Kaito Taira (
Biography[]
Early life[]
In primary school, Kaito was being bullied by some teenagers. Tsukasa Domyoji, of the infamous F4, saved him when his best friend Haruto Kaguragi was unable to help. Kaito and Haruto promised to protect Eitoku Academy in the F4's place. Later, they formed the C5 with their friends and classmates, Airi Maya, Issa Narumiya, and Sugimaru Eibi.[1][2]
High school[]
During their first year, Eitoku was controlled by an upperclassman Kenta Moriguchi, who ruled with fear. Kaito found out that Moriguchi was not paying his tuition, which Haruto used to depose him. The C5 then became the leaders of Eitoku and implemented "peasant hunts", in which they locate an individual who has not paid their tuition and force them to leave.[3] By their second year, they were faced with a decline in applicants since students were flocking to Eitoku's new rival, Momonozono Academy.[1]
Meeting Oto[]
The C5 first met Oto Edogawa, when she ran in front of their car by accident. Kaito learned her identity by using a special app he invented, which was a database of every student at Eitoku. Later, he chastised Haruto for being "careless" when Oto found out about his affinity for "lucky" items.[1] Airi later learned that a girl was "threatening" Haruto and confronted Kaito about it. He kept Oto a secret, though he still agreed to help Airi find out about her. That Sunday, Kaito visited Haruto, who claimed to be suffering from a disease. Kaito dismissed it saying "This disease you've caught is the one called 'love.'" The next day, the C5 snuck into Momonozono to investigate, though they were soon caught.[4]
Airi later found out about Oto and revealed her "peasant" status to the school. Kaito disagreed with her methods, though he still felt it was the C5's duty to "peasant hunt" Oto. The next day, the principal told Kaito that Tenma had paid Oto's tuition, allowing her to stay. Airi called it "dirty money", but Kaito said "donations are donations."[2] Some days later, he became suspicious of Airi when she grew closer to Oto. He confronted her about it and she told him she felt bad about her actions. His suspicions were proven true when Airi hurt Oto again. Kaito apologized to Oto for Airi's actions. Airi went missing the same day. Kaito went to Oto for clues and then took her to Haruto. He, however, refused to help search and said some rude things to Oto. After the incident, Kaito told Haruto to apologize to Oto.[5]
Enter Megumi[]
- "At this time, I don't care how you feel. You saw how the students got excited just with Megumi Nishidome's appearance, didn't you? For Eitoku's sake, date Megumi Nishidome."
- —Kaito encourages Haruto to date Megumi Nishidome[src]
At Issa's ikebana exhibit, popular model Megumi Nishidome approached Haruto. She later appeared at Eitoku to return Haruto's wallet, which surprised Kaito and the others. That night, Kaito went to Haruto's house to advise him to date Megumi for Eitoku's sake. He then informed him about Momonozono's recent gain in reputation since Tenma donated money to Eitoku. Kaito also said that it would look bad for Haruto to pursue Tenma's fiancée.[6] The following week, Megumi transferred to Eitoku. Kaito observed an increase in applicants, which he then reported to the rest of the C5. Haruto revealed that Oto and Tenma were officially going out, leading Kaito to encourage him to date Megumi again.[7]
Later, Kaito took it upon himself to announce that the C5 would continue "peasant hunts". Haruto went along with Kaito's announcement. After the proclamation, the normal students of Eitoku became heavily involved in the hunts, reporting anyone they believed to be a "peasant." Kaito confirmed each report and carried out the hunt with Haruto, Issa, and Sugimaru as Airi had refused to be involved. That night, Kaito was ecstatic by the day's progress. He promised Haruto that they would "rebuild" Eitoku together. A few days later, a student, who a "peasant hunt" was performed on, confronted Haruto. Haruto declared that he wanted to stop "peasant hunts," causing Kaito to yell at him. He then made a passionate speech, to which many students cheered. Kaito still looked apprehensive.[3]
Eitoku attacks[]
- Kaito: "I have done some awful things and told you to do them too for Eitoku. For that, I'm sorry."
- Haruto: "What are you saying? You were just thinking about Eitoku's future"
- Kaito: "That's what I thought, but you changed people's hearts. You are liked by everyone, including us. Nishikado supports you as well. We are proud to be your friend."
- — Kaito to Haruto before the third round of the contest[src]
Haruto later revealed that he was considering dating Megumi. Kaito told him to "treasure" her and called them the "last hope of Eitoku". The following day, Eitoku was vandalized. Once Oto started cleaning, the C5 and Megumi joined in. The day before Megumi's birthday, Kaito, Issa, Sugimaru, and Haruto were hanging out together. They repeatedly teased him about Megumi. At the party, a threat was sent to stop it. The culprit was caught shortly after the cake exploded.[8] Kaito later learned that the culprit was a fan of Megumi and was jealous that she was attending a coed school. He also informed Haruto that the party was a huge boost for Eitoku's popularity. A few days later, Haruto was planning a date for Megumi. Kaito told him that he was thinking about it too seriously.[9]
When a contest between Haruto and Tenma was announced, Kaito was upset that he had decided this on his own. He was then shocked at Haruto's hopelessness at martial arts. The C5 attempted to have Oto convince Tenma to end the contest. She called them bad friends in response. They then dedicated themselves to helping Haruto train over the next few weeks.[10] After Haruto lost the first round, a large crowd of Eitoku students showed up for the second. Airi asked whether this was the "change" he wanted, to which he said "probably." Haruto then won the round, which Kaito attributed to his injured hand. Before the third round, Kaito apologized for his actions, referring to the "peasant hunts". He told him he was proud to be his friend. After Haruto won the competition, the C5 went out to celebrate together.[11]
Physical appearance[]
Kaito was good-looking, though not exactly in the traditional sense like the other C5 members. He had dark brown hair and eyes. Kaito always wore his wire-rimmed glasses. He was most often seen wearing his special C5 uniform.
Personality and traits[]
He was the smartest member of the C5 and was known to possess the highest IQ at Eitoku. Coming from a family of politicians, Kaito was a natural diplomat as well as a pragmatist. Like Haruto, he passionate about protecting Eitoku and was occasionally overzealous about it.
Behind the scenes[]
Portrayal
- See also: Category:Kaito Taira portrayals
- Tatsuomi Hamada plays Kaito in the drama, Hana Nochi Hare: Hanadan Next Season (2018).[12]
- A younger version of Kaito is portrayed by Ryoka Minamide,[13] who also portrayed a childhood version of Hamada's character in Mob Psycho 100.
Appearances[]
Hana Nochi Hare (2018) | ||||||||||
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
(Debut) |
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Episode 1, Hana Nochi Hare
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Episode 3, Hana Nochi Hare
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Episode 7, Hana Nochi Hare
- ↑ Episode 2, Hana Nochi Hare
- ↑ Episode 4, Hana Nochi Hare
- ↑ Episode 5, Hana Nochi Hare
- ↑ Episode 6, Hana Nochi Hare
- ↑ Episode 8, Hana Nochi Hare
- ↑ Episode 9, Hana Nochi Hare
- ↑ Episode 10, Hana Nochi Hare
- ↑ Episode 11, Hana Nochi Hare
- ↑ https://mdpr.jp/news/detail/1747252 (Japanese)
- ↑ http://www.tbs.co.jp/hana_hare/report/8.html (Japanese)
See also[]
Hana Nochi Hare (2018) characters | ||||||
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