Kazuki Shimada

Kazuki Shimada (島田一旗) is a supporting character and later on a minor antagonist in

the Koe no Katachi series. Kazuki was Shoya Ishida's best friend in elementary school and he helped in the bullying of Shoko Nishimiya, but he never admitted to participating in it. Kazuki started bullying Shoya after the boy help pin the blame on him for Shoko being bullied. Due to this he still refused to be friends with Shoya even in high school as he told everyone in 7th grade to stay away from Shoya. When Shoya fell into a river after saving Shoko from committing suicide it was Kazui and Keisuke who brought him to the hospital, however he still refuses to reconcile with Shoya.

Background[]

Personality[]

Although Kazuki's face comes off as someone who is zoned out and uninterested, he is actually quite the opposite. He was always the first involved in all of Shōya Ishida's plans, whether that be bullying or the Daily Daredevil Contest.

All that changes when the principal comes in on behalf of the Nishimiya family to talk to the students about bullying. When Miki Kawai says that none of the girls participated and pinned the blame on Shōya, Kazuki stood up and said the same about the boys. He pushes Shōya into a fountain later on that afternoon and tells him that he hopes they can be friends again starting tomorrow. Instead, Kazuki, along with Keisuke Hirose continue to bully Shōya by beating him up, stealing his shoes, writing "die" and insults on his desk, and throwing his things in the fountain. After graduating to middle school, Kazuki no longer bullied Shōya directly, but he did spread it around that Shōya had bullied a girl into transferring to another school. Shōya did attempt to become friends again with Kazuki in middle school, but Kazuki wanted no part of it.

When he and Shoya reunited in high school at the amusement park because Ueno wanted to be getting the food that he sells at a food stand, he told her to mind her own business and saw how shock/frightened Shoya was by looking at him.

However, it is noted that he and Keisuke pulled Shōya out of the river after he fell in on the night of the fireworks, even though this doesn't mean a reconciliation with him, since the act of saving his life could have been done simply because it was the right thing to do. He even told Ueno not to tell Shoya about this.