Perfect Blue - Characters & Cast

Her primary motivation is to shed her 'pure' pop-idol image and establish herself as a serious, respected actress. This desire for professional evolution and personal autonomy drives all her decisions, including accepting controversial roles, which in turn fuels the central conflict of the film as it puts her at odds with her obsessive fans and her own internalized persona.

Mima begins as a sweet, somewhat timid, and eager-to-please young woman trying to navigate a challenging career change. As she is subjected to psychological torment, stalking, and industry exploitation, her personality begins to fragment. She becomes paranoid, isolated, and unsure of her own actions, descending into a state of psychosis where she cannot distinguish reality from hallucination. By the end, having survived the trauma and confronted her tormentor, she emerges changed but stronger, having integrated the fractured parts of her identity and asserted control over her own life, famously declaring, "No, I'm the real thing."

Rumi is motivated by a desperate, pathological need to preserve the pure, innocent pop-idol version of Mima, an identity she wishes she could have maintained for herself. Her actions are driven by a refusal to accept the passage of time and the death of her own dreams, which she projects onto Mima. She seeks to punish anyone who 'corrupts' Mima's idol image, ultimately trying to replace Mima to become the idol herself.

Rumi is initially presented as Mima's caring, protective manager who seems concerned about Mima's new career path. It is gradually revealed that her concern is a manipulative obsession. As a failed former pop idol herself, Rumi lived vicariously through Mima. When Mima decides to 'tarnish' the idol persona Rumi cherishes, Rumi's psyche fractures. She develops a dissociative identity, believing she is the 'real Mima.' She orchestrates the murders and the gaslighting campaign to 'purify' Mima's image, becoming the film's main antagonist in a shocking twist. Her arc ends in a psychiatric institution, completely lost to her delusion.

His motivation is to protect the 'innocent' pop-idol Mima he fell in love with. He feels betrayed by her decision to become an actress and take on mature roles, seeing it as a corruption of his fantasy. He is easily manipulated by Rumi's emails, believing he is carrying out the will of the 'real Mima' by eliminating those who are forcing her to change.

Me-Mania is a grotesque and obsessive fan who is initially just a background presence, but his stalking becomes more overt and threatening as Mima's career changes. He is the physical embodiment of toxic fandom, viewing Mima not as a person but as an object of pure worship. Manipulated by Rumi (posing as 'Idol Mima' via email), he acts as an enforcer, targeting those who 'defile' his idol. His arc culminates in a direct, violent assault on Mima before he is killed by Rumi, revealing him to be a pawn in a larger, more twisted game.