Kazuki Shimada

No detailed description of Kazuki Shimada’s looks is provided, but he is often shown as a smartly dressed boy, fitting his well-off family background.

Kazuki Shimada is smart, cunning, and able to read situations well.

He often acts cool and tries to avoid getting in trouble himself.

While he joins in with bullying, he sometimes tries, even if weakly, to stop Shouya Ishida from going too far.

He has a special way of speaking and likes to say "fu" as a sound effect.

His actions show he tries to protect himself first, especially when trouble starts.

Shimada comes from a strict and wealthy family.

He finds being with Ishida and his free, wild ways to be comforting.

His mother made him learn piano as a child.

In elementary school, he helped walk younger kids to school with a flag.

Shimada eventually plans to go to France to study music after high school.

Kazuki Shimada is good at piano and played for the class choir competition.

He is interested in working in music.

Later, he composes music for Tomohiro Nagatsuka’s film project.

• Shouya Ishida: Shimada was once Ishida's best friend and a key person in his life during elementary school. Their friendship struggles and ultimately falls apart due to the bullying incident and its aftermath.

• Keisuke Hirose: Often seen together with Shimada as friends and sometimes as bullying partners.

• Naoka Ueno: Stays in contact with her through high school, and she is involved with getting Shimada and Ishida to meet again after many years.

Childhood Friendship and Bullying

Shimada is introduced as Ishida’s close friend after their classes are mixed in elementary school.

They often hang out with Keisuke Hirose and Naoka Ueno, doing daring activities together.

When Shouko Nishimiya joins their class, Shimada joins in on bullying her along with the others.

At first, he seems entertained, but as the bullying gets worse, Shimada stops smiling and tries, weakly, to warn Ishida.

When the bullying is discovered, a classroom trial is held to find out who broke Nishimiya’s hearing aids.

Fearing trouble, Shimada tries to avoid direct blame and pushes Ishida forward as the main person responsible.

He and Hirose then lead the class in bullying Ishida, shifting the blame to him.

Middle School Isolation

In middle school, Shimada continues to make Ishida an outcast by telling everyone about his past bullying.

This causes Ishida to become more lonely and distrustful.

High School Years and Change

In high school, Shimada stops bullying and keeps his distance.

He shows up unexpectedly when Ishida and his friends visit an amusement park, working there at a shop.

Naoka Ueno arranges for them to meet, but neither Shimada nor Ishida talks, and the reunion is tense.

Shimada later appears at a festival, where he helps rescue Ishida after Ishida falls into a river trying to save Nishimiya.

He makes Hirose promise not to tell anyone about their rescue.

After High School

Shimada keeps playing music and, with help from Ueno, supports Nagatsuka's movie project by creating the music.

After the film, he plans to go to France for music studies.

Although his relationship with Ishida is left unresolved, the story hints that Ishida considers reconnecting with him.

• Shimada tried to hide his past with Ishida from new classmates in middle school, not out of hatred, but to build a new life.
• He originally liked Ishida as a friend because Ishida was more free and wild than Shimada could be.
• Shimada’s bullying came more from wanting to erase his complicated feelings than out of true dislike.
• He still seems to care about Ishida, as he follows him secretly and helps save his life.

• “Fu.” (A sound he often makes, shown outside speech bubbles in the manga.)
• “Stop pretending to be cool.” (Said to Ishida during their final high school meeting.)

• Shimada never truly gets closure with Ishida during the story.
• The author later explained that Shimada's complicated actions were because he liked Ishida and struggled with his own feelings and strict upbringing.
• Many fans hoped for a real resolution between Shimada and Ishida, but this was left open at the end.