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[ryosan]

OOC INFORMATION;
Player: ossu
Age: 21
Personal Journal: hailing
Contact Info: ossu
Other Characters: N/A

IC INFORMATION;
Characters Name: Ryousuke Kominato
Age: 18
Canon: Ace of Diamond
Canon Point: Chapter 298, after Seidou defeats Ugumori. Sawamura is being a hallway obstruction and tells Ryousuke that his little brother is still in his rebellious phase.
Species: Human
Gender: Male
Orientation: Unspecified. He's shown no clear interest.

History: (spoilers below)
character wiki, episode list, Ryousuke's OVA/sidestory: Face + the translated script
Ryousuke grew up in a normal household that nurtured an interest in baseball, with a little brother as his shadow. His younger brother Haruichi would always follow him; if Ryousuke ate his tomatoes, so would Haruichi. If Ryousuke was the second baseman on his team, Haruichi would play the same position, even if it limited his chances to stand on the field. As such, Ryousuke would strive to be the model elder brother, in order to set a good example for Haruichi and ensure his admiration was not misplaced.

Haruichi was a target for bullying as a child, as it was easy to elicit a reaction from the shy boy. Ryousuke would stand up for his brother and confront the bullies himself, returning home covered in dirt and blood.

Four years later, Ryousuke is told by his teacher that the highschool that was willing to accept him on a baseball recommendation had withdrawn their offer, instead giving it to one of the boys that bullied Haruichi, the bigger-bodied Jumbo. The news is a source of frustration for Ryousuke, whose technical skill and plays were pushed to the side in favour of build. Instead, he decides to challenge himself by applying to Seidou Highschool in Tokyo. His parents are surprised, naturally assuming he'd attend school nearby. Ryousuke says it is his "first and last selfish request".

Of course, Ryousuke didn't expect his time at a prestigious school as Seidou to be easy. His cohort (excluding Chris) struggle in practice, and are deemed hopeless. The "lean year", as they were called. Nevertheless, the first years persist with training, instilling in each other a will to keep swinging their bats, to grow, and eventually become reliable seniors through hard work.

When Haruichi first arrives at Seidou two years later, their brotherly relationship appears somewhat strained. In Ryousuke's third and final year, his talented little brother is still following him, and it's all the way to Tokyo. Ryousuke is quick to remind Haruichi that Seidou isn't as soft as one might think. It's only until the leadup to the Akikawa match does he attempt to bridge the gap between them. Ryousuke offers to help with Haruichi's batting practice, and reminds him to be ready to play in the official match, to the surprise of his fellow third years.

On the path leading to Koshien, Ryousuke manages to injure his right leg during the semifinal match. Kuramochi manages to catch Ryousuke limping despite his best efforts to conceal the injury. When confronted, Ryousuke brushes off the severity, and says he'll concede if his year-long partner believes he will hold the team back. Essentially, Ryousuke leaves his last chance at Koshien entirely in Kuramochi's hands. Kuramochi begins observing Ryousuke more closely in practice, watching with admiration as Ryousuke moves in practice as if he isn't injured at all. It's during the spring tournament final against Inashiro Industrial when cracks begin to show. His leg begins to hold him back, to the point where he misses catching a ball that could have cost them the game, had Kuramochi not been there to stop it. Ryousuke shows his gratitude: "You saved us. Me, and the team".

Finally accepting that he can't play to his best of his ability, Ryousuke requests for a pinch hitter at his next at-bat. The coach sends out Haruichi! Ryousuke encourages his younger brother to smack the first pitch - and of course he manages to deliver, Ryousuke watching proudly from the dugout.

Unfortunately, Seidou still manage to come up short against Inashiro. They ultimately lose the match along with the opportunity to go to Koshien, the Kominato brother's first and last chance to go together. Ryousuke returns back to Seidou to move out of the spirit dorms, officially retired from highschool baseball as their summer was brought to an abrupt end. From then on, Ryousuke is occupied with reference books and practice exams, preparing for university admission. He admits he still hasn't decided on his plans for the future, but manages to find time to swing his bat everyday and check up on the wellbeing of the remaining team. All he knows is that wants to continue to play baseball.

Appearance: The small one on the right, and in colour!
The two most obvious things are his bright pink hair and short stature. Ryousuke is the shortest on his baseball team at 162cm, although he's built slightly more sturdier than his younger brother. His eyes are permanently squinted, and a smile is often gracing his face. He has a gentle appearance that belies his sharp tongue.

Personality:
Contrasting with his soft appearance, Ryousuke has a devil of a personality. He claims the title of Seidou's Most Feared upperclassman, with the sharp tongue to back it up. If there's an evident lag in performance, he won't hold back on his cutting remarks - complete with a smile! He made an excellent first impression on a first year Kuramochi, outright telling him he sucked. In a way, his conduct reflects the high expectations he has of others, and his will to bring them all up to meet them. Furthermore, he has a tendency to police the behaviour of some of the rowdier players on his team: frequently tag-teaming against Seidou's first year pitcher for his volume, reminding another pitcher on the bench to cheer louder, or forcing the entire team to sit seiza-style due to their unsatisfactory progress. Karate chopping people's heads is kind of his trademark — even if he needs to stand on tip toes to reach his target.

Ryousuke may push those around him, and not always nicely, but there is no one he pushes harder than himself. Both Kuramochi and the coach note Ryousuke's tenacious presence on the field. For someone with an injured leg, he balls hard. The reason why he can speak so bluntly of other's abilities is because he's put in the time and practice to get him to his current level, despite not being blessed with physique. He doesn't believe in making excuses. Before complaining about being born without talent, Ryousuke believes one should reflect on the amount of effort they've put in first. "If you don't want to lose to guys with bigger bodies, you should train just as many times harder", that's his philosophy. Even as a first year, he was gutsy as hell, talking back to his intimidating upperclassman, or boldly asking the coach for more balls when he was clearly exhausted. The baseball team's official scout, Rei, commented that he has the strongest spirit of their year level. There's a lot of confidence packed into his small frame, and it's definitely not unfounded either.

Of course, Ryousuke's playful side can't go unmentioned. Around the first-string team, his cheeky attitude makes its full appearance, rubbing the belly of the food-loving Masuko, or stealing the cap off Tanba's newly shaven head, with a cheerful "you're still shining!" to break the tension during a serious match. One occasion he jokes that he could probably switch places with his brother and no one would suspect, to Tanba's abject horror. Ryousuke's kindnesses are often veiled behind relentless teasing or a snarky jab. Off the field, Ryousuke can be just as stubborn, and almost childishly so. Despite loving Haruichi dearly, he's still prone to getting into normal sibling fights over petty things like sharing a favourite book series. Another amusing moment involves Ryousuke stubbornly continuing to play with a stopwatch, trying to stop it at exactly 5 seconds - he'd probably never quit either, had no one intervened.

Something that characterises Ryousuke is his deep respect and concern for his family. He feels a certain gratitude towards his parents for encouraging his love for baseball, and allowing him to travel so far from home to attend Seidou; he even warned Haruichi to not follow him to Tokyo because it would cause further trouble for their family. Even as a child, Ryousuke believed he had a duty as the eldest son to remain unselfish, well-behaved, and to protect his younger sibling. Haruichi undoubtably means the world to him. At the same time, it's tough having a little brother with such a natural talent for baseball right behind him. Both wanting to watch Haruichi's growth, and his will to not fall behind him, are two almost conflicting desires of Ryousuke's. Even though he tries to dissuade Haruichi from attending the same highschool, he keeps his inner thoughts to himself: "catch up to me if you can". Although he claims being a big brother is a pain, ultimately, Ryousuke can't say no when it comes to Haruichi. Both brothers motivate each other to improve and reach new heights together.

A great deal of what drives Ryousuke is his pride. He can't lose to his little brother, nor can be lose face in front of those important to him. He has always been conscious of his brother at his heels, and works hard to not betray his expectations.

Abilities:
Ryousuke is an extremely skilled batter, even amongst Seidou's fearsome offensive lineup. It's been noted by both teammates and opponents that Ryou has excellent technical skill, and 'can hit any pitch'. He's also got a good eye (ALTHOUGH YOU NEVER SEE THEM ??), able to follow fast pitches and breaking balls, and can easily distinguish between balls and strikes to get on base.

When it comes to infield defense, together with Kuramochi, Ryousuke makes up one half of Seidou's impenetrable 'Iron Wall'. They're considered one of the best middle infielder combos in Tokyo. His position on second base requires a lot of agility, reflexes, and quick-thinking.

Other than baseball, Ryousuke is a perfectly average human being in everything but height.
Other: N/A

SAMPLES;
First Person: TDM thread, 2, 3

Third Person:

GAME OVER

It's printed in big, flashing letters, blatant and obnoxious, effectively the same as painting it on a banner and yelling "YOU LOSE" directly in his face. Ryousuke has to step away from the arcade machine for a moment, giving himself time to recollect himself.

The arcade was outside his usual realm. He'd stepped foot into the establishment and immediately felt out of place amongst the cacophony of noise and colourful lights. Out of the two Kominato brothers, Haruichi was the gaming whiz, and although Ryousuke could be convinced to give it a go, he tended to lose interest fairly quickly. Time spent on video games could otherwise be dedicated to baseball or revisiting one of his favourite horror novels. The friend who brought him along had gone home by now, under the impression Ryousuke had something he needed to finish up first. Little did they know, he'd gone back over to the counter, his smile a little more forced than usual, and asked to purchase another round of tokens.

That is how Ryousuke finds himself bent over an old arcade machine, silently mashing buttons on Super Major League, determined to walk away with at least one win under his belt. This was baseball. He understood baseball. Ryousuke knew how his body should react to the ball, the feeling of transferring power into his bat, having practiced the motions too many times to count. Practice made permanent. So why didn't it translate into the game? It was only a matter of getting the timing right, and controlling the power bar. Video games required fast reaction times and good sense, didn't they? Ryousuke wasn't exactly lacking in those areas. Was it the controls? The arcade machines were fairly worn out from use, it'd be no surprise if the buttons were faulty. The game itself was pretty outdated too, surely the AI couldn't be that advanced, and yet, the fielders kept managing to stop every ball he hit their way. Why was it getting the better of him? Logically, he knew it was just a silly game. A baseball game. Mocking him with that cheerful blare of popular walk-up songs in 8-bit quality. Ryousuke lets out an exhale as the game proceeds to next and final batter. The crudely pixellated pitcher begins his wind-up, and his fingers hover over the buttons, readying his character to swing—

"Excuse me, sir, we're closing up so—"

"Hmm?" Pulling his attention from the screen, he turns to the employee with displeasure ridden all over his expression. His already stormy mood makes a turn for the worse. Better stay indoors folks, today's weather forecast: thunder and lightning in the form of (1) small Ryousuke.

"P-please, enjoy your game!" Appropriately cowed, the arcade employee hastily blurts out a reply and makes his escape, shuffling back behind the counter.

Ryousuke didn't need to be told that twice, already inserting more tokens and letting the game start up once more.

Let's play ball!

OTHER;