FRIEND (Fukubei Hattori)

In 1997, Friend (Fukubei Hattori) was the mysterious and charismatic leader of an anonymous religious sect in Japan. Gaining the trust of many Japanese citizens, his influence even extended to police officers and political figures, and continued to grow steadily. It is revealed that Friend's goal is to control the world by following the Book of Prophecy, a world domination plan created by Kenji's Youth Group. At one point, Friend forced his wife, Kiriko Endō, and Yamane to create a bacteriological virus according to the prophecies. Friend's cult began its expansion by eliminating various rival sect leaders and individuals they found troublesome, using the term "purification" when they had to neutralize someone on Friend's orders. Subsequently, several mysterious deaths occurred worldwide, each caused by the aforementioned virus; first it struck Tokyo, then San Francisco and London. At some point, Friend organized a concert for cult members to gather with him, which Kenji attended to locate him. But when he was about to shoot Friend after he went on stage, Friend revealed to Kenji that he was the father of Kanna Endō, his beloved niece, forcing him not to shoot his supposed brother-in-law with the laser gun. Sometime before 2000, Friend founded a political branch based on his sect, a Japanese political party known as the "Democratic Friendship Party." His influence extended to other countries, such as Thailand, where he developed a hallucinogenic substance that awakened people's deepest fears. Friend's identity was revealed shortly after his death, when he was presumed dead during Bloody New Year's Eve. However, while the world mourned his loss, Katsumata, Friend's best-kept accomplice, took his place. He resents Kenji due to an inferiority complex and his own questionable mental state.

Friend wears a suit and tie throughout the series, consisting of a gray vest, a white shirt, and a red tie. The main variations in his appearance are related to his masks. At first she is seen wearing a mask, but her face remains hidden in the shadows, although sometimes her head is glimpsed, for example, when she smiles or takes care of her black hair. He sometimes wears a Ninja Hattori-kun mask while still wearing his elegant suit. After the events of Bloody New Year's Eve, his face is shown covered in bandages, presumably injured by the robot explosion. Most of the time, Friend wears his iconic white mask with the Kenji Youth Group symbol printed on it. Friend (Fukubei Hattori) is a tall, fair-skinned Japanese man with no facial hair. He has prominent cheekbones, a wide nose, small eyes, thin eyebrows, and an elongated face. He wears his black hair, parted in the middle and of medium length.

To define FRIEND in a single word, I'd say "charisma." He exudes a godlike image that captivates his followers, making them increasingly devoted. Through deception and well-crafted tricks, he wins their affection and support, causing his following to steadily grow and expanding his popularity to ever-wider audiences, thus gaining even more followers. Beyond his initial appearance as a passive and friendly savior, he is a leader who commands authority and respect from his followers. But if I had to name his greatest strength, it would be his moral presence, which transcends his physical presence and is evident throughout most of the story. This moral presence is most apparent when his masterful plans are being executed. We know that everything originates in his mind, but he is neither mentally unstable nor a mad scientist who will bring about the world's destruction in a giant mecha. On the contrary, he prefers to meticulously plan the entire structure of the scheme and let it unfold through his connections and party members. Amigo is certainly eccentric, but in front of his followers, he displays a serene and calm demeanor that conveys immense peace to his faithful. For this reason, no one suspects him; they see him as a saint whom they don't even need to question about why he doesn't reveal his face.

Kiriko is FRIEND's wife, or rather, his ex-wife. She was in a relationship with another man named Moroboshi, who was brutally murdered by one of FRIEND's henchmen. He used this to control her and force her to be paired with him, so that, as foretold in the New Book of Prophecies, she would become the "Holy Mother" and Friend in the Messiah. Together they had a daughter named Kanna, and because FRIEND forced Kiriko to come with him, she had to leave her own daughter in the care of her brother Kenji. Along with Yamane, she was the creator of the terrifying virus that killed thousands of people on Bloody New Year's Eve in 2000, and she blamed herself for everything she had caused. She always wanted to redeem herself for using her knowledge of bacteriology on something so atrocious, but she had no choice, though what she regretted most was leaving her daughter alone.

-Genius-level intelligence -Charisma, expert manipulator, authority, leadership, vast resources and technology -Weapons proficiency -Stealth -Telekinesis -Extrasensory perception -Precognition

-Mass murder -Mass destruction -World domination -Attempted suicide -Complicity in brainwashing. -Bioterrorism -Conspiracy propaganda -Abuse (physical and psychological)