As a child Ivan appeared quiet and off-putting, due to being raised in the slums and not knowing proper social behaviors. His fascination with Till started during this time, but the two of them often got into fights due to Ivan often saying things and behaving in ways that upset Till. Ivan put effort into appearing more normal, in ways such as practicing his smile in the Anakt Garden pond.

Later on in life, Ivan succeeded in appearing more normal as he adopted a cheerful persona and learned how to smile and be friendly around others. Classmates saw him as "too perfect to get close to", but he did manage to become friends with Mizi. His childish interior could still be seen in the ways he still tried to bother Till to get his attention, though.

Beneath both the off-putting exterior of Ivan as a child and his cheerful nature as he grew up lays a deep sorrow and fatalistic view of the world, however. His two solo songs generally depict him as someone who believes he's destined for nothing but unhappiness, and that no amount of trying will ever change that. This is clearest when looking at his interactions with Till, as though Ivan is quite obsessed with him, he seems to be resigned in the fact that Till doesn't feel the same; even when they were close to escaping together, Ivan simply smiled as Till let go of his hand.

He's notably quite hypocritical, berating Sua for sacrificing herself for Mizi yet doing the same for Till, and also not following most of the tips he gives for his classmates in Anakt Garden in his student interview like not eating regular meals.