‘Oshi no Ko’: Why Does AI Hoshino Have Stars in Her Eyes?

The storyline of Oshi no Ko starts with Ai Hoshino, a popular teen idol who was so good at what she did. Of course, while we all know that Ai became popular due to her talents and looks, she has one of the most interesting character designs in the history of anime because of the fact that she has stars in her eyes. The stars make her stand out really well. However, why does Ai Hoshino even have stars in her eyes?

Ai Hoshino’s star eyes initially represent the fact that she is a star and was born to be one. However, on a deeper level, the stars in her eyes represent the fact that, as an idol, she is simply lying to everyone. So, when people see Ai and look in her eyes, they only see the “star” and not who she is.

Even though the storyline of Oshi no Ko can be somewhat fun, there is a dark detail that makes this storyline so interesting. We are talking about the fact that Ai once told Gorou Amamiya that idols are experts at lying and that all the things that their fans see whenever they see them are their lies. Of course, we believe that Ai’s star eyes have something to do with that. So, with that said, let’s look at why Ai Hoshino has star eyes.

Ai Hoshino’s Star Eyes Explained

The storyline of Oshi no Ko starts with a big event in the life of one of the most important characters, Ai Hoshino. That’s because Ai was one of the most popular idols in Japan and was such a huge hit that she had a ton of fans that loved her looks and talents. However, Ai secretly got pregnant, and things got interesting.

Nevertheless, as popular of an idol as Ai was, it was clear that she was made to stand out in a quite unique manner. That’s because, out of all of the different idols in the girl group that Ai worked in, she was the only one with a unique character design. Yes, we are talking about the stars that can be seen in her eyes.

Ai has stars in her eyes instead of the normal pupils that we see in most people’s eyes. Of course, Ai is the only one out of all of the different idols in her girl group that has these eyes. This makes her stand out, as it is clear that she is the only one that was keeping that group going due to her popularity, looks, and talent. But why does Ai Hoshino even have star eyes?

At first, Ai Hoshino’s eyes could just be a creative choice for the manga author to make her stand out. After all, Ai was supposed to be the biggest star of her girl group, and it only follows that. There should be something that would make her look more like a star compared to the other members of her group. It is also interesting to note that “Ai” rhymes with “eye” and that “Hoshino” basically means “star” in Japanese.

But the thing about this is that something deeper is going on with Ai Hoshino’s eyes. And we’re talking about the fact that she is a popular idol that understands that lying is a big part of her job.

Lies have been a major theme in Oshi no Ko, as Ai didn’t waste time telling Doctor Gorou Amamiya that she is the best at lying. The fact that she is such a great liar made her the most popular girl in her idol group. As such, Ai knows that she lives a life of lies and that her job as an idol mostly involves lying to her fans.

We know that Ai Hoshino and the other idols must maintain their cheerful personalities, as this is one of the demands of being an idol. She has to always make sure that she pleases her fans and that she does good things in the eyes of her fans. Ai knows that she must lie to maintain her life as an idol. In some way, there is the truth behind what Ai said because it is safe to say that the girl groups that are popular all over the real world are also probably lying. After all, they must maintain a façade that makes them more appealing.

So, what do the star eyes have to do with Ai Hoshino and her lies? Well, for starters, we know that eyes are the mirror to the soul, as the popular saying goes. So, when people look at Ai straight in the eyes, the stars are the first thing they will see. That means that a person who looks at Ai would immediately see a star idol instead of who she really was.

The stars in her eyes represent the façade she has to maintain as an idol, as those are the only things people see whenever they look at her. But the deeper truth is that there are more things to Ai than just being a star, as we all know that her real life was a lot different compared to the life that she often allowed people to see whenever she had to put on a show for her fans. Her eyes represent her lies and the things she had to do to maintain her image.

Why Do Aqua and Ruby Have Stars in Their Eyes?

Another interesting thing is that neither Gorou nor Sarina had stars in their eyes in their previous lives. However, they had a star in one eye when they were reborn as Ai Hoshino’s children. So, why do Aqua and Ruby have stars in their eyes?

Of course, the first thing that people would think is that they inherited the star eyes from their mother, as genetics will always play a role in a person’s appearance. Considering that they are twins, their genetics divided the trait equally, and that’s why both Aqua and Ruby only have one eye with a star.

But there’s also a good chance that the stars in their eyes also represent something deeper and darker. Yes, we are talking about the lies that both Aqua and Ruby live. And that’s because the entire storyline of Oshi no Ko revolves around lies.

In Aqua’s case, we know that he was once Doctor Gorou Amamiya before he was murdered by someone obsessed with Ai Hoshino. Upon reaching adulthood, he dedicated his life to discovering the truth behind his murder and the death of Ai Hoshino. After all, he was dedicated to Ai because he was a big fan of hers and wanted to take care of Ai for the sake of Sarina.

As such, the star in Aqua’s eye represents the fact that half of his life is a lie. He still lives as Gorou instead of Aqua, and that’s why his life as Aqua is merely a façade, considering that he still acts and thinks like Gorou.

Meanwhile, in Ruby’s case, the star in her eye likely represents the lies she has to maintain so that she can totally put her past life behind her. We know that Ruby was once Sarina, a patient in Gorou’s rural hospital, before she died from a terminal illness. And Sarina always wanted to be an idol.

Being reborn as Ruby allowed Sarina to finally live the life she always wanted because she was now the child of an idol and was now in a good position to become as big as her mother. As such, she is different from Aqua because she decided to move forward instead of trying to continue her life as Sarina. And while this isn’t totally bad because we know that Sarina lived a tough life, we still know that she is Sarina hiding under the façade of Ruby.