Ozu

Ozu is a classmate of the Protagonist and belongs to the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering.

In a fittingly contrarian twist, he dislikes electricity, electronics, and engineering alike.

By the end of his first year, both his grades and earned credits are described as dismal.

Even so, he manages to enjoy his aimless student life far more fully than the Protagonist does.

He is a picky eater, and his poor complexion gives him such an eerie appearance that he is compared to a yokai.

His unsettling looks are paired with a personality that delights in wrongdoing.

Ozu is an amanojaku-like contrarian who loves malicious pranks more than food.

He is said to be able to eat three bowls of rice just by using other people’s misfortune as a side dish.

Ozu constantly drags the Protagonist into downward spirals and questionable schemes.

At the same time, he is not just a saboteur, but also an oddly dependable bad friend.

When the Protagonist ruins his own standing within a club or group, Ozu may either provoke him further or rescue him with brilliant social maneuvering.

This blend of cruelty and competence is one of his defining traits.

He is exceptionally skilled at navigating people and situations.

Through his involvement in many clubs and organizations, he builds a wide network of contacts and information across Kyoto.

In contrast to the Protagonist, Ozu seems to thrive in a student life that is gloriously unproductive.

He knows how to be everywhere, know everyone, and come out ahead.

Ozu calls himself and the Protagonist companions bound by a “black thread of fate.”

No matter which club or path the Protagonist chooses, he ends up encountering Ozu and becoming his ill-fated friend.

Across the many parallel possibilities presented in the story, Ozu appears again and again.

That recurring presence makes him feel less like a coincidence and more like an unavoidable destiny.

In the anime adaptation, his tendency to use the Protagonist as a stepping stone to rise within organizations is emphasized more strongly.

Their friendship there feels especially parasitic, though never entirely one-sided.

Higuchi

Ozu is an ardent follower of Higuchi.

He prioritizes being Higuchi’s disciple above all else.

Kohinata

Despite his wicked and teasing nature, Ozu is unexpectedly steadfast in romance.

He is secretly in a relationship with Kohinata.

Akashi and Hanuki

Although Ozu never lets the Protagonist into his home, it is depicted that Akashi and Hanuki have been there.

This small detail adds to his air of mystery and selective openness.

Ozu receives generous financial support from his parents.

He lives in a candy-like apartment in Jododera.

Even with his comfortable circumstances, he never invites the Protagonist inside.

That refusal becomes one of the many strange boundaries in their relationship.

In the original novel, Ozu is shown drinking with the Protagonist.

In the anime version, however, he apparently cannot drink alcohol.

The anime also leans harder into his role as an opportunist who advances by exploiting the Protagonist.

This gives him an even sharper edge as both comic menace and social survivor.

Ozu is voiced by Hiroyuki Yoshino.

According to Yusuke Nakamura, who illustrated the original novel covers and served as the character designer for the anime, Ozu’s design was inspired by the comedian Kazuyuki Sakuma.

That origin helps explain his strange combination of creepiness, humor, and offbeat charm.

A boy strongly resembling Ozu also appears as the God of the Secondhand Book Fair in the film *The Night Is Short, Walk on Girl*.

This resemblance is often noted by fans.