The main character and narrator. Ishida bullied Nishimiya Shouko in elementary school and when she transferred away, he was ostracized and bullied by his former friends. He started to ignore those around him (imagining them with a large X across their face) and was driven to the point of suicide. He changed his mind after he apologized to Nishimiya and began to spend time with her. He learned sign language specifically so he could apologize to her and is shown to be very talented in it. He feels like he hasn't been punished enough for bullying Nishimiya and often wishes he could kill his younger self. He seems resigned to the fact that he will never be able to have friends again.

Shouya Ishida

A young, deaf transfer student with an amazingly positive outlook on life. Despite being a victim of continuous bullying, she always keeps a smile on her face.  Later on in the manga, she tries to tell Ishida she loves him, but due to the fact that she can not hear, it comes out wrong and he is unable to understand what she is saying. Shouko attempts to commit suicide but is stopped by Ishida, who ends up falling off of the railing she jumped from and lands himself in the hospital, where he lay unconscious for a couple of days.

Shouko Nishimiya

Pedro

A boy who becomes interested in and joins Ishida's group of friends upon learning they are making a movie. He is eager to be the leading actor and is considered handsome and talented enough to do so. Mashiba was lonely as a child and the other children took him for granted and bullied him, now he is completely intolerant of bullies in any form, and while generally calm and level-headed, he reacts violently to any random act of bullying he sees.  He is oblivious to Kawai's crush on him until Ishida points it out. It is later revealed that Mashiba befriends Ishida because of his social awkwardness and never being able to fit in at school despite trying to; by hanging out with Ishida—believing him to be even stranger than he is—he would appear normal. However, this only makes him feel that he should be the least important amongst the group. Thus, when Ishida asks Mashiba to hit him after the former reveals his bullying records, he calmly does so. Mashiba is the first to reconcile with Ishida upon his release from hospital and later studies to become a teacher after graduation. (Source: Wikipedia)

Satoshi Mashiba

Koe no Katachi

Shoya is a bully. When Shoko, a girl who can't hear, enters his elementary school class, she becomes their favorite target, and Shoya and his friends goad each other into devising new tortures for her. But the children's cruelty goes too far. Shoko is forced to leave the school, and Shoya ends up shouldering all the blame. Six years later, the two meet again. Can Shoya make up for his past mistakes, or is it too late?

(Source: Kodansha Comics)

Since a large part of the anime audience still takes part in school life or is visiting college, it is only natural to choose a setting the audience can identify with, be it elementary, middle, or high school. For the older viewers a college setting with more mature real-life problems is appropriate. And since clubs take up so much time in the lives of students, these are obviously also important.

School Life

Drama is a form of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone.

Drama

Romance describes a story that deals with love between two or more characters typically also having an optimistic ending. Romance is also a difficulty encountered when creating a harem.

Romance

Shows the process of characters growing up or entering into adulthood.

Coming Of Age

Last stronghold for humanity. If Tokyo falls, it's all over. Tokyo Tower will undoubtedly fall anyway.

Japan

Present

The feeling of trust, kindness, and friendship between a group of high school students for example, is a central theme of this anime.