Saruyama Kenichi

Kenichi Saruyama is the perverted best friend and school mate of Rito. He has known him since junior high and is more open and obvious of his obsession with girls and is one of the few male characters Rito can talk to about his situations involving Haruna or Lala. He is aware of Rito's feelings for Haruna and consistently advises he get together with her. Recently, Kenichi reveals his crush on a girl named Riko Yuusaki, but does not realize she is actually Rito, who is accidentally transformed into a girl by one of Lala's bizarre inventions.

Being one of the few significant male characters of the series, Saruyama's role is generally that of a luckless loser who desires but never gets a girl, and an underdog to the more popular male protagonist.

Rito Yuuki
The two have known each other for a long and he is the closest friend Rito has. Saruyama seems to understand Rito's shyness and clumsiness around girls better than anyone else. He wasn't at all surprised when Rito failed again to confess his love to Haruna. Saruyama has made some attempts to help Rito get together with Haruna.

Although they are friends, they both have certain dislikes towards each other. Rito doesn't like how other students see them grouped together when Saruyama starts acting and talking like a pervert. And Saruyama envies Rito for being close to Lala and many other girls, even though Rito already has feelings for Haruna.

Saruyama has a crush on a girl named Riko Yuusaki, who, unknown to him, is actually Rito, transformed into a girl by Lala's inventions. Saruyama is no less a pervert and a loser around "Riko" as he is any other time when he talks about girls, which disgusts Rito.