TV-Series
Description
Hidehiko Otoyo is a government official working within the Department of Economy, specifically as a counselor belonging to the Standards Unification Division of the Industrial Technology and Environment Bureau of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. He stands at a height of 178 centimeters and has a birthday on February 2nd. He is physically described as having gray eyes and gray hair.
In terms of personality, Otoyo is a complex figure who initially presents the facade of a gracious and understanding individual who has the best interests of the Akikan at heart. However, this demeanor masks a much darker and more manipulative core. He is a self-proclaimed gay man who expresses a strong and overt attraction to what he describes as pretty boys or handsome young men. This interest is not passive; he frequently uses his authority or employs deceptive tactics, such as posing as a school doctor, to initiate inappropriate and unwanted sexual contact with male students. His obsession is reflected in his office decor, which includes a prominent clock displaying the Japanese word for men alongside the phrase I like them. Beyond his personal proclivities, he harbors a profound hatred for the concept of love and regards Akikan with contempt, despite his public pretense. His true nature is one of endless hatred, and he is known for being duplicitous and underhanded.
Otoyo serves as the primary architect and driving force behind the story's central conflicts. He is the mastermind who established both the Akikan Elect experiment and the Intelligence Port Project. The Akikan Elect is a battle initiative designed to force anthropomorphized soda cans, known as Akikan, to fight one another in order to definitively determine whether steel or aluminum cans are superior. He actively induces these fights and attempts to manipulate the participants to ensure his agenda moves forward. He visits the main protagonist, Kakeru Daichi, shortly after Kakeru acquires his own Akikan, Melon, to explain the nature of the battle and pressure him into participating. Though Kakeru initially refuses, Otoya uses his influence to force his involvement.
His key relationships are defined by manipulation and antagonism. His primary target is the high school student Kakeru Daichi, whom he constantly subjects to persistent sexual harassment throughout the series. This behavior escalates in the original video animation, where he is depicted as sexually assaulting Kakeru on two occasions, as well as another male student named Goro Amaji in a public restroom. He also has a particular loathing for the Akikan named Melon, and the two share a history that suggests a deeper, more personal connection to his hidden past. He is assisted by his secretary, Airin Kizaki, whom he calls by her first name, Irene, despite her repeatedly insisting on being addressed more formally by her surname. For a time, the story hints at a tragic backstory, suggesting that his wife may have died in an incident connected to the Akikan, which could explain his deep-seated hatred for them and for love itself.
Over the course of the narrative, his deceptive nature is fully revealed. He transitions from acting like a benevolent ally who understands the Akikan to the clear villain who views them as disposable tools for his experiments. His role is to create the circumstances that force the other characters into action, acting as the central antagonist whose schemes the heroes must overcome. In terms of abilities, Hidehiko Otoyo does not possess any supernatural or physical powers. His influence stems entirely from his position of authority as a government official, which allows him to orchestrate large-scale projects like the Akikan Elect and manipulate the lives of the citizens and Akikan involved.
In terms of personality, Otoyo is a complex figure who initially presents the facade of a gracious and understanding individual who has the best interests of the Akikan at heart. However, this demeanor masks a much darker and more manipulative core. He is a self-proclaimed gay man who expresses a strong and overt attraction to what he describes as pretty boys or handsome young men. This interest is not passive; he frequently uses his authority or employs deceptive tactics, such as posing as a school doctor, to initiate inappropriate and unwanted sexual contact with male students. His obsession is reflected in his office decor, which includes a prominent clock displaying the Japanese word for men alongside the phrase I like them. Beyond his personal proclivities, he harbors a profound hatred for the concept of love and regards Akikan with contempt, despite his public pretense. His true nature is one of endless hatred, and he is known for being duplicitous and underhanded.
Otoyo serves as the primary architect and driving force behind the story's central conflicts. He is the mastermind who established both the Akikan Elect experiment and the Intelligence Port Project. The Akikan Elect is a battle initiative designed to force anthropomorphized soda cans, known as Akikan, to fight one another in order to definitively determine whether steel or aluminum cans are superior. He actively induces these fights and attempts to manipulate the participants to ensure his agenda moves forward. He visits the main protagonist, Kakeru Daichi, shortly after Kakeru acquires his own Akikan, Melon, to explain the nature of the battle and pressure him into participating. Though Kakeru initially refuses, Otoya uses his influence to force his involvement.
His key relationships are defined by manipulation and antagonism. His primary target is the high school student Kakeru Daichi, whom he constantly subjects to persistent sexual harassment throughout the series. This behavior escalates in the original video animation, where he is depicted as sexually assaulting Kakeru on two occasions, as well as another male student named Goro Amaji in a public restroom. He also has a particular loathing for the Akikan named Melon, and the two share a history that suggests a deeper, more personal connection to his hidden past. He is assisted by his secretary, Airin Kizaki, whom he calls by her first name, Irene, despite her repeatedly insisting on being addressed more formally by her surname. For a time, the story hints at a tragic backstory, suggesting that his wife may have died in an incident connected to the Akikan, which could explain his deep-seated hatred for them and for love itself.
Over the course of the narrative, his deceptive nature is fully revealed. He transitions from acting like a benevolent ally who understands the Akikan to the clear villain who views them as disposable tools for his experiments. His role is to create the circumstances that force the other characters into action, acting as the central antagonist whose schemes the heroes must overcome. In terms of abilities, Hidehiko Otoyo does not possess any supernatural or physical powers. His influence stems entirely from his position of authority as a government official, which allows him to orchestrate large-scale projects like the Akikan Elect and manipulate the lives of the citizens and Akikan involved.