Toradora! follows the story of Taiga and Ryuuji, two classmates who become friends when they discover that they are neighbors and agree to help each other with their respective crushes. Three of their classmates join their social circle, and as time goes on and everyone gets to know each other better, the love connections evolve.
Taiga's crush is Kitamura, the kind but plain class rep. He has a simple style and glasses, and he's nice to everyone. Ryuuji's crush, however, is Minori, a goofy tomboy who is always herself, whether that means causing a scene in the middle of class or making love confessions during high-speed hallway chases. The last to join their group is a model and a childhood friend of Kitamura's who transfers into the class, Ami Kawashima. But is her connection to Kitamura organic, or is it simply a way to connect her to the story?
Ami's Dual Personalities
Ami's public persona is that of a flirty, lovable ditz. She pretends to be clumsy and often calls herself an airhead. In certain social situations, however, her real personality emerges. When she reveals herself to Taiga, she becomes demanding and conceited, telling her to refill her drink or she'll charm Ryuuji away. Kitamura is consistently kind, not simply mild-mannered -- how could he be friends with someone like this?
This leads many to the theory that Ami used to be different as a child. Perhaps when Kitamura first got to know her, she was more genuine and kindhearted. After all, she is a model, and fame often changes people. On the other hand, Ami's mother is an actress, so their family has always dealt with fame. Another explanation is more likely, and it has much more to do with Kitamura's personality than Ami's.
The Relationship Between Ami and Kitamura
In Episode 5, the same episode that introduces Ami to viewers, Kitamura explains to Ryuuji that he wants their class to see Ami's true colors. In fact, that is why he made sure Taiga and Ryuuji knew about it -- he was hoping they would expose her. His reasons for putting her on blast are not vengeful. He hopes the class will accept her for who she truly is, bad attitude and all, and he clarifies that he believes Ami can tolerate any hate she gets as a result.
This shows how well Kitamura feels he knows Ami and how much he values her despite her flaws. He is capable of a type of radical acceptance toward his friends, and maybe this comes from knowing that shaming people for their mistakes often backfires. However, even if his intentions are 100% pure, high school students can be cruel -- should he really be taking this risk when it could get Ami bullied?
The Dark Side of Kitamura
Taking that a step further, Kutamura's plan to expose Ami's true personality involves a certain amount of deceit and manipulation. Does the way he handles this situation reveal some of his own true colors? He would make more sense as a character if some of his more "airheaded" moments, such as misunderstanding Taiga's love confession or exposing himself to the girls in nothing but a towel, had a little more thought behind them. All of this considered, perhaps he connects with Ami so well because he sees part of himself in her.
If Kitamura does have a dark side, it never affects the plot enough for it to be fully revealed. Toradora's characters tend to be carefully thought out, so this new dimension of his character would align with that. Either way, his friendship with Ami provides insights into the psyche behind his mild demeanor, whether he's radically accepting of everyone, more manipulative than viewers bargained for or both.