Ryuji Azuma

Ryuuji Azuma (東 龍司 Azuma Ryūji) is an ex-swimmerundefined who currently coaches Haru. He was  Mikhail Makarovich's rival when they both were younger and in competition as swimmers. They now maintain a friendly rivalry as professional swimming coaches.

"#199AFE"

- You can't gain that kind of strength without throwing something else away.

Appearance
Ryuuji is tall and slim, with unruly dark hair and bangs parted to the right of his face. He has narrow, dark grey eyes. He has light stubble on his chin. He is first seen wearing a black trenchcoat worn unbuttoned. At other times he wears either a blue tee-shirt or collared-shirt and a dark gray or black un-buttoned blazer.

Personality
Ryuuji is a former competitive athlete with a keen eye for new talent. He prefers working with individuals for whom swimming is a life passion versus a competitive goal. When he learns about Haruka, he is immediately interested but rather than openly approaching Haru, he is cagey and makes his presence known in subtle ways. His skills as a coach are good and Haru respects him, having been able to learn the other three competitive swimming strokes in time to be able to swim with Ikuya during the College Championships. Makoto remarks that he seems like a decent guy and is flattered when Ryuuji tells him that he has the potential to become a professional trainer after seeing how well Makoto deals with Haru's stubborn nature when being coached. Ryuuji is a bit of an enigma - rebellious but knowledgeable about the world of competitive swimming.

History
An alumnus of Iwatobi High School and the Iwatobi Swim Club, he was an extremely powerful swimmer and had a promising career in the competitive scene. He was known as "Fully Built Ryuuji"undefined and on a path to greatness when an yet-unspecified event caused him to lose his competitive edge and he suddenly retired. After retirement, he began coaching overseas. He has returned to Japan and now owns a food blog. He believes Haruka has yet to reveal his true potential as a swimmer and is wasting his energy on personal relationships.

Trivia

 * He doesn't like mackerel.
 * Azuma (東) means east in English