This little bunny boy becomes Somali’s first friend of her own age when Golem starts working at Kikila’s father’s restaurant to secure funds for their trip. He’s a pure-hearted child who’s obsessed with exploring the forbidden caves underneath the desert town where he lives, bringing Somali along on a little adventure to find a flower that supposedly grants wishes. He’s a bit impulsive and prone to breaking rules, but Kikila truly cares about Somali and fails to hold back tears once she and her father have to move forward to the next leg of their journey.

Uzoi has a complicated relationship with Somali and Golem since she initially deceives them so she can use Somali’s blood to heal her disfigured human friend Haitora. However, she can’t bring herself to kill an innocent child and vows to find another way to save Haitora instead. And even after she accidentally learns the horrible truth about why the man saved her life so many years ago, Uzoi still proclaims that she loves him and does her best to protect him just like Golem protects Somali. We hope that she can find happiness, however that may come to her.

The dwarf oni doctor Shizuno and his assistant/house husband Yabashira are some of the first friends Somali and Golem meet after they set out from the forest, and they also reappear for the last third of the series to help Golem with bodyguard duty and babysitting. Shizuno is incredibly perceptive, deducing Somali’s true identity and Golem’s dwindling lifespan within minutes of meeting them, and he and Yabashira devote themselves to helping their new friends as much as they possibly can. They also have so many adorable domestic moments with Somali, like teaching her about losing baby teeth and helping her come up with a present for her dad. We would watch an entire anime just about these two!

Somali is just a child, but she’s surprisingly intelligent and loves her dad more than anything else in the world. Her biggest wish is to stay with her dad forever, even though she knows that it might not be possible in a world where humans are hated and hunted. Her smile (gap-toothed or not) must be protected at all costs, no harm must come to her, and she must be showered with love from all sentient beings both within this anime and in real life. Golem knows this, we know this, and now you know it as well.

Golem has spent his many centuries watching over the forest that is his home, never once wavering from his clinical assessments and impartial view on the world. But when he discovers the escaped slave girl Somali and reluctantly takes her under his wing after she imprints upon him like a baby bird, his mechanical heart begins to change. He grows to love her like his own child—he cares for her when she’s sick, educates her about the ways of the world, and fends off any attackers who discover that she’s human. Despite insisting over and over that he doesn’t have emotions, he admits that his chest feels tight when he thinks of Somali. Golem is living proof that even a mechanical lifeform can have a truly beautiful soul.