Mitsuru Hanagata

**Mitsuru Hanagata** (花形 満) is a character from the Kyojin no Hoshi series. He is the son of the owner of the major automobile manufacturer, Hanagata Motors. He is the rival of Hyūma Hoshi. He throws and hits right-handed, and plays first base.

## Mitsuru Hanagata

* M-Kid
* M-Hanshin
* A-Hanshin

## Biographical information

### Occupation

* Baseball player
* Owner of the Hanagata Motors Company

## Relationships

### Relatives

* Mitsuru Hanagata's Father

* Ittetsu Hoshi - Father-in-law

### Affiliation

* Hyūma Hoshi (Rival)
* Akiko Hoshi (Love interest) (Wife)

## Appearances

### Manga Debut

Kyojin no Hoshi (Manga) - Volume 1, Chapter 2

## Misc.

### Voice actor

Makio Inoue (井上 真樹夫)

**SPOILERS***WARNING! This article contains spoilers!*(*Yuke! Yuke! Hyūma!*)

## Profile

### Background

When he was the leader of the Black Shadows baseball team, he encountered Hyūma Hoshi for the very first time. Once Mitsuru witnessed Hyūma's amazing pitching abillity and saw his secret training gear, he then took an interest in Hyūma and sought to make him join his team.

After using his deadly knockout batting technique and being defeated in a game by Hyūma, Mitsuru then saw him as a true rival.

After entering Kōyō Highschool in Kanagawa Prefecture, he played once in the red-and-white match on a temporary pitch, and in the finals of the summer Koshien tournament, against Hyūma Hoshi. Although he hit a home run and settled the game, but after learning of Hyūma's thumb injury, the stage of the confrontation was shifted to professional baseball.

A stand-up player at heart, he hugged Hyūma Hoshi on the mound after defeating him. At the Giants enrollment test, he declared that he must watch his rival's match and instantly attracted the attention of the audience.

#### Origins - First Appearance

In the anime, Mitsuru Hanagata states to Akiko Hoshi that Yokohama is his home. His mother died early. From the time he was in kindergarten, his father wanted to give him a proper education as the son of the Hanagata financial conglomerate, so he went to England to study for five years. While studying abroad, he mastered soccer, horseback riding, and fencing. He also took tennis lessons for 10 years and spent his days immersed in an excessive amount of lessons. At the time, he was mistreated among the aristocracy as a "yellow Jap," which ignited his traditional competitive spirit and he tried to be the best in all aspects of his life. As a result, he is granted an audience with Queen Elizabeth II and even has the honor of shaking her hand, but once he reaches the top, he loses his goal. He returned to Japan, but became disillusioned with his homeland, which had lost its "Japanese pride." He was also unable to accept his family environment, where he rarely saw his parents, and by the time he was in the third grade of elementary school, he became a delinquent who drove a lavish sports car without a license. tThe vehicle could carry more than 10 people at a time. At the same time, he became the manager and player of the Black Shadows, a baseball team he formed on a whim with fellow delinquents, and went on a rampage in various baseball games. His signature "Knockout Batting" technique, a special technique he was proud of, was broken by a first grader named Hyūma Hoshi at the time. At the same time, he then lived to defeat Hyūma as his destined rival.

#### High School Years

After entering Kōyō High School, he progresses his obscure baseball team to a contender for the Kōshien Tournament. Hanagata desperately wants to send Hyūma to high school and promises Akiko Hoshi, whom he met at a gas station, to lend him tuition money through her father (At that time, Ittetsu Hoshi was also injured and hospitalized after looking away from his work due to Hyūma's problem with continuing his higher education.) When Hyūma learns of this, he is furious and throws the lunch box that Akiko had made for him to take to Kōyō High School against the wall.

While watching a red-and-white match between selected members of Kōyō High School, Mitsuru Hanagata requested that Hyūma relieve him. At that time, Hanagata had an injury on his hand. Akiko tells Hyūma to pitch to him gently because he is injured, but he does not listen to her. However, Hyūma, thinking about his sister's and father's situation, throws a sweet pitch to Hanagata. Hanagata, realizing that he was flattering him, punches Hyūma Hoshi. However, when Hyūma said, "I refuse to borrow your tuition fees," he thought that his wealthy self had made him feel that way, so he had Hyūma Hoshi punch him this time, saying, "I'm almost lost my important rival." They hold hands.

Just before Hyūma takes the exam, Hanagata is called by Akamatsu, a former member of Black Shadows, and saves him from danger with a stone, but this time Hyūma is ambushed and saved by Hanagata with a murderous knock. Hyūma Hoshi entered Seiun High School. The Seiun High School baseball team was not as good as that of Kōyō High School, but the PTA president of Seiun High School was Daizō Ban, president of Ban Automobile Industries, which was also a rival company of Hanagata Motors. The rival company's son, Mitsuru Hanagata, was being hailed as a once-in-a-decade batting prodigy, which stirred the rivalry between Ban's father and the rival company.

Kōyō High School offers to play a rivalry game against Seiun High School. At the time, Hyūma was an substitute, but Hanagata planned to get him on the mound at all costs. He had Kanto Radio broadcast the game so that it would not be an embarrassment to Seiun High School. As a result, although Hyūma replaced ace Komiya on the mound in a pinch at the end of the game, Chūta Ban, who had also replaced regular catcher Okabe, was unfamiliar with the game of baseball, so he took the mound. (He was so busy catching hard fastballs that he could not catch them when the bat swung in front of him), he repeatedly made mistakes such as passed balls, and his game with Hanagata was never clearly decided due to Hanagata's interference in hitting. Later, thanks to Hoshi's quick thinking, the game was somehow kept scoreless. In the final inning, when Seiun High was 2 points behind with a runner 1st, Chūta Ban tried to get on base at all costs and received a dead ball to his face without avoiding it. When the Kōyō teammates protested that he did not intentionally avoid them, Mitsuru Hanagata proclaimed, "Our baseball isn't something we play by the rules. It is done with sweat and passion. Let's value (Ban's) guts," he remarked.

Soon after, Hoshi, who was up to bat, hit a long ball himself, and following the runner in front of him, Ban plunged into home base with a body hit, blowing away the Kōyō catcher and the umpire, and the score was tied. Hoshi, who had hit the ball in the gap, also tried to hit a running home run, but Hanagata covered the base and touched him. The timing was delicate, but the referee was unable to make a decision because Hanagata was away from home base due to Ban's body contact.

In an additional episode of the anime version, the day before the regional finals, Hanagata receives a call from Taki, a former member of Black Shadows, telling him that the debut of a jazz singer was decided, and he heads to a jazz cafe to rejoice in his success. However, when Taki sings "The Saints Are Coming to Town" on stage, the reaction of the customers is cold. Hanagata encourages the depressed Taki, but he becomes desperate and runs out onto the road. Hanagata tries to cover for him and sprains his leg. While competing in the regional qualifier with a leg injury, he shows his guts to Taki by hitting a home run in the finals as a substitute.

At the Kōshien Tournament, Hanagata takes the oath of player for the opening ceremony. In the final game, Hyūma is injured and lackluster in his pitching. Hanagata is unaware of the injury to Hyūma 's fingernail that he sustained in the semi-finals, and he calls him a "coward" when he is thrown out of the game at bat.

In the final inning, Hyūma tries to make a getaway by following a stinky course, but the ball falls through the blood glue and he is hit with a home run for goodbye. He receives the home run ball from the outfield to take it home as a souvenir, but the fact that it was bloodstained makes it all make sense. Hanagata shouts loudly to let them know the truth of the matter, but Hyūma dares him not to say anything to protect Komiya, the second pitcher. Hanagata was even more moved by this and said, "The battle is about to break out. But first, let me embrace you," and embraces Hyūma passionately. However, his actions at that time unintentionally provoked the fury of Daizō Ban, which led to the abolition of the baseball team at Seiun High School, an incident involving The Dark Attack on Daizō Ban Incident, and even the expulsion of Hyūma from Seiun High School.

#### Entering the Professional Baseball World

After hearing that Hyūma was released from Seiun High School, he sends the aforementioned "blood-stained ball" to the Giants' office in the spirit of "sending salt to the enemy," but this ends up having the opposite effect as it increases Kawakami's displeasure with Hyūma. Later, he traveled to Hawaii as a member of the All-Japan Selected Team, but when he learned that Hyūma had joined the Giants on his departure, he turned his back and joined the Hanshin Tigers on the spot. He took over the number "10," the permanent number of the great Hanshin hitter Fujimura Fumio. When he joined the team, he was even called "bigger than an ON gun" by those involved.

#### First Professional Baseball Player Era

He strikes Hyūma Hoshi's pitches when he was a fastball pitcher, but after being beaten by the revived Hyūma Hoshi's Dai League Ball No. 1, he falls into a terrible slump for a while. However, instead of disappearing, the fighting spirit of overthrowing Hyūma is burning more and more, and he conducts an unprecedented special training of "Hitting an iron ball with an iron bat" at a subcontractor factory of Hanagata Motors. Thanks to this special training, Hanagata smashed No. 1 (a home run), but the impact left him so seriously injured that his upper body was rattled (at that time, the doctor at the stadium did not even take X-rays, but examined Hanagata's broken bones and other parts in detail by palpation. (In addition, there is a scene in which Hanagata himself later says, "My muscles are as good as a pro wrestler's thanks to steel ball training," just before his second defeat). In "Kyojin no Hoshi - Special Edition: Fierce Tiger Mitsuru Hanagata" he was so seriously injured that his life was in danger, and Akiko Hoshi came to visit him several times, pushing his wheelchair and providing other support.

When Hyūma Hoshi was in a sleepwalker-like state after his bereavement with Mina Hidaka, Mitsuru Hanagata called him to the Tama River grounds and engaged in "sanctions of friendship" (acts of violence) with an iron fist and punched Hyūma. On the other hand, he begins a full-fledged relationship with Akiko and their love deepens. After hitting No. 2 (a home run), he again knocked Hyūma into the abyss. At the All-Star game where he was to witness No. 3, he left the bench and appears under Akiko, who was watching the game in the stands in her uniform, he then treated Akiko to a steak at an upscale restaurant (favored by Hanagata Motors.)

At that table, he talks about his past and his encounter with Hyūma Hoshi.

To Mitsuru Hanagata, who said, "I felt the beauty of Japan that was disappearing," after seeing Hoshi and his father, Akiko observes, "While cherishing such things, Mr. Hanagata adopted the good things of the West, and created an ideal image of the youth of tomorrow."

After the birth of Dai League Ball No. 3, he played against Hyūma once, but was easily defeated, partly because the story had shifted to Hyūma Hoshi vs. Ittetsu and Chūta Ban. In the anime, he later met up with Hyūma after missing an important day game without permission in order to stop Hyūma's downfall, he tried to stop him from throwing the Dai League Ball No. 3 by getting down on his knees, but Hyūma wouldn't listen, and they had a final one-on-one three-ball duel with the condition that the loser would retire. He was on the verge of striking the No. 3, but was unable to beat it when Hyūma switched to a better throw on the last pitch.

In the anime "Kyojin no Hoshi - Special Edition: Fierce Tiger Mitsuru Hanagata" edited from Hanagata's persepective with new scenes added, Mitsuru Hanagata announces his retirement after a three-ball showdown with No. 3. At the final game of Hyūma's career, he is watching in the audience alongside Akiko. In the original story of "Shin Kyojin no Hoshi," the explanation is that "Hanagata left Hanshin at the end of the season, and Ittetsu and Ban left Chunichi."

In the original story, Hanagata and Akiko stood side by side to watch Hyūma's game, although it was the "first appearance of big league ball No. 3" all-star game. In the anime version of that game, "Hanagata and Akiko watching the game" was omitted and replaced with a scene of the two watching the final game side by side (in the recollection of the anime version of "Shin" however, the scene was changed to show Akiko rushing to the stadium immediately after the game in the final game of Hyūma's left arm era).

## Gallery

### Manga:

Mitsuru Hanagata Black Shadows uniform.Mitsuru Hanagata wearing his Kōyō High school uniform and watching Hyūma Hoshi take the Giants' enrollment test.Hanshin Tigers uniform.
## Quotes

> 「ふふふ…さすがは投打にわたって高校球界きっての天才児といわれる王貞治だ。ただの超スローボールではないと見抜いている…しかしまさかあんな奇怪なギブスが星の球速を十分の一にしているとは王といえども夢にも思うまい」("*Fufufu... as expected of Sadaharu Oh, who is said to be the most prodigy in the high school baseball world in pitching and batting. I can see that it's not just a super slow ball...but even the Oh wouldn't even dream that such bizarre gibbs could make the ball speed of the Hoshi's one tenth.*"
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> 「わが宿命のライバル」("*My destined rival.*")
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> 「みんな！ケチな抗議などよせっ！仮にだ、わざとだったとしても顔にまともに当たったデッドボールがどんなに厳しいものか････その根性をかおう！ぼくらの高校野球はこうるさいルールなどより熱意と意気とでやるものじゃないかっ」("*Everyone! Stop stingy protests! Even if it was on purpose, how severe is a dead ball that hits you in the face?" Show your guts! Our high school baseball should be played with enthusiasm and spirit rather than fussy rules.*"
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> 「星くん。ぼくはますますきみに勝ちたくなった。宿命のライバル同士の対決は今改めて火ぶたを切るのだっ。だ、だがその前に…も、もう一度きみを抱き締めさせてくれたまえ！なんて素晴らしいライバル！」("*Hoshi-kun, I want to beat you more and more. The confrontation between the destined rivals is about to ignite again. But before that... let me hug you one more time! What a great rival!*"
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> 「この…ぼくの死の特訓に対して大リーグボールで勝負してくることこそ宿命のライバルの礼儀ではないかね星くん！」("*Isn't it the courtesy of your destined rival that you're going to compete against my special death training with your Dai League Ball, Hoshi-kun!*")
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> 「速水くんこれからは竜虎の勝負だ。この花形と星のな。チョロチョロしたネズミは雑音を出さずにそろそろ引っ込み時じゃないかね」("*Hayami-kun, from now on, it will be a battle of dragons and tigers. This Hanagata and Hoshi. Don't make any noise with the ticking rats, isn't it time to retreat?*")
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> 「青い水面に美しく優雅に浮かぶ白鳥は、しかしその水中に隠れた足で絶え間なく水をかいているっ。だからこそつねに美しく優雅に浮かんでいられる。ぼくはその白鳥であるためにも星くん…きみを打つ！」("*A swan floating beautifully and gracefully on the surface of blue water, however, it is constantly paddled with its hidden legs in the water. That's why you can always float beautifully and gracefully. Because I'm that swan, Hoshi-kun... I'll hit you!*")
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> 「そのほうが恐ろしい…彼は厳冬の青麦のように、あるいは雪を弾く青竹のように、踏まれれば踏まれるほど強くたくましく成長する男です！」("*That's more terrifying...he is like a green barley in a harsh winter, or a green bamboo playing in the snow, the more he is stepped on, the stronger and tougher he grows!*")
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> 「死者にムチ打つとは思わん！なぜなら星は死者などではない！彼は不死鳥だ火の鳥だ！た…たとえ…火に落ち灰になろうともその灰の中からよみがえってくるっ、いっそう手強い好敵手となって！」 ("*I don't believe in whipping the dead! Because the Hoshi isn't dead! He's a phoenix, a firebird! Even if it were to fall into fire and become ashes, it would come back to life from the ashes, becoming an even more formidable rival!*")
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> 「田淵ではこの花形は燃えんのだ。星くんきみだけがぼくの闘志に火をつける男なのに…ううっ」("*In Tabuchi, Hanagata will not burn. Hoshi-kun, you're the only man who can ignite my fighting spirit... Ugh.*")
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> 「今度はきみの番！たとえ死ぬよりつらい事情があろうとも、父上とオズマのコンビおよび我々の挑戦に応じて立ち上がる番だというのだっ」("*Now it's your turn! It is your turn to rise to the challenge of your father, Ozuma, and us, no matter what the circumstances, even if they are more painful than death.*")
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> 「プロ野球選手の置かれている地位は純真な少年ファンにとっては青春の偶像なのだ！英雄なのだ！このもったいないほどのありがたい光栄を我々は命に代えても死守せねばならん！端金に目が眩み八百長試合をやるごとき裏切り者は…たたっ殺してやりたいっ」("*The status of a professional baseball player is a youth idol for innocent boy fans! You are a hero! We must defend this wasteful honor even at the cost of our lives! A traitor who is dazzled by the odds and plays match-fixing games... I want to kill him*.")
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## Trivia

* As noted by the author of the series, Mitsuru Hanagata is modeled after a real life player for the Hanshin Tigers team named Minoru Murayama (村山実).
* He continues calling Hyūma Hoshi "My destined rival" and he is a genius who burns with excessive fighting spirit during intense confrontations.
* By the way, he always uses a Hanagata Motors convertible for transportation.
* In 2002, Kyojin no Hoshi - Special Edition: Fierce Tiger Mitsuru Hanagata was broadcasted and produced by WOWOW. It had a total of 13 episodes and was a re-edited version of Kyojin no Hoshi focusing on Mitsuru Hanagata's perspective, with a few newly animated scenes added in.
* In a survey of, "Car use and Car Selection 2021" created by Honda Access Co., Ltd. (株式会社ホンダアクセス), there was a poll labeled "Anime characters that look good in sports cars." Mitsuru Hanagata landed in second place, just below Arsène Lupin III (from Lupin the Third) who was in first.
* On Episode 64 of the Kyojin no Hoshi anime, there was a commercial for a yellow sports car called the "*Mitsuru Hanagata 2000*", featuring Mitsuru Hanagata driving it.
* On Episode 131, Mitsuru ate spaghetti.

#### Appears in:

* Kyojin no Hoshi (Manga)
* Kyojin no Hoshi
* Kyojin no Hoshi: Chizome no Kesshousen
* Kyojin no Hoshi: Ike Ike Hyuuma
* Kyojin no Hoshi: Dai League Ball
* Kyojin no Hoshi: Shukumei no Taiketsu
* Kyojin no Hoshi (1982)
* Shin Kyojin no Hoshi (Manga)
* Shin Kyojin no Hoshi
* Shin Kyojin no Hoshi (Movie)
* Shin Kyojin no Hoshi Ⅱ

#### Baseball Teams:

* First Appearance: Black Shadows「ブラック・シャドウズ」(Manager and player)
* Highschool years: Kōyō Highschool (紅洋高校)
* Professional era: Hanshin Tigers (阪神タイガース)
* Shin Kyojin no Hoshi: Yakult Swallows (東京ヤクルトスワローズ)

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20050226141217/http://www.whv.jp/title/kyojin/chara/005.html
2. ↑ https://response.jp/article/2021/03/20/344144.html

## External Links

* https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/花形満
* http://www.whv.jp/title/kyojin/chara/005.html