Nao Kaizaki, a Japan Air Self-Defense Force member at Gifu Air Base, dedicates herself to becoming Masotan’s dragon pilot, driven by her mother’s legacy as a skilled aviator. Her rigorous training and lifelong ambition collapse when Masotan rejects her in favor of Hisone Amakasu, igniting bitter resentment. This fuels her abrasive, combative behavior, often targeting Hisone with bullying tactics that misfire due to Hisone’s naïve misinterpretation of hostility as camaraderie. Hot-headed and outwardly delinquent, Nao masks vulnerabilities rooted in perceived failure to honor her mother’s footsteps. She rejects pity yet grapples with insecurity, her tough façade cracking to reveal girlish interests in shōjo manga and pigtail hairstyles. Impulsive actions—sabotaging equipment, fleeing the base—betray emotional volatility, while an unrequited crush on suit designer Hiroki Ikushima exposes comedic yet tender vulnerability. A semi-canon manga expands her backstory: a pre-Hisone encounter with Masotan at an arcade, where the dragon fixates on a stuffed cat in a claw machine, hints at their future ties. Post-rejection, she fabricates pilot status to friends, concealing shame. A turning point arrives as she overhears Hisone’s tearful resolve mid-breakdown, spurring her own return to the base. This moment later echoes in her mentorship of Elle Hoshino, whom she prods with similar tenacity. Evolving from jealous rival to grudging ally, Nao adopts a backup pilot role via a temporary suit designed to coax dragon compliance. Though secondary to new pilots introduced later, her growth surfaces in self-reflective pauses—acknowledging resentment’s emptiness, softening toward peers—yet her sharp edges remain. The manga delves deeper into her post-rejection despair and incremental acceptance, culminating in a realization that Hisone’s unintentional inspiration anchored her perseverance. Her arc closes with tempered acceptance of her team role, retaining trademark prickliness while forging a foil to Hisone’s passive fatalism. Themes of redefining self-worth beyond familial expectations underscore her journey, framed by resilience and uneasy reconciliation with unmet destiny.