Mr and Mrs Nanase

Mrs. Nanase is one of the minor characters of the anime series Free! She is the mother of Haruka Nanase and is his father, Mr. Nanase.

Appearance
Mrs. Nanase is of average height and build for a Japanese woman with long, nearly black hair. In the film High☆Speed！－Free! Starting Days－, she is seen wearing khaki slacks, a long-sleeved gray-blue sweater and a bib-style apron.

Personality
Despite being called a "free spirit" by Makoto, Mrs. Nanase seems to be a relatively conventional, pleasant and loving woman who is interested in her son's well-being. She's aware of her son's talent from his earliest days, but it is unknown how assertive she is regarding his swimming since Haruka's attitude about competition is so ambivalent and he never speaks about his parents. Mrs. Nanase accepts his quiet nature, but encourages him to be independent, as seen when she must leave him alone for a week while he is only in Grade 7 in order to take care of her husband who has taken ill at his then-assignment in Hokkaido. She simply asks Haruka if he will be alright and accepts his decision without undue worry. Being long-time friends with the Tachibana family, it is likely that she is the person who makes the arrangements with them to keep an eye on him during her absence.

Once Haruka enters high school, however, her presence at home seems nearly ghost-like, for unspecified reasons and while she and her husband seem to support Haruka's choice of sport, they are seen attending only one tournament. This is not explained nor how Haruka's university and private coaching costs are covered; whether by his parents or via inheritance, but it is likely through a trust fund that his parents oversee.

Story
Her presence in the film is minimal, appearing in only a few scenes to establish Haruka within his family of origin. She is not seen at all in the anime, except as an audience member attending one of Haruka's tournaments.