Character discussion - Tomoya

[Skyfall]

The purpose of this thread is to provide a place to discuss all things Tomoya (Please don't confuse with Tomoyo ) related.
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Note: Please don't use this for the specific episode / chapter / game talk, there are other threads for that stuff.

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[topboy]

Let me start, how can someone who labeled as a delinquent & have family problems can be
-so friendly even for someone he never met
-extremely support girl(s)

for me, it is conflict.

however, just enjoy the show.

[Klashikari]

Delinquent has a very different meaning in the japanese context.

You can be considered as a "delinquent" if you ditch school and/or if you don't participate any club activities.
In a sense, delinquent is someone who doesn't contribute anything in society, and hence, not exactly highly regarded.
This is exactly what Tomoya is doing, and this is the reason why some classmates were talking behind his back and youhei's.

You aren't supposed to be like a punk (just like the bikers in episode 1) to be considered as a delinquent.


meanwhile, having family issues don't end with "having issue with other people". In a way, being able to interact friendly with others might be a unconscious way to not think of family and such.

Spoiler for Higurashi no Naku Koro ni:

Ryuuguu Rena is the fine example of this: her behaviour is a "self defense" and attempt to not think of her difficult family situation.

Certainly, having family issues might lead some unstabilities with some people, but in general, their eduction and interactions aren't always affected by it.

[Kinny Riddle]

While not an issue for Japanese readers, for English-speaking readers, Tomoya's name might get easily mixed up with Tomoyo's because of the romanized spelling.

I propose putting their kanji name next to their names in the thread title to prevent people from posting in the wrong thread.

Anyway, to get on topic, Tomoya's setting as a "delinquent" is an excellent decision.

The usual bishoujo-game lead is usually a Mr Nice Guy who generally follows the rules and stays out of trouble unless circumstances don't allow it.

Kanon's Yuuichi is on the "cool" extreme of the "Nice Guy" archetype in that he is pro-active and makes things happen within his power rather than sit back and wait for things to develop. (In fact, Key protagonist tend to be more pro-active than any other visual novel protagonists I've seen. )

AIR's Yukito is more of an "outsider", in that he's not part of Misuzu's school to begin with. Besides, the entirety of AIR's story takes place outside the school.

In Clannad, where most of the story takes place inside the school, we have Tomoya who's part of the school system, but is estranged from it due to various reasons and is considered an "outcast". This is the perspective we're given, showing how Tomoya finds redemption in one act of kindness - helping Nagisa with her Drama Club.

[SeedFreedom]

hes probably my favorite male lead out of all the romance/comedies ive seen after rin(shuffle) turned out to be a bust

sorry still a kaede fan :P

anywho while he doesnt always do whats best he seems to always do whats right

[Ultima_Rasengan05]

Tomoya is certainly a different character than what I'm used to seeing in a male lead in these kinds of genres. Plus he has a past which affects him in the present time of the show. We don't know if Tomoya was like this in his earlier years, but whatever happened between him and his family surely changed his life forever. Episode 2 has given us the impression that Tomoya used to be involved with extracurricular activities in school. He was in a basketball team and from the looks of it, I think he was one of the top players in his team...but I don't really know that though since he hasn't revealed anything of the sort yet.
For now, he seems really interested in supporting Nagisa with the Drama club, but notes to Nagisa that he is only helping out and doesn't want to be a part of it. Plus we get a big comparison with Tomoya's current family/household with Nagisa's family in episode 1. When Tomoya goes to Nagisa's house, its so lively and comfortable to be in. When Tomoya gets home, we get a sense of emptiness with a father figure sitting down and laying by a wall and sleeping. Plus the way how Tomoya reacts to his father waking up is a sign that he really hates his father or even hates coming home to a dump like that.
Tomoya really gets along with everyone at school though. Kyou, Tomoyo, and his friend Sunohara all know him.

[Thentus]

In Tomoya's introduction it's very clear that his past has everything to do with his hate.

I really wonder if he only started to suddenly get along with everyone in the story after meeting Nagisa, or he was always this way.

[Stifler]

He was always that way (being able to get along with everyone, that is). Its just that school no longer held any interest for him after the incident with his father, which lead to him coming to school late all the time and being labeled a delinquent. He always had be able to get along with people, just that people didn't want to talk to him because of his delinquent status.

[Hyori-Ramen]

... Oh, so this is where the Tomoya thread was.

PAGE 2?!!! And not much replies!
This is really motivating me to raise my fist and hold high the Tomoya Okazaki flag.
... Even if it means running alone.
It would be honor for me if anyone was to be inspired by my Tomoya fandom run, though~

As I have mentioned in my introductory thread earlier, I am a huge fan. If it means talking to myself here, yes, I will do it.

This is directly copied from my anime blog:

"... Tomoya Okazaki, one of your average “nice guy” protagonists. Tomoya has easily catched my heart. Unlike the cheesy, shy type who flushes to no end with a sight of a cute person or the cool but arrogant bishounen who has a bad past, Tomoya falls under one of the categories of the true type of “uniqueness.” He is a guy that wouldn’t love you for everything, but he is the kind of person who wouldn’t let you down no matter what. Tomoya is considered a lazy bum or delinquent at school and some students do not like him for his trait to skip classes or always arriving late for them. But in truth, Tomoya has a heart of gold, and deep down… a lonely person. It is always admirable to have to see non-emotional main characters, still with a bad past, but never lets it get to him when facing other people. Instead of having to share his emotions or even show it, he walks with a calm demeanor and even extends an open, warm palm for those who needs help.

In the early episodes, Tomoya’s blank and empty life is shown, and how it slowly chances after meeting several people. He always seemed flat and blunt– never smiling so much towards himself but more for others who he would want to cheer up. His relationship with his new friends developed greatly as he continued to aid them in his own small but heart-warming ways. His friends, particularly Nagisa, were always inspired by this person. Regardless of all the smiles he brought, unlike other main characters in different series (of which the guy is surrounded with “oversized” you-know-what and everyone loves him), he is not “the town’s crush.” (With exception of Nagisa, and perhaps even Ryou.)

Tomoya officially makes it in my favorite characters list. What I am only disappointed about is the lack of Tomoya appreciation (few fan arts) and the very few number of large quality scans of him."

Please take note I never played any of the CLANNAD games so I wouldn't know how Tomoya would be in the games. All my opinions are purely from the anime.
However, basing from what I could see all over the place, there's not even much mentioning of Tomoya in the games. Plus, I only see several official game art of him.

Is Tomoya really that unappreciated?
Whatever the truth is, whatever reason there may be, I'll just keep my hand high for the guy.

[Mirrinus]

The girls always end up getting more attention...

Anyway, of course Tomoya is important. He's one-half of the Tomoya-Nagisa relationship, which is the main reason why I'm even watching this show. Notice that he's precisely one-half of the relationship, and not 90% like what Yuuichi was with the Yuuichi-Ayu relationship, lol.

Many of my thoughts on Tomoya are mentioned in the Nagisa thread, since I find it difficult to divide the two. They're inextricably linked in my mind.

[tripperazn]

I'm actually surprised he doesn't get much attention since IMO one of Key's best traits is having proactive and interesting male leads. Although he isn't really fleshed out at this point (past with his dad largely untouched), I have a feeling his personal story will be just as compelling as the girls'.
His past is definitely one of my most anticipated developments in Clannad.

[iamandragon]

Considering that you are Tomoya when playing the game, there's not much to discuss here. But I believe more talks will arise when the anime continues...

[Hyori-Ramen]

That's true, of course. But what's freaky to me is that Tomoya doesn't even have cover art in the game series.

Now the anime is out, and Tomoya is just plain awesome there, at least should have been a bit of an increase of both official and fandom objects here and there. But it's not the case. Tomoya appreciation still continues to be low as indeed, the girls have more attention. Whether we admit it or not, they are the "spotlight" in the entire series for the eyes of the fans.

People tend to forget that there's a certain someone that helped them shine and move forward in life. Forget the roots, appreciate the fruits? Of course I admire fans who are able to connect the meaningful relationships, but still it's disappointing to think a rather large number doesn't even acknowledge it anymore. A massive portion of fans just go, "(girl's name here)-KAWAII DESU!!11" Don't get the wrong idea, I don't have anything against it, it's completely fine, and I'm a huge fans of the girls as well. (Random: ... Especially Kotomi. ^-^ <3) But anyway, what I'm pointing out is that Tomoya has quite a cold side of the fandom.

Whenever stuff about Tomoya is posted, they look for a while, but they never really go too far.

I've been scrolling the image thread, page 1 until the end, there's only about 1 or 2 Tomoya pictures in a single page in average. In other sites, such as MegaTokyo, the same rates are applied.

[minhtam1638]

Doesn't Tomoya have cover art in Tomoyo After?

[CrowKenobi]

Originally Posted by tripperazn

I'm actually surprised he doesn't get much attention since IMO one of Key's best traits is having proactive and interesting male leads. Although he isn't really fleshed out at this point (past with his dad largely untouched), I have a feeling his personal story will be just as compelling as the girls'.
His past is definitely one of my most anticipated developments in Clannad.

On that thought: we're worrying about how much attention to Fuko is taking away from the other girls' stories, what about Tomoya's back story? Do we have enough episodes to give the other girls justice AS well as him?

[Kang Seung Jae]

He's not your average loser nor "winner."


He's my favorite male character for that reason.

[Hyori-Ramen]

Originally Posted by minhtam2448

Doesn't Tomoya have cover art in Tomoyo After?

Does he? The only Tomoya (non-profile) picture I've seen in that one is the group art of them together.

[Mirrinus]

Originally Posted by CrowKenobi

On that thought: we're worrying about how much attention to Fuko is taking away from the other girls' stories, what about Tomoya's back story? Do we have enough episodes to give the other girls justice AS well as him?

I'm pretty sure that'll be linked up with Nagisa's story. Just a hunch, seeing as the only reason we're ever exploring his relationship with his dad is because Nagisa is the catalyst.

[Hyori-Ramen]

Originally Posted by Mirrinus

I'm pretty sure that'll be linked up with Nagisa's story. Just a hunch, seeing as the only reason we're ever exploring his relationship with his dad is because Nagisa is the catalyst.

I agree.

Personally, I don't believe Tomoya is the kind of person who would even bother opening up unless there's something special enough to make him talk or even -think about- his own past. Of course it bothers him at eventual times as portrayed, but as far as Tomoya's personality is concerned, he wouldn't talk about it so openly: to himself or to others. An instance Nagisa even got to know that Tomoya doesn't have the best relationship, or at least a hint of it, with his dad is when Tomoya admitted what he said about a bit of his background during the time at the rainy day in the school court. Therefore, knowing as Tomoya -is- important to the girls, it is the same way the girls are important to Tomoya. This is just one of the characteristics of CLANNAD had I liked, character development is just top-notch. This is a reason why I wouldn't want the idea to have a "this one is the spotlight" kind of thoughts over favored characters because all of them are important all the same.

[BakaOnna]

Out of the three male protagonists in the KEY/KyoAni adaptations, Tomoya is my favorite. That is not to say I didn't like the other two. In fact, I love the fact that KEY's males are more proactive and not the wishy-washy, lack-of-backbone harem-esque types of male characters. However, I felt that Yukito and Yuuichi, as awesome as they were, lacked their own form of development. All these girls in the show get a whole 4, 5 episodes dedicated to themselves, but nothing on the males?

For that reason, I really like the fact that Tomoya has some sort of background to develop his character.

And I also like Tomoya/Nagisa much more than Yuuichi/Ayu or Yukito/Misuzu. Their relationship feels a lot more natural than the other two. Yuuichi/Ayu seemed to come out of no where, and I never really saw Yukito/Misuzu more than a friendship sort of bond.