Haruka Nanase

Grew Up... a swimming prodigy. But while his coaches were oohing and aahing over his speed, Haruka himself couldn't care less about his time: "All I want is to feel the water."

Living... in Iwatobi, a small coastal town where Haruka lives seemingly on his own. His parents don't seem to be around much, but luckily Haruka's got his best friend, Makoto, to check up on him and make sure he's all right.

Profession... high school student at Iwatobi High School. It's not a bad school per se, but Haruka is kind of upset that the swimming pool is so unfit to swim it. When his friend Nagisa arrives at Iwatobi and decides to create a swim team, Haruka's roped in by the promise of a place to swim, but he's less enthused about the idea of swimming as a team.

Interests... swimming, mackerel, and otherwise behaving like a dolphin. Except for the social part, that is – Haru might have the grace of a dolphin, but his social skills are more on the level of a barnacle. He's a good cook, though, and a surprisingly talented artist.

Relationship Status... in a committed relationship with water. No, really. Just listen to him describe his first “romantic” encounter: "I couldn't look away. That intensely beautiful, positively vibrant, sparkling and pristine... waterfall."

Challenge... learning to work with his teammates and trying to reconcile with Rin, a former friend turned rival. As children, Haruka and Rin once swam together on a relay team with Makoto and Nagisa, and the four of them were close friends. But after Rin comes back from Australia, where he moved in hopes of improving his swimming, Rin seems to bear an inexplicable animosity towards his old teammates.

Personality... detached, quiet, and independent. Haruka might be a good swimmer, but he's definitely not a people person. Other people's opinions have never mattered much to Haruka, and they aren't going to start to do so now. Still, for all his reticence, Haruka does care about his friends, and he's deeply hurt that Rin no longer considers him one.