Characters / Kissed by the Baddest Bidder

Eisuke Ichinomiya

• Arbitrarily Large Bank Account: Eisuke's assets are such that he can drop twenty million dollars on what amounts to a spur-of-the-moment impulse without being in any way inconvenienced.
• Animals Hate Him: Supposedly true of Eisuke, according to Soryu. Carolina's chihuahua certainly takes a dislike to him.
• Batman Gambit: Eisuke's favorite method of managing a situation is to walk out into the public eye and make a big production of whatever it is he wants his target to think is going on with him, in order to prompt them into reacting the way he wants them to. This ranges from parading the protagonist around as his girlfriend and engaging in public displays of affection toward her to convince Carolina Bucci to give up on him, to breaking up with the protagonist and kicking her out of the penthouse suite in order to protect her from his enemies, to publicly cutting ties with his sister to ensure that he won't create any tension between her and her future in-laws. The protagonist is warned several times during Eisuke's route not to take his actions at face value, because he always has a hidden angle... sometimes more than one.
• Betty and Veronica: On Eisuke's route, the protagonist is torn between Eisuke (the Veronica) and her kind, considerate supervisor Takahiro (the Betty).
• Big Damn Kiss: Invoked by Eisuke on his route. Just when it looks like the sham of their "relationship" is falling apart, he makes a point of greeting the protagonist with a passionate, dramatic Hollywood Kiss in full view of the entire hotel lobby, which manages to convince the Buccis that he really is serious about her.
• Chick Magnet: Rich and handsome, Eisuke finds himself often flocked by admirers.
• Groupie Brigade: Women tend to flock to Eisuke at any opportunity. In his first few appearances, he's surrounded by groupies.
• Emotionally Tongue-Tied: The protagonist finally has to come out and ask Eisuke up-front whether or not he loves her, after he makes it through his entire route and most of his epilogue without ever actually saying so. Eisuke, never in the habit of explaining his reasons for doing anything, somewhat huffily responds that it should be obvious without his having to say it. His opinion on the matter does a quick 180, however, when he discovers that the protagonist finds hearing him say "I love you" a turn-on.
• Fake Relationship: Eisuke decides to have the protagonist pose as his girlfriend as a means of dissuading Carolina without hurting her feelings, since offending Carolina could cost him his business relationship with the Bucci family.
• Fashion-Shop Fashion Show: Once Eisuke decides to have the protagonist act as his girlfriend, the first order of business is to have her properly outfitted, which he accomplishes by taking her to a luxury clothing store and having her model a series of dresses until he finds one he approves of. Unusually for the trope, given the circumstances the protagonist finds the whole performance uncomfortable and exhausting.
• I Will Find You: On his route, Eisuke eventually reveals that he's searching for his younger sister, from whom he was separated when they were both children. This becomes a major element of his sequel.
• Jealous Parent: Turns out to be one. Eisuke's jealousy over the protagonist extends to their son Eito. He even goes so far as to blame Eito for being kidnapped and taking attention away from him.
• Safety in Indifference: Eisuke's childhood has left him with issues, and the belief that if someone leaves you, then they were probably never meant to be in your life in the first place. When he applies this thinking to his relationship with his long-lost sister, a saddened yet incensed protagonist asks him if he feels the same way about her before walking out on him.
• Self-Made Man: Interesting case in which he was born into wealth, but his family lost their fortune due betrayal from a business partner.
• With This Ring: Marriage is never mentioned, but the trope is played around with on Eisuke's route. Partway through the story, he buys the protagonist a simple platinum band and gives it to her apparently purely on a whim, while there's no one else around to maintain the act of being in love for. When he dumps her, she naturally leaves the ring behind in the penthouse suite, but once all of the drama has been resolved at the end of the route, he gives it back to her, putting it on the third finger of her left hand and declaring that it's a symbol that she belongs to him.
• You Can Keep Her!: When the protagonist is kidnapped on Eisuke's route, Eisuke coolly declares that he doesn't care what happens to her. The trope is subverted when it becomes clear that it's all just part of his plan to set the kidnapper up for the most abject failure and crushing humiliation possible.
• Your Favorite: Eisuke is taken by surprise when the protagonist demonstrates that she's noticed how he prefers to take his coffee.

Soryu Oh

• Bruiser with a Soft Center: Intimidating Triad tough-guy Soryu turns out to be a surprisingly soft touch, at least where it comes to women and small furry animals. It leads to several amusing moments in his epilogue and sequel where the protagonist baffles and embarrasses him by talking about how cute he can be.
• But Not Too Foreign: He is half Chinese, half Japanese. Interestingly, despite the Japanese reading of his name it's implied that the player is meant to assume that he's fully Chinese; the protagonist is surprised to learn of his Japanese parentage.
• Couldn't Find a Pen: Soryu proves that the threat of the Arimura faction is dealt with by presenting Simon Lee with a contract written in Arimura's blood.
• Deadpan Snarker: Usually towards Eisuke.
• Death Faked for You: How Soryu deals with Kyoichiro's betrayal at the end of his sequel. Punishment has to be dispensed, so the guys arrange for it to seem like a building burned down with the guilty party inside. This allows him to leave town and the organized crime business for good so that he can care for his ill mother, who was the whole reason behind his actions in the first place.
• Declaration of Protection: In his sequel, Soryu promises the protagonist that no matter what, he will always protect her.
• Dragon with an Agenda: Soryu is the second in command of the Ice Dragons. The boss, Ryuun, lacks Soryu's sense of ethics and is purely concerned with profit; as a result, Soryu is actively working to gain enough money and influence to supplant him so that he can ensure that the Ice Dragons operate according to his own standards.
  • Dragon-in-Chief: Ryuun shows up in the second sequel and tries to have Soryu removed from the Ice Dragons. This fails, of course, and by the end of the route, Soryu becomes the boss of the gang.
• The Fettered: Soryu, made especially clear when several enemy mooks start shooting at him and the protagonist in the middle of a busy restaurant - although Soryu is also carrying a gun, he doesn't return fire, because that would risk causing bystander casualities. His criminal activities are generally characterized by similar restraint and desire to avoid dragging innocents into mob dealings and violence.
• Honor Before Reason: Late in Soryu's route, Soryu makes the choice to refuse the arranged marriage to Mei Ling, which offends Simon Lee and causes him to lose face to the point that the Ice Dragons have little choice but to hand Soryu over to him to be executed in reprisal. Soryu is fully aware of the likely consequences of his decision and that his chosen course of action therefore benefits absolutely no one, but he is willing to be executed rather than marry Mei Ling as a business arrangement when he knows that what he really wants is to be with the protagonist.
• Ineffectual Death Threats: Soryu has a habit of threatening the other guys with his handgun over all manner of petty annoyances. Given his insistence that he does not point guns at women, his early threats to kill the protagonist if she causes him any trouble may also have been entirely hollow; his route never addresses whether or not he'd have followed through if pushed.
• Licked by the Dog: In contrast to his friend Eisuke, animals love Soryu, in spite of his hard-ass persona. On Eisuke's route, Carolina's chihuahua takes an unexpected (and rather unwelcome) shine to him, and Soryu's epilogue and sequel confirm that this is far from an isolated case.
• Pay Evil unto Evil: Heavily implied during Soryu's route with regards to Arimura.
  Soryu: Payback's a bitch.
• Pillars of Moral Character: The four Japanese concepts of moral character form the backbone of Soryu's characterization, and are a constant undercurrent of most of his storylines. His sense of duty (giri) to the Ice Dragons has him convinced that he does not have the right to pursue, or expect, happiness for himself (at least until the protagonist gets hold of him). His compassion (ninjo), meanwhile, informs his attitude about not involving innocent bystanders in gang activities and conflicts, and puts him in opposition to less ethical members of the organized crime community, including the Ice Dragons' current boss. On and gimu are important elements in all of his interactions within the Ice Dragons and with other organizations, and he invokes both in his initial approach to the protagonist - unlike Eisuke, who considers the protagonist his property if he's the one who purchased her from the auction, Soryu considers the $20,000,000 he paid a debt which the protagonist now owes him, and which he expects her to repay either in currency or, failing that, in service.
• Tiger Versus Dragon: Given a nod in Soryu's sequel, when Soryu - second in command of the Ice Dragons, whose name includes the character for "dragon" - gets into a staring contest with a tiger at the zoo. And wins.
• Trademark Favorite Food: Soryu really likes omelettes. The protagonist whips up an impromptu omelette for him during his route, and finds herself asked to make it for him often.
• The Triads and the Tongs: As a Hong Kong mobster, much of the action of his routes involves Triad activities and their interactions with local yakuza.
• Would Not Hit a Girl: Has no qualms about brandishing his handgun at the other guys when they're annoying him, but states that he would never point a gun at a woman.

Ota Kisaki

• Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Seems like the most normal and least terrifying out of the bidders, but is actually the one who doesn't even treat the protagonist like a marginal human being.
• Human Pet: On his route, Ota declares the protagonist his pet dog and spends the entire route treating her like one, from calling her "Koro" after a dog he used to own to making her "sit" and "stay" to having Baba babysit her while he's away because "you can't leave a pet alone in the house."
• Interrupted Intimacy: Ota walks in on Baba and the protagonist getting intimate often enough that he eventually starts to wonder if they're angling for a threesome.
• Manipulative Bastard: Ota manipulates everyone, from the media and his fans to even his friends. The protagonist is no exception, either.

Mitsunari Baba

• The Charmer: Towards all women.
• Chivalrous Pervert: The protagonist eventually starts to accept this as part of his personality, even after they start dating.
• Fedora of Asskicking: Baba is almost always seen wearing a black fedora.
• Friendly Address Privileges: Extended by Baba at the start of Eisuke's route when he tells the protagonist she's welcome to call him "Mitsunari" or "Micchan." She declines.
• Gentleman Thief: His true profession.
• Ladykiller in Love: If his route is chosen, he'll fall for the protagonist and notably doesn't enter any new relationships while they are with him.
• Loveable Rogue: Goes hand in hand with being a Gentleman Thief
• Phantom Thief: Baba is specifically an art thief. The media even refers to him as a modern-day Arsène Lupin.

Mamoru Kishi

• The Cavalry: Mamoru's main function in routes not his own appears to be to show up at highly convenient dramatic moments to help bail the protagonist and her love interest out of danger.
• Cynicism Catalyst: Mamoru is described as a gifted investigator, and he was once apparently quite similar to Detective Ayase in terms of passion and dedication to his job. Then his partner was murdered, and Mamoru's outlook took a sharp turn for the morally grey.
• Dirty Cop: Is bribed by Eisuke to keep quiet about the auctions.
• Hidden Depths: Mamoru is a jaded slacker of an MPD detective who helps organise illegal auctions, and associates with Triad underbosses and worse. He's also been lying to the rest of the main cast from day one. One of them sold the information that got Minami killed, and Mamoru became an auction sponsor and Eisuke's eyes and ears in the MPD in order to find out who that was.
• Trash of the Titans: Mamoru's aparment looks like a warzone. He admits to being useless at housekeeping even before he fell into his current state of general apathy.
• Vitriolic Best Buds:
  • Mamoru and his former partner Minami, before he died
  • As of Season 2, Mamoru and his Interpol partner Hayami are heading this way.

Shuichi Hishikura

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