Hyuuga

ヒュウガ

Hyuuga serves as one of Ayanami's subordinates, holding the rank of Major/Lieutenant Commander in the Black Hawks, and frequently acts as Ayanami's bodyguard. He is identified by his tall frame, distinctive black sunglasses, habit of eating a candy apple (or lollipop), and the faint smile he almost always wears. He is constantly joking, acting silly, and avoiding serious behavior. Despite this demeanor, he is highly proficient with the Katana (a Japanese sword), wielding it with near-perfect skill. Although his attitude is far from serious, he remains extremely loyal and caring toward his superior, Ayanami, once declaring that "I will do anything for Aya-tan" and referring to Ayanami as his "one and only king".
Although his role as a soldier requires strictness and seriousness, Hyuuga is the opposite. He is somewhat of a ditz, viewing the world as a large game and displaying a frivolous nature by rarely taking anything seriously. Hyuuga is playful, smiles frequently, and remains happy most of the time, even in life-threatening situations, as he enjoys the thrill of combat. He possesses a notably short attention span, becomes easily excited, and is readily distracted by new stimuli, as demonstrated when he interrupted an important discussion about Mikhail's eye upon spotting a bird, and when he forgot his paperwork after seeing a new stamp. Hyuuga enjoys joking with his teammates and seems to delight in provoking them, particularly Ayanami. He is mischievous and takes pleasure in pulling pranks and teasing his Begleiter, Konatsu.
Hyuuga is notably cheeky when addressing those of higher rank, having given Ayanami the nickname Aya-tan. He has a habit of assigning affectionate names to people he likes, such as addressing Kuroyuri as Kuro-tan. Hyuuga forms attachments quickly to new people who interest him, as evidenced by his rapid acceptance of the Antwort twins, Haruse, and Konatsu, and his friendliness toward those he meets. He enjoys meeting new people and was the Black Hawk who first proposed recruiting Haruse (suggesting to Haruse that he become Kuroyuri's Begleiter), Konatsu, and the Antwort twins.
Hyuuga can also be perceived as quite stupid or naive. He is also rather lazy; he dislikes paperwork and prefers sitting idle, which results in him being reprimanded for slacking off. Hyuuga sometimes struggles to wake up early, leading to occasional tardiness for work. He is frequently shown yawning and becomes bored with tasks quickly. However, Hyuuga is capable of completing his paperwork when he is serious.
Despite his good intentions, Hyuuga often annoys others with his sometimes overly friendly behavior, as seen in some interactions with Ayanami (such as offering Ayanami his candy apple despite having just eaten from it moments before).
Hyuuga avoids punishment for offenses that would cost other soldiers their lives, such as using 'tan' to address Ayanami. (The suffix 'tan' is typically reserved for small animals and children, expressing that the speaker finds the person endearing, making the name demeaning when used with a superior.) However, since the omake Begleiter reveals that Ayanami dislikes being called that way, it is probable that Ayanami may have attempted to punish Hyuuga initially, but later gave up because punishment proved ineffective. As for why Hyuuga is not killed for this, possible reasons include Ayanami not wanting to lose a strong and loyal subordinate or a good friend.
Hyuuga is often very cheery and jocular around Ayanami and seems to enjoy testing how far he can tease him before receiving a reaction. In one of the Drama CDs, Hyuuga is shown wanting to cheer Ayanami up and stay by his side when he is sad, and he is the only Black Hawk who notices when something is bothering Ayanami. Hyuuga is utterly devoted to serving Ayanami, values Ayanami's life above his own, and becomes easily annoyed when anyone speaks ill of him or intends to harm him. In the English translation of a manga chapter, Hyuuga once said 'Nii Nii' while talking with Ayanami, and since "nii" means elder brother, it could imply that he considers Ayanami like an older brother. (In the Chinese translation, what Hyuuga said to Ayanami was "Sweet dream", though.)
Among all the Black Hawks, Hyuuga interacts with Ayanami the most. He was Ayanami's classmate at the military academy, so he has known Ayanami longer than other current Black Hawk members. Hyuuga is often the only person brave enough to question Ayanami's motives, whereas other Black Hawks follow Ayanami's orders without question. He is also the person who dares to do things like arriving late for work or escaping work to annoy Ayanami. Despite Hyuuga's rebellious side, Ayanami trusts him in the sense that he will provide an answer when asked why he does something. He relies on Hyuuga to a certain extent, as he is not afraid to show weakness to him, unlike with the other Black Hawks. In the drama CD, Ayanami somehow softens or lets his guard down when Hyuuga mentions Yukikaze and tries to cheer him up.
It appears that Hyuuga comes from a wealthy family or is rich himself. In a manga side story, he is swindled out of twenty million yen for a pot said to have the magical power to make his dreams come true. Upon discovering he was cheated, he does not seem to care about the lost money.
Trivia
- Hyuuga wears his sunglasses even as he sleeps (see an omake). Hyuuga also keeps multiple pairs of sunglasses in his pocket in case one pair gets damaged during battle.
- Ayanami's pet cats appear to dislike Hyuuga.
- Hyuuga is supposedly the only person who has seen Ayanami sleeping.
- Hyuuga has, or has made, an Ayanami doll (an omake in the manga).