WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Season 4 of Aggretsuko, now streaming on Netflix.
Retsuko has two main love interests in Aggretsuko, and they've kept her on her toes throughout the anime's four seasons so far. There's Tadano, the rich entrepreneur who owns his own company, and Haida, Retsuko's co-worker and friend for the past five years. Even though they've both been rejected by Retsuko, she definitely still has a soft spot for both. While at first glance Tadano and Haida seem nothing alike, Season 4 has highlighted some crucial similarities between them.
Surprisingly, Haida is kind of a tech genius like Tadano. He created a program that allows the accounting team to eliminate a lot of manual work, making their job a lot easier. Meanwhile, Tadano created an AI interface called ENI-O that analyzes all social media, TV, print, and other networks and figures out what is needed. Though their creations are different in scale, both Haida and Tadano both have a knack for technology.
Additionally, Tadano and Haida both come from money but don't flaunt their wealth, which is a very humbling and surprising trait to share. They're both relatively down to earth and have also been rejected by Retsuko. At first glance, it seems like they share quite a bit in common. But there is a notable difference between the two and it boils down to one factor: confidence.
When Tadano is introduced in Aggretsuko, he seems to know exactly who he is and what he wants. He's easy-going, laid back and can go with the flow quite easily. He's sure of his opinions and knows his preferences. To sum it up, he's confident. Even the way he handled his relationship with Retsuko was overflowing with confidence. He asks her out fairly quickly and seems sure of himself throughout their time together. Even when they break up, Tadano respects her decision because he was honest about who he really is and his expectations of their relationship.
On the flip side, Haida is anything but confident. He had a crush on Retsuko for five years before he was able to even hint at his feelings for her, and consistently doubts and second-guesses himself. When Retsuko finally takes some interest in him and asks him to hang out, Haida chickens out and bails despite his feelings for her. Even when life is giving him exactly what he wants, he doesn't have the confidence to trust it. It's a stark comparison to Tadano.
Only when Retsuko took confidence into her own hands did Haida finally respond in kind. She had to show up at his doorstep and tell him that, while she can't say whether she likes him yet, she definitely wants to get to know him. This sparked some confidence in Haida that lasts throughout most of the fourth season, but was previously unseen nor heard of in Haida's character. Even though it seems as if Retsuko and Haida are somewhat together as of the end of Season 4, his level of confidence may continue to be an issue in their relationship as Aggretsuko continues.
