015)

Mini Albums:

1. 25 ~Vingt-Cinq~ (2007)

Cover Albums:

1. Smile... ♥ (2014)
2. TOWARD THE LIGHT -Classical & Crossover- (2014)

​

Singles:

• 22sai no Watashi (2003)
• Datte Ikitekanakucha (2004)
• Koi no Telephone GOAL (2004)
• Yume Naraba (2005)
• Koi no Hana (2005)
• Sweet Holic (2006)
• The Stress (2006)
• Amasugita Kajitsu (2006)
• Too far away ~Onna no Kokoro~ (2007)
• Iki wo Kasanemashou (2007)
• Screen (2008)
• Ameagari no Niji no you ni (2010)

Abe Natsumi

安倍なつみ

Fukuda Asuka

福田明日香

• Born December 17, 1984
• 1st Generation Member
• Duration: 1997 - 1999
• Nickname: Asukacchi
• Has the shortest tenure in the group’s history
• It was rumored she was bullied by members
• She’s never confirmed these statements, but did say she left because the pressure became too overwhelming. She was also like 12!! A literal child!!!
• Retired from music afterwards to pursue her studies, but ended up dropping out of high school and becoming a recluse.
• Her experience of being famous at such a young age caused a lot of trauma for her, with her growing to hate music
• “I think that if it wasn’t for singing, I wouldn’t have ended up like this. If only it wasn’t for music, I would’ve had a happier life.” (source)
• She’s now started to overcome this though!!
• She joined a band in 2011: PEACE$TONE (now inactive)
• And took part in the 20th anniversary activities
• Currently, she’s a solo artist as just ‘asuka’
• PSA: maybe don’t google her in public, especially not using the japanese characters.
• Has a YouTube channel!
• All her solo lines in the group

Fukuda Asuka

福田明日香

Ai no Tane (愛の種)

​

• Released in 1997
• Ai no Tane was an indies release
• To officially debut they had to sell 50,000 copies�of the single within 5 days.
• They accomplished their goal in only 4!
• Here's a video of Day 4, documenting the moment�they sold their 50,000th single!

yuko

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screenshot of their reactions after selling the final copy needed to debut :’)

this is them 20 years later in 2017

2017 release of Ai no Tane with

Morning Musume ‘17 and 1st Generation

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Morning Coffee (モーニングコーヒー)

• In January 1998 they released their debut single
• About a one night stand that wants to be something More
• Legendary
• Created coffee

aya asuka natsumi yuko kaori

every 10 years they recreate the debut cover with the current lineup

1998

2008

2017 (okay 9* years)

they remade ‘morning coffee’ into ‘morning miso soup’

In 2023, 16th & 17th generation wore Morning Coffee inspired outfits for a magazine shoot with Fukumura Mizuki

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In 2018, to celebrate their 20th anniversary, Morning Musume ‘17/8 re-released

Morning Coffee together with the 1st generation members.

1st Generation 20th Anniversary Interviews (2018)

These are in-depth interviews about their time in the group, their perspective then vs. now, and just really their thoughts and feelings on Morning Musume.

​

1. Nakazawa Yuko
2. Ishiguro Aya
3. Iida Kaori
4. Abe Natsumi
5. Fukuda Asuka

Also here’s Tsunku just cause he’s OG, too:�- One�- Two�- Three

Second Generation

• Consisted of 3 members
• Added in 1998 after Morning Musume’s official debut.�
• Tsunku: “I uttered the words: “well, why don’t we add more?” I was breaking one of the rules of the entertainment and idol industry of the time. “If you’re even thinking of doing something like adding new members, just do the right and have the group break up instead!” That was the norm at the time — having a group with members who had grown and been through a series of hardships together in their indies days and suddenly adding in new members who hadn’t put in nearly the same amount of work into it… it really was a rather antagonizing thing to do. You would come under fire for doing something like that. But doing that is what got the show to keep following the group.” (source)�
• There were 5,000 applicants and the amount was so much that they eventually stopped opening the letters altogether.
• Tsunku mentioned that Yaguchi Mari only made it because she sent her application in early.

• Yasuda Kei
• Yaguchi Mari
• Ichii Sayaka

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Second Generation (cont.)

• These poor girls had the WORST time of their lives in the beginning
• 1st gen were really mean to them
• okay my small “in defense of 1st gen”: they weren’t notified beforehand of new members, and it was all but said that they were lacking as they were. the members were distraught and hurting, and took it out on the wrong people. also aside from nakazawa, they were also all teens, too. and barely had a foot in the entertainment industry.
• Yasuda described their first photoshoot with 1st gen as Hell
• you don’t need to understand a word of Japanese to see how unbearably awkward their meeting was
• sayaka at one point was literally crying and saying she wanted to go home
• Fans pretended they didn’t exist at events, purposefully skipping over them during fanmeets, and blatantly telling the girls they weren’t real members.
• In 20th anniversary interviews, Nakazawa Yuko revealed that at first she’d rather have Morning Musume disband than have 2nd generation join.
• Which matches up to their live reaction to the announcement, all 5 looked murderous lol.

• Yasuda Kei
• Yaguchi Mari
• Ichii Sayaka

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Yasuda Kei

保田圭

• Born December 6, 1980
• 2nd Generation Member
• Duration: 1998 - 2003
• Nickname: Kei-chan
• Sub-leader: 2001 - 2003
• ICONIC
• Was made fun of and called ugly but she took it in stride because it helped her gain popularity
• Literally, her and her mom wrote thank you letters to the hosts of Utaban for bullying her
• Known for being able to find a camera at any angle
• One of the funniest members
• Kind of became a god (im not joking)
• She worked REALLY hard to gain recognition in the group and has all my respect and more
• She’s very kind and considerate
• “The Yasuda Room”
• where she’d invite juniors to her room to talk about their problems but they’d just be freaked out
• Units: Petitmoni
• All her solo lines in the group
• instagram: @keiyasuda1206

​

​

Yasuda Kei

保田圭

a slide dedicated to images utaban created of yasuda

they deserve their own slide

this is utaban making fun of the yasuda room experience

​

Yaguchi Mari

矢口真里

• Born January 20, 1983
• 2nd Generation Member
• Duration: 1998 - 2005
• Nickname: Marippe
• Became leader in 2005
• That lasted 2.5 seconds
• Fired for a dating scandal with actor Oguri Shun
• Regardless, ICONIC
• Really short (145cm / 4’9”)
• Pitched the idea of Minimoni to Tsunku
• Tsuji and Aibon notoriously harassed her and made her life Hell
• Queen of scandals and still maintaining a career
• She co-hosted a trashy dating show bc of this lol
• No seriously it’s quite impressive how tenacious she is
• SEXY BEAM
• Units: Tanpopo and Minimoni
• All her solo lines in the group
• instagram: mariyaguchi_official

​

​

Yaguchi Mari

矢口真里

Ichii Sayaka

市井紗耶香

• Born December 31, 1983
• 2nd Generation Member
• Duration: 1998 - 2000
• Nickname: Sayarin
• her timeline in the group is a little insane
• like a week after 4th gen arrive, she announced she was leaving outta nowhere
• which was 10 days before their next single
• and 4 days after that, their final concert
• and sayaka was goneeee
• Involved in politics
• Which is why often she’ll be blurred or edited out when variety shows do their recaps
• In 2019 & 2022 she ran for the Constitutional Democratic Party and lost
• On April 26th 2024, she was elected to the National Diet of Japan
• she resigned the same day
• the shortest tenure in its history lol
• instagram: @sayakaichii
• YouTube Channel
• She is the creator and producer of idol group PATI PATI CANDY
• Units: Petitmoni
• All her solo lines in the group

Ichii Sayaka

市井紗耶香

Summer Night Town (サマーナイトタウン)

Morning Musume’s 2nd single and 2nd Generation’s debut (May 1998)

mari

kei

aya

kaori

natsumi

asuka

yuko

sayaka

this is the single where all the aforementioned awkward photo shoots from hell took place lol.

“The first time we met with them was three or four days after we’d joined the group, at the photo shoot for the CD covers of “Summer Night Town.” The three of us in 2nd generation were so nervous as we greeted them, and I’m not sure if any of them actually made eye contact with us. It was painfully obvious to me that we weren’t welcome. That was the level of tension between us, and yet they were asking us to like entwine our legs together and be all close to each other at our very first meeting… I was just bewildered. That’s why my expression is so stiff in the cover — you can definitely sense the feeling of tension.”

-Yaguchi Mari (source)

mari

kei

aya

kaori

natsumi

asuka

yuko

sayaka

sayaka

yuko

asuka

natsumi

aya

kei

mari

kaori

For their 20th anniversary, Morning Musume ’17s album was modeled after their debut album

mari

kei

asuka

sayaka

aya

natsumi

kaori

yuko

mizuki

erina

haruna

ayumi

masaki

haruka

sakura

haruna

miki

maria

akane

kaede

reina

chisaki

2nd generation together for

Morning Musume’s 25th anniversary in 2023

mari

sayaka

kei

2nd Generation 20th Anniversary Interviews (2018)

These are in-depth interviews about their time in the group, their perspective then vs. now, and just really their thoughts and feelings on Morning Musume.

​

• Yasuda Kei
• Yaguchi Mari
• Ichii Sayaka (no interview / she was in politics)

Third Generation

• 3rd gen consisted of 1 member
• She was added in 1999
• The 2nd Generation auditions had 5,000 applicants. �The 3rd generation auditions had 25,000!!!
• Originally Tsunku wanted 2 new girls so the members would be at 9 for their new single (Love Machine) on September 9, 1999. So many 9s lol.
• But Gomaki was truly leagues above everyone to the point that any other gen mate would be completely overshadowed tbh.
• It’s funny that this 13 year old child had this “cool girl” image because of her blonde hair when really she did it because it was summer vacation and she thought gyaru fashion looked cool.
• She didn’t know anything about Morning Musume or its members, she just wanted to sing. There’s a cute video of her admitting she has no idea who Yaguchi Mari is, even misreading the kanji in her name.

• Goto Maki

Goto Maki

後藤真希

• Born September 23, 1985
• 3rd Generation Member
• Duration: 1999 - 2002
• Nickname: Gomaki, Gocchin
• The storm is here
• When I say her impact, I mean her impact.
• She appeared with a really cool, polarizing image as a 13 year old with bleach blonde hair.
• Her three years as a member was really intense, with little to no breaks.
• She was evil-edited by ASAYAN to create a narrative that she was an ice queen. (in general, ASAYAN were big shit-stirrers)
• The group’s most legendary ace of all time
• She was a soloist during and after Morning Musume, moving to Avex later on.
• Her solo music is VERY loved by the fandom
• She has a YouTube channel where she games and posts covers!
• She released a new single on July 31, 2024, her first in 13 years!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• Units: Petitmoni
• All her solo lines in the group

Goto Maki’s solo music

Albums:

• Makking GOLD 1 (2003)
• 2 Paint It Gold (2004)
• 3rd Station (2005)
• How To Use SEXY (2007) [this was her last h!p release]
• Ai Kotoba (VOICE) (2011) [she moved to avex in 2008]
• prAyer (2024)

Mini Albums:

• SWEET BLACK (2009) [this has MVs with each track!]
• ONE (2010)
• Gloria (2011)
• LOVE (2011)

Best Albums:

• 2004-nendo Natsu Hawaii Genteiban Single Best (2004)
• Goto Maki Premium Best 1 (2005)
• Goto Maki 2001 - 2007 (2010)

Digital Albums:

1. Songs of You and Me! (2022)

​

Singles (Under Hello!Project)

• Ai no Bakayarou (2001)
• Afurechau...BE IN LOVE (2001)
• Te wo Nigitte Arukitai (2002)
• Yaruki! IT'S EASY (2002)
• Sans Toi Ma Mie / Kimi to Itsumademo (2002)
• Uwasa no SEXY GUY (2003)
• Scramble (2003)
• Daite yo! PLEASE GO ON (2003)
• Genshoku GAL Hade ni Yukube! (2003)
• Sayonara no LOVE SONG (2004)
• Yokohama Shinkirou (2004)
• Sayonara "Tomodachi ni wa Naritakunai no" (2004)
• Suppin to Namida. (2005)
• Ima ni Kitto... In My LIFE (2006)
• Glass no PUMPS (2006)
• SOME BOYS! TOUCH (2006)
• Secret (2007)

Newest MV releases from prAyer

CLAP CLAP

prayer

Goto Maki

後藤真希

LOVE Machine (LOVEマシーン)

Morning Musume’s 7th single and 3rd Generation’s debut, released September of 1999

mari

natsumi

maki

sayaka

kaori

kei

yuko

aya

this slide has no purpose i’m just not used to finding pictures of the love machine cover at different angles lol

mari

natsumi

maki

sayaka

kaori

kei

yuko

aya

calf length stockings and heels??????????/

my world has shaken.

the LOVE Machine Curse

there is a “curse” associated with the love machine cover; the girls are in the same order they graduate in

“Going from top to bottom, right to left, with Ishiguro Aya being top-right and Yaguchi Mari being bottom-left.”

(quoted from Hello!Pro Wiki)

start here

end here

p.s.thank u to @JKandaMusicBana

on twitter for mentioning this

yaguchi

mari

abe

natsumi

goto

maki

ichii

sayaka

iida

kaori

yasuda

kei

nakazawa

yuko

ishiguro

aya

fun fact: for their 10th anniversary, 2008 momusu re-created the love machine cover

eri

reina

koharu

aika

sayumi

risa

linlin

junjun

ai

fun, fun fact: they wore the love machine outfits again

for their 20th anniversary in 2018

masaki

maria

mizuki

chisaki

haruna

reina

ayumi

haruna

kaede

sakura

miki

erina

akane

all of hello!project also recreated it for its own 20th anniversary

in 2018

i am Not putting names on all these girls

i have my limits, too

3rd Generation 20th Anniversary Interviews (2018)

These are in-depth interviews about their time in the group, their perspective then vs. now, and just really their thoughts and feelings on Morning Musume.

​

• Goto Maki

Fourth Generation

• 4th gen consisted of 4 members
• Originally supposed to be only 3
• They were added in 2000
• Probably the most beloved generation
• Also probably the funniest
• Members Tsuji and Kago were added very late in the process, with Tsunku saying neither would have passed if not for the other.
• Yossie and Rika were responsible for guiding and essentially parenting Tsuji and Kago.
• If they did something wrong, it was collective punishment.

1. Ishikawa Rika
2. Yoshizawa Hitomi
3. Tsuji Nozomi
4. Kago Ai

it was the best of times

the worst of crimes

kago

tsuji

yossie

rika

Ishikawa Rika

石川梨華

• Born January 19, 1985
• 4th Generation Member
• Duration: 2000 - 2005
• Nickname: Charmy
• Original queen of cute / being cute is a talent
• Her parents were baffled she passed
• Watched over Tsuji and Kago, much to their chagrin & was one of their many victims
• An actual muse: Tsunku wrote “The Peace” with her voice in mind
• MC for the group’s variety shows most of the time
• Even though her character was cutesy and cheerful, she’s actually quite serious and focused
• While she didn’t necessarily dislike it, she was constantly dressed in skirts and frills and lots of pink
• She used the image given to her to her advantage, carving a spot for herself in Morning Musume
• Monologuer, see: Shabondama
• In 4ki she was often paired with Yossie
• Units: Petitmoni, V-u-den, and Tanpopo
• All her solo lines in the group
• instagram: @rika_ishikawa_official

Ishikawa Rika

石川梨華

​

she rlly loved the�finger cross pose�huh

v-u-den (美勇伝)

• 2004-2008
• a year-ish before her graduation from morning musume, a new group was formed with rika as the center member
• a trio, the other members were miyoshi erika and okada yui.
• erika was the winner of the 2004 hello!project new unit auditions, and yui passed the 2004 hello!pro egg auditions (but she was never really an egg because she was like immediately added to v-u-den lol).
• the kanji in their name means ‘beauty, bravery, legend”

zoku v-u-den

• 2009-2011
• this was pretty much a one time revival of the group with different members, as part of the Chanpuru units
• members: michishige sayumi (morning musume), junjun (morning musume), and sugaya risako (berryz kobo)
• they released only one song, a cover of Only You by BOØWY.

rika

yui

erika

Yoshizawa Hitomi

吉澤 ひとみ

• Born April 12, 1985
• 4th Generation Member
• Duration: 2000 - 2007
• Leader: 2005 - 2007
• Nickname: Yossie / Yossy
• Originally had a “beautiful girl” image but a year later kind of got the “tomboy” character after her lead in Mr. Moonlight had her portraying a man.
• She had this really cool and elegant leader vibe, but she said the truth was she was unreliable and just always toeing the line of what was acceptable (x)
• One of the funniest members
• She had really good comedic timing, and was consistently all-in with her characters and gags
• The most popular is the “Gankou Family”
• Her evolution from comedic sidekick to elegant leader was an amazing development.
• In 2018 she retired from the entertainment industry after a DUI + hitting a pedestrian.
• Because of this, you won’t see her recognized or mentioned by UFP or H!P members
• In all footage post 2018, she’s cut and edited from all content
• Units: Petitmoni
• All her solo lines in the group

lol i love this look

Yoshizawa Hitomi

吉澤 ひとみ

From 2008-2011, 4th generation members Yoshizawa Hitomi and Ishikawa Rika formed a unit called �HANGRY & ANGRY to promote a fashion line of the same name.

(Here’s a YouTube playlist with all their songs, minus a few covers)

Tsuji Nozomi

辻希美

• Born June 17, 1987
• 4th Generation Member
• Duration: 2000 - 2004
• Nickname: Nono
• Had a “gyaru” style.
• Was even going to be in a gyaru unit
• It never completely happened, but there’s official photos of the original line-up
• Married with a small army of children
• One of the most memorable & funniest members
• “A monster” - Yaguchi Mari
• Despite this, she was actually pretty shy
• Very thoughtful, knows a lot about her fellow members-- even won a quiz about it
• Her and Aibon were known as the twins
• routinely made life hell for everyone
• they were CHILDREN.. like duh
• They graduated together and formed W
• Now the ultimate pinterest mom
• Is single handedly solving Japan’s population decline issue
• Units: Minimoni & W
• All her solo lines in the group
• instagram: @tsujinozomi_official
• her YouTube channel

​

Tsuji Nozomi

辻希美

tsuji, her husband, and children in june 2025 :)

Kago Ai

加護亜依

​

• Born February 7, 1988
• 4th Generation Member
• Duration: 2000 - 2004
• Nickname: Aibon
• One of the most memorable, iconic, amazing, legendary, funniest etc members of all time.
• Deserved better
• She graduated from Morning Musume but was later fired from Hello!Project due to multiple “scandals” (can read on them here)
• They’re nothing to make light of, and I don’t want to over simplify the history
• Has had a rough life, give her a break
• After YEARS of being blacklisted by UFP, in 2019 she was welcomed back for anniversary activities.
• I love her with my whole entire heart and soul
• Units: Tanpopo, Minimoni, W
• She has a YouTube channel!!!
• All her solo lines in the group
• instagram: @ai.1988kg
• twitter: @lovbus

​

Kago Ai

加護亜依

​

• You can tell they were modeled after the 80s duo Wink i mean they even covered their songs
• Both girls graduated from Momusu together in 2004 and formed W.
• The group went on hiatus in 2006 after Kago Ai was put on suspension.
• Near the end of her suspension, W was preparing to release their 3rd album, which never released.
• BUT Kago faced another issue, which ended with her contract terminated & her fired.
• In 2007 W officially disbanded and Tsuji later left, too, after announcing her pregnancy & marriage.
• BUT!! AFTER 13 YEARS IN MARCH 2019 THEY REUNITED FOR THE FIRST TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• AND!!! RELEASED SINGLES OFF THEIR SCRAPPED 3RD ALBUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• In an EP called “Choi Waru Devil” / ちょい悪デビル

From 2004-2007, 4th generation members Tsuji Nozomi and Kago Ai formed a unit called �W (Double U)

Kago and Tsuji had a very special bond.They felt less like groupmates and more like sisters.

“In a past life, me and Aibon may have been twins.” (x)

Tsunku has also stated that neither would have passed if the other hadn’t auditioned.

The duo are still close to this day and remain good friends.

kago

kago

kago

kago

kago

tsuji

tsuji

tsuji

tsuji

tsuji

​

Here’s their reunion after 13 years!!!

This is at the 2019 HinaFes. They also performed I Wish alongside Morning Musume ‘19

Happy Summer Wedding (ハッピーサマーウェディング)

4th Generations debut single and Morning Musume’s 9th, released in May of 2000.

yaguchi

natsumi

kei

sayaka

maki

kaori

yossie

rika

yuko

kago

tsuji

4th Generation 20th Anniversary Interviews (2018)

These are in-depth interviews about their time in the group, their perspective then vs. now, and just really their thoughts and feelings on Morning Musume.

​

• Yoshizawa Hitomi
• Ishikawa Rika
• Tsuji Nozomi
• Kago Ai (no interview)

Fifth Generation

• 5th gen consisted of 4 members
• they were added in 2001
• were a rather shy and reserved generation, especially in comparison to the 4th generation members
• but they were a very determined generation
• many considered them to be the beginning of the end for the group
• that’s absolute bullshit btw!!!
• they were children being introduced to show biz. of course they’re going to be shy, nervous, and awkward!!!!!!!!!!
• “I just barely got to experience the Golden Era, but when the 5th generation joined, things in Morning Musume began to change. We couldn’t help but always struggle with the thought that it had been our fault; that we had lacked something.” - Ai, source

• Takahashi Ai
• Konno Asami
• Ogawa Makoto
• Niigaki Risa

asami

risa

ai

makoto

5th generation reunited for Niigaki Risa’s wedding on June 22, 2023 :)

ai

risa

asami

makoto

Takahashi Ai

高橋愛

• Born September 14, 1986
• 5th Generation Member
• Duration: 2001 - 2011
• Nickname: Ai-chan
• Leader: 2007 - 2011
• One of the best vocalists in the group’s history, noted by tsunku as being in the top 3 in h!p history
• ACE!!!!
• Very much adored
• Her performance skills are honestly out of this world
• Loves Morning Musume with all her heart
• She put so much of herself into the group
• Feels that her time in the group was nothing but hardships, however she feels nothing but pride when she reflects on her life as a Morning Musume member
• Matsuoka Mayu, actress & big MM fan: “If Ai hadn’t joined, the new Morning Musume would not exist.”
• Has a deep interest in fashion!
• All her solo lines in the group
• instagram: @i_am_takahashi
• has a youtube channel!

my personal favorite

ai performances!!!

Takahashi Ai

高橋愛

Konno Asami

紺野あさ美

• Born May 7, 1987
• 5th Generation Member
• Duration: 2001 - 2006
• Nickname: Konkon
• Graduated with generation mate Ogawa Makoto
• A very sweet and kind person!!!
• Her vocals weren’t…….Great
• Being cute is a talent so she’s allowed to be tone deaf
• Known for being one of the most intelligent members but still had this airhead quality to her
• Has a black belt in karate
• The Duality of Man
• More on the quiet side
• Went on to become a TV announcer
• But has since retired and is now a stay at home housewife/blogger
• She also posts recipes on Baby-mo, a website that acts as a guide for new moms!
• In general she has a passion for cooking and you can tell she absolutely adores her family
• All her solo lines in the group
• instagram: @asami__k
• she has a youtube channel where she vlogs

​

Konno Asami

紺野あさ美

Asami & Ai in October of 2023! :)

Ogawa Makoto

小川麻琴

• Born October 29, 1987
• 5th Generation Member
• Duration: 2001 - 2006
• Nickname: Mako-chan
• She graduated together with her generation mate Konno Asami
• Sadly a background member
• Her and Gaki probably had the most extroverted personalities within their generation
• The 5th gen member with the brightest personality; she helped her generation mates not to lose hope when they first joined and were experiencing major stress and imposter syndrome
• Studied abroad in New Zealand
• Created the english language
• Retired from the entertainment industry in 2015 but later came back for acting and singing
• All her solo lines in the group
• instagram: @1029_makoto

Ogawa Makoto

小川麻琴

Niigaki Risa

新垣里沙

• Born October 20, 1988
• 5th Generation Member
• Duration: 2001 - 2012
• Nickname: Gaki
• Eyebrows
• Sub-leader: 2007-2011.
• Leader: 2011-2012.
• Has a deep voice, which was a really nice addition to MM
• Cursed to wear pigtails, had to literally beg management to get rid of them
• One of the 4 main vocalists during platinum era
• Loves disney a lot
• Nearly quit the group in the beginning due to all the intense harassment she received online and in real life from “fans”
• Only truly felt accepted as a member of Morning Musume the day she graduated.
• All her solo lines in the group
• Her YouTube channel

​

Niigaki Risa

新垣里沙

13 years old vs 31 years old

2002

2020

image credit

5th generation have a unit song together, Suki na Senpai, that’s turned into somewhat of a tradition for new generations to perform together

5th generation performing together in 2002

5th generation performing together in 2011

at Takahashi Ai’s graduation

Mr. Moonlight ~Ai no Big Band~ (Mr.Moonlight ～愛のビッグバンド～)

Morning Musume’s 13th single and 5th generations debut, released October of 2001

natsumi

kei yaguchi ai

yossie

makoto

maki

risa kaori kago

asami rika tsuji

5th Generation 20th Anniversary Interviews (2018)

These are in-depth interviews about their time in the group, their perspective then vs. now, and just really their thoughts and feelings on Morning Musume.

​

• Takahashi Ai
• Niigaki Risa
• Konno Asami (no interview)
• Ogawa Makoto (no interview)

Sixth Generation

• 6th gen consisted of 4 members
• They were added in 2003
• Had the best debut of all time
• And honestly the most odd mix of personalities
• Sayumi, Kamei, and Reina were added together from auditions with Miki added earlier

• Fujimoto Miki
• Kamei Eri
• Michishige Sayumi
• Tanaka Reina

miki

eri

sayumi

reina

they had the best reaction to being told they passed

the look of despair

Fujimoto Miki

藤本美貴

• Born February 26, 1985
• 6th Generation Member
• Duration: 2003 - 2007
• Nickname: Mikitty
• Leader for only 25 days
• Auditioned for 4th generation and failed, but joined the company as a trainee
• Debuted as a soloist in 2002 before out of nowhere being told she’d join the group
• She wasn’t happy at all about this bc she was satisfied with her career as was and saw Morning Musume as her rival
• Very headstrong and opinionated, unafraid to express her feelings or opinions to anyone
• During filming for Shabondama, she’d intentionally splash water on members she was irritated with
• Her “Miki-sama” persona was born bc of her brusque personality
• She says she went from trying her hardest to be cute as a soloist, to losing her smile and becoming Miki-sama as a MM member lol.
• One of the top vocalists in the group’s history
• She was Friday’d, caught dating, and resigned without a graduation
• Was also in Country Musume
• she has a youtube channel!
• insta: @mikittyfujimoto

​

Fujimoto Miki

藤本美貴

Fujimoto Miki’s solo music (*= single)

MIKI ① (2003)

1. Boogie Train '03*
1. Taisetsu
2. Romantic Ukare Mode*
• Cake Yamemashita
3. Eki Mae no Dai Happening
4. Sotto Kuchizukete Gyutto Dakishimete*
• Koi yo! Utsukushiku
5. Namida GIRL
6. Aenai Nagai Nichiyoubi*
7. Gin'iro no Eien
8. Boyfriend*
• Osananajimi
9. Mangetsu
10. SHALL WE LOVE? (Fujimoto Version)
11. Let's Do Dai Hakken!

Okitegami (2008)

1. Okitegami*
1. Tooi Koibito

Lyrics

Kamei Eri

亀井絵里

• Born December 23, 1988
• 6th Generation Member
• Duration: 2003 - 2010
• Nickname: Kame-chan, Eririn, Eri-chan
• turtle
• Her voice was sweet and clear
• One of my favorite vocalists
• Was coupled with Gaki often during platinum era with line distributions
• She was close to Sayumi within her generation.
• Her character was a cute airhead
• Refrigerator in cheese
• After graduating she retired from the entertainment industry
• We have no idea what she’s doing
• Kamei loss
• Update: She got married in 2021!!!!!!

​

Kamei Eri

亀井絵里

this is her in 2021

she looks amazinggggg

Michishige Sayumi

道重さゆみ

• Born July 13, 1989
• 6th Generation Member
• Duration: 2003 - 2014
• Nickname: Sayumin
• our queen, our savior, our life
• invented self esteem
• If u hear screaming or moaning in a song it’s probably her
• she honestly is tone deaf (said lovingly) but her stamina and performance is still incredible
• Sayumi went from the idol no one really cared That much about to everyone absolutely adoring her
• also by “not caring” i mean she garnered dislike for the narcissist personality she crafted for media and television (make that coin queen)
• but she eventually (and rightfully) gained respect for her hard work and ambition
• CUTE = SAYUMI
• She really shined during colorful era, where she was given more lines and a spotlight
• Has become a role model for many members
• She’s a wonderful human being
• Had a solo career after H!P
• She was diagnosed with OCD and her condition became so severe she couldn’t continue working in the industry. She officially retired in August 2025.
• She will be greatly missed but I wish her the best <3

Michishige Sayumi’s solo discography

(to see duets/unit songs/etc she did under H!P, see HERE)

Albums:

1. SAYUMINGLANDOLL ~Memorial~ (2019)
2. SAYUMINGLANDOLL ~SAYUTOPIA~ (2021)
3. SAYUMINGLANDOLL ~Sayumi Mirai~ (2023)
4. SAYUMINGLANDOLL ~Mine to Pango~ (2024)

​

Solo Music under Morning Musume:�

1. It’s You (2009)
1. A solo from album Platinum 9 DISC

​

Final Single:�

• YES! Saikou Desho ♡ (2025)

Michishige Sayumi

道重さゆみ

Tanaka Reina

田中れいな

• Born November 11, 1989
• 6th Generation Member
• Duration: 2003 - 2013
• Real Name: Tanaka Reina (田中麗奈)
• Nickname: Tanakachi, Reinya
• Had a yankee image
• While in middle school her classmates were afraid of her lol
• She auditioned for 5th gen by lying about her age (she was one year younger than the min. age), but was caught after she appeared on tv and was snitched on
• she made it to the tokyo screenings before being kicked out
• Reina was pushed to the front for basically the entirety of her momusu career
• She was always given this yankee cat leopard print brand and honestly? she created all three of those things.
• I vaguely remember that anime starring her as a cat (Kaitou Reinya!)
• was in an all-girl band, Lovendor, until they all left bc they rarely got to release anything
• 2024/25 update: She had a baby!! and is married!!!
• She kind of went viral recently for looking so young while in her mid 30s.

Tanaka Reina

田中れいな

​

reina and her baby!!

(03-2025)

6th generation members Eri, Sayumi, and Reina have a unit song together: Ookii Hitomi

Here’s a link to Sayumi and Reina performing it again in 2021, 11 years later

Shabondama (シャボン玉)

Morning Musume’s 19th single and 6th Generation’s debut, released July of 2003

eri reina miki sayumi

risa makoto

asami ai

yossie tsuji

kago rika

kaori

yaguchi

natsumi

6th Generation 20th Anniversary Interviews (2018)

These are in-depth interviews about their time in the group, their perspective then vs. now, and just really their thoughts and feelings on Morning Musume.

​

• Fujimoto Miki
• Michishige Sayumi
• Kamei Eri (no interview / retired from industry)
• Tanaka Reina

Seventh Generation

• 7th gen consisted of 1 member
• She was added in 2005
• Tsunku considered her the miracle ace

• Kusumi Koharu

Kusumi Koharu

久住小春

• Born July 15, 1992
• 7th Generation Member
• Duration: 2005 - 2009
• Nickname: Koha
• The miracle ace
• Tsunku said she’d be a miracle member that would serve as the group’s ace
• She was only 12 dude
• Had a solo career within H!P due to being the voice of Kirari in the anime Kirarin Revolution
• I’ve never seen a fandom so divided over one girl
• You either loved her or wanted nothing to do with her
• Notoriously disliked by fellow members lol.
• Sayumi would rip her eyebrows out from the stress Koharu gave her
• Mitsui Aika said her voice was painful (they’re good friends though!! lol)
• Ishikawa also disliked her
• Her graduation special on a variety show was essentially just groupmates roasting her
• Caused controversy after graduating bc she called momusu a stepping stone for her career (SHE’S NOT WRONG !!!)
• after this, her affiliation with ufp & h!p pretty much ceased
• ufp pretends she doesn’t exist, or does koha pretend ufp doesn’t exist? who knows
• “I’m a bad bitch you can’t kill me” - Koha at one point probably
• She does some voice acting now!
• And starred in the 2024 drama “Ripe for the Picking”
• IT’S ON NETFLIX WATCH IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i am a koharu apologist she was MY miracle ace my oshi my everything any tongue that rises against her SHALL FALL

Kusumi Koharu

久住小春

​

Despite Sayumi most likely regularly plotting her murder, Koharu and Sayumi had an iconic unit together:

Rainbow Pink

They only released 3 songs but they immortalized themselves as legends regardless

Wikipedia masterlist of all her songs with Kirarin Revolution

Iroppoi Jirettai (色っぽい じれったい)

Morning Musume’s 27th Single and 7th Generation’s debut, released July of 2005

asami eri makoto yossie

miki ai koharu

risa reina sayumi

Eighth Generation

• 8th gen consisted of 1 member
• And then 2 more
• Aika was added in 2006 and JunLin were added in 2007 as foreign exchange students
• The most underappreciated and underrated generation i s2g fuck you ufp
• tsunku mentioned in an interview that he believes junjun and linlin helped wake up the other mm members into not being so soft, and to work harder on their own self-improvement

• Mitsui Aika
• JunJun
• LinLin

linlin aika junjun

Mitsui Aika

光井愛佳

• Born January 12, 1993
• 8th Generation Member
• Duration: 2006 - 2012
• Nickname: Mittsii
• The sweetest
• Like she is an absolute doll?????
• She was given lines in the beginning but promptly thrown to the back for the rest of her morning musume career :(
• Deserved more
• She had a bad injury and needed to immediately graduate, so she didn’t get a real proper graduation
• She studied English abroad in New Zealand and became an announcer of sorts for english speaking fans
• And she subtitled some H!P mvs lol
• sorry aika for trash talking the eng subs i didn’t know it was you queen
• In November 2018 she left Hello!Project and retired from the entertainment industry
• here’s all her solo lines
• she also has a solo song!

Mitsui Aika

光井愛佳

​

this was a wig lol but i wish it wasn’t cause it was soo cute!!!

JunJun

ジュンジュン

• Born January 11, 1988
• 8th Generation Member
• Duration: 2007 - 2010
• Real Name: Lǐ Chún (李纯)
• Stage Name: Lǐ Qìnyáo (李沁謡)
• weibo blog
• she outed herself as a trump loving transphobe in 2024
• moving on

JunJun

ジュンジュン

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LinLin

リンリン

• Born March 11, 1991
• 8th Generation Member
• Duration: 2007 - 2010
• Real Name: Qián Lín (銭琳)
• Was a hello!pro egg
• Had the brightest personality
• Was one of the best vocalists in mm history
• tsunku said at one point she was better than takahashi ai, who he ranks HIGH as one of hello!project’s top vocalists of all time
• Also really hilarious w her japanese blunders
• Too bad we never got to hear her sing :) thanks ufp
• Weeaboo
• Loves cosplaying, anime, and manga
• An honest to god joy
• Forced out alongside JunJun :)))
• Created a girl group, Idol School
• Works(ed?) as a producer and lyricist for said girl group!
• Apparently owns a mansion so she’s living her best life & married with two daughters :)
• Her solo lines in the group L o l.
• instagram: @linlindesuyo
• official weibo blog

LinLin

リンリン

​

8th generation have a unit song together, Osaka Umainen. It’s about how food from Osaka tastes good lol.

they also sing in osaka-ben which is fun

Egao YES Nude (笑顔YESヌード)�32nd single & Mitsui Aika’s debut��

sayumi koharu aika ai eri

risa miki reina yossie

Onna ni Sachi Are (女に 幸あれ)�34th single & JunJun and LinLin’s debut

aika koharu ai junjun linlin

sayumi

risa

reina eri

Ninth Generation

• 9th gen consisted of 4 members
• They were added in 2011
• The beginning of a new era
• There’s 4 years between 8th and 9th generation, making it the longest gap between generations.

• Fukumura Mizuki
• Ikuta Erina
• Sayashi Riho
• Suzuki Kanon

kanon

mizuki

riho

erina

Fukumura Mizuki

譜久村聖�

• Born October 30, 1996
• 9th Generation Member
• Duration: 2011 - 2023
• Nickname: Fuku / Fukuhime
• Leader: 2014-2023
• H!P Leader: 2019-2023
• Longest serving leader in group history
• Was one of the last remaining Hello!Pro Eggs
• A surprise addition to the lineup
• Apparently Tsunku had to really work with management to get them to accept the idea of a trainee joining the group
• It was a heartwarming moment
• Before joining, she was also in Shugo Chara Egg, a unit made for the anime of the same name
• Has a beautiful voice
• She got and STILL receives an absurd amount of hate and was and is STILL blamed for things she has absolutely nothing to do with
• like that she forced members out and behaved as a diva over line distributions
• mm single delayed? her fault. ugly costumes? her fault. rainy day? her fault.
• There’s no one whose love for H!P matches fuku’s!!!!
• She put her blood, sweat, tears, heart, and soul into this group and its members
• Literally has an era officially named after her. ICONIC.

Fukumura Mizuki’s Solo Discography

Singles:�

1. Long Love Letter/Anniversary wa Iranai (2025)

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Fukumura Mizuki

譜久村聖�

Ikuta Erina

生田衣梨奈�

• Born June 7, 1997
• 9th Generation Member
• Duration: 2011 - 2025
• Sub-leader: 2014 - 2023
• Leader: 2023 - 2025
• Nickname: Eripon
• Records:
• Longest serving sub-leader in history
• Longest tenure in history at 14.5 years
• Oldest active member in history at 28
• Had a cutesy OTT character in the beginning.
• She really loved and admired Niigaki Risa, and when she graduated Erina was given her member color of ‘yellow-green’
• When she uses her lower range when singing??
• One of the best dancers and does a lot of stunts
• Frequently changes her hairstyle/color
• Loves fashion, and has even styled costumes for Morning Musume’s tour
• Has her own golf fashion brand, ELEYVS GOLF
• Really good at golf
• Very earnest and hardworking, not afraid at all�to speak out on issues she has with UFP lol
• Very caring and wants a lot more for MM & its�members, as they definitely deserve it.
• Ru
• The way she kinda owned being given no lines and made merch out of her one syllable line is honestly iconic
• BUT… eripon absolutely deserved more during her time as a member
• Has no plans to take any breaks after her grad

Ikuta Erina

生田衣梨奈�

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​

Sayashi Riho

鞘師里保

• Born May 28, 1998
• 9th Generation Member
• Duration: 2011 - 2015
• Nickname: Rihoriho
• Was pushed from the start & was very popular
• Had the “lone ace” burden
• Her graduation initially felt like a shock
• But also wasn’t at all considering how management treated her
• Was the reason the group transformed their choreography and dance skills
• Her time as a member is viewed in a very bittersweet lens
• After graduating she left for America to practice dance and disappeared off the face of the earth
• but she returned in 2019!!! As a surprise guest at HinaFes
• everyone lost their MINDS
• Because of her time overseas, she’s become really good at English. She’ll update and talk on her insta in English sometimes for international fans :)
• she was an avenger for babymetal
• In 2021 she made her solo debut!
• She made her major debut under AVEX in June/July of 2025!
• She will play MisaMisa in Japan’s Death Note on Broadway

Released June 2025, �“Super Red” is her newest single & major solo debut under AVEX!!

Sayashi Riho’s solo discography

Mini Albums:

1. DAYBREAK (2021)
2. Reflection (2022)
3. Unison (2022)

1. Symbolized (2024)

Albums:

EP*:

• Too Much (2025)

* major debut under AVEX

Sayashi Riho

鞘師里保�

​

​

Suzuki Kanon

鈴木香音

• Born August 5, 1998
• 9th Generation Member
• Duration: 2011 - 2016
• Nickname: Zukki
• The sweetest
• Created smiling
• A positive ray of sunshine
• A bright and fun personality
• Did a lot of weird, but cute, gags
• Deserved better
• Was thrown to the back because of her weight
• Only got a lead single when she lost it
• Retired from the entertainment industry altogether after graduating
• In her graduation message she announced she was pursuing a career in social work
• Has a cooking channel on YT under a pseudonym!
• In May 2025 she revealed that she’s married!!!

Picture: 2016

Suzuki Kanon

鈴木香音

�

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Maji Desuka Ska! (まじですかスカ！)

Morning Musume’s 45th single and 9th Generation’s debut, released March of 2011

kanon

riho

erina

mizuki

sayumi

reina

aika

ai

risa

9th Generation 20th Anniversary Interviews (2018)

These are in-depth interviews about their time in the group, their perspective then vs. now, and just really their thoughts and feelings on Morning Musume.

​

• Fukumura Mizuki
• Ikuta Erina
• Sayashi Riho
• Suzuki Kanon (no interview / retired from industry)

Tenth Generation

• 10th gen consisted of 4 members
• They were added in late 2011
• I would die for this generation
• No questions asked

• Iikubo Haruna
• Ishida Ayumi
• Sato Masaki
• Kudo Haruka

ayumi

haruna

haruka

masaki

Iikubo Haruna

飯窪春菜

• Born November 7, 1994
• 10th Generation Member
• Duration: 2011-2018
• Nickname: Harunan
• Sub-Leader: 2013-2018
• At one point her color was brown but she insisted nonstop it was chocolate
• Self proclaimed anime otaku
• Has a passion for fashion
• Was a model before joining the group.
• I recommend her visual photobook “female”, she’s such a qt in it and the fashion is cool
• Was part of Triple A with Kudo Haruka and Ogata Haruna; a flat chested support group basically.
• She’s the producer and voice behind virtual idol Ni-na.
• Tweets 30 million times a day
• instagram: @harunaiikubo_official

Iikubo Haruna

飯窪春菜

�

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​

Ishida Ayumi

石田亜佑美

​

• Born January 7, 1997
• 10th Generation Member
• Duration: 2011-2024
• Sub-leader: 2019-2024
• Main dancer
• Nickname: Daaishi, Ayumin
• 2nd longest tenure in the group’s history
• LOVE OF MY LIFE
• “daaishi feeling”
• Watermelons
• She gets a lot of the main lead roles in their musicals, despite not being a main vocalist
• She’s a super passionate performer!!
• commands the stage
• Her and eripon are normally part of the permanent lineup for dance units
• Mentor when it comes to dancing
• Versatility personified; she balances her variety role with the strict profession she needs to maintain for her kouhai extremely well
• Was part of the Hello Pro Dance Academy
• when she graduated the creator of this guide lost her mind

Ishida Ayumi

石田亜佑美

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�

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Sato Masaki

佐藤優樹

​

• Born May 7, 1999
• 10th Generation Member
• Duration: 2011-2021
• Nickname: Maachan
• Charismaa
• Was THE most popular member
• Dark horse / unexpected ace
• Barely literate
• Chaos personified
• BUT while she gives off this initial impression of being carefree, Masaki puts in a lot of hard work and effort.
• She’s very thoughtful where it counts, paying attention to even the smallest details that can change how she performs; taking in the work of staff and musical professionals around her.
• Has a huge gap between her on stage persona and her actual personality
• Was one of the top performers in the group
• She can play multiple instruments
• Wants to be a producer like Tsunku and highly, highly respects him
• She graduated due to ongoing health concerns
• Now a soloist!
• official blog

Sato Masaki’s Solo Discography

Singles:

• Egao no Kimi wa Taiyou sa (2021)
1. Released to commemorate her graduation, this is a cover of �Morning Musume’s single by the same name.

​

​

• Ding Dong / Romantic Nante Gara ja nai (2023)
• Arashi no Number / Kachoufuugetsu Shunkashuutou (2024)

Sato Masaki

佐藤優樹

​

�

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Kudo Haruka

工藤遥

• Born October 27, 1999
• 10th Generation Member
• Duration: 2011-2017
• Nickname: Duu
• She was a Hello!Pro Egg before joining
• The youngest member in history to join at 11 years old (beating Kago Ai by a few months)
• She was given the ‘ikemen’ character and had a pixie cut her entire tenure
• Her voice is husky and low
• In the group she had a strong bond with her genmates and was looked up to by a lot of kouhai, especially Haga Akane
• She was seen as a reassuring presence
• After graduating she pursued acting
• She has a talent in photography and writing and has released photobooks and essays that were comprised of her own work

Kudo Haruka

工藤遥

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�

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Pyoco Pyoco Ultra (ピョコピョコ ウルトラ)

Morning Musume’s 48th single and 10th Generation’s debut, released January of 2012.

​

Tbt to when we were all terrified this would be gaki’s graduation single

haruka

ayumi

haruna

masaki

erina

riho

mizuki

kanon

aika

reina

sayumi

risa

10th generation reunited, November 2023

ayumi

masaki

haruka

haruna

10th Generation 20th Anniversary Interviews (2018)

These are in-depth interviews about their time in the group, their perspective then vs. now, and just really their thoughts and feelings on Morning Musume.

​

• Iikubo Haruna
• Ishida Ayumi
• Sato Masaki
• Kudo Haruka

Eleventh Generation

• 11th gen consisted of 1 member
• She was added in 2012
• Was chosen from the Kenshuusei (trainees within the company)
• Her debut is kind of iconic

• Oda Sakura

Oda Sakura

小田さくら

​

• Born March 12, 1999
• 11th Generation Member
• Duration: 2012 -
• Nickname: OdaSaku
• Color: Lavender
• Sub-Leader: 2023-
• A vocal powerhouse
• Tech illiterate
• Regarded as one of the top idol vocalists
• If Riho was the member who brought dancing to�the forefront, then Oda was the vocals
• Her forehead holds power
• When she debuted she had a coconut head
• She’s grown so much I’m PROUD
• She emotes extremely well, able to express the�feelings of any song
• Oda’s stage presence is powerful and she makes�it into its own artform.
• She treasures Morning Musume and takes being�an idol seriously.
• However, it feels like she’s become more relaxed?�to some notions of idoling as she ages
• love love LOVES cats
• As sub-leader she wants the members to believe in themselves and to be happy
• “I’m not in Morning Musume because I wanted to be an idol. I’m here because I love Morning Musume” (x)
• She will graduate sometime in 2026 :(

Oda Sakura

小田さくら

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�

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Help Me!!!

Morning Musume’s 52nd single and 11th Generation’s debut single, released January of 2013

sakura

riho

ayumi

mizuki

reina

sayumi

haruna

kanon

masaki

haruka

erina

11th Generation 20th Anniversary Interviews (2018)

These are in-depth interviews about their time in the group, their perspective then vs. now, and just really their thoughts and feelings on Morning Musume.

​

• Oda Sakura

Twelfth Generation

• 12th gen consisted of 4 members
• They were added in 2014

• Ogata Haruna
• Nonaka Miki
• Makino Maria
• Haga Akane

haruna miki akane maria

Ogata Haruna

尾形春水

• Born February 15, 1999
• 12th Generation Member
• Duration: 2014 - 2018
• Nickname: Haachin
• Was a figure skater before joining
• Her pre-debut twitter account was found and it was a gold mine for ugly selfies
• Lead monologuer
• All her solos + monologues in total added up to 33 seconds
• a VISUAL
• She has a YouTube channel but a lot of her older videos were privated/delated. It now serves mostly as a vlog and updates channel.
• Has an iconic solo performance of S/mileage’s “Ganbaranakutemo Ee Nende”
• PLEASE… WATCH IT.
• Was in idol group Youplus from 2021-23 (alongside a former ANGERME member!)
• She is the producer for idol group “Time Lapse”
• She works mainly as a freelance idol and talent.

Ogata Haruna

尾形春水

​

�

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​

Nonaka Miki

野中美希

​

​

• Born October 7, 1999
• 12th Generation Member
• Duration: 2014 -
• Leader: 2025 -
• Nickname: Chel
• Color: Purple
• There’s power in her bob
• She’s the last member to be born in the 20th century (haha ow!)
• She lived in Alabama & is fluent in English �(hence Miki Alabama - a nod to Hannah Montana)
• Was abducted by aliens
• Said y’all once
• She plays the middle man for ifans, sometimes uploading videos in English onto twitter and facebook
• She won HelloFes in 2021, winning a TV special in October 2021!!
• Shows exceptional skills as a songwriter and producer!!!
• Extremely thoughtful and smart
• Dimple!
• I personally feel we haven’t seen her at her peak yet, which is extraordinary because she is already a phenomenal performer
• With each year she just gets BETTER
• Oda is her senpai, but with Erina’s graduation Miki instead became leader as Oda will graduate in 2026
• I realllly hope she brings about the globalization of Morning Musume under her leadership
• UFP FOR THE LOVE OF GOD PLEASE

Nonaka Miki

野中美希

​

�

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​

Makino Maria

牧野真莉愛

​

• Born February 2, 2001
• 12th Generation Member
• Duration: 2014 -
• Sub-Leader: 2025 -
• Color: Pink
• Was a Kenshuusei
• Maria Loverin
• Would die for baseball probably
• Admires Sayumi and wants to become as devoted to Momusu as she was
• And tbh I think she’s reached that goal!
• Maria is an incredibly hard worker, and is very earnest in promoting Morning Musume through her other jobs
• While she’s known for her beauty, Maria also excels at dancing - and she often changes the choreography to better match her height & make her stand out
• The biggest crybaby (endearingly)
• She models a lot
• and has a lot of photobooks
• underage gravure can DIE
• Failed the 10th & 11th gen auditions
• Is honestly a sweetheart
• Has AMAZING stage presence omg
• Seriously her crowd work is phenomenal
• the human writing this has firsthand knowledge; this girl is an IDOL

Makino Maria

牧野真莉愛

​

�

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Haga Akane

羽賀朱音

​

• Born March 7, 2002
• 12th Generation Member
• Duration: 2014 -
• Nickname: Akanechin
• Color: Orange
• Became a Kenshuusei member after failing an audition
• When Kudo Haruka was still in the group, it was (and still is) a running joke that Akane’s in love with her
• She’s really skilled at calligraphy
• There is so much unexplored potential
• She has been quietly maturing into a strong performer!!
• Very beautiful
• I really like her photography. She has a final photobook that features her work!!
• Fukumura Mizuki believes it’s Akane who will continue the legacy she’ll leave behind
• In their songs she gets a lot of monologues and one-liners
• Mukidashi de Mukiatte, Shabondama lives, Oh My Wish
• She will graduate from the group & Hello!Project this fall, retiring from the entertainment industry
• :((((((((((

Haga Akane

羽賀朱音

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�

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Morning Musume’s 58th (triple a) single

and 12th generation’s debut, released April of 2015.

Seishun Kozou ga Naiteiru

青春小僧が泣いている

Yuugure wa Ameagari

夕暮れは雨上がり

Ima Koko Kara

イマココカラ

12th Generation 20th Anniversary Interviews (2018)

These are in-depth interviews about their time in the group, their perspective then vs. now, and just really their thoughts and feelings on Morning Musume.

​

• Ogata Haruna
• Nonaka Miki
• Makino Maria
• Haga Akane

Thirteenth Generation

• 13th gen consisted of 2 members
• They were added in 2016

• Kaga Kaede
• Yokoyama Reina

reina

kaede

Kaga Kaede

加賀楓

​

• Born November 30, 1999
• 13th Generation Member
• Duration: 2016 - 2022
• Nickname: Kaedii
• She was a Kenshuusei
• Broke down crying when she found out she got into momusu because kenshuusei younger than her were debuting and she was anxious that her chance of becoming an idol was dwindling to nothing
• Considers herself an anime otaku
• Has the image of being calm and collected but she’s actually very expressive with her feelings
• Was part of the Hello Pro Dance Academy
• Created her own choreo for MM songs
• Sexy Cat, SONGS, Matenrou Show
• Graduated to dedicate more time to dance
• She was in Moulin Rouge, the musical
• After MR, she left the entertainment industry to re-learn dancing from scratch
• instagram: @kaede_kaga.official

Kaga Kaede

加賀楓

​

�

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her moulin rouge costume is a slay

Yokoyama Reina

横山玲奈

​

• Born February 22, 2001
• 13th Generation Member
• Duration: 2016 -
• Nickname: Yokoyoko / Yokoyan
• Color: Golden Yellow
• She was a Kenshuusei
• Literally became a member the same year she joined
• What kinda legend
• Smile rivals the baby in the sun from the teletubbies
• She can play the saxophone
• She’s a passionate performer
• Says that since she’s not considered a good singer, she tries to hone in on other strengths such as variety and speaking
• Her MC talents are impeccable
• Her stage presence is pretty immaculate, she manages that balance between cute and cool very well!
• Her Shabondama monologue is my� favorite version.
• She will graduate from the group & Hello!Project this fall, retiring from the entertainment industry
• She hasn’t been able to participate in her final activities as a member due to her health
• :((((((((((

Yokoyama Reina

横山玲奈

​

�

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13ki were part of a double single release, their 63rd single, which was released in March of 2017

BRAND NEW MORNING

Jealousy Jealousy

ジェラシー ジェラシー

13th Generation 20th Anniversary Interviews (2018)

These are in-depth interviews about their time in the group, their perspective then vs. now, and just really their thoughts and feelings on Morning Musume.

​

• Kaga Kaede
• Yokoyama Reina

Fourteenth Generation

• 14th gen consisted of 1 member
• She was added in 2017 as a transfer
• Originally from Country Girls
• A surprise decision
• A hated decision
• not @ chii, she’s wonderful!!!!!
• hated cause this was ufp’s way of bringing about the slow death of country girls

• Morito Chisaki

Morito Chisaki

森戸知沙希

​

• Born February 19, 2000
• 14th Generation Member
• Duration: 2017 - 2022
• Nickname: Chii, Chii-chan
• was originally a member Country Girls
• i recommend checking them out too!
• an idol even before joining Hello!Project, being part of CoCoRo Gakuen (orange skirt)
• added to momusu in 2017 after the announcement of a “transfer system”
• which everyone thought was dumb and i guess ufp realized it too bc it’s never happened again lol
• honestly a round of applause for chiichan bc she joined during the group’s 20th anniversary, meaning she had to learn nearly 100 songs and choreo in only a few months for their tour!! she’s amazing
• auditioned to be part of 12th gen, but failed
• she’s only the 2nd member ever to join the group without auditioning (first being Fujimoto Miki)
• a great dancer! was in Hello!Project’s dance club
• chii-chan has this amazing power where she exudes 1000% cuteness with bangs and 1000% cool without them
• graduated to study abroad and learn english
• instagram: @chisaki__morito.official

Morito Chisaki

森戸知沙希

​

�

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Chii was part of a triple single release, so her debut has 3 music videos

Jama Shinai de, Here We Go!

邪魔しないで Here We Go！

Dokyuu no Go Sign!

弩級のゴーサイン

Wakaindashi!

若いんだし！

Morning Musume’s 64th single and 14th Generation’s debut single, released in October of 2017

14th Generation 20th Anniversary Interviews (2018)

These are in-depth interviews about their time in the group, their perspective then vs. now, and just really their thoughts and feelings on Morning Musume.

​

• Morito Chisaki

Fifteenth Generation

• 15th generation consists of 3 members
• They were announced June 22, 2019 during an official livestream
• Here is their livestream reveal (eng sub)
• Here is their audition process (eng sub)
• Here is their filmed reaction of them being announced as members (eng sub)
• Holds record for the longest a generation has stayed together with all its members (6 years)

• Kitagawa Rio
• Okamura Homare
• Yamazaki Mei

Mei Homare Rio

Kitagawa Rio

北川莉央

​

• Born March 16, 2004
• 15th Generation Member
• Duration: 2019 -
• Nickname: Kitario
• Color: Sea Blue
• Her favorite sport is golf
• Passed Eiken level 3
• Had a nickname given to her by her classmates: “Mizunomi Babaa” (Water Drinking Grandma) because of how much she drinks water.
• She plays the flute and has performed with it a couple of times during lives
• Rio looks stern, but she’s a goofball!
• Plays mediator between Homa-chan and Mei-chan
• Pushed by management for her beauty & had many pbs
• One of the better vocalists in the group tbh!! Wasted potential :(
• In January ‘25 her private insta was leaked by someone in her inner circle, revealing she had a bf, making parasocial wotas mad.
• Kind of a Regina George <3
• Don’t get on her bad side or you’ll be in her burn book
• She revealed that Morning Musume are forced to go to Disneyland for photo ops lmao
• In April ‘25 she was suspended until the fall for her priv socials leaking (again) & bad mouthing members, in particular Maria & Erina. Maria ended up unfollowing Rio on insta, as her right tbh, with Erina advocating publicly for Rio’s return, wanting her there for her own graduation in May (which didn’t happen).
• She was slated to return in August, but when a Momusu magazine shoot with her included was released, there was vocal outrage & her return was postponed again.
• In October ‘25 she announced her graduation at the end of the year, but she will not be participating in the tour or final concert for Yokoyama Reina & Haga Akane :(

Kitagawa Rio

北川莉央

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�

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Okamura Homare

岡村ほまれ

​

• Born May 9, 2005
• 15th Generation Member
• Duration: 2019 -
• Nickname: Homa-chan
• Color: Daisy
• Strong point is dancing
• She’s especially skilled at tap dancing
• Her favorite member is Sato Masaki
• But she also really looks up to Ayumi as an older sister figure
• Her voice is really sweet and soft!!
• When talking about her interests, the number one thing brought up is her love for food and meat lol
• She grew to love Hello!Project through S/mileage, but was too nervous to ever apply for group auditions until her mom finally persuaded her
• She is the tallest member at 167cm!
• She was only 158cm when she joined
• A growing little bean sprout

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Okamura Homare

岡村ほまれ

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Yamazaki Mei

山﨑愛生

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• Born June 28, 2005
• 15th Generation Member
• Duration: 2019 -
• Nickname: Mei-chan
• Color: Bright Green
• A Hokkaido Kenshuusei (2016-2019)
• Her mom is a big Hello!Project fan and was the reason she auditioned in the first place
• Talented in singing and dancing
• Her vocal color is so unique, it’s instantly recognizable even among others
• I can’t even imagine how powerful her voice will be as she grows
• Won a singing award and character award at the Kenshuusei evaluations
• Passed Eiken level 2
• Loves panda-san. A lot
• Here’s a propaganda video to entice you

Yamazaki Mei

山﨑愛生

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15ki were part of a triple single release, so their debut has 3 music videos

KOKORO & KARADA�

LOVEpedia

LOVEペディア�

Ningen Kankei No way way

人間関係No way way�

Morning Musume’s 68th single and 15th Generation’s debut single, released in January of 2020

Some 15th Gen Centered Content!

15th Gen Evaluation:

Which Senior is an Airhead?

(Morning Musume '19)

15th Gen MC Event:

Perception of The Seniors

(Morning Musume '20)

Sixteenth Generation

• 16th generation consists of 1 member
• She was announced June 29, 2022 through the Hello!Station YouTube channel.
• Here’s a cut video of the above consisting of just Rio.
• It includes Rio and Morning Musume’s reaction to her joining.

• Sakurai Rio

Rio

Sakurai Rio

櫻井梨央

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• Born November 11, 2005
• 16th Generation Member
• Duration: 2022 -
• Nickname: Rairii / Riley
• Color: Milk Tea
• She joined the group through the joint Morning Musume x Juice=Juice auditions held in early 2022.
• Also auditioned for ANGERME but failed
• Part of the no bangs club
• Rairii has been praised for her stage presence during live performances.
• She’s known for her facial expressions.
• And Disney Villain Eyebrows.

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Sakurai Rio

櫻井梨央

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�

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16th generation’s debut was a double-A side single, released in December of 2022

Swing Swing Paradise

Happy birthday to Me!

Seventeenth Generation

• In September of 2022, an audition was announced for the 17th generation.
• Held in honor of the group’s 25th anniversary.
• The goal was to find girls who loved Hello!Project and could help the group grow.
• On May 23, 2023, 2 winners were announced.
• The news was dropped in a random tweet lol.
• Girls’ reactions to learning they passed

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• Inoue Haruka
• Yumigeta Ako

Haruka

Ako

17th Generation

Ako

Ako

Ako

Haruka

Haruka

Haruka

Inoue Haruka

井上 春華

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• Born May 6, 2006
• 17th Generation Member
• Duration: 2023 -
• Nickname: Haru-san
• Color: Mint Green
• She joined the group through the 25th anniversary auditions.
• One of her talents is singing Finnish folk songs.
• She auditioned once for NMB48
• According to Fukumura Mizuki, Haruka at first had a tendency to freeze on the spot when overwhelmed or stressed
• But in the few months she’s been in the group, she has grown a lot from that point
• Slow-paced but expresses herself well
• Love her voice!!!! Very excited to see more of her

Inoue Haruka

井上 春華

Yumigeta Ako

弓桁 朱琴

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• Born July 8, 2008
• 17th Generation Member
• Duration: 2023 -
• Nickname: Gettaa / Getter
• Color: Pure Red
• Youngest member
• My daughter
• She joined the group through the 25th anniversary auditions
• She likes watching anime
• Enjoys photography
• Has past dance experience with ballet.
• Can bend her arm joints lol
• Fukumura Mizuki says she’s confident with a bright character, and unafraid of showing her true feelings
• Honestly I really, really love her singing voice
• It’s so deep you can immediately identify her voice in songs

Yumigeta Ako

弓桁 朱琴

17th generation’s debut was a Triple-A single, with three MVs

Suggoi FEVER!

すっごいFEVER！

Wake-up Call ~Mezameru Toki~

Wake-up Call～目覚めるとき～

Neverending �Shine

Morning Musume's 73rd single and 17th Generation’s debut single, released on October 25, 2023

17th generation performing “Suki na Senpai” | November 2023

• morning musume performs musicals, too
• all of h!p does actually
• multi-talented hardworking queens
• they’re a part of the Engeki Joshibu, a women’s only acting club created under h!p (origin: 2013)
• however they did musicals even before this
• i love watching them they’re fun
• it’s great to see the members progress in their acting skills with each musical!
• it’s not uncommon to see two different versions of the same musical: the cast will change roles
• here’s a subbed clip from their musical Bokura no Shinnen and it’s so good!!! (this scene is totally a spoiler btw)
• Possibly the most famous and beloved musical so far has been Lilium, so if you’re ever interested in watching one, I’d recommend to begin there.
• Here are scenes cut together to show the soundtrack, and here is the full album
• Full Musical with English subtitles: Part One, Part Two, Part Three

Chronological lists of musicals featuring Morning Musume

1. LOVE Century ~Yume wa Minakerya Hajimaranai~ (2001)
2. Morning Town (2002)
3. Morning Musume Shuen Musical Edokko Chuushingura (2003)
4. HELP!! Acchii Chikyuu wo Samasunda. (2004)
5. Ribbon no Kishi The Musical (2006)
1. okay here’s a playlist with the full musical split into 16 parts with english subtitles lol
6. Cinderella the Musical (2008)
• full musical
• here’s the full musical with english subtitles!!!! ……. split into 16 parts on youtube
• full musical: part one with english subtitles and part two, both on fc2 (this is basically veoh’s cousin)
7. Fashionable (2010)
• full musical with chinese subs
8. Stacies Shoujo Saisatsu Kageki (2012)
• full musical with english subtitles split into two parts, one and two.
9. LILIUM -Lilium Shoujo Junketsu Kageki- (2014)
• full musical
• eng sub split into three parts: part one, part two, part three
10. TRIANGLE (2015)
11. Zoku 11nin Iru! Higashi no Chihei, Nishi no Towa (2016)
12. Pharaoh no Haka (2017)
• full musical with chinese subs
13. Pharaoh no Haka ~Hebi Ou Sneferu~ (2018)
• full musical with chinese subs

2000 lineup

Tanpopo (1998 - 2003) | (2009 - 2011)

The first official Morning Musume sub-unit, they originally consisted of 3 members pulled from the 1st and 2nd generations. Before the addition of a second generation in 2000, they had a mature concept. It then went super cute! I really love this Tanpopo’s styling.

• 1998 lineup: Ishiguro Aya, Iida Kaori, and Yaguchi Mari
• 1999 lineup: Iida Kaori and Yaguchi Mari
• 2000 lineup: Iida Kaori, Yaguchi Mari, Ishikawa Rika, and Kago Ai
• 2002 lineup: Ishikawa Rika, Konno Asami, Niigaki Risa, Shibata Ayumi (Melon Kinenbi)

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In 2009 the unit was temporarily revived and called Tanpopo#, part of the Chanpuru units

• 2009 lineup: Kamei Eri, Mitsui Aika, Kumai Yurina (Berryz Koubou), Okai Chisato (C-ute)
• They released one original song (Umbrella) & one official cover of a Matsuda Seiko song (Akai Sweet Pea)

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In 2023, Morning Musume released an official cover of Last Kiss for their Best Selection album.

• Lineup: Makino Maria, Yokoyama Reina, Kitagawa Rio

1998 lineup

2002 lineup

Petitmoni (1998 - 2003)

The second official Morning Musume sub-group, they originally consisted of 3 members pulled from the 2nd and 3rd generations. Fun, good, great, amazing, iconic, legendary, etc.

• 1999 First Generation: Ichii Sayaka, Yasuda Kei, Goto Maki
• 2000 Second Generation: Yasuda Kei, Goto Maki, Yoshizawa Hitomi
• 2002 Third Generation: Yoshizawa Hitomi, Ogawa Makoto, Kimura Ayaka (Coconuts Musume)
• this line-up never released an actual single, but did release an original song for a best of album.

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In 2009 the unit was temporarily revived and called Petitmoni V, part of the Chanpuru units

• 2009 lineup: Nakajima Saki (C-ute), Hagiwara Mai (C-ute), Mano Erina (Soloist)
• They released one original song (Pira! Otome no Negai) & one official cover of a Kome Kome Club song (Kimi ga Iru Dake de)