You’ve probably seen the memes. Horse girls running at Mach speed on a turf track only to break into a synchronized J-Pop dance routine five minutes later. It sounds ridiculous. Honestly, it is ridiculous. But if you're looking into the Uma Musume Pretty Derby game all characters roster, you quickly realize this isn't just some weird niche gimmick. Cygames basically took the deep, agonizing strategy of a hardcore horse racing sim and slapped a coat of high-budget anime paint over it. It worked.
The game is massive. But with a roster that keeps expanding every few weeks, keeping track of who is actually worth your training points is a nightmare. Some girls are literal speed demons meant for short sprints. Others are "stayers" who thrive on long-distance marathons that would make a marathon runner weep.
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In the world of Uma Musume, not all characters are created equal. You’ve got your icons like Special Week and Silence Suzuka. These are the faces of the franchise. Special Week is basically your "protagonist" archetype—balanced, friendly, and relatively easy to train if you're just starting out. Her stats don't lean too hard in one direction, which is a double-edged sword. She's reliable. She's also kinda predictable.
Then you have the monsters of the meta.
Take Kitasan Black. When she dropped in the Japanese version, the game changed. She isn't just a fan favorite because of her upbeat personality; her "Speed" growth rate and her inherent skills make her a beast in the "Runner" (逃げ, Nige) strategy. If you want a character that grabs the lead and stays there while everyone else eats her dust, she’s the gold standard.
But wait. Don't ignore the "Betweener" or "Chaser" types. Characters like Gold Ship are legendary for a reason. In the actual racing world, the real-life Gold Ship was a bit of a chaotic rebel. The game honors this. She has a high "Power" stat, allowing her to push through the crowd at the final corner and zoom past the leaders. It’s high-risk, high-reward gameplay. One second she’s in 12th place, and you’re sweating. The next, she’s teleporting to 1st.
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Understanding the Strategy Archetypes
There are four main ways these characters run. It’s not just flavor text; it dictates every single training session you do.
- Runner (Nige): They start fast. They stay in front. If they get overtaken, they usually lose their "will" and plummet. Silence Suzuka is the queen here.
- Leader (Senko): They stay right behind the frontrunner. They wait for the final stretch to pounce. Think Tokai Teio.
- Betweener (Sashi): They hang out in the middle of the pack. They need high Power to weave through the crowd.
- Chaser (Oikiri): These are the drama queens. They stay at the very back, saving all their energy for a terrifying burst of speed at the end.
The Distance Dilemma
This is where most beginners mess up when looking at the Uma Musume Pretty Derby game all characters list. You can't just shove your favorite girl into any race. Every character has "aptitudes."
A character like Sakura Bakushin O is a Short-Distance god. Try to make her run a Long-Distance race like the Arima Kinen, and she will literally run out of steam halfway through. It’s painful to watch. Her stamina bar just evaporates. Meanwhile, Rice Shower—the "Black Assassin"—is built for those grueling long hauls. She has the endurance to survive the 3200m tracks that would break most other characters.
The complexity comes from "Factors" or inheritance. You can actually "breed" (well, technically inherit traits from) different girls to improve their weak spots. You want a short-distance girl to run long? You'll need a lot of stamina inheritance and some very specific support cards. It’s basically a math problem disguised as an anime game.
Realism That Hurts
Cygames didn't just pull these names out of a hat. Every single one of the Uma Musume Pretty Derby game all characters is based on a real, historical Japanese racehorse. And the developers are sticklers for detail.
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Take Mejiro McQueen. In real life, she was part of the prestigious Mejiro family, known for their staying power and elegance. In the game, she is depicted as a refined, high-class lady who takes her training incredibly seriously. Or look at Haru Urara. In the real world, Haru Urara became a national sensation in Japan because she kept losing. She had over 100 starts and zero wins. The game captures this by making her one of the hardest characters to actually win a major trophy with, but her "never give up" attitude makes her a massive fan favorite.
This connection to reality is why the game has such a grip on players. You aren't just leveling up a digital avatar; you’re engaging with the legacy of actual athletes. When a character has a "bad mood" day in the game, it often mirrors the temperament issues the real horse had decades ago.
The Support Card Trap
You can’t talk about the characters without talking about Support Cards. This is the "hidden" roster. Even if you have the best version of Mihono Bourbon, she’s going to suck if your support deck is trash.
Support cards provide the "hints" and "skills" your characters learn during their three-year training arc. Some cards, like the SSR Fine Motion or the legendary Super Creek, are considered essential because they provide "Gold Skills" (rare, powerful abilities). Super Creek's "Maestro of the Arc" is basically the most important stamina skill in the game. Without it, your long-distance runners are basically toast.
Hidden Gems and Niche Picks
Everyone talks about Oguri Cap. She’s the "Monster of the Grey" and arguably one of the best characters in the game because she can run almost any distance and any surface (Turf or Dirt). She’s a cheat code.
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But have you looked at Agnes Tachyon? She’s often overlooked by casuals, but her unique skill—a massive stamina recovery mid-race—makes her incredibly efficient to build. You don't have to dump as many points into Stamina, allowing you to focus on Speed and Intelligence. She’s a "budget" beast for F2P players.
Then there's the Dirt specialists. Most races in the game are on Turf (grass). But a few, like the February Stakes, are on Dirt. The pool of Dirt-capable characters is tiny. Smart Falcon and Digit Agnes are the ones you want here. If you don't have a dedicated Dirt runner, you’re going to hit a wall in the mid-game "URA Finals" or "Grand Masters" scenarios.
Is the Roster Too Big?
Honestly, maybe. With over 100 characters now, the power creep is real. New versions of old characters (Alt outfits like "Summer" or "Christmas" versions) often have better stats or more optimized skill sets than the originals.
However, Cygames manages this by giving every character a unique story mode. This isn't just a menu-based sim. You're watching their journey, their failures, and their rivalries. Even a "low-tier" character becomes someone you want to root for because the writing is actually... good? It’s surprisingly emotional for a game about girls with horse ears.
Practical Steps for Your Next Training Run
If you’re staring at your character list wondering who to tap first, stop picking based on looks for a second. Look at their growth bonuses.
- Check the Percentages: Open a character's profile. See those +20% Speed or +10% Power icons? Those are your guide. If a character has a 20% bonus to Guts, they’re going to be harder to build for the current meta. Focus on characters with bonuses in Speed, Intelligence, or Power.
- Match the Distance: Don't try to force a Short-distance runner into a Mile race unless you have the inheritance to back it up. Check their "Aptitude" ranks. You want "A" or "S" in the distance they are actually running.
- Prioritize the "Maestro": If you are running anything longer than a Mile, you need a stamina recovery skill. If your character doesn't have one naturally, you must bring a support card that grants one.
- Balance the Stats: In the current 2026 meta, "Speed" is still king, but "Intelligence" (Kashikosa) is the secret sauce. High Intelligence makes your character use their skills more often and pick better lanes. Don't ignore it.
The Uma Musume Pretty Derby game all characters list is a rabbit hole. You start by just wanting to win a race, and six months later, you’re reading 1990s Japanese racing archives to understand why your favorite character has a rivalry with a girl in a different class. It’s deep, it’s confusing, and it’s weirdly rewarding. Just remember: Gold Ship is always watching, and she will absolutely drop-kick you if you don't take her training seriously.