You’ve probably seen them. Those girls with horse ears and tails sprinting down a turf track at sixty miles per hour before jumping onto a stage to perform a high-production J-pop concert. It’s a bizarre premise. On paper, Uma Musume: Pretty Derby sounds like a fever dream cooked up in a Cygames boardroom, but if you look at the charts, it’s a cultural juggernaut. People aren't just playing for the gambling mechanics or the idol aesthetic. They’re playing because the Uma Musume list of characters is actually a meticulously researched tribute to the history of Japanese horse racing.
If you're diving into the game or the anime, the roster is overwhelming. There are dozens of girls, each based on a real-life legendary thoroughbred. But here’s the thing: not all horse girls are created equal. Some are staples of the meta, while others are there purely for the tear-jerking narrative beats that mirror their real-life counterparts' triumphs and tragedies.
The Big Three (and why they matter)
Most people start their journey with Special Week. She’s the face of the franchise. In the anime, she’s the wide-eyed country girl moving to the big city to become the "best horse girl in Japan." But if you know the history of the real Special Week, her story takes on a much heavier weight. Born shortly after her mother’s death and raised by a human "mother" (a farmhand), her resilience in the game isn't just a trope. It's an homage.
Then you have Silence Suzuka. Honestly, she’s the one who breaks everyone's heart. In the game, she’s a "Large Lead" specialist. She runs fast and stays ahead. In real life, Suzuka was a once-in-a-generation talent whose career ended in a devastating injury during the 1998 Tenno Sho Autumn. The developers at Cygames did something interesting here; they gave fans a "what if" scenario where she survives and thrives. That’s the magic of this character list—it’s wish fulfillment for racing fans who never got a happy ending.
Tokai Teio is the third pillar. She’s flashy. She’s confident. She’s got that "Teio Step." But her character arc is basically a series of physical collapses followed by miraculous returns. If you’re looking at the Uma Musume list of characters to find someone who embodies "grit," it’s her. She represents the fragility of these athletes.
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The Chaos Tier: Gold Ship and the Fan Favorites
We have to talk about Gold Ship. She’s a menace.
While most of the characters are polite or hyper-focused, Gold Ship is the one drop-kicking the trainer or doing weird gymnastics in the background. Is it an exaggeration? Surprisingly, no. The real Gold Ship was notorious for his eccentric behavior, often refusing to enter the starting gate or intentionally losing races because he simply didn't feel like running. In the game, her "Gate Difficulty" and unpredictable performance are literal translations of a horse that was more interested in being a comedian than a champion.
Beyond the memes, there’s Mejiro McQueen. She’s the definition of "Ojou-sama" (refined lady) energy. Her rivalry with Tokai Teio is the peak of the second season of the anime. If you’re building a team in the game, McQueen is your long-distance anchor. She’s reliable, elegant, and has a massive stamina pool that reflects the real horse’s dominance in stayers' races.
The Rise of the "Underdogs"
- Rice Shower: The "Hero of the Heels." She’s small, shy, and perpetually apologized for winning. Why? Because the real Rice Shower was the one who broke the winning streaks of fan favorites like Mejiro McQueen. The fans hated her for it. The game turns this into a tragic narrative about a girl who just wants to be loved but keeps "ruining" everyone else’s dreams.
- Oguri Cap: The "Dancing Grey." A legend from the provincial circuits who moved to the big leagues. She’s a glutton in the game, always seen eating massive bowls of rice. This is a nod to the real Oguri Cap’s incredible appetite and his status as a "people’s champion" who didn't come from a prestigious bloodline.
- Vodka and Daiwa Scarlet: The classic rivalry. They’re like fire and ice. They raced each other constantly, and their dynamic in the game captures that "cannot lose to this specific person" energy perfectly.
Navigating the Full Roster
When you look at a complete Uma Musume list of characters, you’ll notice they are categorized by their running styles. This isn't just flavor text; it dictates how you play the game.
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- Runner (逃げ - Nige): These girls, like Silence Suzuka or Maruzensky, want to be in front from the second the gate opens. They don't want to see anyone else’s tail.
- Leader (先行 - Senkou): They stay just behind the leaders, waiting for the final stretch to pounce. Think Oguri Cap or Grass Wonder.
- Betweener (差し - Sashi): This is for the tactical players. Characters like Special Week hang out in the middle of the pack and explode in the last 200 meters.
- Chaser (追込 - Oikomi): The high-risk, high-reward style. Gold Ship and Tamamo Cross start at the very back and try to overtake the entire field in one go.
The complexity of the roster comes from the "Support Cards" system. Even if you have your favorite girl, you need a supporting cast of other horse girls to train her effectively. This creates a weirdly deep meta where a character you might not even like visually becomes essential because of the "skills" she teaches your main runner.
Why the List Keeps Growing
Cygames is playing a long game. They aren't just releasing characters for the sake of it. Every time they add a new name, like Duramente or Kitasan Black, they are tapping into a specific era of racing history. Kitasan Black, for example, is owned in real life by the famous enka singer Saburo Kitajima. Her character design and "festival" personality are direct tributes to that connection.
There is a tension here, though. Not every famous horse is in the game. You won't find Deep Impact or Orfevre. This is because of licensing. In Japan, the rights to a horse's likeness often belong to the owners or syndicates. Some owners are happy to see their horses turned into cute anime girls; others... not so much. This creates a "missing" list that fans are constantly speculating about. Every time a new "Silhouette" is teased during a livestream, the community goes into a frenzy trying to match the hair tufts or ear ornaments to real-life racing silks.
How to Choose Your "Main"
Don't just pick the one with the highest rating on a tier list. Tier lists in Uma Musume change every time a new "Scenario" (the training mode) is released. One month, Stamina is king; the next, it’s all about Intelligence and Power.
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Instead, look at the Uma Musume list of characters through the lens of what you enjoy. If you like the "Rocky" style comeback story, go for Tokai Teio. If you want pure, chaotic energy, it’s Gold Ship. If you want a character that requires a massive brain to pilot correctly, look into the Chasers.
One thing that newcomers miss is the "Inheritance" system. Your characters aren't just individuals; they are part of a lineage. To make a truly "S-Tier" Special Week, you might need to spend weeks breeding a "Parent" Rudolf or "Grandparent" Agnes Tachyon. The character list is more like a family tree than a selection screen.
The Cultural Impact You Can't Ignore
It’s easy to dismiss this as just another gacha game, but the way these characters are handled has actually revitalized interest in horse racing in Japan. Retiring horse farms have seen a massive surge in donations because players became attached to the anime versions of the horses. When a character like Nice Nature—a horse famous for finishing third—passed away in real life recently, the outpouring of grief from the gaming community was genuinely moving.
This isn't just a list of names. It’s a bridge between a traditional sport that was skewing older and a younger generation that now knows the pedigree of a 1993 stayer by heart.
Actionable Next Steps for New Players
If you’re just starting out and looking at that massive character screen, here is how to actually make progress without losing your mind.
- Focus on the "Day One" Stars: Don't worry about the limited-edition banners yet. Characters like Sakura Bakushin O are the "tutorial" queens. She’s a short-distance runner who is incredibly easy to train. Use her to learn how the Speed stat works before trying to tackle long-distance monsters like Mejiro McQueen.
- Research the "Real" History: If you're struggling to connect with a character, look up their real-life race highlights on YouTube. Seeing the actual Silence Suzuka pull away from a field makes her in-game "Large Lead" skill feel much more rewarding to trigger.
- Ignore Tier Lists for the First Month: Seriously. Most tier lists are designed for the "Champions Meeting," which is high-level PvP. For the main story and basic URA Finals, almost any character is viable if you balance their stats correctly.
- Prioritize Support Cards Over Girls: This is the most important tip. A "Tier 0" character with bad support cards will always lose. A "Tier 3" character with maxed-out SSR support cards will crush the competition. Invest your currency in the cards first.
The Uma Musume list of characters is constantly evolving. As long as there are legends on the track, there will be new girls joining the roster. Whether you’re here for the stats or the stories, there’s a depth to this lineup that most games can’t touch. Just don't be surprised if you find yourself crying over a virtual horse girl’s dream of winning a race that happened thirty years ago.