Let's introspect for a second...

This is Kiyotaka Ishimaru.

As a child, he watched with awe as his grandfather strode into the halls of power and became Prime Minister. Within the span of months, that awe would turn to distrust and horror as Toranosuke Ishimaru fell into scandal after scandal, and he was **** to leave office. A humble, old man turned arrogant by his natural skills, and cruel by the power he wielded.

What fortunes they held evaporated, and the Ishimarus fell from a position of power and affluence into severe poverty. The title of "genius" that had come with Toranosuke's level of skill became a marker for the type of people Kiyotaka hated, as his grandfather took to the bottle, and his father sank into his own work as a result.

He swore to restore honor to his family name by gaining his success through hard work rather than natural talent, sacrificing hobbies, and most of his social interactions for study sessions and good grades. Television? Video games? Friends?

Until he reached Hope's Peak, he didn't think he'd ever end up with the potential for the latter- though he's still terrible at talking, and his volume grates on others.

He is righteous, he is moral, and he believes that anyone can achieve anything through hard work. After all, he got here, didn't he? Against those with "natural talent", Kiyotaka dreams of one day returning to the heights of power his grandfather reached, and working to ensure things are better for everyone. Enthusiastic to the point of madness, he'll work to do whatever he can to better the lives of his classmates, his friends- but he's never known what it's like to live for ones self.

He's never had power his arrogant grandfather would have dreamed about in his wildest fantasies before.

Will he remain the same rigid, inflexible compass he's always been, or will his life change, along with the lives of those around him?

And if it does, will it be for the better, or for worse? There's potential for a hopeful future in here somewhere- but there's plenty of potential for despair, too.