Hifudo

Hifudo is the slash ship between Hifumi Izanami and Doppo Kannonzaka from the Hypnosis Mic fandom.

Canon
Hifumi and Doppo met in elementary school and have been friends since then. They went to the same school together. During some time in highschool, Doppo and Hifumi met - a girl who is the reason why Hifumi suffers from gynophobia (fear of women). Canonically, it is still unknown what exactly did Honobono do to Hifumi, but he is still struggling with his phobia and trauma, though Honobono’s actions are heavily implied to be some form of sexual abuse.

They briefly worked together at Doppo's company when they were 22. Hifumi was struggling a lot with his phobia at that time, barely leaving his apartment, and Doppo was his one beacon of hope. He cared for him, and took care of him frequently, even though they lived separately at the time. Doppo's excitement about his job and the idea that at work he is like a different person inspired Hifumi, so Doppo offered him a job at his workplace. Unfortunately, it is quickly clear that it's hard for Hifumi to work in the same office with women colleages, which causes problems with their boss, who starts to abuse Hifumi and disregard his phobia. Doppo was fired from his first job due to punching his boss in a burst of rage after seeing him mistreat Hifumi. After seeing Doppo lose his job because of him, Hifumi decides that he must find a way to work around his trauma for the sake of Doppo, and the betterment of them both. He begins his job as a host in a host club called Fragrance. Using Doppo's idea about transforming into another person, he creates his own host-persona, by telling himself that whenever he puts a suit on, he’s a new man, and forgets all about it. They move in together after Hifumi offers Doppo to become roommates as it would be less costly, and end up making a bet on who could pay the rent for the two of them faster.

At the age of 29, Hifumi is known as "Shinjuku №1 Host" and Doppo works as a Sales representative for E.L. Medical Co, Ltd. One day, a stalker from the host club brokes into their shared appartment, attempting to kill Doppo, but fails and hits Hifumi's upper arm with a knife. Hifumi was transfered to the hospital and at that moment Doppo decides to introduce him to Jakurai Jinguji thinking that he may help Hifumi overcome his phobia. Doppo then introduces Hifumi and Jakurai, together they solve the problem with the stalker, leading to the formation of Matenro. ( Note, The events in this drama track are disregarded throughout the rest of the series, So please don’t use it as your main understanding of Hifumi and Doppo. They are very out of character in their first appearances, and especially in Rhyme Anima.)

Later down the line, Hifumi revealed some thoughts on trying to understand and maybe forgive Honobono to Jakurai and Doppo, which the latter said that it is something that is hard for him to understand, but considering Hifumi's determinant character it might work out and help to overcome his phobia. At a later date, Honobono shows up at Fragrance and using her position in the Party of Words demands the whole host club to be left to only herself and Hifumi. Hifumi is trying to keep himself together acting as he always does in his host mode, but Honobono's presence is too much for him to handle and he succumbs to his trauma. He ends up having an anxiety attack right in front of her, which makes Honobono laugh at him for being weak and scared. That's when Doppo bursts into the host club, seeing Hifumi on the floor and rushes over to him in a hurry. Hifumi is in a really bad state, saying that he's weak and his endless efforts in overcoming his phobia are meaningless.. Doppo is trying desperately to convince him otherwise, but Honobono would mock both of them, causing Doppo to snap at her and start a confrontation using Hypnosis Mics, as he couldn’t stand to see someone who hurt Hifumi have the upperhand. It is also revealed that Honobono messed with Doppo's manager to get him fired from his job, but Doppo had already solved the whole predicament earlier that day. Hifumi stands up on Doppo's behalf saying that he won't let Honobono hurt his friend. Together they join forces and attack on Honobono with their Hypnosis Mics, but still cannot put her down considering the enormous power Honobono holds. They both are saved by Jakurai, who arrived at the host club and attacked Honobono, having been startled by Jakurai— she leaves. The feeling of one's own helplessness against Honobono leaves Hifumi and Doppo in unsettling mood.

Doppo thinks of Hifumi as troublesome and gets kind of annoyed by him sometimes, but deeply respects him and thinks of him as his only good friend. He is grateful for everything Hifumi is doing for him, including household chores or food Hifumi is making. He is always there for Hifumi, helping him out through hard times. Doppo gets defensive of Hifumi when someone looks down at Hifumi's job or implying that he isn't doing enough to overcome his phobia (1st DRB's CD Drama track "Just a friend" featuring encounter with Gentaro and Dice, 2nd DRB's CD Drama track "If We Hesitate, We Rust and Lose Pride. Because Of Our Lost Pride, We Keep The Fire Burning" which features fight with Honobono from CD Drama track ) Doppo can seem harsh to Hifumi when they’re in public, but he truly can relax and be himself when he’s with Hifumi.

Hifumi cares deeply for Doppo, often waking him up for work, cleaning his messy room and cooking dinner for him. Hifumi thinks that Doppo has a bad habbit of apologizing too much and thinking so little of himself. He often tries to distract Doppo from his self-deprecation by changing the subject or cheering him up. He also comes up with some crazy ideas trying to distract Doppo of his negative thoughts, at which Doppo usually gets annoyed. Hifumi has a lot of respect fot Doppo and has defended him fiercely on numerous occasions, such as when someone hinted that Doppo is not a hard-working person. (1st DRB's CD Drama track "Just a friend" featuring encounter with Gentaro and Dice, 2nd DRB's CD Drama track "If We Hesitate, We Rust and Lose Pride. Because Of Our Lost Pride, We Keep The Fire Burning" which features Honobono confrontation) Just like Doppo, Hifumi also can seem like he picks on Doppo alot, but he means well, and same as Doppo— Truly feels like he can be himself when he’s with him.

Their relationship dynamic itself is unclear on if its platonic or not, considering there have been many hints as to them having romantic or downright sexual interactions with eachother. For now, all that matters is that they love eachother— Best friends, or more.

Official Relationship Chart: (might be outdated information)

Hifumi -> Doppo: Worries about him. Doppo -> Hifumi: Troublesome, but helpful.

Duet songs
Otoko to onna no love game

This duet is from Side F.P & M Bonus Drama Track 1 from the limited edition of the first volume of the Hypnosis Mic -Division Rap Battle- side F.P & M manga. In this drama track Hifumi and Doppo think about some relaxing activies for Jakurai. This duet is a cover of a japanese 80s pop song. The song is about a husband (Doppo) and a wife (Hifumi) who share their feelings about each other in a dialogue manner. You can read the translation here on the Hypnosis Mic Wiki.

Wrap&Rap ～3 Minutes Vibe Cooking～

This duet is also a bonus from the limited edition of the first volume of the Hypnosis Mic -Division Rap Battle- side F.P & M manga. This whole duet is basically a rap version of a recipe of ground meat and chickpea burrito, which Doppo and Hifumi make together at home. You can find the translation here on the Hypnosis Mic Wiki.

HOT GAME

This duet is a bonus for the limited edition version of the third volume of Hypnosis Mic -Division Rap Battle- side F.P & M + manga. This song's plot is based on the bet Hifumi and Doppo made at the Torinoichi - an open-air market selling lucky charms called Kumade. You can find the translation here on the Hypnosis Mic Wiki.

Fanon
Hifudo is one of the most popular ships in the fandom. It is currently the 2nd most written ship on AO3. Both of them took turns helping each other to "get back on their feet" through their lives, And though there are many different interpretations of the ship, generally it stays with them both mutually nurturing one another.

It is common to consider Hifumi/Doppo as queer-coded characters taking into account them sharing apartment while being near their 30s, Hifumi's fear of women and the fact that the pair lives in one of the most LGBT+ friendly Tokyo's special wards (for example, place like Shinjuku Nichome is famous for having the world's highest concentration of gay bars).

Some common headcanons between the shippers include:
 * Hifumi and Doppo have been friends since kindergarden.
 * Hifumi and Doppo have always been classmates since elementary school.
 * They always send each other messages during their day.
 * Doppo uses kaomoji when messaging Hifumi. (This is suggested due to the official translation of the song Hoodstar+ Having Doppo use kaomojis in his verse.)
 * Their hair colors may not be their natural and they dyed their hair together. (That, or they just dyed the blue/green highlights.)

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