Kaori Miyazono

A free-spirited violinist whose playing reflects her manic personality.

Kaori Miyazono is a free-spirited violinist who meets Kōsei Arima after asking Tsubaki Sawabe to set her up with Ryōta Watari. She is a classmate of Tsubaki's. Her playing style has been criticized by judging panels for her unwillingness to adhere strictly to the score, but she is popular with audiences. As her friendship with Kōsei grows, she eventually convinces him to play the piano again, first as her accompanist and later in a piano competition. Halfway into the series, it is discovered that she has a medical condition and has undergone multiple surgeries because of it. Kaori later undergoes an extremely risky surgery and dies during the operation.

Quick Facts

Instrument: Violin
Affiliation: High school student

Lore & Background

Kaori Miyazono is introduced as an audacious, free-spirited, fourteen-year-old violinist whose playing style reflects her manic personality. She meets Kōsei Arima when she asks Tsubaki to set her up with Ryōta. Kaori helps Kōsei return to playing the piano and shows him his playing style can be free and groundbreaking. As Kaori continues to lift Kōsei's spirits, Kōsei quickly realizes he loves her, although she seems to only be interested in Ryōta. During a performance, Kaori collapses and is hospitalized, later revealing she has a serious medical condition. She invites Kōsei to play with her at a gala but she does not arrive. As Kōsei competes against Takeshi Aiza and Emi Igawa, Kaori's health deteriorates and she becomes dejected. Kaori later attempts a risky and potentially deadly surgery so she may possibly play with Kōsei once more. While playing in the finals of the Eastern Japan Piano Competition, Kōsei sees Kaori's spirit accompanying him and realizes she has died during the surgery. At her funeral, Kaori's parents give Kōsei a letter from Kaori that reveals she was aware of her impending death and became more free-spirited, both as a person and in her music, so she would not take her regrets to Heaven. She confesses she had been in love with Kōsei's piano playing since watching him perform at a concert when she was five, the same concert that had also inspired Emi. This inspired Kaori to play the violin so she could play with him one day. Kaori fabricated her feelings towards Ryōta so she could get closer to Kōsei without hurting Tsubaki, who harbored affection for Kōsei. She then confesses her love for him. Kaori also leaves behind a picture of herself as a child, coming back from the concert that inspired her, with Kōsei in the background.