Chihiro Ueno

Chihiro Ueno (上野 千尋) is a side character in the Ohayou, Ibarahime manga. He is a senior in high school, the captain of the soccer club, and Tetsu's childhood friend.

Chihiro has an ability to see spirits, including the spirits possessing Shizu's body.

History
As a child, Chihiro couldn't tell the difference between the living and dead and he would also start a conversation and throw a ball when anyone wasn't there. Because of that, people kept their distance from him and deemed him weird and creepy. Due to people's criticism, Chihiro began hating interacting with people and convinced himself that he was destined to be alone. He proceeded to spend most of his time alone by playing video games, watching TV, and reading manga. His parents, being worried about his state of mind and him already having entered his "chuunibyou" phase, forced him to enter a soccer club. Chihiro was displeased with this, since he disliked sports, social interaction, and loud noises. However, when Tetsu first met Chihiro, he decided to make him his "minion". Although Chihiro was exasperated with Tetsu at first for meddling in his business, being obnoxious, and always taking the charge and never asking him what he thought, they gradually became inseparable and whatever they did, they did together. Ever since he met Tetsu, Chihiro claims that all the noises "disappeared", and the tiny sense of security was enough for him to begin liking soccer. As he continued playing soccer with Tetsu, he made friends and eventually had gotten hang of the purpose of his life and interacting with others.

Chihiro and Tetsu joined the soccer team in middle school, though Tetsu decided to quit the team due to personal reasons, mostly because his Tetsu's mother had gotten hospitalized and he had to take care of his sisters. Although the two friends couldn't spend as much time together, Chihiro followed Tetsu to the same high school and he also decided to join the soccer team along with him, since Tetsu never quit soccer itself. Chihiro wasn't particularly fond of the school and the team since the team lacked motivation in every aspect and didn't even aim to go to the nationals. However, for the following year, Tetsu increased the team spirit by encouraging the members and teamwork and in the process, it attracted more and more members. Although Chihiro was indifferent as usual, he supported Tetsu and went on with their practices. Although their team never got an opportunity to play at the prefectural, Tetsu was confident that they would be able to one day and hoped that the team would continue to play on the field together. However, Tetsu soon quit the team without a telling a reason or a word to his friends, much to Chihiro's confusion. This caused a rift between the childhood friends.

Appearance
Chihiro is a young man with an average build and a rather short height. He has short, slightly spiked brown hair with longs bangs framing his face. He wears a pair of rectangular glasses over his light blue eyes.

Personality
As a child, Chihiro was very unsocial and kept to himself since he hated socializing with people and looking into their eyes. However, when he met Tetsu, he meddled in his business and "helped" him in such manners that Chihiro was gradually able to change. Eventually, Chihiro began living his life in a way he was proud of, as he could freely socialize and become friends with people if he wanted to. However, he began feeling like he was in Tetsu's shadow and worked hard to become his equal.

Chihiro comes off as indifferent, serious, and poker-faced, and due to his lack of facial expressions and generally not expressing his feelings, it is hard to know what he is thinking which makes him quite unpredictable. He is also straightforward, never afraid to beat around the bush, and honestly expresses his opinions. He can sometimes be considered scary because of his awkwardly expressed feelings and lack of facial expressions, but he is in fact not much of a smiler. However, he is very caring towards his friends, especially Tetsu and Shizu. Furthermore, he is determined to repay things that have been done to him, especially in regards to everything Tetsu has done for him. In connection to this, he always makes sure to apologize if he comes off as rude. According to Tetsu, Chihiro is not a kind of person who goes out of his way to upset people.

Chihiro has big dreams and when he is trying to reach a goal, he earnestly tries to accomplish it. Moreover, he is genuinely kind, as he does things for the sake of others without any ulterior motives and without expecting anything in return, only with the intention of helping his friends and making them happy. He is a very understanding, supportive and patient friend, as he is always ready to lend his friends a shoulder since he doesn't want them to carry their burden alone.

Abilities
Ever since he was a child, Chihiro has been able to see the physical forms of spirits or ghosts, including the spirits possessing Shizu's body. Chihiro theorizes that since he couldn't see the difference between the living and dead during his youth, it triggered his ability to being able to see ghosts of the dead.

Trivia

 * According to Tetsu, Chihiro is a horrible drawer.