Piro
Piro is one of the leading males in the story. He is approximately 21 years of age, if not older, based on the sentiments of Seraphim. He is introduced as a gamer geek with a particular love for dating sims, an obsession which his friend Largo can hardly begin to understand. It was his idea to fly to Japan after an incident involving Largo caused him to see the advantages of leaving the country. Piro is probably the only reason Largo can survive in Japan. This is because Largo makes 5,000 yen as a teacher, spends all his money on beer, and cannot speak Japanese. (Piro comments that 5,000 yen is less than 50 American dollars. It is unknown what Piro makes working at Megagamers.)
In Japan, Piro has taken a job at MegaGamers as a mascot, sales clerk, and just about anything else Erika tells him to be. Although he got his job by total accident, his familiarity with the merchandise makes it a natural fit. Conveniently, the store also has an old apartment upstairs which is where he and Largo have taken up residence, with the blessing of store manager and owner, Yanagisawa.
Piro's Japanese friend Tsubasa left him an unusual gift: a robot girl named Ping. Ping was designed to make dating simulation games more real for the player, giving him a life-size, walking and talking girl to interact with. Ping has never been used for her original purpose, yet she seems to be changing anyways.
Piro's love life has hardly suffered during his journey to Japan. Yuki, Ping, and Kimiko appear to have strong feelings for him. Miho too, may be interested, but her intentions are not so clear. However, for Piro, the only girl that matters right now in his life is Kimiko, though ultimately, how much success he is going to have is anybody's guess. Their relationship started with Piro giving her his rail pass. When they next meet, it is at the beer garden with Largo and Erika. Both Kimiko and Piro get drunk. As a result, she ends up arguing with him and giving him back his rail pass, which prompts Piro to reveal that he likes her. Both get carried back home by their roommates. (Largo says that Piro is a lightweight.)
Piro also prefers to play as female characters in video games, such as Piroko (first person shooters) and Pirogoeth (Endgames). This is probably just because he prefers looking at girls, but it is also possible that he feels it expresses himself in some other way.
Both the CEA and The organization seem to show an unusual amount of interest in him; in that both have operatives working the Piro case.
The name Piro (pee-ro) is based on a cat from the ren'ai game and anime Kanon.
Memorable Quotes
"Your stupidity when it comes to women never ceases to amaze me." - to Largo
"Even when they have digital readouts, I can't understand them." - about girls in general, after Ping hugged him
"Y'can tell me not to worry all y'want. But I'm still gonna." - to Kimiko
"I didn't deserve that." -to Kimiko
Relations with other characters
- Largo
- The two are clearly best friends, although they don't always seem to have a "close relationship". They are total opposites, however. Piro seems to regard Largo as fairly insane. Recently, however, there have been signs that the pair do care about each other rather more than previously indicated. First Shown Together: Strip 1.
- Seraphim
- Piro's conscience. She sometimes disappears for long stretches of time. First Shown Together: Strip 39.
- Kimiko
- Piro's budding love interest. It took some time for them to get past their mutual angst stage, but things have progressed between them recently. First Shown Together: Strip 28.
- Ping
- Ping considers Piro to be her user. Piro seems to be confused about how to handle Ping, and does not seem to regard her as "real". In chapter 8, Piro becomes more confused when he finds out that Ping is actually changing herself to handle heartache. She may be starting to show her crush on Piro. First Shown Together: Strip 105.
- Erika
- Piro's co-worker at Megagamers. Erika mothers Piro to some extent, but has also encouraged him with regard to Kimiko. First Shown Together: Strip 89.
- Miho
- Piro refers to her as the "Psycho Gothic Gamer chick". So far, Miho has managed to keep him off balance, but the tables may be starting to turn based on recent events. She seems to have a reputation for being a fan of Erica's, but this has not yet been proven. The two (along with Largo) played the Endgames MMORPG several years prior to the comic's start; Pirogoeth was the only character able to defeat Miho's machinations. First Shown Together: Strip 179.
- Yuki
- The two met early in the comic. Yuki is infatuated with Piro, and has asked him to give her drawing lessons, but thus far he has only managed to give her one lesson which was interrupted by Miho. First Shown Together: Strip 44.
- Tsubasa
- The two of them are longtime friends who keep in touch through the internet. Piro arranged for him and Largo to stay with Tsubasa, ostensibly for a few days, which turned into several weeks. Tsubasa left Ping for Piro when he moved to America to find his first love. Currently in Oklahoma. First Shown Together: Strip 16.
- Yanagisawa
- Piro's boss at Megagamers. First Shown Together: Strip 100.
- Asmodeus
- Asmodeus is Seraphim's ‘evil’ counterpart, always encouraging Piro to follow his base desires. First Shown Together: Strip 230.