Nate Adams (Yo-kai Watch)

Nathan Nate Adams is a protagonist in Level-5 (company)multi-media franchise Yo-kai Watch. Designed by Level-5 CEO Akihiro Hino, Nate is a wielder of the titular Yo-kai Watch, which allows him to see Yōkai. Outside of the Yo-kai Watch, Nate is portrayed as an average Fifth grade. Johnny Yong Bosch portrayed Nate in English media up until Yo-kai Watch 3, when he was replaced with Griffin Burns. Haruka Tomatsu portrayed Nate in Japan.
Nate was received positively by critics, who called him "generally likable" and noted how he can have "funny" and "extreme ractions". Jenni Lada of Siliconera felt that Nate was a "generic protagonist", comparing him to the playable characters in the Pokémon (video game series) however, Lada was generally positive towards Nate's character.
While bug hunting in the mountain Mount Wildwood, Nate finds a gashapon machine, which asks him to open it. After cranking the machine, a capsule comes out which contained the Yo-kai Whisper, who becomes Nate's companion. Whisper also gives Nate the Yo-kai Watch, which makes it so that he can see other Yo-kai. Later, Nate finds the Charming tribe Yo-kai Jibanyan at an intersection, whom he befriends. In Yo-kai Watch 3, Nate and his family moves to the fictional town of BBQ.
In Yo-kai Watch: The Movie and Yo-kai Watch 2, Nate's Yo-kai Watch is stolen by the Yo-kai Kin and Gin, in order to help the movie's main antagonist, Dame Dedtime. After retrieving his Yo-kai Watch, Nate, Jibanyan, and Whisper Time travel, where Nate meets his grandfather, Nathaniel. Together, Nate and Nathaniel team up and defeat Dame Dedtime.
In the Yo-kai Watch Shadowside anime and Yo-kai Watch 4, Nate is shown to have married his love interest, Katie Forester, and has two children: Natsume and Keisuke, the former of which takes the role of main protagonist. Nate also appears as a playable character in Yo-kai Watch 4. Nate returns as the main protagonist in the 2019 remake series Yo-kai Watch! (2019 TV series).
Jenni Lada of Siliconera called Nate a "generally [likable]" character and praised his reactions for being "funny" and "extreme". Lada felt that Nate "[didn't] really have too many flaws", but still thought that he was a "generic" protagonist. Lada praised Nate's appearance in Yo-kai Watch 3, stating that she believed Nate and the game's other protagonist, Hailey Anne Thomas, being "distinct" from one another made the game's storylines feel more involved. GameSpot was also positive towards Nate's appearance in Yo-kai Watch 3, calling his segments in the game "compelling" due to him attempting to normalize the "American culture" that's present in BBQ.
Nate's appearance in Yo-kai Watch: The Movie was praised by Anime News Network James Beckett, who described Nate as "goofy", comparing him, Whisper, and Jibanyan to the comedy trio The Three Stooges. Beckett was positive towards Bosch's portrayal of Nate, stating that Bosch gave Nate "the energy and charisma required [for a] lead role". Beckett also praised the scenes featuring Nate and Nathaniel, as he felt it helped develop the latter's character.
Nate has often been compared to protagonists from the Pokémon franchise: Chris Carter of Destructoid described Nate as "the Ash Ketchum of the [Yo-kai Watch] series" and Siliconera compared him to the playable characters in the Pokémon video games, due to Nate's personality being "somewhat muted". Jonathan Ore of CBC.ca agreed with Siliconera comparison, describing Pokémon protagonists as "absurd" when in comparison with Nate's normality. Carter also described Nate as a less childlike version of the protagonists from Bakugan: Champions of Vestroia.
Nate's Japanese voice actor, Haruka Tomatsu, received the Synergy Award at the 9th Seiyu Awards due to her work as Nate in the Yo-kai Watch anime. In 2018, a muscular version of Nate that appeared in the Yo-kai Watch anime was voted as the "Most Bizarre" moment in the franchise by players and viewers.
Category:Video game protagonists
Category:Male characters in video games
Category:Video game characters introduced in 2013