Kikuse

Kikuse was Teppei Sasaki's editor before he started work on White Knight. He works for Shueisha in Weekly Shonen Jump's Editorial Department.

Appearance
Kikuse is an older-looking man of a larger build with dark, tired eyes and straight, chin-length black hair, his lower face covered with stubble.

He wears a patterned jacket with a white shirt, and plain-colored jeans.

Personality
Kikuse is a blunt and critical person, due to his position as an editor, and never holds back on his feelings towards what he reads no matter how crushing it may be to the recipient. Nonetheless, his honesty and sureness of himself leads him to say impulsive and mean-spirited things when ticked off, even acting as if his personal standards are objective. However, he is willing to admit when someone has created something great, when he apologizes for what he says to Teppei before he presents White Knight.

Synopsis
Kikuse first appears when Teppei arrives at Shueisha's editorial department to have him read through a storyboard. He reads it quickly, then tells the young mangaka that it's a bust, explaining that the characters are boring and that his manga is too normal and uninteresting. As he takes out a cigarette and begins to walk out of the building for a smoke break, Teppei calls out to Kikuse and asks him if he can read through another storyboard the next day. Kikuse questions if Teppei can complete said storyboard in just one day, and then agrees to read through it if he gets a free moment after Teppei insists he can.

Teppei completes the draft and gives it to Kikuse, who concludes after reading that the story is completely empty. He then asks what Teppei finds interesting about the story, to which Teppei replies that he was following his criticism about the characters being boring by making them quirky and unique. But this does not fly as Kikuse explains that the characters are not interesting or quirky and are just completely typical, Teppei gives characters that everyone could do. He asks if Teppei has any message to communicate or something that only he can do, but he can only answer saying he wants to make something a lot of people can enjoy.

This is another weak response, as Kikuse says that his goal is vague and the readers would not enjoy reading something anyone can make. If he does not want that, then make up a story that would be for a cult audience, as even that would be better. Teppei persists, but Kikuse tells him to go back to the countryside and bask in the adoration of his friends and family if he wants to draw and get complimented for it. He says he is not submitting the story either and leaves for a smoke break.

Kikuse ends up being met by Teppei the next day, begging for him to read his storyboard, but he slaps his one-shot out of his hands and tells him to give up. But the editor-in-chief reprimands him for somehow being able to tell if someone does or does not have talent, despite being in business for a much shorter time. He finally reads it, and to Kisuke's surprise, Teppei's manga is great enough to get into Shonen Jump. Kisuke questions again if it really is his work, and Teppei confidently confirms it. Due to him saying earlier that he never wants to work with him again, Teppei ends up paired with Muneoka.

He later apologizes to Teppei, saying that he had no idea that he had something so great inside of him.