Fourteen-year-old Keiichi Maebara moves to the rural village of Hinamizawa in June 1983 with his parents, artist Maebara Ichirō and Maebara Aiko. They reside in a large house villagers call the "Maebara Mansion," which functions primarily as his father's art studio and gallery. This relocation follows an incident in Keiichi's hometown where academic pressure and social isolation drove him to purchase an airsoft gun and shoot at younger children, resulting in a girl being struck in the eye. Overwhelmed by guilt after confessing to his parents, the move offers a fresh start. Keiichi carries the bullet removed from the girl's eye as a personal reminder to improve himself. In Hinamizawa, Keiichi quickly befriends classmates Rena Ryūgū, Mion Sonozaki, Satoko Hōjō, and Rika Furude, joining their school club activities. His charismatic personality and talent for persuasive speech earn him the nickname "Magician of Words," though he frequently loses club games and endures humiliating punishment costumes. He becomes fiercely protective of Satoko, viewing her as a younger sister figure. Keiichi displays significant susceptibility to Hinamizawa Syndrome, a condition inducing severe paranoia. In the Onikakushi-hen arc, delusions fueled by a childhood fear stemming from a traumatic manga lead him to misinterpret Mion's tabasco-filled ohagi as containing needles; this culminates in him murdering Rena and Mion. The Tatarigoroshi-hen arc sees him murder Satoko's abusive uncle Teppei to protect her, later contemplating killing nurse Takano Miyo and detective Ōishi Kuraudo. These events typically end in his institutionalization or death across multiple timelines. Character development occurs as Keiichi gains fragmented memories of past timelines. During Tsumihoroboshi-hen, recalling his murder of Rena and Mion causes profound remorse. When Rena later succumbs to similar paranoia, he uses this awareness and his rhetorical skills to prevent her from detonating a bomb at school. Minagoroshi-hen highlights his role in rallying villagers against the child consultation center to rescue Satoko, demonstrating his ability to inspire collective action. His choice to give a festival doll to Mion instead of Rena in one timeline averts the Watanagashi-hen tragedy. Keiichi becomes pivotal in shattering the cyclical June 1983 tragedy. His unwavering determination and belief in friendship reignite Rika Furude's hope after her century-long struggle. He exhibits subconscious awareness of the time loops, potentially linked to Rika's influence as the orchestrator of his repeated arrivals in Hinamizawa. In Matsuribayashi-hen, he coordinates resistance against the Yamainu paramilitary group and helps thwart the Great Hinamizawa Disaster. Physically, Keiichi has brown hair, blue/violet eyes, and is the tallest club member. His school uniform resembles Satoshi Hōjō's, featuring a white collared shirt over a red t-shirt. His casual wear includes a red vest over a black sleeveless shirt and green shorts. Though initially portrayed as unathletic, he possesses baseball skills honed with his father and wields Satoshi's baseball bat as his primary weapon. Under Hinamizawa Syndrome's influence, he exhibits feats like enduring three days of non-stop combat and reacting to perceived threats with heightened speed. Decades later, in the Rei arc, Keiichi lives in Tokyo, married with a son named Keitarō. Working as a congressional secretary, he supports efforts to designate Hinamizawa as a UNESCO World Heritage site. His core narrative relationships remain platonic, though spinoffs explore romantic undertones, such as Mion's crush and Shion's conflicted feelings.