Shōya Ishida (石田 将也, Ishida Shōya?) is the male protagonist and main character of the Koe no Katachi series.
He was once the bully of Shōko Nishimiya during sixth grade, a fact he grows to deeply regret and struggles to come to terms with as he befriends Shōko several years later. Shōya attempts to overcome his own self-hatred and doubts as his friendship with Shōko continues to blossom, gathering new and old friends along the way. However, he is forced to confront the worst aspects of them and himself, ultimately creating bonds that push him to be a better person.
Who is he as a person?
In his youth, Shōya lived life in a constant war against boredom, often acting rowdy and mischievous in an effort to keep himself amused. Although not a completely immoral child, his stubborn pursuit of entertainment led him to become the primary bully of Shōko Nishimiya during sixth grade. Shōya failed to realize how cruel his treatment of her was due to his inability to understand or empathize with her or her hearing disability.
After facing the consequences of his actions for the next five years, Shōya has become a very isolated and self-loathing person in his late teens. He has grown to deeply regret his past actions and believes himself to be unworthy of happiness. Even after befriending Shōko, Shōya is very self-critical and doubtful at first, unsure if his desire to be her friend is genuine or if he’s trying to satisfy himself. He is also shown to be quite dense to the feelings of himself and others, having outbursts of anger or crying without knowing why.
However, Shōya proves himself to be a kind and empathetic person at his core, becoming very close with several people he would have never expected himself to. He’s passionate about the people he cares about, often willing to disregard himself if it means helping them or making them happy, best seen in his bonds with Shōko and Yuzuru Nishimiya.
Although he still struggles to forgive himself, Shōya has learned to better trust himself and the people around him, slowly but surely opening himself back up to the world. He’s become a better person since his childhood, with his best self shining through the bonds he’s made over time.
Love Interests
Shōko Nishimiya: Shōya first met Shōko when she joined his sixth grade class. He didn’t understand her or her desire to be friends, becoming Shōko’s bully and eventually causing her to transfer schools. Five years later, He finds Shōko so he could return her communication notebook before taking his own life. However, he unexpectedly asks her to be friends and she accepts, beginning a bond that would change both of their lives forever.
Although whether they are or will become a couple is purposely left ambiguous at the end of the series, it can be inferred that Shōya may have underlying feelings for Shōko based on some of his thoughts and actions throughout the series. Key examples include him choosing to give Shōko his cat pouch despite several others wanting it, wondering how Shōko feels about him before his thoughts about her are cut off, and panicking over Shōko’s desire to move to Tokyo after graduating. Dialogue and reactions from his own mother, Yuzuru, and several others imply this possibility as well. However, Shōya is likely unaware of these feelings until the end of the series.
“Back then, if we could have heard each other’s voices, everything would have been so much better.”
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