a guide to morning musume

fukumura mizuki

• leader of the group since 2015, with the longest tenure of any mm leader
• one of mm's current front girls
• was a trainee since 2008 and was in the anime unit "shugo chara egg!" for a short time until debuting in momusu in 2011 with the 9th generation
• one of mm's gravure girls, has a lot of photobooks and regularly does photoshoots
• kinda awkward but also confident in leading the group, also very consistent in her performances

ikuta erina

• subleader of the group since 2018 after iikubo haruna's graduation
• known for being constantly stuck in the back, rarely getting solo lines and only usually in b-sides if they have any :(
• was known upon debut as a huge akb48 wota, with her favorite member being kojima haruna, but idk if she still likes them
• also a huge niigaki risa fan; after risa graduated, erina changed her member color from purple to risa's yellow green
• has a very cold look but she's actually very snarky and can be strict with her juniors

ishida ayumi

• known since debut for being a strong dancer, and often got into dancing battles with former member sayashi riho who was also a great dancer; she is also a member of the hello! project dance club
• also the unofficial rapper of the group as she usually does most of the rap lines when they get them, but it's also usually the whole group rapping (ex. jealousy jealousy)
• similar to erina, she's very snarky and is strict with her juniors (mostly 15ki lately lol)

sato masaki

• one of mm's current front girls
• really good singer, but often will sing lines strangely or literally just scream into the mic for some lines. she's also known for her good rhythm and her piano skills
• currently mm's most popular member; because of this, there's a LOT of english subbed content for her out there (especially youtube)
• famous for her airheaded, chaotic nature; since and even before debut she would constantly defy adults and do whatever she wants, and even now gets scolded for it
• also known for not liking swimsuit gravure or gravure at all and refuses to do it

oda sakura

• one of mm's current front girls
• famous for being an incredible singer, often ranked as one of the best current idol singers (and even among the best of all time). she auditioned and got into the group after tanaka reina's graduation as they were specifically looking for a good singer. she's usually called the group's utahime
• pretty much never has bangs, except for when she first debuted and for a short time in 2016
• fitting her utahime image, she has kind of an elegant air to her, but she also cracks a lot of jokes

nonaka miki

• mm's first fluent english speaker, as she lived in the u.s. for 9 years when she was young and became fluent in the language; she often does translations for the group when performing overseas as well as interacting with overseas fans online
• a strong singer and dancer, though usually doesn't get to show it in the singles. also good at piano and sometimes plays piano duets with masaki
• got her nickname "chel" from her love of chelsea candy; it was given to her by sakura. also shares her name with former member fujimoto miki
• very awkward and kinda clumsy; she's often prompted by the members to say something in english for them and she either gets super confused for a sec or messes it up (or both). but like mizuki she's consistent in her performances and helps her juniors when they need it

makino maria

• huge baseball fan; she posts about it constantly on her instagram and even shows it in her part of the lovepedia mv
• one of mm's gravure girls, has a lot of photobooks and regularly does photoshoots
• despite her sexy idol image she's a huge crybaby and it's adorable
• she is a member of the hello! project dance club

haga akane

• despite being one of mm's back girls she's known for her deep, husky voice that stands out whenever she gets a solo line (and even in double lines with another girl)
• was mm's youngest member for 5 years, from her debut in 2014 until 2019 when 15ki joined the group
• very shy and quiet but when she's comfortable she'll crack a ton of jokes with the group and sometimes jokingly make fun of them
• she has a slight resemblance to former member michishige sayumi, though not as much since she's gotten older

kaga kaede

• was a trainee for 5 years until debuting in mm in 2017
• huge anime fan and a member of the hello! project anison club
• like akane she also has a deeper voice, but higher than the former's
• a good dancer, often posting short dance covers of various jpop and kpop songs to her instagram; she is also a member of the hello! project dance club
• very deadpan and cold but also super clumsy and awkward

yokoyama reina

• though not a strong singer she has a similar tone to former member kudo haruka, high pitched but also husky and bright
• kaedii's foil; she's very cheerful and uplifting while also a bit insecure
• she has a strong resemblance to former member kamei eri, especially with her smile. also shares her name with former member tanaka reina

morito chisaki

• former member and ace of country girls; joined morning musume in 2017 as a full member but concurrent with country girls, until the latter's disbandment in 2019.
• a good singer and strong dancer; she is also a member of the hello! project dance club
• known for her serious look, especially when she's performing; even when the other girls are smiling she has a focused but cute look

kitagawa rio

• really, really bad at sports and had very low stamina upon joining the group; despite this, she loves to play golf
• known for her love of water, and is even able to identify brands of water just by drinking them
• got the nickname "mizunomi babaa" (water drinking grandma) from her classmates during gym class: one day she collected the extra water from everyone that didn't want it, and since she was like an old woman they gave her the nickname
• is like the mom friend of 15ki and makes sure mei and homare aren't fighting, but often ends up in fights with them herself
• upon joining the group rio stated she wanted to sing sakura's debut solo line in "help me!!". she since has gained a reputation for being a good singer, though not on sakura's level

okamura homare

• a dancer since she was 6 years old and specializing in tap and ballet, though it has been noted by ayumi that she has very long and lanky limbs that are hard for her to control while dancing
• though she's shy and quiet she's known for her variety of strange but cute facial expressions, especially in reaction to something
• loves the song amanojaku by s/mileage, and has performed it multiple times at her birthday events and even at hello! project solo festival. sakura has noted her very light and airy voice which fits the song very well, and stands out in the group
• she has a strong resemblance to former member abe natsumi

yamazaki mei

• though not fluent like miki, she's been learning english since she was 9 months old and can hold short conversations in the language
• known for her strong love of pandas, often doing a panda pose with her hands and asking people if they love "panda-san". she has also worn a panda outfit and is always seen with panda themed merchandise
• like reina she has a very bright smile and similar vocal tone
• is also known for her anime/magical girl vibe; at hello! project solo festival, she performed chance! by kusumi koharu and did a little magical girl transformation, further adding to this

videos

• what do 15th gen think of their seniors? (eng sub)
• 15ki evalution: which senior gives the best advice? (eng sub)
• 15ki evalution: which senior is an airhead? (eng sub)
• 15ki dance lesson w/ ayumi (eng sub)
• morning musume '20 zoom web talk pt. 1 / pt. 2 (eng sub)
• mm'20 compilation (eng sub)
• mm'20 compilation 2 (eng sub)
• mm'19 15ki announcement livestream (eng sub)
• mm'20 single release event performance & interview (eng sub)
• sato masaki disappears during performance (eng sub)
• 13ki compilation

other useful resources

• generasia
• hello! project wiki
• hello! online forum (long running forum with lots of old threads and detailed information about h!p)
• wota-in-translation (now defunct blog that translated 2ch threads about h!p, lots of fun information about members)