Tamao Oguro#
Kuin first met Tamao while still possessing her original host through her Queen Bee Quirk. This happened after Tamao had left home following an argument with her parents. Kuin approached her and showed sympathy for the conflict with her father. Although the details of their further interactions are unclear, Kuin presumably gained Tamao's trust before leaving her original host and taking control of Tamao instead.[1]
Later, during her confrontation with Tamao's father, Knuckleduster, Kuin said that she really liked Tamao's body and had taken good care of it, expressing disappointment about having to sacrifice it to try to kill Knuckleduster. This shows that, despite her fondness for Tamao's body, Kuin didn't truly care about Tamao as a person.[2]
Unnamed classmates#
Kuin maintains a friendly and cheerful demeanor around her classmates, effortlessly blending in as a normal high school student.[3][4] They view her as somewhat strange but are on good terms with her,[3] completely unaware of her true identity and criminal activities. Despite this facade, Kuin views them merely as tools; at one point, she uses one of her female classmates to lure Soga Kugisaki into a trap, resulting in the being left in critical condition and hospitalized.[5] When asked about the girl later, Kuin shows no concern or knowledge of her whereabouts, highlighting her cold disregard for others once they've outlived their usefulness.[6]
Teruo Unagisawa#
Kuin first meets Teruo in an alley and convinces him to accompany her. She acts friendly toward him and even offers to show him a picture of Pop☆Step, knowing he's enthusiastic about her.[3] In truth, Kuin has no real interest in Teruo and only sees him as someone to manipulate. At some point, she kidnaps him and turns him into a Next-Level Villain, unleashing him on the streets to cause chaos and crash the Naruhata Festival.[7] Later, she uses one of her bees to inject herself with a sample of his blood in order to gain access to his Electric Eel Quirk.[1]
Chuma Yakumaru#
Kuin meets Chuma in an alley, where she offers him Trigger. She does not pay attention to his vulgar language and threatening attitude, even when he tries to attack her, simply encouraging him to go wild and destroy things to his heart's content.[8]
Akira Iwako#
Akira is one of several people Kuin turned into Instant Villains by giving him a dose of Trigger. After he flees from the Naruhata Vigilantes, Kuin happily watches as Stendhal mercilessly kills him.[4]
Soga Kugisaki#
Kuin first targets Soga by using one of her classmates as bait to lure him into an ambush.[5] Though he survives the encounter, she later approaches him in an alley, putting on a cutesy, concerned act that only irritates him. She tries to persuade him and his friends to take Trigger in order to fight Stendhal, but when Soga refuses, she forcibly injects him with the drug using her bees, sparking a violent confrontation.[9] Her treatment of Soga highlights her complete disregard for personal autonomy, using charm or coercion as needed to further her objectives.
All For One#
As a member of the Villain Factory, Kuin is loyal to the criminal organization, following the orders of her employer All For One, who is the main supplier of Trigger Kuin is given to distribute in the streets.
Kuin shows a rebellious attitude towards him, which has earned her more than one warning, especially when she goes overboard with Trigger by turning random people into Instant Villains, and reminds her that Trigger is still a valuable and expensive drug that mustn't be used indiscriminately. Kuin does not seem to care about what All For One says, because thanks to her actions he is able to get good data from the incidents.[8][10]
Despite these disagreements, Kuin obeys All For One's orders without question, such as finding capable individuals or not directly attacking the Naruhata Vigilantes because their actions are beneficial to gather practical data without having to worry about the Heroes or the Police Force.[8]
Vigilantes#
Naruhata Vigilantes#
Being responsible for the Instant Villain outbreak, Kuin is the indirect enemy of the Naruhata Vigilantes, although they, with the exception of Knuckleduster, are unaware of her true nature, and in the few times they have met in person, Kuin shows a friendly attitude towards them, even declaring herself a fan of Pop☆Step.[11]
Although they have defeated several of the villains that she has created, All For One orders her not to eliminate them, since they are indirectly useful for the Villain Factory plans. Although Kuin obeys, she has no qualms about putting them in dangerous situations.
Knuckleduster#
During a brief interview with Makoto Tsukauchi, Kuin expresses her thoughts on Knuckleduster, viewing him as a scary old man who wanders the streets like a slasher.[12]
Unlike his teammates, Knuckleduster fully understands what Kuin truly is: a parasitic bee that serves the Villain Factory. Kuin's relationship with Knuckleduster is entirely antagonistic. She takes control of his daughter, Tamao Oguro, through her Queen Bee Quirk, and uses Tamao's body as a host while carrying out missions for All For One. After attacking Tamao's home and harming her mother, Kuin's actions horrify Knuckleduster, prompting his return to hero work as a vigilante. Although he doesn't initially realize Kuin is possessing his daughter, once he uncovers the truth, his makes it his mission to capture Kuin and free Tamao.[13]
Their interactions are hostile and violent. Knuckleduster tracks Kuin down after she causes chaos at the Naruhata Festival, planning to use the panicking crowd as test subjects for Trigger. He confronts her directly on a rooftop, calling her "Tamao" and trying to reach the daughter buried within.[10] Kuin mocks him, confident he won't risk hurting her, but she's quickly proven wrong when she narrowly dodges a punch, with Knuckleduster makes it clear he's willing to do whatever it takes to stop her and save Tamao.[13]
Their battle escalates through the streets. Kuin uses her Bomb Bees and laughs when she believes she's killed him, only for Knuckleduster to emerge unharmed. When cornered, she injects herself with Teruo Unagisawa's blood to access his Electric Eel Quirk, attempting to kill Knuckleduster with an electric shock to the heart.[1] Believing she's finally succeeded, she moves to crash the festival, but Knuckleduster survives again, having defibrillated himself with his own Taser Knuckle. Frustrated, Kuin goes all out, deciding to finish him off even at the cost of her host's life, intending to transfer to a new body afterward. She even mockingly calls him "dad." Their final showdown ends when Knuckleduster delivers a blow to Tamao's chest that stops her heart. Helpless, Kuin curses him as her swarm abandons the now-dead body, allowing Knuckleduster to extract the Queen Bee parasite from her eye socket. He destroys the swarm, then performs CPR to revive Tamao.[14]
Stendhal#
Kuin formed a partnership with the vigilante known as Stendhal, a mutually beneficial arrangement, though this did not make them true allies. As Chizome warned her, she would be judged by "Stendhal" sooner rather than later. Kuin aided him in exterminating the Abegawa Tenchu Kai, and in return, she demanded he eliminate specific targets on her behalf, including Soga, Rapt Tokage, and Moyuru Tochi. Stendhal complied, believing that even the lowest of filth has its value.[15]
Following his defeat by Knuckleduster and a sobering realization brought on by their confrontation, Chizome came to understand that he lacked resolve. Kuin mocked him for this newfound need, prompting him to hurl a knife at her. The blade struck the eye beneath her patch, only for it to land harmlessly in her empty eye socket. Believing her dead, Chizome walked away, unaware she was unharmed. Rather than retaliate, Kuin chose to let it go, reasoning that he would make things far more interesting alive.[16]