Ako Saotome


 * Ako Saotome, making her dazzling entrance!"
 * – Ako before her performance

Ako Saotome (早乙女 あこ) is a main character in the Aikatsu Stars! series. She is a student at Four Star Academy of the Bird Theatre Class and is a member of the 26th and 27th generation of S4. Ako is a pop-type idol whose preferred brand is FuwaFuwa Dream.

Appearance
Ako has long vermilion hair with straight cut bangs and chest length forelocks. A small amount of hair is pulled into a bow shape on the back of her head, giving them the appearance of cat ears from the front. On the right "ear" is a yellow bow with a blue bell attached. Her cyan eyes have a Tsurime-slant.

In Season 2, as a student at Four Star Academy and a member of S4, she wears a specialized uniform for the S4 members.

Personality
Ako normally appears cool, calm, and collected with a natural flair for acting. She is highly confident and displays a passionate, hot-blooded personality whenever someone else seems to do as good or better than her. When in a foul mood or extremely happy, she acts like a cat. She is deemed cute but strange by others. She gets flustered fairly easy.

Relationships

 * Subaru Yūki
 * In episode 06, it was shown that Ako is a fan of Subaru's and is theorized to have a crush on him. She has several items featuring him in her dorm room, and she often tries to get his attention. It was revealed she joined Four Star Academy to meet him.


 * Yume Nijino
 * Ako initially disliked Yume - mainly due to her interactions with Subaru. Whenever Yume tries to be nice to her, she either used to angrily respond. However, they have grown considerably close, to the point Yume was her first choice for a unit partner during the Autumn Festival. Yume later becomes Ako's fellow S4 member.


 * Kanata Kira
 * She interacted with him through episode 17. He often says things ending with her becoming flustered and ignorant of him, although she is appreciative of him reminding her to be a serious idol. As their interactions continued, Ako developed a crush on Kanata without realizing, her heart actually favoring him over Subaru, as can be seen from episode 87.


 * Mahiru Kasumi
 * Both of them are shown to be on friendly terms with each other. Mahiru later becomes her fellow S4 member.


 * Yuzu Nikaidō
 * Ako's fellow Yuzukoshō member and later her fellow S4 member.


 * Tsubasa Kisaragi
 * She has a very high opinion of Tsubasa due to the latter's flawless acting skills and unwavering commitment. In return, Tsubasa respects her potential.


 * Laura Sakuraba
 * Both of them are close friends with each other. She met her through Yume.


 * Kirara Hanazono
 * The two are said to have a loggerhead relationship, caused by Kirara "stealing" her supposed brand, FuwaFuwa Dream from Ako. Later, they are shown to have grown friendly with each other, to the point of becoming Double Muses of their preferred brand.


 * Koharu Nanakura 
 * The two are good friends and partnered up for the Legendary Dress Audition.

Etymology
Saotome (早乙女) Sa (早) means early while Otome (乙女) means maiden.

Ako (あこ) means my child.

Quotes
"Yume Nijino! I will most certainly not lose to you! Don’t you forget!"

- Ako to Yume in the Streets

"I will pull the Theatre class to greater heights in your stead."

- Ako to Tsubasa at the S4 crowning

"Just you wait, Kirara Hanazono!"

- Ako after FuwaFuwa Dream's brand muse announcement

"I feel as though I understand now, somehow. Dresses are made to convey a message from the brand. She simply dedicated her efforts wholeheartedly to that end. In contrast, I single-mindedly tried to create a wonderful dress for its own sake. They were right not to choose me."

- Ako after Kirara's debut performance

"I know just how amazing you are, so much that it hurts. That's what makes me so upset and angry at you! There's more to you than just being someone for Elza-san to watch over. Have you ever considered how many fans you have out there? Look at that. They all love you, look up to you, and want to be a little closer to you. Everyone is watching you, and of course, that includes me."

- Ako to Kirara

Trivia

 * She is 152cm tall, making her the shortest main character.
 * Her zodiac sign is Libra.
 * Her specialty is ballet.
 * Her hobby is playing violin.
 * She shares her singer with Hinaki Shinjō from the original Aikatsu! series.
 * Ako is the second main character to have her hair worn in ear-like buns. The first was Otome Arisugawa, from the original Aikatsu! series.
 * Like Otome, she also has orange hair.
 * Coincidentally, her surname has Otome in it.
 * They're also both Pop-type Idols.
 * Ako's hairstyle is similar to Mirei Minami from the PriPara series, the difference being that Mirei's hair is shorter.
 * Ako and Mirei are both Pop-type Idols.
 * They also have similar personalities, being overly self-confident and loud.
 * Both are skilled in math.
 * Her favorite flower is the crocus.
 * Ako, along with Kirara, are the first idols to share the role of brand muse of one brand.
 * When Ako and Kirara performed together in episode 74, their pose were the same as that of Masquerade's from the original Aikatsu! series, with Ako in Miya's position and Kirara in Orihime Mitsuishi position.
 * She is the only main S4 member who has not attained Star Wings prior to the last episode.
 * She shares her given name with Ako Shirabe from the anime Suite Pretty Cure♪.