Haruka and Makoto go to school together.
Makoto Tachibana has known Haruka for his entire life, having met when they were just a few years old,[1] and is his best friend. As a consequence of being together for so long, Makoto understands Haruka well, knows both his good and bad points, and often speaks up for the taciturn swimmer. Haruka often "leaves it up" to Makoto to do so because it allows him to remain aloof and stoic, but still get his thoughts across.[2]
"Are you really okay with this, Makoto?"
Haruka, particularly as a 12-year-old in High☆Speed！, is rather spoiled by his best friend. He is extremely used to having Makoto always there to help him make decisions and even speaking on his behalf but justifies his part in it by thinking of Makoto as a meddlesome guy despite his affection for him. When they have a brief falling out in middle school, Haruka is forced to speak up and tell Makoto that he is liked for being the person that he is and should not change. This triggers a secretly shared swim and Makoto expressing strong feelings about Haruka and swimming.
Haruka saves Makoto.
Both have had near-drowning experiences. In the sixth grade, Haruka falls into a river and is saved by Makoto.[2] Then, during a summer training camp during their second year of high school, Haruka saves Makoto after Makoto freezes up while trying to save Rei Ryugazaki.[3] When Haruka brings Makoto to shore, he is terrified to realize that Makoto's breath is weak. He is about to perform CPR and breath resuscitation when Makoto coughs up water and regains consciousness. Haruka continues to express concern long after knowing Makoto is out of danger.[3] Shortly afterwards, Makoto tells Haruka that he swims because it's important to Haruka and therefore, for him as well. He then repeats the sentiment, "It's meaningless without you," echoing a statement he made when they were children about simply spending time together.[3]
Haruka dislikes it when people use his entire first name, though Makoto not only continues to do so, but often calls him Haru-chan, even in college, the endearment causing Haruka to constantly correct him. [4][2][5] Makoto is also the primary person to restrain Haruka from randomly stripping around or diving into fish tanks[4][6][7] and he often uses Haruka as a shield when he gets frightened by something.[4][3]
"Makoto, I appreciate you being here for me."
As best friends, they share a close and caring relationship while giving one another space to grow as individuals.[3][8][9][10] Throughout the series, Haruka begins to speak his mind more often, which Makoto supports. He finds it difficult to speak about his feelings although by the end of high school, he is able to tell Makoto, "I appreciate you being here for me," before becoming overwhelmed and leaving the room for a run. The statement leaves Makoto gobsmacked.[11]
It is shown that Haruka bought Makoto four aquarium fish.[10] Nagisa Hazuki told Makoto to name them Nagisa, Rei, Haruka and Makoto, however Haruka told him that it's better to name them Mackerel, Bonito, Tuna and Jackfish.
As Makoto and Haruka become third-years, they are forced to consider their futures. Makoto is unsure of what to write on his career path questionnaire while Haruka simply writes "Free," showing that he has no plans or doesn't want to think about them. Makoto accepts this, at first, commenting that it sounds just like him.[12]
As pressure mounts from scouts, school administration, and others, Haruka distances himself more and more. Makoto notices, but does not want to add to his burden. However, one night he confronts Haruka about his lack of plans for the future. Haruka reacts with shock and anger that even Makoto is pressuring him. Makoto grabs his wrist and tries to explain that he is not talking about swimming, but simply about Haruka's well being. Haruka accuses him of being a hypocrite when Makoto is equally unprepared, which is when Makoto releases Haruka and reveals that he is going to attend university in Tokyo. Haruka is stunned, hurt and disillusioned. He flees to his house and shuts himself away.
Broken and lost from all the events that have transpired, he refuses to speak to anyone. In desperation, Makoto contacts Rin Matsuoka who comes to Haruka's house to tell him they're going abroad. In Australia, Haruka wallows in his misery, revealing his fight with Makoto to Rin who provides advice, friendship and a trip to a world-class swim center where Haruka finally begins to glimpse a future for himself. When they return to Japan, Makoto meets them at the airport and later, after sharing his newfound plans with him, Nagisa and Rei, he and his best friend make amends. Haruka gains entrance to Hidaka University in Tokyo and joins their swim team while Makoto attends Meijou Chuo University for a degree in Sports Medicine.
Haruka and Nagisa are childhood friends and were in the Iwatobi Swimming Club together. After the swim club was closed down, Nagisa went to a different middle school from Haruka and Makoto. Nagisa admires Haruka's swimming and enrolls at Iwatobi High School just to swim with him again.[4] Haruka doesn't express his feelings often but admits that when Nagisa comes to Iwatobi High School, his cheery nature melts his heart just a little bit and once the team begins to achieve success, he thanks Nagisa for insisting on its re-establishment. Haruka also tolerates Nagisa's frequent hugs despite not liking to be touched, indicating acceptance and quiet fondness for his kohai.
Haruka and Rei Ryugazaki have a good senpai-kohai relationship. When Haruka saw Rei practice pole-vaulting for the very first time, he was amazed by how amazing he looked doing so. When Nagisa tells Haruka and Makoto that Rei did not join the swim club, stating that Rei might hate water, Haruka says they do not need someone like that.
When Rei finally meets Haruka in person after running to school with Nagisa, he asks him if he is the Haru-chan-san Nagisa talks about. Haruka cuts him off, telling him not to use both '-chan' and '-san' on his name. After Rei sees Haruka swim at the joint practice with Samezuka Academy, he realizes that he wants to have the kind of freedom Haruka seems to possess. Haruka tells him that it is not freedom that he has, but freestyle. After this event, Rei decides that he wants Haruka to be the one to teach him to swim, although Haru did not want to. After trying to learn to swim from both Makoto and Nagisa without success, Haruka reluctantly agrees to help Rei to learn to swim, but even he is unsuccessful. Eventually, Rei discovers that he is able to perform the butterfly stroke without effort.
In S1E01 Reunion at the Starting Block!, Gou Matsuoka visits Haruka's house to ask him for information about her brother, but he fails to answer her, so she heads home, running into Makoto and Nagisa along the way. It is shown that she cares a lot about Haruka, as well as other members of the swim club, and is very worried over Haruka and Rin's dramatic relationship. She tries to always be there for Haruka and the others and help them to improve their swimming as much as she can.[8]
She is constantly swooning over muscles.[7]
Miho Amakata is Haruka's Classic Literature teacher as well as his homeroom teacher. Haruka is not impressed by the fact that she became a teacher as her plan B, as well as the fact that she mistakes him for a girl, calling him "Miss Nanase Haruka." However, she apologizes immediately after Makoto clarifies the misunderstanding.[4] Miho, alongside Makoto, is greatly concerned about Haruka's future after high school. She calls him out to ask him what his future plans are after reading his career path questionnaire, only to get "just as it says" as an answer. The teacher tries to convince Haruka to think about the whole thing again, saying that someone with athletic abilities like his could probably enter the sports world easily, but since he keeps quiet, she finishes the conversation with yet another quote - "Give it a try. You won't know until you do."[12]
- Main article: Rin Matsuoka
After Rin briefly returns from Australia, he and Haruka go to race.
During elementary school, Rin Matsuoka is on the same community swimming team as Haruka, Makoto Tachibana and Nagisa Hazuki. After winning a tournament, Rin goes abroad to Australia to study swimming.[4] When he makes a rare return to Japan, Haruka and he race, with the former easily winning. Rin is crushed, feeling that his hard work was for nothing. This creates a rift between the friends, as seen when he refuses to take Haruka's extended hand.[7][13] Rin gives up competitive swimming and Haruka, believing himself to be the cause, does so, as well. [4][7]
Rin's best stroke is the butterfly, but his desperate need to be better than Haruka, who only swims the crawl stroke, leads him to focus on that stroke and whatever distance Haruka is swimming in the ongoing tournament. [14][8] When Rin returns to Japan to attend Samezuka Academy, Haruka and he race once more. Rin wins without much difficulty but is unsatisfied because Haruka is not swimming at his best potential. He urges Haruka to swim competitively, so that they may have a fair race, and Haruka agrees.[8][4]
Their relationship is volatile, but changes over time from a fierce rivalry into one that pushes the other to improve as well as providing a friendship founded on mutual experiences. Rin's frustration with Haruka stems from the fact that Haruka has the ability to showcase his extraordinary talent, yet only cares about immersing himself in water while being minimally interested in speed and winning races. When Rin officially defeats Haruka at a prefectural tournament, he declares that he will never swim with Haruka again, resulting in Haruka's shock and disappointment.[8] Makoto tells Rin that Haruka swims to share the experience with friends, but Rin fails to understand.[9]
Rin cries on Haruka.
At another tournament, Rin is kicked off his school's relay team, but is given a chance to swim with his former teammates from Iwatobi High School when Rei Ryugazaki gives up his spot to let Rin swim the butterfly leg of the contest. They win the heat but are disqualified for switching swimmers without notice. In the end credits of Season 1, it is shown that Rin has made amends with his friends from Iwatobi.[14]
In Season 2, their relationship continues to challenge one another as athletes and friends. An example of this may be seen in Storm of Dive and Dash! when Haruka races Rin at Samezuka Academy in an event to send off the third-year members, with Samezuka winning. Later, at a community event, they race again and tie for first place, setting a new record, after which Rin says he made Haruka's "cold face grow hot." He later asks Haruka and Makoto about their future plans, with both of them not knowing.
In Forming of Disruption! Haruka succumbs to the pressure of college scouting, stopping midway through a race, feeling that the water is a potential cage. Rin is angry and confronts him, shouting to take swimming seriously and to consider it his future. Haruka retaliates, saying that he doesn't have a dream or future; that he's not like Rin.
Haruka finally breaks down when Makoto reveals he is going to leave Iwatobi to attend university in Tokyo. In order to help the withdrawn swimmer, Makoto enlists Rin's help who decides to take Haruka to Australia to visit his home-stay parents, Lori and Russell. Later that evening, they stay at a hotel in Sydney where they have a heart-to-heart chat about their history as rivals and friends, bonding over their memories. The next day they visit the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre where Haruka realizes that he, too, wants to swim competitively after seeing where great swimmers from all over the world compete. Haruka thanks Rin, then makes amends with Makoto, who meets them at the airport.
In Season 3, Rin remains in Australia to train with an international group of swimmers, while Haruka attends university in Tokyo. They do not have contact again until Rin returns to Japan in preparation for the All-Japan Invitational. Their relationship at that time is seen to have evolved into a more mature, yet still competitive, one with both swimmers preparing for the global stage. In a heartfelt scene following the first day of the event in which Rin qualifies to move forward while Haruka has not yet, the three childhood friends -- Rin, Haruka and Makoto -- share memories and future plans as three seagulls soar overhead. Makoto says he is changing majors to become a professional trainer and hopes to work with both swimmers, who express positive feelings about this revelation.
- Main article: Sosuke Yamazaki
- Main article: Aki Yazaki
Haruka first interacts with Aki Yazaki in the novel, after she loses her scarf in the river below the bridge they are both crossing--something that would act as a catalyst to his development. The third character Haruka meets as the main POV character of High Speed!, he gives the impression that he does not wish to get involved in her affairs, stating that retrieving her scarf was "impossible" and leaving. However, it is shown that in spite of Aki seeming to be her cheerful self, Haruka realizes she is worried about him and it bothers him that he had brushed her off. He then tries to retrieve the scarf from the river, but falls in. He is rescued by Makoto and Rin and winds up in the hospital with influenza.
Afterwards, he gradually becomes more open to people and friendly with Aki to the point that Rin believes Makoto and she will be able to convince Haruka to join the medley relay team. He dwells upon the questions of "why Haruka retrieved the scarf" and "why Aki still wears it despite it having turned brown," but refrains from pursuing his curiosity.
- Main article: Goro Sasabe
References[]
- ↑ Free! Eternal Summer Character Interview - DVD vol.7
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 High☆Speed! novel
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Episode 6
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 Episode 1
- ↑ Episode 26
- ↑ Makoto's Trouble! (short movie)
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Episode 2
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 Episode 7
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Episode 8
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Episode 9
- ↑ Episode 11
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Episode 14
- ↑ Episode 10
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedEpisode 12 - ↑ High☆Speed！－Free! Starting Days－