Yamamoto Takeshi
For Mitzy's use only
[ asariugetsu, rainringed, and rainswallow ]
Takeshi Yamamoto
"I've been waiting for the day we could have our rematch."
FACE VALUE
ALIAS Vongola Guardian of the Rain, Katana Brat, Yakuya Baka
CANON Katekyo Hitman REBORN!
TIMELINE Chapter 262
OCCUPATION Vongola Rain Guardian, Baseball Player, Shigure Souen Ryuu Successor
ALLIANCE Vongola Family, Namimori Baseball Team
[ KHR ONLY ] FAMILY Vongola
AGE Fifteen
GENDER Male
DATE OF BIRTH April 24th
HEIGHT / WEIGHT 177cm [ 5'10" ] / 63kg [ 139lbs ]
BLOOD TYPE O
HAIR / EYE COLOR Black / Light Brown
DRESS Takeshi is most commonly seen in his school uniform - sleeves rolled back - with an arm band on his left arm. Outside of school, he is often seen in baggy pants with simple t-shirts and button-up tops over them. He has been seen, from time to time, in suits to fit the occasion; his older self is only seen wearing a suit, tie loosened and top buttons undone.
Truthfully, his style is quite simple. He doesn't really wear accessories - not outside of his necklace and his rings.
DISTINGUISHING FEATURES Takeshi has no real distinguishing features when he is younger beyond his height. Older, however, he bears a scar on his chin with no clear point of origin.
APPEARANCE Takeshi now and then.
FAVORITES
FOOD / DRINK Sushi & Milk
HOBBIES Baseball and swordsmanship
BACKGROUND CHECK
PERSONALITYTakeshi comes off to many as being quite linear - no real depth beyond what he shows to others. In their eyes, he’s very much the star athlete everyone likes; he smiles and gets along easily with everyone and has no obvious faults. His world seems to revolve solely around baseball and the life he’s built around it; he has, after all, worked for years to build his identity around baseball. Purely a nice guy, he’s the one everyone admires and wants to date; the guy everyone genuinely respects for his cheerful nature and easy-going persona.
As someone who is quite popular with both genders, it could be said that he’s strangely charismatic. When around others, he knows the right things to say to ease the mood or what to say to give someone a last minute boost of confidence. Of course, he’s not the most eloquent or sensible person all the time, but even when he’s not, his attempts often follow through with success. With such a seemingly natural allure, he’s been shown to be respected and well-liked by not only his closest friends but his schoolmates as well. It’s very rare to find someone who genuinely dislikes him and those who do often base it off some particular aspect of him - such as his position as the Rain Guardian or his alliance with the Vongola - rather than his actual personality and skills.
His charm comes from, perhaps, the innocent aura he radiates to most people. At times, he can be quite gullible - buying into simple explanations that when paid more thought could easily be dismissed as incorrect. And playing further to such a front, he can be a bit naïve. He finds many things to be nothing more than a game, even when their obvious severity has come to light. It is very likely this is his way of coping, of facing things he doesn’t fully understand with a positive outlook. He does, after all, possess a streak of blinding optimism that some people may find a bit unsettling or perhaps fake; truthfully, it’s just the way he is.
Even as far as people are concerned, it is very rare for Takeshi to find someone he dislikes or doesn’t trust. He’s quick to greet people and befriend them, to show them a kindness and welcome that others may not. Even if they may seem rugged or ‘scary’ on the surface, he can easily look past it in favor of extending a hand of friendship to them. To this extent, he may be a bit too trusting of other people. Unless given a reason not to trust someone, he’ll be one of the first to place his faith in them. Likewise, many people are quick to place their trust in him as he’s dependable and more than apt at keeping secrets - particularly those that are not his own.
With such a positive outlook on virtually everything, Takeshi is easily described as being a very relaxed person. There isn’t much that shakes him and the things that do, he’s quick to bounce back from most of it. Whenever something goes wrong, he’s always the first of the group to put on a smiling face and hold his head up high - you just have to keep on trekking when things get bad. So long as there is hope in a situation, he’ll very well hold onto it with everything that he is. So determined to look at the good rather than the bad, it’s how he stays calm when everyone else is loosing their cool. After all, there’s no reason to get worked up about things if you know you have a chance.
Such qualities easily make Takeshi an ideal Rain Guardian. Calm and easy going as his dying will flames imply, he lives up to the expectations of his role. He’s the force his family and friends can count out - the reliable one. When given a task or presented with a mission, Takeshi will carry it out to the best of his abilities. He’s often the one who shows up when situations look grim, somehow managing to turn the situation around or save his comrades. He’s proven time and again that should the need arise, he’ll sacrifice himself or something important to him for someone else; he’ll do what he has to in order to protect others whenever he can.
This could all be considered a clever ruse in its own right; though it’s very unclear if it’s intentional or otherwise. Truthfully, Takeshi Yamamoto is nothing more than a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Only his intentions aren’t to blend to cause harm but a genuine desire to be someone he may not truly be. The happy-go-lucky nature and blinding optimism only runs so deep, acting as a deceptively brilliant cover to a kindness that could truly kill.
On the surface, Takeshi plays the role of your typical jock - seemingly a bit on the slow side and not at all academically capable of performing well. This is actually hardly the case. He’s strangely observant, able to learn something after only seeing it a single time. Likewise, he’s shown a capability to find and point out things others may not notice. Which such observational skills, he’s able to find weaknesses in his opponent and use it to his advantage.
Beneath all that cheerfulness and dependability, Takeshi has a serious side that not many get to see. When he or his friends are in danger, that idiotic guise is pushed aside in favor of something so much more serious - something that could be considered a little dark in its own right. While he doesn’t get angry often, should you manage to cross those few lines that trigger his temper, it’s not likely to end well in the offender’s favor.
He’s actually quite a sore loser, when it comes down to it. Like any athlete - and swordsman - he is willing to play hard and fair, but losing any kind of game or battle is simply unacceptable. For these reasons, he often succeeds in what he does, but when he does not, the grim turn his personality makes is quite disheartening. He’s known for becoming fixated on his losses, pushing himself to new extremes to exceed the expectations and to better himself in preparation for an inevitable rematch. Whenever he fails, nothing else seems to matter except the loss he suffered; all he can think about is becoming better, no matter the cost to him. Failure simply does not sit well with him - leading him to doing drastic things. There’s no telling what a fool might down when depressed, after all.
To this extent, Takeshi can seem more than a little obsessive. Whether it’s a loss or bettering himself, that is all that seems to matter to Takeshi outside of his ‘family’. He refuses to give up and pushes on with a ferocity that can be terrifying to some people but helps him become stronger. No matter the problem or the situation, once he has something in mind, he never quite lets it go. Whether it is a rematch or protecting someone else, he always aims to fulfill all of the goals he sets for himself.
With such strong emotions, it’s a wonder more people aren’t aware of them. His carefree guise is always up and ready, even when he has something on his mind. He’s quite secretive for someone who seems so open with other people. When something is bothering him or has him upset, he’ll just as easily smile and dismiss any concern as if it were any other day. He keeps what he feels to himself and shoulders his own burdens alone. When something goes wrong for him or he makes a mistake, he chooses to shoulder the burden alone no matter the effects it may have on him. Beyond happy situations, it’s rare for him to outwardly to react to many things in noticeable ways.
All of this makes him the perfect hitman, when it comes down to it. He easily blends into crowds, making it easy for him to blend and gain trust. Being able to keep his outward emotions under wraps helps to ensure that a mission will get carried out without fail. And with such a degree of secrecy and skill, it’s a wonder he hasn’t become a hitman of some degree already. To those who seek the answer as to why, it’s simple: he refuses to harm the innocent and will avoid harming others unless the need arises. He’s more than a little merciful - going so far as to turn his blade when attacking - and he can forgive people within reason.
To others, Takeshi may seem like a simple person with only one thing on his mind but when it comes down to it, he’s quite the piece of work.
HISTORY Takeshi Yamamoto is the son of the sushi chef, Tsuyoshi Yamamoto. His father runs the sushi shop Takesushi that presumably doubles as his home. It is unclear about his relationship with his mother or even if she’s still living. At school, its said that he was chosen to be a starting player on the Namimori baseball team as a first year and that ‘all the other kids in school completely respect’ him.
His first appearance in canon was in phys ed, during the torturous process of picking people to play on different teams. As usual, Tsunayoshi Sawada was the last to be picked and neither team was willing to take them on their side without some game of chance to decide - presumably rock paper scissors. Seemingly out of no where, Takeshi steps forward and asks Tsuna to join his team, though his team members try to convince him that loser Tsuna will only cause them to lose. Takeshi doesn’t seem to mind this, however, and insists that if he doesn’t give up any hits that it would be alright.
As the game begins and progresses, it is revealed that Takeshi can hit one-handed. Unknown to both Takeshi and Tsunayoshi, the infant tutor Reborn had been watching the whole time and decided they needed Takeshi’s athletic prowess and popularity in the Vongola family. Regardless of how amazing of a player Takeshi proved to be, it wasn’t enough to keep his team from falling victim to Loser Tsuna’s reputation of causing any team he plays on to lose. In their anger with him, Tsuna was left to clean up on his own, though Takeshi quickly arrived - cheerful as ever - to help him out. While cleaning, Tsuna apologizes to him for causing the team to lose, though he brushes it off - insisting it’s only PE - before going on to tell Tsuna how he had been watching him and how ‘awesome’ he had been as of late. He went on to tell Tsuna that he’s only good at one thing - baseball - and lately he had been slipping; his batting average had dropped and his fielding had been getting sloppier. Worried he would be dropped as a starting player, he asked Tsuna for advice. Tsuna replied by telling him that he should try harder and in response, Takeshi laughed and told him they would be good friends - after noting that he’d stay later that day to practice harder.
It turns out that in the midst of his practices, something had gone wrong and caused him to fracture his arm. The next day at school, Takeshi appeared on the roof, claiming he was going to jump because the baseball gods had forsaken him. It’s then that Tsuna shows up, trying to persuade him not to jump. Takeshi counters that Tsuna of all people should know how he feels before Tsuna replies that Takeshi is confused. Misunderstanding Tsuna’s word, Takeshi snaps at him - asking Tsuna if things have changed now that Tsuna is a ‘big shot’. Tsuna insist that’s not the case, claiming that it’s because he’s a loser that they’re different and that he could never invest his entire identity in something like Yamamoto had. Tsuna then attempts to flee before Takeshi attempts to stop them - causing both of them to topple over the edge of the rooftop, seemingly to their doom. Reborn was on top of things as usual, however, and shot Tsuna with a combination of special bullets that enabled him to save Takeshi and himself from a violent meeting with the ground below. Safe on the ground once more, Takeshi told Tsuna that he had been right about what he had told him. He would give things his all. He went on to tell Tsuna that there’s no telling what a fool would do when depressed.
Takeshi and Tsuna become friends after the whole of the incident on the roof. In the background, however, Hayato Gokudera has been observing Takeshi and comments many a times that he does not approve of Takeshi. In response, Reborn agrees to give Takeshi an entrance test to see if he’s worthy of becoming part of the family before sending Gokudera to bring Takeshi to him. It was then that Takeshi met Reborn for the first time, laughing off his introduction of being a hitman and the talk of mafia he brings up - telling Tsuna it was like playing cops and robbers as a kid. Completely misunderstanding the whole of the situation, Takeshi tells Reborn he made a good choice picking Tsuna as a boss for their game of Mafia and asks to join the family. Reborn tells him if he can pass the entrance test, he’ll be a member of the family and if he fails, it means his death. Oblivious to the truth behind those words, Takeshi comments on how he’ll have to do his best and then the test begins.
To pass the test, he simply has to avoid all of Reborn’s attacks. At first, Takeshi does well - narrowly dodging knives while going on to comment on how ‘real’ the toys seem. Reborn then comments on how Tsuna should set the example and Takeshi eagerly tells him that they should make it a competition, to which Reborn seems more than willing to allow. Despite the many close calls, Takeshi thinks it all to be a game and a fun one at that. During the test, Lambo shows up intending to kill Reborn but Reborn ignores him and eventually, Gokudera joins the test to make it even harder on Takeshi. Between Lambo, Reborn and Gokudera, they ‘accidentally’ push the limits and they cause a massive explosion. Once the smoke cleared, it was revealed that Takeshi had put himself in harm’s way to save Tsuna from the blast. Reborn thus ends the test. Afterwards, Gokudera reluctantly compliments Takeshi for saving Tsuna before the two ‘argue’ over the position of Tsuna’s right hand man.
Various smaller events happened many atimes after these events, though Takeshi’s involvement in them was minimal at best. They included meeting future allies and witnessing more instances of Reborn’s borderline Spartan training rituals with a few notable instances.
The first was an accidental encounter with Kyouya Hibari, the future Vongola Decimo Cloud guardian. Reborn appeared to Tsuna, Takeshi and Gokudera one day, claiming they needed a base within the school, to which they all agreed. Reborn insisted that he knew a place and the three unknowingly went along with it. Upon reaching the room, though, they met Hibari and Takeshi recognized him instantly, fully aware of his reputation. His attempts to warn Gokudera were futile, as Gokudera attacked Hibari after Hibari attacked Tsuna. Hibari turns on Takeshi and Takeshi manages to evade where as the other two had failed to do so. Hibari notes that Takeshi is protecting his arm before knocking him out as well. While he was knocked out, Tsuna recovered only to try and save them. Inevitably, Reborn stepped in to save all three of them, revealing the whole of the incident to be yet another test.
The next was during Tsuna’s meeting with the tenth generation Cavallone boss. In an attempt to test Tsuna’s ‘family’, Dino and Reborn staged a ‘kidnapping’ of Tsuna that was seemingly carried out by a prominent Yakuza group in the area. After Takeshi and Gokudera fled to attempt to save Tsuna, it was revealed by Dino that he had been the one to kidnap Tsuna and that he was in no real danger, as the kidnappers weren’t supposed to be real. Reborn revealed, however, that Gokudera and Takeshi were in fact going to face off against a real Yakuza group, causing Dino and Tsuna to rush after them in an attempt to save them. Upon arriving, it was revealed that Gokudera and Takeshi were able to beat down a majority of the group on their own, but more showed up after Dino and Tsuna’s arrival. When reasoning with the Yakuza failed, Dino attempted to save them - though accidentally beat all of his comrades instead. Reborn - as if on cue - appeared to shoot Tsuna with more special bullets to protect his family and Takeshi along with Gokudera rose to cover his back.
Another note worthy event was Takeshi’s training with Reborn. One day after his morning practices at the bating cage, he finished up to find Reborn waiting for him - claiming to be there to help him out of his slump. During their training, Reborn gave Takeshi micro hammers - small baseballs that sprout spikes when thrown, apparently capable of destroying boulders with their force. He was then given a baseball bat. It turned out to be a strange telescope, though in his first look through it, Dino and Romario began an assault from overhead - an assault Gokudera quickly joined in on. Tsuna was forced into the training with him and despite the distractions and having to guide Tsuna; he was able to dodge sniper bullets. His final test began with Reborn pointing a gun at him and with a swing of the bat he was given, it changed into a katana - or more appropriately, Yamamoto’s Bat. Reborn went on to continue training Takeshi by shooting at him and Takeshi was able to block all of the shots with swings of his sword. The next day at the batting cages, Takeshi hit the home run target each time.
Of course, time after retrieving his weapon was spent watching Tsuna go through even more tests at the hand of his merciless tutor. Though he visited Italy briefly with Dino after Gokudera refused such a trip.
Takeshi had little to worry about for some time. Not until the mysterious attacks on Namimori students began. A group of escaped convicts posing as Kokuyo Middle School began launching attacks on students of Namimori and taking their teeth according to their ranking on Fuuta’s ‘Strongest in Namimori Middle’ list. It was a mystery for some time what place Takeshi had on this list until one day, Chikusa attacked Gokudera - the third strongest student. Preparing to finish the final blow, Takeshi stepped in to cut the strings on his yo-yos and in response, Chikusa claimed he had no business with Takeshi, as he was Ken’s target - implying Takeshi had yet to come down on this mysterious list.
Takeshi along with Tsuna, Gokudera, Bianchi and Reborn all set out after the attack on Gokudera to face off the one responsible for these attacks. They headed to the remains of Kokuyo Health Land, relying on Tsuna’s poor memory to maneuver through it to find the attackers. It’s there that Takeshi noticed a strange animal print and the others noticed various other strange things - broken cages and teeth marks on trees. No sooner than they did, Takeshi was attacked by a large canine but Takeshi was quick to note that the attacking animals were already dead. What attacked Takeshi next, however, was the furtherest thing from. Ken Joshima - one of the escaped convicts - attacked him and caused him to slide back across the ground before Takeshi fell through it, revealing that the area they were walking on was a buried rooftop.
Ken followed him down and once Takeshi recovered from the drop, his idiotic person was replaced by something much more serious. Ken began his attack quickly and Takeshi was able to evade his initial attacks before drawing his sword in defense. Ken broke it easily, however, and Takeshi replied that playing Mafia met he couldn’t hold back. Ken, on the other hand, revealed his powers to Takeshi before beginning a more serious fight. Again, Takeshi continuously evaded, ever mindful of his body despite taking a few hits. Without a bat and in a position where his friends couldn’t help him, he was faced with a decision to risk injury by directly engaging Ken or to make their fight a battle of endurance. During their fight, Takeshi admitted he had to keep himself from getting hurt not because he was scared but because of the fall tournament coming up. Tsuna - feeling guilty about what could happen to Takeshi - was kicked into the hole by Reborn. Ken eagerly whirled on Tsuna, claiming to be bored of his fight with Takeshi.
This didn’t sit well with Takeshi at all and he flung rocks at Ken, telling him they should finish their game first. Ken took the bait and attacked Takeshi once more. In response, Takeshi threw up his arm, seemingly in defense and Ken bit into it. It was a diversion it seemed, as Takeshi used his broken sword to slam it into Ken’s head, knocking him out. Tsuna felt horrible over Takeshi sacrificing his arm, to which Takeshi explained that he’d never put baseball over his friends.
After the ordeal with Ken, they able to leave the area they’d fallen into and Bianchi tended to Takeshi’s wounds. Takeshi apologized for breaking the bat he was given but Reborn brushed it off and gave him a spare. The group went on then to encounter M.M. and then Birds, both of which fell to the force of their allies. After their encounter with Birds, they were finally able to meet Mukuro Rokudo - or rather, Lancia, the fake Mukuro Rokudo. Takeshi and the others stood up to fight him and while Takeshi was able to discover the secret behind Lancia’s attack, he inevitably fell to his powers. Takeshi fell unconscious for the remainder of the fight with Lancia and remained that way until some time after the fight with the real Mukuro. He and the other wounded parties were taken care of by a special Vongola medical crew. Takeshi went on to play in the Fall Tournament that year with the other’s there to cheer him on.
Some time after the incident at Kokuyo Health Land, yet another threat rose to confront the Vongola family. Takeshi and the others were having a friendly outing together when a strange teen by the name of Basil fell onto the scene, followed by the volatile and obnoxiously loud Squalo Superbi. Takeshi and Gokudera both stood to fight Squalo, though both were easily defeated. After the incident, both were dismissed by Reborn with the reasoning that they would just be in the way if they tried to stay and help the situation. Takeshi - sore loser that he had proven himself to be - took the loss hard.
The next day, he appeared at the hospital Basil was being treated at to meet up with Tsuna. When they met up, he showed him the strange half-ring he’d received and even tried to give it back - claiming he didn’t wear jewelry because of sports. He promptly changed his mind, though, when Reborn explained the rings and the danger that was to follow those who held onto them. Determined to meet up with Squalo once more, Takeshi kept his half of the Vongola ring of the Rain, explaining that he doesn’t like to be beaten.
Takeshi returned home that day, a few seconds late to see a strange display on his father’s part. He was quick to ask his father to teach him swordsmanship, to which his father agreed. After agreeing, Tsuyoshi showed Takeshi to a dojo to teach him what he had asked - but before they could begin, Tsuyoshi revealed a side of himself his son never knew. He explained he planned to infuse every bit of his knowledge into the other because his skill with the sword was an equivalent of Takeshi’s skill with a bat and ball. The training had been quick - he was shown the forms of Shigure Souen Ryuu only once and asked to perform them afterwards. Once he had done so, his father informed him that he was finished teaching him and that the rest was up to him. Confused, Takeshi tried to explain that all he did was copy what he was shown. Tsuyoshi replied that if his son were worthy of learning such a style, he only needed see it once to learn it.
Between the beginning of his training and his actual battle with Squalo - Takeshi is present for all other Ring Battles. He says or does little, appearing mainly as support and voicing concerns with the others as different things happen. It isn’t until the end of the Storm Battle that Takeshi does anything of notable importance. The Storm Battle took place within the halls of Namimori Middle School and left a large mess - something that had inevitably drawn the attention of the volatile perfect Hibari. Angry about what had happened, Hibari moved to strike one of the Varia before Takeshi stepped in - easily moving fast enough to grab and stop Namimori’s strongest fighter’s attack. This comes as a shock to many and it is one of the most noteable signs of improvement to his skills. After the battle, he found himself troubled by the information Dino had chosen to reveal to him about his opponent Squalo. Squalo was the swordsman emperor, having defeated a seemingly endless of amount of sword styles. He was told the only way to win would be to transcend sword styles.
After this incident, Takeshi prepared for his own battle - the Rain Battle. It was the day of his battle that his father gave him Shigure Kintoki, something that was seemingly a harmless practice sword. He even proceeded to explain it as such before swinging it and revealing its transformation into a katana when used with the Shigure Souen style. It was during the explanation that Tsuna explained to Tsuyoshi that Yamamoto couldn’t use the sword as it wouldn’t transform if Yamamoto transcended sword styles. Enraged, Tsuyoshi shouted that their style was invincible and there was no way for it to be transcended - the Shigure Souen Ryuu is flawless and invincible.
The scene immediately changes to Tsuna, Takeshi and Basil heading towards the battle destination and it was apparently still unclear what Takeshi intended to do. Squalo then appeared, claiming he was going to defeat Takeshi. In response, he reveals the true form of Shigure Kintoki and explains he’ll beat Squalo with that katana. The Corvello judges appeared afterwards, ordering them to the battle sight so they could begin. Upon arriving, the field was revealed to be inside one of the buildings of the school that would rapidly begin filling with water. Only the winner would be able to exit and the loser would drown or be devoured by the beast dwelling under the waters.
The match itself was surprisingly fast and deemed a sight worth seeing by many of those watching. Takeshi was able to blend the styles he’d learned from his father to defend against Squalo. Squalo was ruthless, though, and came at Takeshi with everything he had. Many chances for Takeshi to end the match with a single strike were given up as Takeshi turned his blade - refusing to strike with the sharpened edge of his sword. That had proven to be his biggest downfall and as the match went on; Takeshi was seemingly close to falling to Squalo’s blade. Severely injured and able to be struck down a final time, Takeshi told Squalo his sword style was perfect and he would win with the last form of Shigure Souen. Squalo claimed to know it but when Takeshi revealed it - it was different from the one Squalo had defeated. The match wasn’t over, though, and even though Squalo was ready to believe Takeshi had nothing left, Takeshi revealed his own form of the Shigure Souen Ryuu - the ninth form - and defeated Squalo. Even as the match ended, Takeshi refused to allow Squalo to die. Upon hearing the Corvello explain that Squalo’s survival after his defeat was of no concern to them, he set out to attempt to save him. Squalo refused to be saved, kicking Yamamoto away and to safety before he was ‘devoured’ by the beast within the water. The next match was then announced.
As with the battles prior to his own, Takeshi attended both the Mist and Cloud battles - even in his wounded condition. It wasn’t until the final battle - the Sky Battle - that he was brought in to fight once more. All guardians were assembled from both sides and then poisoned - the only way to save themselves being the use of the Vongola ring to inject an antidote into their systems. Takeshi was rescued - surprisingly - by Hibari before he went on to attempt to save the others. He met up with Gokudera in time to head to the sight where the Mist Guardian - Chrome - was being held. When they arrived, the two were faced by Belphegor and Mammon - the Storm and Mist of Varia, respectively - and were ordered to trade their Vongola rings for her life. Takeshi agreed and made to hand over the rings. Upon doing so, however, he ‘tripped’. In truth, he was performing the third form of Shigure Souen, kicking his sword at the others before hurrying forward to catch it and restrain Mammon. Afterwards, Mammon revealed it was an illusion and the situation had been reversed. They were captured within Mammon’s illusion and without hope when Ryohei appeared to destroy the gym, saving all three of the other guardians from possible death. Even though the Vongola survived that particular encounter, the rings were still taken by Belphegor and Mammon.
The rings were all brought together and given to XANXUS - though he’d been frozen by Tsunayoshi. The rings were able to unfreeze him but inevitably rejected him, as he was not the true successor. Everyone was surprised by this and then, XANXUS and Squalo (who turned out to be very alive, much to Takeshi’s relief and surprise) went on to explain the truth of the situation, finally granting them all with the answers they had sought from their first encounter with Varia. After the explanation, XANXUS went on to order his subordinates to kill the Vongola so no one would be able to succeed the ninth Vongola. Takeshi and the other guardians took a stand at that, refusing to let harm come to Tsuna or the others. Before any serious fighting could be had, Lancia appeared as a savior to Vongola, easily helping to end the conflict with the help of the rest of Vongola. With the situation taken care of, Tsuna and his friends were deemed the victors of the battle, keeping their rings.
The next time Takeshi is seen, Tsuna has been transported to the world of ten years later due to a mishap with Lambo and his ten year Bazooka. Takeshi looked similar to his younger self - with the exception of more height and a scar on his chin. He appeared in time to save a younger Tsuna and Gokudera from an attack by a Gola Mosca before leading them to safety and a waiting Reborn. Along the way, he explained what had happened over the years and the conflict with the Millefiore family. He seemed to have matured greatly in that time, understanding the whole of the mafia as being more than just a game. During his explanation of the events of the current time, though, Gokudera attacked Takeshi after finding out Tsuna had died in the future. Takeshi made no effort to stop him, only apologizing. Reborn warned them of the dangers in the current time and during so, revealed Takeshi’s father had been killed by the Millefiore. In an effort to save the Vongola of the future, they were ordered to find all of the guardians to stop the threat at hand.
The first guardian they sought out was Hibari and it was during their venture to find him that Takeshi further explained the future world. He explained the weapons and Vongola’s achievements, what had been lost and what had yet to be done. He promised to train them in the ways of combat in the future, equating it to intensive baseball camp. When Tsuna goes on to question Takeshi about how baseball had been for him over the years, an explosion happens in the distance. It’s revealed that Lambo and I-Pin are near it, attempting to protect Haru and Kyoko from the threat posted by the Millefiore. And just as one of the black spell - Nosaru - goes on to launch an attack, Takeshi intervenes.
While battling with Nosaru, Takeshi explained the box weapons to Tsuna and Gokudera after revealing the power of one of his own. He proceeded to order Tsuna to find Kyoko while he fought Nosaru. Gokudera remained with Takeshi, attempting to fight as well, though Takeshi insisted he stand down. Upon throwing his box weapons in the air while speaking to Gokudera, Takeshi is then switched with his younger self as many of the others are switched with their younger selves as well. In the mix of confusion from the sudden switch, Gokudera ordered them all to flee but Nosaru goes in for another attack. Out of instinct, it seems, Takeshi protected Haru and Lambo from the attack. While Takeshi and the others seem to be unconscious, Gokudera protects them. Once the threat is nullified for the time being, they retreat back to the base to speak with Reborn once more.
After explaining things to all of them, Reborn speaks with Tsuna, Gokudera and Yamamoto alone. It was revealed that they still had to gather the guardians and kill a certain man to return to their time. Takeshi seems to go along easily enough with the information given to them. The three then go to Lal Mirch to ask for training in the combat of that era, as Yamamoto can no longer teach them as he is now. Before Lal can agree, chaos in the kitchen caught all of their attention, where they met up with Giannini of the future world. Afterwards, Lal agreed to help them - or rather forced herself - to showing them the ways to survive in the world of ten years later. Takeshi initially didn’t understand what Lal was trying to teach them but caught up easily, lighting the flames of his ring on the first try.
They had little training before they were sent from the base to retrieve a suddenly missing Kyoko and investigate a distress call from Hibari. Takeshi was given the Shigure Kintoki of his future self as his only weapon and Gokudera as a teammate. The two inevitably ran into Lighnting Gamma - one of the most notorious members of the Millefiore - and were pulled into a fight. Unfortunately, Gokudera and Yamamoto began to fight over the proper course of action and after Gokudera admitted a strong dislike for Yamamoto, Takeshi agreed to let Gokudera fight on his own. It didn’t remain as such for long and Takeshi stepped in to assist Gokudera despite the other’s protests. The two were able to coordinate to fight a team battle against Gamma, but even so, they both fell victim to Gamma’s strength. Before they could be killed, though, Hibari of ten years later appeared to fight Gamma before returning to the base with the wounded Takeshi and Gokudera.
After being treated for their injuries, Takeshi admitted what had happened with Gokudera and went on to say good things about the other, all of which he asked not to be revealed to Gokudera. While Takeshi rested, many of Vongola’s allies appeared in the base and soon after, they all began training to fight the threats at hand. Reborn became Takeshi’s personal tutor. Takeshi was sent to a different area to train and as he entered, he was able to sense the impending threat to defend himself - something Reborn praised. As the training continued, Takeshi began to make noticeable improvements; he learned quickly but still had much room to grow. Reborn told Takeshi during their training not to lose his smile and Takeshi agreed.
The training he underwent with Reborn was hardly easily - consisting of ‘light’ exercise that could easily be on level with Spartan training. In between his bouts of training, he would meet up with the others for meals and quick breaks. During one such break the Vongola received a call from Varia - to which the greeting was familiar and ear-drum shattering as ever. Takeshi recognized it instantly as the Squalo of ten years later. Shortly after, Ryohei of ten years later appeared with an injured Chrome, fully assembling all seven guardians. Of course, Takeshi went back to his training as expected though he seemed to have a long way to go.
In time, the whole of the group found themselves running out of time and were forced to act. They agreed to infiltrate Melone Base - an enemy stronghold - to further their mission in the future. They had five days to fully prepare and Takeshi was the furtherest behind. In an effort to teach Takeshi what he lacked, Reborn revealed a box called ‘the Making of the Swordsman Emperor’. The box contained tapes of every battle carried out by Squalo on his journey to win 100 battles without loss. It was revealed Squalo used those videos as a way to lure Takeshi’s older self from baseball and fully to the sword after Takeshi had chosen to take on the life of an athlete. Leaving Takeshi to the videos, he promised to reveal his ‘secret’ to Takeshi if he could win a final sparring match before their attack on Melone. When the match came, Takeshi was able to successfully cut Reborn’s fedora, in turn meeting the conditions for victory. As per agreed, Reborn revealed his secret to Takeshi.
The night before the attack on Melone, the Vongola found themselves under attack and were forced to leave as a group ahead of schedule. The group encountered many enemies once they were in the base, all of which they were able to overcome. They were eventually separated and Takeshi was left with a wounded Lal Mirch to fight with Genkishi, the Mist Funeral Wreath. The battle was quite the experience for Takeshi and he found himself pressed for ways to win. Every attack that should have ensued victory was overcome by Genkishi’s skill. It was during the battle that he learned Genkishi faked his loss to Squalo and Takeshi knowingly replied he knew - as Squalo included a battle after Genkishi’s to account for the fake win. No matter the tricks Genkishi tried to pull to gain an edge on the other, Takeshi overcame it - even when Genkishi illusioned Takeshi’s sword about to shatter. The last attack he made that he was sure would ensue his victory was interrupted and, as a result, Takeshi crashed face first into a metal pillar hidden behind a mist illusion.
Before Genkishi could finish him off, Hibari appeared to save Takeshi once more, engaging in battle with Genkishi himself. Takeshi - like the other injured Vongola - were all gathered by Irie Shoichi and threatened with poison in front of Tsunayoshi. It was then Irie revealed himself to be on Vongola’s side and things shifted drastically. They were able to return to the Vongola base where wounds were treated and they were set up for more training for yet another battle. All of them would once more receive personal trainers, though Takeshi’s was late to arrive. His tutor eventually appeared - revealing himself to be a very pissed off Squalo - before Takeshi was brutally attacked by Squalo, only to be carried away for training.
During his training with Squalo, the unavoidable happened. Squalo asked Takeshi if he planned to choose the bat or the sword, as it would severely affect the outcome of the battle to come. Knowing that his friends needed him and what the decision met, Takeshi easily agreed that he would give himself to the sword for the remainder of his time in the future. It was because of training that Takeshi appeared late to the Choice Battle. His appearance as well as Hibari’s enabled them to be transported to the appropriate field to carry out the battle. Once there, all of the Vongola watched as the elements of the battle - players and setting - were randomly chosen. Among those players, Takeshi was picked to participate.
Once the battle had begun, Takeshi was set on the offensive and to seek out the opponent as well as their target. He in turn stumbled upon Saru, a Millefiore opponent, before being engaged in battle. Saru then revealed himself to be Genkishi, much to Takeshi’s joy. Takeshi claimed he had been waiting for the moment when he could show the other how much he had improved and all those watching took note of the changes that had occurred within the Vongola Rain’s persona. When the two fought once more, it became quite clear how much Takeshi had changed in that short amount of time, something that allowed him to win after revealing his Vongola Box weapon and its combination form. Despite winning against Genkishi, Takeshi did not strike the final blow. Instead, he could only watch in horror as a plant left by Kikyo - one of Genkishi’s allies - sprouted from the other’s body to kill Genkishi. Enraged by this, Takeshi took off for the enemy target, determined to finish the battle before anyone else could suffer the same fate. He made it to the target and after managing to break the barrier, he ‘destroyed’ it.
The Millefiore had been quicker, though and claimed victory. Afterwards, Vongola found themselves with the answers they needed to many of their questions behind Byakuran Gesso’s motives. After an injured Irie Shouichi took the time to explain it all, Uni of the Giglio Nero appeared to invalidate the decision of choice and withdraw her family from its previous alliances. Enraged by this, Byakuran set his sights on Uni and the battle for the Vongola to protect Uni from Byakuran officially began.
They managed to escape back to their base to prepare for future battles with a few allies at their sides. Unfortunately, an attack by Zakuro of the Six Funeral Wreaths caused them all to flee from their base while Squalo stayed behind to fight. Takeshi had wanted to go back but after Reborn quite violently reminded him of Squalo’s sacrifice, he was able to continue on with the others, still with his worries about Squalo. Zakuro seemed to have ‘beaten’ Squalo and pursued the Vongola to their next hiding spot - a ramen shop run by a man by the name of Kawahira. Kawahira provided them with a place to hide from Zakuro and after convincing Zakuro he had not seen the Vongola, Zakuro left to continue his search. Shortly after, Takeshi and a handful of others - Bianchi, Giannini, and Spanner - left to go find Squalo.
LOCKED AND LOADED
FLAME Rain
RING(S) Vongola Rain Ring As the Vongola Rain Guardian, Takeshi is one of the sole wielders of the Vongola Ring of the Rain. It's classified as being a Ring Over-A, meaning it carries unimaginable power compared to other rings.
Rain Rings His future self is shown to be able to use various ranked rain rings. He is able to use A-Rank rings.
BOX WEAPONSVongola Rain Akita The second box animal Takeshi received was in the form of his Vongola Rain box. Inside of it was a rain Akita by the name of Jirou. While not doing anything worthy of combat, Jirou appears carrying three short swords made of water which Takeshi can use. These swords can be used in different ways. The first way is with Takeshi holding two of them and Jirou carrying one in his mouth; the second is Takeshi carrying all three short swords in one hand and using Shigure Kintoki in the other; the third way is by using one of the swords as thrusters of sorts to propel him out of the way of attacks.
Rondine delle Pioggia [ Rain Swallow ] Ver. Vongola The first box weapon Takeshi received was a rain swallow who we later came to know as Kojirou. When released from his box, Kojirou appears as a blue swallow surrounded by rain flames. Takeshi uses him to create rainfall that can be used as camouflage and, more recently, as a way to shower calming rain flames onto the opponent. Both his younger and older selves have both proven to use Kojirou in combination with his Shigure Souen Ryuu. A few specific forms use Kojirou to coat the opponent with rain flames or when charging at his opponent.
His most powerful use is to merge with Shigure Kintoki to create the legendary sword combination used for his Cambio Forma.
Rain Box Box weapons are small cubes that contain various types of weapons, animals or items within. To be opened, the box, ring and opener must harmonize - meaning only a rain user with a rain ring could open a rain box. Some boxes are seemingly only able to be opened through use of certain rings - such as the Giglio Nero boxes and the Vongola boxes.
Takeshi himself holds three box weapons, all of which are rain boxes. The first he uses is a simple water box that creates a barrier of water when opened. The second contains a Swallow with the rain attribute and the third, a rain Akita.
WEAPON(S) Yamamoto's Bat Yamamoto's first weapon was a baseball bat given to him by Reborn. It changes into a katana when swung at high enough speeds. It also functions as a telescope.
Shigure Kintoki [ Practice Sword ] A special sword handed down to him from his father, it has the ability to change from a bamboo practice sword to a katana. It transforms into a katana when used with the Shigure Souen Ryuu sword style and only then. It can combine with Kojirou to make a new weapon.
Katana Used exclusively by his ten years later self. He uses a nameless katana as his main weapon in the future.
Cambio Forma: Asari Ugetsu His strongest ability is a use of both his rain box animals and his Vongola rain ring. When wielding all three short swords as well as Shigure Kintoki, Takeshi can order Kojirou to merge with Shigure Kintoki. When merged together, Kojirou and Kintoki create a long bladed sword with an elaborate hilt with an ‘I’ displayed on it. This ability is said to have been used by the first Vongola Rain Guardian.
When wielding all four swords like his predecessor, Takeshi is able to link all of his sword attacks together for a final attack that will slow the enemy down to such a slow degree they might as well be frozen in place.
ABILITIES / SKILLS Star Baseball Player Takeshi was a starting player for the Namimori baseball team his first year. He can throw things at incredibly high speeds. This means he can't play a simple game of catch without taking off your arm, though.
Athlete He is able to play other sports well, it seems, and quite well. He has been shown to be a good volleyball player as well as an excellent swimmer.
Natural Born Killer Many of the characters in the series state time and again that Takeshi has the reflexes and over all qualities that make him a natural born hitman. His only problem seems to be his idiot persona and unwillingness to take a life.
Quick Learner He is a very fast learner - able to learn things after only seeing it once. Those around him comment that he would be a good student if he stopped focusing on sports.
Shigure Souen Ryuu Successor He was able to learn this legendary and seemingly invincible sword style after seeing the original eight forms only once - becoming the wielder of Shigure Kintoki. He has thus since added his own forms.
Rain Flames Dying will flames are a form of embodiment of one’s will and determination into a flame. There are various types of flames used by different people, all of which have one of seven attributes and colors. To be able to channel one’s flames, a way to release those flames is required; for Takeshi, that outlet is the power of his rings. His flames are often used in combination with weapons to make them stronger and - in the land of ten years later - open one’s box weapons.
Takeshi’s dying will flames are represented by the Rain attribute - being a blue color in nature. As a rain user, his flames have the property of tranquility, allowing any use of his flames to weaken flames and attacks to make them useless. It has also been proven in canon that rain flames have the ability to calm others - including box animals.
Ambidextrous He seems to have some level of ambidexterity. He is able to switch hands to wield his katana as well as wield three shorter swords in one hand while using the other for a single sword.
Illusion Immunity After crashing into a wall hidden behind Genkishi's illusions, Yamamoto seems to be able to see through illusions.
He is also able to use his rain flames to destroy illusions.
RELATIONSHIPS
Tsuyoshi Yamamoto [ OYAJI ] Takeshi is shown to have a good relationship with his father. It's clear he has a deep respect and love for him through their rare interactions on screen.
Tsunayoshi Sawada [ TSUNA ] Takeshi has a high degree of respect for Tsuna. If it weren't for him, he would truly be dead. He is considered one of Takeshi's best friends and one of the few people who may have an idea of what he's thinking.
He has an painful degree of loyalty to Tsuna and gave up baseball - multiple times - for Tsuna and the family. If Takeshi ever truly had to do it over again, he'd likely repeat everything he's done for Tsuna and then some.
Squalo Superbi [ SQUALO ] There is one word that fits their relationship near perfectly: strange. While they had once been enemies and then perhaps rivals, Takeshi looks up to Squalo in an obsessive and decidedly fanboy like way. Beyond this, the two could be described in different ways.
On one hand, they are rivals - Takeshi's need to improve wouldn't have it any other way. On the other, Squalo acts much like a teacher to Takeshi; he teaches him new things and has an odd desire to see his potential maximized. Though even on another front, Squalo may be the closest thing Takeshi has to a best friend. The two understand one another in ways Takeshi's friends do not and likewise, Takeshi understands the hardships and pride Squalo holds as a loyal subordinate.
Above all else, it's clear Takeshi cares greatly for Squalo and beyond Tsuna, Squalo is the one person Takeshi has shown the most emotional attachment towards.
Hayato Gokudera [ GOKUDERA ] Very much a one-sided rivalry, Takeshi and Gokudera are somewhat close. They understand each other's dedication to Tsuna and trust that the other can and will carry out their duties with an effectiveness befitting to the Vongola Decimo. Despite this, Gokudera has a constant need to try and out-do Takeshi in everything they do, determined to prove his worth as Tsuna's right-hand man.
Takeshi, all the while, is content to play along and tease Gokudera now and again. Though truthfully, he's likely doing this for the sole purpose of ruffling Gokudera's feathers.
Ryohei Sasagawa [ SENPAI ] While the two don't interact often, Takeshi acknowledges and perhaps looks up to Ryohei as not only an upperclassman but a fellow athlete as well. In their time together, they do show an ability to get along well with one another.
Kyouya Hibari [ HIBARI ] The two are awkward, at best. Takeshi knows and understands Hibari's fearsome reputation and steers clear of him - even going so far as to attempt to warn Gokudera and Tsuna about his reputation.
Still, Hibari and Takeshi have been shown to have odd moments. Takeshi is the only one fast enough to block and guard against him and very likely the only one brave enough to attempt such a feat. Hibari has also been shown to save Takeshi many times in the series - far more times than any of the others, truthfully.
Reborn [ THE KID / LITTLE GUY ] Reborn is the first to notice Takeshi's potiential as a hitman and - besides Squalo - the one who pushes him the most to show his true colors. It's clear he can see well beyond the sheep's clothing Takeshi wears.
Strangely enough, Reborn shows that he has some form of trust in Takeshi - going so far as to leave him with a valuable secret very few seem to know. All the while, Takeshi shows a great deal of respect towards Reborn and acknowledges that he is, in fact, more than just a baby.
Chrome Dokuro [ DOKURO ] The two don't interact much, truthfully. But as with all the guardians, Takeshi shows concern for her and would just as quickly jump to her defense as he would to Tsuna or Gokudera's.
Mukuro Rokudo [ MUKURO ] While the two never had the chance to formally meet, Takeshi has shown that even with the incident at Kokuyo that Mukuro is a vital member of the Vongola Team. He's quite aware of his presence, even going so far as to ask Reborn if Mukuro was going to finally join their team during the Melone Invasion.
Dino Cavallone [ DINO-SAN ] While the two don't meet often on screen, Takeshi and Dino seem to have a mutual respect for one another - noteable in the sense that Dino is the only one he refers to with an honorfic. It's unclear how close they are but after spending time together in Italy and their few encounters on screen, it's clear the two get along well.
Lambo [ LAMBO ] Truthfully, Takeshi doesn't acknowledge Lambo often - only when the guardians come up as a whole. In the future, though, he seems to have a positive outlook towards him and is aware of what he can do.
Phantom Knight Genkishi [ GENKISHI ] BLURB HERE.
Kaoru Mizuno [ KAORU ] Much like Squalo, Yamamoto felt a deep bond with Kaoru that spawned from a deep-seated love and understanding towards something they love - baseball. The two seemed to have gotten close quickly and were it not for Kaoru's harsh 'betrayal', it is likely the two would be very close friends.
PROOF
LINKS TO SAMPLES
[ asariugetsu, rainringed, and rainswallow ]
Takeshi Yamamoto
"I've been waiting for the day we could have our rematch."
FACE VALUE
ALIAS Vongola Guardian of the Rain, Katana Brat, Yakuya Baka
CANON Katekyo Hitman REBORN!
TIMELINE Chapter 262
OCCUPATION Vongola Rain Guardian, Baseball Player, Shigure Souen Ryuu Successor
ALLIANCE Vongola Family, Namimori Baseball Team
[ KHR ONLY ] FAMILY Vongola
AGE Fifteen
GENDER Male
DATE OF BIRTH April 24th
HEIGHT / WEIGHT 177cm [ 5'10" ] / 63kg [ 139lbs ]
BLOOD TYPE O
HAIR / EYE COLOR Black / Light Brown
DRESS Takeshi is most commonly seen in his school uniform - sleeves rolled back - with an arm band on his left arm. Outside of school, he is often seen in baggy pants with simple t-shirts and button-up tops over them. He has been seen, from time to time, in suits to fit the occasion; his older self is only seen wearing a suit, tie loosened and top buttons undone.
Truthfully, his style is quite simple. He doesn't really wear accessories - not outside of his necklace and his rings.
DISTINGUISHING FEATURES Takeshi has no real distinguishing features when he is younger beyond his height. Older, however, he bears a scar on his chin with no clear point of origin.
APPEARANCE Takeshi now and then.
FAVORITES
FOOD / DRINK Sushi & Milk
HOBBIES Baseball and swordsmanship
BACKGROUND CHECK
PERSONALITYTakeshi comes off to many as being quite linear - no real depth beyond what he shows to others. In their eyes, he’s very much the star athlete everyone likes; he smiles and gets along easily with everyone and has no obvious faults. His world seems to revolve solely around baseball and the life he’s built around it; he has, after all, worked for years to build his identity around baseball. Purely a nice guy, he’s the one everyone admires and wants to date; the guy everyone genuinely respects for his cheerful nature and easy-going persona.
As someone who is quite popular with both genders, it could be said that he’s strangely charismatic. When around others, he knows the right things to say to ease the mood or what to say to give someone a last minute boost of confidence. Of course, he’s not the most eloquent or sensible person all the time, but even when he’s not, his attempts often follow through with success. With such a seemingly natural allure, he’s been shown to be respected and well-liked by not only his closest friends but his schoolmates as well. It’s very rare to find someone who genuinely dislikes him and those who do often base it off some particular aspect of him - such as his position as the Rain Guardian or his alliance with the Vongola - rather than his actual personality and skills.
His charm comes from, perhaps, the innocent aura he radiates to most people. At times, he can be quite gullible - buying into simple explanations that when paid more thought could easily be dismissed as incorrect. And playing further to such a front, he can be a bit naïve. He finds many things to be nothing more than a game, even when their obvious severity has come to light. It is very likely this is his way of coping, of facing things he doesn’t fully understand with a positive outlook. He does, after all, possess a streak of blinding optimism that some people may find a bit unsettling or perhaps fake; truthfully, it’s just the way he is.
Even as far as people are concerned, it is very rare for Takeshi to find someone he dislikes or doesn’t trust. He’s quick to greet people and befriend them, to show them a kindness and welcome that others may not. Even if they may seem rugged or ‘scary’ on the surface, he can easily look past it in favor of extending a hand of friendship to them. To this extent, he may be a bit too trusting of other people. Unless given a reason not to trust someone, he’ll be one of the first to place his faith in them. Likewise, many people are quick to place their trust in him as he’s dependable and more than apt at keeping secrets - particularly those that are not his own.
With such a positive outlook on virtually everything, Takeshi is easily described as being a very relaxed person. There isn’t much that shakes him and the things that do, he’s quick to bounce back from most of it. Whenever something goes wrong, he’s always the first of the group to put on a smiling face and hold his head up high - you just have to keep on trekking when things get bad. So long as there is hope in a situation, he’ll very well hold onto it with everything that he is. So determined to look at the good rather than the bad, it’s how he stays calm when everyone else is loosing their cool. After all, there’s no reason to get worked up about things if you know you have a chance.
Such qualities easily make Takeshi an ideal Rain Guardian. Calm and easy going as his dying will flames imply, he lives up to the expectations of his role. He’s the force his family and friends can count out - the reliable one. When given a task or presented with a mission, Takeshi will carry it out to the best of his abilities. He’s often the one who shows up when situations look grim, somehow managing to turn the situation around or save his comrades. He’s proven time and again that should the need arise, he’ll sacrifice himself or something important to him for someone else; he’ll do what he has to in order to protect others whenever he can.
This could all be considered a clever ruse in its own right; though it’s very unclear if it’s intentional or otherwise. Truthfully, Takeshi Yamamoto is nothing more than a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Only his intentions aren’t to blend to cause harm but a genuine desire to be someone he may not truly be. The happy-go-lucky nature and blinding optimism only runs so deep, acting as a deceptively brilliant cover to a kindness that could truly kill.
On the surface, Takeshi plays the role of your typical jock - seemingly a bit on the slow side and not at all academically capable of performing well. This is actually hardly the case. He’s strangely observant, able to learn something after only seeing it a single time. Likewise, he’s shown a capability to find and point out things others may not notice. Which such observational skills, he’s able to find weaknesses in his opponent and use it to his advantage.
Beneath all that cheerfulness and dependability, Takeshi has a serious side that not many get to see. When he or his friends are in danger, that idiotic guise is pushed aside in favor of something so much more serious - something that could be considered a little dark in its own right. While he doesn’t get angry often, should you manage to cross those few lines that trigger his temper, it’s not likely to end well in the offender’s favor.
He’s actually quite a sore loser, when it comes down to it. Like any athlete - and swordsman - he is willing to play hard and fair, but losing any kind of game or battle is simply unacceptable. For these reasons, he often succeeds in what he does, but when he does not, the grim turn his personality makes is quite disheartening. He’s known for becoming fixated on his losses, pushing himself to new extremes to exceed the expectations and to better himself in preparation for an inevitable rematch. Whenever he fails, nothing else seems to matter except the loss he suffered; all he can think about is becoming better, no matter the cost to him. Failure simply does not sit well with him - leading him to doing drastic things. There’s no telling what a fool might down when depressed, after all.
To this extent, Takeshi can seem more than a little obsessive. Whether it’s a loss or bettering himself, that is all that seems to matter to Takeshi outside of his ‘family’. He refuses to give up and pushes on with a ferocity that can be terrifying to some people but helps him become stronger. No matter the problem or the situation, once he has something in mind, he never quite lets it go. Whether it is a rematch or protecting someone else, he always aims to fulfill all of the goals he sets for himself.
With such strong emotions, it’s a wonder more people aren’t aware of them. His carefree guise is always up and ready, even when he has something on his mind. He’s quite secretive for someone who seems so open with other people. When something is bothering him or has him upset, he’ll just as easily smile and dismiss any concern as if it were any other day. He keeps what he feels to himself and shoulders his own burdens alone. When something goes wrong for him or he makes a mistake, he chooses to shoulder the burden alone no matter the effects it may have on him. Beyond happy situations, it’s rare for him to outwardly to react to many things in noticeable ways.
All of this makes him the perfect hitman, when it comes down to it. He easily blends into crowds, making it easy for him to blend and gain trust. Being able to keep his outward emotions under wraps helps to ensure that a mission will get carried out without fail. And with such a degree of secrecy and skill, it’s a wonder he hasn’t become a hitman of some degree already. To those who seek the answer as to why, it’s simple: he refuses to harm the innocent and will avoid harming others unless the need arises. He’s more than a little merciful - going so far as to turn his blade when attacking - and he can forgive people within reason.
To others, Takeshi may seem like a simple person with only one thing on his mind but when it comes down to it, he’s quite the piece of work.
HISTORY Takeshi Yamamoto is the son of the sushi chef, Tsuyoshi Yamamoto. His father runs the sushi shop Takesushi that presumably doubles as his home. It is unclear about his relationship with his mother or even if she’s still living. At school, its said that he was chosen to be a starting player on the Namimori baseball team as a first year and that ‘all the other kids in school completely respect’ him.
His first appearance in canon was in phys ed, during the torturous process of picking people to play on different teams. As usual, Tsunayoshi Sawada was the last to be picked and neither team was willing to take them on their side without some game of chance to decide - presumably rock paper scissors. Seemingly out of no where, Takeshi steps forward and asks Tsuna to join his team, though his team members try to convince him that loser Tsuna will only cause them to lose. Takeshi doesn’t seem to mind this, however, and insists that if he doesn’t give up any hits that it would be alright.
As the game begins and progresses, it is revealed that Takeshi can hit one-handed. Unknown to both Takeshi and Tsunayoshi, the infant tutor Reborn had been watching the whole time and decided they needed Takeshi’s athletic prowess and popularity in the Vongola family. Regardless of how amazing of a player Takeshi proved to be, it wasn’t enough to keep his team from falling victim to Loser Tsuna’s reputation of causing any team he plays on to lose. In their anger with him, Tsuna was left to clean up on his own, though Takeshi quickly arrived - cheerful as ever - to help him out. While cleaning, Tsuna apologizes to him for causing the team to lose, though he brushes it off - insisting it’s only PE - before going on to tell Tsuna how he had been watching him and how ‘awesome’ he had been as of late. He went on to tell Tsuna that he’s only good at one thing - baseball - and lately he had been slipping; his batting average had dropped and his fielding had been getting sloppier. Worried he would be dropped as a starting player, he asked Tsuna for advice. Tsuna replied by telling him that he should try harder and in response, Takeshi laughed and told him they would be good friends - after noting that he’d stay later that day to practice harder.
It turns out that in the midst of his practices, something had gone wrong and caused him to fracture his arm. The next day at school, Takeshi appeared on the roof, claiming he was going to jump because the baseball gods had forsaken him. It’s then that Tsuna shows up, trying to persuade him not to jump. Takeshi counters that Tsuna of all people should know how he feels before Tsuna replies that Takeshi is confused. Misunderstanding Tsuna’s word, Takeshi snaps at him - asking Tsuna if things have changed now that Tsuna is a ‘big shot’. Tsuna insist that’s not the case, claiming that it’s because he’s a loser that they’re different and that he could never invest his entire identity in something like Yamamoto had. Tsuna then attempts to flee before Takeshi attempts to stop them - causing both of them to topple over the edge of the rooftop, seemingly to their doom. Reborn was on top of things as usual, however, and shot Tsuna with a combination of special bullets that enabled him to save Takeshi and himself from a violent meeting with the ground below. Safe on the ground once more, Takeshi told Tsuna that he had been right about what he had told him. He would give things his all. He went on to tell Tsuna that there’s no telling what a fool would do when depressed.
Takeshi and Tsuna become friends after the whole of the incident on the roof. In the background, however, Hayato Gokudera has been observing Takeshi and comments many a times that he does not approve of Takeshi. In response, Reborn agrees to give Takeshi an entrance test to see if he’s worthy of becoming part of the family before sending Gokudera to bring Takeshi to him. It was then that Takeshi met Reborn for the first time, laughing off his introduction of being a hitman and the talk of mafia he brings up - telling Tsuna it was like playing cops and robbers as a kid. Completely misunderstanding the whole of the situation, Takeshi tells Reborn he made a good choice picking Tsuna as a boss for their game of Mafia and asks to join the family. Reborn tells him if he can pass the entrance test, he’ll be a member of the family and if he fails, it means his death. Oblivious to the truth behind those words, Takeshi comments on how he’ll have to do his best and then the test begins.
To pass the test, he simply has to avoid all of Reborn’s attacks. At first, Takeshi does well - narrowly dodging knives while going on to comment on how ‘real’ the toys seem. Reborn then comments on how Tsuna should set the example and Takeshi eagerly tells him that they should make it a competition, to which Reborn seems more than willing to allow. Despite the many close calls, Takeshi thinks it all to be a game and a fun one at that. During the test, Lambo shows up intending to kill Reborn but Reborn ignores him and eventually, Gokudera joins the test to make it even harder on Takeshi. Between Lambo, Reborn and Gokudera, they ‘accidentally’ push the limits and they cause a massive explosion. Once the smoke cleared, it was revealed that Takeshi had put himself in harm’s way to save Tsuna from the blast. Reborn thus ends the test. Afterwards, Gokudera reluctantly compliments Takeshi for saving Tsuna before the two ‘argue’ over the position of Tsuna’s right hand man.
Various smaller events happened many atimes after these events, though Takeshi’s involvement in them was minimal at best. They included meeting future allies and witnessing more instances of Reborn’s borderline Spartan training rituals with a few notable instances.
The first was an accidental encounter with Kyouya Hibari, the future Vongola Decimo Cloud guardian. Reborn appeared to Tsuna, Takeshi and Gokudera one day, claiming they needed a base within the school, to which they all agreed. Reborn insisted that he knew a place and the three unknowingly went along with it. Upon reaching the room, though, they met Hibari and Takeshi recognized him instantly, fully aware of his reputation. His attempts to warn Gokudera were futile, as Gokudera attacked Hibari after Hibari attacked Tsuna. Hibari turns on Takeshi and Takeshi manages to evade where as the other two had failed to do so. Hibari notes that Takeshi is protecting his arm before knocking him out as well. While he was knocked out, Tsuna recovered only to try and save them. Inevitably, Reborn stepped in to save all three of them, revealing the whole of the incident to be yet another test.
The next was during Tsuna’s meeting with the tenth generation Cavallone boss. In an attempt to test Tsuna’s ‘family’, Dino and Reborn staged a ‘kidnapping’ of Tsuna that was seemingly carried out by a prominent Yakuza group in the area. After Takeshi and Gokudera fled to attempt to save Tsuna, it was revealed by Dino that he had been the one to kidnap Tsuna and that he was in no real danger, as the kidnappers weren’t supposed to be real. Reborn revealed, however, that Gokudera and Takeshi were in fact going to face off against a real Yakuza group, causing Dino and Tsuna to rush after them in an attempt to save them. Upon arriving, it was revealed that Gokudera and Takeshi were able to beat down a majority of the group on their own, but more showed up after Dino and Tsuna’s arrival. When reasoning with the Yakuza failed, Dino attempted to save them - though accidentally beat all of his comrades instead. Reborn - as if on cue - appeared to shoot Tsuna with more special bullets to protect his family and Takeshi along with Gokudera rose to cover his back.
Another note worthy event was Takeshi’s training with Reborn. One day after his morning practices at the bating cage, he finished up to find Reborn waiting for him - claiming to be there to help him out of his slump. During their training, Reborn gave Takeshi micro hammers - small baseballs that sprout spikes when thrown, apparently capable of destroying boulders with their force. He was then given a baseball bat. It turned out to be a strange telescope, though in his first look through it, Dino and Romario began an assault from overhead - an assault Gokudera quickly joined in on. Tsuna was forced into the training with him and despite the distractions and having to guide Tsuna; he was able to dodge sniper bullets. His final test began with Reborn pointing a gun at him and with a swing of the bat he was given, it changed into a katana - or more appropriately, Yamamoto’s Bat. Reborn went on to continue training Takeshi by shooting at him and Takeshi was able to block all of the shots with swings of his sword. The next day at the batting cages, Takeshi hit the home run target each time.
Of course, time after retrieving his weapon was spent watching Tsuna go through even more tests at the hand of his merciless tutor. Though he visited Italy briefly with Dino after Gokudera refused such a trip.
Takeshi had little to worry about for some time. Not until the mysterious attacks on Namimori students began. A group of escaped convicts posing as Kokuyo Middle School began launching attacks on students of Namimori and taking their teeth according to their ranking on Fuuta’s ‘Strongest in Namimori Middle’ list. It was a mystery for some time what place Takeshi had on this list until one day, Chikusa attacked Gokudera - the third strongest student. Preparing to finish the final blow, Takeshi stepped in to cut the strings on his yo-yos and in response, Chikusa claimed he had no business with Takeshi, as he was Ken’s target - implying Takeshi had yet to come down on this mysterious list.
Takeshi along with Tsuna, Gokudera, Bianchi and Reborn all set out after the attack on Gokudera to face off the one responsible for these attacks. They headed to the remains of Kokuyo Health Land, relying on Tsuna’s poor memory to maneuver through it to find the attackers. It’s there that Takeshi noticed a strange animal print and the others noticed various other strange things - broken cages and teeth marks on trees. No sooner than they did, Takeshi was attacked by a large canine but Takeshi was quick to note that the attacking animals were already dead. What attacked Takeshi next, however, was the furtherest thing from. Ken Joshima - one of the escaped convicts - attacked him and caused him to slide back across the ground before Takeshi fell through it, revealing that the area they were walking on was a buried rooftop.
Ken followed him down and once Takeshi recovered from the drop, his idiotic person was replaced by something much more serious. Ken began his attack quickly and Takeshi was able to evade his initial attacks before drawing his sword in defense. Ken broke it easily, however, and Takeshi replied that playing Mafia met he couldn’t hold back. Ken, on the other hand, revealed his powers to Takeshi before beginning a more serious fight. Again, Takeshi continuously evaded, ever mindful of his body despite taking a few hits. Without a bat and in a position where his friends couldn’t help him, he was faced with a decision to risk injury by directly engaging Ken or to make their fight a battle of endurance. During their fight, Takeshi admitted he had to keep himself from getting hurt not because he was scared but because of the fall tournament coming up. Tsuna - feeling guilty about what could happen to Takeshi - was kicked into the hole by Reborn. Ken eagerly whirled on Tsuna, claiming to be bored of his fight with Takeshi.
This didn’t sit well with Takeshi at all and he flung rocks at Ken, telling him they should finish their game first. Ken took the bait and attacked Takeshi once more. In response, Takeshi threw up his arm, seemingly in defense and Ken bit into it. It was a diversion it seemed, as Takeshi used his broken sword to slam it into Ken’s head, knocking him out. Tsuna felt horrible over Takeshi sacrificing his arm, to which Takeshi explained that he’d never put baseball over his friends.
After the ordeal with Ken, they able to leave the area they’d fallen into and Bianchi tended to Takeshi’s wounds. Takeshi apologized for breaking the bat he was given but Reborn brushed it off and gave him a spare. The group went on then to encounter M.M. and then Birds, both of which fell to the force of their allies. After their encounter with Birds, they were finally able to meet Mukuro Rokudo - or rather, Lancia, the fake Mukuro Rokudo. Takeshi and the others stood up to fight him and while Takeshi was able to discover the secret behind Lancia’s attack, he inevitably fell to his powers. Takeshi fell unconscious for the remainder of the fight with Lancia and remained that way until some time after the fight with the real Mukuro. He and the other wounded parties were taken care of by a special Vongola medical crew. Takeshi went on to play in the Fall Tournament that year with the other’s there to cheer him on.
Some time after the incident at Kokuyo Health Land, yet another threat rose to confront the Vongola family. Takeshi and the others were having a friendly outing together when a strange teen by the name of Basil fell onto the scene, followed by the volatile and obnoxiously loud Squalo Superbi. Takeshi and Gokudera both stood to fight Squalo, though both were easily defeated. After the incident, both were dismissed by Reborn with the reasoning that they would just be in the way if they tried to stay and help the situation. Takeshi - sore loser that he had proven himself to be - took the loss hard.
The next day, he appeared at the hospital Basil was being treated at to meet up with Tsuna. When they met up, he showed him the strange half-ring he’d received and even tried to give it back - claiming he didn’t wear jewelry because of sports. He promptly changed his mind, though, when Reborn explained the rings and the danger that was to follow those who held onto them. Determined to meet up with Squalo once more, Takeshi kept his half of the Vongola ring of the Rain, explaining that he doesn’t like to be beaten.
Takeshi returned home that day, a few seconds late to see a strange display on his father’s part. He was quick to ask his father to teach him swordsmanship, to which his father agreed. After agreeing, Tsuyoshi showed Takeshi to a dojo to teach him what he had asked - but before they could begin, Tsuyoshi revealed a side of himself his son never knew. He explained he planned to infuse every bit of his knowledge into the other because his skill with the sword was an equivalent of Takeshi’s skill with a bat and ball. The training had been quick - he was shown the forms of Shigure Souen Ryuu only once and asked to perform them afterwards. Once he had done so, his father informed him that he was finished teaching him and that the rest was up to him. Confused, Takeshi tried to explain that all he did was copy what he was shown. Tsuyoshi replied that if his son were worthy of learning such a style, he only needed see it once to learn it.
Between the beginning of his training and his actual battle with Squalo - Takeshi is present for all other Ring Battles. He says or does little, appearing mainly as support and voicing concerns with the others as different things happen. It isn’t until the end of the Storm Battle that Takeshi does anything of notable importance. The Storm Battle took place within the halls of Namimori Middle School and left a large mess - something that had inevitably drawn the attention of the volatile perfect Hibari. Angry about what had happened, Hibari moved to strike one of the Varia before Takeshi stepped in - easily moving fast enough to grab and stop Namimori’s strongest fighter’s attack. This comes as a shock to many and it is one of the most noteable signs of improvement to his skills. After the battle, he found himself troubled by the information Dino had chosen to reveal to him about his opponent Squalo. Squalo was the swordsman emperor, having defeated a seemingly endless of amount of sword styles. He was told the only way to win would be to transcend sword styles.
After this incident, Takeshi prepared for his own battle - the Rain Battle. It was the day of his battle that his father gave him Shigure Kintoki, something that was seemingly a harmless practice sword. He even proceeded to explain it as such before swinging it and revealing its transformation into a katana when used with the Shigure Souen style. It was during the explanation that Tsuna explained to Tsuyoshi that Yamamoto couldn’t use the sword as it wouldn’t transform if Yamamoto transcended sword styles. Enraged, Tsuyoshi shouted that their style was invincible and there was no way for it to be transcended - the Shigure Souen Ryuu is flawless and invincible.
The scene immediately changes to Tsuna, Takeshi and Basil heading towards the battle destination and it was apparently still unclear what Takeshi intended to do. Squalo then appeared, claiming he was going to defeat Takeshi. In response, he reveals the true form of Shigure Kintoki and explains he’ll beat Squalo with that katana. The Corvello judges appeared afterwards, ordering them to the battle sight so they could begin. Upon arriving, the field was revealed to be inside one of the buildings of the school that would rapidly begin filling with water. Only the winner would be able to exit and the loser would drown or be devoured by the beast dwelling under the waters.
The match itself was surprisingly fast and deemed a sight worth seeing by many of those watching. Takeshi was able to blend the styles he’d learned from his father to defend against Squalo. Squalo was ruthless, though, and came at Takeshi with everything he had. Many chances for Takeshi to end the match with a single strike were given up as Takeshi turned his blade - refusing to strike with the sharpened edge of his sword. That had proven to be his biggest downfall and as the match went on; Takeshi was seemingly close to falling to Squalo’s blade. Severely injured and able to be struck down a final time, Takeshi told Squalo his sword style was perfect and he would win with the last form of Shigure Souen. Squalo claimed to know it but when Takeshi revealed it - it was different from the one Squalo had defeated. The match wasn’t over, though, and even though Squalo was ready to believe Takeshi had nothing left, Takeshi revealed his own form of the Shigure Souen Ryuu - the ninth form - and defeated Squalo. Even as the match ended, Takeshi refused to allow Squalo to die. Upon hearing the Corvello explain that Squalo’s survival after his defeat was of no concern to them, he set out to attempt to save him. Squalo refused to be saved, kicking Yamamoto away and to safety before he was ‘devoured’ by the beast within the water. The next match was then announced.
As with the battles prior to his own, Takeshi attended both the Mist and Cloud battles - even in his wounded condition. It wasn’t until the final battle - the Sky Battle - that he was brought in to fight once more. All guardians were assembled from both sides and then poisoned - the only way to save themselves being the use of the Vongola ring to inject an antidote into their systems. Takeshi was rescued - surprisingly - by Hibari before he went on to attempt to save the others. He met up with Gokudera in time to head to the sight where the Mist Guardian - Chrome - was being held. When they arrived, the two were faced by Belphegor and Mammon - the Storm and Mist of Varia, respectively - and were ordered to trade their Vongola rings for her life. Takeshi agreed and made to hand over the rings. Upon doing so, however, he ‘tripped’. In truth, he was performing the third form of Shigure Souen, kicking his sword at the others before hurrying forward to catch it and restrain Mammon. Afterwards, Mammon revealed it was an illusion and the situation had been reversed. They were captured within Mammon’s illusion and without hope when Ryohei appeared to destroy the gym, saving all three of the other guardians from possible death. Even though the Vongola survived that particular encounter, the rings were still taken by Belphegor and Mammon.
The rings were all brought together and given to XANXUS - though he’d been frozen by Tsunayoshi. The rings were able to unfreeze him but inevitably rejected him, as he was not the true successor. Everyone was surprised by this and then, XANXUS and Squalo (who turned out to be very alive, much to Takeshi’s relief and surprise) went on to explain the truth of the situation, finally granting them all with the answers they had sought from their first encounter with Varia. After the explanation, XANXUS went on to order his subordinates to kill the Vongola so no one would be able to succeed the ninth Vongola. Takeshi and the other guardians took a stand at that, refusing to let harm come to Tsuna or the others. Before any serious fighting could be had, Lancia appeared as a savior to Vongola, easily helping to end the conflict with the help of the rest of Vongola. With the situation taken care of, Tsuna and his friends were deemed the victors of the battle, keeping their rings.
The next time Takeshi is seen, Tsuna has been transported to the world of ten years later due to a mishap with Lambo and his ten year Bazooka. Takeshi looked similar to his younger self - with the exception of more height and a scar on his chin. He appeared in time to save a younger Tsuna and Gokudera from an attack by a Gola Mosca before leading them to safety and a waiting Reborn. Along the way, he explained what had happened over the years and the conflict with the Millefiore family. He seemed to have matured greatly in that time, understanding the whole of the mafia as being more than just a game. During his explanation of the events of the current time, though, Gokudera attacked Takeshi after finding out Tsuna had died in the future. Takeshi made no effort to stop him, only apologizing. Reborn warned them of the dangers in the current time and during so, revealed Takeshi’s father had been killed by the Millefiore. In an effort to save the Vongola of the future, they were ordered to find all of the guardians to stop the threat at hand.
The first guardian they sought out was Hibari and it was during their venture to find him that Takeshi further explained the future world. He explained the weapons and Vongola’s achievements, what had been lost and what had yet to be done. He promised to train them in the ways of combat in the future, equating it to intensive baseball camp. When Tsuna goes on to question Takeshi about how baseball had been for him over the years, an explosion happens in the distance. It’s revealed that Lambo and I-Pin are near it, attempting to protect Haru and Kyoko from the threat posted by the Millefiore. And just as one of the black spell - Nosaru - goes on to launch an attack, Takeshi intervenes.
While battling with Nosaru, Takeshi explained the box weapons to Tsuna and Gokudera after revealing the power of one of his own. He proceeded to order Tsuna to find Kyoko while he fought Nosaru. Gokudera remained with Takeshi, attempting to fight as well, though Takeshi insisted he stand down. Upon throwing his box weapons in the air while speaking to Gokudera, Takeshi is then switched with his younger self as many of the others are switched with their younger selves as well. In the mix of confusion from the sudden switch, Gokudera ordered them all to flee but Nosaru goes in for another attack. Out of instinct, it seems, Takeshi protected Haru and Lambo from the attack. While Takeshi and the others seem to be unconscious, Gokudera protects them. Once the threat is nullified for the time being, they retreat back to the base to speak with Reborn once more.
After explaining things to all of them, Reborn speaks with Tsuna, Gokudera and Yamamoto alone. It was revealed that they still had to gather the guardians and kill a certain man to return to their time. Takeshi seems to go along easily enough with the information given to them. The three then go to Lal Mirch to ask for training in the combat of that era, as Yamamoto can no longer teach them as he is now. Before Lal can agree, chaos in the kitchen caught all of their attention, where they met up with Giannini of the future world. Afterwards, Lal agreed to help them - or rather forced herself - to showing them the ways to survive in the world of ten years later. Takeshi initially didn’t understand what Lal was trying to teach them but caught up easily, lighting the flames of his ring on the first try.
They had little training before they were sent from the base to retrieve a suddenly missing Kyoko and investigate a distress call from Hibari. Takeshi was given the Shigure Kintoki of his future self as his only weapon and Gokudera as a teammate. The two inevitably ran into Lighnting Gamma - one of the most notorious members of the Millefiore - and were pulled into a fight. Unfortunately, Gokudera and Yamamoto began to fight over the proper course of action and after Gokudera admitted a strong dislike for Yamamoto, Takeshi agreed to let Gokudera fight on his own. It didn’t remain as such for long and Takeshi stepped in to assist Gokudera despite the other’s protests. The two were able to coordinate to fight a team battle against Gamma, but even so, they both fell victim to Gamma’s strength. Before they could be killed, though, Hibari of ten years later appeared to fight Gamma before returning to the base with the wounded Takeshi and Gokudera.
After being treated for their injuries, Takeshi admitted what had happened with Gokudera and went on to say good things about the other, all of which he asked not to be revealed to Gokudera. While Takeshi rested, many of Vongola’s allies appeared in the base and soon after, they all began training to fight the threats at hand. Reborn became Takeshi’s personal tutor. Takeshi was sent to a different area to train and as he entered, he was able to sense the impending threat to defend himself - something Reborn praised. As the training continued, Takeshi began to make noticeable improvements; he learned quickly but still had much room to grow. Reborn told Takeshi during their training not to lose his smile and Takeshi agreed.
The training he underwent with Reborn was hardly easily - consisting of ‘light’ exercise that could easily be on level with Spartan training. In between his bouts of training, he would meet up with the others for meals and quick breaks. During one such break the Vongola received a call from Varia - to which the greeting was familiar and ear-drum shattering as ever. Takeshi recognized it instantly as the Squalo of ten years later. Shortly after, Ryohei of ten years later appeared with an injured Chrome, fully assembling all seven guardians. Of course, Takeshi went back to his training as expected though he seemed to have a long way to go.
In time, the whole of the group found themselves running out of time and were forced to act. They agreed to infiltrate Melone Base - an enemy stronghold - to further their mission in the future. They had five days to fully prepare and Takeshi was the furtherest behind. In an effort to teach Takeshi what he lacked, Reborn revealed a box called ‘the Making of the Swordsman Emperor’. The box contained tapes of every battle carried out by Squalo on his journey to win 100 battles without loss. It was revealed Squalo used those videos as a way to lure Takeshi’s older self from baseball and fully to the sword after Takeshi had chosen to take on the life of an athlete. Leaving Takeshi to the videos, he promised to reveal his ‘secret’ to Takeshi if he could win a final sparring match before their attack on Melone. When the match came, Takeshi was able to successfully cut Reborn’s fedora, in turn meeting the conditions for victory. As per agreed, Reborn revealed his secret to Takeshi.
The night before the attack on Melone, the Vongola found themselves under attack and were forced to leave as a group ahead of schedule. The group encountered many enemies once they were in the base, all of which they were able to overcome. They were eventually separated and Takeshi was left with a wounded Lal Mirch to fight with Genkishi, the Mist Funeral Wreath. The battle was quite the experience for Takeshi and he found himself pressed for ways to win. Every attack that should have ensued victory was overcome by Genkishi’s skill. It was during the battle that he learned Genkishi faked his loss to Squalo and Takeshi knowingly replied he knew - as Squalo included a battle after Genkishi’s to account for the fake win. No matter the tricks Genkishi tried to pull to gain an edge on the other, Takeshi overcame it - even when Genkishi illusioned Takeshi’s sword about to shatter. The last attack he made that he was sure would ensue his victory was interrupted and, as a result, Takeshi crashed face first into a metal pillar hidden behind a mist illusion.
Before Genkishi could finish him off, Hibari appeared to save Takeshi once more, engaging in battle with Genkishi himself. Takeshi - like the other injured Vongola - were all gathered by Irie Shoichi and threatened with poison in front of Tsunayoshi. It was then Irie revealed himself to be on Vongola’s side and things shifted drastically. They were able to return to the Vongola base where wounds were treated and they were set up for more training for yet another battle. All of them would once more receive personal trainers, though Takeshi’s was late to arrive. His tutor eventually appeared - revealing himself to be a very pissed off Squalo - before Takeshi was brutally attacked by Squalo, only to be carried away for training.
During his training with Squalo, the unavoidable happened. Squalo asked Takeshi if he planned to choose the bat or the sword, as it would severely affect the outcome of the battle to come. Knowing that his friends needed him and what the decision met, Takeshi easily agreed that he would give himself to the sword for the remainder of his time in the future. It was because of training that Takeshi appeared late to the Choice Battle. His appearance as well as Hibari’s enabled them to be transported to the appropriate field to carry out the battle. Once there, all of the Vongola watched as the elements of the battle - players and setting - were randomly chosen. Among those players, Takeshi was picked to participate.
Once the battle had begun, Takeshi was set on the offensive and to seek out the opponent as well as their target. He in turn stumbled upon Saru, a Millefiore opponent, before being engaged in battle. Saru then revealed himself to be Genkishi, much to Takeshi’s joy. Takeshi claimed he had been waiting for the moment when he could show the other how much he had improved and all those watching took note of the changes that had occurred within the Vongola Rain’s persona. When the two fought once more, it became quite clear how much Takeshi had changed in that short amount of time, something that allowed him to win after revealing his Vongola Box weapon and its combination form. Despite winning against Genkishi, Takeshi did not strike the final blow. Instead, he could only watch in horror as a plant left by Kikyo - one of Genkishi’s allies - sprouted from the other’s body to kill Genkishi. Enraged by this, Takeshi took off for the enemy target, determined to finish the battle before anyone else could suffer the same fate. He made it to the target and after managing to break the barrier, he ‘destroyed’ it.
The Millefiore had been quicker, though and claimed victory. Afterwards, Vongola found themselves with the answers they needed to many of their questions behind Byakuran Gesso’s motives. After an injured Irie Shouichi took the time to explain it all, Uni of the Giglio Nero appeared to invalidate the decision of choice and withdraw her family from its previous alliances. Enraged by this, Byakuran set his sights on Uni and the battle for the Vongola to protect Uni from Byakuran officially began.
They managed to escape back to their base to prepare for future battles with a few allies at their sides. Unfortunately, an attack by Zakuro of the Six Funeral Wreaths caused them all to flee from their base while Squalo stayed behind to fight. Takeshi had wanted to go back but after Reborn quite violently reminded him of Squalo’s sacrifice, he was able to continue on with the others, still with his worries about Squalo. Zakuro seemed to have ‘beaten’ Squalo and pursued the Vongola to their next hiding spot - a ramen shop run by a man by the name of Kawahira. Kawahira provided them with a place to hide from Zakuro and after convincing Zakuro he had not seen the Vongola, Zakuro left to continue his search. Shortly after, Takeshi and a handful of others - Bianchi, Giannini, and Spanner - left to go find Squalo.
LOCKED AND LOADED
FLAME Rain
RING(S) Vongola Rain Ring As the Vongola Rain Guardian, Takeshi is one of the sole wielders of the Vongola Ring of the Rain. It's classified as being a Ring Over-A, meaning it carries unimaginable power compared to other rings.
Rain Rings His future self is shown to be able to use various ranked rain rings. He is able to use A-Rank rings.
BOX WEAPONSVongola Rain Akita The second box animal Takeshi received was in the form of his Vongola Rain box. Inside of it was a rain Akita by the name of Jirou. While not doing anything worthy of combat, Jirou appears carrying three short swords made of water which Takeshi can use. These swords can be used in different ways. The first way is with Takeshi holding two of them and Jirou carrying one in his mouth; the second is Takeshi carrying all three short swords in one hand and using Shigure Kintoki in the other; the third way is by using one of the swords as thrusters of sorts to propel him out of the way of attacks.
Rondine delle Pioggia [ Rain Swallow ] Ver. Vongola The first box weapon Takeshi received was a rain swallow who we later came to know as Kojirou. When released from his box, Kojirou appears as a blue swallow surrounded by rain flames. Takeshi uses him to create rainfall that can be used as camouflage and, more recently, as a way to shower calming rain flames onto the opponent. Both his younger and older selves have both proven to use Kojirou in combination with his Shigure Souen Ryuu. A few specific forms use Kojirou to coat the opponent with rain flames or when charging at his opponent.
His most powerful use is to merge with Shigure Kintoki to create the legendary sword combination used for his Cambio Forma.
Rain Box Box weapons are small cubes that contain various types of weapons, animals or items within. To be opened, the box, ring and opener must harmonize - meaning only a rain user with a rain ring could open a rain box. Some boxes are seemingly only able to be opened through use of certain rings - such as the Giglio Nero boxes and the Vongola boxes.
Takeshi himself holds three box weapons, all of which are rain boxes. The first he uses is a simple water box that creates a barrier of water when opened. The second contains a Swallow with the rain attribute and the third, a rain Akita.
WEAPON(S) Yamamoto's Bat Yamamoto's first weapon was a baseball bat given to him by Reborn. It changes into a katana when swung at high enough speeds. It also functions as a telescope.
Shigure Kintoki [ Practice Sword ] A special sword handed down to him from his father, it has the ability to change from a bamboo practice sword to a katana. It transforms into a katana when used with the Shigure Souen Ryuu sword style and only then. It can combine with Kojirou to make a new weapon.
Katana Used exclusively by his ten years later self. He uses a nameless katana as his main weapon in the future.
Cambio Forma: Asari Ugetsu His strongest ability is a use of both his rain box animals and his Vongola rain ring. When wielding all three short swords as well as Shigure Kintoki, Takeshi can order Kojirou to merge with Shigure Kintoki. When merged together, Kojirou and Kintoki create a long bladed sword with an elaborate hilt with an ‘I’ displayed on it. This ability is said to have been used by the first Vongola Rain Guardian.
When wielding all four swords like his predecessor, Takeshi is able to link all of his sword attacks together for a final attack that will slow the enemy down to such a slow degree they might as well be frozen in place.
ABILITIES / SKILLS Star Baseball Player Takeshi was a starting player for the Namimori baseball team his first year. He can throw things at incredibly high speeds. This means he can't play a simple game of catch without taking off your arm, though.
Athlete He is able to play other sports well, it seems, and quite well. He has been shown to be a good volleyball player as well as an excellent swimmer.
Natural Born Killer Many of the characters in the series state time and again that Takeshi has the reflexes and over all qualities that make him a natural born hitman. His only problem seems to be his idiot persona and unwillingness to take a life.
Quick Learner He is a very fast learner - able to learn things after only seeing it once. Those around him comment that he would be a good student if he stopped focusing on sports.
Shigure Souen Ryuu Successor He was able to learn this legendary and seemingly invincible sword style after seeing the original eight forms only once - becoming the wielder of Shigure Kintoki. He has thus since added his own forms.
Rain Flames Dying will flames are a form of embodiment of one’s will and determination into a flame. There are various types of flames used by different people, all of which have one of seven attributes and colors. To be able to channel one’s flames, a way to release those flames is required; for Takeshi, that outlet is the power of his rings. His flames are often used in combination with weapons to make them stronger and - in the land of ten years later - open one’s box weapons.
Takeshi’s dying will flames are represented by the Rain attribute - being a blue color in nature. As a rain user, his flames have the property of tranquility, allowing any use of his flames to weaken flames and attacks to make them useless. It has also been proven in canon that rain flames have the ability to calm others - including box animals.
Ambidextrous He seems to have some level of ambidexterity. He is able to switch hands to wield his katana as well as wield three shorter swords in one hand while using the other for a single sword.
Illusion Immunity After crashing into a wall hidden behind Genkishi's illusions, Yamamoto seems to be able to see through illusions.
He is also able to use his rain flames to destroy illusions.
RELATIONSHIPS
Tsuyoshi Yamamoto [ OYAJI ] Takeshi is shown to have a good relationship with his father. It's clear he has a deep respect and love for him through their rare interactions on screen.
Tsunayoshi Sawada [ TSUNA ] Takeshi has a high degree of respect for Tsuna. If it weren't for him, he would truly be dead. He is considered one of Takeshi's best friends and one of the few people who may have an idea of what he's thinking.
He has an painful degree of loyalty to Tsuna and gave up baseball - multiple times - for Tsuna and the family. If Takeshi ever truly had to do it over again, he'd likely repeat everything he's done for Tsuna and then some.
Squalo Superbi [ SQUALO ] There is one word that fits their relationship near perfectly: strange. While they had once been enemies and then perhaps rivals, Takeshi looks up to Squalo in an obsessive and decidedly fanboy like way. Beyond this, the two could be described in different ways.
On one hand, they are rivals - Takeshi's need to improve wouldn't have it any other way. On the other, Squalo acts much like a teacher to Takeshi; he teaches him new things and has an odd desire to see his potential maximized. Though even on another front, Squalo may be the closest thing Takeshi has to a best friend. The two understand one another in ways Takeshi's friends do not and likewise, Takeshi understands the hardships and pride Squalo holds as a loyal subordinate.
Above all else, it's clear Takeshi cares greatly for Squalo and beyond Tsuna, Squalo is the one person Takeshi has shown the most emotional attachment towards.
Hayato Gokudera [ GOKUDERA ] Very much a one-sided rivalry, Takeshi and Gokudera are somewhat close. They understand each other's dedication to Tsuna and trust that the other can and will carry out their duties with an effectiveness befitting to the Vongola Decimo. Despite this, Gokudera has a constant need to try and out-do Takeshi in everything they do, determined to prove his worth as Tsuna's right-hand man.
Takeshi, all the while, is content to play along and tease Gokudera now and again. Though truthfully, he's likely doing this for the sole purpose of ruffling Gokudera's feathers.
Ryohei Sasagawa [ SENPAI ] While the two don't interact often, Takeshi acknowledges and perhaps looks up to Ryohei as not only an upperclassman but a fellow athlete as well. In their time together, they do show an ability to get along well with one another.
Kyouya Hibari [ HIBARI ] The two are awkward, at best. Takeshi knows and understands Hibari's fearsome reputation and steers clear of him - even going so far as to attempt to warn Gokudera and Tsuna about his reputation.
Still, Hibari and Takeshi have been shown to have odd moments. Takeshi is the only one fast enough to block and guard against him and very likely the only one brave enough to attempt such a feat. Hibari has also been shown to save Takeshi many times in the series - far more times than any of the others, truthfully.
Reborn [ THE KID / LITTLE GUY ] Reborn is the first to notice Takeshi's potiential as a hitman and - besides Squalo - the one who pushes him the most to show his true colors. It's clear he can see well beyond the sheep's clothing Takeshi wears.
Strangely enough, Reborn shows that he has some form of trust in Takeshi - going so far as to leave him with a valuable secret very few seem to know. All the while, Takeshi shows a great deal of respect towards Reborn and acknowledges that he is, in fact, more than just a baby.
Chrome Dokuro [ DOKURO ] The two don't interact much, truthfully. But as with all the guardians, Takeshi shows concern for her and would just as quickly jump to her defense as he would to Tsuna or Gokudera's.
Mukuro Rokudo [ MUKURO ] While the two never had the chance to formally meet, Takeshi has shown that even with the incident at Kokuyo that Mukuro is a vital member of the Vongola Team. He's quite aware of his presence, even going so far as to ask Reborn if Mukuro was going to finally join their team during the Melone Invasion.
Dino Cavallone [ DINO-SAN ] While the two don't meet often on screen, Takeshi and Dino seem to have a mutual respect for one another - noteable in the sense that Dino is the only one he refers to with an honorfic. It's unclear how close they are but after spending time together in Italy and their few encounters on screen, it's clear the two get along well.
Lambo [ LAMBO ] Truthfully, Takeshi doesn't acknowledge Lambo often - only when the guardians come up as a whole. In the future, though, he seems to have a positive outlook towards him and is aware of what he can do.
Phantom Knight Genkishi [ GENKISHI ] BLURB HERE.
Kaoru Mizuno [ KAORU ] Much like Squalo, Yamamoto felt a deep bond with Kaoru that spawned from a deep-seated love and understanding towards something they love - baseball. The two seemed to have gotten close quickly and were it not for Kaoru's harsh 'betrayal', it is likely the two would be very close friends.
PROOF
LINKS TO SAMPLES