Ko Ide is a fourteen-year-old student and the main male protagonist of the story. He is a classmate of Hidomi Hibajiri, and he initially appears to be her opposite: where she is withdrawn and indifferent, he is outgoing, talkative, and prone to boasting about his romantic exploits to his friends. This loud and confident demeanor, however, is a carefully constructed front. Ide leads a difficult and secret life that he keeps hidden from most of his peers. He lives in the low-income part of Mabase and works tirelessly at physically demanding jobs, including slave-like labor at a junkyard and selling repurposed items on the street. These circumstances have made him a tough and determined worker, but he deliberately hides this part of his existence, presenting an excited and positive personality at school.

Despite his bravado, Ide is also naive and can be oblivious to the true nature of the situations he finds himself in. He is initially drawn to Hidomi, and as the series progresses, he becomes fiercely protective of her. He adopts the self-appointed role of her guardian, determined to shield her from the chaos caused by Haruko Haruhara and Medical Mechanica. This sense of duty is driven by a budding romantic interest in Hidomi, and he shows unwavering loyalty to her, even when faced with Haruko’s advances. At the same time, his intense focus on protecting Hidomi means he unintentionally distances himself from his friends, Goro Mori and Marco Nogata, who begin to feel left behind.

Ide’s role in the story is that of a deuteragonist, a secondary protagonist who is thrust into the conflict alongside Hidomi. He becomes a key figure in the battle against the schemes of Haruko, who initially takes an interest in him. Haruko, disguised as a teacher, uses intimacy to try and activate a latent N.O. channel within him. While he possesses the potential for a powerful N.O. channel, Haruko ultimately passes him over in favor of focusing on Hidomi’s abilities. Nevertheless, his own channel does manifest, allowing him to summon robots, and on one occasion he demonstrates complete command over the one he releases.

His key relationship is with Hidomi, to whom he gradually forms a close bond. The two develop a mutual crush, and by the end of the series, they are shown holding hands and leaning in for a kiss, indicating they have become a couple. His dynamic with Haruko is one of increasing hostility. After realizing her manipulative nature and her dangerous intentions for Hidomi, he becomes her adversary, even going so far as to try and fight her directly. He also has limited but meaningful interactions with Jinyu, who saves his life and heals his injuries. Throughout the narrative, Ide undergoes notable development. He starts as a boy hiding his pain behind a facade of excitement. Through his experiences fighting alongside Hidomi and confronting Haruko, he becomes a dedicated protector. By the end, he moves beyond simply being Hidomi’s guardian to taking a unified stand with her, asserting that neither of them wants to be used as a tool in Haruko’s plans. He also reconciles his focus on Hidomi with his existing friendships, re-integrating with Goro and Marco. In terms of abilities, Ide is physically very strong and durable as a result of his hard labor, but his most significant power is his N.O. channel located on his head, which can serve as a portal for releasing robots.