Other main characters Honoka Sakurai : • : She met Yamato from an incident that happened in their childhood at her family’s shrine that he often went to when visiting his aunt. Ever since, Honoka has had a crush on him, but was too shy to talk to him. Much to her shock, Yamato entered her high school and was even part of her class. Seeing her opportunity, she begins to talk with him and they become friends. When Yamato joins the track team, she decides to become the manager so they do not grow apart. After a little while, she finally confesses her feelings to Yamato and they begin dating. The relationship lasts less than a month because of Yamato’s carelessness and Honoka’s own insecurities. After realizing her mistake, she claims that she wants to confess again when she gains more confidence. When she learns that Yamato and Suzuka are dating, she decides to quit being the track manager and take up an offer made by the modeling agency of her best friend, Nana. After a modeling shoot, she happens to run into Yamato again after he has broken up with Suzuka. She clearly still harbors feelings for him but being a popular model, she has become more confident and now can openly talk with him. While at the beach, she asked Yamato if they should be a couple again but in a fit of nervousness played it off as a joke but then asked again. Yamato responded by saying she was important but confused by her earlier nervous play off he asked if it was a joke Because of this incident, she decided to no longer wait for Yamato and began dating a coworker who confessed to her. Honoka met Yamato again and told him they shouldn't meet anymore because she has a boyfriend. Her design was reused for Yuzuki Eba in Kouji Seo's new series
A Town Where You Live and she was mentioned briefly on a television show telling about her love situation with Yamato to the audience. She graduated with Yamato and the others. She was also in Suzuka's and Yamato's wedding.
Yasunobu Hattori : • :Has been friends with Yamato since they were kids. They often met whenever Yamato came to stay with his aunt Ayano; however, Hattori would frequently get Yamato in trouble, since Hattori would take advantage of the fact that Ayano's dormitory also contained a women's bath. He is a ladies' man that, according to Yamato, prefers perverted stuff over eating. He dreams of dating all the girls in the world and the legalization of
polygyny in Japan. Yasunobu is often giving relationship advice to Yamato, with rather amusing results, due to the latter's being clueless and tendency to screw up. Even though he sometimes gets Yamato in bad situations, he usually has Yamato’s best interests in mind. Much to Yamato and Miki's surprise, Yasunobu has been a straight "A" student during high school. Yasunobu and Miki recently have made cameos in Chapter 67 of
A Town Where You Live where they were meeting each other during Haruto's class trip to Tokyo. : The character name is derived from one of Kouji Seo's real-life friends.
Miki Hashiba : • : Miki is a first year high school student and member of the school field and track team as a sprinter. She is best friends with Suzuka and later Yamato. Before they began attending the same high school, Miki had often encountered Suzuka during track meets and disliked her because Suzuka came off as cold and aloof. However, once she realized that Suzuka's distant nature resulted from her perfectionist tendencies and dedication to her sport, Miki came to respect Suzuka and they became friends. Although initially attracted to Yamato Akitsuki, upon realizing he was infatuated with her best friend Suzuka, she immediately puts a hold on her own feelings. Miki is extremely loyal to her friends and will do anything to help them. She meddles constantly in their affairs and can be quite incessant in forcing them to confront their feelings. When asked what is most important to her in life, her answer was simply, "Friends!" : The surname is derived from one of the old surnames of warlord
Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
Girls' dormitory Ayano Fujikawa : • :Yamato's aunt, who is the landlady of the women’s dormitory and public bathhouse. She lets Yamato stay rent-free and pays him for cleaning. She seems to be close with her tenants and is even proud of their accomplishments. She often cooks meals for her nephew and Suzuka. Yamato's mother revealed that her marriage was an
elopement. Even though her husband is deceased, she continues to wear her wedding band.
Miho Fujikawa : • :Ayano's daughter and Yamato’s younger cousin by two years. She is very attached and protective of Yamato to the point of being jealous of Suzuka. Occasionally, she reminds Yamato of his childhood promise to marry her to cheer him up or as a joke. During the time skip, she became a high school student, moved into Suzuka's old room, and became the track manager. When Suzuka moved back to the apartments, she was forced to give up her room and move back in with her mother.
Yuka Saotome : • :A boisterous busybody college student from rural
Akita that lives in Ayano’s dormitory. She likes to drink and usually ends up in Yamato’s room with her best friend Megumi. She has been known to take pictures of Yamato in compromising positions so she can blackmail him later. Even though she considers her relationship with Yamato to be “master and slave”, she often tries to help him with his relationship problems and has admitted that she worries about him. He also seems to be one of the few people she can be vulnerable with. In fact, Yamato is the only one that she has told about her one sided love for Sasaoka, who she has liked since high school. She had confessed to him fifteen times, but Sasaoka took it as a joke because she never seriously followed through. These rejections had a profound impact on her life, driving her to change her appearance and her dating behavior. Before Sasaoka left for the United States, Yamato took her to the airport so she could finally convince him of her feelings. Even though she finally got through to him, he revealed he is already engaged to be married next year. She took this rejection well, claiming that she felt refreshed and not as devastated as she originally thought. After thanking Yamato, she proclaimed she will become a better woman and find an even better man. She has since returned her appearance to the way it was when Yamato first met her. : The character name is likely a nod to Japanese
voice actress Yuka Saotome.
Megumi Matsumoto : • :A soft-spoken, bespectacled college student who also lives in Ayano’s dormitory. She is often seen trying to reign in Yuka when she is drunk. Ironically, Megumi gets drunk easily, and in that state is even wilder than Yuka, often berating Yamato on how all men are perverts, accusing Yamato of staring at her chest, flashing him her naked breasts for no reason, and then slapping him for looking. She has expressed the desire to become married. : The character name is likely a nod to Japanese voice actress
Megumi Matsumoto.
Track Athletes Kazuki Tsuda : • :When Suzuka and Sōichi were in middle school, Kazuki was their track captain, and was ranked first in the 100 meter. The similarities between him and Yamato are a striking resemblance in terms of looks, personality, and running talent. During track practices, he and Suzuka would often fight because she wanted practices to be serious and he wanted them to be fun. Before the national tournament, he confessed to her and told her not to answer until he had won. On the day of the tournament, when running home to get his spikes that he forgot, he was hit and killed by a driver who fell asleep at the wheel. His death has since weighed heavily on Suzuka, since she never confessed to him that she reciprocated his feelings for her. : The character surname is likely derived from Japanese baseball player Tsunemi Tsuda of the
Hiroshima Toyo Carp.
Tetsuhito Kinugasa : • :The track captain when Yamato first joined the team. He competes in
shot put and is often seen putting Yamato in a headlock or making him do extra training. His name (Tetsuhito) literally means "Iron man". He has high expectations for Yamato, so much that during actual tournaments he will not watch Yamato run and often resorts to hiding behind a tree. Even though he has graduated and is now attending Seijō University, he still comes to check on the high school track team. After learning that Yamato and Suzuka got recommendations for Seijō, he offered to show Yamato and Suzuka around the campus. He was personally training Yamato before the start of the
academic term, until Yamato decided enter the workforce instead of attending the University. Tetsuhito expressed his disappointment that Yamato did not confide his problems with him. He also made sure that Yamato understood the consequence of his and Suzuka's decision to drop out, since that would mean that Seijō University would probably no longer take members of their high school any more for selections. After seeing Yamato and Suzuka apologizing to the high school track club, he expresses support for their choice. : The character name is derived from Japanese baseball player
Sachio Kinugasa of the
Hiroshima Toyo Carp, whose nickname was
Tetsujin (鉄人, lit.
Man of Steel) itself derived from
Tetsujin 28-go.
Soichi Miyamoto : • :One of the members of the track team and captain after Kinugasa graduates. A classmate of Suzuka's from junior high school. After hearing about Yamato's performance in physical tests, he actively persuades Yamato to join the track team. When Yamato came to him to help with making better times, he analyzed that data, found that Yamato was reaching his top speed too early, and made a training regimen for him. He believes Yamato has the potential to surpass Kazuki's skill. Before graduating, he chose Yamato to become the next track captain. He is currently part of Tōto University's track team and was influential in Yamato getting his recommendation. Even though Yamato eventually chose to attend Seijō, he still wanted him to perform his best. : The character name is derived from legendary Japanese swordsman
Miyamoto Musashi.
Arima Emerson : • :He is Yamato's main track rival, who is ranked first nationally in the 100 meter sprint. He initially went to Tōto University High School. During junior high school, he was always beaten by Kazuki, which is still a touchy subject for him. Like Suzuka, he took up the offer to study abroad in United States, during which he stayed informed about Yamato's running times back in Japan. Afterward, he decided to go Tōto University and run for their track team. He indirectly helped Yamato realize that Suzuka and their unborn child was more important to him than track which led to Yamato's decision to not attend university and become employed to support his family. Near the end of the series, he still expresses hopes that he will have a chance to compete with Yamato in the
Olympics. He went on to represent Japan in the 100m sprint. : The character name is derived from Brazilian striker Emerson who played for the
Urawa Red Diamonds and the
Arima clan of
Feudal Japan.
Kenji Kobayakawa : • :A hard working sprinter of the track team who was on an athletic scholarship. Even though he is a talented sprinter, he is not as fast as Yamato in the 100 meters. He dislikes Yamato because he outperforms him in track and Honoka, the girl he liked, had only had eyes for Yamato. Like Yamato, he was scouted by the universities in his senior year at high school. When Yamato and Suzuka told the high school track club that they dropped out of Seijō University, he was the only member that was upset about their decision. A running joke through the series is that he is often forgotten about by the other characters. He went on to represent Japan in the 200m race. : The character name is derived from Japanese baseball player
Takehiko Kobayakawa of the
Hiroshima Toyo Carp.
Tsuyoshi Kusakabe : :He is one of classmates of Miho's. He has liked Miho for a long time, but has had little success with winning her affections. During his first year in high school, he joined the track team and it's implied that he hung around Miho, who's usually with Yamato, as much as possible. On the track team, he became arrogant when he was not under Yamato's supervision. This caused Yamato to treat Tsuyoshi in a similar fashion as Kinugasa treated Yamato. With support from Miho and Suzuka and with Yamato's guidance, he was able to take first place at the rookie track meet. : The character surname is likely derived from the Kusakabe clan of
Feudal Japan.
Other characters Nana Shirakawa : • :A popular singing idol who has been Honoka’s mentor. Most are surprised to discover this because it is unexpected that someone as timid as Honoka would have such glamorous acquaintances. Even though Nana's famous, she considers Honoka to be her only friend because she treats her normally. Because of this she is very protective of her. : The character surname is likely derived from Japanese idol
Yukina Shirakawa.
Suzune Asahina : •
Voiced by" Mina Tominaga (Japanese),
Laura Bailey (English) :Suzuka's older sister by one year. According to her younger sister, Suzune is slightly dim-witted. Early in the series, every time she meets Yamato, she has the family dog "Muku" attack him. She is the only character that has an easy time reading Suzuka's thoughts. She shows up later on when Yamato walks home Suzuka from a date. She was apparently very amused when Yamato first met her parents and reveals later that unlike Yamato, her own boyfriend was not allowed into their house by her stern father because he failed to greet Mr. Asahina properly.
Yui Amami : :One of the girls in the group date that Yasunobu tricked Yamato into going on. She took a liking to him and her feelings only grew when Yamato began working at her family's cafe, which was the only place of employment that Yamato could find that allowed him to work one day a week. After Yamato and Suzuka broke up, she visited Yamato to try and cheer him up. Seeing the state he was in, she tried to comfort him both physically and emotionally, but found that he did not reciprocate her feelings. She was later on invited by Yasunobu to celebrate Yamato and Suzuka's marriage held by their friends, which made Yamato nervous until Yasunobu reassured him that she was not the type to hang on forever. Later on she was in attendance at their wedding ceremony. Yui and her father made cameos in chapter 90 and 225 of
A Town Where You Live. :The character name is likely derived from Japanese actress
Yūki Amami.
Hiroshi Sasaoka : :A salesman for the
sports equipment company “Adriex”. One of his jobs is to recruit Japan’s top student athletes to study abroad and train in the United States, for which all expenses are paid by his company. He was also Yuka’s crush from high school, but, much to her displeasure, he still treated her like a younger sister. Before transferring him back to the United States for the next 5 to 6 years, Yuka finally convinces him of her feelings for him. He told her that a relationship was not possible because he was already engaged to be married next year. Later on, he comes back to Japan to make wedding preparations, during which he was contacted by Suzuka about any employment opportunities for Yamato. He said there was an opening in an affiliate company and he would be willing to give Yamato a recommendation, which led to Yamato getting employed by a company that has a track team. : The character surname is derived from Japanese baseball player Shinji Sasaoka of the
Hiroshima Toyo Carp.
Saki Asai : :Yamato's childhood friend from Hiroshima, who is also the same girl from his original firefly confession. She stayed at Ayano's dormitory for about a week while she toured Touto University, where she wanted to study fashion. She learned that Yamato was recommended to Touto, which she had made him
pinky swear they would attend together. During her stay, she showed interest in her childhood friend, but her advances were mistaken by Yamato for her playful nature. After she realized that Yamato was still in love with then ex-girlfriend Suzuka, she released him from the promise before she returned home. Later on she is seen attending Yamato and Suzuka's wedding ceremony. : The character surname is derived from Japanese baseball player Itsuki Asai of the
Hiroshima Toyo Carp.
Fūka Akitsuki : :Yamato and Suzuka's daughter. She stars as a protagonist in
Kōji Seo's new manga series
Fuuka. She closely resembles her mother but has a combination of both of her parents' personalities. She is short-tempered like her mother but is more carefree like her father, and is able to make friends with everyone around her. While she is skilled in track and field, she doesn't share her parents' love for sports and is more interested in music. When she enters in high school, she meets the male protagonist, Yuu, whom she initially thinks is perverted due to an embarrassing encounter from their first meeting. However, she later befriends him and falls in love with him. ==Fuuka==