TV-Series
Description
Hiro Kitazoe is a character from the anime and manga series World Trigger, serving as a gunner for Kageura Squad. Standing at 189 centimeters tall, he is one of the tallest Border agents and possesses a chubby yet muscular build with short, spiky brown hair and blue eyes. He typically wears casual clothes like cargo pants and loose sweaters, but his Border uniform consists of a double-breasted black military jacket with gray epaulets and the Kageura Squad emblem on the collar.
Kitazoe is known for being highly emotional and open with his feelings, often moved to tears by events concerning his friends and teammates. Despite this tendency to cry and sometimes panic, he maintains a normally laid-back and level-headed demeanor, even in the face of imminent defeat during battles. When cornered by a stronger opponent like Masataka Ninomiya, Kitazoe remained calm enough to accept his fate while still firing supporting shots toward his captain. According to supplementary materials, he used to be more reserved and hesitant to engage in fights, but his teammate Tatsuya Kuruma positively influenced him, making him more empathetic and proactive as a do-gooder.
Within Kageura Squad, Kitazoe shares a particularly close bond with captain Masato Kageura. The two came to acknowledge one another after eight rounds of solo battles, and despite Kageura finding Kitazoe's emotional nature annoying at times, they enjoy a strong friendship. Kitazoe is very perceptive of Kageura's moods and often tries to pacify him when his temper flares or spur him to become more invested in rank battles. He also cares deeply for sniper Yuzuru Ema, expressing joy at the thought of Ema having a girlfriend and concern when the younger agent makes risky decisions. Kitazoe frequently asks operator Hikari Nire for assistance during matches, though she often complains about how much her teammates rely on her.
Beyond his own squad, Kitazoe maintains friendships with several other Border agents. He is part of a larger circle that includes Ko Murakami, Isami Toma, and Yuma Kuga, and he has been noted to occasionally give Kuga rides home on his motorcycle. He is classmates with Kazuaki Oji and seems to appreciate the nicknames Oji gives to people. The author of the series has described Kitazoe as a lion who can gain weight and as a lovable mascot.
In combat, Kitazoe is a highly skilled gunner who was formerly part of an A-rank team before Kageura Squad was demoted to B-rank due to Kageura's misconduct. He boasts high trion levels, allowing him to score points independently, and his only notable weaknesses are his large size making him an easy target and his relatively low mobility. His primary trigger is Meteor, which he fires through one or two grenade launchers specializing in high-angle shooting. This allows him to target specific areas or opponents without a direct line of sight, destroying enemy hiding spots from afar and forcing opponents out into the open where Kageura can engage them. His signature technique, Random Meteor, involves conjuring two grenade launchers and firing Meteor rounds at each opponent within range, though he admits the hit probability is low when firing based purely on radar without visual confirmation. For mid-range shootouts, Kitazoe switches to Asteroid fired through an assault rifle. He can also use Shield for defense, casting it either for himself or remotely to protect allies, and Bagworm to conceal his position from radar when necessary. Kitazoe is known for his quick thinking and tactical sense, capable of multitasking by giving directions to his teammates while actively fighting. Even when facing defeat, he has demonstrated the ability to influence battles, such as blowing himself up after suffering a lethal blow to take out his attacker or create an escape route for Kageura. Outside of his trigger usage, his physical body is noted to be one of the two strongest among Border members, alongside Reiji Kizaki, and he is also a capable runner and dancer.
In his personal life, Kitazoe enjoys eating strawberries, spring rolls, and donmono, and he likes playing mahjong. He holds a motorcycle license and owns a motorbike. His official Border parameter stats rate his trion at 9, attack at 7, defense and support at 7, mobility at 5, skill at 7, range at 6, command at 4, and special tactics at 3, for a total of 48.
Kitazoe is known for being highly emotional and open with his feelings, often moved to tears by events concerning his friends and teammates. Despite this tendency to cry and sometimes panic, he maintains a normally laid-back and level-headed demeanor, even in the face of imminent defeat during battles. When cornered by a stronger opponent like Masataka Ninomiya, Kitazoe remained calm enough to accept his fate while still firing supporting shots toward his captain. According to supplementary materials, he used to be more reserved and hesitant to engage in fights, but his teammate Tatsuya Kuruma positively influenced him, making him more empathetic and proactive as a do-gooder.
Within Kageura Squad, Kitazoe shares a particularly close bond with captain Masato Kageura. The two came to acknowledge one another after eight rounds of solo battles, and despite Kageura finding Kitazoe's emotional nature annoying at times, they enjoy a strong friendship. Kitazoe is very perceptive of Kageura's moods and often tries to pacify him when his temper flares or spur him to become more invested in rank battles. He also cares deeply for sniper Yuzuru Ema, expressing joy at the thought of Ema having a girlfriend and concern when the younger agent makes risky decisions. Kitazoe frequently asks operator Hikari Nire for assistance during matches, though she often complains about how much her teammates rely on her.
Beyond his own squad, Kitazoe maintains friendships with several other Border agents. He is part of a larger circle that includes Ko Murakami, Isami Toma, and Yuma Kuga, and he has been noted to occasionally give Kuga rides home on his motorcycle. He is classmates with Kazuaki Oji and seems to appreciate the nicknames Oji gives to people. The author of the series has described Kitazoe as a lion who can gain weight and as a lovable mascot.
In combat, Kitazoe is a highly skilled gunner who was formerly part of an A-rank team before Kageura Squad was demoted to B-rank due to Kageura's misconduct. He boasts high trion levels, allowing him to score points independently, and his only notable weaknesses are his large size making him an easy target and his relatively low mobility. His primary trigger is Meteor, which he fires through one or two grenade launchers specializing in high-angle shooting. This allows him to target specific areas or opponents without a direct line of sight, destroying enemy hiding spots from afar and forcing opponents out into the open where Kageura can engage them. His signature technique, Random Meteor, involves conjuring two grenade launchers and firing Meteor rounds at each opponent within range, though he admits the hit probability is low when firing based purely on radar without visual confirmation. For mid-range shootouts, Kitazoe switches to Asteroid fired through an assault rifle. He can also use Shield for defense, casting it either for himself or remotely to protect allies, and Bagworm to conceal his position from radar when necessary. Kitazoe is known for his quick thinking and tactical sense, capable of multitasking by giving directions to his teammates while actively fighting. Even when facing defeat, he has demonstrated the ability to influence battles, such as blowing himself up after suffering a lethal blow to take out his attacker or create an escape route for Kageura. Outside of his trigger usage, his physical body is noted to be one of the two strongest among Border members, alongside Reiji Kizaki, and he is also a capable runner and dancer.
In his personal life, Kitazoe enjoys eating strawberries, spring rolls, and donmono, and he likes playing mahjong. He holds a motorcycle license and owns a motorbike. His official Border parameter stats rate his trion at 9, attack at 7, defense and support at 7, mobility at 5, skill at 7, range at 6, command at 4, and special tactics at 3, for a total of 48.