TV-Series
Description
Hirotaka Nifuji is a main character who works as an ordinary office employee while leading a rich inner life as a dedicated otaku. At twenty-six years old, he is a tall young man standing at 184 centimeters with a slim build, fair skin, blue eyes, and short bluish-black hair with bangs parted in the middle. He wears a pair of black high-spec glasses due to being very nearsighted; without them, he cannot see clearly unless a face is extremely close to his own, though he can always recognize the face of Narumi Momose. At work, he dresses in a regular navy blue suit and purple tie, while at home he prefers casual clothing such as long sleeve shirts and track pants.
Hirotaka possesses a notably stoic and unemotional demeanor, often maintaining a deadpan expression and rarely smiling. He does not care about maintaining a particular public image and is generally unafraid of others discovering his otaku hobbies, unlike some of his colleagues who prefer to keep their interests hidden. Despite his reserved exterior, he has no fundamental problem socializing with people but tends to keep to himself due to a general lack of interest in others, which has resulted in him having few close friends. This quiet nature contrasts sharply with his behavior in text messages, where he uses many emoticons and sounds much more lively and excited than he appears in person. Narumi has observed that he is naturally funny and talkative, but his facial expressions simply cannot keep up with his words.
His primary passion is video games, which he pursues with an intensity that borders on obsession. He has stated that without games, he would die, and he can become extremely competitive and serious whenever he is gaming. His favorite genres include first-person shooters, fighting games, and action games, and he prefers playing solo rather than in teams. He becomes frustrated with beginners or unskilled players and can spend entire holidays playing games, sometimes even forgetting to eat and collapsing from hunger after all-night sessions. Beyond gaming, he also reads and watches a considerable amount of manga and anime, collecting figurines as well, though he tends to prefer digital copies over physical ones.
His relationship with Narumi Momose forms the emotional core of his character. They have been childhood friends since a young age, and Narumi was his first real-life crush, a feeling he appears to have carried with him for many years. During their school years, when he saw Narumi with a boyfriend who had pierced ears, he felt heartbroken and spontaneously pierced his own ears in an attempt to impress her, though the holes have since closed. He also started smoking initially for the same reason, though he later became addicted. After they reunite as adults working in the same office, he directly suggests that they begin dating, asking why she cannot simply find a guy who accepts her as an otaku and proposing himself as that alternative. She accepts after he offers to help her at the next comic market event. Early in their relationship, he expresses his feelings with characteristic honesty, telling her that they are together because he loves her and enjoys seeing her do things that make her happy. He is consistently supportive and non-judgmental of her hobbies, helping her meet deadlines for her doujinshi and willing to perform gestures like the kabedon for her entertainment. He pays close attention to her and can quickly tell when she is upset, even when the cause turns out to be the death of a favorite character in a story rather than a real-world concern. Later in the manga series, following the birth of their son, Hirotaka stops smoking.
He maintains other significant relationships as well. At work, his reliable senpai is Tarō Kabakura, with whom he shares a good bond that extends outside the office; they often go out for drinks together. He also has a friendly relationship with Hanako Koyanagi, another colleague, and the group frequently spends time together. His younger brother, Naoya Nifuji, is seven years his junior and his complete opposite in personality and energy. While Hirotaka may not appear particularly caring toward his brother on the surface, he actually cares a great deal and sometimes worries about him. Their relationship is portrayed as realistic and relatable, with Hirotaka embodying the responsible and stable oldest sibling while Naoya is the social, people-pleasing youngest sibling. Despite his often cold exterior, Hirotaka has surprising vulnerabilities. He is afraid of thunderstorms, a fear that stems from a traumatic experience of losing game data during a storm. He also has a notable weakness for voluptuous female characters, with most of the figurines in his room featuring such designs, which Narumi finds ironic given her own figure.
In his professional life, Hirotaka is efficient and competent, able to complete his work quickly and reliably. He functions successfully in modern Japanese society without attempting to hide his otaku identity, observing at one point that he once thought acting like an adult would make him an adult faster, but has since concluded that he wants to stay a kid forever. His approach to his relationship is similarly low-maintenance and low-pressure, as he is comfortable with his alone time, does not demand constant attention, and is not prone to jealousy. The relationship progresses at its own pace, with Hirotaka eventually learning that moving slowly is acceptable as long as it works for them. According to the manga's conclusion, he later proposes to Narumi, they marry, and she gives birth to a son who enjoys playing games with his father, though he loses every time.
Hirotaka possesses a notably stoic and unemotional demeanor, often maintaining a deadpan expression and rarely smiling. He does not care about maintaining a particular public image and is generally unafraid of others discovering his otaku hobbies, unlike some of his colleagues who prefer to keep their interests hidden. Despite his reserved exterior, he has no fundamental problem socializing with people but tends to keep to himself due to a general lack of interest in others, which has resulted in him having few close friends. This quiet nature contrasts sharply with his behavior in text messages, where he uses many emoticons and sounds much more lively and excited than he appears in person. Narumi has observed that he is naturally funny and talkative, but his facial expressions simply cannot keep up with his words.
His primary passion is video games, which he pursues with an intensity that borders on obsession. He has stated that without games, he would die, and he can become extremely competitive and serious whenever he is gaming. His favorite genres include first-person shooters, fighting games, and action games, and he prefers playing solo rather than in teams. He becomes frustrated with beginners or unskilled players and can spend entire holidays playing games, sometimes even forgetting to eat and collapsing from hunger after all-night sessions. Beyond gaming, he also reads and watches a considerable amount of manga and anime, collecting figurines as well, though he tends to prefer digital copies over physical ones.
His relationship with Narumi Momose forms the emotional core of his character. They have been childhood friends since a young age, and Narumi was his first real-life crush, a feeling he appears to have carried with him for many years. During their school years, when he saw Narumi with a boyfriend who had pierced ears, he felt heartbroken and spontaneously pierced his own ears in an attempt to impress her, though the holes have since closed. He also started smoking initially for the same reason, though he later became addicted. After they reunite as adults working in the same office, he directly suggests that they begin dating, asking why she cannot simply find a guy who accepts her as an otaku and proposing himself as that alternative. She accepts after he offers to help her at the next comic market event. Early in their relationship, he expresses his feelings with characteristic honesty, telling her that they are together because he loves her and enjoys seeing her do things that make her happy. He is consistently supportive and non-judgmental of her hobbies, helping her meet deadlines for her doujinshi and willing to perform gestures like the kabedon for her entertainment. He pays close attention to her and can quickly tell when she is upset, even when the cause turns out to be the death of a favorite character in a story rather than a real-world concern. Later in the manga series, following the birth of their son, Hirotaka stops smoking.
He maintains other significant relationships as well. At work, his reliable senpai is Tarō Kabakura, with whom he shares a good bond that extends outside the office; they often go out for drinks together. He also has a friendly relationship with Hanako Koyanagi, another colleague, and the group frequently spends time together. His younger brother, Naoya Nifuji, is seven years his junior and his complete opposite in personality and energy. While Hirotaka may not appear particularly caring toward his brother on the surface, he actually cares a great deal and sometimes worries about him. Their relationship is portrayed as realistic and relatable, with Hirotaka embodying the responsible and stable oldest sibling while Naoya is the social, people-pleasing youngest sibling. Despite his often cold exterior, Hirotaka has surprising vulnerabilities. He is afraid of thunderstorms, a fear that stems from a traumatic experience of losing game data during a storm. He also has a notable weakness for voluptuous female characters, with most of the figurines in his room featuring such designs, which Narumi finds ironic given her own figure.
In his professional life, Hirotaka is efficient and competent, able to complete his work quickly and reliably. He functions successfully in modern Japanese society without attempting to hide his otaku identity, observing at one point that he once thought acting like an adult would make him an adult faster, but has since concluded that he wants to stay a kid forever. His approach to his relationship is similarly low-maintenance and low-pressure, as he is comfortable with his alone time, does not demand constant attention, and is not prone to jealousy. The relationship progresses at its own pace, with Hirotaka eventually learning that moving slowly is acceptable as long as it works for them. According to the manga's conclusion, he later proposes to Narumi, they marry, and she gives birth to a son who enjoys playing games with his father, though he loses every time.
Cast