Russell

Russell (ラッセル Rasseru) is a supporting character in the second season of Free! 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 on the left. He is seen wearing blue jeans and a green top underneath a light brown button up shirt.

Personality
Both Russell and Lori are kind and hospitable people. Russell is 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." 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. Russell also takes on a mentoring role for Rin in relation to his swimming.

Story
Russell is one of Rin's host parents during the years he spends in Sydney, Australia, attending school and a special swimming club. He meets Rin when he 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 dog named Winnie (as a puppy). 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 at 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 a real Australian voice actor. Despite this, the English dub has him voiced by an American actor.

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