Uma Musume

Tracen Academy's dormitories are divided into two large buildings, directly inspired by the two real training centers of the Japan Racing Association (JRA) in Japan.

1. Miho Dormitory (美浦寮 - Miho Dormitory)
   Based at the Miho training center, located in Ibaraki Prefecture (Eastern Japan).
   *Style and Atmosphere: Usually houses girls with calmer, more focused, traditional, or intellectual personalities.

• Dormitory Leader (Dorm Head): Fuji Kiseki (an elegant and very charming senior who acts as a protective "prince" for the residents).
  *Featured Residents: Special Week, Silence Suzuka, Rice Shower, Grass Wonder, El Condor Pasa, Tokai Teio, Symboli Rudolf, Agnes Tachyon.

2. Ritto Dormitory (栗東寮 - Ritto Dormitory)
   Based at the Ritto training center, located in Shiga Prefecture (Western Japan).

• Style and Atmosphere: Known for housing the most chaotic, energetic, free-spirited, competitive, or extravagant girls in the academy.
  Dormitory Leader (Dorm Head): Hishi Amazon (a tough, very strong, and combative girl who oversees the discipline of the students). Notable Residents: Gold Ship, Mejiro McQueen, Vodka, Daiwa Scarlet, Oguri Cap, Narita Brian, Twin Turbo, Kitasan Black.
  How Life Works in Dormitories
  Double Room Rule: All female students share a room with a classmate (usually a senior with a freshman or girls with opposite personalities to create balance). Curfew: There are strict curfews for returning to the dormitories at night. Transgression results in direct reprimands from the dormitory leaders (such as Hishi Amazon) or the vice-president Air Groove.
  Kitchens and Dining Rooms: The dormitories have large shared dining rooms, but also kitchens where the girls can prepare their own snacks and sweets.

The principal of Tracen Academy is named Yayoi Akikawa (秋川 やよい).
Appearance: She appears to be a rather young and petite girl, but dresses elegantly and formally, wearing a large hat where she usually carries a small black and white cat on top. Personality: She is energetic, dramatic, and extremely enthusiastic. She often speaks pompously and always carries folding fans (sensu) with encouraging words written on them to emphasize her speeches.
Role at the School: Despite her somewhat extravagant demeanor, she is passionate about the sport, manages Tracen's budget and facilities, and actively supports initiatives that help the development of the equestrian girls.

The International Stage (G1)
Japan Cup (2,400m): A race held in Tokyo that brings together the best runners from Japan against the greatest champions from abroad.
The Varieties of Terrain and Distance
Types of Terrain:
Turf: The main terrain for most G1 races. Requires technique and pure speed.
Dirt: Heavy terrain with sand. Requires a lot of physical strength and acceleration.
Main Distances:
Milias / Short Shot (Sprint/Mile): From 1,200m to 1,600m.
Medium Distance (Intermediate): From 1,800m to 2,200m.
Long Distance (Long): From 2,400m to 3,200m (like the legendary Tenno Sho Spring).

In Uma Musume races (as in royal Japanese turf racing), the season is divided into prestige categories and distances.
How Races Work
*The Structure of the Races:

• Start (Gates): All runners enter through numbered gates that have been drawn beforehand.
  *Track Strategies (Pace): Each girl races in a different way:
• Frontier (Nige / Escape): Takes the lead from the first second (e.g., Silence Suzuka, Twin Turbo).
  Leadership (Senko / Leader): Runs in the leading group to make a move on the final turns (e.g., Tokai Teio). Pursuit (Sashi / In-Frighter): Stays in the middle of the group and accelerates strongly on the final straight (e.g., Special Week).
  Rearguard (Oikomi / Chaser): Runs at the back of the pack and makes an explosive overtake in the final meters (e.g., Gold Ship). Post-Race Show (Winning Live): The winners perform a musical number in the center of the track. The girl who comes in 1st place gets the role of lead singer (Center).
  The Major Racing Categories
  The competitions are divided by level of importance (G3, G2 and G1), with Grade 1 (GI) races being the most valuable and prestigious.

1. The Classic Triple Crown (G1)
   Exclusively for young athletes (3 years into their career) and contested only once in a lifetime:
   Satsuki Sho (2,000m): A test of speed and agility in early spring. Tokyo Yushun / Japanese Derby (2,400m): The most prestigious race in the country. Winning the Derby is the pinnacle of any athlete's career.
   *Kikka Sho (3,000m): A test of extreme physical endurance held in the autumn.
2. The People's Grand Prix (G1)

• Arima Kinen (2,500m): Japan's most famous race, held at the end of December. Unlike the others, the public votes to choose which girls have the right to participate.

3. The International Stage (G1)
   Japan Cup (2,400m): A race held in Tokyo that brings together the best runners from Japan against the greatest champions from abroad.
   The Varieties of Land

Here are some of the funniest, most bizarre, and interesting facts about horse girls:

1. The Gold Ship in real life was just as crazy as in the anime.
   Gold Ship's chaotic personality in the anime is 100% based on the real horse. In real life, the horse Gold Ship was famous for:
   Walking backwards when I didn't want to train. Making scary faces for the photographers.
   *In a famous race in 2015 (Takarazuka Kinen), he simply decided to jump at the exact moment of the start, causing bettors to lose more than 12 billion yen in a single second.
2. Oguri Cap and Special Week's monstrous appetite
   In the anime, both are seen devouring gigantic piles of food. This happens because real racehorses consume an absurd amount of calories daily.

• The real horse Oguri Cap was known in the stable for eating so much that he would devour even fallen leaves and grass outside the track.

3. The reason for the special shoes
   The horse-girls wear special running shoes with iron horseshoes attached to the soles. When they run at high speed, the "horse trot" sound you hear in the anime's audio comes from the direct impact of these horseshoes on the ground.
4. Why does Gold Ship use ear protectors?
   In the anime, Gold Ship almost always wears an accessory covering his ears. In real life, the horse Gold Ship was extremely sensitive to noise and easily irritated by crowds, so his handlers put red ear muffs on him to keep him calm.
5. The position of the ears reveals the intention.
   The girls in the anime move their ears a lot to show emotion, following the real body language of horses:
   Ears erect and pointing forward: Curiosity or attentiveness. Ears folded back: Irritation, anger, or maximum concentration during a run.
6. A tribute to real colors in clothing.
   The look and colors of each girl's racing outfit are not random: they use the same colors as...

Tracen Academy and its system of trainers form the entire functional structure of the Uma Musume universe.
The Tracen Academy
Tracen (short for Training Center Academy) is a high-level student and sports complex located in Tokyo. Dual Educational Structure: It functions as a regular school (with traditional elementary and high school subjects) and as an Olympic training center for running.
Colossal Infrastructure: In addition to the classrooms and dormitories where the girls live, the campus has running tracks with different types of terrain (grass, dirt/dike, and sand), training pools, weight training gyms, a sports medical center, and studios for dance and singing lessons (for the Winning Live shows after the races).
Team Organization: The students don't train alone; they organize themselves into teams managed by a coach. The two most famous teams in the anime are Team Spica (focused on the individual development of each athlete) and Team Rigil (the school's most traditional and rigorous elite team).

The anime Uma Musume: Pretty Derby takes place in an alternate, fictional version of modern Japan.
The Main Setting of the Anime
Tracen Academy (Tracen Academy / 日本中央トレセン学園): This is the main setting for almost the entire series. Located in Tokyo, it's a gigantic and highly specialized elite school, created exclusively to house, educate, and train horse girls from all over the country (and even abroad). The academy boasts dormitories, classrooms, enormous dining halls, professional training tracks, and advanced medical facilities. Royal Racecourses of Japan:
The official competitions and races in the anime take place in faithful recreations of real Japan Racing Association (JRA) racetracks scattered throughout the country. The most important ones that appear in the anime are:
Fuchu Racecourse (Tokyo): Where major races such as the Japan Cup and the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) take place. Nakayama Racecourse (Chiba): Where the famous Arima Kinen is held.
*Kyoto Racecourse and Hanshin Racecourse (Hyogo): Venues for long and middle-distance classics.

• Hokkaido:
  It's the northern region of Japan, quite present in the characters' flashbacks. In real life, Hokkaido is the heart of racehorse breeding in Japan—in the anime, it's where most of the horse girls (like the protagonist Special Week) come from before moving to Tokyo.
  France (Longchamp Racecourse):
  It appears during attempts by characters like El Condor Pasa to compete abroad, specifically in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (Arc of Triumph Prize), one of the most prestigious races in the world.

Super Creek
Appearance: Tall girl, wavy brown hair, sweet gaze, and maternal figure.
Personality: Affectionate, protective, and with an excessive maternal instinct (loves to pamper and take care of the Coach and the other girls).
In the anime: She belongs to the legendary Oguri Cap generation. She is a calm runner with an impressive running pace over long distances.
Agnes Tachyon
Appearance: Messy light brown hair, wears a white lab coat over his uniform, and has a somewhat insane look.
Personality: A mad scientist, eccentric and obsessed with biological research to surpass the speed limits of horse-girls.
In the anime/movie: She's constantly conducting strange experiments and using her colleagues (especially those at Manhattan Cafe) as guinea pigs for her mysterious potions.
Manhattan Cafe
Appearance: Very long black hair covering part of the face, bright yellow eyes, and a dark aura.
Personality: Silent, mysterious, and reserved. Claims to be able to see and talk to "invisible friends" (ghosts).
In the anime/movie: A girl of few words with incredible speed in long-distance running.
Narita Brian
Appearance: Long, dark brown hair tied in a high ponytail, a decorative scar/ribbon over the nose, and a fierce look.
Personality: Solitary, serious, of few words, and feared for her intimidating presence.
In the anime: One of the few holders of the "Triple Crown". She is considered a living legend of the sport within the academy and the younger sister of Biwa Hayahide.
Biwa Hayahide
Appearance: Extremely voluminous and curly silver hair, wears glasses and very structured clothing.
Personality: Highly intellectual, analytical, and calculating. Becomes deeply irritated and defensive if anyone makes any comment about the size of her head/hair.
In the anime: Narita Brian's older sister. She analyzes every millimeter of the track and the wind before planning her victory.
Mister CB (Mr. CB)
Appearance: Short dark brown hair

Rice Shower
Appearance: Short, with long, dark brown hair covering one eye, she wears a blue rose as an accessory and carries a small decorative dagger.
Personality: Extremely shy, insecure, and prone to crying, but with incredible willpower and determination when she steps onto the dance floor.
In the anime: She gains the unwanted reputation of being a "villain" for defeating fan favorites (such as Tokai Teio and Mejiro McQueen) at crucial moments, but struggles to prove that she also deserves to be loved by fans.
Grass Wonder
Appearance: Long, straight, light brown hair tied back with a blue ribbon, creating a traditional and elegant look.
Personality: Calm, polite, speaks softly and gracefully, but hides a frighteningly focused competitive spirit when she runs.
In the anime: She comes from the United States and is part of the same generation as Special Week. She maintains an intense yet respectful rivalry with her.
El Condor Pasa
Appearance: Brown hair with blonde highlights, wears a Mexican wrestling mask on her forehead and has an extravagant look.
Personality: Extroverted, loud, full of energy, and passionate about pro-wrestling and Latin culture.
In the anime: One of Special Week's best friends. She has the audacious dream of competing and winning abroad (in France).
Seiun Sky
Appearance: Short, grayish/light blonde hair and pastel green eyes.
Personality: Lazy, uncommitted, and loves fishing or taking a nap, but in reality, she is an extremely shrewd strategist.
In the anime: Part of the golden generation of the 1st season. She deceives her rivals by feigning disinterest in order to apply lethal racing tactics.
King Halo
Appearance: Dark green, wavy hair, haughty posture, and high-fashion clothing.
Personality: Proud and elitist on the outside, but incredibly hardworking and resilient on the inside.
In the anime: Born into a noble family, she carries immense pressure to win. Despite accumulating many defeats, she never gives up until she achieves her glory.
Super Creek
Appearance: Tall girl, wavy brown hair

Jungle Pocket
Appearance: Short, messy brown hair, fierce look, and sporty style.
Personality: Wild, impulsive, proud, and with a fiery fighting spirit.
In the anime/film: Protagonist of the film Beginning of a New Era. Her main goal is to prove that she is the strongest runner of her generation.
Student Council and Highlights
Symboli Rudolf
Appearance: Long brown hair with a white streak, majestic bearing, and official presidential uniform.
Personality: Wise, responsible, fair, and respected by all. Has a comedic weakness: loves making bad puns.
In the anime: The Student Council President. A legendary, undefeated runner who acts as a mentor to the new generation.
Air Groove
Appearance: Short, dark blue hair, sharp eyes, and a serious facial expression.
Personality: Rigorous, disciplined, and with no patience for mess (especially the kind Gold Ship does).
In the anime: Vice-President of the Student Council. He keeps Tracen Academy running with an iron fist and ensures the rules are followed.
Support Humans
Trainer (Spica Trainer)
Appearance: Young man with messy brown hair, casual suit, and relaxed attitude.
Personality: He seems carefree at first glance, but he is extremely attentive, perceptive, and dedicated to the well-being of the girls.
In the anime: Responsible for founding Team Spica and creating customized strategies for each of its members.
Tazuna Hayakawa
Appearance: Young woman with short green hair tied back, wearing a hat and a green secretary's uniform.
Personality: Kind, efficient, helpful, and always willing to give valuable advice.
In the anime: Secretary to the director of Tracen Academy who assists the Coach and the students in their daily tasks.

Ikuno Dictus
Appearance: Reddish-brown hair tied back, thin-rimmed glasses, and a serious expression.
Personality: Rational, analytical, disciplined, and extremely focused on injury prevention.
In the anime: The "brains" of Team Canopus. Manages the training routine and ensures the group doesn't do anything reckless or excessive.
Machikanetannhauser
Appearance: Soft, light brown hair, wears a distinctive hat, and usually has a bandage on his nose.
Personality: Clumsy, kind, extremely hardworking, and very optimistic.
In the anime: She always gives her best, even if unlucky or comical things happen to her before the races.
Protagonists from Other Media
Kitasan Black
Appearance: Long black hair with red highlights at the ends, brown eyes, and a radiant smile.
Personality: Festive, full of energy, generous, and always willing to help everyone around her.
In the anime: Protagonist of the 3rd season. He starts as a child admiring Team Spica and grows up to become a legend of the racetrack.
Satono Diamond
Appearance: Long, flowing dark green hair, yellow/golden eyes, and a diamond-shaped jewel in her bangs.
Personality: Calm, elegant, determined, and very loyal to her friends.
In the anime: Kitasan Black's childhood friend. She runs carrying the weight and expectations of the wealthy Satono family to achieve a prestigious title.
Oguri Cap
Appearance: Long gray/silver hair with a star-shaped hair clip and deep blue eyes.
Personality: Quiet, focused, extremely humble, and possessing a gigantic appetite.
In the anime/manga: Protagonist of the manga Cinderella Gray. A girl from a humble academy in the countryside who shocks Japan by defeating the elite girls of Tokyo.
Jungle Pocket
Appearance: Short, messy brown hair, fierce look, and sporty style.
Personality: Wild, impulsive, proud, and with a fiery fighting spirit.
In the anime/film: Protagonist of the film Beginning of a New Era. His main goal is to prove that he is...

Gold Ship
Appearance: Long silver/gray hair, red eyes, and usually wears red earmuffs/a cap.
Personality: Totally chaotic, unpredictable, irreverent, and unfiltered. The absolute comic relief of the series.
In the anime: She does what she wants, when she wants — from selling yakisoba to getting into random fights. Despite her eccentricities, she's an incredibly strong runner.
Vodka
Appearance: Short, dark brown, spiky hair, tomboy style, brown eyes, and a cool attitude.
Personality: Rebellious, tough on the outside, but with a sensitive side that she tries to hide at all costs.
In the anime: He maintains an intense and daily rivalry with Daiwa Scarlet. He runs with an aggressive style and always seeks to demonstrate his strength.
Daiwa Scarlet
Appearance: Long, reddish/orange hair tied in pigtails, blue eyes, and a red ribbon in her hair.
Personality: Perfectionist, proud, competitive, and a classic tsundere (tough on the outside, but caring on the inside).
In the anime: She refuses to accept any result other than 1st place. Her constant rivalry with Vodka motivates both of them to evolve.
Canopus Team
Twin Turbo
Appearance: Striking blue hair with red streaks, sharp canine teeth, and expressive eyes.
Personality: Restless, scandalous, impulsive, and full of naive determination.
In the anime: He only knows one strategy: to sprint ahead at top speed from second zero, even if he collapses from exhaustion at the end. He's the heart of Team Canopus.
Nice Nature
Appearance: Curly reddish/brownish hair tied in two low pigtails and warm brown eyes.
Personality: Humble, slightly self-deprecating, charismatic, and very mature.
In the anime: She became famous for frequently finishing in 3rd place in the main races, but she wins the public's affection for her persistence.
Ikuno Dictus
Appearance: Reddish-brown hair tied back, thin-rimmed glasses, and a serious expression.
Personality: Rational, analytical, disciplined

Here is the complete guide with the appearance, personality, and role in the anime of each of the characters mentioned:
Team Spica (Protagonists)
Special Week
Appearance: Long brown hair with a striking white streak in her bangs, brown eyes, and horse ears matching her hair color. Personality: Extremely cheerful, naive, hardworking, and very hungry. She has a huge heart and gets emotional easily.
*In the Anime: Protagonist of the 1st season. She was raised in the countryside by her human adoptive mother after losing her biological mother. She arrives in Tokyo to fulfill her promise to become the number 1 horse girl in Japan.
Silence Suzuka

• Appearance: Long, straight red hair, green eyes, and characteristic green eardrums.
  Personality: Calm, reserved, serious, and deeply passionate about running. Prefers the solitude of the track to crowds. In the Anime: Special Week's roommate and great inspiration. She is a natural Escape-style runner (leading from start to finish). Overcomes a serious injury with the support of the group.
  Tokai Teio
  Appearance: Brown hair tied in a high ponytail, light blue eyes, and a blonde streak highlighted in her bangs. Personality: Optimistic, proud, full of energy, and extremely confident in her abilities.
  *In the Anime: Protagonist of the 2nd season. He idolizes Symboli Rudolf and dreams of maintaining an undefeated winning streak, but must deal with recurring serious injuries that put his career at risk.
  Mejiro McQueen
• Appearance: Long, light purple/platinum hair, violet eyes, and always an elegant posture.
  Personality: Refined, educated, and aristocratic, but hides a secret love for sweets and soccer. In the Anime: Member of the prestigious Mejiro family. She is the great rival and best friend of Tokai Teio, specializing in long-distance running.
  Gold Ship
  Appearance: Long silver/gray hair, red eyes, and usually wears a red earmuff/cap.