Free!
Free ! Iwatobi Swim Clubcenters around the exploits of a mellow school swimming club made up of five passionate member ( Haruka , Makoto , Nagisa , Rei , and Gou ) . Together they not only pursual swim championships but go through the struggles of grow up and figuring out what they want to do with their lifespan .
With the 2d part of the final movie in the serial , Free ! The Final Stroke , set up for release in April 2022 , fans are reminisce about the many true - blue friendships that make the show so pleasant to observe .
Isuzu Mikoshiba and Gou Matsuoka
As one of the only distaff type in a show with a predominantly manful cast , it ’s nice to see Gou find a distaff friend in season 3 . Isuzu is the middle child of the Mikoshiba phratry and is just as fiery as her brothers Seijuurou and Momotarou .
When Isuzu meet Gou , she reacts to her the same agency her brothers did : delightedly shout about how cute Gou is . The two of them quickly bond over one of their favorite subject : men ’s muscularity . They are both very passionate and competent phallus of their swim teams : Gou as Iwatobi ’s manager and Isuzu as Hidaka ’s team captain .
Samezuka Swim Club
While many a rival team in mutant anime are often characterise as foul and cheating to both their opposition and each other , nothing could be further from the truth when it come to Samezuka Academy . While as a whole they do n’t get much focus , due to their squad being much larger than Iwatobi ’s , what viewers do see of them is nothing but friendly .
Whether they are led by Seijuurou , Rin , or Nitori , the squad ’s grooming regimen is persevering but never damage . When a member is chosen for a prime spatial relation , such as the captainship or a situation in the relay , the rest of the squad is conjointly happy and supportive . It ’s easy to see why they ’re a powerhouse school inone of the best summercater anime .
Rei Ryugazaki and Haruka Nanase
At first , Rei is reluctant to join the swim nightclub , having originally gone for track and field . However , when he actually get , he sees swimming presage Haruka in the water and is struck by the beauty of his freestyle . From then on , he ’s to the full on board , inspired to perfect his swimming proficiency until he can be like Haru .
Haru , not being as open with his emotions as his teammates , might give off the impression that he does n’t feel as strongly . However , in the instalment " The Butterfly of Farewell ! " when he conceive that Rei is planning to allow for the team , he begs Rei to stay put with them , unveil he ’s been paying closemouthed care and is very proud of all Rei ’s hard workplace .
Momotarou Mikoshiba and Aiichirou Nitori
In season 2 , Seijuurou Mikoshiba ’s younger brother Momotarou comes to Samezuka Academy , ready and eager to join the swim squad . He lay his all into everything he does , including befriending his teammates : he can often be found around Nitori and Rin , who he openly admires .
While the much milder Nitori find Momotarou a smattering at times , he shows how much he handle when he gives Momotarou a determined pep talk the night before their subspecies at regionals , a hushed and serious moment that remain firm out in asports gum anime full of over - the - top moments . By the end of the time of year , the two are dear call one another " Momo - kun " and " Ai - senpai . "
Rin Matsuoka and Sousuke Yamazaki
innovate in season 2 , Sousuke is Rin ’s good puerility champion who has just remove to Samezuka Academy . Rin is openly excited to see him , greeting him with a mock fighting and then their old secret handshake . While it took him a full season to reconnect with his friends on the Iwatobi swim lodge , Rin is always perfectly at ease with Sousuke .
Sousuke is also shown to be protective of Rin and sensitive to perceive contempt towards him , which is where his pointed disapproval of Haru stems from : he does n’t think that Haru appreciates all the workplace Rin put in to catch up with him . He admits in the sequence " The Six - Back Kick of Tears ! " that he avoided say Rin about the shoulder injury that ruined his chance of swimming professionally because he knew the newsworthiness would break in Rin ’s heart .
Aiichirou Nitori and Rin Matsuoka
Though Rin , one of Mamoru Miyano ’s in effect character , starts the show lively and close off , he did make one ripe friend at Samezuka before moving preceding those issues : his roommate Nitori . Nitori admires Rin deeply and is often see close by him . While he is n’t always sensible to Rin ’s emotions , he is constantly concerned for Rin and wants him to be happy .
After his Iwatobi friends help him return to his old friendly self , Rin becomes more openly appreciative of and affectionate towards Nitori . He calls him by the soubriquet " Ai " and encourages his endeavor to train harder . While Nitori can be timid and unsealed , Rin is so confident in his abilities that he names Nitori his heir as senior pilot of the Samezuka swim team in the episode " The Eternal Summer of Beginnings ! "
Nagisa Hazuki and Rei Ryugazaki
Super - serious Rei and happy - go - golden Nagisa are cogent evidence that reverse pull in . It is Nagisa who first notices Rei ’s potential and insists he connect the swim club , leading to Rei falling in sexual love with the summercater . Nagisa is very affectionate with Rei , both good - naturedly teasing him and loudly praising his accomplishments , which are particularly noted in one of thesports anime that portrays swimming realistically .
Rei and Nagisa are seldom found aside and are both fabulously comfortable with one another . Their relay changeover is everlasting , and in season 3 , they are prove to be training the new members of the swim clubhouse together , now that Haru and Makoto have graduated .
Haruka Nanase and Makoto Tachibana
There is no more loyal Quaker than Makoto Tachibana . aristocratical and kind , he is always close by Haru ’s side , accepting of all his idiosyncrasies and lending a helping mitt whenever necessary . While he is more willing to move on to the future , swimming with Haru specifically stand for a good deal to him , and in contention , they are describe as working together in perfect concord .
In his own quiet way , Haru show that he cares about Makoto just as much , from saving a drowning Makoto ’s life in the episode " No ventilation jar ! " to acquire him goldfish at the festival in the episode " Hesitant Loosen Up ! " The ending of season 2 shows that the two move to Tokyo and attend university together .
Rin Matsuoka and Haruka Nanase
This is the friendship that drives not only the patch of time of year 1 but much of the case ontogenesis for both Rin and Haru . Even after their descend - out , the two are always on each other ’s minds , and their strongest inspirations for ameliorate their swimming are arguably each other . At the end of time of year 1 , it ’s Haru who finally get through to Rin and helps him return to his former sweet and confident self .
In season 2 , they become even closer now that they ’ve worked out their personal topic . Highlights include the episode " A Swim - Off in a Foreign Land ! " where Rin take Haru around Australia to allay Haru ’s anxiousness about his future , and the last scene of the time of year , which show Rin and Haru still competitively swim together as grownup .
Iwatobi Swim Club
Of course , the real heart of the show is the friendship between all five members of the titular Iwatobi Swim Club . While Haru , Makoto , and Nagisa are the ones who have been supporter since puerility , their bonds with newbie Rei and Gou are just as strong . Their teamwork makesFree!an anime that best portrays its sport . Whether they ’re together or go their separate ways , they will always enjoy each other .
Throughout the whole show , they are perpetually supportive and advance each other to be their best self . In rivalry and in life , their trust in each other is double-dyed and they all complement each other perfectly . interview would be hard - pressed to encounter a more tightly knit radical of friends .
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