open/close all folders
Major Characters
Rihito Sajou
Voiced by: Kenji Nojima
Age: 16 (First appearance), 22 (Current)
Height: 175 cm
Birthday: October 28
A shy yet stubborn straight-laced honor student and the main protagonist of the series alongside Kusakabe. He graduated from the pharmaceutical department at Kyoto university and is now working as a pharmacist.- Blind Without 'Em: He's nearsighted. In Sotsugyosei, he interrupts him and Kusakabe getting hot and heavy to put his glasses on in order to see Kusakabe's face clearly. When checking the time on his phone in O.B., he holds it close to his face and has to squint in order to read it.
- Bookworm: He's shown reading a lot in his spare time. His favorite genres are foreign literature and belles-letters.
- Character Tic: He has a habit of pushing up his glasses with his pointer or middle finger.
- Deadpan Snarker: He has shades of this.Kusakabe, after trying to run out under a rainstorm: I'm drenched!!!Sajou, applauding: Oooh. Good job.
- Death Glare: Does this occasionally. He gives Kusakabe an apparently particularly nasty one in the "During a Date" comic.
- Dude Magnet: Over the course of the series, Sajou manages to attract three guys consisting of his boyfriend-turned-husband Kusakabe, his former teacher Hara-Sen (Who still didn't completely get over him despite having Sorano) and (very briefly) his university friend Kinosaki. Even Sorano takes notice of his good looks.
- Family Eye Resemblance: Has his mother's eyes, as stated by Kusakabe.
- Forgets to Eat: Particularly when he's overworked or dealing with stresses such as his mother's sickness. His lack of nutrition is a source of worry for Kusakabe, who decides to learn how to cook because of this.
- Gay Groom in a White Tux
- Gayngst: Sajou is more uncomfortable with his sexuality since unlike Kusakabe, Sajou always knew he was attracted to the same sex since young but hides it in fear of his parents' disapproval as opposed to experiencing romantic interest for the first time and not being afraid to act on it (He does get better over time the more time he spends with Kusakabe). It's noted Kusakabe was the one to initiate the kissing in the first volume until the last chapter.
- Hair-Contrast Duo: The prim-and-proper straight black haircut to Kusakabe's naturally curly (or "fluffy") dyed-blonde.
- High-School Sweethearts: With Kusakabe.
- I Can't Believe a Guy Like You Would Notice Me: A drunk Sajou expresses doubt that someone as popular as Kusakabe enjoys being with someone like him (to the latter's frustration) so when Kusakabe tells him he's his number one, Sajou can hardly believe it and practically glomps him.Sajou: "Is it... fun for you... to be with me? I mean, why? I'm gloomy. All I do is study. I've got glasses. and I'm a boy. Why would—"Kusakabe: "Sajou. You're pissing me off."Sajou: [Wide Eyes and Shrunken Irises]Kusakabe: "Just kidding! I'm not angry! I'm not! [...] You're number one. You're number one, Sajou."Sajou: "Are... are you for real? You... You cool guy!"
- Inconsistent Spelling: His first name is romanized as either "Rihito" or "Licht". The English manga release uses "Rihito", while official merchandise tends to use "Licht". Occasionally, more obscure romanizations can be seen in merchandise, such as "Richt" or "Lihito".
- Insult of Endearment: Sajou calls Kusakabe "Idiot" ("Baka" in Japanese) whenever the latter says something romantic that embarrassed him.
- Like Father, Like Son: While he inherits most of his looks from his mother, he has his father's glasses tic and stubbornness. They butt heads often because of it.
- Meaningful Name: Rihito, or rather "Licht", is German for "Light" as his Christian grandfather chose his name as a reference to the phrase "Let there be light." His name also has the same meaning as Hikaru's.
- Mundane Wish: According to one of the character's Q&A, his dream is to live a normal life with Kusakabe.
- Nerds Are Sexy: Not only does he have multiple gratuitous shower/bath scenes, but at least half of the cast has acknowledged Sajou's good looks, if not developed feelings for him.
- No Social Skills: Has shades of this, especially earlier in the series. His conversations with Tani are particularly awkward.
- Only Sane Man: Falls into this role when hanging out with Kusakabe and Tani, and with his university friends to a lesser extent.
- Opposites Attract: With Kusakabe.
- Raven Hair, Ivory Skin
- The Stoic: Sajou used to be this earlier in the series, but he's gradually become more emotionally expressive. His mother mentions that at some point during his childhood, Sajou stopped smiling and meeting her eye, but ever since meeting Kusakabe he's begun laughing again like he used to.
- Trying Not to Cry: A big offender of this, at least until later in the series.Sajou: "I mean... my mom said this too, but... I put up a front. So, well, I do push myself pretty hard. And when I snap... I'm brittle. Probably... way more than you. So I'm always telling myself I'm fine. So... you asking if I'm okay and me saying that I am... feels good to me."
- You Should Have Died Instead: Says this to his father in blanc after his mother passes away.
Hikaru Kusakabe
Voiced by: Hiroshi Kamiya
Age: 16 (First appearance), 22 (Current)
Height: 175 cm
Birthday: July 6
A laidback guitarist who wears his heart on his sleeve, and the main protagonist of the series alongside Sajou. In addition to his music, he also works part-time.- Adaptation Dye-Job: His hair has a sort of stylistic yellow-orange ombre in the anime film when it's just blonde in the manga.
- Anger Born of Worry: Usually because of Sajou. He gets better at dealing with it as the series goes on, however.Kusakabe: SERIOUSLY!! You seriously do not GET IT! Always saying this weird stuff... you DUMMY!! You study too much! Honestly! I was super worried, you know! I thought it was all over! JERK! Why do you gotta overthink everything?! Why?! All it does is freak you out!! Honestly! You're nothing but trouble! Honestly!! You jerk! This is bad for my heart! When you wouldn't answer the phone, I thought you were DEAD! Please stop this shit already!! YOU BIG DUMMY!!
- Book Dumb: His grades aren't the best and he's generally written off as your average slacker student, but he's got great talent when it comes to music and cooking and is good at problem-solving most of the time.
- Brutal Honesty: Kusukabe isn't afraid to express his feelings for Sajou and thoughts about getting married.
- Chewing the Scenery: In "A Complex Fool And A Simplex Fool" after Sajou goes off by himself while drunk, and again in blanc chapter 3 when Tani shows up at his apartment after being kicked out by his wife.
- Dreary Half-Lidded Eyes
- Dye Hard: His hair is bleached and dyed blonde. What his natural hair color looks like is currently unknown but it's implied to be a light brunette.
- Family Eye Resemblance: Has his mother's eye shape.
- Gay Groom in a White Tux
- Hair Antennae
- Hair-Contrast Duo: The naturally curly, dyed-blonde to Sajou's straight and black.
- High-School Sweethearts: With Sajou.
- In-Series Nickname: "Beyan" by his friends, "Brokaru" ("Okaru" in Japanese) by his sister, and "Job John" in elementary school.
- Like Father, Like Son: He has his father's laidback disposition and outlook on life. They also both fall asleep easily.
- Meaningful Name: Hikaru means "Light" in Japanese, which is very fitting for his character and appearance. His name also has the same meaning as Rihito's.
- Motor Mouth: He has a tendency to do this when he's scared, angry, or nervous.
- Mundane Wish: His dream is to bathe together with Sajou. He eventually gets this in chapter 5 of home.
- Opposites Attract: With Sajou.
- Paper-Thin Disguise: When he spies on Sajou's outing with Hara. The only thing different about him is he's wearing sunglasses.
- Parental Title Characterization: He and his sister call their parents Tou-chan and Kaa-chan, a sweet and childish way for one to refer to their parents (as opposed to the normal Otou-san and Okaa-san) indicating their close relationships.
- Shared Family Quirks: While Kusakabe takes mostly after his father, namely his relaxed, kindhearted personality and tendency to fall asleep, he's also Brutally Honest and prone to emotionally-charged outbursts, something which his mother is in a constant state of.
- Share Phrase: Kusakabe's hair is described as "fluffy" by various people in their inner monologue or thoughts.
- Single-Target Sexuality: He didn't have any romantic interest for anyone until Sajou, even calling him his First Love and in one bonus chapter when rifling through his sister's Yaoi manga, he specifically picks one that has a boy on the cover with similar glasses, haircut and body type like Sajou. Tani even thought he was the type of guy who couldn't love anyone back which could mean Sajou was more than just his Closet Key.
- Sleepyhead: He's prone to falling asleep, especially when he's bored.
- Stronger Than They Look: Despite his physique, he punches Hara-sen so hard his head actually bleeds in "Autumn", and is able to Over-the-Shoulder Carry Sajou with ease in chapter 5 of home.
- Tender Tears: He brings on the waterworks when it regards his love for Sajou.
- Verbal Tic: Tends to say "Jeez" in exasperation or shock, especially in the first volume.
Manabu Hara / Hara-sen
Voiced by: Hideo Ishikawa
Age: 35 (First Appearance), Early 40's (Current)
Height: 185 cm
Birthday: June 2
Sajou, Kusakabe and Sorano's former homeroom teacher, who feels somewhat adrift in the world.- Hopeless Suitor: He harbored a burning yet hopeless crush on Sajou ever since his first day of high school and had planned on asking him out after graduation but Kusakabe beat him to it. For the first two books, he tried making advances that never got anywhere due to Kusakabe intervening and Sajou having only eyes for his boyfriend. Eventually, he gave up upon realizing this pining had never amounted to anything and found a Second Love in Sorano.
- In-Series Nickname: Hara-sen, a Portmanteau of "Hara" and "Sensei", by his current and former students alike. Kusakabe also gives Hara an additional insulting one in the form of "Chin Pubes" in the official English translation. ("Hige" in Japanese).
- Irony: Considering Sajou was his First Love but was taken by Kusakabe, which he considered his (one-sided) romantic rival, Hara-sen's Second Love turns out to be Sorano whose cheerful, free-spirited personality is more like Kusakabe's than the reserved Sajou's.
- May–December Romance: With Sorano.
- Meaningful Name: Manabu means "learn". Very on point with his career as a music teacher.
- Teacher/Student Romance: With Sorano. Subverted as they only started dating after graduation.
Sorano Aoto
Voiced by: Jun Fukuyama
Age: 15 (First Appearance), 20 (Current)
Height: 184 cm
Birthday: May 26
A young model whose seemingly nonchalant personality belies his passionate and considerate tendencies. He first met Hara at a gay bar in Nichome.- Adapted Out: He does not appear in the blanc audio drama, despite appearing in the manga. His lines are given to Hara instead.
- Teacher/Student Romance: With Hara. Subverted as they only started dating after graduation.
- Second Love: To Hara.
Supporting Characters
Tani
- Blank White Eyes: Tani is drawn with no pupils which makes him look like one of the background characters.
- In-Series Nickname: "Number 4", as stated by Kusakabe in an extra and in one of his character profiles.
Hibiki Sano
Voiced by: Yuki Ono
Birthday: September 16
- Adapted Out: He does not appear in the blanc audio drama, despite appearing in the manga. Unlike Sorano, his lines are completely removed and not given to another character.
- Teacher/Student Romance: With Arisaka.
Satoshi Arisaka
Voiced by: Nobuo Tobita
Birthday: December 27
- May–December Romance: An even older example with Hibiki than Hara and Sorano since he used to be Hara's teacher when he was a middle schooler. This means the age gap between him and Hibiki, who was around Sorano's age when they started dating, is longer than twenty-two years.
- Teacher/Student Romance: With Hibiki.
Komatsu
Voiced by: Masahiro Yamanaka
- Camp Gay: Speaks in onee-kotoba and his mannerisms are very flamboyant.
- In-Series Nickname: Koma or Koma-chan, by multiple characters.
Kumi Sajou
- The Faceless: She's initially drawn as this to illustrate how Sajou couldn't look straight into her eyes without feeling guilty. This later becomes subverted when he comes out and introduces Kusakabe to her.
- Incurable Cough of Death: The last time we saw her alive is telling Sajou she's fine after a minor coughing fit.
- Open-Minded Parent: Though she secretly had some reservations briefly, she is immediately patient and accepting of Sajou when he comes out to her, and even asks to meet his boyfriend.
- Wacky Parent, Serious Child: Kumi is talkative, playful, and always in high spirits, a stark contrast to her serious, more stoic son.Kumi, about the mix CD Kusakabe made for her: "Ah! That’s miiiiine! It’s my treasure! You don’t get to see! It’s a seeeecret!"Sajou: "Uh. Very creepy"
Kinosaki
- Ambiguously Gay: Kinosaki's sexuality is unconfirmed and the only one out of his friend group who isn't seeing anybody but is able to relate to two straight girls and a gay guy's relationship with their respective boyfriends. And then there's that time where he Almost Kissed Sajou during a power outage and became incredibly flustered over what he had done, leading to Miyamura thinking he initially had a crush on Sajou like she did.
- Shipper on Deck: Kinosaki, Kawanishi and Miyamura are all fully on board and adore Sajou's relationship with Kusakabe much like the fans of the series.
- Two Girls and a Guy: He forms this dynamic with Miyamura and Kawanishi, Sajou's other university friends.
Miyamura
- In-Series Nickname: Miyamuu, by Kawanishi.
- Shipper on Deck: Kinosaki, Kawanishi and Miyamura are all fully on board and adore Sajou's relationship with Kusakabe much like the fans of the series.
- Two Girls and a Guy: She forms this dynamic with Kinosaki and Kawanishi, Sajou's other university friends.
Fujino
Sajou's father
- Ascended Extra: He now stars in his own spin-off, Sajou Rihito no Chichi to Sono Buka.note
- Disappeared Dad: He's never around for most of Sajou's life due to working in Korea which led to Sajou having to become self-reliant and facing hardships without help, especially after his mom is diagnosed with cancer. It's very telling that we finally see him when Sajou's mother just passed away after not visiting her when her condition was stable.
- Unnamed Parent
Juichi Natsume
- Likes Older Men: And has one night stands with them.
- Never Be Hurt Again: The reason for his aloof demeanor. He's faced persecution in the past for his sexuality and so puts distance between himself and others (straight people in particular) as he believes it's safer for everyone.
Kusakabe's family
- Eyes Always Shut: Kusakabe's kindly old father is almost always drawn with eyes closed.
- Gyaru Girl:
Word of God states that Kusakabe's sister is a Tsyuome gyaru. - May–December Romance: Kusakabe's parents turn out to be this in Blanc. His father can easily pass off as his grandfather and gets a lot of flak for remarrying one of his employees nearly half his age but nonetheless are Happily Married.
- Office Romance: Kusakabe's parents met this way when his mother used to work for the company his father owns.
- Open-Minded Parent: Kusakabe's father fits this to a T. His mother was initially shocked about Kusakabe getting married, much less to a man, but came around to the idea quickly and welcomes Sajou into the family.
- Retcon: In a timeline of Kusakabe's life first released in 2010, it's stated his parents were a Childhood Friend Romance. This was eventually changed to a May–December Romance with them having met at their place of work by the time blanc came out 10 years later.
- The Faceless: We never see Kusakabe's sister's eyes.
- Unnamed Parent: Both of them.
- Yaoi Fangirl: Kusakabe's older sister secretly is one and has several containers worth of Boys' Love manga all carefully organized underneath her bed. He tried using the manga for sex research but found it confusing and ridiculous then got in deep trouble once she found out. During Sajou and Kusakabe's wedding, she was blushing so hard despite her stoic nature as it were a dream come true.
