Haruka Nanase/Relationships

Iwatobi High School=

"#99DAEC"

- If you're not there... It's meaningless without you!



Makoto has known Haruka for his entire life, having met when they were just a few years old and is his best friend. As a consequence of being together for so long, Makoto understands Haruka well, knows both his good and bad points, and often speaks up for the taciturn swimmer. Haruka often "leaves it up" to Makoto to do so because it allows him to remain aloof and stoic, but still get his thoughts across.

Haruka, particularly as a 12-year-old in High☆Speed！, is rather spoiled by his best friend. He is extremely used to having Makoto always there to help him make decisions and even speaking on his behalf but justifies his part in it by thinking of Makoto as a meddlesome guy despite his affection for him. When they have a brief falling out in middle school, Haruka is forced to speak up and tell Makoto that he is liked for being the person that he is and shouldn't change. This triggers a secretly shared swim and Makoto expressing strong feelings about Haruka and swimming.

Both have had near-drowning experiences. In the sixth grade, Haruka falls into a river and is saved by Makoto. Then, during a summer training camp during their second year of high school, Haruka saves Makoto after Makoto freezes up while trying to save Rei Ryugazaki. When Haruka brings Makoto to shore, he is terrified to realize that Makoto's breath is weak. He is about to perform CPR and breath resuscitation when Makoto coughs up water and regains conciousness. Haruka continues to express concern long after knowing Makoto is out of danger. Shortly afterwards, Makoto tells Haruka that he swims because it's important to Haruka and therefore, for him as well. He then repeats the sentiment, "It's meaningless without you," echoing a statement he made when they were children about simply spending time together.

Haruka dislikes it when people use his entire first name, though Makoto not only continues to do so, but often calls him Haru-chan, even in college, the endearment causing Haru to constantly correct him. Makoto is also the primary person to restrain Haruka from randomly stripping around or diving into fish tanks and he often uses Haruka as a shield when he gets frightened by something.

As best friends, they share a close and caring relationship while giving one another space to grow as individuals. Throughout the series, Haruka begins to speak his mind more often, which Makoto supports. He finds it difficult to speak about his feelings although by the end of high school, he is able to tell Makoto, "I appreciate you being here for me," before becoming overwhelmed and leaving the room for a run. The statement leaves Makoto gobsmacked.

It is shown that Haruka bought Makoto four aquarium fish. Nagisa Hazuki told Makoto to name them Nagisa, Rei, Haruka and Makoto, however Haruka told him that it's better to name them Mackerel, Bonito, Tuna and Jackfish.

As Makoto and Haruka become third-years, they are forced to consider their futures. Makoto is unsure of what to write on his career path questionnaire while Haruka simply writes "Free," showing that he has no plans or doesn't want to think about them. Makoto accepts this, at first, commenting that it sounds just like him.

As pressure mounts from scouts, school administration, and others, Haruka distances himself more and more. Makoto notices, but doesn't want to add to his burden. However, one night he confronts Haruka about his lack of plans for the future. Haruka reacts with shock and anger that even Makoto is pressuring him. Makoto grabs his wrist and tries to explain that he's not talking about swimming, but simply about Haruka's well being. Haruka accuses him of being a hypocrite when Makoto is equally unprepared, which is when Makoto releases Haruka and reveals that he's going to attend university in Tokyo. Haruka is stunned, hurt and disillusioned. He flees to his house and shuts himself away.

Broken and lost from all the events that have transpired, he refuses to speak to anyone. In desperation, Makoto contacts Rin Matsuoka and the ginger comes to Haruka's house to tell him they're going abroad. In Australia, Haruka wallows in his misery, revealing his fight with Makoto to Rin who provides advice, friendship and a trip to a world-class swim center where Haruka finally begins to glimpse a future for himself. When they return to Japan, Makoto meets them at the airport and later, after sharing his newfound plans with him, Nagisa and Rei, he and his best friend make amends. Haruka gains entrance to Hidaka University in Tokyo and joins their swim team while Makoto attends Meijou Chuo University for a degree in Physical Education.

Haruka and Nagisa are childhood friends and were in the swim club together. After the swim club was closed down, Nagisa went to a different middle school from Haruka and Makoto. Nagisa admires Haruka's swimming and enrolls at his school just to swim with him again. Haruka doesn't express his feelings often but admits that when Nagisa comes to Iwatobi High School, his cheery nature melts his heart just a little bit and once the team begins to achieve success, he thanks Nagisa for insisting on its re-establishment. Haruka also tolerates Nagisa's frequent hugs despite not liking to be touched, indicating acceptance and quiet fondness for his kohai.

Haruka and Rei have a good senpai-kohai relationship. When Haruka saw Rei practice pole-vaulting for the very first time, he was amazed by how amazing he looked doing so. When Nagisa told Haruka and Makoto that Rei didn't join the swim club, stating that Rei might hate water, Haruka says they don't need someone like that.

When Rei finally met Haruka in person after running to school with Nagisa, he asked Haruka if he was Haru-chan-san Nagisa was talking about. Haruka cut him off telling him not to use both '-chan' and '-san' on his name. After Rei saw Haruka swim at the joint practice with Samezuka Academy, he realized that he wants to have the kind of freedom Haruka does. Haruka told him that it's not freedom that he has, but freestyle. After this event, Rei decides that he wants Haruka to be the one to teach him to swim, although Haru did not want to. After trying to learn to swim from both Makoto and Nagisa without success, Haru reluctantly agrees to help Rei to learn to swim, but even he is unsuccessful. Eventually, Rei discovers that he is able to perform the butterfly stroke without effort.

In S1E01 Reunion at the Starting Block!, Gou visited Haruka's house to ask him for information about her brother, but he didn't answer her, so she decided to head home, running into Makoto and Nagisa. It is shown that she does care a lot about Haruka, as well as other members of the swim club, and is very worried over Haruka and Rin's dramatic relationship. She tries to always be there for Haruka and the others and help them improve their swimming as much as she can.

She is constantly swooning over Haruka's figure.

"#99DAEC"

- Give it a try. You won't know until you do.

Miho is Haruka's Classic Literature teacher as well as his homeroom teacher. Haruka's not really impressed by the fact that she became a teacher as her plan B, as well as the fact that she mistook him for a girl, calling him "Miss Nanase Haruka." However, she apologized for it immediately after Makoto had clarified the misunderstanding.

Miho is, alongside Makoto, greatly concerned about Haruka's future after high school. She called him out to ask him what his future plans were after reading his career path questionnaire, only to get "just as it says" as an answer. The teacher tried to convince Haruka to think about the whole thing again, saying that someone with athletic abilities like his could probably enter the sports world easily, but since he kept quiet, she finished the conversation with yet another quote - "Give it a try. You won't know until you do." Samezuka Academy=

"#99DAEC"

- I'll show you a sight you've never seen before!

During elementary school, Rin was on the same community swimming team as Haruka, Makoto and Nagisa. After winning a tournament, Rin goes abroad to Australia to study swimming. When Rin makes a rare return to Japan, Haruka and he race, with the former easily winning. Rin is crushed, feeling that his hard work was for nothing. This creates a rift between the friends, as seen when he refuses to take Haruka's extended hand. Rin gives up competitive swimming and Haruka, believing himself to be the cause, does so, as well.

Rin's best stroke is the butterfly, but his desperate need to be better than Haruka, who only swims the crawl stroke, leads him to focus on that stroke and whatever distance Haruka is swimming in the ongoing tournament. When Rin returns to Japan to attend Samezuka Academy, Haruka and he race once more. Rin wins without much difficulty but is unsatisfied because Haruka is not swimming at his best potential. He urges Haruka to swim competitively, so that they may have a fair race, and Haruka agrees.

Their relationship is volatile, but changes over time from a fierce rivalry into one that pushes the other to improve as well as providing a friendship founded on mutual experiences. Rin's frustration with Haruka stems from the fact that Haruka has the ability to showcase his extraordinary talent, yet only cares about immersing himself in water while being minimally interested in speed and winning races. When Rin officially defeats Haruka at a prefectural tournament, he declares that he will never swim with Haruka again, resulting in Haruka's shock and disappointment. Makoto tells Rin that Haruka swims to share the experience with friends, but Rin fails to understand.



At another tournament, Rin is kicked off his school's relay team, but is given a chance to swim with his former teammates from Iwatobi when Rei gives up his spot to let Rin swim the butterfly leg of the contest. They win the heat but are disqualified for switching swimmers without notice. In the end credits of Season 1, it is shown that Rin has made amends with his friends from Iwatobi.

In Season 2, their relationship continues to challenge one another as athletes and friends. An example of this may be in Storm of Dive and Dash! when Haruka races Rin at Samezuka in an event to send off the 3rd-year members, with Samezuka winning. Later, at a community event, they race again and tie for first place, setting a new record, to which Rin says that he made Haruka's "cold face grow hot". He later confronts Haruka and Makoto about what they want to do with their futures, with both of them not knowing.

In Forming of Disruption! Haruka succumbs to the pressure of college scouting, stopping midway through a race, feeling that the water is a potential cage. Rin is angry and confronts him, shouting to take swimming seriously and to consider it his future. Haruka retaliates, saying that he doesn't have a dream or future; that he's not like Rin.

Haruka finally breaks down when Makoto reveals he's going to leave Iwatobi to attend university in Tokyo. In order to help the withdrawn swimmer, Makoto enlists Rin's help who decides to take Haruka to Australia to visit his home-stay parents, Lori and Russell. Later that evening, they stay at a hotel in Sydney where they have a heart-to-heart chat about their history as rivals and friends, bonding over their memories. The next day they visit the International Aquatic Centre where Haruka realizes that he, too, wants to swim competitively after seeing where great swimmers from all over the world compete. Haruka thanks Rin, then makes amends with Makoto, who meets them at the airport.

In Season 3, Rin remains in Australia to train with an international group of swimmers, while Haruka attends university in Tokyo. They do not have contact again until Rin returns to Japan in preparation for the All-Japan Invitational. Their relationship at that time is seen to have evolved into a more mature, yet still competitive, one with both swimmers preparing for the global stage. In a heartfelt scene following the first day of the event in which Rin qualifies to move forward while Haruka has not yet, the three childhood friends -- Rin, Haruka and Makoto -- share memories and future plans as three seagulls soar overhead. Makoto says he's changing majors to become a professional trainer and hopes to work with both swimmers, who express positive feelings about this revelation.

At first, Haruka and Sosuke Yamazaki's relationship is combative, even in middle school, when Sosuke wins a race against Haruka and is chided for not swimming at top capacity, thus losing his ability to motivate Rin. In Stroke of Chance Encounter! Sosuke warns Haruka to "stay out of Rin's way," escalating the tensions between them. However, later in Season 2, Sosuke again confronts Haruka, but tells him to keep swimming his best because as long as he does, Rin will, too. In an OVA that features a water gun fight, they are put on the same team. Unsure about the arrangement, at first, Sosuke extend a gesture of peace by jumping in front of Haruka, saving him from being hit by the opposing team's shot. This moment leads to a "truce" and they are friendly with one another thereafter. Others=

Haru first interacts with Aki Yazaki in the novel, after she loses her scarf in the river below the bridge they're both crossing--something that would act as a catalyst to his development. The third character Haru meets as the main POV character of High Speed!, he gives the impression that he doesn't wish to involved in her affairs, stating that retrieving her scarf was "impossible" and leaving. However, it's shown that in spite of Aki seeming her cheerful self again later, worrying over him, it bothers him that he'd coldly brushed her off, and he later gets influenza trying to retrieve it.

Afterwards, although he gradually becomes more open to people, it becomes apparent that he's attentive to her, to the point that Rin believes out of everyone, she and Makoto would be able to convince Haru to join the medley, and thinks "why Haru retrieved the scarf" and "why Aki still wears it despite it having turned brown" is something beyond what he can ask.

Goro Sasabe and Haruka have a good relationship. Goro used to be Haruka's coach while he was still a coach at Iwatobi Swimming Club. When Rin came back from Australia during his Middle School years, Goro was the one to let him and Haruka race back at the Iwatobi Swimming Club pool. He was the only one to know about Rin's and Haruka's race and Rin's breakdown up until he talks with Makoto one night after running into him. He cares about Haruka and others very much and is willing to give his all to help them improve their swimming.