List of Suzuka characters

This is a character guide to the manga and anime series Suzuka and its sequel, A Town Where You Live.

Main characters

 * Yamato Akitsuki (秋月 大和)
 * The main protagonist of the series. He moved from his home in rural Hiroshima to his aunt’s dormitory in Tokyo to change himself. While checking out his new high school, he sees a beautiful high jumper practicing and falls in love at first sight. By chance she happens to be his next door neighbor, Suzuka Asahina. Yamato is clumsy and has a carefree attitude, which often gets him into comprising situations. He has an almost spineless attitude when it comes to defending his position on a subject when confronted and his need to apologize constantly when he thinks he did something wrong makes him a generally weak willed character. When the need arises, he can become focused and determined. He is exceedingly clueless when it comes to girls and their feelings except for the fact the Suzuka is not your typical girl and would be hard for anyone to read. Although not the best in academics, he discovered a natural gift as a sprinter, and joined the track and field team. During his senior year of high school, he became a well-liked and respected track captain. Even though he did not achieve his goal of becoming first nationally during high school in the 100 meters, he was scouted and recommended to attend two universities: Touto University and Seijo University. After being released from his promise with Saki and realizing that he was still in love with Asahina, he decided to try for acceptance to Seijo University. When he confessed to Suzuka that he wanted to restart their relationship, she stated that she did not because of the fear of getting hurt. Through patience, understanding, and persistence, they made up. During Seijo University's track tryouts, Yamato performed poorly at the start of his race, but showed enough potential at the end for the Selection Committee to unanimously choose him for the scholarship. Pressured by Yasunobu, Yamato decided to take his relationship to the next level. Suzuka initially was against it, but Yamato sets her at ease and they take a step forward in the relationship. Three months later, he learns that Suzuka is pregnant. He is troubled by the decision of her having an abortion and going to the University or keeping the baby and skipping school to work. He admitted to Suzuka that he wants her to keep the baby. After much discussion between the two they both decided to keep the baby and get married, and decided to drop out of the university. It was revealed that they had a daughter named Fūka (風夏, "Breezy Summer" or alternately, "Summer Breeze").
 * The main protagonist of the series. He moved from his home in rural Hiroshima to his aunt’s dormitory in Tokyo to change himself. While checking out his new high school, he sees a beautiful high jumper practicing and falls in love at first sight. By chance she happens to be his next door neighbor, Suzuka Asahina. Yamato is clumsy and has a carefree attitude, which often gets him into comprising situations. He has an almost spineless attitude when it comes to defending his position on a subject when confronted and his need to apologize constantly when he thinks he did something wrong makes him a generally weak willed character. When the need arises, he can become focused and determined. He is exceedingly clueless when it comes to girls and their feelings except for the fact the Suzuka is not your typical girl and would be hard for anyone to read. Although not the best in academics, he discovered a natural gift as a sprinter, and joined the track and field team. During his senior year of high school, he became a well-liked and respected track captain. Even though he did not achieve his goal of becoming first nationally during high school in the 100 meters, he was scouted and recommended to attend two universities: Touto University and Seijo University. After being released from his promise with Saki and realizing that he was still in love with Asahina, he decided to try for acceptance to Seijo University. When he confessed to Suzuka that he wanted to restart their relationship, she stated that she did not because of the fear of getting hurt. Through patience, understanding, and persistence, they made up. During Seijo University's track tryouts, Yamato performed poorly at the start of his race, but showed enough potential at the end for the Selection Committee to unanimously choose him for the scholarship. Pressured by Yasunobu, Yamato decided to take his relationship to the next level. Suzuka initially was against it, but Yamato sets her at ease and they take a step forward in the relationship. Three months later, he learns that Suzuka is pregnant. He is troubled by the decision of her having an abortion and going to the University or keeping the baby and skipping school to work. He admitted to Suzuka that he wants her to keep the baby. After much discussion between the two they both decided to keep the baby and get married, and decided to drop out of the university. It was revealed that they had a daughter named Fūka (風夏, "Breezy Summer" or alternately, "Summer Breeze").




 * Suzuka Asahina (朝比奈 涼風)
 * The title character and deuteragonist of the series, she is a talented female high jumper from Yokohama that was scouted by many famous high schools because of her skill. While in Tokyo, she lives in Ayano’s dormitory, next door to Yamato. She is a serious athlete that puts a lot of pressure on herself to perform so she does not disappoint others. At first, she has a very cold attitude toward Yamato, but according to her sister, Suzuka only shows her arrogant and somewhat moody attitude to someone she likes. Because of her past with Kazuki, she was reluctant to express her feelings toward Yamato and ended up trying to push him away for a very long time. Her reaction in the manga and anime was to slap him repeatedly the first time he kissed her. Later in the manga after they had gone out a short while he tried to kiss her again and was met with another slap. Then after a misunderstanding Suzuka threatened to slap him again and when he closed his eyes she kissed him followed up with yet another slap to the face. After a while, she finally admits to herself and to Yamato that she has liked him since the first time they met, and they begin dating. Their relationship was rocky from the start because of Yamato’s carelessness and Suzuka's guarded attitude to her thoughts and feelings. She decides to take the offer to study abroad from Sasoka, claiming the training standards are higher and she will benefit more, but it was really because Yamato complimented her on how cool she looked during her high-jump. After the time-skip, Suzuka moved back into her room next door to Yamato. She, like Yamato, was recommended to Seijo University, which she plans on attending. After Yamato told her he wanted to rekindle their relationship, she was against the idea because she was afraid that if they date again, they will begin to hate each other and drift apart. When Yamato shows his devotion to her, they get back together. Things once again became unsettled after Yamato tries to further their relationship to a physical one. She reacted by slapping him when he groped her. After he apologies, she stated that she was simply nervous of the idea, but that if he wanted to, she would take that step forward. After being caught on their secret trip by her father, she is forced to move back home. During this time she feels ill. After Yamato works out the problems with her father, he convinces her to go get the illness checked out. When she comes out, she reveals that the illness was actually morning sickness, as she is three months pregnant. After much discussion between the two they both decided to keep the baby and get married, and decided to drop out of the university. Even though Yamato has to get employed to support his new family, Suzuka wants him to get a job in a company which has a track team. Their child was revealed to be a girl named Fūka. In A Town Where You Live, Suzuka is revealed (indirectly) to be 21 years old.
 * The title character and deuteragonist of the series, she is a talented female high jumper from Yokohama that was scouted by many famous high schools because of her skill. While in Tokyo, she lives in Ayano’s dormitory, next door to Yamato. She is a serious athlete that puts a lot of pressure on herself to perform so she does not disappoint others. At first, she has a very cold attitude toward Yamato, but according to her sister, Suzuka only shows her arrogant and somewhat moody attitude to someone she likes. Because of her past with Kazuki, she was reluctant to express her feelings toward Yamato and ended up trying to push him away for a very long time. Her reaction in the manga and anime was to slap him repeatedly the first time he kissed her. Later in the manga after they had gone out a short while he tried to kiss her again and was met with another slap. Then after a misunderstanding Suzuka threatened to slap him again and when he closed his eyes she kissed him followed up with yet another slap to the face. After a while, she finally admits to herself and to Yamato that she has liked him since the first time they met, and they begin dating. Their relationship was rocky from the start because of Yamato’s carelessness and Suzuka's guarded attitude to her thoughts and feelings. She decides to take the offer to study abroad from Sasoka, claiming the training standards are higher and she will benefit more, but it was really because Yamato complimented her on how cool she looked during her high-jump. After the time-skip, Suzuka moved back into her room next door to Yamato. She, like Yamato, was recommended to Seijo University, which she plans on attending. After Yamato told her he wanted to rekindle their relationship, she was against the idea because she was afraid that if they date again, they will begin to hate each other and drift apart. When Yamato shows his devotion to her, they get back together. Things once again became unsettled after Yamato tries to further their relationship to a physical one. She reacted by slapping him when he groped her. After he apologies, she stated that she was simply nervous of the idea, but that if he wanted to, she would take that step forward. After being caught on their secret trip by her father, she is forced to move back home. During this time she feels ill. After Yamato works out the problems with her father, he convinces her to go get the illness checked out. When she comes out, she reveals that the illness was actually morning sickness, as she is three months pregnant. After much discussion between the two they both decided to keep the baby and get married, and decided to drop out of the university. Even though Yamato has to get employed to support his new family, Suzuka wants him to get a job in a company which has a track team. Their child was revealed to be a girl named Fūka. In A Town Where You Live, Suzuka is revealed (indirectly) to be 21 years old.




 * Honoka Sakurai (桜井 萌果)
 * The tritagonist of the series, she met Yamato from an incident that happened in their childhood at her family’s shrine that he often went to when visiting his aunt. Ever since, Honoka has had a crush on him, but was too shy to talk to him. Much to her shock, Yamato entered her high school and was even part of her class. Seeing her opportunity, she begins to talk with him and they become friends. When Yamato joins the track team, she decides to become the manager so they do not grow apart. After a little while, she finally confesses her feelings to Yamato and they begin dating. The relationship lasts less than a month because of Yamato’s carelessness and Honoka’s own insecurities. After realizing her mistake, she claims that she wants to confess again when she gains more confidence. When she learns that Yamato and Suzuka are dating, she decides to quit being the track manager and take up an offer made by the modeling agency of her best friend, Nana. After a modeling shoot, she happens to run into Yamato again after he has broken up with Suzuka. She clearly still harbors feelings for him but being a popular model, she has become more confident and now can openly talk with him. While at the beach, she surprised Yamato by asking if they should be a couple again. In shock, Yamato accidentally took it as a joke. Because of this incident, she decided to no longer wait for Yamato and began dating a coworker who confessed to her. In order to be fair to her new boyfriend, she decided it would not be a good idea for them to hang out together anymore. Her design was reused for Yuzuki Eba in Kouji Seo's new series A Town Where You Live and she was mentioned briefly on a television show telling about her love situation with Yamato to the audience. She graduated with Yamato and the others. She was also in Suzukas and Yamato's wedding
 * The tritagonist of the series, she met Yamato from an incident that happened in their childhood at her family’s shrine that he often went to when visiting his aunt. Ever since, Honoka has had a crush on him, but was too shy to talk to him. Much to her shock, Yamato entered her high school and was even part of her class. Seeing her opportunity, she begins to talk with him and they become friends. When Yamato joins the track team, she decides to become the manager so they do not grow apart. After a little while, she finally confesses her feelings to Yamato and they begin dating. The relationship lasts less than a month because of Yamato’s carelessness and Honoka’s own insecurities. After realizing her mistake, she claims that she wants to confess again when she gains more confidence. When she learns that Yamato and Suzuka are dating, she decides to quit being the track manager and take up an offer made by the modeling agency of her best friend, Nana. After a modeling shoot, she happens to run into Yamato again after he has broken up with Suzuka. She clearly still harbors feelings for him but being a popular model, she has become more confident and now can openly talk with him. While at the beach, she surprised Yamato by asking if they should be a couple again. In shock, Yamato accidentally took it as a joke. Because of this incident, she decided to no longer wait for Yamato and began dating a coworker who confessed to her. In order to be fair to her new boyfriend, she decided it would not be a good idea for them to hang out together anymore. Her design was reused for Yuzuki Eba in Kouji Seo's new series A Town Where You Live and she was mentioned briefly on a television show telling about her love situation with Yamato to the audience. She graduated with Yamato and the others. She was also in Suzukas and Yamato's wedding


 * Yasunobu Hattori (服部 安信)
 * Has been friends with Yamato since they were kids. They often met whenever Yamato came to stay with his aunt Ayano; however, Hattori would frequently get Yamato in trouble, since Hattori would take advantage of the fact that Ayano's dormitory also contained a women's bath. He is a ladies' man that, according to Yamato, prefers perverted stuff over eating. He dreams of dating all the girls in the world and the legalization of polygyny in Japan. Yasunobu is often giving relationship advice to Yamato, with rather amusing results, due to the latter's being clueless and tendency to screw up. Even though he sometimes gets Yamato in bad situations, he usually has Yamato’s best interests in mind. Much to Yamato and Miki's surprise, Yasunobu has been a straight "A" student during high school. Yasunobu and Miki recently have made cameos in A Town Where You Live where they were meeting each other during Haruto's class trip to Tokyo.
 * Has been friends with Yamato since they were kids. They often met whenever Yamato came to stay with his aunt Ayano; however, Hattori would frequently get Yamato in trouble, since Hattori would take advantage of the fact that Ayano's dormitory also contained a women's bath. He is a ladies' man that, according to Yamato, prefers perverted stuff over eating. He dreams of dating all the girls in the world and the legalization of polygyny in Japan. Yasunobu is often giving relationship advice to Yamato, with rather amusing results, due to the latter's being clueless and tendency to screw up. Even though he sometimes gets Yamato in bad situations, he usually has Yamato’s best interests in mind. Much to Yamato and Miki's surprise, Yasunobu has been a straight "A" student during high school. Yasunobu and Miki recently have made cameos in A Town Where You Live where they were meeting each other during Haruto's class trip to Tokyo.




 * Miki Hashiba (羽柴 美紀)
 * Miki is a first year high school student and member of the school field and track team as a sprinter. She is best friends with Suzuka Asahina and later Yamato. Before they began attending the same high school, Miki had often encountered Suzuka during track meets and disliked her because Suzuka came off as cold and aloof.  However, once she realized that Suzuka's distant nature resulted from her perfectionist tendencies and dedication to her sport, Miki came to respect Suzuka and they became friends. Although initially attracted to Yamato Akitsuki, upon realizing he was infatuated with her best friend Suzuka, she immediately puts a hold on her own feelings .  Miki is extremely loyal to her friends and will do anything to help them.  She meddles constantly in their affairs and can be quite incessant in forcing them to confront their feelings.  When asked what is most important to her in life, her answer was simply, "Friends!"
 * Miki is a first year high school student and member of the school field and track team as a sprinter. She is best friends with Suzuka Asahina and later Yamato. Before they began attending the same high school, Miki had often encountered Suzuka during track meets and disliked her because Suzuka came off as cold and aloof.  However, once she realized that Suzuka's distant nature resulted from her perfectionist tendencies and dedication to her sport, Miki came to respect Suzuka and they became friends. Although initially attracted to Yamato Akitsuki, upon realizing he was infatuated with her best friend Suzuka, she immediately puts a hold on her own feelings .  Miki is extremely loyal to her friends and will do anything to help them.  She meddles constantly in their affairs and can be quite incessant in forcing them to confront their feelings.  When asked what is most important to her in life, her answer was simply, "Friends!"

Girls' dormitory

 * Ayano Fujikawa (藤川 綾乃)
 * Yamato's aunt, who is the landlady of the women’s dormitory and public bathhouse. She lets Yamato stay rent-free and pays him for cleaning. She seems to be close with her tenants and is even proud of their accomplishments. She often cooks meals for her nephew and Suzuka. Yamato's mother revealed that her marriage was an elopement. Even though her husband is deceased, she continues to wear her wedding band.
 * Yamato's aunt, who is the landlady of the women’s dormitory and public bathhouse. She lets Yamato stay rent-free and pays him for cleaning. She seems to be close with her tenants and is even proud of their accomplishments. She often cooks meals for her nephew and Suzuka. Yamato's mother revealed that her marriage was an elopement. Even though her husband is deceased, she continues to wear her wedding band.




 * Miho Fujikawa (藤川 美穂)
 * Ayano's daughter and Yamato’s younger cousin by two years. She is very attached and protective of Yamato to the point of being jealous of Suzuka. Occasionally, she reminds Yamato of his childhood promise to marry her to cheer him up or as a joke. During the time skip, she became a high school student, moved into Suzuka's old room, and became the track manager. When Suzuka moved back to the apartments, she was forced to give up her room and move back in with her mother.
 * Ayano's daughter and Yamato’s younger cousin by two years. She is very attached and protective of Yamato to the point of being jealous of Suzuka. Occasionally, she reminds Yamato of his childhood promise to marry her to cheer him up or as a joke. During the time skip, she became a high school student, moved into Suzuka's old room, and became the track manager. When Suzuka moved back to the apartments, she was forced to give up her room and move back in with her mother.




 * Yuka Saotome (早乙女 優花)
 * A boisterous busybody college student from rural Akita that lives in Ayano’s dormitory. She likes to drink and usually ends up in Yamato’s room with her best friend Megumi. She has been known to take pictures of Yamato in compromising positions so she can blackmail him later. Even though she considers her relationship with Yamato to be “master and slave”, she often tries to help him with his relationship problems and has admitted that she worries about him. He also seems to be one of the few people she can be vulnerable with. In fact, Yamato is the only one that she has told about her one sided love for Sasaoka, who she has liked since high school. She had confessed to him fifteen times, but Sasaoka took it as a joke because she never seriously followed through. These rejections had a profound impact on her life, driving her to change her appearance and her dating behavior. Before Sasaoka left for the United States, Yamato took her to the airport so she could finally convince him of her feelings. Even though she finally got through to him, he revealed he is already engaged to be married next year. She took this rejection well, claiming that she felt refreshed and not as devastated as she originally thought. After thanking Yamato, she proclaimed she will become a better woman and find an even better man. She has since returned her appearance to the way it was when Yamato first met her.
 * A boisterous busybody college student from rural Akita that lives in Ayano’s dormitory. She likes to drink and usually ends up in Yamato’s room with her best friend Megumi. She has been known to take pictures of Yamato in compromising positions so she can blackmail him later. Even though she considers her relationship with Yamato to be “master and slave”, she often tries to help him with his relationship problems and has admitted that she worries about him. He also seems to be one of the few people she can be vulnerable with. In fact, Yamato is the only one that she has told about her one sided love for Sasaoka, who she has liked since high school. She had confessed to him fifteen times, but Sasaoka took it as a joke because she never seriously followed through. These rejections had a profound impact on her life, driving her to change her appearance and her dating behavior. Before Sasaoka left for the United States, Yamato took her to the airport so she could finally convince him of her feelings. Even though she finally got through to him, he revealed he is already engaged to be married next year. She took this rejection well, claiming that she felt refreshed and not as devastated as she originally thought. After thanking Yamato, she proclaimed she will become a better woman and find an even better man. She has since returned her appearance to the way it was when Yamato first met her.




 * Megumi Matsumoto (松本 恵美)
 * A soft-spoken, bespectacled college student who also lives in Ayano’s dormitory. She is often seen trying to reign in Yuka when she is drunk. Ironically, Megumi gets drunk easily, and in that state is even wilder than Yuka, often berating Yamato on how all men are perverts, accusing Yamato of staring at her chest, flashing him, and then slapping him for looking. She has expressed the desire to become married.
 * A soft-spoken, bespectacled college student who also lives in Ayano’s dormitory. She is often seen trying to reign in Yuka when she is drunk. Ironically, Megumi gets drunk easily, and in that state is even wilder than Yuka, often berating Yamato on how all men are perverts, accusing Yamato of staring at her chest, flashing him, and then slapping him for looking. She has expressed the desire to become married.

Characters in track

 * Kazuki Tsuda (津田 和輝)†
 * When Suzuka and Sōichi were in middle school, Kazuki was their track captain, and was ranked first in the 100 meter. The similarities between him and Yamato are a striking resemblance in terms of looks, personality, and running talent. During track practices, he and Suzuka would often fight because she wanted practices to be serious and he wanted them to be fun. Before the national tournament, he confessed to her and told her not to answer until he had won. On the day of the tournament, when running home to get his spikes that he forgot, he was hit and killed by a driver who fell asleep at the wheel. His death has since weighed heavily on Suzuka, since she never confessed to him that she reciprocated his feelings for her.
 * When Suzuka and Sōichi were in middle school, Kazuki was their track captain, and was ranked first in the 100 meter. The similarities between him and Yamato are a striking resemblance in terms of looks, personality, and running talent. During track practices, he and Suzuka would often fight because she wanted practices to be serious and he wanted them to be fun. Before the national tournament, he confessed to her and told her not to answer until he had won. On the day of the tournament, when running home to get his spikes that he forgot, he was hit and killed by a driver who fell asleep at the wheel. His death has since weighed heavily on Suzuka, since she never confessed to him that she reciprocated his feelings for her.




 * Tetsuhito Kinugasa (衣笠 鉄人)
 * The track captain when Yamato first joined the team. He competes in shot put and is often seen putting Yamato in a headlock or making him do extra training. His name (Kinugasa) literally means "Iron man".He has high expectations for Yamato, so much that during actual tournaments he will not watch Yamato run and often resorts to hiding behind a tree. Even though he has graduated and is now attending Seijō University, he still comes to check on the high school track team. After learning that Yamato and Suzuka got recommendations for Seijō, he offered to show Yamato and Suzuka around the campus. He was personally training Yamato before the start of the academic term, until Yamato decided enter the workforce instead of attending the University. Tetsuhito expressed his disappointment that Yamato did not confide his problems with him. He also made sure that Yamato understood the consequence of his and Suzuka's decision to drop out, since that would mean that Seijō University would probably no longer take members of their high school any more for selections. After seeing Yamato and Suzuka apologizing to the high school track club, he expresses support for their choice.
 * The track captain when Yamato first joined the team. He competes in shot put and is often seen putting Yamato in a headlock or making him do extra training. His name (Kinugasa) literally means "Iron man".He has high expectations for Yamato, so much that during actual tournaments he will not watch Yamato run and often resorts to hiding behind a tree. Even though he has graduated and is now attending Seijō University, he still comes to check on the high school track team. After learning that Yamato and Suzuka got recommendations for Seijō, he offered to show Yamato and Suzuka around the campus. He was personally training Yamato before the start of the academic term, until Yamato decided enter the workforce instead of attending the University. Tetsuhito expressed his disappointment that Yamato did not confide his problems with him. He also made sure that Yamato understood the consequence of his and Suzuka's decision to drop out, since that would mean that Seijō University would probably no longer take members of their high school any more for selections. After seeing Yamato and Suzuka apologizing to the high school track club, he expresses support for their choice.




 * Sōichi Miyamoto (宮本 総一)
 * One of the members of the track team and captain after Kinugasa graduates. A classmate of Suzuka's from junior high school. After hearing about Yamato's performance in physical tests, he actively persuades Yamato to join the track team. When Yamato came to him to help with making better times, he analyzed that data, found that Yamato was reaching his top speed too early, and made a training regimen for him. He believes Yamato has the potential to surpass Kazuki's skill. Before graduating, he chose Yamato to become the next track captain. He is currently is part of Tōto University's track team and was influential in Yamato getting his recommendation. Even though Yamato eventually chose to attend Seijō, he still wanted him to perform his best.
 * One of the members of the track team and captain after Kinugasa graduates. A classmate of Suzuka's from junior high school. After hearing about Yamato's performance in physical tests, he actively persuades Yamato to join the track team. When Yamato came to him to help with making better times, he analyzed that data, found that Yamato was reaching his top speed too early, and made a training regimen for him. He believes Yamato has the potential to surpass Kazuki's skill. Before graduating, he chose Yamato to become the next track captain. He is currently is part of Tōto University's track team and was influential in Yamato getting his recommendation. Even though Yamato eventually chose to attend Seijō, he still wanted him to perform his best.




 * Arima Emerson (エメルソン·有馬)
 * He is Yamato's main track rival, who is ranked first nationally in the 100 meter sprint. He initially went to Tōto University High School. During junior high school, he was always beaten by Kazuki, which is still a touchy subject for him. Like Suzuka, he took up the offer to study abroad in United States, during which he stayed informed about Yamato's running times back in Japan. Afterward, he decided to go Tōto University and run for their track team. He indirectly helped Yamato realize that Suzuka and their unborn child was more important to him then track which lead to Yamato's decision to not attend University and become employed to support his family. Near the end of the series, he still expresses hopes that he will have a chance to compete with Yamato in the Olympics. He went on to represent Japan in the 100m.
 * He is Yamato's main track rival, who is ranked first nationally in the 100 meter sprint. He initially went to Tōto University High School. During junior high school, he was always beaten by Kazuki, which is still a touchy subject for him. Like Suzuka, he took up the offer to study abroad in United States, during which he stayed informed about Yamato's running times back in Japan. Afterward, he decided to go Tōto University and run for their track team. He indirectly helped Yamato realize that Suzuka and their unborn child was more important to him then track which lead to Yamato's decision to not attend University and become employed to support his family. Near the end of the series, he still expresses hopes that he will have a chance to compete with Yamato in the Olympics. He went on to represent Japan in the 100m.




 * Kenji Kobayakawa (小早川 健二)
 * A hard working sprinter of the track team who was on an athletic scholarship. Even though he is a talented sprinter, he is not as fast as Yamato in the 100 meters. He dislikes Yamato because he outperforms him in track and Honoka, the girl he liked, had only had eyes for Yamato. Like Yamato, he was scouted by the universities in his senior year at high school. When Yamato and Suzuka told the high school track club that they dropped out of Seijō University, he was the only member that was upset about their decision. A running joke through the series is the is often forgotten about by the other characters. He went on to represent Japan in the 200m.
 * A hard working sprinter of the track team who was on an athletic scholarship. Even though he is a talented sprinter, he is not as fast as Yamato in the 100 meters. He dislikes Yamato because he outperforms him in track and Honoka, the girl he liked, had only had eyes for Yamato. Like Yamato, he was scouted by the universities in his senior year at high school. When Yamato and Suzuka told the high school track club that they dropped out of Seijō University, he was the only member that was upset about their decision. A running joke through the series is the is often forgotten about by the other characters. He went on to represent Japan in the 200m.




 * Tsuyoshi Kusakabe (日下部 刚)
 * He is one of classmates of Miho's. He has liked Miho for a long time, but has had little success with winning her affections. During his first year in high school, he joined the track team and it's implied that he hung around Miho, who's usually with Yamato, as much as possible. On the track team, he became arrogant when he was not under Yamato's supervision. This caused Yamato to treat Tsuyoshi in a similar fashion as Kinugasa treated Yamato. With support from Miho and Suzuka and with Yamato's guidance, he was able to take first place at the rookie track meet.

Other characters

 * Nana Shirakawa (白川 奈々)
 * A popular singing idol who has been Honoka’s mentor. Most are surprised to discover this because it is unexpected that someone as timid as Honoka would have such glamorous acquaintances. Even though Nana's famous, she considers Honoka to be her only friend because she treats her normally. Because of this she is very protective of her.
 * A popular singing idol who has been Honoka’s mentor. Most are surprised to discover this because it is unexpected that someone as timid as Honoka would have such glamorous acquaintances. Even though Nana's famous, she considers Honoka to be her only friend because she treats her normally. Because of this she is very protective of her.




 * Suzune Asahina (朝比奈 涼音)
 * Voiced by" Mina Tominaga (Japanese), Laura Bailey (English)
 * Suzuka's older sister by one year. According to her younger sister, Suzune is slightly dim-witted. Early in the series, every time she meets Yamato, she has the family dog "Muku" attack him. She is the only character that has an easy time reading Suzuka's thoughts. She shows up later on when Yamato walks home Suzuka from a date. She was apparently very amused when Yamato first met her parents and reveals later that unlike Yamato, her own boyfriend was not allowed into their house by her stern father because her boyfriend failed to greet Mr. Asahina properly.




 * Yui Amami (天見 結衣)
 * One of the girls in the group date that Yasunobu tricked Yamato into going on. She took a liking to him and her feelings only grew when Yamato began working at her family’s cafe, which was the only place of employment that Yamato could find that allowed him to work one day a week.  After Yamato and Suzuka broke up, she visited Yamato to try and cheer him up.  Seeing the state he was in, she tried to comfort him both physically and emotionally, but found that he did not reciprocate her feelings. She was later on invited by Yasunobu to celebrate Yamato and Suzuka marriage held by their friends, which made Yamato nervous until Yasunobu reassured him that she was not the type to hangon forever. Later on she was in attendance at their wedding ceremony. Yui and her father recently have made cameos in A Town Where You Live.




 * Hiroshi Sasaoka (佐々岡 浩志)
 * A salesman for the sports equipment company “Adriex”. One of his jobs is to recruit Japan’s top student athletes to study abroad and train in the United States, for which all expenses are paid by his company. He was also Yuka’s crush from high school, but, much to her displeasure, he still treated her like a younger sister. Before transferring him back to the United States for the next 5 to 6 years, Yuka finally convinces him of her feelings for him. He told her that a relationship was not possible because he was already engaged to be married next year. Later on, he comes back to Japan to make wedding preparations, during which he was contacted by Suzuka about any employment opportunities for Yamato. He said there was an opening in an affiliate company and he would be willing to give Yamato a recommendation, which lead to Yamato getting employed by a company that has a track team.

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 * Saki Asai (浅井 咲希)
 * Yamato's childhood friend from Hiroshima, who is also the same girl from his original firefly confession. She stayed at Ayano's dormitory for about a week while she touring Touto University, where she wanted to study fashion. She learned that Yamato was recommend to Touto, she made him pinky swear they would attend together. During her stay, she showed interest in her childhood friend, but her advances were mistaken by Yamato for her playful nature. After she realized that Yamato was still in love with then ex-girlfriend Suzuka, she released him from the promise before she returned home. Later on she is seen attending Yamato and Suzuka's wedding ceremony.

Main

 * Haruto Kirishima (桐島 青大)
 * He is the male protagonist of the series. He has a reserved personality, which causes him to become perturbed with Yuzuki and his sister's actions. He has a very strong sense of responsibility as well as consideration for others. He is a member of the cooking club because he thought that Nanami would also join.


 * Before the series, he always lived in his hometown. He met a lost Yuzuki during the festival while they were kids, he took care of her and told her that if she ever had problems she could come see him again. Entering in middle school he secretly had a crush on Nanami.


 * At the beginning of the series when Yuzuki comes to his house, he's a little irritated with her and doesn't remember meeting her before. But he becomes protective of her and they become good friends. Thanks to Yuzuki he gets closer to Nanami and finally confesses to her, but she replies that she wants them to stay friends and tells him that she wants more time to think about answering his confession. Yuzuki also confesses her love to him, saying that he'll fall for her eventually, but she believes that first he'll end up with Nanami.


 * When Yuzuki has a personal problem and needs to travel to Tokyo, he gets on a train with her and helps her with family problems. But weeks later, Nanami discovers that he hid the fact that he travelled with Yuzuki instead of going on the date they planned together. She first seems to be able to forgive that, but after he chooses to retrieve a missing Yuzuki instead of staying with her, she decides to reject him. Rejected by Nanami, Haruto is consoled by Yuzuki and also realises that Nanami probably rejected him due to Yuzuki's presence in his life. Later, Nanami confirms this, but when Haruto asks her to hide that from Yuzuki (to not hurt her), she slaps him, saying no to play with her feelings, because the person he really loves is Yuzuki. At the same time Yuzuki announces that she'll be back to Tokyo in April, her family issues being partly solved. He eventually invites her to the Kouyasai but she explains that they can't date now, because she can stay for only a few months. So, he decides to leave their relationship as it is rather than confess.


 * Finally, the day of Yuzuki's return to Tokyo arrives and Haruto finally sums up the courage to confess his love and requests that she stays by his side forever instead of going to Tokyo and to go out with him. As she boards the train to Tokyo, she agrees to have a long distance relationship. Planning to meet her and buy her a gift during a school field trip to Tokyo, he finds a job at a restaurant in Hiroshima, were he meets Shiho Amagi, who shares with him the dream of becoming a chef. While in the beginning, he considered her too strict, he finally befriends her. During the trip Nanami asks him to temporarily pose as her boyfriend to impress a boastful friend, after which they are eventually discovered holding hands on a train station by Yuzuki. Haruto then decides to meet up with her in person to clear the misunderstanding. Yuzuki explains she understands and forgives him for what happened, then he gives her a kiss for the first time. But for several weeks after the trip Yuzuki doesn't contact him, while his phone number seems blocked. Haruto believes that Yuzuki has broken up with him which results in him becoming deeply depressed. Nanami, who still loves him, and is pained by how he became, decides to make a move, by joining the cooking club with him and meeting him regularly. After she was informed by Rin that Yuzuki got a new boyfriend before the school trip, Nanami decides to confess. However, Haruto later rejects her confession after he discovers a letter he has been long ignorant of in the bag that had the shirt Eba gave to him, believing that something had happened to Eba rather than Eba finding a new boyfriend and cutting off all contact with him. Due to this, he decided to transfer to a school in Tokyo after the school term.


 * Yuzuki Eba (枝葉 柚希)
 * She is the female protagonist of the series. She moved from Tokyo to her father's hometown. She is staying with the Kirishimas, who are her father's acquaintances. She has a sociable personality and gets along with others easily. She confesses that she likes Haruto, but it does not prevent her from helping Haruto get closer to Nanami. It is later on revealed in the manga that she had met Haruto once when they were younger at the summer festival, and he had helped her stop crying. She consoled Haruto when he was dumped by Nanami. She was ecstatic after hearing that Haruto might just go to Tokyo after they graduate. She started avoiding Haruto after he held her hand while walking home. She is specially spending time with Narumi Kanzaki (Nanami's Brother). She has accepted Haruto's confession and agreed to have a long distance relationship with him. Recently she hasn't contacted Haruto for several weeks and accoring to Rin, she found a new boyfriend.


 * Yuzuki is surprised when Haruto visits her during his school trip to Tokyo. However she misunderstands the situation when seeing Haruto and Nanami holding hands. Yuzuki refuses to speak with Haruto, but his persistence appears to pay off as she forgives him. However, this forgiveness may have not been sincere as a short time later, Yuzuki cuts off all contact with Haruto and avoids Haruto's request to meet up and apparently has dumped him for a new boyfriend. Yuzuki apparently "explains" this to Haruto in a letter that came with the shirt she bought for him (that Haruto was ignorant of for around a month before it accidentally fell out of the bag). She explains how she must date a boy who dumped her in middle school and therefore must break up with Haruto. However, after reading the letter Haruto decides that the content was not something Yuzuki would write, and that something has happened to her once again.


 * It turns out that she really does have a boyfriend, who turns out to be Haruto's new friend, Kazama. She coldly rejected Haruto and any attempt to see her until one day Kazama collapsed because of his illness, and they meet again at the hospital, in the room where Kazama was staying. After finding out the truth, Haruto questions her motives and why she dumped him back then, and she tells him that she knew Kazama since middle school, and he was a great help to her when he helped her come out of her shell, but after Kazama confessed to her, she rejected him multiple times and moved to Hiroshima. She kept in contact with Kazama even while in Hiroshima behind Haruto's back, and after Haruto and Eba started their long distance relationship since Eba moved back to Tokyo, he confessed to her again, only this time he revealed that he doesn't have much left to live, and wants to spend the little time he has with Eba. She accepted his confession, and dumped Haruto with a letter she put inside a bag that was supposedly to be a present for Haruto.

Classmates

 * Nanami Kanzaki (神咲 七海)
 * She is Haruto's classmate and love interest since middle school. She has a modest personality and is somewhat insecure as she once stated that she felt like an outsider with Haruto, Yuzuki, Takashi, and Akari. Haruto confesses to her, but she rejects him although afterwards they become better friends and she then tells him she wants to reconsider her rejection to his confession. At the summer festival when Rin and Itsuki come to visit Eba, Rin speaks with Nanami about Nanami's true feelings for Haruto and how Haruto served as a "safety net" for Nanami. Later, during the festival, Nanami made her decision to reject Haruto, after hearing that Haruto looked for Eba when she was missing and because of jealousy over Yuzuki, one of the many reasons was because he seemed to care more about Yuzuki than her and made her insecure about dating him. Since then she has been avoiding Haruto because their situation and acting extremely cold towards him.


 * Nanami later visits Tokyo with Haruto on a school trip. She follows him as he went to give a present to Yuzuki and asks Haruto if he can pretend to be her boyfriend for a moment and holds his hand. This leads to a misunderstanding between Haruto and Yuzuki, that appears to ultimately result in Yuzuki breaking up with Haruto. When Haruto returns to their home town, Nanami feels bad seeing how depressed Haruto is. As a result, Nanami appears to have finally recognized her true feelings for him and is now actively pursuing Haruto so she can become his girlfriend. She recently quit her manager position with the baseball club not only to join Haruto in the cooking club but also so she can walk home with him. Kanzaki then hears from Rin that Yuzuki has a new boyfriend, but doesn't tell Haruto since he seems much happier lately. However, after discovering that Haruto is still secretly hoping Yuzuki will come back to him, she reveals the truth about Yuzuki's new boyfriend and confesses her desire to be his girlfriend. He then proceeds to put her confession on hold because he believes that Yuzuki is in trouble and does not believe that the letter she wrote is the full truth.


 * Takashi Yura (由良 尊)
 * He is Haruto's childhood friend. He has a crush on Yuzuki which makes him jealous of Haruto because he lives with her. His first love was Aoi and he confessed to her even though she did not take it seriously. After finding about Yuzuki's sister Rin, he decided to give up on Yuzuki, but instead pursued her sister. Later, near the end of the summer, it was revealed that he confessed to and was rejected by Rin.


 * Akari Kaga (加賀 月)
 * She is Haruto's friend since childhood. She has a cheerful personality, but according to Haruto, she often hides her feelings from others. She is part of the tennis club along with Yuzuki. She was upset that Haruto decided to go to Tokyo for Yuzuki at first, but got over it later. She may also have romantic feelings for him since she kissed him as a going away present and told him to think of it if he was lonely. She is of mixed Japanese-Russian descent.


 * Narumi Kanzaki (神咲 成海)
 * He is Nanami's elder brother. He was introduced as Akari's love interest, but he likes Yuzuki. He is the captain of the baseball club and forced his younger sister to became its manager. He has recently been spending time with Yuzuki and even asks her to go to the Kouyasai although Yuzuki responds to this in a joking manner. After he overhears Haruto asking Yuzuki to go with him to the Kouyasai, he gives up on her and even encourages their relationship as he is seen forcing Haruto to accompany Yuzuki to the train station on the day of her departure back to Tokyo. As of the latest chapter, he has graduated from High School.


 * Kotone Kikukawa (菊川　琴音)
 * A classmate of Haruto and Yuzuki, she is a demure and timid girl with braided hair and donning a pair of glasses to hide her actually beautiful appearance (similar to Honoka Sakurai of Suzuka in mannerism and appearance). She is very adept in sewing and admires Yuzuki. Kotone develops a crush on Haruto. During a class outing to gather apples for the festival, Kotone arrived with her hair unbraided(because of a comment made by Haruto)and Haruto thought it looked nice on her. She replied that if he likes it, she'll leave her hair unbraided from now on. When Haruto is rebuffed by Eba again at the end of the outing,there is a slight misunderstanding that leads her to hold Haruto's hand and confesses to him. Haruto notices the misunderstanding between each other and she again misunderstands and says that she will wait for a proper confession at the festival. However, after witnessing Haruto drag Yuzuki away from the festival to talk, she seems to realize that he truly does like Yuzuki. Recently, it was revealed that she started dating Himuro.

Kirishima Family

 * Aoi Kirishima (桐島 葵)
 * She is Haruto's elder sister. She came back home from college in Tokyo to student teach in order to get her teaching license. Out of the two siblings she acts the least mature. In Tokyo, she lives in Ayano Fujikawa's dormitory and is next door to Yamato Akitsuki. She is the one who shows Haruto a picture of when he had first met Eba when he was younger. She thinks that Haruto and Yuzuki makes a definitely better couple than with Nanami.She is revealed to be a smoker and has a very lazy and laid-back personality which usually results in Haruto doing most of her chores.

Eba Family

 * Rin Eba (枝葉 懍)
 * She is Yuzuki's stepsister, who is younger than Yuzuki by one year. In the past, the two did not get along because Rin misunderstood Yuzuki in that she thought that Yuzuki purposely seduced men, but it appears that they have since worked out their problems. She seems to have a kind personality, but actually she is devious and likes to cause trouble for others for her own amusement. It is also shown that she has a brother complex for Itsuki and gets very angry with Haruto when he punches Itsuki back in Tokyo.


 * Itsuki Eba (枝葉 樹)
 * He is Yuzuki's older stepbrother, who his third year high school. Unlike Rin, he is very kind and gets along with others. He also encourages Rin to get along with Eba. However, he is completely oblivious to the problems with his sisters, to the point Haruto punched him out of anger with how blind he was.

Aoba High Students

 * Asuka Mishima (御島 明日香)
 * Asuka Mishima is Haruto's friend and classmate. She is also a friend and neighbour of Haruto's sister, Aoi. Due to Haruto's careless words and compassion, she develops a crush on him.


 * Kyousuke Kazama (風間 恭輔)
 * He is Haruto's 17-year old classmate and friend who cherishes the exhilaration brought by riding his motorcycle. He becomes close to Haruto relatively quickly, thanks to his surprising perception, and even ends up joking about Haruto to sponsor him as a chef after he becomes a pro rider. He afflicted by an unspecified illness which prevents him from fulfilling his future aspiration to race professionally, which was confirmed by Eba to be life-threatening. As of chapter 89, it is revealed that he is Eba's current boyfriend, despite wanting to help Haruto win his girl back. Haruto ends up challenging him to take back Eba, which Kyousuke amusingly accepts. Despite this, Kyousuke keeps an extremely (non-forced) friendly atmosphere around Haruto and continues to compete with him. Eventually, he decides to take a surgery to cure his illness. While the operation was successful, his body was unable to cope with it and he ended up dying as a result. He leaves behind a helmet that had an inscription for a logo reserved for Haruto's advertisement.


 * Mina Nagoshi (夏越 美奈)
 * She is a classmate of Haruto Kirishima. She mistakenly believes Haruto likes her.