Takeichi was one of the first people to realize that Ōba Yōzō was only pretending to be cheerful and amusing. He understood that Yōzōʼs clown-like behavior was nothing more than a mask used to hide his fear of humanity. This became deeply important to Yōzō because, for so long, he believed the mask he created was flawless and impossible for anyone to see through. The moment Takeichi recognized the falsehood behind it, Yōzō felt terrified, threatened, and as if the identity he had carefully constructed was beginning to fall apart. Yet beneath that fear, Takeichi also became one of the very few people who was truly able to see Yōzō for who he really was — not the clown he pretended to be, but a fragile human being who had spent his entire life trying to hide himself.