Toraichi Matsuoka

Toraichi Matsuoka (松岡 虎一 Matsuoka Toraichi) is a minor character in the anime series Free! beginning with Free!. He is the late husband of Miyako Matsuoka and the father of Rin Matsuoka and Gou Matsuoka.

Appearance
Toraichi is a tall, slender adult male with brown eyes and coffee-brown hair that he keeps short at the back, but longer in the front. He sweeps his bangs to either side of his face in a style similar to Rin's when the swimmer is an adolescent, though neater. He also has the same shark-like teeth as his son. Toraichi is likely strong and well-built due to his work running a fishing trawler. He wears corrective lenses for reading and various shirts throughout the series.

Personality
He appears to be a down-to-earth, hard-working individual who cares deeply for his family. His work as a fishing trawler captain takes him away from home for long periods of time but, when he is ashore, he is devoted to Miyako, Rin and Gou. He is seen to be affectionate with his children and spends time with them, reading to them and playing with them. Upon the children learning about his past as a swimmer, they both decide they want to learn to swim, too. Toraichi then gives Rin his swim club tournament medal, an item that inspires Rin to pursue his own swimming dreams.

History
An alumnus of Iwatobi High School and a competitive swimmer in their then-existent swim club, Toraichi is also a member of the original Iwatobi Swimming Club where he and his medley team win a significant tournament (their photo still hangs in the gallery at ITSC RETURNS). He grows up to become a fisherman by trade, but during a particularly bad storm, his fishing boat sinks and he drowns along with his crew, leaving Miyako to raise their children, Rin and Gou, alone.

His death greatly affects the family and both son and daughter visit his grave on a regular basis, evidencing their devotion to his memory. Rin states once that upon learning of his father's death, his own life changed in an instant and that he had to become stronger in order to support his mother and sister.

Toraichi's childhood dream was to compete at the Olympics, but his dream was never realized. Instead, he chooses to remain in Iwatobi Town, becomes a fisherman and marries Miyako, who gives birth to their two children. They appear to have a harmonious marriage and enjoy spending time together as a family.

At one point, Rin tells his Samezuka Academy roommate, Aiichiro Nitori, that he has very few memories of his father since he was always away at his job, but insists upon following a path towards the Olympics because then he might remember his father's face once more. However, as Rin grows older, he claims the dream for himself.

Trivia

 * The pendulum clock that hangs in the Matsuoka house stops telling time at 11:19 A.M., a symbol of Toraichi's time of death.

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Toraichi Matsuoka