Natsuya Kirishima

Appearance

Natsuya is a relatively tall and muscular young man. He has vermillion eyes and short, unruly brown hair with bangs that dip betwen his eyes.

personality

Natsuya is a boisterous, keen, and upbeat character although according to his best friend, Nao Serizawa, he is somewhat socially awkward. On the surface, he doesn't seem deterred by much, but shows a vulnerable side to Nao. As Captain of the juior high school swim club, Natsuya is kind but firm. He is also highly competitive, as seen when first-year team member, Haruka, claims that he only swims freestyle and the team captain challenges him to a race to determine if this will be so. Their race ends in a tie with Natsuya respecting Haruka's ability, but continuing to monitor and challenge him. Natsuya cares deeply for his younger brother, Ikuya. They are close until Natsuya decides that he must push Ikuya to be less dependent on him. This, while Ikuya is only in elementary school. He distances himself from his sibling without explanation, a move that distresses Ikuya and damages their relationship for several years. Natsuya is an excellent swimmer, capable of earning a living via free-lance racing, which he does following high school. He is also shown to have a low alcohol tolerance despite a penchant for imbibing. he is a light weight, having gone drinking with Rin and had to be practically carried home and spilled all his and his brother’s secrets to the other boy.

background

When he was young Natsuya was captain of his junior high swim team and forced his younger brother to join along with some of his friends. but before joining highschool, he makes the mistake of forcing his brother to move to America with him so he can persue his dreams which leads to them having a rocky relationship.

trivia

His motif animal is a tiger shark.[3] Natsuya's least favorite subject is math. He hates shiitake mushrooms, but will eat them when he is with Ikuya in order to set a good example[4] His favorite quote is said by Mikhail Makarovich Nitori which is, "Victory only comes to those who believe in themselves," which he interprets as the results depend on you. At a staff talk event for Free!–the Final Stroke–, one of the character designers discussed the main characters' body types in terms of musculature. Natsuya was listed as being "type 4:" noticeably muscular, but still not quite as large/strong as the final two types. It was also specified that Futoshi Nishiya stressed that Natsuya specifically had very "hard" muscles.

relationships

Ikuya Kirishima: Natsuya and Ikuya have a close relationship when they are younger. Natsuya constantly encourages Ikuya as he is learning to swim, assuring him that he is capable whenever Ikuya doubts himself, which is often. As the brothers develop their physical skills, Natsuya begins to understand that a competitive swimmer must also have mental fortitude in order to survive the pressures of competition and he sets out to develop independence in his brother, but does so without considering Ikuya's age and emotional fragility. Ikuya, confused and lonely, quits the Bandou Swimming Club and withdraws into himself until forced into joining the Iwatobi Junior High School Swim Club where he meets fellow first-years Haruka Nanase, Makoto Tachibana and Asahi Shiina. Ikuya begins to feel better about himself until the team breaks up over the summer and Natsuya leaves Japan to attend school in the US for the next two years. Ikuya follows, but the brothers continue to have interpersonal issues until Ikuya enters university. There, he is able to confront his own weaknesses, make amends with others and reconcile with Natsuya. Nao Serizawa: Natsuya considers Nao Serizawa to be his best friend. They are both competitive swimmers, though Nao is sidelined due to an eye injury and must wait until his surgery is completely healed before doing so again. Until then, he acts as the manager of the Iwatobi Junior High School Swim Club working with the first-year members. Nao is an insightful and understanding person who balances out the headstrong Natsuya when dealing with team dynamics, as well as the team captain himself. This is evident after Natsuya leaves Japan to compete as a free-lance swimmer on the international level. Though financially successful, Natsuya develops some unhealthy habits and ways of thinking which Nao, without lecturing, enables him to see, thus redirecting him towards a more productive path.

basic info

Name: Natsuya Kirishima Gender: male Age: 21 Height: 6’1 Hair: brown Eyes: vermillion