i think where we get takes like "kyon is normal (even if only in comparison to the rest of the brigade)" is that it comes in part from how, if you take him at face value, he purposefully presents himself that way; but if you're reading between the lines of the text it's clear that he's exactly as much of a freak as the rest of them, if not even more so
Kyon: All of you guys's problem is that none of you know how to be normal about Haruhi Suzumiya. She is literally just a depressed teenage girl.
also Kyon: Haruhi stormed into the gas station and demanded the cashier break a large bill with the disdain and haughtiness of a forgotten god who hadn't gotten the memo she wasn't worshipped anymore, and when she smiled as he succumbed to her bidding it was like seventeen supernovas stacked on top of each other–