Kenji is a member of the Akina SpeedStars racing team and the childhood best friend of its leader, Koichiro Iketani. Regarded as the team's second-best driver, he was once prepared to race Keisuke Takahashi in Iketani’s place, a plan canceled only by the last-minute arrival of the Eight-Six. He assists at his family’s dry cleaning shop and is a frequent presence at the local gas station, where he shares car and racing knowledge with friends. He leads a part-time lifestyle. Among the group at the gas station, including Iketani, Itsuki Takeuchi, Takumi Fujiwara, and station owner Yuichi Tachibana, Kenji is a regular who discusses cars and driving technique. He holds respect and admiration for Iketani as the team's leader and for Takumi’s exceptional skill. A significant subplot involves Kenji and others encouraging Iketani to pursue a relationship with Mako Sato. After a practice run where Iketani spun out and received instruction from Takumi, Kenji directly advised Iketani during a night drive at Lake Akina to get over his past missed opportunity with Mako, voicing a concern that Iketani might otherwise remain single. Kenji later expressed happiness for his friend when it seemed Iketani might have a second chance, revealing his supportive nature. In the sequel series *MF Ghost*, Kenji is married with children and continues to frequent the gas station, now modernized into a charging station, to meet with his former SpeedStars teammates Iketani and Itsuki. There, he shares news about the new MFG racing league and reports on new participants like Sena Moroboshi. His background as a former street racer for the Akina SpeedStars, where he drove a Nissan 180SX Type X (RPS13), is noted. His last name remains unknown.