Yamamoto Nana is a We Were There manga character that we can hardly forget and yet, she is dead by the time the story begins in We Were There! Yes, Nana, the ex-girlfriend of Moto, who haunts Moto from beyond the grave. Despite her rather dark presence in We Were There, prior to the start of the manga, Nana was a fun-loving individual who believed in love. She had many boyfriends, but the one she had before Moto was abusive. And thus, Nana ended up with Moto.

While Yamamoto Nana is dead during the entirety of the manga, We Were There, she has a strong presence in our main characters. Moto has a hard time forgetting Nana and often compares his current girlfriend, Nanami, to her. Nana is constantly jealous of the late Nana—they even share a nickname—which often leads Nana to question Moto at every turn. While Nana is not actually present during the events of We Were There, she is definitely one of the most important characters, and one we will never forget.

However, it is Nana’s death that seems to set the real chain of order in motion. She passed in the company of her ex-boyfriend, which really hurt Moto. Moto was deeply in love with Nana, and it is obvious that those feelings stuck with him. Unfortunately, with Nana being with her ex-boyfriend at the time, Moto fears that Nana had been cheating on him. This leads Moto to be unable to trust girls, especially when it comes to relationships. This will ultimately show in many areas in We Were There.

Yet another Yamamoto graces our list with her presence in the form of Yamamoto Yuri, Nana’s younger sister. If you do not recall the name, you are sure to remember Yuri. Yuri is the quiet individual who is often quite cold to the people around her, even when Nanami attempts to reach out a friendly hand and connect with her. From her appearance to her personality, Yuri is completely different from her older sister, Nana. Yuri is a very studious individual, although it has more to do with the fact that Yuri has nothing else to do with her time.

The relationship between Moto and Yuri is quite complicated. Yuri is obviously in love with Moto because he is one of the few people that actually are sweet to her. She even follows Moto to Tokyo when he moves, rather than stay and wait the way Nanami did. However, Moto has always had a soft side for Yuri. He is always willing to lend an ear to her, and even stood up Nanami for their much anticipated Christmas date to be by Yuri’s side while her mother could not. To make matters worse, the relationship between Moto, Yuri, and Nanami is even more twisted when it is revealed that Moto and Yuri had sex after the death of Yamamoto Nana. And Nanami thought that Nana was her only obstacle.

Once Moto leaves for Tokyo, essentially leaving Nanami behind, he begins a relationship with Yuri. Yuri becomes further entangled in Moto’s kindness and lack of self restraint, and it really takes a toll on both parties as they both know the truth of their own relationship. You wished that Nanami and Moto could have a ‘happily ever after’ once they started dating, but it just gets more and more complicated! Let’s not forget the fact that, apparently, at the very end, Yuri appears to have the key to all of Moto’s trust with the fact that Nana did not cheat on him, ultimately releasing Moto from Nana’s grasp.

Now, we present to you Takahashi Nanami, the living “Nana”. Nanami is a new student at the start of the series and is quickly made a fool of by Moto. She makes up her mind that she hates Moto, but that is all it takes for a spark of love. Nanami may not have paid Moto any mind before, but after that incident, Nanami has fallen in love!

Nanami is a young girl who is rather insecure in her first relationship. She tries her best and attempts to have full confidence in Moto, but as he gives her few reasons to trust him, Nanami’s faith does waver quite often. It does not help that Moto is not over his ex-girlfriend, Nana, and has Nana’s little sister following him at every turn. Nanami is often outspoken about the things plaguing her and makes an attempt to tell Moto what she wants and truly feels, even if he could potentially hate her. She is not the type of girlfriend to just sit by and take all that is thrown at her.

We love Nanami as a We Were There manga character because of her outspoken personality and ability to know exactly what she wants. How often do you find a shoujo manga heroine like that? At times Nanami can be frustrating for going back and forth and going back to Moto, but you know the story would not be the same without Nanami. She is the only female We Were There character that you really root for and you know you think about what you would do in her shoes. Sorry, Yuri and Nana, but Nanami really steals the show as a female We Were There manga character.

It was really hard to decide, but we here at Honey’s Anime have settled on Takeuchi Masafumi “Take” as the 2nd best We Were There manga character. While some may have expected Nanami to take the #2 slot, there can be no doubt that we all love Take for his part in We Were There.

Take is Moto’s best friend, and often, Nanami’s confidant when she feels upset with Moto. He serves as the go-between for both individuals and is always there to catch Nanami when she cries. It was obvious to readers that Take would get to take part in the love triangle (square? Does Yuri count?) that appeared. Take is always patiently waiting for Nanami and doing what he thinks is best for Nanami, even if she doesn’t choose him in the end.

Who didn’t have serious feels when Take dates Nanami after the 4 year arc and he proposes but is shot down? Even after, he continues to be Nanami’s friend and supports her relationship with Moto, even if he has been waiting for Nanami all of this time. Ah, it’s so hard to root against him!

As voted by fans, Moto is the most popular We Were There manga character. Yano Motoharu—often referred to as just “Yano” or “Moto”—is the male lead in We Were There, and a high school heartthrob. All of the girls are in love with him, including our very own Yuri and Nanami. He is rather easy going, but he holds a lot of feelings inside, never expressing them, to the chagrin of his girlfriend, Nanami. Moto is also Take’s best friend.

Moto is probably the very center of the We Were There universe, as most of the events seem to revolve around him. He is the main love interest from start to finish, but even in the love triangle, Moto holds a big part of both Nanami’s and Take’s hearts. He even seems to occupy Yuri’s heart. Despite all of the terrible things he does to Nanami, she cannot even let Moto go.

To add onto that, Moto is the one character that is actually extremely complex. First, he does not trust girls because his first girlfriend seemingly cheated on him and died, leaving no room for closure. Moto then has issues with his relationship with Yuri that is wrought with guilt and a sense of duty. Then there’s his sense of duty to his own mother, and her unsteady mental state. Then, while in Tokyo, Moto’s life is made more complicated with the sudden appearance of his father’s wife and his mother’s suicide soon after. Moto ultimately has to throw away his own happiness—and Nana—and attempts to live life barely content with what he has while trying to hold onto the last of his sanity while living with a girl who is in a depressive state. If that’s not complex, we don’t know what to tell you.

It’s all of this backstory as well as the character background and personality that makes Moto a clear winner on our list of top We Were There manga characters. Moto is just the center of We Were There whether you agree or not.