Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai/Characters

Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai revolves around the daily lives of the seven members -- six students, one advisor -- of the Neighbors Club, a school club within St. Chronica Academy whose ostensible goal is to help its members learn social skills and open up to society.

Kodaka Hasegawa

Voiced by: Ryohei Kimura (teenager) and Akiko Seri (child)

The main protagonist and a second-year transferee to St. Chronica after he and his younger sister Kobato decide to stay behind when their father Hayato went to America to work. Unfortunately, his naturally blond hair (inherited from their deceased English mother Airi) earned him an unwanted reputation as some delinquent. He, together with fellow loner Yozora, is a co-founder of the Neighbors Club.

Accidental Pervert: Twice, towards Sena -- Completely naked during his visit to the Kashiwazakis' mansion, and then topless during the Beach Episode. Subverted with Kobato (his little sister, of course), whom he doesn't mind seeing naked (and neither does Kobato).
All Men Are Perverts: Inverted -- It's his female clubmates (especially Rika) who create the impression among his schoolmates that he is one, like that one time Rika liberally talked about the thrills of rape in front of him and in the presence of his stunned classmates.
Attractive Bent Gender: In the short Imagine Spot of Episode 3.
Berserk Button: Hayato may be an absentee parent (justifiable with his career as an archaeologist), but Kodaka doesn't take too kindly to his father being called "trash". Even if that was just a light-hearted quip from Tenma, Hayato's long-time friend.
Big Brother Instinct: Develops a minor one towards Maria.
But Not Too Foreign: He is born of a Japanese father and a British mother.
Cannot Tell a Joke
Clueless Chick Magnet: At least within the Neighbor's Club.
Comically Missing the Point: When Sena hands off the Tokimeki Memorial based game to him, he spends the entire playthrough hanging out with the Bromantic Foil rather than talking to the girls and is completely satisfied with the bad end that results because it means he still has that friend.
Delinquent: So most of his schoolmates assume him as, on account of his blond hair which contrasts with his Japanese face (a result of mixed-race parentage), as well as a very bad first-day-at-school impression, when he comes in looking haggard, barely making it to school in time, then staggering in fatigue towards his teacher with his arms forward and fingers curled (making his classmates assume he is about to attack their teacher) after introducing himself.
Delinquent Hair/Face of a Thug: Both are major factors as to why he is all alone.
Epiphany Therapy: At the end of Episode 11, seeing Yozora with her hair cut short on their first day of school after summer break finally made him realize that "Sora", his Forgotten Childhood Friend, is her all along.
Expository Hairstyle Change: Averted. As he explains to Sena in Episode 11, he refuses to dye his naturally-blond hair because this is his only reminder of his late mother Airi, an Englishwoman -- even if it turns him into an outcast.
Expy: A misunderstood Nice Guy with the Face of a Thug and The Un-Smile who is into housekeeping, pursued by a vicious Tsundere with lots of hang-ups, an energetic Cloudcuckoolander and a gorgeous Lovable Alpha Bitch? Sounds like Ryuuji Takasu.
First-Name Basis: Yozora and Sena instantly demand that he call them by their first names. Normally he'd be much more polite and reserved.
First-Person Smartass: Moreso in the light novels than the anime, where his reactions are more low-key and he has a tendency to snark.
Hair of Gold: Another source of misunderstandings for him.
New Transfer Student
No Guy Wants to Be Chased: The poor guy is put off by Rika's promiscuously open advances and fails to realize any genuine interest in him she may have.
Oblivious to Love
Only Sane Man: Stands as the sole voice of reason of the Neighbors Club.
- Not So Above It All: The whole cell phone thing.
Parental Abandonment: His and Kobato's mother Airi is dead, and their father Hayato works abroad.
- Promotion to Parent: He has to raise Kobato, cook meals for her, and put up with her vampire-loli fantasies.
Red Oni, Blue Oni: The blue to Yozora and Sena's red.
Second Year Protagonist
Selective Obliviousness: When his failure to recognize the girls around him grows too strong, Rika begins to suspect that he's going out of his way to never, ever notice how they feel. A credible theory considering his fixation on having friends, but it's neither confirmed nor denied at the time.
Shrouded in Myth: Has the unfortunate reputation of being a Delinquent thanks to his blonde hair and an intimidating facial expression (especially when angry). It also doesn't help that he goes to school with the lower ends of his pants folded up to below his knees and wears loafers.
The Un-Smile: His smile comes across as menacing.
Wrong Genre Savvy: For a moment at the start of the story, Kodaka thinks he might be the hero in a supernatural Shonen Genre show. Nope, he's the main character in a Harem Anime with socially-challenged hot girls in the mix.

Yozora Mikazuki

Voiced by: Marina Inoue

An abrasive loner with a strange hobby of talking to an "air friend" named "Tomo". After a small talk with Kodaka who caught her "taking" to "Tomo", she becomes a co-founder of the Neighbors Club.

Bastard Girlfriend: Her tongue is sharp and her flyswatter swift.
Berserk Button: Though being compared to bullies is a sure-fire way to get her genuinely angry...
- The Bully: ...she herself is quite the vicious emotional bully (though implied to be with good reason).
Bifauxnen: Both as a child (as "Sora", Kodaka's long-lost childhood friend) and post-haircut. When Rika dresses her up in a male school uniform, even Sena can't resist her androgynous charm.
Big Sister Bully: To Maria, in a surrogate way.
Byronic Heroine
Character Tics: Twirling strands of her hair.
Cry Cute: At the end of Episode 11, even a total hardass like Yozora cannot hold back her Tears of Joy after Kodaka finally recognizes her -- with her hair cut short -- as his Forgotten Childhood Friend "Sora".

"It's been a long time, Taka^[1]..."

Cuteness Proximity: Cats
- Pet The Cat
A Day in the Limelight: Chapter 1 of the Shobon! spinoff manga, where she snarks at the situation of the Club but is nevertheless willing to put up with them as long as Kodaka is happy (and so is she)... and develops a Fetish for having her armpits touched.
Expository Hairstyle Change/Important Haircut: After accidentally burning her hair with a firework near the end of summer break, Yozora returns to school with her hair cut short. At this very moment Kodaka finally recognizes her as "Sora", the "boy" who used to be his only childhood friend. This also marks the point where she starts to show her deredere.
Forgotten Childhood Friend: She was the "boy" who once saved Kodaka from, and then joined him in fighting, a bunch of bullies when they were children. They quickly became friends, but then Kodaka had to move just when Yozora was confident enough to dress up as girl in front of him.
Friend to All Children: Episode 12 reveals that she actually has a soft spot for children, going so far as to put up with Maria's bratty attitude while she tried to politely ask her to lend her room to the Club before finally losing her patience. She is also shown to be protective of Kobato, and is often the first to try to keep Sena in check.
Friendship Moment: She has at least two. One occurs early on when she says that she won't tell Kodaka what her nickname is because nicknames are something you give your friends. Not long after, she gives Sena the nickname Meat. Insulting, but still a nickname. Later, in volume 6, she's genuinely remorseful about genuinely hurting Sena's feelings unlike normal when they seem to be mostly playing around. She's apparently pretty happy when Sena's mood improves thanks to Kobato.
Green-Eyed Monster: While on a roller coaster with the rest of the Club, she starts blurting out some of her resentment towards Sena, blaming her for things going wrong in her life and Kodaka not paying enough attention to her. Nobody hears any of that part instead of the creepy chanting about cursing and killing she starts after that in her panic.
Hair Decorations: The ends of her hair are tied with small ribbons.
Heroic Comedic Sociopath: Gleefully builds her success and happiness on the pain, insecurity and tears of others without a sliver of remorse.
Hoist by Her Own Petard: Gets scared by her own scary story in Episode 10.
Imaginary Friend: Used to have one, named "Tomo-chan".
It's All About Me
Jerkass/Jerkass Facade: Yozora is mostly the former, but hints abound that her bullying usually means well, in that her usual targets, Sena and Maria, are themselves haughty, spoiled and plain rude, and that her antics are apprently her way of bringing their attitudes down a notch. Whether or not it's what she was trying to do, the positive results are confirmed in the case of Maria, as her older sister Kate notes how Yozora is actually being a good influence in raising Maria.
Lack of Empathy
Manipulative Bitch
No Social Skills: As the series goes on, Yozora's awkwardness and hang-ups become more and more obvious.
Old-Timey Bathing Suit
One of the Boys: As a kid. She was about to dress up as a girl for Kodaka, when he had to move.
Perpetual Frowner: Lampshaded by Kodaka
Rapunzel Hair
Red Oni, Blue Oni: The blue to Sena's red, and the red (together with Sena) to Kodaka's blue.
Second Year Protagonist
Sitcom Arch Nemesis/Vitriolic Best Buds: With Sena. According to her, only true friends can give each other nicknames, so even if she gave Sena the insulting nickname of "Meat", it's telling something about their relationship.
Sour Prudes: Lampshaded by Rika, who couldn't care less for Yozora's uptight rebukes (unlike poor Sena).
Stepford Snarker: Talking to an Imaginary Friend and acting like a total Jerkass towards everybody else (especially Sena) may indicate some issues beneath her snarkiness. May or may not have something to do with her past with Kodaka.
Tsundere: A vicious Type A -- utterly abusive to everybody (especially towards Sena), but occasionally shows a softer side towards Kodaka.
Weapon of Choice: A fly swatter.
What Is This Thing You Call Love?: Apparently finds inter-gender relations a confusing, somewhat disturbing mess, and would prefer being Just Friends. In fact, her dislike of Sena's eroges stems not so much from their sexual content as they are about romance. It just so happens that Sena is very protective of her games and the characters therein.
Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: Dislikes parlors. Being a girl who values privacy, she dislikes how people there keep babbling about things best left private, such as romance, careers, etc., so she takes her of her hair all by herself. Part of her dislike of crowds.
Would Hurt a Child: Viciously slaps Maria (a ten year old child) twice as a part of extorting ownership of the club-room from her. In the final episode of the anime, it is revealed that her harsh treatment of Maria is not totally unjustified and largely makes her a better person due to Maria being spoiled rotten.

Sena Kashiwazaki

Voiced by: Kanae Ito

Daughter of Tenma Kashiwazaki, headmaster of St. Chronica Academy. Her connections, wealth and beauty -- not to mention a huge pair of knockers -- has boys fawning all over her, and likewise girls casting an envious eye on her. Despite being constantly surrounded by boys, all she wants are true friends, driving her to become the third member of the Neighbors Club.

The Ace
Bastard Girlfriend: Invoked. She thinks stepping on someone is a kind of reward since her fanboys approve of it and fails to understand Kodaka's dismay at the idea, though she largely ceases making such offers as time goes on.
Bi the Way: As long as she's cute (like Kobato), Sena will be as affectionate to any girl as she would a guy she likes.
Berserk Button: Never ever insult her games and/or the characters therein.
Break the Haughty: Sena's mind-boggling arrogance ran unchecked... until she met Yozora.
Butt Monkey: Much of the series' humor stems from breaking her high-class aura as hard as possible until she breaks down crying.
Cry Cute: Played for Laughs as a Running Gag, every time her confident aura gets shattered spectacularly (usually courtesy of Yozora). Complete with ...
- Catch Phrase: "Yozora no Baka!" ("Stupid Yozora!") and variations thereof, usually before or while storming off in tears.
Cute Little Fangs
Cuteness Proximity: Triggered by Kobato.
Dude Magnet
Expy: A friendless achiever who's also a galge addict trying to push her hobby on the main character and has an unhealthy fixation with his little sister? She might as well be an older, blonde, big-breasted Kirino.

(In Episode five): "There's no way your [Kodaka] little sister [Kobato] can be this cute!"

Gag Boobs/Gainaxing
Gamer Chick: Specifically, galge, citing Video Game Caring Potential as her reason.
Girly Run
Hair Decorations: She wears a butterfly decoration.
Hair of Gold
I Just Want to Have Friends: As in female friends. This is the reason she's hooked to galge, even if the girls there are virtual.
In-Series Nickname: "Meat", given to her by Yozora on account of her large breasts.
Lolicon: Sena apparently wants to get on the "Kobato route". The poor kid, like her brother, is none too amused.
Lonely Rich Kid: Whether her Rich Bitch personality is the cause of this or the effect of this has yet to be revealed.
Lovable Alpha Bitch
Love At First Punch: In the Swimming Pool chapter of Light Novel Volume 1, Sena realizes that of all the boys Sena has interacted with, Kodaka was the first(and likely only) boy to have called her out on the consequences of her Rich Bitch tendencies. She finds herself enamored with him afterwards while before she had only expressed a mild interest.
Ms. Fanservice
Red Oni, Blue Oni: The red to Yozora and Kodaka's blue.
Rich Bitch
Serious Business: Her games.
Sitcom Arch Nemesis/Vitriolic Best Buds: With Yozora. Despite being given the insulting nickname of "Meat", Sena confessed to Kodaka that she is secretly happy with it because she has never been given a nickname before. In Volume 4 of the light novels she even admitted that she has five pictures of Yozora and once commented that the latter, post-haircut, looks stupidly handsome on a male school uniform.
Super Drowning Skills: Claims to lack basic swimming knowledge, blaming her primary school's lack of such an education for it. She asks Kodaka, who's a decent swimmer, for help. To his surprise, she's quite the quick learner.
Tsundere: Type B, in that she acts like any ordinary schoolgirl, only to show her haughty, Rich Bitch side to her clubmates.

Yukimura Kusunoki

Voiced by: Nozomi Yamamoto

An extremely effeminate freshman who idolizes Kodaka, whom he deems to be a "man among men", and joined the Neighbors Club due to his presence there, hoping he can teach him how to become more manly.

All of the Other Reindeer: According to him, the other boys would often distance themselves from him whenever he undresses, and they don't throw him the ball at dodgeball. Makes a whole lot of sense once it is revealed that "he" is a girl all along.
Big Brother Attraction: Of the sorts, towards Kodaka, whom he calls "Aniki" (literally, "big brother", but in this context, an honorific used by Yakuza towards their superiors).
Dude Looks Like a Lady: The reason other boys feel uncomfortable around him. Or to be more exact, she tries too hard to be masculine despite her decidedly feminine appearance.
Gullible Lemmings: It is way too easy for Yozora to convince him to go in drag.
Hair Decorations: He wears a single flower-shaped hairclip.
Hero Worshipper: To Kodaka, for all the wrong reasons. He thinks Kodaka is a paragon of manliness and decides to treat him like a boss.
Innocent Fanservice Girl: She has got to be one, with her lack of qualms about undressing in front of boys.
Japanese Pronouns: "Watakushi"
Keigo
Meido: Suits himself up as one on Yozora's suggestion.
Real Men Wear Pink: According to Yozora.
The Stoic: He rarely gets fazed by anything, and speaks in a low-key, almost deadpan tone.
Undying Loyalty: Claims to have one towards Kodaka. The latter plays along, knowing how emotionally fragile Yukimura is.
Unsettling Gender Reveal: A partial one to Kodaka on Episode 8, and a full one to the entire Club come Volume 5 of the Light Novel.
Wholesome Crossdresser/Recursive Crossdressing

Rika Shiguma

Voiced by: Misato Fukuen

A freshman and scientific genius whose presence at St. Chronica was designed to increase its prestige. Otherwise she's a loner whose classroom is a laboratory the school made for her. After Kodaka saves her from a mishap involving sleeping gas, she joins the Neighbors Club to get close to him... while revealing an extremely perverted side with an unhealthy passion for mecha-on-mecha H-doujins.

Anything That Moves: Used to adhere to a non-sexual version, in that she finds mecha and arthropods attractive. Then she tries to go for more sexual advances towards Kodaka.
Aren't You Going to Ravish Me?: Rika thinks she owes Kodaka at least that for rescuing her. Kodaka passes.
Bunny Ears Lawyer
Cargo Ship: In-Universe -- She's a fan of mecha-on-mecha pairings.
Character Filibuster: Revels in these a lot, combined with The Immodest Orgasm.
Girl Next Door: Kodaka keeps getting this feeling from her... when she's not talking about her perversions.
Gratuitous English: See Unusual Euphemism.
For Science!: Though we don't actually see her doing much of it, what we do see doesn't seem to have much purpose other than "just because".
Genki Girl
The Immodest Orgasm: She gets easily "excited" in public and she's not shy about showing it.
Intelligence Equals Isolation: The only reason she's even in St. Chronica is because Tenma, Sena's father and school headmaster, personally had her enrolled in order to boost St. Chronica's reputation.
It's What I Do: Don't even bother to lampshade her perversions. She knows it and for her, it's nothing to be ashamed of.
Large Ham
Lovable Sex Maniac: Probably the most perverted Misato Fukuen role since Kurono Kurumu.
Mad Scientist: Of the feminine, cute kind. She even wears a labcoat over her school uniform.
Meaningful Name: Just as she states in her introduction, "Rika" literally means "Science".
Meganekko
Otaku Surrogate
Rescue Romance: One-sided on her part, anyways -- she "falls" for Kodaka after he saves her from a lab experiment gone awry.
Sir Swearsalot: She's not an angry or spiteful girl by any stretch, but her absolute frankness in usage of sexual vocabulary (e.g., "Rape me", "Care for a fuck", "I'm so horny", etc.) in public would make any conversation with her a very harrowing experience.

When panicking in Volume 5 her mouth goes berserk on her and she pretends to have no memory of the event afterwards. To Quote:

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuckkkkkkkkk! God damn gravity you piece of shit...! You don't care who it is as long as you can pull down on them, do you, you little bitch!! Gravity, you piggy bitch slut! Holy fucking shit what a god damn whore you are...! Hah, you're Earth's greedy little slut, you damn bitch in heat! Fuck you universal gravitation, you're just Newtonian Mechanics' dirty little whore! You're just the crusty semen left over in that slutty apple's pussy after that son of a bitch Isaac fucked its rotten juices! Special theory of relativity, you impotent phimosis piece of shit! Einstein, you old limp dick fuck! What, got something to say!? Then move that tiny little twig of yours faster! Cum faster than the speed of light! A pig that can't fly through space-time is just a piece of shit that reeks of semen and can't even last 5 seconds in his wet dreams! Fucking fucking fucking fucking fucking fucking fucking UNIVERRRRRRRRRSSSEE!!"

Teen Genius: An Omnidisciplinary Scientist who programs games and makes drugs, among others.
The Tease: Speaks almost entirely in Double Entendres and has No Sense of Personal Space.
Third Person Person
Too Kinky to Torture: There's a good reason Yozora stopped trolling her -- any attempt to do so backfires spectacularly on her with an additional erotic context that leaves her exhausted. She decided that simply following along anything Rika says and/or does would be less of a stretch.
Unusual Euphemism: Master of it.

Episode 4: "Universe!!!" (while climaxing as she reads aloud a Gundam x Evangelion H-doujin)

Episode 8: "Pride!" (while imagining herself in Barely-There Swimwear)

Episode 10: "Excalibur!!!" (after imagining Kodaka and Yukimura as a pair of Yaoi Guys)

Yaoi Fangirl/Yuri Fangirl

Kobato Hasegawa

Voiced by: Kana Hanazawa

Kodaka's thirteen-year-old little sister and a second-year junior high transferee to St. Chronica, who claims to be a centuries-old vampire named "Reisys V. Felicity Sumeragi". She becomes the sixth member of the Neighbors Club (with Yozora's approval) despite her juniority.

A-Cup Angst: She gets upset when she realizes her elementary school clothes still fit her -- a fact made worse by having a chest even smaller (for a thirteen-year-old, even) than Maria's. And no, Maria is no bustier than an average ten-year-old.
Akashic Records: Claims to have access to them.
A Glass of Chianti: Invoked by tomato juice.
Annoying Younger Sibling: Or at least that's how Kodaka sees her, though he shows a lot of concern for her.
Big Brother Attraction: Towards Kodaka. While she usually calls him "kindred", in her off-guard moments she takes to calling him "An-chan".
But Not Too Foreign: Like Kodaka, she is of mixed British-Japanese lineage.
Catch Phrase: "Aho!" ("Stupid!")
Clingy Jealous Girl: Doesn't like it whenever Kodaka's attention gets diverted from her, let alone courtesy of Maria.
Cosplay Otaku Girl
Do Not Call Me Paul: She'd rather be "Reisys V. Felicity Sumeragi".
Elegant Gothic Lolita
Evil Laugh: Invoked with her "ku ku ku".
Expy: Shares the same name as an angelic healer of hearts, and looks like Kuroneko with blonde hair, heterochromia, twintails, less snark, and more cute moments -- complete with the same voice actress.
Girlish Pigtails
Girls Love Stuffed Animals: Carries around a patchwork stuffed rabbit.
Hair Decorations: Wears a barrette as part of her Elegant Gothic Lolita outfit.
Hair of Gold
I'm Taking Her Home with Me: The reaction she provokes in Sena.
Innocent Fanservice Girl: Doesn't mind being naked around her older brother, though he doesn't care either. She runs into him naked twice -- in Episode 3, upon realizing her bathwater has gone cold; and again in Episode 9, while being chased by an equally naked Sena apparently trying to go frisky on her in the bath. Also, she makes Kodaka watch her "transform" (as in undressing and wearing another outfit) in Episode 8.
Japanese Pronouns: "Ware" when using her vampire persona, "uchi" when being an ordinary little girl.
Limited Wardrobe: Subverted starting Episode 8 -- due to their house's air conditioner breaking down and with a replacement three days away, she, with Kodaka's prodding and inspiration from the same anime from which she took her current style, starts dressing up in normal, less stuffy outfits. Even when she returns to her usual style, her subsequent wardrobes are at least reasonably comfortable for any kind of weather.
Mismatched Eyes: Invoked. Episode 5 reveals that she has a complete pair of Blue Eyes; she just likes to put red contacts over her right eye to evoke a sense of otherworldliness as part of her vampire cosplay.
Older Than They Look: She looks like three years too young for her thirteen years of age.
Our Vampires Are Different: As "Reisys V. Felicity Sumeragi", Kobato claims she's over a thousand years old, believes that vampires already had an advanced civilization ever since humans were still cavemen, and claims to have a weakness to cold water.
Shrinking Violet: She's not good with strangers when not using her vampire persona.
Sitcom Arch Nemesis: With Maria, though to a lesser extent than that between Yozora and Sena.
Token Mini-Moe: Shares the spot with Maria, on account of her short stature.
Why Did It Have to Be Sena?: The poor kid is none too amused by the latter's Lolicon antics.

Maria Takayama

Voiced by: Yuka Iguchi

A ten-year-old resident nun at St. Chronica whom Yozora tricked into lending her favorite naptime quarters to the Neighbors Club and, through coercion, becoming its moderator.

Annoying Younger Sibling: To Yozora, in a surrogate way. Her older sister Kate has a serious case of Big Sister Instinct.
Big Eater
Bratty Half-Pint: Shows this side in Episode 12, during a flashback when she declines (with added insults) Yozora's polite request to rent her favorite naptime room (which is technically unused) for the Club. Yozora, normally a Friend to All Children, had to endure more of her insults before she finally snaps and slaps some humility into her.
Break the Haughty: See Insufferable Genius below.
Children Are Innocent: Has absolutely no idea how sex works until Rika tells her.
Cloudcuckoolander: Most members of the Club show shades of this, but she definitely lives and breathes this trope.
Did Not Do the Research: In-series, she didn't even bother to check The Bible and realize there's no such commandment as "If someone slaps you on the right cheek, give them your room also. Oh, and also sign the paperwork to officiate their club" (obviously made up by Yozora to coerce her into lending her favorite naptime quarters to the Neighbors Club) until it was too late.
Expy: She's essentially Index with lavender hair, a navy blue habit, less Tsundere and more ditzy, down to the same voice actress.
Genius Ditz
Genki Girl
Gullible Lemmings: Manipulating her is way too easy.
Hair Decorations: Wears a heart-shaped hairclip.
Hero Worshipper: Maria loves Kodaka-onii-chan and his lunchboxes.
Improbable Age: She's a nun/teacher at ten years old.
Innocent Prodigy: Maria is clueless even for a ten-year-old.
Insufferable Genius: Before she met Yozora.
Nuns Are Mikos: She's a ten-year-old nun, whose family's females also don the habit as part of a long-standing tradition.
Sensei-chan
Sitcom Arch Nemesis: With Kobato, though to a lesser extent than between Yozora and Sena.
Through Her Stomach: One way to get to Maria's good side.
Token Mini-Moe: Shares the spot with Kobato, on account of being an actual child.
Trademark Favorite Food: Potato chips.
You Gotta Have Lavender Hair

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↑ Her nickname for Kodaka back when they were kids

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[1] Her nickname for Kodaka back when they were kids