

(If your answer is 'because the manga does it', then I'll just convert my
question about the anime to a question about the manga.) In both sub and dub,
what I recall is that the narrator calls Kaguya by 1st name but pretty much
everyone else by last name. You can see for yourself besides the regular
narration, there's also the official result at the end of a sub-episode.

Some examples from s1 and s2:

1 - Shirogane instead of Miyuki (eg S02E03)

[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/VPEqy.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/VPEqy.jpg)

2 - Fujiwara instead of Chika (eg S02E02)

[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/07euz.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/07euz.jpg)

3 - Ishigami instead of Yu (eg S01E06)

[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/5amj7.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/5amj7.jpg)

4 - Hayasaka instead of Ai (eg S02E04)

[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ysr5j.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ysr5j.jpg)

5 - Kei Shirogane instead of...well I think this 1 is ok since Kei is not a
major character or at least has the same last name as a more major character
(specifically a main character). (eg S01E08)

[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/l1grc.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/l1grc.jpg)

6 - Iino instead of Miko (eg S02E09)

[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/OtGi5.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/OtGi5.jpg)

But

Kaguya instead of Shinomiya (eg S01E01)

[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/sJnrI.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/sJnrI.jpg)

Possibly related:

  1. [How does last name-kun compare to 1st name-san?](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/93904/how-does-last-name-kun-compare-to-1st-name-san)

  2. [Why does Naegi call Togami "kun" and Aoi "san"?](https://anime.stackexchange.com/questions/36915/why-does-naegi-call-togami-kun-and-aoi-san)

* * *

**Edit 1: Guess** : Wait...I think easy guess...far easier than the (cw)
answer I posted. Kaguya is simply the viewpoint character and so is called by
1st name.

It's like Harry Potter: Iirc, JK Rowling's narrator calls Harry Potter as
Harry and calls the rest of the characters the way Harry would call them
except possibly for the title/honorific.

  * Eg Harry calls Ron Weasley as 'Ron', so the narrator says 'Ron'. Eg However, Harry calls Severus Snape as (Professor) Snape, so the narrator says 'Snape'. However, if Harry calls Severus Snape as (Professor) Severus, then I guess the narrator would say 'Severus'.

But eh could be double entendre. Like both viewpoint character and something
in my cw answer.

* * *

**Edit 2** : Btw, in the [afterword in Volume 22 Chapter
221.1](https://i.stack.imgur.com/UD7Pi.png), Aka Akasaka actually refers to
Miyuki Shirogane by last name but to Kaguya Shinomiya by 1st name.


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japanese-language kaguya-sama-love-is-war
Why does the narrator call Kaguya by 1st name but everyone else by either last name or full name?


Just a cw answer since these are my own little conjectures. I don't quite have
a good basis, but I have ideas based on a **source** outside the anime (eg the
manga, the live action or an author interview).

* * *

# Idea 1

My **source** is:

> the 1st movie.

This source makes me think that **the narrator actually has an identity** ,
namely

> Kaguya's cardiologist Dr. Shozo Tanuma. In the 1st movie, Tanuma and the
> narrator are portrayed by the same person Jiro Sato.

And it's actually said explicitly

> I'm the person in charge of the narration for this story. [![enter image
> description
> here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/bViRt.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/bViRt.jpg)

Idk. In this case, I guess the narrator calls or later starts calling Kaguya
by 1st name due to **knowing Kaguya personally** but doesn't know anyone else
personally and thus calls the rest either last name or full name.

Of course we see initially at some point in

> the anime series that the supposed narrator doesn't yet do this...

> S02E08

> [![enter image description
> here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/eE0ns.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/eE0ns.jpg)

and

> [![enter image description
> here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/vVFwV.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/vVFwV.jpg)

* * *

# Idea 2 (not mine)

Another guess I read elsewhere:

Also there's a reddit post that says [Kaguya's dad is the
narrator](https://www.reddit.com/r/Kaguya_sama/comments/g6ozul/kaguyas_father_might_be_the_narrator/).
I guess that would explain also things: Kaguya's dad calls Kaguya by 1st name
and everyone else by last/full name.

* * *

# Idea 3 (mine again):

Same flavour as the previous ideas: The narrator is simply someone who knows
Kaguya personally but doesn't quite know the others personally or as well or
at least calls them by last name but Kaguya by 1st name.

  * Idea 3.1. But instead of (Idea 1)

> Kaguya's cardiologist

it's like, say, a psychiatrist or psychologist that Kaguya sees in the future.

  * Idea 3.2. Or could be anyone Kaguya confides in that doesn't really know the others or at least fits the bill of calling Kaguya by 1st name and the rest by last name. I think for example Nagisa Kashiwagi fits the bill. We see in S02E05 that Nagisa, in h own thoughts, refers to Kaguya as 'Kaguya-san' and Miyuki as 'Shirogane-kun'.

> [![enter image description
> here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/P5iSW.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/P5iSW.jpg)

> [![enter image description
> here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/3qjMl.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/3qjMl.jpg)

(However, in actual conversation, Nagisa might address Miyuki directly as
'Kaichou' or 'Shirogane-san' or whatever.)

Note 1: In S01E05, Nagisa addresses Kaguya as 'Kaguya-sama'. Well, at least
it's not Shinomiya-sama, so I think this doesn't rule out Nagisa.

> [![enter image description
> here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/SVBIH.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/SVBIH.jpg)

**Wait, au contraire, perhaps this previous Kaguya-sama actually suggests
Nagisa is the narrator because -sama is the honorific used in the title** if
none of the other named anime characters so far (besides Ai) call Kaguya as
Kaguya-sama and if there isn't a result at the end of a story that includes
Nagisa's name.

Note 2: Oh in S01E10, Nagisa says Shinomiya-san. Okay I don't know what to
think anymore for Nagisa. Lol. --> [Why does Nagisa call Kaguya 1st Kaguya-
sama then later Shinomiya-san and then later Kaguya-
san?](https://anime.stackexchange.com/questions/66615/why-does-nagisa-call-
kaguya-1st-kaguya-sama-then-later-shinomiya-san-then-later)

> [![enter image description
> here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/k92nX.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/k92nX.jpg)

* * *

# Idea 4:

In the dub, Ai Hayasaka could be the narrator because AmaLee both voices Ai
and [dubs the openings](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03OvXCvtV0E). This
also would explain why in the chapter titles, as well as the actual title,
Kaguya is called Kaguya-sama.

* * *

# Idea 5:

Chika is the narrator.

> Akasaka said that he is like Chika in that he loves board games, and that he
> feels like her and has her personality when friends and family visit.


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