Naota Nandaba

Naota Nandaba (ナンダバ・ナオ太?, Nandaba Naota), or Ta-kun (タッくん, Takkun) as he is called by Mamimi and Haruko, is the protagonist of the first season of FLCL, obsessed with appearing mature and nonchalant. He idolizes his older brother, Tasuku, who represents for Naota what it means to be an "adult." He also has a crush on both Mamimi and Haruko during the course of the season. 
==Profile==
Naota Nandaba, at age 12, is the main character of the first season of FLCL. His name is derived from the Japanese word for "honesty" (素直, sunao) and his father named him Naota because of that, as stated in episode 1. Unbeknownst to him, he has the "right kind of head" to be used as an N.O. channel.
In the novel, he mentions that his mother had apparently died when he was kindergarten, though the rest of the family told the young boy that she was not dead, but her whereabouts were unknown.
==Personality==
Naota is a sullen and snarky person who is obsessed with appearing mature and attempts to act nonchalant at all times. This is most expressed in his monologues which open and close each episode where he continues to claim that "nothing amazing ever happens here", despite the show's surreal and often-absurd happenings. He is the least erratic of the cast, but constantly finds himself at the center of attention. He seems to be very frustrated with his life, and, in the opening episode, is musing about how uneventful and boring Mabase is. Naota is internally struggling with the recognition of his existence and independence from his brother. It is the journey of the series, however, that is the coming of age for Naota, and by the end, he has reached young adolescence, and is ready to start exploring life on his own.
==Appearance==
Naota has short, dark brown hair and blue eyes. The clothing he wears most often consists of a light blue sweatshirt with what appears to be a hood on the back and brown shorts, blue socks and brown sneakers. He also wears a variety of different hats and bandages to hide his horns throughout the series. Naota is short compared to others his age. In the final scene, he is shown wearing wearing a gakuran, indicating that he has started attending middle school.
When Naota fuses with Canti, he transforms into a glowing red sphere. As shown in episode 5, the sphere is apparently very hot, as Eri Ninamori had to spray water on it before Naota could return to his human form. It also appears to be very heavy, since it crashed into a billboard and cracked the center, then fell onto a building, making it shudder, before crashing onto the ground and creating a small crater.
==Story==
Main: Naota Nandaba/Story
==Powers==
Naota has a very powerful N.O. channel that draws giant robots to Mabase, which was opened by Haruko. His N.O. is so powerful it garners Haruko’s attention and is the reason he is chosen for her plans over other candidates such as Amarao. In episode 4, he can halt the satellite falling towards Mabase with his newly acquired bat, but ultimately requires Haruko’s help to push it back. When using Atomsk’s power, Naota can fly, summon his guitar and Atomsk’s Gibson EB-0, fuse them into one guitar, and overpower Haruko, who could somewhat keep up, but failed to actually harm him. Naota can be absorbed into Canti and the robot gains Atomsk’s power due to his N.O. channel.
==Items==
Naota has a strong attachment to his older brother's baseball bat, which was left behind when he moved to play baseball in America. He very much wants to be like him, seeing him as an ideal goal for adulthood, but chooses not to play the sport as a result of the pressure to live up to Tasuku. He still, however, carries the bat around occasionally and leaves it readily available against a wall in his room.
Haruko summoned a Gibson Flying V guitar through Naota's N.O. channel for him to use, which he used to stop a satellite from hitting Mabase. He later uses N.O. power to combine it with Atomsk's 1961 Gibson EB-0 during his fight with Haruko into a double guitar.
==Relations==
=== Tasuku Nandaba ===
Naota idolizes his older brother, Tasuku, carrying around his baseball bat, and even hanging out with Tasuku's old girlfriend, Mamimi. In Naota's mind, Tasuku is the epitome of what it means to be an adult, as opposed to the other adults in his life, whom he perceives as being immature.
=== Kamon Nandaba ===
Naota neither likes nor respects his father and usually views him in a very negative light, seeing him act like an immature child despite being an adult and believes him to be an imbecile. He also seems to be annoyed that his father continues to try to revive his writing career with "Come on Mabase" that no one is interested in rather than focus on improving the family bakery to turn a profit. In the novelization of "Fooly Cooly", Naota mentioned that he could not study at home as Kamon would mock and bully him for choosing to study. Yet despite all that Naota went into panic and rushed to save his father in the fourth episode.
=== Shigekuni Nandaba ===
From what is seen, Naota gets along with his grandfather much better than his father. Though for the most part, there is very little interaction between Naota and his grandfather in the anime.
In the novel, the biggest interaction between the two takes place in the novelization of "Brittle Bullet", in which he actually praises Naota after watching him practice his bat swings in the backyard. He then tells his grandson that Haruko had told him about how Naota swung the bat to knock the satellite back into orbit by himself, putting Naota in a more upbeat mood. Afterward, Shigekuni admits to himself that while Naota is still a second-rate player compared to Tasuku, he also points out that Naota is still young and there is plenty of time for him to improve or at the very least, learn to appreciate the sport and give them something to bond over.
=== Mamimi Samejima ===
To Mamimi, Naota was little more than a plaything for her sexual frustrations and loneliness as a result of his brother leaving. Usually, he finds her to be immature and can be quite harsh to her. Despite this, he develops a crush on her, but is confused about how to deal with it. In the novelization of "Fooly Cooly (episode)", despite fully acknowledging that he is nothing more than a "substitute boyfriend", he had previously tried to kiss Mamimi. She immediately stopped him and reminded him that their actions were limited to just her nibbling on his earlobe and neck. In the novelization of "Fire Starter", although he is embarrassed when she appeared at his school, he also indicated that he was somewhat addicted to their "playtime" underneath the bridge.
In Brittle Bullet, after thinking that Mamimi is jealous of his relationship with Haruko, Naota takes her by the hand to a "coffee shop" (implying that despite its name, it is actually a love hotel). The novelization of the episode further explained that Naota had seen his brother take Mamimi there before and that the young boy believed that a "coffee shop" was a place where real lovers went to spend time and expressed their words of love. He then deducted that if he and Mamimi went inside, they would become real lovers, as he was already tired of simply playing around like lovers. Despite Mamimi telling him that he should not be doing these kinds of things with her, he eventually tries to kiss her, only to be silently rejected after telling her that he thought she liked him as well.
When he finally realizes that Mamimi will never return his feelings, their relationship comes to a messy end. In the final episode when he saw her all alone by the river, he just left her to wallow in her depression without saying a word. After Atomsk left earth, Mamimi finally called Naota by his real name, showing her remorse of how things turned out between them and was able to end things on good terms with him before she left Mabase to become a photographer. Naota states in the epilogue that he hasn't heard anything from Mamimi since her departure. 
=== Haruko Haruhara ===
At the beginning of the series, Naota appears to be bothered by Haruko's presence. He originally viewed her as a crazy lady who nearly killed him and stalked him to know what her what was growing underneath the bandage he wore over his forehead. After learning that she will now be the Nandaba's live-in housekeeper, he views her as a lazy and immature freeloader. Though by the forth episode, "Full Swing", he starts to develop a bit of jealousy, as he witnesses her engaging in somewhat suggestive activities with his father, Kamon (unaware that it is a robot version) while also letting his guard as she offers to help him improve his bat swing, noting how her swing reminded him of his brother. 
Additionally the anime and novelization of "Full Swing" shows her acting completely different during the climatic battle. In the anime, after taking him to the top of the Medical Mechanica building to hit the satellite back into space, she suddenly abandons him and as she rides off on her Vespa, has a nonchalant attitude towards the town's possible destruction should he fail. She only comes back after seeing him finally swing and connect, but needed the extra push to launch it back into space. In the novelization, she stays by his side the entire time and is shown to be encouraging him to swing the bat. After successfully hitting out into space by himself, Haruko gives him a hug, saying that she knew that he could do it, and they happily celebrate together. 
Over the course of the series, he realizes his own feelings and admits that he loves her, along with embracing her with a kiss, in the final episode. After fusing with Atomsk briefly, he realizes that she's only after his powers. When Atomsk escapes, she asks Naota if he wants to come along in search of him in which Naota quietly refuses, resulting in Haruko changing her mind due to him still being a child. She claims she'd like to "try again next time" in the future before leaving. She leaves her bass with him when she leaves Earth, which he brings back to his room.
=== Commander Amarao ===
Much like Amarao, Naota is picky about his drinks (disliking drinks which are sour or bitter) and hates spicy foods, though he is told to "cut back on the sour drinks" by Amarao. Naota is the first to realize that Amarao's eyebrows are fake. Amarao tries to make him wear a set in solidarity for both being Haruko's N.O. channels, but Naota does not keep them on.
=== Eri Ninamori ===
Naota's interactions with Ninamori are a bit tense due to her constantly teasing and manipulating him. However, unlike the other girls in his life, Naota treats Ninamori with a bit more respect than he does Mamimi or Haruko, sympathizing with her family issues and calling her 'very grown up' at one point. They do not take any further steps toward a romance, however, until the final episode.
=== Gaku Manabe ===
Gaku is a classmate and friend of Naota. In the novel, he, Masashi, and Naota live close to each other and had known each other for quite awhile. He refers to Mamimi as "Naota's wife," much to his annoyance, and envies Naota for "getting" both Mamimi and Haruko. He often talks about Haruko in a sexual manner, something which also bothers Naota.
=== Masashi Masamune ===
Masashi is a classmate and friend of Naota. Like most classmates, they don't spend much time together due to Naota's chaotic life, but he seems to be closer with Masashi, as well as Gaku and Ninamori, once Haruko and all the problems she brought with her leaves Earth. In the novelization of "FLCLimax", he tries to offer Naota a part-time job, working alongside him, Gaku and Ninamori. It was noted that Masashi did this out of concern as Naota's personality had changed following the events of "Brittle Bullet". The four share a vending machine drink scene in junior high uniforms, mirroring the one with Mamimi in the first episode.
==Gallery==
Main: Naota Nandaba/Gallery
==Trivia== 
*Naota bears a certain resemblance to Shinji Ikari from Neon Genesis Evangelion. Both shows have the same character designer, Yoshiyuki Sadamoto.
*He cameos in the FLCL Progressive ending cinematic. He is briefly seen sitting on a pile of rubble with a blue bass guitar and gig bag nearby, wearing a grey hoodie, green pants and eyeglasses. He is then shown from the back, standing on the rubble and looking up at the sky, similar to when he watched Haruko leave in "FLCLimax". 
**His physical appearance as an adult appears be to be based on a drawing by Kazuya Tsurumaki of an adult Naota that was featured in the artbook, FLCLick Noise.
**There is also an image of his younger self next to Eri and Mamimi briefly shown as Haruko rides past the characters from the FLCL franchise.
*He also appears in flashbacks in episode 6 of FLCL Alternative. The scenes with him are taken from:
** "Fooly Cooly" with Naota being kissed by Haruko as Mamimi looks on, Haruko hitting Canti as Naota looks on in amazement, and Naota catching his breath before Mamimi offers him a drink from her can of juice.
** "Fire Starter" with Naota being consumed by the robot in front of Mamimi.
**"Marquis de Carabas" with Naota holding onto Ninamori as Haruko tries to fight the robot.
*Naota briefly appears in the first episode of FLCL: Shoegaze when Masaki looks up and sees a giant bird perched on the tower. The images include Naota being held by Canti in the first episode, Naota standing on a hill with a bass guitar near the end of the final episode and a close up shot of Mamimi hugging Naota from the opening scene of the first episode.
**In the third episode, there are two additional clips featuring Naota inside the bird: One is showing him, Miyu Miyu, and Haruko in his bedroom after she first arrived in Mabase in "Fooly Cooly". The other clip briefly shows Naota in his baseball uniform sitting with Mamimi by the river from "Full Swing".
* In the novel, Naota appears to be a fan of Japanese actor Tetsuya Watari, viewing him as a "true adult", while also believing that there were no other real adults left in the world.
*According to an early draft for Fooly Cooly found in The FLCL Archives, Naota is suggested to be the person Mamimi gets her cigarettes from as he would rummage through his brother's desk drawer in order to find some for Mamimi's sake.
** His name was originally going to be Shisan.
*Barbara Goodson, who voices Naota in the English dub also voiced Takkun, as well as Tami Hanae in FLCL Progressive.
Category:Characters
Category:Males
Category:FLCL
Category:Principal Characters