Kaede Manyuda, a second-year Hyakkaou Private Academy student and student council treasurer, initially pursues the presidency to satisfy his father’s political legacy. His tall, slender build, pallor, and black-framed glasses frame an imposing figure, later marked by shock-white hair after a devastating gambling loss—a visceral symbol of psychological rupture. Coldly analytical, he dominates through financial stratagems and methodical observation, prioritizing guaranteed victories via the "royal road" of risk-averse tactics. This ruthless exterior masks a fragile self-worth shaped by paternal demands. His downfall crystallizes during a lethal public gamble against Yumeko Jabami, engineered by the disguised council president. The loss triggers his expulsion and a depressive spiral. Interactions with Itsuki Sumeragi weave tension and ambiguity. He inducts her into the council, leveraging her ambition while deriding her flaws. Post-defeat, she tends to him, their rivalry tinged with latent care. Partnering reluctantly with Yumeko during the Common Goods Game, he uncovers traitors with detached nihilism, his drive flickering intermittently. Spin-off depictions expose clandestine voyeuristic tendencies and social miscalculations. Though apathetic in later gambles, he exhibits sporadic vigilance toward Itsuki during crises, quietly noting her attempts to rekindle his resolve. His arc fractures from calculated dominance to public ruin, with partial, hesitant strides toward reckoning. Core contradictions endure: tactical brilliance clashing with status obsession, stoicism crumbling under pressure, and physical metamorphoses mirroring eroded ambitions.