Russell

Russell (ラッセル Rasseru) is a supporting character in the anime series Free! beginning with Free!-Eternal Summer-. Along with his wife Lori, he is the home-stay parent of Rin Matsuoka while he is training in Sydney, Australia.

Appearance
Russell appears to be a solidly build, middle aged man. He has green eyes and short, light brown hair that is slightly receding and parted to the right. He is seen wearing blue jeans and a green t-shirt beneath a long-sleeved buttoned-up khaki shirt.

Personality
He is a kind and hospitable person. Russell is also quite perceptive, as he notices Rin becoming depressed during his initial home-stay. He is also playful, teasing Rin about whether or not he has a girlfriend back in Japan and laughing about the fact that Rin appears to be a "late bloomer" when it comes to dating. He is also shown to be considerate of Haruka Nanase, making efforts to include him in conversation while accommodating his limited English.

Relationships
He and his wife Lori appear to have a stable, happy marriage. He and Rin have a close to familial relationship with Russell taking on a mentoring role for Rin in relation to his swimming.

Story
Russell is one of Rin's host parents during the years Rin spends in Australia, attending school and participating in its swimming club. He meets Rin when he first arrives at the airport and works as a coach at the swimming club Rin attends. He and his wife Lori make sure Rin feels welcome in the foreign country by providing a warm and fun family atmosphere for the young boy, including getting a puppy named Winnie to keep the boy company. He is also the first person to realize that Rin is becoming somewhat depressed when his swimming performance begins to hit a wall.

Several years later, when Rin unexpectedly returns with Haruka in tow, Russell is thrilled, welcoming both young men to stay for dinner. He engages both in conversation about old times and continues to tease Rin, as before. That evening, he and Lori drop the two swimmers off at a hotel in the city with an open invitation for them to return for a visit any time.

Trivia

 * Owns a black dog named Winnie (or Winny), which is a pun on the English word, "win."
 * Winnie, along with Lori and Russell's house, is directly based on a real dog and house that the series staff saw on their reference trip to Sydney for Free!-Eternal Summer-.
 * In the Japanese dub, all Russell's lines are in English and performed by an Australian voice actor. Despite this, the English dub is voiced by an American actor.

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