Daisuke Hiraoka is a production assistant who joins the staff of Musashino Animation during the production of their anime, Third Aerial Girls Squad. He is a young man of slender build who wears glasses. Hiraoka arrives with approximately five years of experience in the animation industry, making him senior to many of his new colleagues, though this experience has left him visibly cynical and disenchanted.

In his younger days, specifically during his time at a vocational school, Hiraoka was known as a passionate and driven individual. He demonstrated strong leadership qualities, taking his studies seriously and working diligently on amateur animation projects alongside his classmates, including Erika Yano. He entered the industry with high hopes and a genuine love for anime, dreaming of the shows he would one day help create. However, his first job at a studio proved to be a traumatic experience. He poured his enthusiasm into a project that was his personal favorite, only for the final work to be harshly criticized due to low quality and other issues, a failure for which he felt he was unjustly blamed. This event shattered his idealism. Hiraoka then spent several years moving from one troubled studio to another, with Musashino Animation being his fifth place of employment in as many years.

This difficult history forged his personality in the present. Hiraoka is typically sullen and irritable, often muttering complaints to himself and wearing a perpetually displeased expression. As a defense mechanism against the pain of his past failures, he has adopted a philosophy of doing only the minimum work required to meet a deadline, believing that passion and effort are ultimately unrewarded in a harsh industry. He is openly dismissive of colleagues who still hold idealistic views about animation, finding their optimism to be naïve and irritating. This attitude frequently puts him at odds with others, including Aoi Miyamori, his immediate superior who works tirelessly for the show's success. His insubordination and neglect of duties, such as failing to communicate with the animation supervisor and delivering subpar work, lead to a major confrontation with director Hironori Madoka. Hiraoka's behavior is at its worst when he makes deeply inappropriate remarks to another staff member, revealing a bitter resentment.

Despite his abrasive exterior, Hiraoka is not without ability. He is proficient in the tasks of a production assistant, having learned the practical ropes of the industry through years of survival. When a genuine crisis occurs, he is capable of acting to resolve it, indicating a core of competence that his cynicism has not entirely erased. His inability to leave the industry entirely hints that a buried ember of his former passion still exists, keeping him trapped despite his unhappiness. It is a conversation with his colleague, Tarou Takanashi, that finally brings this hidden pain to the surface. After drinking together, Hiraoka confesses his bitter past and his feelings of failure. This moment of vulnerability leads to a turning point, as he begins to open up and reintegrate with the team, finding a healthier perspective on his work. His key relationships are marked by this tension and eventual growth, including his mentorship by Aoi, his friendship with Tarou, and his complex history with Erika Yano, who remembers the passionate person he used to be. In later years, he continues to work as a freelance producer, having left Musashino Animation but carrying forward the more balanced and professional outlook he developed there.