Raku Ichijo
Nisekoi universe
Raku Ichijo has the earnestness of someone who keeps trying to take ordinary feelings seriously, even when the people around him make that difficult. Watching him means sitting with hesitation: a thought forming, a response arriving a beat late, a sincere impulse getting tangled in the effort to say the right thing. He gives Nisekoi a softer center than its noisy reputation suggests. The comedy can be brisk, but Raku's attention lingers on small shifts in how people speak to one another. That makes him easy company. He is not performing coolness for the viewer, and the show is more affecting when it lets his awkward sincerity stand without a wink. I would watch for the pauses as much as the punchlines.
By Mika Tanabe
Appearance
Raku's design has a clean, approachable quality that suits a lead who is easier to read through his reactions than through a dramatic pose. He stands 168 cm tall, a proportion that keeps him from feeling physically imposing on screen. His expressions do a lot of the work: uncertainty can cross his face before he has settled on what to say, and that tiny lag gives a conversation its comic rhythm. The visual impression is unshowy, which helps the emotional beats feel close to everyday life. Nothing about his presentation asks the viewer to treat him as untouchable. He looks like someone you could sit beside in class, then notice becoming unusually careful when a conversation turns personal.
Personality
Raku is considerate in a way that can become its own source of trouble. He wants to respond fairly, and the effort to avoid hurting anyone can leave him slow to recognize what a moment is asking of him. That hesitation is funny, but it also makes him sympathetic. He is not a master strategist steering every exchange; he often seems to be catching up with his own feelings while trying to be decent to the person in front of him. The show gets mileage from the distance between his good intentions and his ability to express them cleanly. His high school student role gives those concerns an ordinary scale. He is still learning how to speak plainly when affection, embarrassment, and social pressure arrive together. I find his sincerity most engaging when it is awkward rather than polished.
Raku Ichijo’s Story
Spoiler-free introduction
Early on, Raku is presented as a student trying to keep his personal feelings in order while daily life keeps interrupting that effort. The series uses his earnest reactions to make even a simple exchange feel charged with possibility. He is attentive to other people, sometimes to the point of overthinking what they mean, and that gives the comedy a gentle undertow. You can start here without needing any later context: the pleasure is in watching him attempt to be thoughtful when he is not fully sure what the thoughtful response should be. Kouki Uchiyama's Japanese performance gives those moments a grounded, youthful directness. It lets Raku sound sincere without making him solemn, a useful balance for a character whose embarrassment is often part of the fun.
Spoilers beyond the early setup
As the story develops, Raku's difficulty is not simply choosing what to say in a single conversation. He has to reckon with how his own sense of responsibility shapes the way he understands closeness. The comedy keeps making space for that question, and the later material asks the viewer to notice when kindness is genuine and when it has become a way to postpone an uncomfortable truth. This changes the feel of his hesitation. It can still be amusing, but it also carries a cost for the people trying to understand him. Raku works best when the show lets him be imperfect about that, rather than granting him instant clarity because he means well. His growth is measured in how honestly he can face a feeling, not in becoming a different sort of person overnight.
Watch Raku Ichijo’s Story
Start with Nisekoi (2014), where Raku's appeal comes through in the texture of his reactions rather than a complicated viewing order. Crunchyroll and Hulu both carry the series. The first stretch gives you a clear sense of his earnest, easily flustered energy, while the deeper character reading builds by staying with his choices and the awkward spaces between words. It is a good fit if you enjoy romantic tension that can be playful without treating the people involved as a joke. Go in for the comedy, then give the quieter conversations room to land. Raku is the sort of lead whose sincerity makes small moments feel worth following.
Start here: Nisekoi (2014) — on Crunchyroll, Hulu
- NisekoiMain · 2014Crunchyroll, Hulu
Questions
- How tall is Raku Ichijo?
- Raku is 168 cm tall. The series' visual approach keeps him approachable rather than imposing, which fits the way his reactions carry so much of his characterization.
- When is Raku Ichijo's birthday?
- His birthday is December 20. It is a concise detail, but it suits a character whose appeal comes through in the everyday rather than grand gestures.
- Who voices Raku Ichijo in Japanese?
- Kouki Uchiyama voices Raku in Japanese. His performance keeps Raku's earnestness lively, especially when uncertainty starts to show in a conversation.
- Where can I watch Raku Ichijo's story?
- Raku's story appears in Nisekoi (2014), which streams on Crunchyroll and Hulu. Begin with that series to follow his character.
- Is Raku Ichijo worth watching for?
- Yes, if you enjoy a lead whose good intentions do not magically make him smooth. Raku's awkward sincerity gives the comedy warmth and makes the quieter exchanges matter.