Kanade Tachibana is depicted as a teenage girl with fair skin and long, waist-length white hair, which is often perceived as blue. Her hair is secured at the back with a pale blue barrette, leaving a section of it elegantly styled up. She has straight front bangs that partially cover her eyebrows, contributing to her enigmatic and stoic demeanor.

Her striking yellow-gold eyes, which can exhibit hints of auburn or brown under certain lighting conditions, have a gentle upward curve that enhances her mysterious and kuudere character archetype.

Kanade is seen wearing the standard uniform of the Afterlife School, consisting of a skirt layered over a white petticoat, knee-high white socks, and brown loafers. She has a petite frame, standing at just 150 cm (4’11”). After her apparent reincarnation, her hair is depicted as being shorter and tied into a ponytail.

At first glance, Kanade Tachibana may seem like an ordinary high school girl, but her demeanor sharply contrasts with her apparent emotional detachment. She rarely displays outward feelings, making it challenging for others to gauge her thoughts and emotions. This lack of expressiveness often leads to questions about her awareness and consciousness. Despite this, Kanade is revealed to be quite intelligent; she effectively utilizes the Angel Player program to create weapons and defensive tools, prompting the Afterlife Battle Front to mistakenly view her as an angel sent by God.

As the narrative unfolds, Kanade gradually distances herself from forming friendships due to the painful reality of her world, where her companions eventually fade away. However, her interactions with Otonashi bring out glimpses of her emotions. Notably, in Episode 13, she shows vulnerability by pouting and smiling on occasion.

Kanade has a particular fondness for Mapo Tofu, so much so that she bends school rules to enjoy it. She even incorporates it into a self-composed school anthem towards the series’ conclusion. In her leisure time, she enjoys gardening and is a former member of the now-disbanded gardening club. Her friendship with Otonashi marks a significant change in her life, as she permits him to call her by her first name and often chooses to spend time with him. Kanade aids him in confrontations, notably assisting against Naoi and rescuing Otonashi and the SSS from a River Monster.

Over time, Kanade becomes more open with Otonashi, engaging in casual conversations and participating in his plans to help the SSS address their unresolved feelings regarding their deaths. As they grow closer, Otonashi notices her lack of common sense and affectionately refers to her as a “Clumsy Angel.” Notably, Kanade demonstrates an impressive pain tolerance, as she remains unfazed after being shot multiple times by the SSS and consistently recovers swiftly from injuries during their encounters.

Details about Kanade’s past are sparse, but a significant revelation occurs during Otonashi’s final moments alive. He mustered his remaining strength to indicate his wish to be an organ donor on the back of his ID, specifically circling the option to donate his heart. This act of selflessness ultimately connects him to Kanade, as it is revealed that she received his heart after his death.

While the circumstances of Kanade’s own death remain unclear, there are strong implications that she suffered from heart disease and was able to survive for a period after receiving Otonashi’s heart. Unfortunately, it seems that the transplant eventually failed to sustain her before she could complete her high school education.

Kanade has spent a considerable amount of time in the afterlife, sharing that all of her friends have either vanished or been obliterated. This suggests that she has been in the afterlife for an extended duration, during which she has made efforts to help others “graduate” from their own struggles.

In the manga, it is revealed that Yuri died after being struck by a car while waiting at a bus stop. She later told Otonashi that the police arrived thirty minutes after her siblings had been killed, though the circumstances of how they learned about the murders remain unclear.