The main character.She is a highly intelligent 1st-year student from a middle-class family ("poor" and "common" in the eyes of Ouran students) who attends Ouran Academy on scholarship based upon an entrance exam. As she is required to remain first in her class to keep her scholarship, her studies are very important to her. Two characteristics that define Haruhi are her straightforward nature and her belief that one's gender doesn't define one's choices. Having been raised under less affluent circumstances than her classmates at Ouran, she displays more practical and responsible qualities, and is not easily swayed by the charms of the hosts. Even when she first meets them, she only reacts nervously instead of becoming instantly infatuated like most other girls.