

It was in kindergarten that Haruka started calling Makoto by his first name and Makoto calling Haruka "Haru-chan." It was Makoto who wanted to join the Iwatobi Swimming Club when they were children and Haru simply tagged along. Makoto and Haruka Nanase have been friends since at least kindergarten.
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And although Haruka dislikes it when people use his first name and especially his full first name, Makoto does so and also uses the informal form used between close friends, calling him 'Haru' and even Haru-chan, which Haru constantly corrects without success.
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This ability to sweep Haruka into his plans, and at his pace, lessens as Haruka grows more independent and vocal in college, but is demonstrated to be as strong as ever when Haruka tries to ignore the advice of his professional coach, Ryuji Azuma, but is convinced by a simple anecdote about preparing mackerel by Makoto. Makoto's insight into how Haruka thinks is an advantage when convincing him to do something he doesn't want to do, often using water as a lure. In turn, Haruka defends Makoto when the much-larger boy expresses irrational fears. Makoto and Haruka have been best friends for so long that it seems they are able to read one another's thoughts, Their countless hours together have enabled them to intuit one another's feelings, but Makoto is especially vigilant about Haruka's well-being, especially when other people are involved. Being the eldest in his family, he has long been responsible for assisting in the care of his young twin siblings, Ren Tachibana and Ran Tachibana, who adore him. His easy-going nature, combined with his self-discipline, makes him an excellent Captain for the Iwatobi High School Swim Club where he demonstrates responsible and steady leadership with a natural proclivity for building bonds between its members.

He is usually the one restraining Haruka from randomly stripping at the sight of water or diving into fish tanks. Makoto is one of the more sensible people in the group and can get a bit worn out from his friends' peculiar antics and mannerisms. As he matures, he develops self-confidence, especially when defending his friends, as seen when Haruka challenges Hiyori Tono to a race and Makoto intervenes upon learning that Hiyori swims backstroke. When he gets scared, he tends to hide behind Haruka Nanase, a habit developed during childhood. Despite his large frame, he scares easily, as shown when he appeared terrified of the possibility that the Iwatobi Swimming Club may be haunted. Due to his caring personality, he is usually seen with a gentle smile on his face. He is a pleasant and considerate individual, who is always concerned about the welfare of others. The most developed muscles of his form are his trapezius muscles (upper back). He usually wears stylish clothing and upon entering college, black framed glasses that he uses for reading and playing video games. As a swimming coach, he wears a tricolor uniform consisting of a short sleeve swim shirt and coordinating long-legged swimskins. When swimming in competition, he wears black, long-legged swimskins with a green pattern and longer length swim trunks for recreational swimming. During the spring and summer, his summer uniform consists of gray trousers, a white shirt with a dark gray collar, a green dotted necktie and orange sneakers.

His fall and winter high school uniform consists of light brown trousers, a white shirt with green dotted necktie, a dark gray unbuttoned blazer, and orange sneakers. Makoto is a tall, muscular young man with green eyes and shaggy, olive green hair. Currently, he is a first-year university student majoring in sports medicine at Meijo Chuo University, in Tokyo, with the aim of becoming a professional sports trainer. He is the backstroke swimmer and former captain of the Iwatobi High School Swim Club. Makoto Tachibana (橘 真琴 Tachibana Makoto) is a main character in the anime series Free!, beginning with Free!, and the light novel High☆Speed! written by Kouji Ohji.

Iwatobi Jr High School Swim Club (former)
