Top 10 AKB48 Members

With a group of 48 members, it is really difficult for non-fans to tell apart one AKB48 girl from the next. Based off a public poll conducted late last year, this is a listing of the most popular members. A summary of each idol will hopefully help new viewers identify some of the members in the future.

Maeda Atsuko.

#1. Maeda Atsuko
AKB48 cover girl Maeda Atsuko has long had the most fans. As one of the lead singers from Team A, she appears in all of the group’s singles to date (and most often right in the center of videos). Other than Takahashi Minami, she provides the most vocals and boasts many solo performances in their theater shows. Apart from this, she mainly acts in low key television dramas. She is known to fans as Aachan.

Oshima Yuko.

#2. Oshima Yuko
Oshima Yuko is Team K’s most popular member, best known for her silly antics. As with the other popular members she appear regularly at the forefront of singles. She also performs solo songs in the Team K concerts, despite her lackluster vocal performance. As part of a theatrical company, her showbiz career started at the early age of 8. She was also former junior gravure model. Oshima Yuko is rarely featured outside of AKB48 but when she is it is mostly in the form of photobooks.

Shinoda Mariko.

#3. Shinoda Mariko
At 24 years of age, Shinoda Mariko is AKB48′s oldest member. While other “aged” members have been forced to leave the group, she remains one of their leading members. Originally a waitress at the cafe next to the group’s theater, Shinoda Mariko is the only member not selected through an audition. Instead, she was hired after hundreds of the cafe’s customers petitioned for her inclusion. She appears as model for fashion magazines and was also the cover girl for the recent Sony PostPet television commercials.

Watanabe Mayu.

#4. Watanabe Mayu
One of the group’s younger members, Watanabe Mayu is Team B’s most popular idol. She is the only Team B member to be featured consistently at the front of the music videos. She is famous for her cheery personality. Her fans call her Mayuyu.

Takahashi Minami.

#5. Takahashi Minami
As the lead singer, Takahashi Minami is the group’s strongest vocalist. She has provided the main vocals for all their singles so far. She is also the leader of Team A and thus the overall leader of AKB48. She is well known for her rough mannerisms. Measuring at only 148cm, Takahashi is the shortest leading member. She is often referred to as Takamina.

Kojima Haruna.

#6. Kojima Haruna
Kojima Haruna is another popular member from Team A. She has also appeared in all the group’s singles and has quite a few singing lines. She plays small roles in many popular dramas and takes the lead role in more obscure shows. She is the next oldest member after Shinoda Mariko.

Itano Tomomi.

#7. Itano Tomomi
Among all the members, Itano Tomomi has gone through the most change in terms of appearance. As one of the original Team A girls, she has been featured in all of the singles (though not as prominently as the other members). She is often seen together with the other Tomomi, Kasai Tomomi. They both belong to the HoriPro talent agency for which they play in the Xanadu loves NHC futsal team. She goes by the nickname Tomochin. She was switched to Team K at the end of last year.

Sato Amina.

#8. Sato Amina
Sato Amina is one of the newer staple members of AKB48. Originally a fan of AKB48, she later joined the group as a training backdancer during one of their later auditions. She was recently brought into Team A, the team she supported as a fan. She appears in the latest 3 singles.

Kashiwagi Yuki.

#9. Kashiwagi Yuki
Rising in popularity is Team B’s leader Kashiwagi Yuki. She has appeared in all singles since the formation of Team B though not as prominently as Watanabe Mayu. She had participated in the audition for the 8th Generation Morning Musume members back in 2006. She is known as Yukirin to fans.

Kasai Tomomi.

#10. Kasai Tomomi
Former Team K’s Kasai Tomomi has appeared in all the AKB48 singles since the team’s formation. Her most distinctive features are her droopy eyes. She also plays for the HoriPro futsal team with the other Tomomi. As of the end of last year, she was switched to Team B.

The full results of the poll with number of votes for individual members. Idols from AKB48′s sister group SKE48 were also included in the poll.

I am currently a supporter of Team A’s Shinoda Mariko. Perhaps you too can find your favorite. With time permitting, I hope to eventual cover articles for Shinoda Mariko and the other popular members I am familiar with.