In his youth, Shōya lived life in a constant war against boredom, often acting rowdy and mischievous in an effort to keep himself amused. Although not a completely immoral child, his stubborn pursuit of entertainment led him to become the primary bully of Shōko during sixth grade. He failed to realize how cruel his treatment of her was due to his inability to understand or empathize with her or her hearing disability.

 After facing the consequences of his actions for the next five years, Shōya has become a very isolated and self-loathing person in his late teens. He has grown to deeply regret his past actions and believes himself to be unworthy of happiness. Even after befriending Shōko, he is very self-critical and doubtful at first, unsure if his desire to be her friend is genuine or if he’s trying to satisfy himself. He is also shown to be quite dense to the feelings of himself and others, having outbursts of anger or crying without knowing why. However, he proves himself to be a kind and empathetic person at his core, becoming very close with several people he would have never expected himself to. He’s passionate about the people he cares about, often willing to disregard himself if it means helping them or making them happy.

Although he still struggles to forgive himself, Shōya has learned to better trust himself and the people around him, slowly but surely opening himself back up to the world. He’s become a better person since his childhood, with his best self-shining through the bonds he’s made over time.

If you could sound similar to his English VA, Robbie Daymond, that would be great, but it is not required!

English VA Example: https://youtu.be/ZbRtXDu6tEY -Spread throughout this scene