Friend serves as the series' central mystery and main antagonist. He's a charismatic cult leader with an enigmatic persona—fans often note his seemingly supernatural abilities, particularly flight. What makes Friend compelling is that he's almost certainly someone from the protagonist's inner circle; the cult's symbol is deliberately one that Kenji and his friends created years ago as their own emblem of friendship, which Friend has co-opted and weaponized.
By the early 2000s, Friend had amassed a massive following capable of filling stadiums like the Budokan. His actual endgame remains deliberately obscure throughout much of the narrative, adding to his mystique. The cult escalates significantly when it founds the Friendship Democratic Party, which surprisingly gains real political traction and legitimacy. This shift from religious movement to political entity marks a turning point in the story's scope and stakes.
Content compiled by AnimeList.moe from publicly available sources.
