Langa Hasegawa

* Uniform
* Skater

## Skateboard Design

**Langa Hasegawa** (馳河 (はせがわ)  ランガ, *Hasegawa Ranga*?), known in "S" as **Snow** (スノー, *Sunō*?), is the main deuteragonist of the *SK8 the Infinity* anime. He is a half-Japanese exchange student who has just returned from Canada to Okinawa where his mother Nanako Hasegawa grew up and he gets caught up in "S", an underground skateboard race, along with Reki Kyan, and the two are quick to become close friends. Unlike Reki, Langa has no skateboarding experience, but his knowledge in snowboarding helped him get a head start.

## Appearance

Langa has medium-length sky-blue hair (described as "snow-like") that grows past his ears with bangs hanging on either side, aqua-blue eyes and he is above the average height where he is noticeably taller than Reki Kyan.

Usually, he's shown in a high school uniform consisting of black pants, a yellow vest-jacket and a white button-down shirt.

When hanging out with Reki, Langa wears baggy clothes consisting of dark pants, a blue coat and a gray-colored shirt, but he has also been shown in a white dress shirt and skinny jeans and a fully black school uniform, always accompanied by purple sneakers. Langa's mother helps him choose his clothing when he goes out, such as when he wore the sleeveless shirt to Miyakojima.

During his first beef against Shadow in "S", Langa wore a dark-blue long sleeve shirt that he leaves open with pockets in the front with a white t-shirt underneath, black pants and purple sneakers.

When practicing skateboarding with Reki, before the beef against Miya Chinen and becoming **Snow** at "S", Langa wears a white button-up shirt that has a single pocket in the front on the left side with rolled-up sleeves stopping below his elbows while he has a black turtleneck shirt underneath, blue denim jeans and purple sneakers that he wore during his first beef with Shadow.

### Gallery

Langa as a childLanga's first skating outfitLanga's (right) second and current skating outfit
## Personality

Langa generally wears a neutral or sometimes even stoic expression and when speaking, he tends to use as few words as necessary. As early as his introduction to his classmates, his teacher needs to urge Langa to tell the class more about himself other than just his name, to which Langa adds that he's from Canada, much to the class' amusement.

He is calm and laid back about most things, but when it comes to snowboarding and/or learning to skateboard, he's greatly determined and frequently puts his life at risk. Ignoring self-preservation for the act of fun with Reki Kyan. He can be an air-headed and easily distracted. He is very self-assured when he is in his element and is a very quick learner. This can be seen when he easily masters riding a skateboard, using his skills from the fifteen years he spent snowboarding. He was able to make quick adjustments, such as quickly learning how to turn on a skateboard, which is different than turning on a snowboard due to the trucks and wheels on the skateboard.

Because he grew up in Canada, he is unfamiliar with many Japanese customs and its culture. For example, he was not used to sitting *seiza* style during his job interview with Cherry Blossom and so his legs fell asleep. Another example is when he and Reki asked Shokichi Oka if Langa can work there part-time, Langa lifts his head from the bow too early in a way that would ordinarily be considered impolite.

He's also been endeavoring at getting a job to help out with bills ever since the passing of his father Oliver, but he is also very naturally stubborn and hard working. With the death of his father, Langa has taken the responsibility upon himself to find part-time work in order to help pay bills. Although the pay appears to be most important to him rather than what the job entails, Langa is open about his short-comings such as when he declined help from Reki in writing his resume in case the job required reading and writing.

He has an apparent distaste for Japanese-styled toilets, preferring the comfort of Western-styled toilets instead. He even makes the Sign of the Cross before he enters the bathroom, a tradition usually associated with Western Christianity than the majority of religions in Asia.

Following his example in all things from habits, skating and handshakes. He cares deeply for his friends and wants them to succeed as does he wish for himself to succeed. He is close friends with Reki and they spend lots of time together practicing skating.

Langa has a gluttonous appetite, demonstrated when he ate an entire platter of hamburgers when Reki, Miya Chinen, Shadow and himself went out prior to Reki's beef.

Over the course of the series, Reki and Langa have grown to be excellent friends who care about and support one another. Although he quickly advances from being a novice skater to a pro-skater who can hold his own against others who have been skating for years such as Hiromi, Joe and Miya. Although his skill in skateboarding developed quickly, Langa enjoys skateboarding with Reki, despite the gap in their skill.

After the death of Oliver, Langa stopped snowboarding. Through Reki's encouragement, Langa was able to step on a skateboard, despite his fear of falling off if his feet weren't attached. Reki taught Langa the basic skateboarding tricks and practiced diligently with him. The quick development of his skills earned him the name of "Snow" at S, in honor of his snowboarding background and the color of his hair. It's demonstrated multiple times that Langa gets a thrill out of dangerous, near-impossible situations like racing through the factory in the mines against the other S races.

However, "S" participants begin to call Reki "the redhead who hangs out with Snow," although Langa appears to be oblivious to this. While Reki spends an entire day trying to reach a high spot on a wall that Langa had reached with ease, Langa tries to finds Reki at his house and diligently waits for Reki's return in the rain. After Reki claims that he and Langa are no longer "a good match" for one another, Langa is visibly shaken from this.

It's at this point where Langa's enjoyment of skateboarding takes a steep dive. Against his race in the tournament with Joe, he all but stops trying all together until Reki calls out to him and encourages him to go on. For the first time since Reki said that they weren't a good match, Langa was able to feel the excitement of skateboarding again, cementing the fact that it isn't just the thrill he loves - it's skating with Reki that made skateboarding enjoyable in the first place.

## Abilities

Langa has been snowboarding since he was 2 years old and is skilled at the sport after having been taught it by his father. This has meant that he has a natural affinity for skateboarding due to the two sports' similarities and has been able to become very good at it much more quickly than the average person after being guided by Reki Kyan. Langa is one of the strongest skaters at "S" thanks to his unique style and fast learning pace.

* **General Prowess:** Langa is a talented skater capable of holding his own even in beefs with more experienced adults. His slightly reckless style has lead him to quickly become recognized in "S"  and his fame only grew as he continued to win against some of the race's strongest participants. He takes advantage of his fast ability to learn new things to try things out that other skaters wouldn't dare to and often intertwines his snowboarding roots into his new-found ability to skateboard.
* **Tricks:** Thanks to the guidance of his friends, Langa has demonstrated that he's able to pull off and learn even more advanced tricks only after being shown the basics of them a few times. He's been shown to seamlessly use them in beefs in order to gain a lead on his opponents, or in order to fight back against their tactics.
* **Unique Style:** Langa has a slightly unique skating style thanks to his prior snowboarding experience. While originally a hindrance that prevented him from skating without his feet attached to the board , he was able to develop and take advantage of his roots to combine the two sports, giving him a lead over those who are only experienced in skateboarding.
* **Named Moves:** Like Joe, Langa only has one named move.
	+ **Backside-Rodeo:** A move he uses quite often and most of the time to give himself an aerial boost that helps him get ahead in a race. Reki has even described it as Langa flying with snow falling around him.

## Background

Langa grew up in Canada where he had been learning to snowboard there under Oliver's tutelage since a young age. However, he later died, which rendered Langa unmotivated to continue snowboarding. Around this time, Langa's mother Nanako Hasegawa suggested the two moved to Okinawa so that Nanako would have the comfort of her hometown in the absence of her husband and the two soon moved there. It had been years since Langa has touched a snowboard when they arrived.

Soon after arriving, Langa happens to stumble across Reki Kyan, his new classmate, after school, and after a (second) introduction, he agrees to accompany him to "S". There, the two get into an dispute with Shadow, a revered skateboarder, and Langa gets caught up in a race against him. Despite having no knowledge of skateboarding, he adapts what he learned in his fifteen years of snowboarding and flawlessly makes it to the finish line, impressing everyone in the audience.

He then begins to take informal skateboarding lessons with Reki. Those resulted in sundry injuries that worried his mother, but she's glad he was able to make a friend so soon after setting foot in Okinawa.

After passing by Reki's house and finally getting a personalized skateboard for himself, his practice takes a turn and he masters the ollie quicker than expected.

He experiences greed, excitement, thrill and loss within a short timeframe; which shaped him as a person and helped him learn to reach out to others. He learned to make friends and have fun; the love he once had for snowboarding has returned in the form of skateboarding. He even visits his dad's grave in Canada bringing the skateboard Reki made him to tell him about how much fun he's having.

## Stats

 Communication
 Competitiveness
 Reticence
 Skating Expertise

## Trivia

* Langa's surname contains the kanji for "gallop, run" (馳, *hase*?) and "river, stream" (河, *kawa/gawa*?).
* Langa's zodiac sign is Aquarius.
* Langa had started snowboarding when he was 2 years old.
* Langa faints at the sight of blood after he had fallen and got hurt while attempting an ollie. However, in a later episode, Langa did not faint when he saw Reki Kyan’s blood after he had lost to Adam and fallen. This implies that Langa may struggle more so with his own blood rather than others blood.
* Langa is a "goofy" skater, meaning he prefers to skate with his right foot at the front of the board.
* Langa can fall asleep in 3 seconds flat, and doesn't care what clothes he falls asleep in.
* Langa is popular, but is the type of person to get dumped when he dates someone.
* Langa would give a bad white day gift since he's not very considerate, and it would probably be something his mom gets for him. He would take a date to the park to skate.
* Langa would eat anything he finds tasty.
* As a young child, Langa would have been blank-faced even back then, and was treated as a problem child because he was hard to communicate with.
* Reki is Langa's first true friend, since in Canada, he had his dad to snowboard with and didn't have any other real friends.
* Langa would not like a surprise proposal. He would not like a grand reception. He would want "see ya" kisses everyday. He would want to go to his homeland in Canada for his honeymoon. He'd live an easygoing and slow life with his spouse, but he tends to get carried away sometimes so he'd need care. He would need time to open up to his spouse.
* Langa's favorite food is poutine.
* Langa is 18 on Joe's rankings of the muscles of S. Joe's comment: I can hear them…… I can hear them…… I can hear the voices of all his core muscles that he forged through snowboarding!
* Langa is 100% on Adam’s Passionate Love Parameter, how much passion he has for each skater. Adam’s comment: You really are the only one who fills my heart to the fullest. Ahh! This is the moment your ice-like eyes were enveloped in flames! Lovely ♡♡
* Langa's daily schedule when there's no S:
	+ 8:00-8:30 - Wakes up, eats breakfast
	+ 8:30-16:00 - Skates to school, attend school
	+ 16:00-18:00 - Part time work
	+ 18:00-19:30 - Skatepark
	+ 19:30-20:30 - Makes and eats dinner
	+ 20:30-21:30 - Showers, does chores (Sometimes Reki calls and they talk about skating)
	+ 22:00 - Sleep (He probably falls asleep fast. He's a high schooler so he needs to eat a lot and sleep a lot to grow bigger)
* Langa would go to an aquarium for a summer date since he doesn't like hot weather, but he's the type to follow and not initiate. If there was unexpected rain, he wouldn't realize and make the situation better, just stare blankly and wait for the rain to stop.
* Langa's preferred fashion sense is simple cool colors and he doesn't have much that doesn't cover him all the way. He has a lot of turtle necks so that the snow doesn't get in his clothes when snowboarding, and he tends to choose things that have collars. He would have something to eat in his bag, like bread from a convenience store, and he would eat it even if it got smashed. For a date, Langa wouldn't think about his clothes at all. He would try to go out in normal clothes unless his mother stopped him and coordinated an outfit. Langa isn't the type to be attracted by looks or care about them, but instead probably values more who a person is on the inside. Langa's mother buys his clothes for him until he becomes friends with Reki, and then he goes clothes shopping together with Reki, who would probably end up choosing Langa's clothes for him too even if they don't suit Langa. For a shopping date, Langa's partner would be the one taking the initiative, he would be just tagging along. Rather than a shopping date, he would be happier if it was a food date. Langa's mom does his laundry. If someone snapped a picture of him on the street, Langa would have no reaction.
* If Langa was a sweet, he would be Petit gâteau. He has a stylish appearance, but is surprisingly hot on the inside!
* Langa may not have cared to believe in Santa or not, but when he was young, his father dressed up as Santa and Langa saw him and instantly realized it was him and said "Daddy!" So before he even believed in him he was raised to think his dad is Santa. Before loving skating, when he was little he probably asked for lots of snacks for Christmas. He doesn’t really want things so he’d probably want food. He’d get a lot but his mother would probably control how much he got and give him a bit at a time.
* If Langa was an animal, he'd be a yeti since he has the image of snow and ice and he also has poor communication skills and an unworldly feeling.
* Langa wouldn't have a plan for his omotenashi and would realize his room doesn't have anything festive after inviting a guest over. He can cook an omelette, which is his mom's favorite and he's practiced cooking that for her. It's likely that he's not too good at cooking anything else. Langa is very clueless and it would make people want to take care of him, and because of his origin in Canada, he might not be familiar with Japanese omotenashi.
* Langa dislikes natto.
* Langa's tournament card is the Ace of Diamonds .
* Langa's blood type is AB.
* Langa's name comes from the word 'va**langa**', which means "avalanche, flood, spate" in Italian.
* Langa cannot swim without using floaties.
* Langa is a good mixture of both of his parents as he inherited Nanako's facial features and Oliver's blue eyes.

## References

1. ↑ *SK8 the Infinity* Official Website
*SK8 the Infinity* Anime: Episode 1.
3. ↑ SK8 DESIGN WORKS
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Skater’s Backstage
5. ↑ Animedia Magazine September Issue: *SK8 the Infinity* Q&A with Hiroko Utsumi
*SK8 the Infinity* Anime: Episode 2.
*SK8 the Infinity* Anime: Episode 6.
*SK8 the Infinity* Anime: Episode 4.
*SK8 the Infinity* Anime: Episode 7.
*SK8 the Infinity* Anime: Episode 3.
*SK8 the Infinity* Anime: Episode 5.
*SK8 the Infinity* Anime: Episode 9.
*SK8 the Infinity* Anime: Episode 12.
14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Animedia Magazine March Issue: *SK8 the Infinity* Q&A with Hiroko Utsumi
15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Animedia Magazine April Issue: *SK8 the Infinity* Q&A with Hiroko Utsumi
16. ↑ Animedia Magazine May Issue: *SK8 the Infinity* Q&A with Hiroko Utsumi
17. ↑ Animedia Magazine May Issue: *SK8 the Infinity* Marriage Certificates
18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 *SK8 the Infinity* Anime: BD&DVD Vol.4
19. ↑ *SK8 the Infinity* Anime: BD&DVD Vol.5
20. ↑ Animedia Magazine August Issue: *SK8 the Infinity* Q&A with Hiroko Utsumi
21. ↑ Animedia Magazine September Issue: *SK8 the Infinity* Q&A with Hiroko Utsumi
Otomedia Magazine Autumn Issue: *SK8 the Infinity* Q&A with Kyoko Uryu & Mari Suzuki
23. ↑ Animage December 2021: *SK8 the Infinity* Q&A with Hiroko Utsumi
24. ↑ Animage December 2021: *The ones who are devoted* Q&A with Hiroko Utsumi
25. ↑ Otomedia December 2021: *SK8 the Infinity* Q&A with Hiroko Utsumi
26. ↑ *SK8 the Infinity* Official Guidebook
27. ↑ Adam's 2022 birthday merchandise
28. ↑ Q&A with Utsumi during SK8 Week 2nd season announcement
29. ↑ Sk8 week special drama