Ryo Matsunaga
Height: 160 cm
Hometown: Tokyo, Japan
Hailing from Tokyo, Ryo is a cool and laid back girl who formerly performed as a rock band vocalist. In both games, she is scouted by the Producer after one of her band’s performances at a live house. It wasn’t quite a success, and the band itself wasn’t very popular, but she still wanted to perform with them. In Cinderella Girls, she is initially skeptical of the Producer's proposal, but finally decides to hear him out due to feeling his enthusiasm, whereas she accepts to become an idol in In Starlight Stage after being encouraged by her fellow band members to pursue her dream of singing on a wider stage a few days after the proposal.
She originally thought idols were just jokes, something that shouldn’t be taken seriously; performers simply dancing in cute costumes. However, she came to realize it was an intense and difficult job after going through different lessons and gigs. Thus, she decided this will be the turning point for her and she’ll do her best not to disrespect other idols but also her band.
In Cinderella Girls, she’s initially quite distant. She only sees her relationship with the Producer as a professional one and doesn’t really want to stick around if there’s no jobs or anything to be done, basically being cold and harsh. She slowly opens up as she wonders what the producer saw in her to scout her as an idol. Ultimately, they become friends and Ryo comments that it is okay to rely on her too, as it’s what the Producer has been doing since he scouted her. Since then, she often invites him to a drink after work.
Surprisingly enough, Ryo used to be a prim-and-proper princess type with an interest only in classical music. She often describes this time of her life as "stiff" or "restricted", as she was unable to express herself and joined a band to break free from that image. Her knowledge of jazz music might also come from this period of her life. She sees this past version of herself as a weak girl who couldn’t take any step forward because of being scared, as she explains in a corner of her Mezase! Cinderella Number 1 Drama Track.
In many Cinderella Girls Theater skits and media in general, Ryo shows a motherly side, caring for the younger girls like Chie and Koume. Her company often gets her into trouble, but she admits that she enjoys their antics as long as they end peacefully. Also driven, she will often put a lives importance ahead of her own health and is willing to dash over a mile on foot to get there on time. Ryo even sincerely enjoys the stamina drinks the Producer gives her during training.
