Oshi no Ko is a dramatic and complex anime series that shows just how brutal and exploitative the idol industry can be. Still, Ruby Hoshino, daughter of Ai Hoshino, is diving headfirst into diol stardom anyway. She is determined to follow in her late mother’s footsteps with the new B Komachi group, but Ruby isn’t totally in control.
Ruby, the popular streamer Mem-Cho, and “baking soda-chan” Kana Arima are the new B Komachi. While Ruby and Mem-Cho are the most enthusiastic about this project, Kana actually holds all the power. Even if Kana is outwardly apathetic and puts herself down as an aspiring idol, she holds the key to the new B Komachi’s success — or its disgraceful failure.
Kana Arima Could Threaten To Leave B Komachi
The new B Komachi idol group is a three-girl squad, and it seems unlikely that B Komachi could proceed as a duo or a solo act if anyone quits the group. Ruby Hoshino is determined to make it big as an idol, and Mem-Cho is almost as committed, which leaves Kana Arima as the group’s weakest link — which actually gives her power. Kana Arima is a has-been child actor and fears that her acting career is over, so Kana agrees to join B Komachi and might even become the central member. Even so, Kana’s heart isn’t in it, and she seems cynical about the group’s chances of success.
Kana is the most likely of the three girls to simply quit B Komachi, and Ruby and Mem-Cho can’t afford to let that happen. If Kana wished, she could threaten to leave the group as leverage, and Ruby would almost certainly give in, as would Mem-Cho. Ruby could headhunt another girl to join the team at school, but she seems determined to get Kana on board, and perhaps no other girl would do. Kana likely knows this, thus her leverage. Whether or not Kana ever plays that card and threatens to quit to get her way, that power is still real, so Kana holds B Komachi’s fate in her hands. And as B Komachi’s least enthusiastic member, Kana is the most likely to try this — no way would the cheerful, committed Mem-Cho even consider it. But Kana might.
Kana Arima Is Withholding Her Critical Talent
Another key factor is what kind of talent each of the three girls brings to the new B Komachi, and this fledgling idol group needs all of it to succeed. Ruby Hoshino is the group’s best dancer and can help coach Mem-Cho and Kana in that regard. Mem-Cho is the savviest with social media and web traffic, giving B Komachi some much-needed online visibility. Finally, Kana Arima has the best singing voice among the three girls, but she’s hiding it. Kana is outwardly underselling herself out of sheer insecurity, but Ruby and Mem-Cho learned otherwise when they watch a music video of Kana singing. Ruby and Mem-Cho know they can’t afford to lose a singer like Kana, and Kana is at least vaguely aware of that.
This gives Kana even more leverage over both Ruby and Mem-Cho, who can’t easily replace Kana as B Komachi’s star singer. At her most cynical, Kana could threaten to quit and take her incredible singing voice with her — or alternatively, she could give Kana and Mem-Cho singing lessons in exchange for whatever concessions she asks for. Ruby and Mem-Cho, who need this kind of talent on board, would probably agree to Kana’s terms — and recognize Kana Arima as the new B Komachi’s most critical member. If Kana presses this advantage, she could become a bigger and greater star in the idol industry than she ever could have in the world of acting.
