Rakuro Hizutome, known by his in-game username Sunraku, is a seventeen-year-old high school student with a singular and defining passion for video games, though not necessarily the ones most players would seek out. His real-world appearance is that of an average teenage boy with neat, dark blue hair on top that gives way to a spikier style in the back, complemented by blue eyes. In his daily life, he presents a relaxed and carefree demeanor, though he can be attentive to his surroundings, such as alerting his mother when one of her pet butterflies has escaped. He possesses average social skills at school and remains largely oblivious to the romantic interest of a female classmate.

Sunraku's true identity, however, is forged in the virtual world, where he has earned the moniker of the Trash Game Hunter. His deep-seated motivation stems from a love of overcoming unfair and broken challenges. He dedicates himself to conquering kusoge, or trash games, which are notorious for their buggy states, unfair mechanics, frustrating artificial intelligence, and overall poor design. For him, the satisfaction lies not in a game's polish but in the sheer struggle to beat it, often by exploiting glitches and navigating fake difficulty. He finds a joyful sense of accomplishment after conquering these nearly unplayable titles. This unusual hobby defines his entire approach to gaming, leading him to value a fun defeat over a boring victory, though he remains fiercely competitive and prioritizes winning above all else.

When he finally decides to play a critically acclaimed and functional masterpiece like Shangri-La Frontier, he brings his unique trash-game-tested philosophy with him. He approaches the god-tier game with the same reckless, self-imposed challenges, such as skipping tutorials and fighting high-level monsters far beyond his level. His background in broken games has honed his razor-sharp reflexes, adaptability, and analytical skills to a razor's edge. He excels at quickly analyzing the boundaries and limitations of a game's system, which allows him to instinctively identify enemy weak points and score multiple critical hits. This ability to dissect attack patterns and game mechanics awes even veteran top players.

In Shangri-La Frontier, Sunraku's avatar is a lean, athletic young man who typically wears only blue shorts, a belt, and his most iconic piece of gear a blue bird-shaped mask that covers his face. This minimalist look is initially a result of him selling all his starting armor for a financial advantage, but it becomes a permanent part of his identity when he is cursed by the Unique Monster Lycagon the Nightslayer. The Mark of Lycagon appears as scar-like markings on his torso and legs, which normally prevent him from equipping any armor on those areas. While a curse, Sunraku often finds it to be Cursed with Awesome, as the mark wards off lower-level enemies and weaker magical curses, proving useful in hazardous areas. Later, the curse evolves, allowing him to wear armor for brief, destructive bursts of three minutes.

Sunraku's role in the story is that of an agent of chaos and a catalyst for change within the established world of Shangri-La Frontier. His unorthodox methods and fearless attitude lead him to trigger Unique Scenarios and encounter the game's Seven Colossi, secret super-bosses that most players have never even seen. His journey is defined by his confrontations with these monsters, including his repeated battles with Lycagon and his strategic raid against Wezaemon the Tombguard. In combat, he plays as a Mercenary using a dual-wielding style with daggers, focusing on high mobility, speed, and luck to land devastating critical hits. His defense and health are very low, forcing him to rely on expert dodging and parrying, a skill he perfected in trash games, to survive. His primary abilities include Perfect Parry and Repel Counter for defense, and later, the unique Arcanum subclass The Fool, which drastically reduces his skill cooldowns at the cost of making him more vulnerable to debuffs.

His key relationships are a mix of real-world connections and in-game alliances. He has a long-standing rivalry and friendship with pro gamer Kei Uomi, known in-game as Oikatzo. Another major figure is Towa Amane, the supermodel who plays as the cunning strategist Arthur Pencilgon, an adversary who becomes a begrudging and powerful ally. Within the game, he is guided by Emul, the daughter of the leader of the rabbit-like Vorpal tribe, and grows to rely on her and her sister, the blacksmith Bilac, for crucial support and equipment. In the real world, he is unaware that his classmate Rei Saiga, who secretly harbors feelings for him, is the in-game top player Psyger-0, with whom he builds a strong bond of trust.

Throughout his adventure, Sunraku undergoes significant development not in his core personality, but in his growth as a player within a functional game. He transitions from a lone wolf who exploits bugs to a key team player who, despite his arrogance and occasional lack of foresight, learns to rely on his allies during complex boss raids. His early mistake of skipping the tutorial leaves him ignorant of basic game systems like skill chaining, a gap that his party members must cover, showing he is not infallible. However, his ability to stay motivated when the odds are stacked against him becomes his greatest asset. As his reputation grows, he earns unique titles such as Honorary Rabituzan and Shadow Wolf Penetrator, and his actions directly impact the game's world by unlocking new areas, altering NPCs' fates, and changing the understanding of the game's lore for the entire player base.