Rei Miyamoto is the heart of Highschool of the Dead. The show wouldn’t function without her. Takashi gets the protagonist role, Saeko gets the swordfighting spotlight, but Rei is the emotional engine of the whole survival group.
She’s also one of the few characters in the series who feels like a real teenager dealing with an actual apocalypse, rather than a character in service of the show’s flashier elements. Let’s get into her.
Quick facts: Rei Miyamoto is a main character in Highschool of the Dead (2010), created by Daisuke Sato and illustrated by Shoji Sato. She’s 17, a student at Fujimi High School, and trained in Sōjutsu (the spear-fighting variant of kendo). Her childhood friend and romantic interest is Takashi Komuro.
Who Is Rei Miyamoto?
Rei is a high school student whose world falls apart when a zombie outbreak (the show calls them “Them”) tears through her city. She’s part of the small group of survivors that forms around Takashi Komuro, including Saeko Busujima, Saya Takagi, Kohta Hirano, and the school nurse Shizuka Marikawa.
What makes Rei work as a character is that she’s not a stereotype. She’s stubborn, occasionally jealous, deeply loyal, and her grief about losing her former boyfriend Hisashi drives a lot of her early arc. She’s also competent enough with a weapon to take down zombies without breaking down, which is more than most high school students would manage.
Rei Miyamoto’s Combat Style
Despite what a lot of fan summaries say, Rei doesn’t fight with a traditional kendo bamboo sword. Her actual specialty is Sōjutsu, the spear-fighting tradition. Her signature weapon is a spear, not a katana or kendo stick.
This matters because Sōjutsu has a completely different combat style from sword-based martial arts. It emphasizes reach, thrusts, and keeping enemies at distance. That’s a very smart skill set to have in a zombie apocalypse where you specifically don’t want close contact with the infected.
Worth noting: A lot of secondary sources online (including the original version of this post) describe Rei as a “kendo master” or “kendo queen.” The series itself is clearer: she’s trained by her father, a police officer, in Sōjutsu specifically. Spear, not sword.
Rei’s Weapons in the Series
Rei picks up a few different weapons across the series:
- Wooden practice spear — her original weapon, taken from the school
- Modified bayonet rifle — Rei converts her spear into a rifle-with-spear combo later in the series, courtesy of Kohta’s gun knowledge
- Pistol — used in close-quarters fights
- Whatever’s nearby — Rei is resourceful enough to grab anything that can keep her alive
The bayonet-rifle is probably her most iconic weapon by the end of the series. It’s a smart adaptation: keep the spear reach she’s trained for, add the firepower of a rifle for emergencies.
Rei and Takashi: The Complicated Romance
The Rei-Takashi relationship is the emotional core of the show. They were childhood friends who almost dated. Then Rei started dating Hisashi (Takashi’s other close friend). Then the apocalypse happened. Then Hisashi got infected. Then Takashi had to kill him.
That’s a lot of emotional baggage to be carrying around while also trying not to get eaten by zombies.
What makes their dynamic work is that the show doesn’t pretend any of it is simple. Rei is grieving Hisashi while also processing old feelings for Takashi. Takashi feels guilty about Hisashi’s death and unsure about whether pursuing Rei is appropriate. They argue. They reconcile. They keep choosing each other anyway.
The unresolved part: Highschool of the Dead’s manga went on indefinite hiatus after creator Daisuke Sato passed away in 2017. The Rei-Takashi relationship (and the entire story) never got a proper conclusion. Fans have been waiting for closure that’s never going to come.
Rei’s Personality
Rei is a more complex character than the “fiery love interest” archetype she sometimes gets reduced to. Her actual traits across the series include:
- Stubborn — she’s slow to admit when she’s wrong, and quick to argue
- Jealous — particularly around Saeko and Takashi, which the show plays for drama
- Loyal — she’ll do anything for the group, and especially for Takashi
- Resilient — she’s been through losing Hisashi, almost losing her father, and the collapse of society, and she keeps moving
- Emotionally honest — she doesn’t bottle things up the way Saeko does. When she’s hurt, she says so.
Rei’s Backstory
Rei’s father is a police detective named Tadashi Miyamoto. He had been investigating a corrupt teacher named Koichi Shido before the outbreak. Shido is a recurring antagonist in the show, and his presence is part of why Rei specifically is targeted at certain points.
Before the apocalypse, Rei had a pre-existing grievance against Shido: he had failed her on purpose, forcing her to repeat a grade as part of his manipulation tactics. This is why she’s a year behind Takashi in school despite being the same age.
The Shido conflict becomes one of the major recurring storylines and gives Rei some of her best character moments. Her hatred for Shido is personal, not abstract.
Rei’s Most Important Moments
A few key Rei scenes from the anime and manga:
- Hisashi’s death — the moment that shapes her entire arc going forward
- The bus confrontation with Shido — Rei’s first real “I will not be a victim” moment
- The river crossing — her first major combat sequence with her spear
- The reunion with her father — emotional payoff to a slow-burn subplot
- The bayonet-rifle reveal — visually iconic, and a clear marker of her growth as a fighter
Rei Miyamoto’s Voice Actors
Voice cast:
Japanese: Marina Inoue (also voices Yoruichi in Bleach, Armin in Attack on Titan)
English: Jessica Boone (Funimation dub)
Marina Inoue’s casting is a major part of why Rei works in the anime. She has the range to deliver the loud arguments AND the quieter emotional moments without either feeling forced.
Rei in the Series
For context on the show itself: Highschool of the Dead aired for 12 episodes in 2010, with one OVA in 2011. The manga has been on indefinite hiatus since 2013 (and now permanently halted after Daisuke Sato’s death in 2017). There has been no official continuation.
That means whatever you saw in the 12-episode anime is essentially the final canonical version of Rei’s story. The manga has more material that wasn’t adapted, but neither one has a real ending.
Why Rei Miyamoto Still Resonates
The character work: Rei is one of the more grounded characters in a series that often went for spectacle over substance. Her grief, her stubbornness, her training, her relationships, and her growth across the run are the emotional spine of the whole show. Without Rei specifically, Highschool of the Dead would just be action and not much else.
She’s also one of the better-written female protagonists in early-2010s post-apocalyptic anime, which is a niche but a real one. Most zombie-apocalypse stories from that era struggled to write female leads who weren’t either superheroes or damsels. Rei is neither. She’s a teenager doing her best with a spear and a lot of trauma.
The Series Was Cut Short
About the unfinished story: Highschool of the Dead is one of those rare cases where the author’s death actually ended the franchise. Daisuke Sato passed away in March 2017 from ischemic heart disease, at age 52. The manga had already been on hiatus for years, and after his death, there has been no continuation. Rei’s story, and the story of every other character in the series, ends mid-run.
For fans who got attached to these characters, that’s been a hard thing to sit with. The series is what it is, and there’s no more coming.
Where to Watch Highschool of the Dead
As of 2026, Highschool of the Dead is available on Crunchyroll. The 12-episode anime and the single OVA are both included. The manga is available digitally through various platforms including Kodansha’s official site.
Heads up: Highschool of the Dead is rated for mature audiences for a reason. It includes graphic violence and is heavy on fan service that some viewers find dated. Go in informed about what you’re watching.
So, where does Rei rank for you among the survivors in Highschool of the Dead, and do you wish the story had ever been finished? For me, the unfinished ending is the biggest frustration about the whole series. Rei deserved a real conclusion.
