One of the more subtle ongoing battles on New Girl was for the role of Nick's best friend. There were more than a few applicants for the position, including Coach, Winston and Schmidt. Even Jess and Cece had legitimate claims to the crown. In the end, there was only one person who could be considered Nick's best friend. That man's name was Tran and he was as mysterious as he was wise and silent.
Nick Miller was a strange man. He was a writer who pronounced approximately 30 percent of the words he said wrong. It took virtually nothing to set the man off into an almost incomprehensible rage. On top of that, Nick also believed in almost every possible conspiracy theory, hid alcohol all over the loft, and didn't believe in banks. And for some reason, there was a massive competition for his friendship.
Winston and Nick grew up together in Chicago and had been friends for most of their lives. Nick went on to meet Schmidt in college, forming a friendship that continued long after they graduated. How Nick and Coach met was never explicitly stated, but it was mentioned that Coach played basketball with Winston in college. Presumably, Nick met Coach through Winston. And Nick met Jess and Cece because Jess moved into the loft in Season 1, Episode 1 of New Girl.
All of these friendships were mainstays of Nick's life for many years -- decades in some cases. But none of them had the impact on him that Tran did. Nick first met Tran in Season 2, Episode 7 after flying in to one of his trademarked rages and heading outside to cool off. He was sitting on a park bench when an old Asian man sat down next to him. Despite rarely speaking a word, Nick was almost immediately drawn to Tran.
They sat together for hours; Nick unburdening his problems on his new friend. The strange thing was Nick acted like it was a two-way conversation. Tran might not have spoken but he seemed to almost be communicating telepathically. Nick always appeared to know what Tran was saying thanks to his facial expressions and body language, though he mostly smiled and rarely moved. Yet, he always seemed to guide Nick in the right direction in all situations.
To be blunt, Nick was borderline obsessed with Tran. This relationship even led to Nick meeting and dating Tran's granddaughter, Kai. When they met in Season 4, Episode 10, Nick flat out told Kai that he considered Tran to be his best friend. Unfortunately for Nick, Kai absolutely blew his mind when she informed him that Tran did not see Nick as his best friend. That didn't cool their relationship, though.
While this ended the debate for fans, the rest of Nick's friend circle certainly didn't know about Tran being his best friend. Like many people, they found his relationship with Tran to be incredibly strange and mildly off-putting. But what they didn't understand was that the vast majority of the best advice Nick ever received came from Tran. He was like a friend, father, guide and soulmate all rolled into one person.