Makoto is friendly and a lot more down-to-earth than the other students. This is possibly the reason why he is capable of approaching and befriending them in Free Time sequences. Junko Enoshima refers to him as a ‘herbivore man,’ which means that Makoto is likely to be the passive one in a relationship; this is reinforced in his conversation with others.
According to himself, Makoto's most distinguishing feature is his optimism and because of it, he's capable of befriending almost anyone, even the most antisocial such as Byakuya and Toko Fukawa. Makoto would make use of this particular trait later on in the final trial by preventing the other students from giving in to the despair that starts to overtake them, earning him the title Ultimate Hope