Rei Sakuma 朔間 零

Rei Sakuma-senpai is in charge of UNDEAD, and is our unit’s leader. He is a man full of mystery, and one simply cannot explain him in a handful of words. As an idol, Sakuma-senpai has plenty of skill and charisma, however he also occasionally partakes in odd activities, like sleeping in a coffin. …Will this suffice for an introduction? I still struggle a bit with speaking, so this was quite difficult… With all that said, I thoroughly respect Sakuma-senpai. I too, as a member of UNDEAD, will put forth my best effort to one day stand toe-to-toe with Sakuma-senpai.

A self-proclaimed "vampire" who finds it hard to be active during the daytime thanks to his weakness to sunlight. One of the "Three Eccentrics" and once a member of the former "Five Eccentrics" as well.

Rei talks like an old man and knows a good deal about the academy's history. He's the eldest among the third year students after having spent a year studying abroad. Though he dotes on his little brother Ritsu Sakuma often, the person in question actually loathes him.

A member of the unit UNDEAD, as well as its leader. Though he watches over the mismatched members of his group with their strong personalities that often clash, he tends to let them act freely.

Rei is a tall young man with a good build. He has slightly long, wavy black hair that stops at his shoulders and curves inward, and red eyes. He wears a black-striped, loosely-fit mid-sleeved shirt with a cross chain around his neck, tucked under his shirt. He also wears dark-washed jeans with a long link chain clasped to the side and red stud earrings.

On stage, Rei wears UNDEAD's uniform, a black jacket with a small fur collar, silver accents and a dark purple lapel. The jacket has a black and gold epaulette with thin silver ropes flowing from it on the right side, as well as gray side strip on the sleeves outlined with silver, and a strap on the lapel tied and clipped to look like a small belt. Attached to the jacket is a long, black/purple layered tail coat with a silver outline. On Rei's left arm is a purple arm-band embroidered with a gold design, resembling a bat. Underneath the jacket is a gray v-neck shirt. He wears a black belt with a silver buckle and chain accessory hanging from the loop. Rei wears black jeans with small yellow buttons, and knee high lace-up black boots with silver lining and gold buttons, a flap in the front and a small zipper on the side. Rei wears a black choker with a gold belt buckle, as well as a black pointed cap with silver lines. He also wears black palm gloves with gold lining.

Rei is a tall young man with a good build. He has slightly long, wavy black hair that stops at his shoulders and curves inward, and red eyes. He wears the school uniform with the white shirt unbuttoned at the collar and a green tie. Over the shirt, he wears a dull brown sweater with dark gray buttons under his school blazer, which is left unbuttoned. He also wears black loafers and red stud earrings.

On stage he wears UNDEAD's uniform. It includes a fur-lined jacket with half sleeves. It has double buttons on the front, outlined in red. The sides of the arms of the jacket are grey with a white pattern. The lining on the jacket is white. He wears a dark gray v-necked shirt that's tucked in. He also wears a dark gray belt, with a golden buckle. On the side, there's a dark gray bandanna with a white pattern. It has a golden beaded chain. He wears black pants and high black boots that cross down over the top. He wears a silver cross necklace, and black gloves with holes on the back of the hand. The outfit also has a black peaked cap, decorated with a silver beaded chain across the top.

Rei, at first glance, appears to be distant yet wise, taking upon the persona of an immortal vampire with boundless knowledge. During his time in Yumenosaki, he spent most of the daylight hours sleeping in his coffin, and was very disconnected from the rest of the school. He still has a soft spot for his little brother, Ritsu. However, deep down, he is highly empathetic and loves humanity greatly, yet consistently struggles with isolation and loneliness.

During The War, Rei was best described as a slave to humanity’s whims and his own empathy. During his last year at Yumenosaki Academy, he had become unnaturally distant and closed off as a means of self-preservation. Post-Repayment Festival, Rei finally becomes able to move forward, and consolidate these both extremes into one human, and enter society as himself; not as a god or a vampire high above society.

Most of Rei’s actions and feelings stem from a lengthy history of loneliness and isolation, ever since he was a child. Growing up, his disease prevented him from living a normal life outside and making friends; he instead developed an affinity with books and would read in excess. Even as just a child, he was considered more well-read and more intelligent than most adults.

He is a highly empathetic person, and loves humanity to the point that he cannot ignore a person who is suffering. However, this high emotional intelligence of his led him to his reputation as a “god”. His high intelligence and proficiency in giving advice resulted in him beginning to be exalted as a god-like figure, as adults would approach Rei to have their problems solved by him.[3] Unable to refuse a person in need, Rei took on that emotional burden and began to attribute being a vessel for advice and guidance as a core part of his existence. Rei began to notice people his age fearing him and avoiding him, isolating him further.

By his first year in Yumenosaki Academy, he was disillusioned with the world, and by his second year, he was bored of the world and continually sought out excitement.[4] However, he never was able to distance himself from humanity, and continues to take on burden after burden of helping others. Hyper-aware of his place in the world, Rei felt he had to continually prove himself out of fear. If he couldn’t respond to the constant demands of people around him, he was scared he would be deemed a failure, and lose his place.[5]

And so, he disciplined himself and responded to every demand in order to “affirm his existence”. This need for affirmation ultimately led to his destruction and execution during The War. Every time Rei went abroad, he would make acquaintances, get deeply and emotionally involved in them, and then become loved and relied on by everyone. The emotional burden of catering to everyone’s needs, and then having it be weaponized against him[6], finally took its physical toll on Rei; resulting in the Rei we see in the !-era.

Rei from then on resolved to change himself, as a means to protect himself. He began to make efforts in distancing himself from humanity, no longer meddling in others’ personal matters—and if he did, he would take a backseat approach. He begins to take on the persona of an “old man”. When asked about it by Tsumugi, Rei tells him that it’s because he's physically weakened from The War.[7] In truth, this new persona of Rei’s grants him the image of feebleness, so people wouldn’t demand or expect things from him. Through this, Rei is able to alleviate himself of the unconscionable burden of his intelligence and prowess. In another attempt to detach him further from humanity as he heals, Rei also strengthens his vampire persona, taking on an inhuman identity and describing himself as more akin to a monster.

In the end, however, Rei cannot fully reject his core values, and remains to crave connection with others.[8] He still continues to meddle with other’s affairs, often without permission, as seen in Setsubun Festival and Romantic Comedy.

However, when it comes to himself, he has become rather careless and forgetful. He's been shown to forget to eat and drink expired tomato juice without paying attention.[9] Once, Rei wanted somewhere cool to sleep and ended up sleeping on the cafeteria floor, despite Mao's concerns about how that may be unsanitary.[10] Both UNDEAD and the Aoi twins are shown to look after Rei, who teasingly plays up how helpless he is (being elderly) without assistance.[11][12] However, Rei often does make genuine blunders and requires physical assistance, but he acts as if he were merely playing up his old man persona so he is often not taken seriously.

As time passes, Rei’s able to rediscover his own humanity through both UNDEAD, and later Ritsu[15]. By the time the Repayment Festival comes around, Rei’s persona as an “immortal vampire” has broken down, and he is able to accept himself as human.

Rei's first name (零) means "zero". “Saku” (朔) in his last name refers to the first day of the lunar month, which begins with a new moon. “Ma” (間) refers to an “interval of time”. Together with his first name, this gives a meaning of a moonless night. The moon motif also complements the Tsukuyomi imagery that he represents in the Three Oddballs.

Not much is known about the Sakumas, they tend to keep familial matters private as can be and appear mysterious to the public to really sell the image of a vampire clan; "living in the darkness", as Rei describes it. They resort to extremes in order to do so, such as when they threatened a detective sent by Eichi to gather information on the Sakumas[18] while plotting Rei's downfall. Ritsu warns Eichi from there on out that his family dislikes their affairs being looked into. Eichi describes the Sakuma clan as a "social minority".[18]

The Sakumas have a long history of worshiping vampire mythos and see the symptoms of their hereditary illness as a mark of pride because they resemble vampiric characteristics, such as the sustenance for blood (which can be linked to anemia, which Rei suffers from) and weakness in daylight, causing the Sakumas to be more active after the sun sets which in turn results in preferred nocturnal sleeping habits. Due to the pride in their lineage and worshiping habits, they actively choose not to find a cure for their illness, going as far as stopping Rei from looking into it when he was overseas. Rei's brother, Ritsu, is especially affected by his condition, disabling him more noticeably than Rei. This played a major part in why Rei was eager to find a cure.

The Sakuma clan appear to dress in Victorian Era clothing in modern times, as seen when Rei greets them in Resurrection Sunday. They also annually host a family gathering at Transylvania, where the infamous Count Dracula originally hailed from, and celebrate Easter by drinking the blood of a "sacrifice", which Rei has expressed distaste for, despite the clan abandoning the idea of actually sacrificing someone as time went by.

The Sakuma clan appear to be distant towards their own relatives, since Rei had to take care of and raise Ritsu himself, despite also being a child at the time. They express little to no sympathy from the impression Rei and Ritsu have of them. This takes a toll on Rei emotionally and mentally, as seen in First Dreams when he was worn out at the thought of their scolding upon hearing the news of his long-awaited graduation, rather than praise him for this accomplishment. It's worth noting that the pressure they placed on Rei as the next head of the clan almost caused Rei to quit being an idol and feel obligated to heed his family's wishes before his own, which Ritsu speaks up against.

He can play the violin, and, like Ritsu, he can play the piano. It is shown he can also play the drums.[19] He used to play the electric guitar, but has since stopped some time in his second year, as he is shown giving it away to Koga.[20] He can't stand the taste of blood and takes iron tablets instead and prefers tomato juice.[21] Rei uses kaomojis in his texting habits, having sent one to Wataru when telling him he couldn't be at his party.[22] Rei is often so careless he'll forget to eat and drink expired tomato juice without paying attention.[23] Rei states that his coffin, built by Natsume[24], also doubles as a living space, and by tricking it with excellent arranging skills, he's able to fit in items such as manga borrowed from one of the Aoi twins, gardening magazines, clothes and even a refrigerator full of dry-cured ham. Madara is Rei's successor.[25] Though it's unclear what exactly being Rei's "successor" entails, Madara has referenced he's learned a number of underhanded means of persuasion from Rei.[26] Ritsu states that Madara is often over at their home for that reason.[27] Rei, despite his vampiric persona, is actually not adverse to garlic. Once with the light music club, he begins admiring garlic bulbs that Koga had grown before Adonis comments on it, reminding him that garlic and crosses are not something vampires should come into contact with.[28] Rei used to be the student council president until Eichi took over.[29][20] Rei states he only took over this position because Keito asked him to, as he considered Keito a friend from childhood. Rei implies his fondness for Keito initially from the fact that, whereas the people around him would be taken in by his charisma and grow dependent on him, Keito, as a child, would continue to try and defy Rei.

Rei, Keito, and Koga were once a part of a unit called DEADMANS (also translated as "DEADMANZ" and "Deadman's").[20] This unit was later transformed into UNDEAD.[30] Leo states that Rei would often fall unconscious around school and Leo would often be the one to find and help him.[31] Ever since Rei was a child, he was considered beautiful and intelligent. He would wander around graveyards and adults would come to him for advice, and he accidentally developed a following of devotees who would live by his every word despite his young age. This continued even as he grew.[20] Keito describes this as being reduced to "zero," like Rei's namesake, as Rei was so capable and intelligent that, in his opinion, it meant there was no point in existing so long as Rei did. Koga states that while during his second year Rei spoke and behaved in a free-wheeling, punk-like manner, after "breaking down," Rei began to speak like an old man.[32][20] Ritsu and Rei's vampiric condition is a genuine illness that makes them nocturnal, weak to sunlight, and thirst for blood as sustenance.[20] This condition is hereditary, and Rei explains that much of his family, which worships vampire mythos, sees it as a mark of pride. Their family believes themselves to be vampires, and perform a "blood drinking" ritual on Easter, and have a yearly reunion in Transylvania.[30] Because of this condition, he has a coffin which he sleeps in a lot. The only way to wake him up is the sound of a flute or when it’s night time.

Hinata was a fellow member of the Light Music Club with Rei. Rei felt close to Hinata when he tightly hugged him in replacement of his brother, Ritsu.[1] Rei considers 2wink to be his precious children and wants nothing but the best for them. He is the one who was responsible for 2wink having to face their issues, which led them to being able to start to fix their complex relationship with each other. 2wink are both really grateful for him.

Yuta was a fellow member of the Light Music Club. Rei often sent both of the twins to do errands for him. In Boutique, Yuta revealed that him and Rei had casually shopped together. Rei considers 2wink to be his precious children and wants nothing but the best for them. He is the one who was responsible for 2wink having to face their issues, which led them to being able to start to fix their complex relationship with each other. 2wink are both really grateful for him.

The leader of his unit, UNDEAD. As Rei is his upperclassman and leader of his unit, Adonis is very obedient to Rei, and usually restrains Koga or catches Kaoru whenever Rei asks.

Rei and Anzu first met in Rebellion, after he asked the Aoi twins to bring her to the Light Music Club Room. He then proceeded to make her sing and dance like an idol to determine her skill, but he found out that she was an amateur. He harshly yet calmly critiqued her and Trickstar, enough that she spaced out and cried. Even so, Rei still found great potential in her. He saw her as very kind, out of all things. Throughout the year, Rei proceeded to often lean on Anzu whenever he felt dizzy, or had her carry him. He was grateful for her kindness. At some points, Rei would tease Anzu when he asked to sleep on her lap[3] or to kiss the back of her neck[4]. Anzu seemed to treat him like she would an elder. Rei was very thankful of the change Anzu brought to Yumenosaki.

Rei and Koga had an extensive history together, which started from the moment Koga joined Yumenosaki Academy when Rei was in his second year. In Crossroad, it was shown that Koga held Rei in extremely high regard, to the point that Rei's rock-like image inspired him to pick up music. Rei soon found himself followed by his junior everywhere since the first day of school.[5] Because Koga followed Rei's scent to find him, Rei compared Koga to a dog[5], and called him "Doggie" (Wanko).[6] While Rei's treatment toward Koga is avoidant at first, he eventually showed care and concern for Koga's growth and responded to his desperate attempts at make Rei mentor him. However, he soon found himself needing to go overseas, so Rei asked Kaoru, who managed a livehouse, to introduce Koga to a certain rock band and make sure he received proper training and a chance to stand on stage while Rei himself was too busy to oversee Koga's progress.[7] Koga, however, waited for Rei to come back and tutor him properly. Koga also took Keito's criticism of Rei personally, ready to fight him for when he insulted his idol.[8] Rei, Koga and Keito then formed a unit called DEADMANS together - created on Keito's request.[9] Right before the concert, Rei gifted Koga with his own guitar, which Koga later claimed to protect with his life.[10] During DEADMANS’ live, Keito noticed how Rei and Koga appeared to communicate through eye-contact only and how they'd power up just by being next to each other.[11] The following summer, the two of them got together to create UNDEAD with Adonis and Kaoru.[12] The name of the unit itself was Koga's tribute to Rei's struggle and a call to him to keep living with them.[13] Once Rei changed his entire persona and begun acting like an old man, it personally hurt Koga, who had admired him to the point of adapting Rei's rough, delinquent-like speech pattern.[14] From that point their relationship changed drastically, at least on the surface.

Koga became more aggressive toward Rei and called him "Vampire Bastard" instead of "Sakuma-senpai". Rei, on the other hand, treated Koga like a wild dog that he owns, and went so far as to call himself Koga's owner.[15] He would even tie Koga up or asked Adonis to do so to keep him in check.[15] Despite their relationship getting rough, they still seemed to spend most of their time together and Koga obediently followed Rei's decisions and trusted his judgement. Rei also treated Koga with affection and teased him constantly. He tended to drag Koga into his coffin as well.[16] In his third year at Yumenosaki, Rei is quite protective and caring of Koga. He tried his best to guide him properly, even if it’s through "tough love," as he figured spoiling Koga constantly isn’t true love. Rei said that despite coming off harsh at first, he has a soft spot for Koga. He believed in Koga’s skills and wanted to see him smile. Watching Koga grow independent and confident in his abilities has made Rei sob[17][18][19]. Wataru, one of Rei's fellow Oddballs, refered to Koga as Rei’s ‘favourite kid… favourite puppy’.[20] On multiple occasions, Rei has asked Koga to take care of his adored little brother - Ritsu, indicative of the amount of trust he has placed in Koga.[21] In later stories, Koga showed that he still looked up to Rei, although in a “healthier” way. In The Four Beasts of Fistfighting, he mentions that he greatly regreted idolizing Rei and treating like a higher being. He realized it was the opposite of what he needed at the time.[22] Koga also threw guitar picks into a fountain after he heard from Rei that it granted wishes, and he wished to remain with Rei forever.

During Repayment Festival, they came across one of their biggest conflicts— Rei's decision to disband UNDEAD upon his graduation.[24] Before the live, Rei mused about how Koga had grew so much since their first meeting when he was just an “adorable puppy”; how he stayed by his side and supported him even though he couldn’t possibly understand what was going on in the beginning.[25] He also claimed Koga could now make his wish come true.[26] Despite misunderstanding each other at first, thanks to many of their friends' effort, they faced each other properly on stage and aimed to become equals. Rei admitted separating himself from his “beloved doggie” was more painful than tearing his body apart. Kaoru commented on how excited Rei was to face Koga properly after all they went through.[14] Rei called Koga by his name, asking if it's alright, while Koga finally told Rei how much he loved him and how much Rei affected him, propelling the both of them into a new stage in their relationship.[14] In Athletics, Rei expressed he still feels embarrassed about referring to Koga by his first name and was scolded by his junior when he changed back to “Doggie” (Wanko).[27] In Operetta, Rei, despite being a graduate already, he came back to Yumenosaki and asked Koga for advice regarding Ritsu, which showed how he began treating Koga as someone who didn't only rely on him, but also a person he could rely on.

Rei and Mao are friendly with each other since Mao is Ritsu's childhood friend, and they often joke around together about Ritsu when he was younger. Rei was also the one who helped Mao introspect about being a double agent, and encouraged him to choose between the Student Council and Trickstar. Later, when detailing to Trickstar the history between the Five Eccentrics and the student council, Rei tries to ease the burden he put on Mao by telling him he doesn't feel any resentment towards the student council. However, Mao only feels guiltier as a member of the student council instead, perhaps aiding him in his decision to side fully with Trickstar[29]. In the drama CD, shortly afterwards, Rei thanks Mao for taking care of Ritsu. They later show to have developed a trust in each other. This has been reflected in Rei asking Mao to take care of Ritsu, as well as Mao approaching Rei for advice after having a fight prior to Band Ensemble[30]. Rei has acknowledged this trust and has thanked Mao for relying on him, much like how he relies on Mao.

In one of Mao's idol stories, it's revealed that Rei purposefully tried to distance himself from Mao when they were younger as he knew how possessive and jealous Ritsu could be when it came to Mao. However, Rei starts to let his guard down since Rei and Mao are in the same circle together. When Ritsu finds out Rei and Mao are alone together and Rei is teaching Mao how to play the piano, which is considered Ritsu's instrument, Ritsu abruptly tells Mao not to move, hangs up the phone, and spams Rei's cell with aggressive texts saying, "I will never forgive you," as he rushes to the music room to interrupt them. Rei is quick to flee the scene for his own safety, and Mao stays behind to placate Ritsu's temper.

Natsume highly respects Rei as a fellow Oddball. Both of them were present during Wataru's final live show against fine, in which they urged Wataru to reconsider the defeat he's already accepted. He refused, and Rei carried Natsume off so they could watch the show from the seats. Like many of the other younger students, Rei is very affectionate towards Natsume, and treats him in a childish manner, which Natsume dislikes

Ritsu is Rei's younger brother. Rei is in limerence with Ritsu, much to the latter's revulsion. Whenever Rei sees Ritsu, he is quick to drop everything and tell his brother how cute he is, no matter what he was doing. Ritsu, expressing disgust, pushes him away and even goes as far as to tell him to die. According to Rei, Ritsu used to not be like this, and had previously been close to Rei and depended on him; whenever Ritsu showed signs of this, Rei was quick to gush about him "reverting to the 'old Ritsu'".[31] Ritsu's dislike towards Rei is often expressed extremely harshly, such as when he declines the fact that he had a brother or threatens to kill him. In Dark Night Halloween, it was revealed that Rei meticulously hand-picked a coffin and gave it to Ritsu.

In Crossroad, Rei speaks dismissively of Chiaki, "like a pure little boy", while Chiaki was asking for help.[32] In Pirate Festival, when Chiaki and Kanata saved Rei, he describes Chiaki as "that man that resembles the midsummer sun". Rei mentions he "had always thought" Chiaki was a "fool incapable of thought". However, Rei altered his perception based on Chiaki assisting him despite Rei's insistence on UNDEAD's darker image being naturally oppositional, as well as Chiaki's view that "being Allies of Justice does not mean that we oppose evil in order to eradicate it!" At this time, Rei had grown interested and curious in Chiaki, although also says that he may have been overestimating.[33] Beach Match has Rei referring to Chiaki fondly as "Chiaki-kun" and "a lively man so early in the morning".[34] Also in Pirate Festival, Chiaki states he thought wrong of UNDEAD and that he was moved by Rei's value of friendships. He reiterates this in Beach Match as well.[33][34] In Holiday Party, Rei teases Chiaki, by joking about having an alcoholic drink, to which Chiaki threatens immediate action to stop him. Once Chiaki realizes it's a ruse, Rei apologizes and goes off to bring Chiaki and Kanata non-alcoholic drinks.

Rei was asked to join the Five Oddballs formed by Eichi with the help of Tsumugi Aoba, which he did. Eichi, from a rich background with the help of the family power, created problems within Yumenosaki's overseas sister and brother schools. Rei flew back and forth between the schools, which tired him out since he couldn't reject them either. So when he returned to Yumenosaki, Eichi along with the old fine was able to bring the Five Oddballs down. Eichi and Rei are not on very good terms, this is largely because Eichi has actively sought to eliminate the Five Oddballs, which Rei is a part of. Rei was defeated by Eichi and the Student Council, and has, since then, grown "old" and passive, and rarely showed himself around the school. After the events of the main story, they seem to have stopped being hateful towards each other, and are, rather, on neutral terms at best, which is revealed when Rei asked for Eichi's help to host UNDEAD's Butler Cafe. Though Rei is suspicious of Eichi's support, Eichi remarked that he would do anything for the good of Yumenosaki. During Summer Live Rei said that he managed to know everything around the school because he went to the Tea Club meeting spot and chatted with Eichi. It's implied that Eichi and Rei held tea parties during that time. Enstars!! In Eichi's special story Teatime of Black and White we learn that Eichi and Rei live in the same room. They do not seem very fond of each other's sleep habits and engage in friendly bickering until Keito interrupts them

With a friendship dating back to Kaoru's second year, as evidenced in Crossroad, Rei and Kaoru have a trusting, yet back-and-forth at times, relationship. In Resurrection Sunday's reminisce chapter, Rei brought back souvenirs for Kaoru while he was traveling abroad. As a member of UNDEAD, Rei, the leader, exercises some authority over Kaoru, often relying on Adonis to find and retrieve him for unit practice due to Kaoru's dislike of both responsibility and practice. A running gag of their relationship is Rei's obvious fondness for Kaoru and Kaoru's returned feelings of distaste for spending time with Rei and Undead alike. In Romantic Comedy, Rei speaks extensively with Kaoru about the repercussions of his playboy attitude, speaking as both his friend and his unit leader. It's in this story that Rei's prowess within the idol business is once again regarded as well as his dedication to his unit; Rei mentions to Kaoru in passing that he'd already prepared methods to crush scandals before there ever was one. He also reminds Kaoru more than once while scolding him that his way of alluring fans (flirting and showing gratuitous affection) was not his wrongdoing, providing a source of both comfort and stability through the ordeal. From Repayment Festival on, they have a more playful and relaxed relationship. As stated in several stories, after graduation they were set to enter the idol scene as a duo. This is restated in Athletics, as they have already graduated by the time of the event and are using a free day to support their underclassmen. In Operetta, we get yet another show of their developing relationship, as Kaoru has completely forgone his prior use of "Sakuma-san" in favor of "Rei-kun." When asked, he tells Koga that they're equals, and Rei asked him to be more familiar.

Keito and Rei have a somewhat turbulent relationship largely defined by a motif of crossroads, or rather, a divergence of two which were previously one. They didn't speak much about their past to other characters during ! era, even when others voiced concern or asked about what happened between them, such as when Leo asked why DEADMANS broke up in Robin Hood. They did not often cross paths during their school years and generally kept to themselves, which seems to have been a mutual understanding they had gained from the events of Crossroad. However they did still tend to cooperate at times, like in Setsubun and Repayfest, which may have been a transition into how they work together under Rhythm Link in !! era. They first met at a funeral home, a place which both of them frequented often; Rei would visit whenever there was a Buddhist memorial service, and Keito would show up due to it being part of his family business. Keito said that when he first met Rei he felt like a hallucination, saying this was because he almost seemed like an imaginary friend and had an otherworldly beauty. This surprised him, so he fell backwards and screamed, something Rei continues to make fun of him for. Their friendship seemed strong for some time, with them even role-playing together as children based on the TV show Vampire Shogun. Because Vampire Shogun had begun reruns around a decade ago and was not airing new episodes by the time they got into it, it can be assumed that this period of strong friendship occurred in their late childhood or early adolescence (8~13 years old). Suggested by Crossroad, their childhood friendship was a relationship that ended around when Keito neared his adolescence, and was growing his ego, which he implies Rei was threatening in one way or another. His reasoning for leaving Rei is stated to be that he begun to fear him due to his powerful presence, and felt like he was reduced to nothing or "Zero" next to him, just like Rei's namesake.

just like Rei's namesake, which is why he told the story in the first place- to try and warn Koga so he wouldn't succumb to that same fate. Keito also insists to Koga that he wasn't really that close with Rei, despite Rei seeming to be of the opposite opinion later on. Before the DEADMANS live that eventually caused Rei and Keito to split, there are moments that show that Keito does truly care about Rei and what he thinks, even if he gives him a hard time. Rei is seen generally poking fun at Keito throughout Crossroad - Chaos 1, but even then he listens to what Rei has to say even when Rei doesn't act seriously, like how he should stop shouting or he would ruin his "stoic good looks", and agreed to do as such. Another example of this is Crossroad - Chaos 3, where Rei briefly mentions his troubles abroad and his health, and Keito shows a great deal of concern over it. He says that he can contact Eichi in order to refer Rei to a doctor for his vampiric constitution, and when Rei says that his backstory isn't relevant at the moment Keito rejects the idea, insisting that Rei can rely on him because they're friends. This never happens though, because Rei changes the subject soon afterwards.

Right before they split off in Crossroad - Crowd 8, Rei also is seen trying to change Keito's mind about the situation of the school multiple times, using large analogies about the delinquents and relating them to life as a whole to try and reason with him and change his views for the better. He sees how Keito thinks of those at the livehouse, and begs Keito to see them as more than just lowly delinquents who need to be removed, and this difference in opinion of how the school should be run is ultimately what caused them to split along with Rei's desire to be his own person, and not just a pawn in Keito's plan, as he doesn't believe in this desire to begin with. This desire is something that Keito doesn't make sense of at first, insisting in his mind that him and Rei could rule over Yumenosaki Academy and crush anyone in their way together, and even tells Rei that something has to be done about the unmotivated students when he begs Rei to stay. He even bows to Rei, but Rei stands his ground, and insists that he is no God who can save him from all his troubles, or all of societies.

After this, Rei and Keito don't talk much, even if DEADMANS actually doesn't split up immediately. It lasted until the summer as implied by Ressurrection Sunday, while Crossroad took place in the spring. DEADMANS disbanded for good due to both Rei and Keito realizing that the unit can't be sustained any longer, an issue that they generally kept Koga out of until it was necessary- in fact, Rei didn't even know that Keito had withdrawn until Koga had told him, and had planned on adding Adonis to DEADMANS before he found out.

Before Keito made his decision to withdraw officialy, Koga asked Keito to join him for DEADMANS activities with Rei in Resurrection Sunday - Reincarnation 1. Keito rejects the idea to perform as DEADMANS again and again, apologizing to Koga for it without giving him a clear explanation. Instead, Keito tells Koga that Rei returned early and to get rid of his gloomy face, which makes Koga excited, until Keito once again denies going along with him to sing a song for Rei. Koga asks if they got into a fight, which Keito says that if they had gotten into something like that they'd still be on good terms. He says that he envies Koga, because he feels like he's destined to never cross paths with Rei again. Despite how strongly pushed their crossroads split is, it's also shown that in second year Rei is still watching over Keito and cares about what is happening to him, as he says Keito is being "dragged around by a main character who won't listen to him" in Element - Ash Returns to the Sky 3, and says that he can see his pain coming out through his words, claiming that it's the reason he told Keito to quit his writing.

While it has yet to be further explored, it was revealed and referenced in several events that Madara is Rei’s successor. In Stars! it is stated by Rei’s brother Ritsu that Madara spends a lot of time over at this house. In Breakthrough! The Revolutionary Live Which Heralds the Dawn, it was revealed that Madara learned most of his manipulation tactics from Rei. In Aquarium, Madara answers Rei's sudden summons to the Light Music Room very cheerfully, saying that he'd help Rei with anything he'd ask, from 'demolishing a building, arranging a passport, smuggling, or even murder'. Rei just wanted to give him a ticket to Shinkai Kanata's aquarium. Enstars!! Rei appears to serve as a mentor figure to Madara, as Madara reveals in Walking in Darkness that Rei is always taking taking care of him and gives off an air of wanting him to consult with him if he needs anything. However, Madara ignores this as he doesn’t want to trouble those important to him, and he knows that if Rei gets involved his problems would be solved. In Learning from the Past, Madara is still helping Rei with jobs, and they frequently involve flying around the world. Madara mentions 'wanting to repay Rei for all he had done for me while still in school', which might include letting Madara stay with him and Ritsu when he was disowned by his family. Madara also helped with preparing the stage for the UNDEAD / Akatsuki live, and Rei invited him to perform on stage with them, concerned that he should perform as an idol too, whether as Double Face or MaM.

As the Oddballs, the two are very close friends. Shu often calls Rei and the other Oddballs his most treasured friends at Yumenosaki. Rei invited Shu to attend Wataru's final live against fine, where he, Rei, Kanata, and Natsume watched from the audience as Wataru lost to fine. Shu seems to contact Rei often, especially when he complained about Class 3-A. They often use a string telephone to communicate, as neither of them are particularly well versed in technology

He has a good friendship with Tsumugi, and expresses significant concern for Tsumugi's well-being in Gondola and Devils. Rei tends to 'revert' to his former speech mannerisms around Tsumugi, the latter of which points it out each time. Despite being former enemies in the school's conflicts, Rei refers to Tsumugi as a friend and they get along well, with Tsumugi even lending his glasses to Rei in Biblio. Tsumugi admires Rei greatly, as seen in Magical Halloween and Element, although mentions in the latter that he's intimidated by Rei's status and 'interest' in him. In Devils, Tsumugi states he believes he isn't deserving of Rei's friendship, and that it is atonement for his actions in the previous year.

Wataru respects Rei as the leader of the Eccentrics and they're very close friends, to the point where they're comfortable teasing each other like Wataru imitating Rei's old way to talk, messing with his clothes and hugging him as seen in Eccentric. In Music Festa, the two can be seen happily chatting with each other and debating on where to go for tea together. They both laugh at the idea that Anzu thought they were fighting, stating that it would never happen since they are such close friends and claiming that a fight between the two of them would be devastating. It is also mentioned that they have tea together every day.[37] Later on, when the two of them are about to go on stage with their teams during the Music Festa, they appear to get into a serious fight, forcing their teams to go on without them.[38] They reveal to Anzu, however, that their fight was just an act and they were just testing Midori and Tori's abilities. Wataru and Rei hug to make up before joining their teams on stage.

The Five Eccentrics, known as the "Three Eccentrics" at the beginning of the game, are a group of five students who, during the year prior to Ensemble Stars!, were designated by Eichi Tenshouin and Tsumugi Aoba as the most talented (and thus, the designated enemies) of the student body. The eccentrics are not only geniuses in the idol field, but they are generally able to excel in anything to which they put their minds; however, as individuals, their behavior and style of speech are quite unusual. They are not an official unit, but are often treated as one by the game and related merchandise. In-game, Rei is considered their informal leader.

During Ensemble Stars!'s initial release, only three members of the eccentrics (Wataru, Rei, and Kanata) were known, and they were known among the students as the "Three Eccentrics." The other two eccentrics were known by students to be "in hiding". With the advent of Marionette and Element, Shu and Natsume respectively returned to the public eye. In Aquarium, Rei notes that the three eccentrics are characterized by their impassioned love for other people; the remaining two are naturally more distanced from people, and have more complicated feelings toward other humans.

In addition to being skilled in idol-related activities, the Five Eccentrics all seem to have their own field of specialty in which they excel related to their backstories