Yuji Hageda is the father of Hagemaru Hageda and a member of the Hageda family. He is short, typically depicted with seven distinct strokes of hair on his head and thin eyebrows. His hair is black in the manga and brown in the anime, while his eyes are consistently brown. He commonly wears a green kimono with a yellow belt and black-and-yellow sandals, along with round glasses; alternatively, he wears a brown kimono with a black belt. For professional settings, he dons a white shirt, green tie, brown business suit, and brown trousers. His height places him between his son Hagemaru and his wife Aiko, noted for his shining head.

Yuji shares the Hageda family's extreme frugality and intense attachment to money. He actively evades expenditures, walking between his office and home to save bus fare and delaying his return to avoid requests for purchases like chocolate. Despite this, he demonstrates underlying care for his family. He exhibits a dramatic demeanor, frequently exaggerating situations. His primary motivations revolve around financial conservation, with money serving as both his specialty and his weakness.

Born in a small village, Yuji experienced early financial hardship. His father died when he was nine, prompting him and his mother to adopt stringent money-saving practices. By age eleven, he balanced school with work to contribute to household finances, solidifying his lifelong frugality.

Within his family, Yuji is married to Aiko Hageda and is Hagemaru's father. His interactions with them reflect his conflicting traits of miserliness and occasional compassion. He maintains a routine of commuting to work.