Ran Shibuki

Ran Shibuki (紫吹 蘭 Shibuki Ran?), also known as "The Beautiful Blade" (美しき刃 Utsukushiki Yaiba?) is a Starlight Academy student and one of Ichigo and Aoi's classmates. She was later put into a unit called Soleil (ソレイユ Soreiyu?) with Aoi and Ichigo.

Background
Ran has worked in entertainment since she was young, so she considers herself a professional and acts mature. She can be a bit of a lone wolf, but she's also very candid with a good, caring personality. Like many others, she believed Ichigo and Aoi could not rise as top idols together and kept a close eye on their relationship at first.

She had been a bit of a loner after her friend and former roommate, Mako, dropped out of Starlight Academy due to losing her confidence, which left Ran with feelings of loss and loneliness. but soon warms up to Ichigo and Aoi. She hides her feelings around other people since she's called the 'Beautiful Blade' who never smiles. She steps with her left foot on the runway since Mako stepped with her left foot first. Her favorite brand is Spicy Ageha.

Unlike Ichigo and Aoi, Ran is a professional idol and has an aura like Mizuki. In fact, she has even been elected as Tristar's third member after Kaede Ichinose was elected as the second. Ran was elected in Episode 35 of the anime. But soon after left in order to be with Ichigo and Aoi.

Appearance
Ran has auburn hair and magenta eyes. Her hair varies in length from her hips to her knees. She has a slightly slimmer and taller figure than Ichigo and Aoi, created to make her appear more like a model. She is usually seen in the Starlight Academy uniform. Her original basic idol uniform consistes of a pale lilac top, made to show off her curves, along with a dark purple skirt that has dark purple, white-purple, and pink stripes all over it. She also wore purple heels with pale colored stockings.

In Season two, Ran gains a brand new idol uniform consisting of a Purple tank top with lilac frilled off the shoulder sleeves, plain white gloves with purple cuffs, a purple plaid skirt, and tall purple boots with white knee socks.

Personality
Ran can sometimes be cool and easily gets angry, for instance, she treats Ichigo and Aoi very similarly to this in the beginning, but she soon warmed up and befriended them, despite originally trying to deny being their friend but over time it became more evident that she did become close to them, and this is best shown when the girls reunited after Ran leaves Tristar. Because of her behavior, many fans call her as a tsundere. On some last-minute situations like on Episode 9, she can be seen as insane and calls herself a "Demon Coach", something she hated being called by others.

She pronounces herself with "Atashi" (あたし?), and dislikes being address as "Ran-chan" (蘭ちゃん?). She also has an initial disliking of cute things. While Ran is very popular and well-known, she seems to be very modest and also believes in doing everything fairly.

Becoming Friends with Ichigo and Aoi
At first, Ran was unfriendly and warned Ichigo and Aoi to 'be careful to not fall together' because of her trauma with her best friend. A new audition for every class is announced and just 2 students will attend it. Ran and Ichigo are chosen and Ran gives Ichigo a little bit of advice and help. After the show goes well, Ichigo and Aoi talk about Ran until she joins them, where they begin to tease the annoyed girl.

Passed Various Auditions Together
Ran announces it's already time for them to take their first Special Audition. The requirement is they should use Premium Rare Cards. Ichigo, Aoi and Ran ask Johnny if he can help them about archive the cards and one day before the Audition, Johnny informs Ran and Aoi, they can meet the Top Designer but not Ichigo. The next day, Ran says if Ichigo not achive her Premium Rare Cards, they will go without Premium Rare Cards. But with Ichigo's effort to achive the cards, they perform success and achive their very first Knowledge, Mastery of Song.

Tristar, Soleil, and STAR☆ANIS Arc
As Mizuki announced the Tristar Elimination Audition, Ran participates along with Ichigo and Aoi, facing various physical and psychological challenges to take the place as Tristar member, as she won the Real Final Audition, she become Tristar's third member, leaving Ichigo and Aoi in Starlight Academy. In Episode 37, Ran quits Tristar to be in Soleil, and Yurika takes her place. However, in Episode 39, both units are merged into STAR☆ANIS. Then in Episode 40, Powapowa-Puririn added and in Episode 41, Shion Kamiya stated that she won't join STAR☆ANIS, and in the same episode, STAR☆ANIS had it's public debut.

Trivia

 * Sign: Leo
 * Favorite Food: Vegetable sticks and Yogurt
 * Disliked Food: Fried fish, because she doesn't like removing the bones
 * Special Skill(s): Walking, posing
 * Even though she debuted in Episode 1 she has not been seen again until Episode 4. She appeared in Episode 5, which was her major debut.
 * Ran becomes the Spicy Ageha Muse in Season 2.
 * Her aura is composed of butterflies.
 * Ran is the first idol to have three Premium cards.
 * It's considered that her surname Shibuki takes from Jun Shibuki (紫吹淳 Shibuki Jun?) a top star of Takarazuka Revue.
 * Ran shares the same seiyū with Lance from Dokidoki! Precure, a card-themed magical girl anime series.
 * She also shares the same seiyū with Uzume Uno from Fantasista Doll, a card-themed magical girl-like anime series.
 * Ran is the only character to appear in every Aikatsu! CD so far.
 * Ran's name is very similar to the name of the protagonist in Super GALS, Ran Kotobuki.
 * In the episode 57 her aura changed.