Hachiko Waits

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death and animal death.

Hachiko, an Akita dog, is the main subject of Hachiko Waits and the heart of its exploration of The Reciprocation of Loyalty. His defining trait is his unwavering devotion to Professor Ueno, making him a static character. Hachiko doesn’t undergo personal changes throughout the story, but his role does evolve throughout the narrative. While he starts out as an endearing puppy named Hachi, he becomes a famous and revered cultural icon known as Hachiko, having earned a suffix connoting distinguishment.

Akitas are large dogs originating from Japan that were originally bred to hunt bears. They are known for their intelligence, bravery, and loyalty. Hachiko embodies all the traits typical of Akitas: He has a thick double coat of fur that is light brown on his back with a white patch on his face, small, dark eyes and upright, triangular ears, and a tail that curls up over his back. His physical correspondence to the breed standard suggests his temperamental correspondence.

Professor Ueno originally names Hachiko “Hachi,” which means “eight” in Japanese, because the Japanese character for eight is shaped like an upside-down fan, which “means that the future is wide open” (18).