Noboru Otsuka

Appearance
A lanky boy standing at about 5'5", Noboru is usually described as ordinary, because he definitely looks the part. Brown hair to just above his shoulders and brown eyes are hardly striking characteristics in Japan. He is mildly attractive, but definitely not enough to be noticed by anyone, just enough for female relatives to pinch his cheeks at holidays and call him 'cute'. He is reasonably fit, but nowhere near as tough as a lot of people, just enough to be normal looking.

Personality
Quiet, contemplative, and self-doubting, Noboru is a kind and reasonably friendly young man. However, deep down, Noboru is quite depressive and scared of where his future lies. He is passive and can be stepped on due to a severe inferiority complex, but can display great strength when needed. Also a bit stubborn in his ways, and sometimes refuses to listen to other viewpoints on issues, leading to some people to view him as conceited and a bit sure of himself on the surface.

Background
The middle child in a family of chemists and engineers, his older brother was always considered the shining star of the family, leading to a rather large inferiority complex in Noboru, causing him to become moody, angry and a bit judgmental. This all motivated his to family considering him the black sheep of the family. To add insult to injury, he was awful at science and a rather awkward person, which meant his family hardly understood him or wanted to spend time with him. Full of self-doubt and unsure of what he wanted to do in life, he felt quite empty and incomplete. Nowadays, he is often found hanging out by the river, only going home at night. His performance in school is mediocre, and the guidance counselor suggests he just gets a job in his hometown.

Plot
Noboru was at first rather skeptical about the whole midnight channel business until he saw it with his own eyes. Over the next few days, seeing what the channel showed him, Noboru started to get more and more anxious, and the same time growing more serious and gaining a desire to know what was going on. Then Kaz died, and Noboru was determined to figure out what was going on, leading to him discovering the midnight channel's existence thanks to Hayate. He entered the TV with him, Akari and Mei. Discovering what the TV was, they encountered the group of other awakened persona users and got into a bit of a spat. Time will tell if they mend things...

They did.

Then Mei was shown on the Midnight Channel, and Noboru somehow ended up part of a team consisting of Jynn, Mila, and Taka. While in the TV, Noboru saw Taka's shadow, and his own. His shadow was brutal as to Noboru's real problems, involving being jealous of his brother, feeling empty, trying to commit suicide, and being gay. At the end, the shadow tried to get Noboru to commit suicide, but he was stopped by Jynn and Mila, and could finally accept his shadow and gain his persona. He then participated in a battle with his new group and barely pulled through. They took a break inside the TV world, and then they will once again try to rescue Mei.

He later entered the TV with Daisuke, Melody, Shirou and Jynn. They encountered her shadow, and after they discovered she was suicidal, they beat her shadow and rescued her from the TV. A few days past, and Noboru encountered Kiyoshi, who was jealous, and got into a rather large fight that put him in a foul mood for a while. After learning Sun was missing, he entered the TV again with Taka, Nero, and Chuji, where they got into a large fight with shadows. Gaining quite a few injuries, they left the TV for the day. Noboru visited the doctor for his side wound and went to the ramen shop, where he encountered Nero yet again, along with Dai.