Hiro Kitazoe

"You're finally motivated. I'm so happy."

- Hiro Kitazoe to Masato Kageura

Hiro Kitazoe is a B-rank (formerly A-rank) Gunner and a member of Kageura Squad.

Appearance
Kitazoe is a light-skinned young man with short, spiky hair, a hooked nose and small, round eyes. His chubby constitution belies a muscular body. Standing at, he is one of the tallest Border agents. He appears to have a preference for cargo pants, light-colored, loose sweaters with simple or, more commonly, no motifs, and heavy, padded jackets.

Kitazoe's uniform is comprised of a double-breasted, black military jacket which folds over the right side, where the coat is fastened by a vertical row of five buttons. On the wearer's right breast are two piped patch pockets closed by the same flap, and a second pair recurs at the height of the wearer's abdomen. Kageura Squad's logo is emblazoned on the jacket's high collar. Gray plain button epaulettes adorn the jacket's shoulders. The attire is completed by light gray cargo pants with a piped patch pocket and a zipper on the front of each leg, and black combat boots.

Personality
Kitazoe is easily moved to tears and very open in his displays of emotion. Nonetheless, he is normally laid-back and level-headed, even in the face of imminent defeat. He used to be reserved and to shy away from fights, but Kuruma's influence made him more of a do-gooder and increased his empathy.

Quotes

 * (To Masato Kageura) "You're finally motivated. I'm so happy."
 * "Why is my sacrifice being treated like nothing?"
 * (To Yuu Kunichika and Isami Tōma) "Wait a second! My grades in school are average!!"
 * (To Kageura) "Seeing you have more friends makes me so happy."
 * "Yuzuru has a girlfriend now... That makes me so happy."
 * (To Tōma) "No matter how hungry I got, I can't imagine myself eating a bug."
 * (To Kageura) "Don't sweat it, man. We'll get our groove back."

Trivia

 * Kitazoe likes strawberries, spring rolls, donmono (rice-with-toppings), and mahjong.
 * Kitazoe has a motorbike license and a motorbike.
 * His primary gun Trigger is based on a MGL-140 grenade launcher.
 * Border Briefing File refers to it as a "grenade gun" (グレネードガン) instead of a "grenade launcher".
 * The author refers to Kitazoe as "a lion who can gain weight" and as a "lovable mascot".