Hisashi Igou

Name: Hisashi Igou

Gender: Male

Age: 17

Height: 178 cm (original manga), 176 cm (anime adaptation)

Weight: 64 kg

School: Fujimi Academy, second-year student

Voice Actor (Anime): Mamoru Miyano

Hisashi Igou is portrayed as a central catalyst in Highschool of the Dead.

He is one of the first students to confront the outbreak directly and becomes the earliest clear example that “being bitten means it is over.”

He is the former best friend of Takashi Komuro and the ex-boyfriend of Rei Miyamoto.

His rapid death in the first episode and chapter shapes Takashi’s mental state and the tone of the series going forward.

Hisashi is consistently described as calm and collected, with strong situational awareness.

He can quickly analyze danger and respond effectively, which makes him stand out in the initial chaos.

He is a skilled martial artist and holds a rank in karate.

Using this training, he shows notable physical ability, such as throwing away an infected Wakisaka and fighting back with improvised weapons.

Takashi once describes him as being accomplished in both academics and athletics, a “well-rounded” student.

This combination of brains and combat ability makes him seem like an ideal survivor—until he is bitten.

Takashi Komuro

Hisashi has known Takashi Komuro since at least their middle school days.

The two were originally close friends, but their relationship deteriorated before the events of the story.

Despite knowing for a long time that Takashi had feelings for Rei Miyamoto, Hisashi still began dating Rei.

This choice deeply hurt Takashi and led to their estrangement, leaving unresolved resentment between them when the outbreak begins.

After Hisashi is bitten and begins to die, Takashi is forced to confront both his lingering emotions and his friend’s impending transformation.

Takashi ultimately delivers the finishing blow after Hisashi turns into one of “them,” an act that scars him psychologically.

Even after death, Hisashi remains a source of guilt and emotional conflict for Takashi.

He is described as a kind of complex or burden that continues to torment Takashi long after the rooftop incident.

Rei Miyamoto

Hisashi is Rei Miyamoto’s ex-boyfriend at the time of the story.

Their relationship develops despite Rei’s long-standing connection to Takashi, increasing the tension among the three.

During the initial outbreak at the school, Hisashi fights desperately to protect Rei.

He throws away an infected attacker and tries to secure their escape, showing genuine care and devotion.

On the rooftop, as Hisashi is dying from his bite wound, Takashi intends to end his suffering before he turns.

Rei stops him at first, showing her emotional conflict, which allows Hisashi to fully transform before Takashi finally kills him.

In the novel version, it is hinted that Hisashi and Rei may have had a physical relationship, although the details are intentionally unclear due to some differing settings.

This suggestion adds another layer of tension and resentment around Takashi’s feelings and Hisashi’s betrayal.

When the crisis hits Fujimi Academy, Hisashi quickly becomes one of the more competent fighters among the students.

He uses his karate-based strength to throw the turned Wakisaka away from the group and to counterattack the infected to protect Rei.

He and Rei manage to reach the rooftop during the early chaos of the outbreak.

However, while restraining the already turned Wakisaka, Hisashi is bitten on the arm.

Even after escaping to the rooftop, the consequences of the bite are unavoidable.

He begins to vomit blood and deteriorate rapidly, demonstrating to everyone that a bite is effectively a death sentence.

Hisashi’s case becomes the first direct and undeniable proof in the story that “if you get bitten, it is over.”

This moment sets the survival rules for the rest of the cast and the entire narrative.

On the rooftop, he cries out that he does not want to become one of “them.”

Despite his resistance, he dies in agony and soon reanimates as one of the creatures.

Right after he turns, Takashi kills him with a baseball bat.

This abrupt and brutal end means Hisashi exits the story in the very first episode/chapter, despite being positioned as a key figure.

Hisashi is credited with coining the term “them” for the infected, reanimated humans.

He explicitly avoids calling them “zombies” because, in his view, this is not a movie or a game, and using that word would trivialize the horror of real people turning into monsters.

Later, Saya Takagi interprets Hisashi’s choice of words as deeply perceptive.

She believes Hisashi had already realized that they might be forced to keep fighting what were supposed to be their fellow humans, not some purely fictional monsters.

This naming choice helps define the tone of the series, emphasizing that the “enemy” used to be ordinary people.

Hisashi’s term “them” becomes standard for the characters when referring to the undead.

In the original manga and related material, Hisashi sometimes shows a possessive and aggressive side.

For example, he is depicted grabbing Takashi by the collar, revealing jealousy and a strong desire to assert his claim over Rei.

In contrast, the anime adaptation emphasizes Hisashi’s guilt and more sympathetic aspects.

He appears more remorseful about his part in the rift with Takashi, and his better nature is highlighted more strongly.

Both versions keep his calm judgment and combat skills, but the emotional tone differs.

The anime makes him feel more like a fundamentally good person caught in a tragic situation, whereas the original material leans harder into his flaws.

According to comments by original creator Daisuke Satou, Hisashi Igou was never meant to survive long.

Satou has stated that he personally disliked the character, even going so far as to say Hisashi was someone who “deserved to die.”

His death was planned from the early concept stage of Highschool of the Dead.

This early removal was deliberate, ensuring that Takashi would be placed under heavy emotional stress from the very beginning.

In early planning materials for volume six, there was an idea that Hisashi would move around after transforming into one of “them.”

The design and illustration of his turned form were apparently different at first compared to the version that appeared in the finalized work.

Even though Hisashi’s screen time is short, his presence is structurally important.

He sets the rules of infection, shapes Takashi’s emotional journey, and provides the story’s first, harsh lesson about survival in a collapsing world.