Ai sees Yusaku as a partner, but Yusaku considers Ai to be nothing more than an object he needs to gain the upper hand against the Knights of Hanoi. He threatened to delete Ai in order to challenge a Knight, and ignored his pleas not to go back to VRAINS. Yusaku has little patience for Ai's antics and often doesn't let him talk. Nevertheless, Ai supports Yusaku in his Duels, though he claims to do so out of a desire for survival. Ai also seems to enjoy teasing Yusaku, but knows when things get serious. Likewise, Yusaku follows Ai's advice when needed. Despite being rude to Ai most of the time Yusaku appears slowly grows to genuinely care for about him; this was seen when Ai was deleted by [[Revolver]]'s "[[Fire Prison]]" and he showed legitimate concern for him, showing that despite the rockiness of their relationship, Yusaku does view Ai as a friend and ally. He was also happy when Ai returned to his Duel Disk and playfully teased him for coming back to hostage.