#still can't believe people don't talk about skater boy hayama

[ni-kol-koru]

1, 5, and 13 for Hayama ^^

Yayyy, more Hayama questions! My moots know me so well! 🧡✨

1. Why do you like or dislike this character?

Oh boy. Where do I start?

Well, first of all, I obviously like the character. Not like, I absolutely adore the character. Why? I don't know, I just do, and I always did. I think I will explain the process of how exactly I fell in love with his character, because I think it's a big part of why I like him and explains some things.

Ever since he appeared on the screen for the first time, ever since I heard his voice for the first time, I knew he was going to be one of my favorite characters. Something about him was special, and I couldn't really tell what, but something felt different, and refreshing. His first appearance was so short and yet so impactful, and it left me so curious. I could simply not wait to learn more about him and see if I would really love his character as much as I thought I would.

Then, the Rakuzan-Shutoku match came up, and my Shutoku heart was broken in advance because it was almost obvious that Shutoku will just be used as a tool to showcase Rakuzan's power and greatness. While I was sad to watch Shutoku lose, a side of me was curious to learn more about the Uncrowned Kings, and especially Kotaro. Then, the scene where Kotaro is yelling about how strong their opponents are and being excited about facing them had me thinking 'What a sweet and cheerful guy', and that was a first green flag for me.

The episode kept going on and the match was progressing. Kotaro didn't do anything special yet, and oh, Shintaro is getting doubled teamed and the ball is in Kiyoshi's hands. His opponent is that cute blondie I have my eye on. Well, that was my current favorite character, Kiyoshi, against that new guy, Kotaro. Kiyoshi passed Kotaro with ease, and I was like 'Seriously?', but still found Kotaro's amazed expression and mood after being passed amusing and interesting. He was like a puppy, he was there for a fun time. Green flag. Then, Kotaro was being scolded by his teammates, and he didn't seem too bothered by all of their complaining. I really thought he was so cool and chill for being able to take criticism so easily, and I loved it. I already liked him a lot.

Then he destroyed Kiyoshi like he was nothing. And he also showed that he can, indeed, be serious, and that he has a pretty special and cool skill. I was biased, and I thought that Kotaro was a heartless bastard for a long moment... He was still pretty cool, and his dribbling was pretty cool. He was just talented, he was just better. That didn't really make him a bastard. Well, my bias was still on Kiyoshi's side, but Kotaro was cool. That was my mindset until pretty much the end of the Rakuzan-Shutoku match.

I don't really know the order of events in the WinterCup finals, but I remember how I felt about them. So, yeah...

Then the WinterCup final match started, Kotaro was against Taiga. Immediately, everyone figured out he was kind of powerless against a Miracle like Taiga, so he switched positions with Seijuro and disappeared for a while. I remembered being very disappointed and sad that Kotaro didn't even try to face Taiga... I just really hoped for a comeback.

Of course, there was a comeback! When Kotaro asked for Taiga to add Senpai to his name I chuckled. He wanted respect, and I sort of respected him for that. In their duel, it was revealed that Kotaro has animal instincts! He was also compared to a cheetah, which is one of my favorite animals since I am a kid. That was a pretty nice coincidence! I was also pretty surprised by how fierce, serious and vindictive Kotaro could be. I remember thinking 'What a dude', in a good way of course.

When Rakuzan entered the zone and Kotaro faced Taiga again I remember cheering for him so badly! When he yelled 'Comeback time!' I was like 'YES SHOW HIM'... Unfortunately, Taiga was still quicker than him and stopped him. Still, that was a cool moment, and I remember being so hyped up about it.

When his showdown with Shun happened, I really loved how Shun's and Kotaro's personalities clashed. I was pretty much on the edge of my seat as long as they were in the main focus of the episodes. It was intense. I loved how Shun made Kotaro go all the way out and all of his skills were super cool and flashy, my little self was blown away! I loved how quick and decisive Kotaro was, and I really enjoyed seeing people cheer for him, too. His proud smile made me feel things.

That moment where he was called 'The Raijuu' and he was all pressed about it was also pretty cute and funny! It also reminded me that he was just a happy and silly guy!

When he laughed at Shun's pun my heart melted. I was happy that someone appreciated Shun's genius and creativity, and I was so happy that it was Kotaro. What a sweetie cutie pie he is.

When Shun and Tetsuya forced Kotaro to get into Taiga's field of defense and he was defeated my mind just went 'Oh no'. I remember being really bummed out that Kotaro was stopped after everything.

In the next moment we saw Kotaro being all angry, clenching his fist with steam coming out of his head, I remember stopping for a moment. His internal monologue was sort of making me feel like he was going to break something, or someone. Then, he took a deep breath and stopped. That impressed me a lot. Yet again, I was like 'What a dude'. I loved him.

At some point in the match, I noticed how supportive Kotaro was of his teammates. He was cheering for them, praised them, comforted them, calmed them down when they were angry and expressed his concerns when they seemed like something was wrong. Made me think of how observant, open, genuine and close he actually was with his teammates.

And then he kind of ruined it.

Whatever Kotaro said about his Senpai was disrespectful as heck, and it got me thinking how merciless Kotaro can actually be. I was pretty pissed at him. Still, the match continued with Chihiro in it and the Uncrowned Kings played with him well. The moment when Seijuro lost his cool and started making mistakes and Kotaro calmly said how there was no point of keeping him on court made my jaw drop. Disrespectful. Rude. Cold. Distant. Made me realize just how goal-oriented Rakuzan players could be. Still, couldn't blame him, or any of them. The motto of their captain and school is literally about how winning is everything and only the results are what matters in the end.

When everyone started cheering for Seirin after Shigehiro's speech, I just remember being extremely bummed out. The moment 'power of friendship' was introduced and everyone connected and formed that friendship WiFi zone, I could tell who the winner was, and I was not so impressed. Until the end of the game, I could see that everyone tried their best, and after the buzzer beater, I remember being happy for Seirin. They did it! They won! I was happy for Tetsuya and Shigehiro and Taiga, I was happy for Teppei, Shun, Riko and everyone, but when I saw the devastated looks on the faces of Rakuzan players, I still felt bad. I've been there, too. I know how much the feeling sucks. Failing to be the best when it was expected of you. Being so close to holding the golden trophy, but having the silver one put into your hands.

I remember that I was sad that the series finally ended, and I needed a moment to collect myself, I needed a little break.

After all of the feelings and impressions settled and calmed down, and after a lot of thinking, I just decided that Hayama Kotaro was my favorite character. It felt right.

When I realized that there was nothing else left of the anime, and that there was no more Kotaro screen-time, I decided to research about him and see what's up with him in the books, CDs, games... That was the absolute best decision ever.

His Wiki page and Character Bible sheet reveal so much about him, and I remember being super excited to learn everything there was. Learning what his name meant was so cool. His motto ('Strike while the iron is hot', which translates to 'Куј гвожђе док је вруће' in my native language) was a line I had in a school play when I was a kid. He liked kappamaki. He was into skateboarding. He had two older sisters. He liked World History... I was so happy that there was so much more information about him, his personality and his private life. I loved literally everything about him!

Then, I discovered The Replace Plus novels, special CDs, video games... Little pieces of information regarding Kotaro's personality and life were scattered here and there, and when I found them I was so excited and I cherished them like gold! I loved having a clearer idea of what kind of a person Kotaro was, what he did, how he lived...

It was still the golden era of KuroBasu, so I could easily find bunch of fanart and fanfiction related to Kotaro. I could also find friends who also had him as their favorite character! I was a little shy on the Internet so I didn't really meet a lot of people, but I had a few friends who I would talk to about him. We discussed his personality, made up headcanons, made our own fanart, one of them wrote fanfiction... It all just brought me closer to him and his character.

Every now and then some lost or rare piece of KuroBasu media gets uploaded somewhere and I learn something new about him! The KuroBasu crew is also working hard on new lines of merchandise, and sometimes, Kotaro makes it to the lineup! There is a chance we will get to learn more about him in the future, and I am here for it. In the meantime, I will enjoy drawing him and writing about him, and I will incorporate everything I already know about him!

Well, what more can I say? I just love everything about Hayama Kotaro. He is really special to me and he is my biggest comfort character ever. I will always have a little space in my heart for him! 🧡

I have a few canons about Kotaro that I found over the many years of being in the fandom that I would like to share!

He lives in the dorms and his roommate is Mibuchi Reo

Akashi Seijuro considers him a very close friend, putting him in his most intimate circle of friends

He has very stretchy cheeks and is very aware of his facial muscles, which allows him to make funny faces

He once ate snowballs

He is pretty bad with technology (mostly because he has no patience with it)

He has a bad poker face

He dislikes his UK nickname, 'The Raijuu', because it makes him feel like a tiny, rare beast

He can wiggle his ears

When someone is taking a photo, he has to get in on the action

He plays video games online with Mibuchi Reo

He is a gymnast and he does Horizontal Bar

He knocked out Nebuya Eikichi when he played the role of Mibuchi Reo's husband for Akashi Seijuro's movie

When he speaks he uses a lot of modern slang words

He lets Mibuchi Reo do makeup on him

He spends his free time by skateboarding around the neighborhood

In his original color scheme he had platinum blond hair and black eyes; in manga he always has his eyes colored fully black

In his original design he had two snaggle teeth and spiky hair at the back of his head

Hopefully there is something new in here that you didn't hear of! These are some of my favorite and random canons about Kotaro that people don't usually talk about!

5. What's the first song that comes to your mind when you think of them?

It is one of my favorite Japanese songs from one of my favorite K-POP girl groups: 'Happy Happy' by TWICE! When I first discovered this song and watched the Music Video I was melted away by the vibe! The beat was so cute and bubbly and the MV was so colorful and cheerful and adorable! It just put a huge smile on my face, just thinking about the song right now is putting me in a good mood!

One of my first thoughts after I finished watching the MV was 'Kotaro would eat this up', and honestly, I still think he would. Whenever I listen to that song I think of Kotaro, and if someone uses the words 'Kotaro' and 'song' in the same sentence, 'Happy Happy' starts playing in my mind.

13. What's an emoji, an emoticon, and/or any symbol that reminds you of this character or you think the character would use a lot?

The emoji that reminds me of Kotaro the most is probably this one: ⚡! He is known as 'The Raijuu', which means 'Lightning Beast', so the lightning emoji is an obvious one that would remind me of him!

He would definitely use lots of different emojis while texting, and would sometimes send the most specific and random emojis that exist. He just likes to add fun and color everywhere, even to the simplest messages! Another thing I think he would do when texting is just not use capital letters or any symbols like question marks and commas correctly. Capital letters for yelling, and commas and question marks when it feels right. While writing the words, he is thinking of what emojis to use, not about if his message is grammatically correct, readable or understandable. Of course, I think he would use slang while texting, and would use a lot of abbreviations like brb, lmao, wyd, ily... A lot of people don't know what he's trying to say a lot of times, but Kotaro would just find it funny!

'we had homework 😐❓📚🖊️ lmao'

'ok mum 💐😋👌💖'

'im at the park,, hbu 🛹😎🏀🍃'

'TF THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN BRO 🤨❓❓❗'

'i disagree w u!!! 👎🚫😃'

'actually reo i think its UR time to buy groceries + im kinda broke rn and ik u got money 🥦🥬💰 also buy me kappamaki pls 😘💗'