Free! Iwatobi Swim Club - Haruka Nanase
Haikyuu!! - Tobio Kageyama
Prince of Stride: Alternative - Takeru Fujiwara
Ethnicity: Japanese and European
Birthday: January 2nd, 1992
Hobbies: Tennis, swimming, soccer, Music, Reading
Film Bio: Known for his undeniable good looks and incredible physique, Shunji captured the hearts of many young women and teens throughout the world. Born and raised in America, Shunji spent his younger years dedicating all of his time to sports. Losing his father at a young age, Shunji was brought up by his single mother who worked very hard to take care of them both. Knowing he wanted to attend college in the future, but his family did not have the money for it, Shunji believed that as long as he did well with his sports,he may be able to get a scholarship of some sort. But instead of getting noticed by the college of his dreams, Shunji instead caught the attention of a pair of young directors - landing him the main role in the popular series “Free! Iwatobi Swim Club.”
Before the anime even aired, the trailer was enough to have fans drooling over the boy and his co-stars. The anime Free! has even been argued to have the most attractive acting cast ever. Playing the main character Haruka Nanase, Shunji’s ability to evoke so much emotion with his eyes alone had casting directors practically banging down his door. Shunji has claimed in interviews that Haruka is the easiest role for him to play, as he feels a deep connection with the character and feels their personalities are very similar. Many of his co-stars agree and state that Shunji is a rather solitary individual, who is quiet and shy.
Surprising enough, Shunji than landed another main role in the anime Haikyuu!!, where he played the role of Tobio Kageyama, a character who is not shy at all. Instead, he is arrogant and short-tempered (but secretly much more sensitive than he lets on). Shunji grew very close with his other cast-mates on the set, and has repeatedly expressed his excitement for filming the newest season soon to be released.
Before the newest season of Haikyuu could be filmed however, Shunji needed to film for his new role in the anime Prince of stride. Playing once again another main role, many fans of the show loved his performance, however the anime did not do as well as his other works and was not renewed for a second season. However, Shunji did express his disappointment and stated if they changed their minds in the future, he would love to continue his role in the series.
Because of the nature of the relationships and how they are portrayed within the series Haikyuu!! and Free!, many have shipped Shunji’s characters with other male characters in the shows. Shunji has stated he does not mind this, however some fans take it even farther and question his own sexuality, and ship him with his male co-stars. Due to this, Shunji has repeatedly denied such rumors, claiming he is straight and currently in a relationship with a female who has remained unidentified.
