despair-nagito:

To be honest, in the beginning I was feeling like I was alone with liking Kristoph until I left my bubble in which people weren’t very interested in him as a character. Still, he looks underappreciated, but the reason is crystal clear. He didn’t get enough screen time for us to bond with his character. Though his shadow was present during the whole game, we didn’t see him in person much.

How was he present during the whole game while he didn’t show again until the late part of 4-4?

The answer for this question is obvious.

His student and his brother.
When Apollo was confident, he would cross his arms like Kristoph did. And Klavier… Well, he’s his brother who looks almost like him. That’s a pity they didn’t make them talk about Kris, because it could be interesting to see what they were thinking of him from different perspectives.

He absolutely does not get enough screen time considering he’s a vital character in three main character’s lives; Phoenix, Apollo, and Klavier. (frenemy, boss/mento/brother).

Sure you can argue Mia is just as vital and didn’t get any more screen time in the first game, but then she comes back and literally haunts the narrative, and appears in flashback cases.

You’re very right about him appearing ‘through’ these other characters but I wish we got to spend more time with him.