The actual class president of 2-He, who is ignored to the point of vanishing into thin air; only when his baldness is exposed does he become visible to others. In the anime, he has a major crush on Abiru, but leers after most female students (especially Kaere), who naturally do not notice he is there.

His name is a pun on the phrase kage ga usui (&quot;overshadowed&quot;), referring to his lack of presence. (The usui also refers to his thinning hairline.)

Itoshiki Nozomu is always in despair! Even simple things like paying for the toll on the subway can send him to a despair so deep only attempted suicide is the answer. How Strange is it then, that he should be the teacher of a High School Class filled with students with even more emotional problems than his. This great Comedy will leave you in anything but 'Despair' as you meet each of his students and watch their wacky adventures.

Nozomu Itoshiki is depressed. Very depressed. He's certifiably suicidal, but he&rsquo;s also the beloved schoolteacher of a class of unique students, each charming in her own way: The stalker. The shut-in. The obsessive-compulsive. The girl who comes to class every day with strange bruises. And Kafuka, the most optimistic girl in the world, who knows that every cloud has a silver lining. For all of them, it's a special time, when the right teacher can have a lasting positive effect on their lives. But is that teacher Itoshiki, a.k.a. Zetsubou-sensei, who just wants to find the perfect place to die?
 
(Source: Kodansha USA)

More crazy antics abound as Nozomu Itoshiki, a.k.a Zetsubou-sensei, who is the worlds most negative person, tries to teach class 2-H about how life is filled with despair and darkness. A harder task than it first may seem, with his students being far from ordinary themselves, including the likes of the most positive girl he has ever met, his very own stalker, a foreign exchange student with split personalities and a perfectionist acting class president, due to the fact the real class president can't be seen by anyone, among others. 
(Source: Anime News Network)

Nozomu Itoshiki is still the bizarre teacher of the even stranger Class 2-H. He attempts to teach his students the negative aspects of the world and society, only to have each circumstance thrown at his face whenever he tries. With more students and friends than before, Zetsubo-sensei's life becomes harder and crazier than ever before. 
(Source: Anime News Network)

A continuation of Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, with more stories revolving around Nozomu Itoshiki, the extremely pessimistic or despairing teacher, and the students of class the 2-H, who are each hilariously abnormal in their own unique way except for the one relatively normal girl who hates being called normal. (Source: Anime News Network)

Despair follows Nozomu through a zombie invasion of bad ideas, the way people laugh at things they don't understand, going with the flow, and more in this sequel to Zan Sayonara Zetsubou-sensei. Also continues the use of numerous puns, inside jokes, and discussions through background text and signs. (Source: Anime News Network)

A special summary episode of the second season of Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, focusing on the girls that were not introduced in the first Zetsubou Shoujo Senshuu: Otonashi Meru, Fujiyoshi Harumi, Kaga Ai, and Mitama Mayo.

Kagerou Usui