Shotaro/Relationships

## Best Friend

### Emine

Shotaro and Emine have a complex relationship: they seem to remain best friends, despite being on opposite sides when it comes to their goals for humans, Shotaro desiring to protect them, Emine desiring to kill them all. Even after learning Emine is a violent murderer, Shotaro still thinks of him as his best friend and desires to reunite with him. Shotaro even thinks of Emine as analogous to a brother, as he remembers his friendship with Emine when he is disgusted how the Older Tast Brother is willing to kill his younger brother.

   Emine and Shotaro were orphans and best friends. As children, they would imitate their favorite superhero, Charisma Justice, and befriend stray pets and animals in their neighborhood. While the two were frequently the object of scorn from neighbors for being orphans, the two vowed to be each other's support. Emine thinks the two of them became invincible, not just an imaginary power but an actual one that emerged from their very hearts.

It was Shotaro's love for Emine, and Emine's love for Shotaro, that allowed the two to awaken as Dokeshi: as Emine remembers it, he and Shotaro faced all violence together, gaining a trust in each other through those struggles, "an invincible friendship." One such violent experience was when bullies stabbed Shotaro and beat Emine almost to death. As he laid dying, Shotaro looked to animals and thought, with their many abilities, he could protect Emine. Meanwhile, as he laid injured, Emine looked to Shotaro and thought how if he had power, then he could heal Shotaro. According to Emine, at that moment their strong feelings for each other, to be together, allowed him and Shotaro to become Dokeshi.

When Emine separated from Shotaro, Shotaro began a journey to reunite with his best friend, which he continued from childhood into his teenage years. He expressed this desire frequently, especially in his sleep: when knocked unconscious by Mana's scooter, he called out to Emine, and when falling to sleep after mending the relationship between Kisuke and the Elderly Farmer, he desired to mend his relationship with Emine, too. His desire to find Emine is so strong that he will seek even unconventional methods, such as consulting the prognosticator Christina S. Imbroglia, traveling to the missing person database systems in I. C. Prefecture, and attempting to follow Lin Kinpar upon overhearing her name Emine. Shotaro is so adamant to see Emine that, even when Imbroglia, a seemingly reliable prognosticator, tells him it is impossible, he stubbornly promises he will reunite with him.

Shotaro seems aware of Emine's crimes. The spirit within his bones, Kyokotsu, which may be part of Shotaro himself rather than a different entity, reminds him of Emine's actions. He tells Yohei Nanami that Emine does bad deeds. This knowledge leads Shotaro to feel responsible for Emine's actions. He refers to his supposed failure to save Emine from becoming evil as one motivation why he performs good deeds daily, not only out of his Dokeshi condition and despite how many humans he help still curse him for being a Dokeshi. He also says he understands the need to help people like Emine, even if they behave badly, such as Kisuke when he went on a rampage against the Elderly Farmer's land. Shotaro has expressed hope that his good deeds will allow him to keep his friendship with Emine, as he explains that, as part of his Dokeshi Condition, should he fail to perform his daily good deed, he will "lose something precious." Shotaro thinks that the precious something could be a dream, friendship, or ambition, what Emine told Shotaro would be "the 'light' that you need to live."

Aside from people he informs of Emine's crimes, such as Yohei and Tool, other people seem aware of Shotaro's relationship with Emine, as well as Emine's crimes. The Older Tast Brother transformed into Emine to cause Shotaro to hesitate attacking him. Shotaro's friendship with Emine also leads others to see Shotaro as admirable. Mana smiles, even when brawling with Shotaro for embarrassing her, thinking that, if Emine could befriend Shotaro, then what kind of person is he.

For his part, Emine thinks Shotaro, although his best friend, will always be away from him: Shotaro can only perform good deeds, Emine only bad deeds. Emine explains he is "made out of loneliness, apathy, and a handful of discontent." He therefore seems to think that he cannot regain his previous friendship with Shotaro, or fears he will eventually lose what friendship they still have. But Emine also seems to think there are goals more important than keeping his friendship, especially as he thinks Justice, as a concept Shotaro wants to upload, is analogous to a sin: as he tells Shotaro, "If I can't be with the only friend I have who will accept me, I'd rather be completely alone." However, even as Emine fears Shotaro will abuse that sense of Justice until it too becomes a sin, he also tells Shotaro to use Justice to stop him, perhaps hoping that Shotaro will finally stop his violence.

Despite their friendship, Shotaro is willing to fight Emine, not only to protect himself but to protect humans. He fights him off in the I. C. Prefecture alley when Emine attacks him to escape, and he works with superheroes like Charisma Justice, evidently to stop whatever plans Emine and the Masked Assembly has to hurt humans. So far, none of these battles have resulted in significant injuries to either Dokeshi, whether because they are holding back out of their continued love for each other, or because they are each too strong to be injured by the other one's attacks. There is some evidence to suggest Shotaro is holding back in combat, at least initially: when their battle in I. C. Prefecture begins, Shotaro tries to keep a positive, pleasant demeanor, using Bone of the Monkey not to attack but to hug Emine so they can talk and catch up. As the battle persists, Shotaro appears more ferocious, even angry with Emine. Such hostility seems to dissipate after this fight in I. C. Prefecture ends: their next battle, at the Masked Assembly, has Shotaro demonstrating not ill will but compassion, as he thinks, "Emine, I will always be on your side."

## Friends and Allies

### Mana Hinoki

While Mana initially thought of Shotaro as foolish--and still holds to that opinion--she quickly comes to see his good nature, as he is quick to make friends even with people who hate him for being a Dokeshi. Shotaro can annoy Mana frequently with his silliness, leading her to reprimand him verbally or physically. Nevertheless, Mana shows concern for Shotaro's physical and emotional well-being, defending him against anyone who insults him for being a Dokeshi or worried when he is injured (even by herself). While she is more reticent to trust others as easily, she seems to admire Shotaro for his trust in others and his good deeds, and she considers him her first real friend. Even when Mana is furious with Shotaro, she may still smile, thinking that Shotaro must be a good person, as he only wants to perform good deeds in order to reunite with his childhood best friend Emine.

Mana forms a quick friendship with Shotaro, likely based on seeing his innocence, how quickly he protects others for no personal gain, and his forgiveness even when people hate him for being a Dokeshi. Despite only knowing him for less than a day, after they rescue the Governor, Mana almost immediately invites him to join her on her journey to meet with Christina S. Imbroglia, and then joins Shotaro to help him find Emine by use of the databases in I. C. Prefecture. After hearing Christina S. Imbroglia refer to Shotaro as having a "very deep darkness" to his eyes, and knowing he is a Dokeshi, Mana does momentarily express fear about what kind of a person Shotaro actually is. Nevertheless, although Mana expresses concern that Shotaro is a Dokeshi, given what she has heard about criminals who happen to be Dokeshi, she does not let such fears compromise her friendship. She was at first surprised by Shotaro's abilities, such as her shock when he leapt high with Bone of the Bird, or her disgust when he used Bone of the Snake. Mana is also disgusted when Shotaro uses Bone of the Snake to crawl out the anus of the Elderly Farmer's Gobi frog, after he consumed him. With time, it seems Mana grows accustomed to Shotaro's wide range of Bone Powers, as her disgust or surprise subsides, especially when the two work together in combat.

Shotaro and Mana seem to be coordinated when fighting alongside each other in combat, whether against the Tast Brothers, Fear Factory, or the Fear Robot. Shotaro admires Mana for her strength in combat. When he sees smoke from the Fighting Robot Stadium in I. C. Prefecture, actually caused by the Fear Robot's fatal attack on spectators, Shotaro assumes the smoke is because Mana "must be going wild" in this battle. He even mistakes the Fear Robot for being Mana herself, thinking she or her robot Get grew. It was Mana who figured out that Tool's dish could be used by Shotaro to perform Dish of the Kappa, which allowed them to finally remove the entire soul of the Fear Robot and thus destroy Fear Factory.

Both Shotaro and Mana are adamant about performing good deeds for others, including for each other. They collaborate to assist people, such as reconciling the Elderly Farmer and Nisuke, rescuing Yohei from Fear Factory, protecting I. C. Prefecture and the world by destroying the Fear Robot, or helping a man get his finger out of his nose. Shotaro also think he can depend on Mana for help, especially should he make a mistake, such as when he considers borrowing money from Mana to pay for a meal he ate at a Toykyo burger stand.

Mana is quick to defend Shotaro when he is criticized for being a Dokeshi, especially after he helps the very people who dislike him. When Mana sees a mother glare at Shotaro after he assisted her child retrieve a balloon, Mana is surprised at such discourtesy. And when the Vice Governor insults all Dokeshi, then later hypocritically asks for Shotaro's help, Mana repeatedly defends Shotaro Mana also is willing to help Shotaro reunite with Emine. She coerces Yohei, for breaking her scooter, to give Shotaro a ride to I. C. Prefecture to use the area's databases to search for Eneme. She also expresses concern for his safety, such as when Shotaro exhausts himself from biting Horn of the Ogre to assist Kisuke, passing out in the process. When he passes out, Mana keeps an eye on the sleeping Shotaro throughout their long ride from Mt. Fooji to I. C. Prefecture. She also will remind Tool, after he insults Shotaro's outfit, that his gaudy biker's jacket is hardly better. Despite his strength, Mana expresses worry for Shotaro's safety, especially if she has not seen him for some time.

As Mana will defend him, Shotaro wants to be courteous to, friendly to, and protective of her as well. Despite for the short amount of time he knows her, Shotaro does want to be courteous, friendly, and protective of Mana. He is polite enough to leave a note with his new acquaintance, Yohei Nanami, to inform him when he will return from repairing a damaged burger stand. And when he cannot find her after these repairs, he wants to reunite with her--albeit by rifling through her private backpack, removing her bra, and using its scent to follow her with Bone of the Dog. Shotaro also is adamant about protecting Mana in battle, saving her life when they battled the Tast Brothers, NoFix, and the Fear Robot. He will even give up his clothes off his back for her to wear if she gets her clothes wet.

Despite her misgivings of the Dokeshi, Mana wants to maintain her friendship Shotaro. After rescuing her and all of Solence's other hostages, Shotaro immediately tries to untie her and asks whether she is okay. As he struggles to untie her--and accidentally ties up himself--Mana realizes that although Shotaro is dangerous, she is the first person she has befriended, and she did decide to be more cheerful. While she believes in Imbroglia's fortune-telling because she wants to believe what people say, she also realizes that not every fortune is accurate.

While Shotaro can be concerned for Mana, his immaturity and ignorance may lead him to ignore when she needs moral support, such as when an argument between her, Tool, and Yohei leaves her upset and causes a fissure in the group. Shotaro smiles despite the argument; based on his behavior during most arguments and fights, his refusal to interfere may be because he sees the best in people and does not want to escalate, or as with his battle against Emine, because he puts on a smile despite worries. Perhaps because Mana demonstrates her strength and combat skills, Shotaro tends not to worry about her safety against less powerful opponents, especially in sanctioned battle. However, should he see someone stronger than Mana attack her outside of sanction battle, Shotaro will promise to avenge her.

Mana can be bemused or exasperated with Shotaro's foolishness. When she arrived to Chinjuku, she spotted Shotaro watching *Justice* on an electronics shop's TV set, imitating Charisma Justice's moves. Mana thought his behavior was rather immature. She is surprised at Shotaro's ignorance, such as his ignorance that a Dokeshi had kidnapped the Governor, and his ignorance when his favorite television show *Justice* airs. Mana playfully teases Shotaro as clumsy, such as his failure to perform Punishment Games in Toykyo. Mana is exasperated that Shotaro cannot tell when he is mocked, such as when he interprets bystanders' insults as compliments during his Punishment Game. She also frequently corrects his malapropisms. When he tries to untie ropes around her wrists when she is held hostage by Solence, she is surprised he manages to get his hands tied in the process. When Shotaro wrote an illegible note for her, even he cannot read it.

She will attack Shotaro for problems that are not even his fault, such as when she assumes he (not Yohei) destroyed her scooter, or when the Kyokotsu, out of his own volation, left Shotaro too weak to help them escape the crumbling Fear Factory Headquarters. Mana is also willing to hurt Shotaro to effect her own goals, such as following Yohei's instructions to kick Shotaro, under the influence of Dish of the Kappa, so hard that he can break through the ceiling and out of Fear Factory. While such means are violent, Mana does so likely because it allows for the survival of her, Shotaro, and their friends, because Shotaro can survive such physical abuse with seemingly quick recovery, and because Shotaro is willing to be put into pain for their survival.

For his part, Shotaro also can be exasperated with Mana. He can see through Mana's attempts to appear mature; after she refused to help save the Governor, then changes her mind later in order to earn a commendation, Shotaro mocks her for such mercenary tactics. Shotaro is sometimes confused by Mana, whether her tendency to participate in odd competitions such as Stop Putting on Such an Obviously Fake Expression Competition in Chinjuku, or his ignorance about what a bra is.

Although both obviously value friendship, Shotaro less frequently displays the same emotionality over friendship as Mana; rather, Shotaro tends to laugh off such sentimentalism while Mana cries. Similarly, Shotaro is more likely to laugh off insults, such as those by Yohei, than Mana.

Shotaro also is prone to mock or embarrass Mana. Shotaro is ignorant how he can be embarrassing to Mana. He invades her privacy by searching through her bag, then removing her bra and, following Yohei's instructions (to embarrass him), wears the bra on his head. He also mocks her for her appearance or for failing to pass a Punishment Game. A particularly sore point for Mana is when Shotaro mocks her for her height (even though they are about the same height), calling her "pipsqueak." Shotaro seems unaware how insulting he can be to Mana. When he awoke after being struck by her scooter, he thought she resembled a monster, which angered her. Shotaro even forgets that Mana was missing. He calls her "garbage" as an anagram of her name, which as an insult from her childhood infuriates her until she attacks him violently. Mana is prone to punish Shotaro with verbal lashings or physical abuse. When learning Yohei destroyed her scooter, she immediately lashes out at Shotaro, seizing him by his face, asking how he could take her bra and then wreck her scooter. When Yohei then accuses Mana of having unsexy underwear and ordering Shotaro to check her bag to confirm, Mana knocks Shotaro to the street to prevent him from doing so. Furious that Shotaro wears her bra on his head, Mana, even with her limbs bound, leaps up and kicks Shotaro. In almost all cases, Shotaro either apologizes or is reprimanded verbally or physically by Mana. Despite Mana's attacks, both she and Shotaro tend to smile and seem to hold no ill will towards each other. Although Mana is prone to beat Shotaro, she also is concerned for his well-being. When she accidentally struck him with her scooter upon their first meeting, Mana expressed regret for her actions and tended to his injuries.

While Mana tries to be the more mature between herself and Shotaro, both teenagers are still prone to silliness, often practicing the same behavior seen as foolish by their older colleagues. This includes their equal fascination with Tool's bald head, or ignoring Tool's instructions to be quiet in Fear Factory and instead shouting Yohei's name repeatedly. Noticing their similar foolishness, Yohei refers to Mana and Shotaro as "birds of a feather." Tool expresses almost equal exasperation with the two teenagers. He complains when Mana and Shotaro call aloud for Yohei when they are supposed to be infiltrating Fear Factory silently, and when they attract the attention of Fear Robot soldiers and robots, to the point that he will lift both teenagers and carry them around himself to quiet them. This same silliness may not be too far from that of Tool, however, and Yohei as well, such as when the quartet all demand mundane items from Fear Factory when they threaten to destroy their organization over a hacked video feed. At other times, it seems like Mana has more in common with Tool to castigate Shotaro and Yohei for their immaturity and lackadaisical nature, even when facing the threat of Fear Factory or separation.

Mana also expresses her own desire to be famous like Shotaro, although not as a superhero but as an idol.

### Yohei Nanami

Although Shotaro and Yohei have a lot in common, including an appreciation for Charisma Justice's television show and taking life more lightly than Mana and Tool, Yohei is certainly the more mature of the duo. He also Shotaro's naivete for his own amusement. However, as Yohei is perceptive from his time hunting Dokeshi like Shotaro, he is quickly aware of Shotaro's power as the Kyokotsu. If Yohei's work fighting Dokeshi as part of the Dokeshi Hunt still weighs on his mind, it does not stop him from being Shotaro's friend. Shotaro will battle any opponent, no matter how powerful, to protect Yohei, even against the Fear Robot. He seems to do so not only to fulfill his daily good deed but out of friendship for Yohei.

Shotaro first met Yohei when the latter was escaping Fear Factory and its commander, Solence. Engaging in a high-speed chase through Chinjuku, Yohei's Jeep avoided hitting Shotaro and a nearby burger stand--but Solence's motorcycle rammed through the stand. Shotaro saved the burger stand's child proprietor and took off after Solence to retrieve the banner that belong to the proprietor's dead father, which was now stuck and dragged by Solence's motorcycle. Shotaro used Bone of the Bird to land in Yohei's Jeep. As the two quickly realized they had a common enemy, they defeated Solence and returned the banner to the proprietor.

Although Shotaro is powerful with many untapped abilities, Yohei seems unsurprised. Upon first meeting Shotaro, Yohei already recognizes him as the Kyokotsu, perhaps from his time working for the Dokeshi Hunt or even for Fear Factory.

Despite knowing Shotaro only for a short time, Yohei is willing to assist him, whether retrieving the burger stand banner, recording *[Justice]]*, waiting in front of Christina S. Imbroglia's fortune shop to leave a message for Mana, helping Shotaro rescue Mana, assisting Shotaro in performing a good deed for Kisuke, or taking Shotaro to I. C. Prefecture. Yohei, however, expresses confusion why Shotaro would want to help strangers so much. Yohei's willingness to help Shotaro may initially be because he wants to learn more about the Kyokotsu.. Over time, this willingness seems to be out of friendship, especially when Shotaro and their friends rescue him from Fear Factory and help him defeat NoFix and the Fear Robot. Like Mana and Tool, Yohei is willing to tend to Shotaro's injuries, such as carrying him after he passes out from over-exerting himself using Horn of the Ogre.

In combat, Yohei, as the more experienced and older of the two, frequently takes on the task of devising plans. He determined ways for Shotaro to use his Bone Powers and his own weapons to defeat Solence and to escape the collapsing Fear Factory Headquarters. Shotaro seems to trust Yohei's judgment; whether he does so because he is already so trusting, or because he sees evidence of Yohei's skill, is not yet clear. Whereas Shotaro is naive about a lot of the world, Yohei is more world weary, whether by his personality, his traumatic experiences with the Dokeshi Hunt, or his mercenary tendencies to work for the evil organization Fear Factory. While Shotaro is scared to be shot at and drive without a license, Yohei will continue to smoke and calmly tell Shotaro that a necktie is enough for a substitute license.

Yohei is also not above manipulating Shotaro for his gain or amusement. Yohei seems to enjoy bragging to Shotaro about his inventions, such as his Jeep or the Silver Gun, perhaps finding in him a willing, listening audience. Yohei also tricks Shotaro to think Mana's bra is a head accessory so can get her to kick by her in retaliation for such embarrassment. He even silently lets Shotaro take the blame for the destruction of Mana's scooter, until Mana realizes it was actually Yohei. Yohei even demonstrates his Silver Gun by having its Dog Mode bite into Shotaro--and again later as punishment for not knocking down a door earlier and instead letting Yohei waste time trying to hack its electronic lock. If Shotaro dislikes Yohei's trickery, insults, and physical attacks, he does not make it obvious, as he smiles or laughs when Yohei calls him, Tool, and Mana his "pawns."

Nevertheless, Yohei expresses affection for and confidence in his friend Shotaro. Yohei will even pat Shotaro on the head. He appears frightened when he sees Shotaro facing Rodigy or the Fear Robot, worried that the Dokeshi is still not strong enough to face such powerful enemies. Yet Shotaro's confidence, as well as his knowledge about the Kyokotsu within him, leads him to have faith in Shotaro, something he reminds Mana when she worries how long Shotaro has been away.

Shotaro has similar affection and concern for Yohei, whom he calls "Yo-kun." This concern culminates in his participation in Tool's mission to rescue him from Fear Factory. While he takes that mission seriously, doesn't mean that Shotaro won't be distracted by his own breezy fuku uniform, however, or ignore Tool's instructions to be covert and instead loudly shouting Yohei's name as soon as they sneak into Fear Factory. Shotaro has faith in Yohei: when the latter worries he is a God of Death, Shotaro immediately disagrees, partly because he has no idea what a God of Death is, but also because Yohei is his friend. He may also look to Yohei for help and even protection. Shotaro will seek Yohei's help to avoid injury, such as when hiding behind him to avoid Tool. Shotaro seems to avoid getting in the way of arguments that Yohei has with others, such as not taking a side when he, Tool, and Mana have a particularly hostile argument that leads to the temporary dissolution of their group.

Despite his age, Yohei also seems to be as immature as Shotaro when it comes to a sense of humor and what constitutes heroism. Both mock Mana for her appearance, whether her height or her sometimes monstrous appearance. Both of them also join in with Tool and Mana to mock Fear Factory with a list of demands before they destroy their headquarters. Yohei and Shotaro share an appreciation for the television show *Justice*, with each of them knowing most of Charisma Justice's Justice Blade attacks. Yohei is willing to record the show for Shotaro, and Shotaro thinks that Yohei probably would enjoy hearing him sing the theme song. Yohei will even laugh at Shotaro's song about "poopy." These similarities often have Shotaro and Yohei in disagreement with the more serious Tool and Mana. Yohei comes to refer to himself and Shotaro as "Take It Easy" team while referring to Tool and Mana as "Class Clowns," or finding the Kyokotsu's departure to be heroic--when he just left Shotaro and his friends to die in the Fear Factory explosion. Although Yohei is a brilliant strategist, his oversights can annoy Tool and Mana, while Shotaro just grins and ignores such flaws.

While he is usually calm, Yohei, as with their other friends, still can express annoyance with Shotaro's foolishness. Yohei is upset when Shotaro cannot aim his air gun, firing it so erratically as to damage his Jeep rather than the vehicle of their enemy, or his foolishness to press all buttons on his Jeep rather than drive calmly. He also assumes Shotaro will get in the way of any preparations he has to make, such as when camping and cooking, so he tries to have him play by himself.

### Tool

Shotaro and Tool have a friendship that began out of a misunderstanding and violent reactions. Once Yohei clarifies his previous friendship with Tool, however, he and Shotaro begin to get along better. While Tool still is frequently annoyed with Shotaro's foolishness, the two friends are able to coordinate attacks very quickly after first meeting each other, which helps them defeat the Fear Robot and save the I. C. Prefecture from Fear Factory.

Tool and Shotaro have an initially hostile relationship. Because Tool has felt persecuted by humans for so long for being a kappa, he reacts violently when Shotaro refers to him, likely innocuous at first, as "baldy." Tool chases Shotaro around I. C. Prefecture, threatening to kill him. At this point, Shotaro escalates, repeatedly referring to Tool as "baldy" whether out of ignorance still or out of maliciousness, then offering to provide Tool a wig for his bald head. Despite teasing him, Shotaro did find Tool fearsome due to his ferocious fighting techniques, hiding behind Yohei upon finding him to shield him from Tool. Shotaro also criticizes Tool as stubborn and for being upset how he has been treated as a kappa by humans, then judging Shotaro for being a Dokeshi and hence likely evil. Even as angry as he was initially with Shotaro, Tool was not interested in killing the Dokeshi, and Shotaro himself was far less interested in fighting Tool than performing his daily good deed and following Lin Kinpar to Emine.

Even after forming a friendship with Shotaro, Tool expresses bemusement at Shotaro's foolish, including being distracted by his mission to rescue Yohei by how the breeze under his fuku uniform feels. Like Mana, Tool also tends to agree with her when finding Shotaro and Yohei to be too lackadaisical regarding how to fight Fear Factory. Upon learning Kyokotsu left Shotaro to preserve himself, Tool is so annoyed that blood squirts from his dish wound. Tool also will insult Shotaro's appearance, saying the look on his face when singing the *Justice* ending song makes him look ill. Tool will express annoyance with Shotaro's hastiness in combat, even when he is ignored, going so far as to tell him he should stay unconscious longer.

Based on his maturity, Tool tends to take on the role of an authority figure, correcting Shotaro's misinterpretations and chastising him for his foolishness in combat, especially when Mana and Yohei are not around to admonish Shotaro. Shotaro seems to see Tool as an authority figure as well, feeling the need to say "I didn't do it" after he causes the Fear Factory officer Zuno to pass out from pain over the loss of his nosehairs. Tool also expresses annoyance with Shotaro's immaturity, such as his singing of the *Justice* theme song, enjoying the breeze under his fuku shirt, and shouting Yohei's name loudly during a surveillance mission. While Shotaro mistakes the explosions at the Fighting Robot Stadium for Mana's battle success, and the Fear Robot for Mana herself or her robot Get, Tool quickly realizes both are signs of danger.

Tool will take Shotaro seriously, however, about his desires to perform good deeds. While he initially distrusts the Dokeshi on the assumption that he is likely evil, Shotaro explains he does his good deeds to avoid losing something precious, and Shotaro's meditation on what that loss means causes Tool to stop fighting him and listen to his goal to reunite with Emine. Tool also seems impressed with Shotaro's skills and Bone Powers, even if he will mock him for his foolishness in battle. In their first battle, Tool quickly takes Shotaro as a serious challenge, as he says, "This just got interesting!" But Tool is also prone to mock Shotaro for perceived weakness, including mocking him for injuring himself when headbutting against Tool's hard kappa dish. Nevertheless, after Shotaro is injured after his use of Dish of the Kappa, Tool sympathizes with him (especially when he looks just like him).

Likewise, Shotaro takes Tool seriously, especially after learning more about his ability to communicate with inanimate objects, slowly learning he himself cannot do so unless he could tap into a kappa's abilities. Tool can be patient in explaining details to Shotaro, especially when the Dokeshi uses Dish of the Kappa and learns about his abilities to communicate with inanimate objects. While Shotaro is confused how he and Tool were able to make the Fear Robot immobile by removing its soul, Tool gives a lengthy explanation, then asks Shotaro to touch the top of the Robot's head, to feel how it seems like the object is not even there, like the two of them are just floating in the air. Shotaro seems in awe of this explanation and Tool's ability, growing silent.

When they see people threatened, especially their friends, however, both Shotaro and Tool are adamant in working together to protect them. For knowing each other for only a short time, they coordinate their attacks quickly, such as Shotaro riding Tool's pickaxe to reach the Fear Robot's control center with Kappa Style, Art of the Pick-Axe: Rainbow Boa. Shotaro also tends to eventually follow Tool's instructions, such as quieting down when entering Fear Factory Headquarters. Likewise, once they become friends, Shotaro and Tool are quick to defend each other in combat, whether providing cover in battle, helping the other escape when they are disabled, and tending to the other's injuries. Shotaro is outraged with NoFix upon seeing how he harmed Tool, as well as Yohei and Mana. Shotaro even saves Tool's life, using Dish of the Kappa to assist removing the Fear Robot's soul before its hand crushes him, and before the spiritual pressure of removing the soul causes Tool to bleed to death.

After befriending Tool, Shotaro quickly seeks his company. After Shotaro's group falls apart, with Yohei leaving to infiltrate Fear Factory and Mana entering the Fighting Robot Tournament, Shotaro follow a reluctant Tool back to his home at the Fantastic Island.

While Tool considers himself more mature than Shotaro, he is not above laughing along with him, such as when mocking Mana's name as sounding like "raw garbage," or joining with Shotaro and their friends to make silly demands of Fear Factory in a video message. Even as he mocks Shotaro's fuku uniform or walking around in his boxers, Tool also dresses in extravagant fashion, as with his biker jacket, a point Mana makes. As Shotaro mocks Mana, Tool also is willing to mock her for crying upon reuniting with Yohei.

### Charisma Justice

Since childhood, Shotaro has admired the superhero Charisma Justice. He frequently sings his theme song and searches for merchandise of him, even in garbage dumps. Although behaving like an enthusiastic fan upon initially meeting who he thinks is the superhero, by the time Shotaro himself becomes a superhero and get to work with Justice, he seems to be more mature and treats him as an equal.

Shotaro is an ardent fan of Charisma Justice, including his television show *Justice*, watching it on television or having others record episodes for him. When seeing someone compromise Justice's integrity, such as the Younger Tast Brother impersonating the superhero, Shotaro will become upset and lash out at this opponent.

Shotaro's fan worship of Charisma Justice often distracts him. For example, when Mana first met Shotaro, he was imitating Justice's signature move, but failed to notice he was standing in the street, causing him to be struck by Mana's scooter. And when he had the chance to meet Justice (actually the Younger Tast Brother in disguise), he displayed his Bone of the Snake abilities, even though his appearance and slithering under such effects disturbed people around him.

Charisma Justice's personality, heroics, and techniques all influence the kind of person Shotaro has become. As Shotaro has to perform one good deed daily, he models himself on a superhero, frequently speaking of his desire to be just. Such fixation may seem immature or dangerous to others, such as Emine, who warns Shotaro that justice, as a concept, may be analogous to the seven deadly sins. However, Shotaro seems to grow in awareness about how such superheroism is not only about style but about having a more substantial goal in mind, since his superheroics are based on his desire to protect humans, ogres, kappa, and other Dokeshi, especially his friends, from dangerous Dokeshi and people's own worst traits.

As well, Shotaro has incorporated Charisma Justice's signature move, the Justice Blade, as part of his fighting style. Shotaro also expresses pleasure at seeing Mana's robot Get being able to perform the same Justice Blade. Get's ability likely is because its inventor, Yohei, is also a big fan of Charisma Justice, which allowed him and Shotaro to initially bond.

However, Shotaro was initially ignorant about Justice as a person. He thought Justice was only a television superhero, whereas other people in Toykyo seem to know he was a real person. Shotaro's ignorance may not be so surprising, seeing as people in I. C. Prefecture such as Tool and Rodigy initially fail to recognize Justice as well. Although an ardent fan, Shotaro also never bothers to memorize when *Justice* airs on television.

Once Shotaro is celebrated as the superhero of I. C. Prefecture, he and Charisma Justice begin to work together, including a mission to attack the Masked Assembly. At this mission, Shotaro seems calm and collected, hardly obsessing over getting to work with his childhood hero. Charisma Justice seems serious around Shotaro, complaining when their fellow superhero Vector Jibako has already entered the Assembly. Nevertheless, neither Shotaro nor Charisma Justice takes the lead upon storming the Assembly, suggesting equality between the two.

### Zuno and Assi

Shotaro, Zuno, and Assi share common goals, including not wanting to kill people, especially a desire to protect Mana. Although Zuno and Assi are initially members of Fear Factory, with a mission to gather surveillance on Shotaro and Yohei's friends to hurt them, the two eventually become Shotaro's allies. In part because of his naivete, Shotaro fails to notice Zuno and Assi as threats, quickly welcoming them in their mission to destroy the Fear Robot. When Rodigy assassinates Zuno, Shotaro takes this death hard and avenges his death by defeating Rodigy and destroying his Fear Factory. In response to Shotaro's willingness to avenge Zuno, Assi comes to see Shotaro as a superhero and a "bro."

Zuno and Assi are frequently at a loss with how naive Shotaro can be. They are shocked he could mistake the Fear Robot for the much smaller Mana or Get. Shotaro has to depend on Assi to help him operate the Fear Factory elevator to return to the proper floor of the Fear Robot hangar.

Shotaro will naively hurt Zuno and Assi, however. When the two were surveilling him for Fear Factory, Shotaro responded by ripping out Zuno's nosehairs--not in retaliation, but because he was fascinating with such long hairs. Shotaro does recognize his behavior is inappropriate, however, as he immediately tells Tool, "I didn't do it!"

Shotaro is friendly with Zuno upon reuniting with him, so the two seem to forgive each other for any perceived offense. When Zuno offers to help Yohei get into the Fear Robot hangar, Shotaro compliments him as being a "normal" person: despite his Dokeshi condition of forgetting one memory per day, so long as Shotaro and others remember Zuno, then they can keep his memories for him.

While Shotaro does recognize the duo later, he initially had little concern for them as legitimate threats. When Zuno tried to block Shotaro from going to the Fighting Robot Tournament Stadium, Shotaro simply ran past him. Zuno and Assi were unable to keep up with the Dokeshi.

Like Assi, Shotaro is devastated by Zuno's death. Despite Rodigy being considered one of the most powerful Dokeshi, Shotaro faces him alone and defeats him, as well as all of Fear Factory, to avenge Zuno and prevent the organization's threat to the world. After avenging Zuno, Shotaro looks to Assi, who is with Zuno's corpse, and asks him to "hang in there for Mr. Nose Hair."

After Shotaro defeats Rodigy and Fear Factory, Assi comes to admire Shotaro as a superhero, expressing confidence that Shotaro "can do anything."

### Get

This section of the article is incomplete and requires more information before it can be considered **complete**.

### Vector Jibako

After becoming the superhero of I. C. Prefecture, Shotaro begins to work with superheroes like Charisma Justice and Vector Jibako. While Justice expresses annoyance that Jibako storms into the Masked Assembly before they are ready to attack, Shotaro simply giggles and referring to Jibako as "a pretty direct guy."

## Acquaintances

### Burger Stand Proprietor

This section of the article is incomplete and requires more information before it can be considered **complete**.

### The Elderly Farmer

This section of the article is incomplete and requires more information before it can be considered **complete**.

### Kisuke

This section of the article is incomplete and requires more information before it can be considered **complete**.

## Enemies

### Solence

This section of the article is incomplete and requires more information before it can be considered **complete**.

### Rodigy

This section of the article is incomplete and requires more information before it can be considered **complete**.

### NoFix

This section of the article is incomplete and requires more information before it can be considered **complete**.

## References

1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24 1.25 1.26 1.27 *B. Ichi* Manga: Chapter 1
2. ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 *B. Ichi* Manga: Chapter 19
3. ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 *B. Ichi* Manga: Chapter 4
4. ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 4.12 4.13 4.14 4.15 4.16 4.17 4.18 4.19 Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `Ch2`
5. ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 5.11 *B. Ichi* Manga: Chapter 20
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 6.8 6.9 Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `Ch6`
7. ↑ 7.00 7.01 7.02 7.03 7.04 7.05 7.06 7.07 7.08 7.09 7.10 7.11 7.12 7.13 7.14 7.15 7.16 7.17 7.18 *B. Ichi* Manga: Chapter 3
8. ↑ 8.00 8.01 8.02 8.03 8.04 8.05 8.06 8.07 8.08 8.09 8.10 *B. Ichi* Manga: Chapters 8 and 9
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `Ch18`
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 *B. Ichi* Manga: Chapter 5
11. ↑ 11.00 11.01 11.02 11.03 11.04 11.05 11.06 11.07 11.08 11.09 11.10 11.11 11.12 11.13 11.14 *B. Ichi* Manga: Chapter 11
12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 *B. Ichi* Manga: Chapter 16
13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 *B. Ichi* Manga: Chapter 7
14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `Ch17`
15. ↑ 15.00 15.01 15.02 15.03 15.04 15.05 15.06 15.07 15.08 15.09 15.10 *B. Ichi* Manga: Chapter 12
16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `Ch13`
17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 17.4 *B. Ichi* Manga: Chapter 10
18. ↑ Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `C4`
19. ↑ Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `Ch14`