Shinohara Wakaba

Wakaba Shinohara was called an "onion head" when she was little. Her mother told her that she was the princess of the Onion Kingdom. This bit of information tells a lot about Wakaba's personality. She is possibly the most normal character in the series, even though she can be pretty weird at times. She has been Utena's friend ever since they were little (so I hear) and she often jokingly refers to herself as Utena's girlfriend. Wakaba's claim to fame is her strange habit of attacking Utena near open windows. Whether to show her affection or to "pay Utena back" for something she did, Wakaba is constantly jumping onto her friend's back and almost causing her to fall out of windows. Utena also carries Wakaba around on her back a lot. At the beginning, Wakaba has a quite obvious crush on Saionji, and a letter she wrote to him that he tacked up on the wall prompted Utena's first duel. Wakaba is very well-versed in who's who at Ohtori Academy, and she serves to help the audience become familiar with the characters. She brings Utena back to her senses after Touga destroys her confidence, and she pretty much tries to protect her friend against anyone trying to hurt her. Later in the Black Rose Saga, Wakaba sneaks the expelled Saionji into her dorm, where he is actually very nice to her (!) He even carves her a leaf hair clip, but when she sees it in Anthy's hair she gets very mad. She goes to see Mikage at Nemuro Memorial Hall to get help. There, she becomes a Black Rose Duelist, and returns to her room to draw Saionji's sword from his chest so she can duel Utena and kill Anthy, the girl who "stole Saionji-san's heart." Utena is very not happy with the situation and manages to cut the rose from Wakaba's chest without having to really fight her. The next day, Wakaba is back to normal. Wakaba is always around after that, helping Utena move into Akio's tower (mostly to ogle Akio) and doing homework with her. She has no clue about the duels or what happened when she was a duelist, but that's probably for the better.

Although your first name of Wakaba has created an expressive, fun-loving nature, it has not produced the qualities necessary for a full and complete life. You have always been a happy person, and, desiring to see others happy as well, you strive to inspire others, which you do most effectively through an engaging sense of humour. You are fond of surprises and are quick to respond to spontaneous invitations which promise a good time, particularly when they relieve you of a boring task. Your dislike for monotony and routine, often means that you do not finish the things you start. A natural rhythm, a sense of colour harmony, and creative ability contribute to a flair for composition and artistic and musical expression. Expression comes easily to you; in fact, you should learn to control it and discipline your expression. You are not practical where money matters are concerned, your theory being that money is there to be spent. You are kind and generous, and will fill a need when you see it; at times, others take advantage of your generosity. The most serious drawback of the influence of this name is in the strong emotional feelings that it produces, which are difficult to control and create lack of stability in your thinking or in your affairs. A craving for sweet foods could cause skin conditions or liver problems. You would find it difficult to control your desires and could over-indulge in your pleasures.