Ikuya Kirishima

Ikuya Kirishima (桐嶋 郁弥 Kirishima Ikuya) is one of the main characters in the movie High☆Speed！－Free! Starting Days－ and Free!'s third season, Free!-Dive to the Future-. He was also a minor character in the light novel High☆Speed!. He is the younger brother of the Iwatobi Junior High swimming club's captain, Natsuya Kirishima. He is currently studying at Shimogami University, where he is on the swim team, alongside his friend from America, Hiyori Tono.

Appearance
Ikuya is a muscular, though smaller-framed young man with teal hair, amber eyes and long, black eyelashes. He and his brother do not look particularly alike, but share the same eye color. In competition, he wears black jammers with subtle brown and gray designs.

Personality
In the beginning, Ikuya was rather quiet, cynical, and distrustful of others. He gradually started to warm up to his friends, eventually trusting them, though he still retains the quiet part of his personality.

Ikuya in Free! Dive to the Future, is a lot like Haruka Nanase in the first TV series. He is detached but unlike Haruka's lack of reaction he seems more distracted and also aloof. Ikuya expresses his distaste or annoyance more often than Haruka so he is less reserved than Haruka in that regard. Like Haruka in the first TV series, who only wanted to swim freestyle, he seems to only participate in Individual Medley (IM). Due to problems between Rin and Haruka, Haruka quit the swimming team when they were in middle school without giving a reason. Asahi also left. Makoto did not press for any reasons either. Ikuya did ask Haruka why he left but it seemed he didn't wish to answer.

This sudden isolation made Ikuya feel like drowning so he left for America to train and be with his brother. Like Makoto, Ikuya does have some fear of water due to the fact he almost drowned multiple times. The reason for that is Ikuya is so determined that he forgets his limits and runs out of oxygen while swimming.

Unlike Haruka, who sees water as his natural element and has troubles understanding swimming and competition, Ikuya is his opposite. Ikuya seems to think swimming and competition are more natural to him than water. This is indicated in how when he is feeling water as an "enemy" or reaching a limit he the elements as binding him down. Similar to how in Eternal Summer, Haruka stopped swimming as he thought the water was binding him. Thus they are both brilliant swimmers they are not necessarily the same.

Ikuya is quiet like Haruka. Uptil now, the past seems to haunt him a lot and he feels that he can't trust people. When Haruka genuinely wishes to apologise to him after they meet in their university days; Ikuya casually brushes him off not really caring. Asahi and others later realize that Ikuya has a quiet anger about him because of what happened in middle school. He wanted to win as a team, he was inspired by Haruka to try freesytle and then the team was no longer there. Ikuya's problems with swimming and his past are further implied by his multiple readings of The Little Mermaid. Ikuya reads the ocean described as a pure paradise beyond the world's problems but his reading show he has hesitation in fully believing this as he almost drowned in water. He likes mermaids because water is their natural environment. However, when Ariel gains legs and is in pain for these new appendages; Ikuya seems to understand her. It seems he feels like Ariel as in that he knows that the water is beautiful but he may also need land. Metaphorically, it meant he must walk in another environment, mainly confront his past, if he ever wishes to move forward.

In the beginning of the 3rd season, Haruka contemplates if he wants to be 'ordinary' and if he has what it takes to be something more, whereas Ikuya professes to Hiyori he never wishes to be 'ordinary'. Therein lies a major difference between the two characters, Haruka swims because he likes to but Ikuya also does it because he likes winning.

History
Ikuya enjoyed swimming as a child, but grew disenchanted with it as he grew older. This was due, in part, to his idolization of his older brother upon whom he depended a great deal. In a misguided effort to force Ikuya to become self-sufficient and independent, Natsuya pulls away emotionally, but instead of Ikuya rising to the challenge, his fragile self-esteem perceives the distancing as a rejection and he begins to renounce the things that Natsuya and he used to share, like swimming. In junior high, he tries to avoid joining the swimming club because Natsuya is the Captain, but is "roped into" doing so by Haruka, Makoto and Asahi. Once a member, it becomes obvious that Ikuya is an excellent swimmer, but has health issues due to his perfectionism and over-training to the point of oxygen deprivation. Once, during practice, he lost consciousness while swimming and was rescued by Haruka. Over time, Ikuya comes to respect and enjoy the camaraderie of being on a team and hopes his newfound friends continue swimming. Unfortunately, it is during this time that Haruka has a falling out with Rin and gives up competitive swimming and the team's plans to work together fall apart, as do their developing bonds. Shortly thereafter, Ikuya follows Natsuya to America where they attend high school, returning to Japan for university studies.

Trivia

 * He is a childhood friend of Nii Satomi, who only appears in the light novel.
 * His favorite foods are fried shrimp, sweet tamagoyaki and pistachio cream
 * Since he is the youngest in his family, he has always wanted a younger brother
 * According to Hiyori, pistachio drinks are Ikuya's favourite.
 * His motif animal is a beluga.