Hale grows up as the sole child of Weda in an unnamed jungle village. Weda, disowned by her wealthy family at fourteen for her pregnancy and refusal to name the father, raises him alone. From a young age, Hale shoulders adult responsibilities, performing household chores neglected by his lazy and alcoholic mother, forging his responsible but burdened character. He is recognizable by his perpetually bare feet, sleeveless white shirt, red shorts, and a characteristic strand of hair contributing to an "idiot hair" stereotype.

His relatively stable jungle life shatters when Weda adopts Guu, a seemingly sweet girl who swiftly reveals supernatural powers and a deadpan, chaotic nature. Hale becomes the primary witness to Guu's reality-warping abilities—teleportation, time travel, extreme elasticity, and pocket dimensions within her stomach—powers others inexplicably ignore or rationalize. Trapped as the "only sane man," he constantly struggles to manage or mitigate Guu's destructive antics, isolated as the only person acknowledging the surrounding absurdity. His attempts to control Guu frequently trigger intense anxiety attacks, marked by rapid monologues, exaggerated facial expressions, and sudden, symbolic rainstorms reflecting his emotional breakdowns.

Hale's psychological strain intensifies with familial revelations. He discovers Dr. Clive, the village's lecherous physician, is his biological father—a fact Clive himself never knew—leading to violent confrontations fueled by Hale's unresolved Oedipus complex and resentment over Clive's abandonment. This manifests as fierce protectiveness over Weda, driving him to compete against Clive and other suitors like Asio for her attention. Guu often exploits this vulnerability, psychoanalyzing Hale and provoking his insecurities for her own amusement.

Major experiences shape his evolution. A time-travel incident orchestrated by Guu sends him back to Weda's adolescence. There, he inadvertently advises her to embrace laziness as self-acceptance, directly shaping her present-day personality. During this journey, he gives a false name ("Ame") to the younger Weda, which she later uses to name Hale's baby brother. Relocation to the city exposes him to his grandmother Sharon and extended family. Brief enrollment in school introduces him to Rita—a peer who initially uses him for social validation but later forms a genuine connection, teaching him about complex social motivations.

Hale matures significantly by the conclusion. He reconciles with Weda's return to the jungle and her marriage to Clive, gradually accepting his father despite ongoing friction. Six years after Guu's unexplained disappearance and the erasure of her memory among all but him, the manga epilogue reveals Hale as a village schoolteacher married to Marie, his childhood admirer. Their newborn daughter bears Guu's distinctive smirk and demeanor. Recognizing the implied reincarnation, Hale names her "Guu," suggesting a cyclical resolution to his tumultuous relationship with the entity.