Movie
Description
Kisumi Shigino is a supporting character who first appears in the second volume of the High Speed! light novels and the film High Speed! Free! Starting Days, later making further appearances in the Free! anime series. He is a tall young man with distinctive salmon-pink hair and violet eyes. His appearance changes over time, growing from approximately 157 centimeters during his early middle school years to around 182 centimeters by the time he reaches university. He was born on May 26th.
In terms of personality, Kisumi is extremely extroverted, sociable, and self-confident, with a bright and bubbly demeanor that is often compared to his pink hair. He has a playful and teasing nature, frequently making jokes and approaching others with an overwhelming positivity that can sometimes be seen as pushy. While most characters are fond of his charming personality, Haruka Nanase often finds him annoying and tolerates his boisterous energy with reluctance. Beneath his cheerful exterior, however, Kisumi possesses a degree of self-awareness and a tendency to prioritize appearances, having admitted to Haruka that he admires the natural and straightforward cheerfulness of Asahi Shiina, while he himself feels he simply tries to look good.
Kisumi is defined by his deep devotion to his younger brother, Hayato. He carries a sense of guilt, believing he is responsible for Hayato developing a fear of the ocean and swimming. To help his brother overcome this fear, Kisumi enrolls him in swimming lessons with Makoto Tachibana and remains on the sidelines during every practice, cheering him on. This familial responsibility is a core motivation for his actions. Another key aspect of his character is his love for basketball, which is his primary sport and the activity he excels at. He is a member of the basketball club during his time at Iwatobi Junior High School and consistently tries to recruit his peers to join him.
In High Speed! Free! Starting Days, Kisumi is a classmate of Haruka Nanase, Makoto Tachibana, Asahi Shiina, and Ikuya Kirishima at Iwatobi Junior High School. While the central narrative focuses on the formation of the swim team, Kisumi acts as a contrasting presence, persistently inviting the group to join the basketball club instead. His role in this story is that of an outsider and connector. Unlike almost every other major character in the franchise, he is not a swimmer, which positions him as the black sheep among the group of friends. Despite being ignored or sidelined by the others who are focused on swimming, he continues to try to be their friend, revealing an underlying resilience and perhaps a hint of loneliness.
Kisumi maintains several key relationships. His friendship with Asahi Shiina is particularly enduring, as they stay close from middle school through their university years. He also shares a significant connection with Makoto Tachibana, as their shared family-oriented nature makes them compatible, and Kisumi later helps Haruka and Makoto by finding them an apartment in Tokyo through his uncle's real estate agency. Haruka remains a notable exception to his popularity, viewing him with suspicion and jealousy from the time Makoto began spending time with him in junior high. He is also one of the few characters who has connections with figures from multiple different schools, including Rin Matsuoka and Sousuke Yamazaki, which allows him to act as a bridge between the various groups in the story.
Throughout his appearances, Kisumi shows some development, particularly in the way he transitions from a persistent junior high student trying to find his place among swimmers to a university student who has accepted his role as a supportive connector within the group. His abilities are centered on basketball, where his skill and enthusiasm have made him highly popular among his peers. He is also known for creatively packed bento boxes and for his driving skills. He is given the playful nickname Kissme by Nagisa Hazuki, a reference to the phonetic sound of his name.
In terms of personality, Kisumi is extremely extroverted, sociable, and self-confident, with a bright and bubbly demeanor that is often compared to his pink hair. He has a playful and teasing nature, frequently making jokes and approaching others with an overwhelming positivity that can sometimes be seen as pushy. While most characters are fond of his charming personality, Haruka Nanase often finds him annoying and tolerates his boisterous energy with reluctance. Beneath his cheerful exterior, however, Kisumi possesses a degree of self-awareness and a tendency to prioritize appearances, having admitted to Haruka that he admires the natural and straightforward cheerfulness of Asahi Shiina, while he himself feels he simply tries to look good.
Kisumi is defined by his deep devotion to his younger brother, Hayato. He carries a sense of guilt, believing he is responsible for Hayato developing a fear of the ocean and swimming. To help his brother overcome this fear, Kisumi enrolls him in swimming lessons with Makoto Tachibana and remains on the sidelines during every practice, cheering him on. This familial responsibility is a core motivation for his actions. Another key aspect of his character is his love for basketball, which is his primary sport and the activity he excels at. He is a member of the basketball club during his time at Iwatobi Junior High School and consistently tries to recruit his peers to join him.
In High Speed! Free! Starting Days, Kisumi is a classmate of Haruka Nanase, Makoto Tachibana, Asahi Shiina, and Ikuya Kirishima at Iwatobi Junior High School. While the central narrative focuses on the formation of the swim team, Kisumi acts as a contrasting presence, persistently inviting the group to join the basketball club instead. His role in this story is that of an outsider and connector. Unlike almost every other major character in the franchise, he is not a swimmer, which positions him as the black sheep among the group of friends. Despite being ignored or sidelined by the others who are focused on swimming, he continues to try to be their friend, revealing an underlying resilience and perhaps a hint of loneliness.
Kisumi maintains several key relationships. His friendship with Asahi Shiina is particularly enduring, as they stay close from middle school through their university years. He also shares a significant connection with Makoto Tachibana, as their shared family-oriented nature makes them compatible, and Kisumi later helps Haruka and Makoto by finding them an apartment in Tokyo through his uncle's real estate agency. Haruka remains a notable exception to his popularity, viewing him with suspicion and jealousy from the time Makoto began spending time with him in junior high. He is also one of the few characters who has connections with figures from multiple different schools, including Rin Matsuoka and Sousuke Yamazaki, which allows him to act as a bridge between the various groups in the story.
Throughout his appearances, Kisumi shows some development, particularly in the way he transitions from a persistent junior high student trying to find his place among swimmers to a university student who has accepted his role as a supportive connector within the group. His abilities are centered on basketball, where his skill and enthusiasm have made him highly popular among his peers. He is also known for creatively packed bento boxes and for his driving skills. He is given the playful nickname Kissme by Nagisa Hazuki, a reference to the phonetic sound of his name.