Jougorou Kobato is the main character in SHOSHIMIN: How to Become Ordinary. He is a high school boy known for his sharp mind and strong curiosity for solving mysteries around him. After being hurt in middle school because of his detective skills, he tries hard to live like an ordinary student and stay out of trouble. However, he often can't resist getting involved in mysteries, leading to new adventures and challenges.
Jougorou Kobato is described as gentle-looking and handsome.
He tries to blend in at school and doesn't try to stand out.
He has a strong tendency to solve everyday mysteries and can't help getting involved when something catches his attention.
Jougorou calls this urge to solve puzzles his "fox" side.
While he is clever and a bit cynical, he tries hard to be an ordinary citizen at high school.
He acts politely and tries not to attract attention.
He has a habit of forgetting people's names.
He enjoys sweets, but not as much as Yuki Osanai.
He really likes the Charlotte cake he tried during his second year of high school.
In the anime, his family owns a Japanese sweets shop, and he becomes tired of sweets.
Jougorou Kobato went to Takaba Middle School, where he liked being a "great detective."
He would look for mysteries, solved them, and felt proud when people noticed.
However, solving mysteries sometimes made other students angry or upset.
Once, someone even left him a note telling him to "come alone."
These experiences made him want to stop standing out and just be an ordinary person in high school.
Jougorou Kobato has great reasoning skills and a sharp mind.
He can figure out clues quickly and find the truth behind mysteries.
When he finds a key clue, he often says, "I think it all comes down to ***."
One of his methods is to loosen his focus when he gets close to the answer, looking at the problem from the outside to find the solution.
Jougorou Kobato and Yuki Osanai have a mutual relationship, which started in their third year of middle school.
They know each other's habits and personalities well.
In the original SHOSHIMIN: How to Become Ordinary novels and different manga adaptations, his character design looks different each time.
When he solves a mystery, he likes to say, "I think it all comes down to ***."
Struggles in Middle School
Jougorou Kobato was known as a detective in Takaba Middle School.
He would get involved in problems and solve them to get attention.
However, his actions sometimes made others dislike or resent him.
He even received a note from someone telling him to meet alone, which left a deep scar.
New Life in High School
Because of bad experiences in middle school, he tries to stop solving mysteries and shifts his focus to being a "shoshimin," or an ordinary person, in high school.
He starts acting with polite indifference to blend in and not draw attention.
Unable to Resist Mysteries
Even though Jougorou wants to be an ordinary student, when he finds a mystery, he can't resist using his intelligence.
He often ends up solving problems or getting involved in new adventures in school.
Relationship with Yuki Osanai
From the summer of their third year in middle school, he builds a mutual support relationship with Yuki Osanai.
They share and understand each other's true natures.
Enjoyment of Sweets
He doesn't dislike sweets but doesn't crave them as much as Yuki Osanai.
He really enjoys the Charlotte cake from the Western sweets shop Jeff Beck during his second year in high school.
In the anime, his family runs the Kobato Japanese Sweets Shop, and he doesn't enjoy sweets as much because he eats them so often.
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