Kuramochi Yōichi

Kuramochi Yōichi
Seidou High School - No. 6
Short-Stop
Bats: Switch	Throws: Switch
Kanji	倉持 洋一
Nickname	Cheetah (チーター) Weasel (鼬 Itachi) Spirit Legs (足お化け Ashi Obake) You-san
Characteristics
Gender	Male
Age	16 (debut) 17 18
Date of birth	17 May
Place of birth	Chiba Prefecture
Bloodtype	A
Height	170cm (5'7″)
Weight	63 kg (138 lbs)
Status
Education	2nd Year High School (debut) 3rd Year High School (current)
Class	2-B (former) 3-B (current)
Skills	Running Speed Switch Hitter
First Appearance
Manga	Act I - Chapter 4
Anime	S1 - Episode 3
Cast
Voice Actor	Shintarō Asanuma

“	He's unexpectedly sensible and good at taking care of others. If only he could hit better...	”
	— Miyuki Kazuya about Kuramochi

Kuramochi Youichi is a student of Seidou High School and is the roommate of Sawamura Eijun, Asada Hirofumi and formerly, Masuko Tōru and Katsuda. He is one half of the baseball team's Keystone Combo, as well as one of the vice-captains. He comes from the Chiba prefecture.

Character

Kuramochi has a delinquent-like personality and a signature shrill laugh. He is usually seen together with Miyuki. He enjoys playing pranks and often plays video games with his teammates in his dorm room after their daily training. Almost all his pranks are those that were done to him and the other second-years when they were still freshmen (e.g. the scary face entrance and overeating before the evening training.)

Despite Kuramochi's rough appearance, he is highly observant and possesses a concerned and caring side too. Some notable examples are when he discerned Tanba's resentment towards Miyuki; he was the first one to notice Ryousuke's ankle injury; and when he noticed Miyuki's rib injury after the "accidental" home base crash against Seiko Academy.

Kuramochi is the fastest player on the team, known for running two bases at a time and stealing bases easily. He has sometimes been called "invincible", but only when he gets on base. Otherwise, his teammates consider him "useless" but usually they mean it in a light manner. Kuramochi is ambidextrous, throwing and batting on both sides.

The way Kuramochi acts around girls he finds attractive starkly contrasts his normal behaviour. This is evident after the semi-finals when he saw Sawamura's childhood friend, Wakana for the first time. He was instantly infatuated and attempted to flirt with her in a suave, gentlemanly manner.

History

Kuramochi's baseball career started early and he was acknowledged by his team members. Outside of his baseball practices, he was quite wild. During this time, he had his hair dyed blonde and used to beat up other kids. He was very loyal towards his friends, and every time they showed up with a bruise he avenged them.

However, after the school found out about how he had beaten up a group of kids, they not only scolded him about it but also informed him that the high schools who had wanted him now rejected him. Kuramochi had a careless attitude towards the ordeal and didn't regret his actions despite the consequences. He even gives his baseball mitt away to some kids since he believes that his baseball career is over. Despite openly being careless, he is upset about it seeing that he really does like baseball. After giving away his mitt, he returns home and is met by Rei who offers him a spot at Seido High. He happily accepts and tells the kids he wants his mitt back.

Kuramochi wants to tell his friends that he's going to Tokyo for high school, but accidentally overhears them talking about him. They talk about how "showing a bruise to Kuramochi makes him do anything" and how he would kill them if he knew the truth about it. When they later meet him outside the room they were in he only tells them about his offer and leaves, but they seem to realize that he overheard them.

Kuramochi lets his natural hair colour grow out before starting high school. When he's on the train to Tokyo, his friends hold up a banderol wishing him good luck. However, he never sees it since he's standing on the opposite side of the train.

Relationships

Miyuki Kazuya

Kuramochi considered Miyuki as his first rival (much like Jun's rivalry with Yuki and Sawamura's rivalry with Furuya). Over time, they became friends, both on and off the field. Kuramochi understands Miyuki the most and because of this often gets irritated by the latter's strange behavior. Miyuki is Kuramochi's closest "friend", and they are often seen together. Upon confirming Miyuki's rib injury, Kuramochi prioritized Miyuki’s well-being and vowed (together with Shirasu Kenjirou) to stop him if it all goes wrong, even if it meant diminishing their chances of winning the tournament and making Kataoka stay as their coach. Although, he also demanded that Miyuki toughen up and only crumble after they win. This shows a bit of Kuramochi's sensitivity in regards to Miyuki's desires and nature.

Sawamura Eijun

Second only to Miyuki, Sawamura is Kuramochi's other friend (in a very violent way.). Kuramochi routinely wrestles with him on any occasion, which causes Sawamura to suffer often, as they are roommates. Kuramochi first discovered the existence Sawamura's childhood friend, Wakana, and teases him about her often. On the field, Kuramochi kicks Sawamura's butt in order to remind him to stay calm or focused. Despite his bullying of the freshman, he cares for Sawamura. When Sawamura got the yips, Kuramochi was the first person to express his concern for Sawamura with Miyuki, who in turn replied with cold reasoning. Kuramochi is a sort of big brother figure to Sawamura.

Kominato Ryosuke

Ryousuke was Kuramochi's partner in fielding whom Kuramochi very closely understood, so much that he could even anticipate his physical misgivings and cover for him. Ryousuke likewise could perform in the same capacity were Kuramochi to falter. Their sack mate arrangement was known as Seido's Iron Wall. He has high regards for him and was the first person to notice Ryousuke's injury. Despite contrary advice, Kuramochi stood behind Ryousuke's decision to continue playing with his injury. In the second OVA, Kuramochi's backstory as a first year is detailed, in which Ryousuke scolds him for lack of technique, stating, "へたくそ(romaji: hetakuso 'you suck')." It was evident that, in the formation of their sack mate pair, they hadn't had much chemistry from the start. But they worked very hard together to reach the level of intimacy exhibited by the time of Sawamura's arrival at Seido.

Maezono Kenta

At the end of the Summer Tournament prelims - after the remaining third years retired - Kuramochi was chosen as the new vice-captain together along with Zono. He considers Maezono to be a bit of a gossip, as he didn't tell him about Miyuki's injury in concern of him telling everyone. He instead confided in the more level-headed Shirasu.

Kominato Haruichi

After the third years retired, Kuramochi and Haruichi had to work together to become Seidou's new keystone duo. At first they struggled to work cohesively together, Kuramochi even needing to criticize Haruichi's low-risk plays to motivate the latter, but by the beginning of the Summer Tournament, the two of them are now on-par and potentially even better than the keystone duo formed by Ryousuke and Kuramochi. Ryousuke even comments that the two of the them "really make a good duo." Kuramochi additionally calls Haruichi by his given name, and Haruichi calls him "You-san" in return.

Takashima Rei

She recruited Kuramochi despite his yankee looks and reputation believing there is much more to him than his exterior personality. During their first meeting, Kuramochi stared at Takashima's large breasts, a deep red blush evident on his face. His grandfather proceeded to make fun of him, much to Kuramochi's embarrassment.

Skills

Kuramochi is a great runner who is the pride of Seidou. His best weapon is his speed, his top speed being almost on par with Carlos’s from Inashiro. Opposing infielders can’t relax with his base stealing and even with an infield grounder. His base-running is good - when he sees a gap in the defense he more often than not steals the next base. He's a player opponents don't want on the base the most.

Batting

Kuramochi is a switch-hitter who bats from the right or from the left side depending on the pitcher. He was given the advice to concentrate on batting from the left side and get on base by hit grounders, but he won’t give up on switch-hitting to be closer to his ideal Kazuo (also a switch-hitter), whom he admires. His batting power is insufficient, but his base-running sense is outstanding, putting great pressure on his opponents. In his third-year, Kuramochi has improved his batting power and can hit balls to the outfield.

Defense

He throws the ball quickly after catching it and his throwing is stable. He was able to perfect his middle infield defensive plays with Kominato Ryosuke enough that could put the professionals to shame. It seems his new partner Kominato Haruichi is still not quick enough in comparison to Ryousuke, but he and Kuramochi still make a great defensive combo. Kuramochi can save his own errors by catching barehanded and throwing to initiate double plays, like he did against Sanada Shunpei in the final of the Fall Tournament.

Player Statistics

Player Statistics
Note that this data is based on the official guidebook! You are free to write about the characters improvements in the Skills section above! Defense   4/5 ♦Shoulder   4/5 Running   5/5 Physical Strength   4/5 Mental Strength   4/5 Batting   3/5 ♦Contact   3/5 ♦Power   3/5 Note: After the Summer Tournament, his batting average was .208

Trivia

• Kuramochi ranked 3rd for the Official characters popularity poll.
• His hobbies are playing fighting games and bullying Sawamura.
• He was a problem child in middle school, and no high school in his hometown invited him. So he went to school in Tokyo, where no one would know of his reputation.
• His dorm room is considered rare because three first-stringers live there (himself, Masuko, and Sawamura.) The usual dorm room houses either one or two people, neither person being a member of the first string.
• Kuramochi and Miyuki Kazuya were the only two players from their year to make the first string in their first summer at Seidou. However, Miyuki was the only one who became a starter right away.
• He adopted the nickname, "Cheetah" (established by Sawamura). However, he hates to be called "Weasel" (established by Furuya but later used by Sawamura).
• He is usually the one to tell Sawamura to shut up when the latter gets out of hand.
• Rankings from the guidebook:
  • Physical Ability: He ranks second in Speed (behind Carlos, who ranks first).
    • Note: Although he ranks second after Carlos he is better at Short Distance.
  • Defense: He ranks first in Infield Defense and fifth in Glove Handling.
• His favourite foods are steak and omurice.
• His favourite subjects are Art and Modern National Language.
• He has respect for his mother and Matsui Kazuo.
• On the morning of his birthday during his first year of junior high, he ate the entire cake his mother had baked for him.

Name Etymology

• Kuramochi (倉持) - Treasury of Integrity
• Youichi (洋一) - Foreign/Ocean First Son

Quotes

• "I want to be the ace ... I want to bat clean up ... I want to be a regular and play in a game. Everyone comes here thinking that. But the truth is, there are only nine positions and close to a hundred players. The fittest make it and everyone else can only wait for the next chance. So we have to work hard for them too. You're not the only one who feels the pressure." - to Sawamura
• "Some tough bastard you are. Is it the sense of responsibility as the captain or the ego as a player? If you're that hell-bent on toughing it out, then make sure your determination lasts till the end. Crumble down only after we'll have won!" - to Miyuki
• "He's unexpectedly sensible and good at taking care of others. If only he could hit better..." - Miyuki
• "He's only a year older than me, but he has my full respect, and more." - to Ryosuke

Gallery

• Kuramochi Youichi
• Kuramochi Youchi
• Kuramochi welcoming Sawamura.
• Kuramochi often rough plays with Sawamura. This is what he calls "Drop Kick!"
• Kuramochi praising Haruichi.
• Angry Kuramochi
• Kuramochi scaring Sawamura
• Kuramochi ready to hit anything coming his way
• Kuramochi stretching
• Kuramochi being angry.
• Happy Kuramochi

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