How many Village in the Shade characters are officially named?

The supplied official English roster names 14 villagers: Rin, Komako, Shiroji, Kisuke, Yuta, Sazanka, Rokkaku, Yoh, Hasumi, Sumire, Tobari, Konno, Chinana, and Nago. That count describes the named roster covered here; it does not establish that every character is present from the beginning.

Who is the first villager you meet?

Komako is identified as the first villager your protagonist encounters. Her introduction emphasizes a gentle, somewhat timid personality. Rin is the village head, but she is not identified as the first person you meet.

Does affection level 3 unlock every friendship event?

No universal threshold is established. Patch 1.30 specifically requires affection level 3 or higher for villagers to acknowledge the protagonist’s birthday when spoken to. The supplied friendship introduction does not assign that same requirement to invitations or advice events.

Can you date or marry villagers?

Dating and marriage are not confirmed by the supplied official references. Friendship activities, affection levels, home invitations, and birthday interactions are supported. Those features alone do not establish romance candidates, marriage conditions, or romantic outcomes.

Village in the Shade Characters: All 14 Villagers and Friendship Guide

Meet Kagatsu’s 14 Named Villagers

The Village in the Shade characters range from a teenage village head to a government worker with plans for solar panels. Knowing who is who helps you connect everyday errands, friendship opportunities, and later birthday events to the right people. This Village in the Shade characters guide introduces all 14 named villagers in the official English roster and explains which relationship features are confirmed.

Village in the Shade - Release Date Announcement Trailer · NIS America

Official promotional trailer used as general reference for this game. It is not a topic-specific tutorial, a Patch 1.30 demonstration, or a device benchmark. The article does not depend on its narration.

The information below reflects the official English character descriptions and supplied Steam update notes through Patch 1.30, as of October 28, 2026. Character summaries avoid story revelations beyond those public introductions.

The official English character roster from NIS America provides the names, age ranges, and background details used here. These are broad age bands, so they should not be treated as exact birthdays or numerical ages.

Village leadership, trades, and outside interests

This group helps distinguish the people involved in village administration, practical trades, and proposed development. Their occupations describe their backgrounds; they do not establish specific services or friendship rewards.

Character	Official age band	Role and personality
Rin	Late teens	Kagatsu’s young leader, whose commitment to her responsibilities can make her seem demanding.
Konno	Unknown	Described as the village head’s secretary; combines a sharp tongue with a taste for conspicuous luxury.
Shiroji	Early 20s	A powerfully built lumberjack whose reserved manner gives way to warmth in conversation.
Kisuke	Early 30s	A dedicated carpenter with an abrasive exterior and a more considerate side.
Nago	Early 30s	A government worker seeking land for solar panels who receives little attention from the villagers.

The General Store, clinic, and vendor stall

These three characters are especially useful to recognize when connecting the cast to everyday village locations and purchases.

Character	Official age band	Role and personality
Sazanka	Early 20s	Runs the General Store, enjoys mechanical projects, and can rush into things when enthusiasm takes over.
Hasumi	Late 20s	A thoughtful, reserved woman associated with the clinic and skilled in preparing medicines.
Chinana	Late 20s	An unusually dressed vendor whose welcoming manner does not make her easy to understand.

Keep Sazanka’s General Store separate from Chinana’s stall when reading purchase requirements. Hasumi’s clinic connection is part of her introduction; it does not establish an additional shop inventory or service menu.

Other villagers and personal connections

The remaining introductions emphasize personality, hobbies, and relationships rather than a named business or administrative position.

Character	Official age band	Role and personality
Komako	Late teens	The first villager you meet; considerate and soft-spoken, with a hesitant manner.
Yuta	Early 20s	A sociable, relaxed young man who apparently relocated from the city.
Rokkaku	Late 40s	Looks after Yoh and tends toward an unhurried, sometimes idle approach to life.
Yoh	Under 10	A quiet child who lacks many companions her own age.
Sumire	Late teens	An energetic, helpful boy familiar with activities such as fishing and exploration.
Tobari	Late teens	A guarded, rebellious girl who remains apart from much of the village community.

Use the Village in the Shade characters roster to identify people without assuming what their personalities mean mechanically. Sumire’s fishing knowledge, for example, does not establish a favorite fish gift. Likewise, a reserved introduction does not tell you how many interactions a friendship requires.

How Friendship and Affection Work

Friendship with the Village in the Shade characters develops through activities that the official materials identify, including presents, village festivals, and helping residents. Nippon Ichi Software’s Japanese friendship introduction also describes events that become possible as relationships deepen.

Activity or event	What is confirmed	What remains unspecified
Giving presents	Gifts are a way to develop friendships.	Individual favorites, dislikes, point values, and daily limits.
Village festivals	Taking part contributes to relationships with residents.	Exact gains or an optimal festival strategy.
Helping villagers	Assistance is another confirmed way to deepen connections.	A complete request list or reward schedule.
Personal conversations and invitations	Closer villagers may seek advice or invite you into their homes.	Universal affection thresholds or a fixed event order.

This gives you a useful starting routine: participate in village activities, help when opportunities arise, and pay attention when a resident approaches you about something personal. Invitations and requests for advice are part of the confirmed friendship experience.

Talking also matters for the protagonist’s birthday event, discussed below. However, the official material does not establish a daily affection increase from ordinary conversation, so there is no supported numerical conversation schedule to follow.

A practical approach is to:

Use the roster to remember which person an interaction concerns.
Participate in confirmed friendship activities as they become available.
Follow up on personal conversations and invitations.
Treat exact point totals and event thresholds as unverified unless specifically documented.

Which Characters Handle Farm Purchases?

Several Village in the Shade characters have roles that help make sense of the update notes, especially Sazanka and Chinana. Their businesses appear in different purchase requirements, so recognizing both names prevents confusion about where an item belongs.

Patch 1.20 identifies Chinana’s stall as the seller for its added livestock. Silkie Chickens and Mallards become purchasable after reaching autumn of the first year. Fluffy Cows and Spotted Goats require you to have purchased at least one goat.

The General Store, operated by Sazanka, is named in Patch 1.30’s purchase instructions for the Seeder and Plumbing Fixture furniture. Those additions have their own progression requirements; knowing the shopkeeper does not replace meeting those conditions.

Patch 1.20 also connects both businesses to the Furniture Catalog event. Its requirements include reaching autumn of Year 1 and buying at least one furniture item from either the General Store or Chinana’s stall.

These are purchase and progression conditions. The official notes do not describe them as friendship rewards, so affection should not be substituted for the stated requirements. They also do not provide complete shop hours or daily character schedules.

Birthday Events and Affection Level 3 in Patch 1.30

One documented benefit involving the Village in the Shade characters is recognition of your protagonist’s birthday. Patch 1.30 adds both an event for setting that birthday and interactions when the chosen date arrives.

The setup event has different prerequisites depending on your mode.

Steam mode name	Year requirement	Additional prerequisite
Village in the Shade Mode	Reach Year 2	Be at least one day past completing the main scenario.
Village in the Sunshine Mode	Reach Year 2	Be at least one day past Nago moving into the village.

These labels follow the Steam English patch notes. The English website calls its optional non-horror choice Peaceful Life Mode, selected at the beginning of a game.

After meeting the relevant requirements, check your mailbox. A letter starts the event that lets you establish the protagonist’s birthday. Reaching the required year alone does not satisfy the additional condition shown in the table.

Once your chosen birthday comes around:

Talk to villagers.
Villagers with affection level 3 or higher will acknowledge the occasion.
You may also receive a special birthday present.

The greeting is stated as a result of meeting the affection requirement; a present is described as a possibility. The notes do not give a complete list of birthday gifts.

The update also warns that its events can be delayed during certain story sections or on thunderstorm days. If the setup event does not occur despite meeting its requirements, continue the scenario or check again on a day without a thunderstorm.

Most importantly, affection level 3 is the documented birthday threshold. It is not established as a universal requirement for home invitations, advice conversations, or every other friendship event.

Gift Favorites, Romance, and Other Unconfirmed Details

The confirmed Village in the Shade characters information supports a friendship guide, but it does not support a complete gift chart or romance walkthrough.

Gifts help develop relationships, yet the supplied official material does not name each villager’s preferred items. A profession or hobby is not enough evidence to fill that gap. Hasumi’s medicine skills do not establish a favorite herb, and Sazanka’s mechanical interests do not establish a favorite crafted item.

The same distinction applies to romance. Affection levels, personal invitations, and birthday presents demonstrate relationship features, but they do not independently confirm dating routes or marriage.

Details that remain unestablished here include:

Favorite and disliked gifts for individual villagers.
Exact affection gains and daily interaction limits.
Romance candidates, dating conditions, or marriage requirements.
A complete sequence of character events.
Detailed protagonist appearance customization.

The roster includes a child and several characters described only as being in their late teens. Nothing in these sources identifies them as romance options. The appropriate reading is that romance information is unconfirmed by this material, rather than that every friendship implies a romantic route.

Which guide should you read next?

Sources and verification

Checked October 28, 2026. Japanese promotional material and developer interviews are identified separately from the Western English release.