Keisuke Hirose (広瀬 啓祐, Hirose Keisuke?) is a supporting character in the Koe no Katachi series.
He is Shōya Ishida's former friend that went to the same elementary school as him. Keisuke participated in the bullying of Shōko Nishimiya, though he seemed to be rather uncomfortable and hesitant when picking on her. However, he was much more willing to bully Shōya later on.
At the end of the series, he is shown to be married and have a child.
Personality[]
In his youth, Keisuke was the comic relief of his friend group. His playful and rowdy behavior complimented Shōya’s daredevil mindset and Kazuki’s carefree attitude, though that also meant he would get wrapped up in Shōya’s antics. Much like his peers, Keisuke refused to accept any responsibility when Shōya was accused of being Shōko’s sole bully, very likely out of self-preservation or uncertainty.
Almost nothing is known about Keisuke’s personality after cutting ties with Shōya. However, he and Kazuki were the ones to save Shōya after he fell into the river from Shōko’s balcony and helped explain the situation to the police.
Physical appearance[]
In elementary school, Keisuke was rather chubby and round-faced. His is hair shaven on the sides and short on the top, though it reaches down to the bottom of his neck in the back. Young Keisuke is most often seen wearing plain t-shirts, shorts or rolled-up pants, and sneakers.
In his brief late teen/early adult appearances, Keisuke appears to have significantly slimmed down and grown fairly tall, though his hair is styled the exact same way as it was when he was a sixth grader.
List of appearances[]
Volume 01[]
- Chapter 01 — "Shōya Ishida"
- Chapter 02 — "Just One of Those Things"
- Chapter 03 — "Hahahahaha"
- Chapter 04 — "Nishimiya, You Piece of Shit"
Volume 02[]
- Chapter 09 — "The Right To Be Here" (cameo)
- Chapter 14 — "Yuzuru Nishimiya" (cameo)
Volume 04[]
- Chapter 26 — “Birds Of A Feather” (cameo)
Volume 06[]
- Chapter 50 — “Naoka Ueno” (cameo)
- Chapter 51 — "Shōko Nishimiya" (cameo)
Volume 07[]
- Chapter 61 — "Graduation" (referenced)
- Chapter 62 — “A Silent Voice”
Relationships[]
Friends[]
Kazuki Shimada: From what is shown, Keisuke and Kazuki get along really well, their friendship lasting into their senior year of high school and seemingly beyond. Because of their absence for a majority of the series after cutting ties with Shōya, the dynamic between both boys is rather ambiguous aside from the fact that they remain friends.
Shōya Ishida (Former Friend): Keisuke used to enjoy Shōya's company, being one of his closest friends in sixth grade. Things quickly changed after Shōya bullied Shōko and was pinned as the sole bully despite everyone's participation or ignorance. Keisuke failed to own any responsibility and instead turned his back on Shōya. Years later, Keisuke's soured opinion on his former friend hadn't changed, though he still helped save an unconscious Shōya from the river after Keisuke and Kazuki followed him to Shōko's apartment during the events of the fireworks festival.
Naoka Ueno: Not much is known about Keisuke's friendship with Naoka, however the two have remained in contact since elementary school. Keisuke was the one to tell Naoka about Shōya's fall from Shōko's balcony.
Family[]
Wife: Not much is known about Keisuke's relationship with his wife as they are only seen during the coming-of-age ceremony after graduation.
Child: Not much is known about Keisuke's relationship with his child as they are only seen during the coming-of-age ceremony after graduation.
Etymology[]
- The name Keisuke means "open, begin" (啓) (kei) and "help, assist" (祐) (suke).
- Keisuke's surname Hirose means "wide, broad, vast, spacious" (広) (hiro) and "swift current, rapids" (瀬) (se).