History Characters / KatawaShoujo

-->''"I don't have to worry about anything while I'm running. I just concentrate on breathing, on the rhythm of things. It's easier that way. Life's easier that way. Just keep moving forwards, you know? Nothing else matters, just getting around the next curve."''

-->''"I believed it didn't matter if nobody else acknowledged me. All my existence did was make people troubled, after all. It was... easier... if I just didn't exist."''

* BreakTheCutie: Her backstory [[spoiler:and her bad ending.]]
* BrokenBird: All the girls have shades of this, but she and Rin are the biggest examples.

-->'''Hisao''': Smiling for other people might be a completely normal, everyday thing. For Hanako though... she smiles so rarely and so sincerely that each and every time she does it, I feel a sense of relief and happiness.''

-->''"It was nice... back then. You and I, celebrating with Hanako. Simply sharing presents, talking, having fun together. It was almost as if we were a family. One small, misshapen family."''

-->''"I don't really like talking about art. It is already a way to talk without talking, so why bother talking about it?"''

* BrokenBird: All the girls have shades of this, but she and Hanako are the biggest examples.

-->'''Rin''': [[spoiler:"I will learn to hug people in my own way. I'm sure I can become a real artist. But if I do, I might not be able to be me anymore (...) That's why... please forget about me, and I'll forget about you!"]]
* CaptainObvious

-->''[Sometimes I treat everything like a competition between myself and everyone else. [[WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer Even when it doesn't make any sense to]].]''

* BatmanGambit: [[spoiler:More or less what her interactions with Hisao early in Act 1 boil down to. Seeing that he is depressed, Shizune decides that he needs cheering up. Her way of doing this is by goading him into joining the Student Council and spending time with her and Misha so that he would have something to do or think about other than feeling sorry for himself. [[FridgeBrilliance The thing is, even if you don't choose her route, the plan still works]] [[TheGadfly because she is still the one that forces Hisao out of his complacency and forces him to make choices.]]]]
* BrainsAndBondage: She's quite clever, and quite kinky too, judging by [[spoiler:her first sex scene with Hisao and other details]].
** Her hair also forms subtle cat ears.

* TheGlassesComeOff: In ''one screen'', late in her route, you can see a sprite of her without her glasses.
** A CG later in her route shows her without glasses as well [[spoiler:(you also get to see Misha pre-drill hair).]]

* MissingMom

-->''"WAHAHA~!"''

* TheMcCoy
* TheNicknamer

-->'''Misha:''' [when Hanako and Hisao come to class together and a little late]: Aaaaaah, the lovers have returned! WAHAHAHAHAHA~

** In Emi's route, she shows up [[spoiler:after Emi and Hisao have a fight at Emi's home]] and pushes Hisao to talk to her [[spoiler:and mend their almost-broken relationship.]] Whether you [[spoiler:get the Bad or Good Ending]] depends on what's your reaction to her.
*** Earlier in the route, she also comments on how cute they are together, and after scolding Hisao on their PDA for Shizune, adds "subtle" hint that she approves, but they should make sure Shizune doesn't catch them.

* StepfordSmiler: [[spoiler:It's revealed late in Shizune's route that her cheerful nature is a façade to cover {{Gayngst}} and unrequited love. Shizune lampshades this when she says she doesn't associate cheerful behavior with Misha the same way Hisao does]]

* TactfulTranslation: Oh so subverted. Much to Shizune's dismay.
* TaremeEyes: Contrasting with Shizune's TsurimeEyes.

--> '''Hisao:''' Just thinking about what it's like to be the last sane man in an insane world.
--> '''Kenji:''' You mean that's you? That can't be, because ''I'm'' the last sane man in an insane world. That is my dream, you can't just steal a man's dream.

* PetTheDog: A few times towards the end of Lilly's route.

--> '''Hisao:''' It's Kenji. He seems to be in a friendly mood, although the light glinting off his glasses in the dark gives him a sinister look.

-->'''Hisao:''' It's not a secret club being a guy.
-->'''Kenji:''' It should be. With rings. Rings with big-assed emblems. And gold!

* EverybodyHatesMath:
--> '''Hisao:''' I'm guessing you're not too interested in [maths?]
--> '''Miki:''' Screw math. It's boring as hell.

--> '''Miki:''' To be honest, I think it's kinda cute. If you want to go for it, don't let me stop you!.

!! Molly Kapur

* AuthorAvatar: Is one to Delta.

-->''"So... we are the same... is that what you're saying?"''

-->''"That's kind of a cute thing of you to say, but being too cute has its drawbacks too."''

* BigBrotherMentor: Sort of, especially to Hisao and Emi.

* HospitalHottie: A male example.

--> ''The nurse stares at the ceiling, mutters a prayer for patience to some god or another, and looks back down at the both of us.''
--> '''Nurse:''' So you're '''both''' stupid. That's a comfort, I guess.

* FanserviceWithASmile

* OcularGushers: Has this at times.
* ShrinkingViolet

--> '''Yuuko:''' I wasn't asleep and welcome to the Shanghai!
* YouthfulFreckles

-->'''Nomiya''':(to Rin) [[spoiler:"You are not a resolved person... Then tell me, why... why... WHY DID WE GO THROUGH ALL THIS TROUBLE IF IT AMOUNTS TO A MOSQUITO'S SHIT?"]]
-->'''Nomiya''': [[spoiler:"What worth is there in doing so much work if the outcome is... nothing?"]]

-->'''Nomiya''': When you lie on the floor of your minuscule room, your rent three weeks late, your mind blank for the fourth week straight, then you will wish that you had listened to old Nomiya a bit more. When you keep measuring how the shadow of your chair becomes longer over the spring because that's all your lethargy allows, maybe that's when you will start caring about your career!"

* {{Bifauxnen}}: She's flat-chested and headstrong, giving her a distinctly masculine look and feel. That suit sure does look snappy, but it thoroughly confuses the protagonist for a good few seconds. Hisao actually stops himself from making any guesses in Shizune's path, as he just ran into [[DudeLooksLikeALady Hideaki]] a few moments ago. The usual personality that goes with this trope is averted, though - "refined" is [[TheLadette not an adjective that describes her]].
* BilingualBonus: ''Akira'' is a legitimate [[http://www.amethyst-night.com/names/scotfem.html female name]] [[http://www.baby-names-and-stuff.com/scottish-baby-names/akira.asp in Scottish]], just as it is in Japanese.
* BrokenBird: Not halfways as other girls, but she can show a very cynical and sad side to her, as [[spoiler:she has not forgiven her parents for leaving them behind, but feels as though she has no choice but to move to Scotland, even if she has to leave her boyfriend behind.]]

* GenderBlenderName: While "Akira" is a unisex name in Japan, it's still more commonly used for men, which is fitting for Akira's own masculine appearance.

* TheLadette
* MasculineGirlFeminineBoy: A non-romantic example with Hideaki, whom she sometimes babysits.

* ShipperOnDeck: Obviously, if you choose Lilly's route.

* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: As the {{Tomboy}} to Lilly's Girly Girl.

-->'''Hisao:''' What's with the stockings?
-->'''Hideaki:''' They are cool.

* AbusiveDad: He constantly insults and belittles both Shizune and her brother Hideaki. He could not be bothered to learn how to communicate with his own deaf/mute daughter. It goes to twelve ''thousand'' when he offhandedly mentions he has indeed hired tutors - trying to get ''Shizune to speak''. He seems to imply he just thinks Shizune is being stubborn about this whole speaking thing.

* HiddenDepths: He travels all the way to Yamaku, commits the humiliating act of asking his daughter to let him back into her life, and, after he's rebuffed, offers the equally submissive gesture that he's there for her if she needs him.
** As Hisao himself notes, Jigoro has an analytical stare even while he's acting a complete {{Jerkass}}. [[AlternativeCharacterInterpretation Jigoro is likely]] neither a hypocrite nor jerk, but concerned father, a devious schemer, clearly not a [[GoodIsNotNice nice guy]], but determined to hold his family together.

* HiddenHeartOfGold: It's there, you just need to be ''EXTREMELY'' attentive during Shizune's route.

-->'''Jigoro''': "What is that haircut? You look like an intern. Your old haircut merely made you look like you were wearing a pink judge wig. Judge to intern is a huge demotion."
* ItsAllAboutMe

* JerkWithAHeartOfJerk:
-->'''Hisao''': "It can't be sustainable for him to be so casually insulting to everyone."

-->'''Hisao''': [I think your dad might care about you more than he lets on]
-->'''Shizune''': [I know]

-->'''Jigoro''': Look at yourself. An amoral, directionless glue-huffer, with a complete lack of etiquette and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking absolutely no fashion sense]]. You are tomorrow's Japan. Disgraceful. Is this the future of this once-great country?
-->'''Jigoro''': You are very persistent. If only it was about something that mattered. I can't see what you may have learned from my daughter aside from that and how to backtalk people. Is that it?"

-->''"Your sweater is terrible and I want you to feel bad about it."''
** Interestingly enough, Hisao [[StrongFamilyResemblance expected him to be more feminine-looking, like Hideaki is]].

* RepetitiveName

* FirstNameBasis: Her surname is never stated.
* ForWantOfANail: How Hisao responds to [[spoiler:her DearJohnLetter]] depends on the route.
** Emi: [[spoiler:He throws it away midway through reading it, having moved on. If he talks to Emi's mother, however, he fishes it out and reads the last part before resolving to face Emi again.]]
** Hanako: [[spoiler:He realizes that their relationship is over, but is saddened by being reminded of it. He eventually tries to write a letter back in response, but finds it too difficult.]]
** Lilly: [[spoiler:He concludes that the letter is an "abdication of responsibility", throws it away and is in a bad mood the next day.]]
** Rin: [[spoiler:He is somewhat saddened by the reminder of everything he has lost, but not bitter toward Iwanako. He sends her a letter in response and receives no reply.]]
** Shizune: [[spoiler:He believes Iwanako had slowly been distancing herself from him in the hospital, but eventually realizes that he pushed his friends away. He decides not to write back, concluding that the letter is her way of saying goodbye.]]

* ShrinkingViolet: Certainly not to the extent of Hanako, but the beginning of the game gives this impression.
** Hisao also states at one point that she was very fragile and feminine.

* ParentalAbandonment: All the other heroines have at least one parent who appears in their respective routes (Shizune's father, Emi's mother) or have a good reason for not appearing ([[spoiler:Hanako's dead parents, Emi's DisappearedDad, Lilly's estranged parents]]). Rin's parents, however, don't appear at all even though the game confirms that they are alive.

** After the exhibit, one of the Act 4 cutscenes is called "Desperate Glory" and there are several things Nomiya says that imply that he doesn't understand Rin or really care for her happiness, only her ability to create art and [[SkewedPriorities how one of her pieces has made a good amount of money.]]

* StageDad: He's not Rin's father, but he only wants to help Rin be successful disregard of her feelings. He even remarks at one point that he's not as good as Rin [[spoiler:or Sae's dead husband]], and having realized the limits of his ability, chose to become a teacher instead.

* VicariouslyAmbitious: His entire role in Rin's route involves him trying to get Rin to become a successful artist. By piecing together some of the things he mentions in the story, it can be inferred that [[spoiler: he was a failed artist who simply didn't have what it took to survive in the art world and hoped that he could make up for that through Rin.]]

Yuuko has serious problems with managing her life, which makes her the perfect person to ask for help to manage one's own. She funds her university studies by working part time at a popular cafe. The lengths she goes to avoid being fired for her natural clumsiness bewilder other people, along with her neurotic attention to detail and frequent streaks of depression.

Nomiya is the school art teacher, and the overseer of the art club, obviously.

* ArmorPiercingQuestion: During Act 4[[spoiler: He asks Hisao if he has any passions comparable to Rin's passion for art. Hisao is forced to concede that he does not]].

* BigBadFriend: ''Katawa Shoujo'' tends to operate via NoAntagonist in terms of character writing, with [[ConspiracyTheorist Kenji]] and [[{{Jerkass}} Jigoro]] being unpleasant but not antagonistic enough to be considered full-on antagonists for Hisao to deal with. Nomiya is the closest thing Rin's route has to a main antagonist due to him being someone who at first supports Rin a bit too much, then gradually reveals his less-than-noble motives for wanting her to succeed.

* DirtyCoward: During Act 3, he'll mention [[spoiler:Sae's dead husband and how the man put his creativity above all else to the point of [[DrivenToSuicide eventually ending his own life.]]]] [[spoiler: Despite this, Nomiya subtly guides Rin down a similar path while he chose to become an art teacher because he couldn't hack it as an artist like Sae's deceased husband.]] His rant in Act 4 implies that he may've tried to become an artist to pay his rent but due to his own inability to come up with anything, he never got anywhere and eventually gave up.

* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: [[spoiler:His response to Rin's apology basically devolves into one, accusing her of throwing away a vital opportunity and ends by saying that he doesn't consider her an artist]].

** Excluding the edgy and uncomfortable 4chan-brand rape jokes.

* SmallRoleBigImpact: After the prologue, she is only mentioned when [[spoiler:she sends a letter to Hisao]]. Her impact on the story and Hisao's personality varies, but she typically gets at least a few mentions and Hisao is often forced to reconsider how he views her.

** [[{{Deconstruction}} Utterly demolished]] in her route. Later scenes show that her eccentricity isn't always funny or cute, and Rin herself proves to be frustrated and discouraged with how people can't understand her thoughts, whether through words or through her art. Not to mention Hisao finds himself struggling to keep up with her train of thought, and sometimes gets extremely angry at her.

* CatSmile: A common smile for her (though not ''all'' the time).

* CatSmile: Perhaps her cutest expression.

* CharacterTic: One of her sprites has her hide the right half of her face behind her arm and hand.

* {{Foil}}: To Misha. Hanako is [[ShrinkingViolet withdrawn, timid]] and sensitive to social cues, while Misha is [[GenkiGirl outgoing, energetic]] and blind to subtle cues.

* SleepCute: It's one of the first times the extent of Hanako's facial burns is shown and she's still adorable.

** SleepyHead
* TaremeEyes

'''Rin:''' Oh...I guess I already did.

* ParentalAbandonment: Hanako's parents died in the same fire that scarred her. [[spoiler:Her MamaBear actually pulled an HeroicSacrifice, covering little Hanako with her body and dying for her.]]

* EtTuBrute: [[spoiler:Her best friend ''and'' boyfriend betray her in her bad ending (Misha for attempting to screw Hisao while in an HeroicBSOD over not having her love for ''Shizune'' requited, Hisao for actually going through with it). Shizune never finds out, though, and it's not the direct cause of her Bad Ending: she actually believes that she has pushed them away]].

* MultiethnicName: She has an English given name and a Japanese family name, reflecting [[ButNotTooForeign her heritage]].

* MultiEthnicName: Her last name is Indian, and her first name is English.

* MultiethnicName: Though her name sounds fully Japanese, "Akira" can actually be a Scottish name; see BilingualBonus above.

Hisao Nakai is an OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent...or at least he thought he was before he suddenly had a heart attack while his crush was confessing to him, completely derailing his life and leaving him hospital-bound for four months. After being thrown into a new beginning, the chaotic circumstances have forced Hisao to rethink his apathetic disposition, especially regarding things like life, friendship and future.

* ArmorPiercingQuestion: In Lilly's route she unknowingly delivers one to the Satou sisters [[spoiler:by simply asking them if they enjoyed their stay in Scotland, this causes Lilly to have a brief moment of stunned silence before quickly rebounding, all while her older sister Akira suspiciously observing Lilly's reaction. A sign that things may not be as they seem.]]

* GetOut: [[spoiler:She angrily demands that Hisao leaves her room in her Bad Ending.]]

** In a similar scene in Lilly's route, she bluntly tells Hisao "...Go away." when he threatens to bring the nurse if she won't let him check on her.

* TwoFaced: The fire that killed her parents ended up leaving most of the right half of her body covered in burn scars. At first glance it only looks like her face and shoulder got the brutn of it, but that's later revealed to be because of [[ClothingConcealedInjury her uniform hiding most of it]], as revealed when [[spoiler:you get to her sex scene, showing just how ''extensive'' the burns truly are]].

* AuthorAvatar: WordOfGod says that Kenji is based on [=Anonymous22=], one of the writers.

** [[Manga/SayonaraZetsubouSensei He is in despair!]]

* {{Protectorate}}: {{Deconstructed}} in Hanako's route.

* TrueArtIsIncomprehensible: InUniverse example. Even Rin seems to have little idea of exactly what she's painting at times.

** [[spoiler:Part of the problem in her route is that she wants other people to understand her through her art, but no one can do that satisfactorily.]]

* TookALevelInCheerfulness: He starts out the story quite cynical and bitter because of the overwhelming changes to his life. [spoiler:Provided that you, the player, choose a route for him other than the Bad Ending]], he becomes much more positive as he accepts the realities he can't change and focuses on the things he can make better.

* BreakTheHaughty: [[spoiler:In Hanako's bad ending. While by no means bad-intentioned, he thinks that Hanako is far more fragile than she truly is, and it blows up badly for him as a result.]]

* FatBastard: At first, Nomiya seems to have good intentions for Rin but overtime, it becomes increasingly clear that Nomiya is SecretlySelfish and is merely using Rin as a means to gather status and money for himself.
* {{Foil}}: To Mutou. Both exemplify the cliché of goofy-looking lecturers guilty of some favoritism, but Mutou is reserved while Nomiya is exhuberant. Most crucially, Mutou shows numerous human and professional qualities that Nomiya distinctly lacks. Even discounting their art/science rivalry, it comes to no one's surprise that the two men dislike each other, even coming to a brief clash during Act 4 of Rin's route.

** The earliest hint is his rose tinted fixation on Rin's art, even going as far as to [[spoiler: make special arrangements to have Rin skip all her classes so she can produce more art.]]
** Despite mentioning that [[spoiler: Sae's husband killed himself due to his obsessive drive to create art, he has no problem with putting Rin down a similar path even though its shown that for Rin, its only doing more harm than good.]]
** One of the Act 3 cutscenes "Rose-Tinted Glasses" has the narration give subtle hints that Hisao knows that something is off with Nomiya's behavior and in that scene, its clear that Nomiya cares more about Rin getting a career in art than he does about her actual well-being.
** During the exhibit, [[spoiler:Rin ends up overwhelmed due to everyone's questions causing her to develop sensory overload and shut down. Rather than try to help Rin or even call off the art exhibit for a recess until Rin feels better, Nomiya does nothing. Hisao ends up being the one to escort Rin out of the art gallery so she can catch her bearings.]]
** After the exhibit, one of the Act 4 cutscenes is called "Desperate Glory" and there are several things Nomiya says that imply that he doesn't understand Rin or really care for her happiness, only her ability to create art and [[SkewedPriorities how one of her pieces had made a good amount of money.]]
* {{Jerkass}}: [[spoiler:While his intentions are good, and he only wants to help Rin be successful, he completely disregards her feelings. When she runs away from the art show during the path to her good ending, Nomiya completely blows up at her, feeling that all his work nurturing her talents had gone to waste, asking what was the point of all that effort if it just amounted to "MOSQUITO SHIT".]]

** In "Rose-Tinted Glasses", in response to Hisao asking if putting emphasis on Rin using her feet would be exploitive, Nomiya points out the unfortunate reality that disability is stigmatized in society and that it would be considered exploitive if [[DisabilitySuperpower Rin's disability]] is promoted and [[HidingTheHandicap discriminatory if Rin's disability is hidden away.]]
** During "Desperate Glory", when Hisao asks if painting can really make Rin happy, Nomiya points that in artistry, sacrifices have to be made and painting is a form of work like any other and Rin works hard on her art. He continues with how despite how hard things are, it's no excuse not to try before asking Hisao if he has anything like Rin's drive for art. Hisao is forced to concede that he doesn't.

* StealthPun: One of the earliest hints to Nomiya's character is that he literally wears rose tinted glasses, befitting of his view on Rin's art.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: [[spoiler:His response to Rin's apology basically devolves into one, accusing her of throwing away a vital opportunity and ends by saying that he doesn't consider her an artist]].

* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Even when he isn't indulging in conspiracy theories, he comes off as pretty detached from reality. He even fails to notice that Shizune is deaf. When Hisao says "It's me" to Kenji, making him panic because [[WhosOnFirst he doesn't know anyone named "me."]] He soon deduces that "me" must be a psychic spy.

* HiddenDepths: Though most of his scenes are played for straight humor, [[spoiler:after Kenji reads Iwanako's letter to Hisao, he talks fondly of how he misses his old girlfriend (strongly hinted to be Yuuko), and even tries to encourage Hisao to write Iwanako back. Hisao tries to call him on this, to which Kenji replies that he doesn't hate all women, just feminists.]]

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Even though he can be weird, annoying, offensive, and abrasive at times, Kenji is genuinely a nice person at heart. Later interactions show that he ''does'' listen to Hisao, and that he's sometimes actually concerned about his well being. This kindness is not exclusively reserved for Hisao, though: when he accidentally bumps into Lilly and knocks her over, he even makes an attempt to help her up. Later in the same route, [[spoiler:when Hisao is clearly bummed out about finding out that she is going to leave for Scotland, he runs into Kenji who asks him what's wrong, and says that if he ever needs to talk, to come talk to him, because that's what friends are for.]] He also shows quite the insight after finding out [[spoiler:about Iwanako's letter... and talks fondly about his old girlfriend.]]

* MakeItLookLikeAnAccident: In the [[DownerEnding Bad Ending]] of Act 1, [[spoiler:Hisao falls to his death backing away from him. This may seem unintentional, but in an earlier scene Kenji mentions that if he was to kill Hisao, the way he would to it would be to push him off the roof of a building. Many fans have taken this to be more than a bit suspicious.]]

* ShadowArchetype: Kenji is who Hisao could be if he chose to stay angry and bitter about his life instead of trying to reach out and make friends. Much like Hisao, he can also come off as insensitive and pushy, traits that Hisao demonstrates depending on your decisions in each girl's route.
** To a lesser degree he can be considered one for Shizune. Both of them are blind people who gravitate towards Hisao and intend to get him to come around to their way of thinking. While Shizune tries to get Hisao to become a better person who takes responsibility for his actions, Kenji drags Hisao down into a hole of bitterness and blaming feminism for everything, which leads [[spoiler: to Hisao's death.]]

** In Shizune's route: "[[Franchise/StarTrek She's like the Picard to my Kirk, or even the Janeway!]]" He also mentions a desire for Franchise/DragonBall Legos.

* CanonImmigrant: Sort of. She is a character from ''Measuring Shadows'', an abandonded project for a visual novel some of the devs of ''Katawa Shoujo'' were previously working on. Her appearance in the classroom CG was intended as a mere cameo, but she gets a further appearance in [[spoiler:the closing CG of Hanako's path.]]

* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: What's even worse is that Hisao even mentions in his thoughts of reading Nurse's name on the door. Not even 4Leaf Studios has given him a name.

* SchoolNurse:

* CoolTeacher: Despite how absentminded he can be sometimes, he often tries to be understanding of his students. When Mr.Nomiya interrupts the exam to have a word with Hisao, he manages to stay professional despite Nomiya overstepping his bounds and even tries to give Hisao an excuse to avoid Nomiya by asking him if he wants to check his exam answers again.

* {{Foil}}: He serves as one for Shinichi Nomiya. Both of them are teachers whose classes Hisao takes and are uneccentric to a certain degree. Motou will give advice to Hisao throughout the various routes and suggests he take science classes once he goes to university, but at the end of the day, expects Hisao to draw his own conclusions and make his own decisions. In contrast. Nomiya guides Rin down a path he sees for her and does everything in his power to railroad her against her wishes, with the story gradually revealing that Nomiya is SecretlySelfish and cares more about using Rin to achieve his own failed dreams.
* HiddenDepths: At first glance, Motou seems mild-mannered if a little out of touch with his students. Throughout the various routes, he gives advice to Hisao that often helps and its clear that he really does want his students to be able to function in society.

* TheUnsmile: He gets this trope early in Rin's route as Hisao describes an instance of him giving "a genial smile that would scare little children senseless."

* HonorBeforeReason: A mild case. In order to make sure she's doing her jobs correctly, she'll do thing like thank regular customers for coming to the cafe, even after they've said she doesn't need to.

* BerserkButton: [[spoiler:Rin running away from the exhibit makes him furious, in contrast to his jovial personality]].
* BigBadFriend: Katawa Shoujo tends to operate via NoAntagonist in terms of character writing, with [[ConspiracyTheorist Kenji]] and [[Jerkass Jigoro]] being unpleasant but not antagonistic enough to be considered full on antagonists for Hisao to deal with. Nomiya is the closest thing Rin's route has to a main antagonist due to him being someone who at first supports Rin a bit too much gradually revealed to less than noble motives for wanting her to succeed.
* BrokenPedestal: Becomes one for Rin by the end of her route [[spoiler:("I thought he was my friend...")]]

* DirtyCoward: During Act 3, he'll mention [[spoiler:Sae's dead husband and how the man put his creativity above all else to the point of]] [[DrivenToSuicide eventually ending his own life.]] [[spoiler: Despite this, Nomiya subtly guides Rin down a similar path while he chose to become an art teacher because he couldn't hack it as an artist like Sae's deceased husband.]] His rant in Act 4 implies that he may've tried to become an artist to pay his rent but due to his own inability to come up with anything, he never got anywhere and eventually gave up.

Troubled over his months-long stay at the hospital after his heart almost gave out and trying to adjust to his new surroundings, he is trying hard to find his place in the world. After being thrown into a new beginning, the chaotic circumstances have forced Hisao to rethink his apathetic disposition, especially regarding things like life, friendship and future.

* HeartTrauma: Hisao's personal disability is congenital arrhythmia, and the game sets out the week after he's finally released from the hospital, after a long stay following his first severe heart attack. His condition and learning to deal with it is a major cloud hanging over him.

** After the exhibit, one of the cutscenes is called "Desperate Glory" and there are several things Nomiya says that imply that he doesn't really care for Rin's happiness, only her ability to create art and [[SkewedPriorities how one of her pieces had made a good amount of money.]]

* PsychologicalProjection: During his rant in "Measuring Shadows" when Rin goes to apologize, this bit speaks volumes about how lacking Nomiya's own life is:

* {{Troll}}: There's a good chance his {{Jerkass}} tendencies might have been part of his testing to see if Hisao was really determined to communicate, and be, with Shizune.

* DoesNotLikeShoes: If she's not barefoot, then she's wearing sandals. {{Justified|Trope}} due to her lack of arms forcing her to rely on her HandyFeet, not to mention the obvious difficulties with getting shoes on and off.

[[caption-width-right:350:[-From left to right: [[ProperLady Lilly]], [[ShrinkingViolet Hanako]], [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} Rin]], [[SpiritedCompetitor Shizune]], and [[PluckyGirl Emi]]-] ]]

* AllForNothing: Nomiya's rant during "Measuring Shadows" has him come to this conclusion, asking Rin
-->'''Nomiya''':(to Rin) "You are not a resolved person... Then tell me, why... why... WHY DID WE GO THROUGH ALL THIS TROUBLE IF IT AMOUNTS TO A MOSQUITO'S SHIT?"
-->'''Nomiya''': "What worth is there in doing so much work if the outcome is... nothing?"

** During the exhibit, [[spoiler:Rin ends up overwhelmed due to everyone's questions and ends up shutting down. Rather than try to help Rin or even call off the art exhibit for a recess until Rin feels better, Nomiya does nothing. Hisao ends up being the one to escort Rin out of the art gallery so she can catch her bearings.]]
** After the exhibit, one of the cutscenes is called "Desperate Glory" and there are several things Nomiya says that imply that he doesn't really care for Rin's happiness, only her ability to create art and how one of her pieces had made a good amount of money.