 is one of the minor players from Shohoku.Although Hanamichi picks on him (Hanamichi calls him "Yasu"), he is no pushover, as demonstrated when he stood up to Mitsui and Tetsuo when they were attempting to get the Shohoku team banned from competition for fighting.He is Ryota's close friend, and thanks to his mild and calm character he can manage to calm things down when the tension on the court starts to heat up.