Mitsunori Kugayama, a stuttering and heavyset student, is a core member of the college club Genshiken and serves as its only artist until Chika Ogiue joins. He often goes by his circle pen name, KODAMA, and is affectionately nicknamed Kugapii by Saki Kasukabe. Outwardly timid and frequently plagued by a lack of motivation, he struggles to commit to creating a full doujinshi despite a genuine interest in manga and anime. His background includes favorite series such as the manga Anman Dama, the anime Fun with the Tarurun Family, and the game Exitge. Kugayama’s personality is defined by his gentle, self-effacing nature and his habitual stutter, which makes him seem even more reticent. He lacks the boldness to assert his artistic ambitions, yet underneath that timid exterior lies a hidden talent that only surfaces under specific conditions. He is especially skilled at drawing more erotic imagery, and his motivation spikes noticeably when he illustrates the character Yamada from the fictional series Kujibiki Unbalance. This narrow but genuine creative spark reveals his true potential, which otherwise remains dormant due to his procrastination and low drive.

Within the story, Kugayama fulfills the role of the club’s artist, a capacity that becomes pivotal whenever the group plans to produce a doujinshi for events like Comic-Fest. His development is largely pushed by the people around him. When club president Kanji Sasahara asks him to draw a doujinshi, Kugayama fails to deliver until Saki Kasukabe forces him, Ogiue, and Sasahara to work on it under an extremely tight deadline. That pressure finally pushes him to complete a project, demonstrating that he can rise to the occasion when properly motivated. His key relationships are with the other Genshiken members, particularly Sasahara, who places his trust in him, and Saki, who drives him with a brusque but effective insistence. Ogiue’s arrival later alters the club’s artistic dynamic, but Kugayama remains an important figure whose experience informs the group’s creative identity. As he progresses through university, his arc reaches a turning point when he graduates and secures employment at a medical device manufacturing company in Iidabashi, signaling his transition from an unmotivated student artist into a responsible adult. His notable ability lies in his artistic talent, which is not immediately impressive but becomes strikingly clear when he draws subjects that genuinely excite him. This latent skill proves that Kugayama is far from mediocre, he is simply a person who requires the right spark to channel his creativity into a finished work.