Yakitate!! Japan

Yakitate!! Ja-pan  

(焼きたて!! ジャぱん)

The story focuses on Kazuma Azuma, a boy on his quest to create "Ja-pan", a national bread for Japan itself. He initially heads to Tokyo to expand his horizons at the bread-making chain Pantasia; the story continues with Azuma's exploits with his other coworkers.

Characters

東 和馬 Azuma Kazuma)

Kyousuke Kawachi (河内 恭介)

 The 16-year-old male protagonist, a bread artisan who dreams of making the perfect Japan.
Eternally optimistic and cheerful, he is never upset by the challenges faced in baking competitions, but rather by emotional tragedies befalling the characters around him. 







 Coworker and sidekick to Azuma, from the Kansai area.
He is somewhat lazy, but at desperate times, he focuses his effort to create exceptional bread.

Shigeru Kanmuri (冠 茂)

Ken Matsushiro (松代 健)

 

An extremely talented Pantasia baker, first encountered during the Pantasia Newcomers' Tournament and discovered to possess the "Solar Hands" as well. 
He is considered to be a "Harvard Junior Genius", having graduated the prestigious school at a very young age of sixteen. 






A burly man with an afro and sunglasses. Renowned as the best French-bread artisan in Japan, he seems to have a predilection with horses and betting on horse-racing. 

Tsukino Azusagawa (梓川 月乃)

Granddaughter to the owner of the Pantasia chain, and understudy to Ken Matsushiro.
Has difficulty getting along with the rest of the Pantasia-involved Azusagawa family because she is an illegitimate child.