Shōtarō Kaneda Husbando

Shotaro Kaneda is the deuteragonist and hero of the manga. He is the leader of the Capsules and was a friend of Tetsuo. Kaneda stands at near average height with short black hair and dark brown eyes. Kaneda wears a wider variety of clothing in the manga, never donning the iconic capsule jacket. In much of the first volume, he is seen wearing a striped pullover with an undershirt, jeans, and slip on shoes. In further volumes he wears a red bodysuit for biking. Kaneda is portrayed as the main symbol of defiance against traditional forms of authority, particularly Colonel Shikishima. He is known to act before thinking things through, which gets him into trouble. Beneath his tough and cocky exterior, Kaneda is brave and innately empathetic. He looks out for the safety and well-being of the members of his biker gang (most notably Tetsuo Shima), and becomes vexed to the point of tears when he loses one of them. Kaneda values loyalty and becomes vengeful when trust is broken. Kaneda is also illustrated using his body to shield those he perceives as vulnerable, placing Akira behind him when confronted by armed guards. He again exhibits this body language while Kei is comatose.