Haruka Nanase of Free! is a second-year boy in high school who loves swimming and being in the water.
Photo by Yenra
He is a strong and quiet person who displays limited facial expressions, and has a hard time communicating his feelings. His style captivates many and he has a strong fixation towards freestyle swimming. His love for water is so strong that he often strips down to his swimsuit at the sight of water and even considers encountering a waterfall to be a romantic experience. Due to his girlish name, he is often mistaken for a girl, so he is usually called Haru. After his first year in middle school, he quit competitive swimming after hurting Rin's feelings by beating him in a race, but Haruka regains his passion after racing Rin again when they reunite.
Haruka is voiced by Nobunaga Shimazaki (Japanese) and Todd Haberkorn (English).