Hatori, Shigure, and Ayame all went to school together and formed an unbreakable bond that they still share to this day. Unfortunately for Hatori, spending time with his purposefully obnoxious and flamboyant friends is more like babysitting rambunctious children than anything else. Still, his deadpan reactions to Shigure and Ayame’s antics are comedy gold!

Because the family’s curse needs to be kept secret, Hatori serves as the private doctor for every Zodiac member. He also uses a special hypnosis technique to wipe the memory of any outside person who accidentally sees a Souma transform or any family member who rejects their cursed child. It’s emotionally painful for Hatori every time he has to erase someone’s memory, but he bears the burden for everyone else’s benefit.

Since he’s the dragon of the Zodiac, you’d think Hatori would transform into some kind of badass Eastern dragon, right? Much to his embarrassment, though, he turns into a tiny seahorse instead (a play on the Japanese term for the animal—tatsu no otoshigo—which translates to “dragon’s bastard child”). We know he’s ashamed of his animal form, but we think it’s adorable! Just look at the second ED, where he’s portrayed as a rotund felt seahorse floating in water. How precious!

It’s exceedingly rare for Zodiac members to find a romantic partner who loves them unconditionally, but Kana was exactly that person for Hatori. They fell in love when she started working as his assistant, and after finding out about the curse, she still accepted him for who he was. Hatori even worked up the courage to ask Akito if he could marry Kana, to which Akito reacted with rage and disgust. But even after suffering a major injury to his eye from Akito’s fury, he doesn’t cower away from or hold a visible grudge against the head of the family. That stoic demeanor isn’t just for show—Hatori really is solid as a rock.

After the incident with Akito, Kana felt so guilty that her health spiraled downward at an alarming pace. To save her from further misery, Hatori had to make the heartbreaking decision to erase her memory of their relationship forever. These days, he watches her pass by on the street and tries not to dwell on what could’ve been. He still loves her in his own way but is forced to keep his distance for Kana’s own good.