On the Hello! Project subforum, fans traded speculation over which group trainees Hikari Yoshida and Rua Hattori might be promoted to next. Pointing to the opening left by Kirari Hashisako’s graduation from Tsubaki Factory, the state of ANGERME a year and a half after Nagano joined, and the fact that both trainees hail from Aichi Prefecture, posters floated several candidate groups, including ANGERME, Juice=Juice, and Tsubaki Factory. Others pushed back, noting that “the era of promoting everyone is over” and that promotion itself isn’t guaranteed — leaving opinion split.
What people said
1AnonymousSep 16, 2026 08:14
She's not the kind of talent you can afford to let go.
2AnonymousSep 16, 2026 08:15
The fact that she's still here says it all.
4AnonymousSep 16, 2026 08:16
It's ANGERME, obviously
A surprise addition is going to be announced at Pia MM (a Hello! Project concert event)
6AnonymousSep 16, 2026 08:17
Being disliked by the 'jinx' ANGERME otaku (fans whose wishes always backfire) probably means she's exactly the right fit for ANGERME.
7AnonymousSep 16, 2026 08:17
That's why I've been saying all along that Yoshida is perfect for ANGERME.
8AnonymousSep 16, 2026 08:18
She'd be in the way.
Don't put her in the same group as Mochi.
It'll make things harder for Mochi.
9AnonymousSep 16, 2026 08:18
Might be just the skill boost today's skill-starved ANGERME needs? Nagano alone wasn't enough.
10AnonymousSep 16, 2026 08:18
It's only been a year and a half since Nagano joined, you know?
Can they really squeeze in two big senpai on top of that?
11AnonymousSep 16, 2026 08:19
People said she'd be Hashisako's replacement, but who knew Hashisako would actually graduate at this exact moment — must be fate.
Hattori can adapt anywhere.
12AnonymousSep 16, 2026 08:20
Yeah, yeah, so it'd create an age-order twist with Nagano?
Then ANGERME's out.
13AnonymousSep 16, 2026 08:21
Most likely scenario: a new unit gets announced around March, right before the next skills assessment test, and both of them get put in it.
14AnonymousSep 16, 2026 08:22
The Aichi slot just opened up, after all.
You could basically call Hattori-to-ANGERME a done deal.
15AnonymousSep 16, 2026 08:22
ANGERME's still got plenty more openings coming.
17AnonymousSep 16, 2026 08:23
ANGERME otaku themselves have said the visual-type members join ANGERME, so that settles it.
21AnonymousSep 16, 2026 08:37
People say Hattori's headed for Tsubaki Factory, but isn't that a no-go with Murata already there?
I think ANGERME is more likely since a senpai is on her way out.
Shion Tamenaga: "I'm rooting for Hikari Yoshida, so I really want her to get promoted. To ANGERME, if possible."
https://kizuna.5ch.io/test/read.cgi/morningcoffee/1786854986
25AnonymousSep 16, 2026 08:42
Juice=Juice is calling dibs on Yoshida, so ANGERME should look elsewhere.
26AnonymousSep 16, 2026 08:47
https://hpupdate.info/?p=555989
The Fundamental Yoshida/Hattori Question [Hello! Project Trainees]
34AnonymousSep 16, 2026 09:04
She's an important Aichi-born member, so she has to go into either Morning Musume or ANGERME.
36AnonymousSep 16, 2026 09:07
Re: #34
Wait, Yoshida's from Aichi? Then it's settled — ANGERME it is.
35AnonymousSep 16, 2026 09:06
ANGERME won't ever make a real comeback until they drop this arrogant idea that they get to be picky about new members.
38AnonymousSep 16, 2026 09:09
Re: #36
We've been talking about Hattori this whole time.
Why's it suddenly Yoshida? She's from Tokyo.
39AnonymousSep 16, 2026 09:12
She got a short haircut and she's two school years below Nagano, so maybe ANGERME.
45AnonymousSep 16, 2026 09:45
Re: #39
'ni sarete' (passive: was made to) — wrong
'ni shite' (active: made herself) — correct
Hattori-kun's color is Rosy (pink)
No idea about Yoshida since her color totally clashes/overlaps with someone else's.
42AnonymousSep 16, 2026 09:30
I want Hikari to come to Juice=Juice, but squeezing into the current lineup of 11 might be tough.
Still, it'd sting to see another group snatch her up.
48AnonymousSep 16, 2026 09:51
If Hattori joins, any group's vocals instantly become solid.
Background and Key Points of This Discussion
Hello! Project trainees are typically promoted to full member status after passing skills assessment tests, but in recent years not everyone makes the cut — as one poster in the thread put it, “the era of promoting everyone is over.” For the two trainees discussed here, fans cited concrete circumstances — an opening left by a senior member’s graduation, and matching age/hometown patterns with existing members — as grounds for naming candidate groups, making this more than idle wishful thinking, since it’s grounded in actual open slots. That said, none of these comments come from the trainees themselves or from an official Hello! Project announcement — they remain fan speculation. Opinions in the thread are split over whether ANGERME, Juice=Juice, or Tsubaki Factory is most likely, so this should not be taken as a settled fact.
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