The Knuckleheads

Osaka, Tomo and Kagura.

The Knuckleheads (ボンクラーズ Bonkurāzu) is a group consisting of Tomo Takino, Ayumu "Osaka" Kasuga, and Kagura. Out of the six main characters from the series, the three of them are the dumbest, or those who get the worst results on exams. The "group" is first mentioned when Kagura is introduced to the class and finds that nearly everyone is smarter than her, with the exception of Tomo and Osaka, in whom she finds her "equals."

The trio being called the "Knuckleheads" (also "Bonklers," "Boneheads," or "Numbnuts," depending on the translation) started when Kagura called Tomo and Osaka "Bonkurāzu;" however, Osaka did not initially believe this included her, because she thought Kagura had only been speaking to Tomo and saying "Bonkura," which is singular.

The three of them tend to stick together so as to not be alone in being underachieving in a prestigious high school. Yomi in particular finds the three of them ridiculous.

Members

Out of the underachieving, Ayumu Kasuga is still the highest achieving. In the anime, she once suggested this should make her the leader, but the others disagreed.

Tomo Takino is the second highest achieving out of the underachieving. Her constant energy knows no limit, and she is also self-confident and insensitive.

Kagura's grades are only slightly worse than those of Tomo's, possibly because of Kagura's devotion to the swim team. She was named the leader of the Knuckleheads because of this.

Gallery

The Knuckleheads as they appear in the opening of the Azumanga Daioh anime.

The Knuckleheads standing over an offscreen terrified Chiyo.

The Knuckleheads as they appear in Azumanga Daioh: The Very Short Movie.

The Knuckleheads as they appear in Azumanga Daioh: Supplementary Lessons.

The Knuckleheads as they appear in Azumanga Daioh Puzzle Bobble.

Trivia

• To Yukari's surprise, all of them managed to make it into college.
• They were the only three out of the main girls who had never been on a plane before the class trip to Okinawa.
• Once, their exam results were 30 (Kagura), 31 (Tomo), and 42 (Osaka), making their combined score 103 points. They compared themselves to Chiyo, whose score was 100 points, exclaiming, "The Knuckleheads win!! We're not knuckleheads!!"
• They are all about the same height and have similar hair colours.
• When appearing together, Tomo and Kagura usually have angry expressions on their face, while Osaka maintains the same smile she usually has but with similar yet smaller eyes.