Natsuya Kirishima

Natsuya Kirishima (桐嶋 夏也 Kirishima Natsuya) is a supporting character in the anime series Free!, beginning with the light novel High☆Speed！ written by Kouji Ohji. . He was captain of the Iwatobi Junior High School Swim Club, playing an pivotal role in the development of Haruka Nanase, Makoto Tachibana, Asahi Shiina and younger brother, Ikuya Kirishima. He is now a college-aged individual who competes as a free-lance competitive swimmer following his graduation from high school.

Appearance
Natsuya is a relatively tall and muscular young man. He has vermillion eyes and short, unruly brown hair with bangs that dip betwen his eyes.

Personality
Natsuya is a boisterous, keen, and upbeat character although according to his best friend, Nao Serizawa, he is somewhat socially awkward. On the surface, he doesn't seem deterred by much, but shows a vulnerable side to Nao. As Captain of the juior high school swim club, Natsuya is kind but firm.

He is also highly competitive, as seen when first-year team member, Haruka, claims that he only swims freestyle and the team captain challenges him to a race to determine if this will be so. Their race ends in a tie with Natsuya respecting Haruka's ability, but continuing to monitor and challenge him.

Natsuya cares deeply for his younger brother, Ikuya. They are close until Natsuya decides that he must push Ikuya to be less dependent on him. This, while Ikuya is only in elementary school. He distances himself from his sibling without explanation, a move that distresses Ikuya and damages their relationship for several years.

Natsuya is an excellent swimmer, capable of earning a living via free-lance racing, which he does following high school. He is also shown to have a low alcohol tolerance despite a penchant for imbibing.

History
Natsuya is the captain of the Iwatobi Junior High School Swim Club. His younger brother, Ikuya, is also a member of the team. His best friend, Nao, is the team manager. Natsuya recruits Haruka, Makoto, Asahi and Ikuya (against his will) for the team shortly after they begin their first year of junior high school. Both the light novel and movie, High☆Speed！－Free! Starting Days－, depict his tenure as swim club team captain while season 3 of the anime, Free!-Dive to the Future-, depicts Natsuya as a free-lance competitive swimmer after high school.

Trivia

 * His motif animal is a tiger shark.
 * Natsuya's least favorite subject is math.
 * He hates shiitake mushrooms, but will eat them when he is with Ikuya in order to set a good example
 * His favorite quote is said by Mikhail Makarovich Nitori which is, "Victory only comes to those who believe in themselves," which he interprets as the results depend on you.
 * At a staff talk event for Free!–the Final Stroke–, one of the character designers discussed the main characters' body types in terms of musculature. Natsuya was listed as being "type 4:" noticeably muscular, but still not quite as large/strong as the final two types. It was also specified that Futoshi Nishiya stressed that Natsuya specifically had very "hard" muscles.