Haruhi Fujioka is a pretty well known character. The protagonist of a reverse harem, she isn’t the usual bland or blank slate centre around each of the bishounen cast revolve. Instead, she’s smart, sassy, at times vulnerable, and incredibly well rounded character with her own goals, history, hang ups, and motives. While credit does need to be given to the male cast for holding up their end as well, it is fairly easy to say that Haruhi is the beating heart of Ouran High School Host Club and the reason so many people love it.
We first meet Haruhi when she’s looking for a place to study. At the time, due to her appearance, she’s largely mistaken for a male student, and it takes the first episode before all the members of the host club realises that Haruhi is a girl.
The idea of gender identity isn’t deeply explored by Ouran, but nor is this facet of Haruhi ignored. She doesn’t mind in the slightest that people mistake her for male and doesn’t really feel like it makes a difference. However, what the audience sees is the way the attitudes of the boys in the club change toward Haruhi as they realise her gender and how gender roles comes up again and again.
The scene at the beach where Haruhi puts herself in danger and incurs the anger of the other club members is a prominent moment where the theme takes centre stage, as are the moments where we meet Haruhi’s father or the members of the rival club from another school that try to recruit Haruhi. Then there’s the medical examination episode which mostly uses Haruhi’s hidden gender for amusement purposes.
Ultimately the anime manages to look at gender without making too many judgements or preaching at the audience allowing consideration of an idea without taking away from the entertainment of the story, and all of it centres around Haruhi’s character. It makes her fairly memorable.
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But that isn’t all there is to Haruhi. In a more heavy handed fashion the anime also explores social class and wealth division with Haruhi being a ‘commoner’ and being at the school on scholarship. This theme is less nuanced and is largely played for laughs throughout the series, but again is a clear part of Haruhi’s identity within the story.
While it would be easy to define Haruhi by the themes and issues that are centred on her, that isn’t really fair to her character. What makes Haruhi interesting isn’t that she is poor or that she doesn’t see gender roles in black an white terms. What makes Haruhi interesting is the way she interacts with the other cast members. Her commentary on the antics of the club, her determination to succeed at her goals, the way she refused to pick up social cues from others when she doesn’t agree with them.
While watching Ouran High School Host Club it is really easy to rally behind Haruhi. She’s just such a fun and entertaining character to spend time with and even though she starts as an interesting character she still grows and changes through her interactions with the members of the host club. All and all, she’s a character I remember fondly and enjoy going back and spending time with.
What about you? What did you think of Haruhi Fujioka?
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Karandi James
- Maka Albarn – Soul Eater
- Kuronuma Sawako – Kimi Ni Todoke
- Yato – Noragami
- Takeo Gouda – My Love Story
- Zen Wisteria – Snow White With The Red Hair
- Yamato Kurosawa – Say I Love You
- Sebastian Michaelis – Black Butler
- Madoka – Madoka Magica
- Rimuru Tempest – That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime
- Yuki Soleil – The Price of Smiles
- Emma – The Promised Neverland
- Subaru – My Roommate is a Cat
- Xianming Lin – Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens
- Haruhi Fujioka – Ouran High School Host Club
- Hestia – Is It Wrong To Try To Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon
- Haruitsuki Abeno – The Morose Mononokean
- Reiko – Natsume Yuujinchou
- Angelo Lagusa – 91 Days
- Jean Otus – ACCA
- Saitou Kazuki – Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens
- Liliruca Arde – Is It Wrong To Try To Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon
- Diamond – Land of the Lustrous
- Naofumi – The Rising of the Shield Hero
- Itsuki – The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
- Ririchiyo Shirakiin – Inu X Boku SS
I sometimes refer to her as the Other Haruhi. One of the themes of the show is that Haruhi’s determination to just study so she can get a scholarship into law school and be a lawyer like her mom was is the reason why she’s disconnected from real social interactions, including with the boys in the club, something her father despairs about and thinks she needs to change. The gender indifference is the superficial consequence of Haruhi writing off social interactions compared to studying. Its also a way to display her outrage at the Escalator, the name for internal hiring and promotion of connected people with the “right family” connections. She has to study and work for it. Getting involved in romance with a bunch of rich boys who are already on the escalator or inheriting fortunes irritates her sense of self-determination. She doesn’t want to be a housewife. She wants to be a civil rights lawyer. The final episode is sort of a betrayal of her struggles to succeed on her own, and if there were to be another season after the end, it would show her failure in that area and struggle, bitterly, to recover her sense of self and getting into and through college again. But that wouldn’t be a happy ending, would it? That would be the story of every divorced woman ever.
That assumes an all or nothing approach that being involved with the boys means giving up on studying and being a lawyer. It doesn’t necessarily need to be one or the other, it could be about balance.
And the Alice in wonderland episode reveals her conflict there.
Haruhi actually has some depth unlike some other reverse harem female leads or just harem leads in general. Many harem leads but not all are just there as an object for the harem’s love. They usually (but not always) seem as if they are puppets or dolls.
She has flaws, like real people. (She is scared of lightning and has some sensitive topics)
But yes, it was pretty fun to watch her and the series.
Ouran High School Host Club is undoubtedly my favorite reverse harem anime.
Because it is not almost 100% fan service. It actually has plot!
There’s too many blank or dull reverse harem leads, or ones that are just helpful and happy all the time. Haruhi stands out from the pack.
I like her a lot. She’s very casual about some aspects (like gender), but isn’t always a bundle of sunshine. There are times she is definitely irritated which helps make her relatable instead of a near-perfect heroine.
Agreed. She has things she likes and doesn’t and she doesn’t just act optimistic about everything. Her personality feels fleshed out and fairly believable compared to a lot of heroines.