Nanako (ななこ Nanako) is one of the playable characters in 100% Orange Juice!. She was added to the game in DLC 1 alongside .
Passives
None.
Overview
Possessing a small stature and abrasive disposition, Nanako is a sharp-tongued warrior, ready to fight with the help of her 7 Bits. Nanako herself sports an unusual stat spread, featuring a very low HP stat of 3, but splendid bulk thanks to her boosts in both defense and evasion, alongside a reduced REC stat that makes her hard to keep down. Despite her low HP, Nanako's primary advantage is that she is the only character in the cast with both +2 DEF and +1 EVD, which means that she takes, on average, the least amount of damage from any character with neutral ATK, the consistently lowest against -1 ATK ( and can both take less but only temporarily), and the second-lowest from +1 ATK (only bested in this regard by , who cannot even evade low rolls). Given the right matchup and luck, Nanako can be deceptively difficult to KO, as her tank-like DEF enables her to survive big hits, and her EVD enables the player to avoid weak attacks from both opponents and 
Encounter panels. As a result of these stats, battles will generally only chip off a single point of HP from Nanako, which can be easily healed off by reaching a 
Home panel or using healing cards. These stats also enable the player to be able to benefit from a slew of protective cards such as 
Shield Counter and 
Rainbow-Colored Circle. Likewise, thanks to her improved REC stat, should the player be KO'd, they will likely be able to get back into the game quicker and have some slight comeback potential. Given her low HP, the player can also possibly benefit from certain board effects to avoid being KO'd. , , and 
Mimyuu's Hammer can save the player if they are on 1 HP, and can make Nanako very difficult to KO.
Unfortunately, Nanako's main faults are linked to her statline failing to deter opponents, as well as the similarly designed overshadowing much of her kit. While Nanako's buffed EVD and tank-like DEF can theoretically keep the player alive, its usefulness is diminished by her neutral ATK and low HP. Without an ATK modifier, more aggressive opponents like are generally willing to challenge the player at any opportunity, as they expect mediocre retaliation (though this is ill-advised if Nanako is holding onto plenty of cards). Consequently, Nanako's stat prowess is undermined by her low HP, which is not designed for sustained combat. If constantly defending, the player can only survive 2 attacks, and if the opponent rolls a 3, using evade is already risky, as a roll of 1-2 will result in a KO. In short, Nanako is often treated like a sidegrade to , as the player is often unwilling to evade, unable to KO the pursuer, and must be lucky enough to 
Warp, roll far away, or have cards on hand to prevent Nanako from being KO'd. While her offensive issues can possibly be overcome with offensive cards such as 
I'm on Fire! or 
Big Magnum, her low HP makes it inadvisable to sacrifice her DEF or HP. Likewise, if the player is KO'd, they may have difficulty mounting a comeback play, as a result of Nanako's fickle Hyper. Given these flaws, many players consider Peat to be a safer/better character, as the threat of +1 ATK is more frightening than an additional point in DEF, and his 
Hyper, although technically weaker, is far more consistent. With such a low HP stat, HP becomes priceless, and thus simple -1 HP effects can be extremely detrimental to the player's success when they are not at 1 HP.
Summary
- Pros
- + Excellent defensive stats make it likely to survive one or two high attack rolls
- + Cheap battle Hyper that remains powerful even in an almost empty hand
- + Fast revivals allow her to take revenge on fragile bullies
- Cons
- - Randomness of Hyper's stat distribution can turn against her
- - Average ATK stat makes her easy to pick on when she doesn't have her Hyper
