This Ensemble Dark Horse was headlined on July 2025.
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This Article Contains Spoilers -
WARNING: Before her death, Maria wanted to inform you that the article you're about to read contains spoilers. Turn back now and read a different article if you have not watched/played/read the following works yet.
“
That's why today I will once again lie... believing the lies will become the truth. Even if I end up paying for it one day...
„
~ Ai Hoshino
Ai Hoshino「星野 アイ」is the titular overarching & false main protagonist of the manga series Oshi No Ko, created by Aka Akasaka. She was the lead idol of the former generation of B-Komachi as well as the loving mother of the Hoshino twins, Aquamarine and Ruby Hoshino. She was known to be a spotlight hoarder in any stages because of being an attractive idol. She was murdered by a disillusioned fan after she was discovered to have been pregnant long ago because she acted not like what he expected to.
In Live Action Adaptation, she is portrayed by Asuka Saitou. In the anime, she's voiced by Rie Takahashi in Japanese, and Donna Bella Litton in the English Dub.
What Makes Her an Ensemble Dark Horse?[]
Even before the anime release, she is known as the advertised poster character in a music video of YOASOBI: Idol. Japanese Audience were excited about her because of being a cute idol.
Oshi No Ko provides a deconstruction of Japanese Idol culture that revolves around contractual purity and the consequences of violating contractual purity that became scandalous incident in Japan such as Idols secretly having an affair with someone else and the unhealthy parasocial relationship between a young idol and a loony fan. Ai Hoshino has to lie to her manager, Ichigo Saitou until she was pregnant much to his shock and Ichigo has to protect her reputation. Unfortunately, she became an attention to an obsessed stalker.
Her amicable dynamics with Gorou Amamiya (Before reincarnated as Aquamarine Hoshino), after he finds out his idol was pregnant at young age, he prefers to keep his boundaries within and at best promises to deliver her babies in the hospital, despite being a fan of Ai Hoshino. Ryosuke, Ai's parasocial fan on the other hand, doesn't take her pregnancy very well.
Sarina Tendouji, a cancer patient who will reincarnate later as Ruby Hoshino, was also a fan of her. 
In the anime, she is the one-episode wonder for being a loving mother to her Hoshino Twins. Her murder by the hands of her fan, which actually orchestrated by Hikaru Kamiki, took place in her birthday makes the scene much sadder. It's stated that Ai's death is a catalyst of Aqua Hoshino's desire of avenging his mother.
Before her death, she wanted to break the cycle of bad parenting to be a good mother to her children. Unfortunately, a fan named Ryosuke Sugano had discovered that she was pregnant and had given birth to her twins before and therefore murders her out of jealousy and disillusionment. As she was dying, she stated that she loved her children so much as they were witnessing her last moments.
Ai Hoshino is revealed to be secretly in relationship with Hikaru Kamiki and fathering her twins, Aqua and Ruby. Because she doesn't understand about love, she broke up with her boyfriend. Hikaru doesn't take Ai Hoshino breaking up with him well, therefore orchestrating her murder and manipulate Ryosuke, Ai's incel fan by giving her home address.
Ai's death is so heartbreaking that even her abusive mother, Ayumi was shocked to hear her daughter's death and becoming more remorseful for her past abusive actions toward her own daughter.
She was also recognized for being a spotlight stealing idol in-universe and within the fanbase.
Because of her in-universe popularity, Ai Hoshino's career suffers a scandal of secretly violating the contractual purity as she mothered her twin children when she was secretly in-relationship with Hikaru before breaking up. The scandal was eventually revealed by Ryosuke before he murders Ai in her birthday. 
Even in death, audience adored her having a cute and attractive design.
Ai Hoshino gained several memes within the fandom in one episode:
The Chorus of YOASOBI Idol is sometimes associated with STORM, an opening theme of Shin Getter Robo vs Neo Getter Robo by the Japanese Twitter User.
As mentioned above, Ai Hoshino being voiced by Rie Takahashi in Japanese has been compared to Hu Tao by the fanbase of Genshin Impact because of them having an exotic eye design and shares the Japanese VA. Hu Tao being a funeral parlor makes it more morbidly hilarious.
Some audience creates a What-If scenario where Ai was saved by Ryosuke and therefore preventing Aqua's desire for vengeance.
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