Nozomu Itoshiki

Nozomu Itoshiki is the main character from 'Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei', a high school teacher and the youngest son of the Itoshiki family. His name, when written horizontally, resembles the word for despair, which fits his extremely negative and paranoid outlook. He frequently exclaims, "I'm in despair!" and attempts suicide, albeit rarely with serious intent. His pessimism began in high school when he accidentally joined a 'Negative' club. Nozomu is based on the protagonist from Osamu Dazai's 'No Longer Human'.