Kazuyoshi Usui

Origin

Kazuyoshi is a member of the supportive club of Kaimei High School, Sket Dan. He appear as the club's secretary and usually seen carrying his laptop whenever he goes, using it to "speak" for him. He wanted to be called Switch, based on his brother's old nickname. Switch took on his brother's "identity" after an unfortunate incident which resulted in the death of his brother. Switch blamed himself for this incident, thus leading him to attempt to take the place of his brother.

Creation

Vol. 1

Kazuyoshi was created by Kenta Shinohara as one of the main characters in the Sket Dance franchise. He first appears in Sket Dance volume 1: Paint Mask and episode 1: The Academy SKETs. In the anime adaptation of Sket Dance, he is voiced by Tomokazu Sugita while his younger self (not past self) is voiced by Aki Kanada.

Kenta Shinohara stated that Switch was named for a musician, Kazuyoshi Nakamura (中村 一義) in the one shot manga. He changed it to make a reference to Kazuyoshi Saito (斉藤 和義).

Character Evolution

In the Switch Off story, Switch has a very dramatic change in his appearances and personality. This will be split up in his past and present self.

Appearance

• Past

Kazuyoshi Usui had long black hair that did not past his neck. He usually wears a shirt underneath another open dress shirt.

• Present

Kazuyoshi is usually seen wearing a pair of glasses. He has short dark hair He's wearing a long sleeved white shirt and a green sweater and also a long dark pants. According to his history, he does his best to try and match the appearance of his deceased brother in this respect. His glasses do not have real lens.

Personality

• Past

Young Switch

Unlike his present self, he is outgoing with his words and actions. According to Masafumi, he is always protective of his little brother and his friend, Sawa.

• Present

Switch changed his looks

In contrast to his past self, Kazuyoshi has taken on Masafumi's persona and dresses like his formerly deceased little brother. He has taken the name, Switch. His reasons is that he wants to keep Masafumi's memories alive in this world and in his heart. He has taken Masafumi and his voice and merge together via Masafumi's speech software. He speaks only with this electronic voice to this day on. Another stark contrast with his past self, Kazuyoshi does hysterical things without any emotions or facial expressions. He loves to watch anime and play love simulation games on his computer.

It's assumed that when Sawa and Masafumi has left a void in his life, Switch has resorted to play SIM games to regain those feelings of love.

Relationships

• Past

1. With Masafumi Usui - They have a strong brotherly love; Kazuyoshi always look out for him and Sawa.
2. With Sawa Yamauchi - At first, they were childhood friends. During the Switch Off story, their friendship is strained when Masafumi was murdered. Kazuyoshi confesses that he loves her which Sawa confesses that she loves him back. However, their relationship dies as Sawa moves away from the memories of Masafumi and Kazuyoshi that puts a burden on her heart.

• Present

Story Arcs

Request: Ghost of the Incinerator

Switch Off Arc

Powers & Abilities

Computer Whiz

Switch's homing device

When someone new comes along for a request, he will explain a lot about the person such as their club affiliation, blood type, and astrology. During the White Gibbon request from Moe, Switch has placed a tracking device on the gibbon, and he relays the location to his club members, Bossun and Hime. During the kidnap of Hime by Kitbitsu, Switch immediately finds the locationg of the train station that has park nearby when Bossun asks him.

Information Gathering

Switch has an amazing ability to find knowledge in his laptop. During the duel that Reiko and Switch has to find out if ghosts do exist, he interviews the anime otaku, the news reporter, and a friend. He gathers all that data for Bossun who figures out the ghost's identity.

Other Media

None.

Anime and Manga Differences

Kazuyoshi's role in Death of Masafumi is altered

• In the manga, Yukino yells at them that she will kill them, and Masafumi yells to Sawa to get away. Masafumi takes the knife and gets stabbed in the front of his body. When Kazuyoshi arrives, he finds his brother taken to the ambulance, the police calming Sawa, and Yukino getting arrested.

• Whereas in the anime, Yukino never announces that she will kill Sawa and just attacks without warning. Masafumi is stabbed in the back of his body, and Kazuyoshi arrives to see Masafumi falling to the side. When the ambulance takes Masafumi’s body, Kazuyoshi attempts to get to Masafumi’s side, but he is stopped by the police.

How Kazuyoshi arrive and reacts