Hiyori Tono

Hiyori Tono (遠野 日和 Toono Hiyori) is one of the main characters in anime series Free!, beginning with the third season, Free!-Dive to the Future-. He is Ikuya Kirishima's roommate at Shionezaki High School and later attends Shimogami University with him. He is Ikuya's top supporter, other than Ikuya's older brother, Natsuya Kirishima.

Appearance
Hiyori is a tall, muscular young man with hazell eyes and short, auburn hair. He wears corrective lenses.

Personality
Hiyori has an overprotective nature when it comes to Ikuya, but is generally upbeat and supportive when with him. However, when addressing Ikuya's former junior high swim team members, he is brash and outspoken, though his barbs are often said in a calm manner and with a disarming smile. Over the course of Free!-Dive to the Future-, Hiyori comes to terms with his negative feelings and becomes friends with Haruka Nanase, Makoto Tachibana, Asahi Shiina and Kisumi Shigino. He is a skilled backstroke swimmer.

History
When Hiyori was very young, he was often left on his own while his parents worked. Being rather shy, he didn't approach others and the only person who spoke to him was a girl named Tomo while he was playing in the sandbox.

Hiyori later goes to the United States attending high school and becomes friends with Ikuya. He now attends university with Ikuya, and they are teammates in the Shimogami Swim Club. When Ikuya's older brother, Natsuya, begins traveling as a professional swimmer, he leaves Hiyori responsible for looking after Ikuya, whose health is fragile. Hiyori takes this responsibility seriously and protects Ikuya in every way possible from both physical and emotional upset. He considers the Iwatobi Junior High School Swim Club and Ikuya's school friends from that time to be Ikuya's weakness and for his former teammates to be "weaklings" who cannot compare to Ikuya's swimming genius. Thus, he has no problem being abrupt with Haruka Nanase, Makoto Tachibana and Asahi Shiina, forbidding them to see Ikuya.

At one point, Haruka bets that if he can beat Hiyori in a swimming race, he must allow them to meet with Ikuya. Hiyori agrees, however, Makoto races in Haruka's place since Hiyori and he are both backstroke experts. Hiyori wins the race and although the former teammates assume Hiyori will relent, he doesn't and, in fact, Hiyori insults Haruka saying, "everyone who swims with you suffers."

Eventually, each one of Ikuya's past friends find a way to make amends with him and Ikuya realizes his folly in keeping himself closed off from everyone. He apologizes to Hiyori, acknowledging their friendship and asking to swim with him as a member of their university's relay team. Finally, at the All-Japan Invitational, Ikuya and Natsuya reunite and face-off in a race with Ikuya winning and Natsuya congratulating him, their sibling relationship restored to a healthy balance. Natsuya also apologizes to Hiyori for burdening him unduly with Ikuya's care. With the stress off of the young swimmer, Hiyori relaxes and feels comfortable allowing Ikuya to spend time with his former friends, coming to spend time with them, as well.

Trivia

 * He likes coffee and egg dishes.
 * He likes visiting cafés and reading.
 * In episode 31, it's suggested that Hiyori's parents have left him alone too often, being busy with work since he was young.
 * His motif animal is a polar bear.
 * 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. Hiyori was listed as being "type 4:" noticeably muscular, but still not quite as large/strong as the final two types.