Itoshiki, Nozomu

Seiyuu / Dub

Gu, Ja-hyeong· Japanese

Kamiya, Hiroshi· Japanese

Summary

Nozomu Itoshiki, born on November 4, serves as the protagonist and a high school instructor, ranking as the youngest member of the Itoshiki lineage. His sartorial choices reflect a duality: he dons traditional hakama and kimono while overseas, yet favors casual Western attire when in his native land. His name carries symbolic weight, as its horizontal arrangement mimics the word zetsubou, meaning despair or hopelessness, which aligns with his profoundly pessimistic, paranoid, and negative disposition. He frequently cries out about his despair and stages multiple suicide attempts, though these acts are rarely carried out with genuine intent. A number of the primary female characters harbor romantic feelings for him, stemming largely from misunderstandings of his remarks during their initial introductions in the series. This cynical outlook took root during his first year of high school when he "accidentally" became a member of a "Negative" club. The character draws inspiration from the protagonist of Osamu Dazai’s No Longer Human, a literary work cherished by both Nozomu and the author.