Nanaba (Junior High Manga)

Nanaba (ナナバ) is a second year student attending Attack Junior High School.

Appearance
Nanaba is a girl of average height with blond hair parted in the middle. She is usually seen wearing a light colored shirt and pants.

Personality
Nanaba is extremely determined and hard-working. Cooking is very important for her and she strives to be the best at everything she does.

However, if she feels like she has been wronged in any way, Nanaba is known to carry a grudge for a long time.

Story
At some point after starting at Attack Junior High School, Nanaba decides to enroll in the school's Cooking Club. Another member of the club, Mike, takes note of her skill in cooking and assists her. Eventually, the Club dwindles down to Mike, Nanaba and a newcomer, Gelgar. Seeking Mike's opinion on her improved cooking skills, Nanaba makes a rice ball for him. However, Mike refuses to eat it and promptly leaves the club. Incredulous at this change of behavior, Nanaba asks for an explanation and is told he cannot eat any food prepared by either of them.

Believing this to be a critique of how Mike presumably views their cooking as horrible, both Nanaba and Gelgar begin planning a way to get back at Mike for this slight. They shadow Mike and enact their plan during the summer months while Mike is off on a bug-collecting expedition with several other members of the Survey Club. First, the two leave a bowl of cooked eel in a clearing which is eaten by Hange. Slightly taken back by this, they remain confident in their resolve. Hange soon eats another sampling of food laid out, prompting Nanaba and Gelgar to increase their efforts.

Certain Mike will be forced to partake in a large banquet of Korean barbecue, both Nanaba and Gelgar are shocked that Oluo, Gunther and Eld manage to eat all of it and even ask for more; while Mike has still refused to eat a morsel of their food. Driven over the edge, Nanaba creates a massive ice-cream sundae; this backfires when Petra consumes it all.

Having had enough, the two make their presence known and claim it was to get revenge on what Mike has done to them. To everyone's surprise, Mike reveals that he cannot eat food that has not been made by his own parents, regardless of how well it has been made. Nanaba affirms that she just wants him to try something made by her and reveals that she still has the rice ball made for Mike. Mike then grabs it and after eating it, promptly falls over due to the deliciousness.

Some time after Mike rejoins the Cooking Club, Nanaba notices both Sasha and Mikasa approach them; Sasha reveals that they wish to join the club. Despite her misgivings, Nanaba allows Sasha to peel some potatoes when she (along with Mike and Gelgar) are surprised that Mikasa has already made several plates of fried rice. Upon sampling it, all three are overcome by the flavor and taste, noting it is unlike anything they have tried before; Nanaba goes one step further and begs Mikasa to take her as a disciple. Disappointed that Mikasa refuses to join the Club or teach her cooking methods, Nanaba spearheads a cooking competition against Mikasa and enlists both Gelgar and Mike to assist her.

Eventually, Nanaba decides to send word to Mikasa and issues the challenge, enlisting Eren, Armin, Jean, Sasha and Connie to be the judges. After Mikasa eventually accepts, Nanaba reveals the stakes of the challenge: if the Cooking Club wins, Mikasa will have to leave the Survey Club and instead join the Cooking Club. After everyone praises Cooking Club for their dishes and gives them the vote and with Eren praising Mikasa for her cheese loaf, Nanaba accepts the defeat reasoning that Eren's happiness was the most important part in Mikasa's cooking. Later, Hange comes to visit Nanaba and gifts her cookies baked by Levi to lighten Nanaba's mood. Amazed by Levi's baking skills, Nanaba runs to him and requests Levi to make her his disciple.

Relationships

 * Mike - Nanaba first had a favorable impression of Mike due to him noticing her skill in cooking and helping her improve during her tenure as a club member. They have a brief falling out and caused Nanaba to hate Mike for not sampling her food, not knowing of Mike's germophobia. Fortunately, they are able to straighten the misunderstanding out and become friends again.
 * Gelgar - Nanaba presumably has a stable relationship with fellow Cooking Club member Gelgar.
 * Mikasa Ackerman - Initially unsure of her abilities, Nanaba was greatly impressed with how Mikasa was able to cook and prepare some fried rice; she even acknowledges Mikasa's skill as being superior to her own, asking to be taught from her.
 * Levi - Nanaba was amazed by Levi's baking skills after Hange brought cookies cooked by Levi.