[AIR] Who is the main character, "Kunizaki Ototo"? Introducing the character!

2025.07.29

"AIR" is a bishoujo game released by Key in 2000, and is a masterpiece that sold over 300,000 copies, an unprecedented feat for a bishoujo game. It was adapted into an anime in 2005, and all discs of the anime sold over 100,000 copies, making it an unprecedented hit at the time. We'd like to introduce you to "AIR's" protagonist, Kunizaki Ototo.

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What kind of work is "AIR"?

A pioneering work in "tear-jerking games" and "moving anime"

Misuzu and Haruko
Source: Air ©VisualArt's/Key/Tsubasajin Denshokai

"AIR" is one of the pioneering works in the "tear-jerker" and "moving anime" genres, and is a huge hit, with over 300,000 copies of the game and over 100,000 DVDs of the anime sold.

Source: Air ©VisualArt's/Key/Tsubasajin Denshoukai

While some users may find the opening boring, the excitement and emotional developments from the middle onwards are incredible, resulting in a masterpiece that will move you to tears by the end.

The music is also excellent.

Source: Air ©VisualArt's/Key/Tsubasajin Denshokai

Speaking of "Key," the music is also excellent. Some people became hooked on "Key" after listening to the opening and ending songs, and some even became fans of "Key" because of the background music.

Source: Air ©VisualArt's/Key/Tsubasajin Denshokai

What's more, Jun Maeda, who also served as the scenario writer for "AIR," also composed the music, creating a deeply moving story that perfectly matches the plot.

[AIR] Who is the Protagonist, Otomo Kunizaki?

A tall, 22-year-old with silver hair, standing 185cm tall

Source: Air ©VisualArt's/Key/Tsubasajin Denshokai

Height: 185cm

Weight: 75kg

Age: 22

Hair Color: Silver

Special Skill: Magic

Important Item: An ancient doll passed down through generations

Occupation: Street performer and traveler

A character with a rough personality but a warm heart

Source: Air ©VisualArt's/Key/Tsubasajin Denshokai

At first glance, "Kunizaki Otohito" appears to be a quaint and unapproachable character, due to his tall stature and rugged appearance. However, having traveled from town to town performing puppet shows, he possesses a basic level of communication ability, and in reality, he is a warm-hearted and comical character.

Source: Air ©VisualArt's/Key/Tsubasajin Denshokai

However, due to his lack of talent for puppetry and his tendency to be easily teased by children and animals, this traveler faces many mental challenges.

He can use the mysterious power of "magic," passed down from his ancestors.

Source: Air ©VisualArt's/Key/Tsubasajin Denshokai

Otohito can use the mysterious power of "magic," passed down from his ancestors. However, with each passing generation, the power of his magic has weakened, and Otohito doesn't seem to have much talent for it.

Source: Air ©VisualArt's/Key/Tsubasajin Denshokai

However, he is able to control dolls without touching them, and is quite adept at adapting to and dealing with strange experiences, which is why he has even saved the heroine in the story.

The summer began when I met Misuzu Kamio in a rural seaside town.

The story begins when, while I was down and hungry in a rural seaside town, the main heroine of this work, Misuzu Kamio, calls out to me and ends up staying with the Kamio family for a while.

Source: Air ©VisualArt's/Key/Tsubasajin Denshoukai

Otomo was on edge when suddenly approached by a girl like Mirin, but his hunger was too much to resist. Furthermore, he owed Mirin a favor by finding a doll that had been kicked over by a child, so he decided to go along with Mirin's pace and get involved with her.

Source: Air ©VisualArt's/Key/Tsubasajin Denshokai

In the game version, the character is somewhat of a poet.

Source: Air ©VisualArt's/Key/Tsubasajin Denshokai

Perhaps because Otohisa is a traveler and the author, Jun Maeda, is also a composer, in the game, he gives off a strong poetic vibe, and his inner thoughts are always generally emotional.

Source: Air ©VisualArt's/Key/Tsubasajin Denshoukai

In the anime, this is toned down and his funny side is emphasized, but the game has its own merits, so I recommend it.

Kunizaki is the best!!

"AIR" fans often joke about Otomu's delusion that "Kunizaki is the best!!"

Source: Air ©VisualArt's/Key/Tsubasajin Denshokai

Otohito's street performance business is struggling. He sees a crowd of students passing by in front of the school gates, and imagines himself as a popular performer among the students, cheering, "Kunizaki is the best!!" He daydreams.

Source: Air ©VisualArt's/Key/Tsubasajin Denshoukai

【AIR】Kunizaki Oto and his relationships with other heroines

He and Kirishima Kano seem to get along well and are likely friends

Source: Air ©VisualArt's/Key/Tsubasajin Denshokai

Otomo seems to get along best with one of the heroines, Yoshino Kirishima, and their humorous remarks are on the same level.

Source: Air ©VisualArt's/Key/Tsubasajin Denshokai

They seem like the most natural couple together, and they have a fun relationship as friends.

Her relationship with Tono Minagi is the most serene, almost girlfriend-like.

Source: Air ©VisualArt's/Key/Tsubasajin Denshokai

One of the heroines, Tono Minagi, is a calm and reserved character, so at first glance, it seems she wouldn't get along with Ototo. However, since Ototo is actually an adult, he seems most comfortable when he's with Minagi, and from an outsider's perspective, they make a perfect couple.

Source: Air ©VisualArt's/Key/Tsubasajin Denshokai

In fact, Otomo is the only heroine in the story who clearly recognizes Minagi as "beautiful," suggesting that she was his type in appearance as well.

He seems more like a guardian to Kamio Misuzu

Source: Air ©VisualArt's/Key/Tsubasajin Denshokai

The relationship between Otoko and the main heroine, Misuzu, is more like that of a guardian, rather than a friend or lover, and it seems like Otoko can't leave the dangerous Misuzu alone.

Source: Air ©VisualArt's/Key/Tsubasajin Denshokai

However, Misuzu was also the one who Otoko felt most resembled the "girl in the sky" he was searching for. In that sense, Misuzu could be considered a soulmate, with whom he shares a spiritual connection, surpassing Yoshino, who is more like a friend, or Minagi, who is more like a lover.

【AIR】Game Endings Other Than Kanon

Are all endings other than Kanon basically bad endings in terms of Otoko's mission?

Source: Air ©VisualArt's/Key/Tsubasajin Denshoukai

In the game, both Yoshino and Minagi can be reached, so I'll introduce the Yoshino and Minagi endings.

Oto and Yoshino enter into a romantic relationship, causing him to abandon his mission.

Source: Air ©VisualArt's/Key/Tsubasajin Denshokai

In the Yoshino End, as the yellow handkerchief Yoshino was wearing soars into the sky, Ototo forgets his mission to find the "Sky Girl" and vows to live with Yoshino.

It's a happy ending in the sense that Kanna can live happily with Kanon and Hijiri, but it doesn't heal Kanna's soul forever, so in that sense it's a bad ending (and Misuzu probably won't live long either).

Minagi has two endings

Minagi is a well-developed heroine, and she has two endings.

One bad ending involves Otoko getting involved with Minagi's decadent spirit, falling into a depraved relationship with her, and the two of them running away from it all and embarking on a wandering journey together.

Another version is a happy ending, where Otori encourages Minagi to live positively, introduces her to her mother, whose memories have returned, and spends some quality time with Michiru.

In the latter ending, Otomo sets out on a journey alone again to find the "girl in the sky." However, the two end on a pleasant note, with their relationship more than friends but less than lovers, making for a satisfying ending.

If Otoko had subsequently met and saved the girl who inherited Kanna's soul somewhere else (after Kanna's death), he and Minagi would have gotten along well, and it might have been a happy ending, despite Kanna's sacrifice (though I do think that Kanna's sacrifice is necessary).

【AIR】Kunizaki Oto's voice actor is different in the anime and game

The voice actor for the anime version is Daisuke Ono

The voice actor for the anime version of "Kunizaki Otomo" is Daisuke Ono, who also voiced the protagonist Jotaro Kujo in "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure" and Mamoru Akasaka in "Higurashi When They Cry."

The voice actor for the game version is Hikaru Midorikawa

The voice actor for Otoin Kunizaki in the game version is Hikaru Midorikawa, who also voiced Kaede Rukawa in SLAM DUNK and Heero Yuy in Mobile Suit Gundam Wing.

【AIR】Kunisaki Yukito Summary

Is Kunisaki Yukito a great character, brimming with Jun Maeda's style?

Isn't Kunisaki Yukito from "AIR" perhaps the character who most reflects Maeda's style in all of Key's works?

I think the character "Kunizaki Oto" was born as a result of Maeda's own inner character, or rather, as a result of his fairly free expression.

"AIR" is a summer classic released in 2000. Key's new work, "Summer Pockets," also set in the summer, was released in June 2018.

The protagonist of the new work "Summer Pockets," Hayari Takahara, is a strangely handsome character who has been reimagined as a more modern, ordinary, and somewhat sensitive boy, making him a standout character.