His attitude is notably worse with his enemies, whom he frequently threatens and belittles, and during his fights, he is very ruthless against them. Kakyoin has shown to lighten up with Polnareff, although he can also be very brutal and vindictive, having elbowed Polnareff in the face as a "reconciliation". Araki himself mentions that if it weren't for their Stands, Kakyoin and Jotaro wouldn't have been friends. The Joestar Group is the only group with whom he has attached himself, but he cares very strongly for them. He thinks only respectable individuals are able to be friends of his. The humiliation of having been weak enough to bow to DIO was a part of his motivation for seeking redemption and revenge during Stardust Crusaders. He hates bowing down or kissing up to people. However, he is also noted to also be stern and blunt. In his character bio, Araki describes Kakyoin as effeminate, as he tends to speak in a softer dialect of Japanese and uses feminine diction in the manga.
Though he normally keeps a polite and somewhat formal behavior, Kakyoin is a rather cold and prideful man. Kakyoin is described to be "the honor student type", and thus can be described as haughty and somewhat introverted. He depicts having strange habits during the trip, licking cherries before eating them and sunbathing in his school uniform before brushing off Joseph and Avdol's skepticism. Thus Kakyoin is also a brave individual, willingly participating in the dangerous journey to Egypt, and is also able to keep his nerves even in the direst situations such as having been punched through by The World. His reason for joining the Joestar Group is for both fighting evil, as he mirrors Jotaro's own explanations for saving his life, and of course a sense of debt toward Jotaro for saving his life. His own ability to see stands led to a lonely childhood where he felt nobody could understand him, becoming depressive and cold. In a flashback, his mother reveals that he was quiet and disassociated from his peers, turning away anyone who tries to approach him. He possesses a manipulative charisma in front of potential enemies, seen with Jotaro during their first meeting, the stewardesses before Tower of Grey, and the beggars during his encounter with J. Kakyoin is brutally ruthless with his enemies but endlessly loyal to his companions. However, he reveals himself as a righteous, though blunt individual. Thus he remorselessly attacks unrelated civilians and adopts a might makes right mindset. Noriaki Kakyoin is first introduced as an evil and cruel teenager because of DIO's brainwashing. (Green uniform with golden accessories, cherry-colored earrings, brown shoes) In his character cover for Jojonium, he is seen with light pink hair and a black uniform. Later, Kakyoin acquires two thin scars vertically crossing both eyes which he often hides with a pair of dark sunglasses. He is also referred to as beautiful upon arriving in India by a man trying to sell him a tattoo.
Some of Jotaro's own admirers commented on his appearance, and during the Tower of Gray encounter, he swooned two female stewardesses. He is attractive and has captured the attention of several women. Strangely, the side the bang hangs at is inconsistent, changing depending on the way he's facing. Kakyoin keeps his red hair styled fluffed up in the back and longer around the nape of his neck, characterized by a large, twisting bang hanging to the side of his face. He is always seen wearing cherry earrings. After he rejoins the rest of the group, he wears black sunglasses over his twin scars. In the anime, he wears the pajamas when admitted to the hospital, along with bandages wrapped around his eyes. He is also shown wearing striped pajamas during his initial encounter with Death Thirteen. His primary outfit is a proper, trench coat-length, green gakuran/tsume-eri W with gold accents and dress shoes typical for Japanese high schoolers. Kakyoin is a young man of average to above-average height and fit to slender build. 9.3 Heritage for the Future (PS1/DC/Arcade).