Katai's got the look of a total delinquent—you know, the type you'd cross the street to avoid. But that's basically the opposite of who he actually is. In reality, he's nervous, constantly tripping over his words, and genuinely awkward. His whole goal is to push past that awkwardness and actually make some friends.
Tadano sees right through the act immediately. Unlike everyone else who takes Katai at face value, Tadano figures him out pretty quickly and ends up becoming one of his closest friends.
The physical transformation is pretty striking too. Makoto used to be this lanky kid, but after hitting the gym and getting serious about exercise, he bulked up significantly. Now his sturdy build makes him look even more like the delinquent archetype—ironic, given his actual personality.
He treats Komi like his mentor or "master" of sorts, genuinely convinced she's constantly rooting for him and pushing him to get closer to Tadano.
Content compiled by AnimeList.moe from publicly available sources.
