Ichirō Yamada is one of the two protagonists of the Japanese manga River's Edge, written and illustrated by Kyoko Okazaki, and also appears in the 2018 live-action film adaptation of the same name. He is a high school student living in a Tokyo suburb during the early 1990s. Ichirō is characterized as a quiet, nonchalant, and sensitive young man who is often bullied by his male peers. The bullying he endures is severe, including being locked in lockers and left naked and tied up in abandoned buildings. This mistreatment stems from jealousy over his popularity with female classmates, who are drawn to his pretty face and stylish appearance, as well as suspicions regarding his sexuality. Inwardly, Ichirō is grappling with a deep sense of emotional numbness and existential dread, confessing at one point that he does not know if he is dead or alive. He is a closeted gay student who dates a girl named Kanna Tajima in an attempt to appear straight, a secret that causes further inner turmoil and hurts those around him.

Despite his quiet and victimized exterior, some interpretations of the character suggest a more complex and morally ambiguous nature, describing him as cold and calculating. His primary motivation seems to be a search for an escape from his grim reality and a way to feel courage in the face of his own emptiness. He finds a peculiar solace in a secret he discovered by the river: the desiccated corpse of a person, which he regards as his treasure. This morbid discovery is a refuge from the world and a source of comfort for him, though he shows little concern for the identity of the deceased or the feelings of any potential loved ones. He expresses a desire to see a UFO or something totally different from reality to appear, highlighting his wish for an escape from his oppressive everyday life.

In the story, Ichirō serves as a central figure whose struggles provide perspective for the other characters, particularly the main protagonist, Haruna Wakakusa. His role is to embody the story's themes of alienation, the cruelty of youth, and the search for meaning in a stagnant and polluted environment. He forms a significant platonic friendship with Haruna after she protects him from her own boyfriend, who is also his bully. He confides in Haruna, sharing his two major secrets: his homosexuality and the dead body by the river. This friendship is a rare point of connection for him. Another key relationship is with Kozue Yoshikawa, a bulimic model who is the only other person aware of the corpse, and who shares his strange attachment to it. His relationship with his girlfriend, Kanna Tajima, is a front that ultimately causes her pain, as she is unaware of his true sexuality and becomes overprotective and confused by his lack of physical affection. His primary antagonist is Kannonzaki, the school bully who torments him and is also dating his friend Haruna.

Ichirō does not undergo a simple or uplifting transformation. The narrative presents him as a complex, flawed individual whose actions have real consequences. His decision to use Kanna as a cover for his sexuality is presented as fundamentally dishonest and hurtful. The story explores his hardships realistically, without romanticism, showing how his environment and internal struggles shape his actions. He possesses no superhuman abilities; his notable traits are his psychological complexity and his unusual, almost nihilistic, capacity to find courage in the presence of death. His defining characteristic is his profound disconnection from life, balanced by a desperate, quiet wish for something otherworldly to break through his reality.