Shota is a slender and tall, pale-skinned man with messy, shoulder-length black hair that partially hangs in front of his face and half-opened black eyes. He is usually recognized for his worn-out appearance,[5][6] often looking fatigued. His facial hair is almost always in a stubbly, unkempt state (shaved for the press), and his eyes tired, bloodshot, and flat unless he's in combat. During his second and third years of high school at U.A., Shota's hero costume was a separate black jacket and pants, as opposed to his current outfit, which looks more like a unitard. He also sported a pair of finger-less gloves. In his second year, Shota added goggles to his costume, and later in his third year, they resemble more closely the ones he wears today. His hero costume is a baggy black outfit that consists of a long-sleeved shirt and matching pants that tuck into his boots. He also wears a utility belt and his signature wrap scarf at all times. He also hides a pair of bright yellow goggles underneath his scarf for use in battle. Before starting his teaching career, Shota's goggles were of a silver-like color, and he had a smaller utility belt. Shota is a very stern and reserved man who has lofty expectations of his students. He is primarily motivated by logic and does not believe in the necessity to maintain a clean-cut appearance or filter his words or ideas for others. He often comes off as cold, apathetic, and impatient, exerting very little energy in most situations, preferring to take naps in his sleeping bag instead. As a teacher with notoriously high expectations, Shota is known to expel students who he feels are not suited for U.A. High School. However, it's revealed that this high expulsion rate is only on paper and that he actually re-enrolls the students he expels: Shota does this so they can experience "death" once, giving them an experience that drives them to push even higher,[14] although it is noteworthy that he has not expelled any students from Class 1-A yet, despite being well-known for doing so.[15] He can be rigid and strict when necessary and has little tolerance for disobedience. Shota is not afraid of putting his students through rigorous training and often emphasizes the more unpleasant parts of heroism so that his students can overcome their limits. Shota has proven to be very vocal and unafraid when expressing his ideas. He has mentioned on several occasions that some of U.A.'s choices when it comes to examinations are not practical or challenging enough for real hero hopefuls and is adamant about having certain systems used by the institution changed.[16] He also blatantly stated that he did not believe Izuku Midoriya could become a hero when they first met.[7] He is also known for lying to his students in order to manipulate them into giving their best, a technique he describes as a "logical ruse" or "rational deception".