Character Autopsy: Kiyotaka Ayanokoji

This is the character autopsy, where I take a character that I adore and force them down onto the cold and metallic table and cut them open, exploring what about their character that resonates with me and how I can use it in my own writing. Today I will be cutting open Kiyotaka Ayanokoji, the psychotic protagonist from Classroom of the Elite. I will warn you, there will be some slight spoilers, so proceed at your own cost.

When I first began watching Classroom of the Elite, I was uncertain if I wanted to continue. To be honest, if you have seen an anime set in a high school, then you have seen a majority of the anime out there, but I have a rule, unless there is something drastic that makes me stop watching, I will always finish the first episode. I am glad I did for there is a scene, quite early on, when each of the students stand up and introduce themselves. The protagonist, Kiyotaka Ayanokoji, considers to himself the best strategy to for his introduction, so that he may make a good impression. However, as he spent too long thinking, his name is called, he blandly stands and states his name and then sits down, thinking to himself that he did not achieve the good impression that he was after. That moment made me like Ayanokoji, because it was something I can relate to. The careful consideration of a social engagement and then the apparent disaster that follows. Now, what makes him more interesting than just a young kid who wants to make friends relates to the description that I gave him in my opening paragraph, psychotic. He is a psychopath, which is a bit of a spoiler, so I do apologise, but I feel it is important. It is interesting that Ayanokoji is able to balance himself between his selfish and psychotic nature and being likeable. It is not a combination that I have seen work, but I enjoy it. From a character perspective, when one is designed to be uncaring of others, it makes them unlikeable, but by beginning with a scene that shows a more human nature to him, there is this element of likability that is present. Now, it also helps that he uses his psychopathic nature generally for good and the worst of it is saved for the villains, generally acting good tends to make a character more likable. I feel for my writing that there is a lot to learn from the balancing act occurring in the show and I have yet to find myself in a position where I have written such a character, but if I did, I would certainly wish to use Ayanokoji as a foundation.