| “ | For whatever reason, people think that if you don't have a lot of friends there's something wrong with you. I don't think that's true, though. At least I hope it's not. | „ |
| ~ Kodaka Hasegawa |
Kodaka Hasegawa is the main character of the light novel and anime series Haganai. He is a second year student at St. Chronica's Academy, where he has a bad reputation; due to the blond hair he inherited from his English mother, as well as the bad impression he made on his first day, he is believed to be a delinquent and so is unable to make any friends. One day, he indirectly gives Yozora Mikazuki the idea to form the Neighbour's Club and is pulled into it against his will. He is also the older brother of Kobato Hasegawa.
He is voiced by Ryōhei Kimura in the Japanese version of the anime, and by Jerry Jewel in the English version of the anime.
Personality[]
| “ | Rika: Perhaps Rika can fix your silly-looking hair. That is not a good dye job at all. Kodaka: This is my real hair. Rika: What? Kodaka: It's true. My mom was English and blonde and it's the only thing I have left of her. I'm never changing it. |
„ |
| ~ Kodaka explaining his hair colour to Rika, as well as his refusal to change it |
Because of his foreign heritage and intimidating looks, combined with the dreadful first impression he made on the day he transferred, Kodaka is believed to be a delinquent by most of his school. However, he is actually a calm and collected individual who is soft-spoken and kind hearted. He is very polite and would have initially called Yozora and Sena by their last names if not for the two demanding him to call them by their first names instantly. Kodaka usually remain calm even when provoked or angry and is one of the few among his club members who is still trying to get friends. Kodaka can also be rather sentimental; despite the fact that it would help his reputation at school, he refuses to dye his hair due it being the only resemblance he has to his mother. At one point, he even tells Sena that dying his hair would be like turning his back on where he came from. It's because of this that he envies Kobato to a degree, since she inherited a good deal of their mother's looks.
Kodaka is always depicted to be somewhat "dense" at the feelings being expressed by most female characters towards him. But in reality, Kodaka is well aware of this, but only pretends that he does not know since he doesn't want anything to change from the relationship between him and his club-mates (though Rika sees through most of Kodaka's feelings). Suffice it to say, Kodaka is very observant yet careful at the same time. Kodaka's desire to find friends is very huge. An example is when Sena hands the Tokimeki Memorial based game to him, and he spends the entire play through hanging out with the supporting male character (whose also the childhood friend) rather than talking to the girls and is completely satisfied with the bad end that results because it means he still has that friend.
Kodaka is hot and cold when it comes to his club-mates, as he endeavors to maintain good relations between all while dismissing their romantic feelings for him. For example, he repeatedly invites the other club members to "group" outings when asked by more than one for a one-on-one "date," much to their dismay. Later in the anime, Kodaka will sometimes say out loud something seemingly meant only as internal monologue that is very flattering to one of his club-mates, such as when he compared Rika to "a single wildflower, blooming on a hill." While it's most probable that these feelings are genuine, it's also likely that he only pretends to say them on accident so that he can avoid taking responsibility for the sentiment expressed.
Kodaka has a great amount of patience as he doesn't allow rage to get the best of him whenever someone badmouth or insults him. He also scold someone whenever it is mostly needed as shown when Kodaka reprimands Sena for being to arrogant despite after being bullied by several men and also pins the blame on them. During this time, it is also shown that Kodaka sometimes relies on his misguided appearance to protect others by either threatening or scaring the perpetrators as he does not favor violence to sort out conflicts; Kodaka values peace and tranquility. Even though it would improve his reputation at school, Kodaka refuses to dye his hair as it is the only thing he has left of his deceased mother, once claiming to Sena that dying it would be like turning his back on where he came from, implying a great deal of love for his mother.
Whenever someone recognizes Kodaka more as person rather than a delinquent, he acts respectfully towards them for respecting him; in the case of Yukimura, Aoi, and Hinata. Kodaka also has a sense of humor that only he can comprehend as he does tell jokes and made-up stories with confidence, being able to share it proudly with his fellow club members which they don't find humorous or even amusing (except for Maria). His confidence towards his humor never wavered despite his club-mates' exquisite reaction towards it as shown when the club was discussing for their plans in their school's cultural festival. When Yozora erased comedy show as a proposal for their role in the cultural festival, Kodaka protested, while the others remarked that it was a good move, much to Kodaka's dismay. In the Light Novels, his reactions are more low-key and he has a tendency to snark.
After "befriending" Rika, Kodaka no longer feigns ignorance to the feelings expressed by others towards him. As a result, Kodaka acknowledges these feelings from his club-mates though he still does exert some amount of effort into it, resulting to embarrassment. Still, he is careful with the words he chooses in complying with these feelings expressed towards him. Kodaka also enjoys reading shonen manga.
Trivia[]
- Kodaka is very similar to Kyon:
- Both indirectly give the heroine an idea to form a club (the Neighbour's Club and SOS Brigade, respectively) and are pulled into it against their wills.
- Both have a younger sister.
- Both share several personality traits, the most obvious being that they're both very sarcastic.
- Both are the most normal members of their respective clubs (Kodaka is the most normal personality-wise while Kyon is the only one without any supernatural powers).
- He's also very similar to Ryuuji Takasu. Both are mistaken for intimidating delinquents due to their unusual features (Kodaka because of his hair and Ryuuji because of his eyes) but are actually misunderstood and kind-hearted. Additionally, both attract the feelings of a mean, lonely girl with no social skills (Yozora Mikazuki and Taiga Aisaka), an energetic girl with odd mannerisms (Rika Shiguma and Minori Kushieda) and a beautiful, haughty popular girl (Sena Kashiwazaki and Ami Kawashima).
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