Shoji Kubodera

 Shoji Kubodera was the homeroom teacher of 9th Grade Class 3 at Yomiyama North Middle School. He and his mother are two of the "Deaths of July."

Personality and Traits
Kubodera is a very confident man, and often begins each class with encouraging the students. He seems to view the struggle against the curse as a group effort, believing that if everyone works together, they'll all make it through the year. He's also a compassionate individual and a hard worker, taking care of his elderly, disabled mother when not at school.

However, as the number of his students the curse has claimed continues to rise, and it becomes evident the class's rules are not longer effective, Kubodera begins to lose his calm veneer...and his sanity.

Appearance


He has black hair and black eyes, and wears square glasses. His age differs between the anime and manga - in the anime he looks rather young, but his manga counterpart he appears to be much older. He usually wears a white shirt along with a blue-striped tie tucked perfectly in brown pants.

Plot
Kubodera is rarely seen except for when the class starts, where he is present for homeroom.

As class 3-3's homeroom teacher, Kubodera was present from the onset of the anime, albeit in a minimal role. While he had an odd way of starting class each morning, Kouichi didn't think much of it until Yukari's death, as it became evident something was up. Slowly it occurred to him (and the viewer) Kubodera's constant encouragements are aimed as much at himself as the class.

At the end of "Face to Face", Kubodera arrived for school clutching a strange black bag and was obviously distressed about something. After stepping into class, Kubodera diviated from the standard routine, apologizing to the class...before pulling a knife from his bag.

In "Sphere Joint", a now obviously deranged Kubodera frantically brandishes the knife, as if warding off an unseen assailant. He then violently stabs himself repeatedly in the jugular, bleeding out in seconds and dying before horrifying the class.

Chibiki later mused that Kubodera couldn't bear the pressure of the class' curse anymore, the police having determined he'd killed his bedridden mother before coming to class that day.

Kubodera's death had a huge impact on his class. In "Body Paint", he appeared among the ghostly apparitions in Kouichi's guilt-driven nightmare, suggesting Kouichi at least partially blamed himself for his teacher's suicide.

Gallery
Main article: Shoji Kubodera/Image Gallery 

Trivia

 * As noted, Kubodera seems much older in the manga than he is in the anime.
 * Mr. Kubodera's suicide took place on July 13.
 * His first name, Shoji, means "correct, one shining (son)." A shoji is also a translucent screen made of a wooden frame covered with rice paper.
 * In the live action film, his first name is Ryoichi.