Haruhiro

Haruhiro (ハルヒロ, Haruhiro) is the main character of Hai to Gensō no Grimgar. After the death of Manato, he becomes the leader of his group. Though many initially perceives him as nothing special, he makes fast judgment in dire situations when overseeing a battle and gives quick tactical orders. Despite his tactic mind, he carries an inferiority complex with his fighting abilities and constantly compares himself and his team to stronger parties.

Appearance


Wavy brown hair and brown eyes, he would describe himself as "average". His most distinctive feature are his eyes, which always look tired, even though he isn't actually tired (in the anime version, he doesn't look that tired). Thus, he was given the  Thief name: Old Cat.

Personality
Haruhiro is an awkward person at first, steadily becomes more reliable and outgoing as the story progress. Though he is still awkward with new people as shown with Mary after Manato died. Before Manato's death he had taken on a support role in the group where he tries his best to keep morale up despite their poor earnings.

He's a bit sarcastic and cynical at times, usually with Ranta. This is more of a defence used due to his natural shyness. He took on the role of leader after Manato died despite having no aptitude for it, only doing it in order to survive with his friends. After assuming the role of leader Renji offer's the party one gold piece, a sort of gift since Manato had died. Haru refuses, thinking they should earn the money themselves. Ranta then got more like a 'jerk' a short while after Haru assumed leadership often doing things his own way despite the risk to himself. When Haru confronts him about it Ranta says that he doesn't want to just be one of their friends. He said he does his work as a team member and to leave it at that. Later on when fighting in the mines Ranta says Haru over complicates things and tries too hard to be like Manato.

As the leader of Team Haruhiro, after Manato's death, he is seen stumbling around in the role. He constantly compares himself to others and cannot shake the feeling he is one holding everyone's potential back, especially after various members receive invitations to join other parties. He does his best to stay calm under pressure and tries to look at the bigger picture. This aspect of him is especially apparent in battles as he continuously calls out enemies and gives orders to his teammates making sure no one takes on more than they can handle.

After assuming the role of leader, Haruhiro has become more mindful of his party members as seen when he notices Mary constantly checking her left wrist for the spell, 'protection' and when he pools the team's money to buy armor for Moguzo. This awareness also led him to learn the skill, 'assault' to make up for the team's lacking front line and attack power.

Before Grimgar
Haruhiro lived in an unnamed town with his childhood friend and neighbor Choko. Unbeknownst to Choko, Haruhiro liked her ever since preschool. Haruhiro often helped her in getting close to her own crush but never admitted his own feelings. He had an older brother he shared a room with.

Level 1
At the start of the series Haruhiro is first seen in Altana tower, along with him were twelve other people apparently having no idea where they are, or who they are. Brittany, the commanding leader of Altana Reserve Force, introduced them to Grimgar and gave them an option to join the reserve force for ten silvers. Having no other options, they all accept and Haruhiro formed a party with his fellow recruits: Manato, Moguzo, Yume, Shihoru and Ranta. His teammates chose their respective guilds while he chose the Thief's guild. The group had a slow start, still adapting to their surroundings. They hunt in Damlow and kill 0 - 2 goblins everyday. Eventually they were able to get stronger, acquiring new skills and buying new equipment. While hunting for goblins, they encounter a plate-armored goblins and a hobgoblin. Overconfident, they engage them and were quickly over-whelmed, they were late to realize this and as they retreated their leader and priest, Manato, got was injured by an arrow died from blood loss.

His death had a heavy impact on Haruhiro and the party spent the next few days grieving. Appointed by Manato himself before his last breath, Haruhiro becomes the new leader. Kikkawa introduces Haruhiro to Mary, a party jumper, as their new priest. Haruhiro and the others weren't used to how Mary operated in battle and this caused a conflict between everyone. The tension was ended when Hayashi told them about Mary's past and they began to accept each other. with an efficient priest on their side now, they were ready to face the plate-armor and hobgoblin. They struggled at first but with their new equipment, skills and a reformed approach in battle they were able to kill the plate-armored group and hobgoblin to avenge Manato.

Level 2
After witnessing Renji's team in action, Haruhiro convinces his team to hunt in the Siren Mines. They spent the next couple days adapting to the new environment until they decided to face Deathspot, the boss of the Siren Mines. In the boss level they unexpectedly encounter Mary's old teammates as zombies. Haruhiro was struggling with his counterpart, Ogg the thief of her old party. Mary helped them through removing the Undying king's Curse and eventually they were able to defeat them.

Haruhiro decided to retreat for now come back again but Deathspot suddenly appeared and scattered them, leaving Ranta by himself. At the upper floors they were finally able to reunite with Ranta and as they were about to rest, Deathspot came in and tried to attack them. Seeing no way out, Haruhiro decided to hold off Deathspot to let the others escape when the Gleaming Line miraculously appeared and showed Haruhiro the final blow to Deathspot. The team rejoiced after the death of Deathspot and obtained its bounty.

Level 3
After their victory over Deathspot, Haruhiro keeps looking for the gleaming line only to be distracted. They are informed of a new batch of recruits and along them is Choko, a quiet girl who comes up and stares at Haruhiro during their first meeting. Choko's party sleeps in the same lodging as Haruhiro's. The next day Ranta informs Haruhiro of a Crimson Moon Directive, a campaign invasion to Dead Head for one gold. Initially reluctant himself, Haruhiro refuses to make a decision immediately and gives the group a day to decide.

While thinking, he meets Choko again. Their exchange is a bit awkward at first but they find common ground through their shared class as thieves. Choko tells Haruhiro she and her team are taking on the order. The next day, Haruhiro convinces himself he wanted to take on the challenge anyway for the experience and reward, claiming Choko was only the last push. As the vote happens, Ranta and Moguzo raise their hands followed by Haruhiro and Shihoru. Shihoru herself wasn't paying attention and only voted with Haruhiro. Later in the night, Ranta asks the boys if they're interested in anyone and guesses that Haruhiro is interested in Yume. Haruhiro decides not to say anything only stating in his mind that out of the two girls who appeared in his head, Yume was not among them.

On the day of the invasion, Brittany explains the details to all reservists and places Choko's party and Haruhiro's in charge of the ladders, which angers Haruhiro and his teammates. With a little struggle, Haruhiro's and Choko's party are able to place the ladders unto the walls. The main force fails to breach the front gate and leaves the reservists on their own. Despite the power of team Renji, Haruhiro's and Choko's teams are forced into a melee with Haruhiro ordering his party members to protect Choko's party. They are able to charge inside the keep with the help of Kajiko's force who had broken through on the other side. Exhausted, the volunteer soldiers are spurred to life with the promise of 100 gold for Zoran Zeshuu, an orc warlord, and 50 gold for Abael, an orc sorcerer. Kajiko's Wild Angels split off while Team Renji rushes up the watchtower with a couple parties following after them. Haruhiro contemplates waiting on the first floor where it's safe but decides to go up, leaving Choko's team with the others who decided not to go for the bounty.

Haruhiro finds Team Renji in trouble and orders Ranta and Moguzo to protect the two girls of Renji's party. With his mind at ease, Renji is able to fight without holding back. The watchtower is clear but there's no sign of Zoran Zeshuu. A voice screams out and warns the volunteers of the battle below. Haruhiro rushes down the spiral staircase leaving his party members behind.

They find several dead reservists scattered on the floor and Zoran Zeshuu and his orc guard. Renji and his party engage Zoran Zeshuu and some of his guards. Haruhiro desperately looks for Choko and sees her being protected by one of her party members, a paladin nicknamed Mr. Tall. He can do nothing but watch as Mr. Tall is thrown aside and Choko is cut down by one of the orc guard.

Haruhiro instantly begins to recall his memories centering around Choko. He remembers his constant attempts to push her closer to her crushes despite his own love for her and even with his help, Choko never enters a relationship with anyone. Haruhiro recalls visiting a vending machine during the summer hoping for a chance meeting with Choko. One day, she asks him who he loves. He lies to her, knowing he isn't very good at it, and promises to tell her when he finds someone he loves.

Haruhiro's party tries to help but is overwhelmed by Shamans and Zoran's honor guards. After a few short fights against the orc guards, the party retreats back to the top of the watchtower. Haruhiro contemplates waiting for help to arrive and almost breaks down from the pressure of being the leader. He, however, recovers because of his wish to look cool in front of his teammates. After scouting out the situation downstairs, he rallies his teammates and head back to the first floor.

The Wild Angels arrive moments later and assist with the battle against Zoran Zeshuu. Haruhiro calls for Mary to heal Renji and sends Moguzo to hold the line against Zoran Zeshuu. Unable to participate in the battle against Zoran Zeshuu, he opts to hunt down Abael managing to corner him with his own trick while Ranta lands the finishing blow.

Haruhiro turns his attention to the fight against Zoran Zeshuu and quickly manages to spot an opening in the orc's right side. With some coordination they kill Zoran Zeshuu. Mary rushes over to Haruhiro and helps him to his feet. As everyone celebrates, Moguzo collapses.

Level 4
Waking up from a dream, Haruhiro finds Moguzo's bed empty and is gloomily reminded of his comrade's death. During the day he is instructed with proceedings of handling Moguzo's belongings and death certificate. Because the death certificate requires a signature from everyone in the party, Haruhiro recruits Shihoru to accompany him to inform Mary. The atmosphere between them is awkward and any attempts made by Haruhiro to start a conversation is quickly shot down by Shihoru's short responses. He begins regretting his decision to bring her along and thinks they aren't very compatible. Once they find out Mary isn't anywhere to be found, Shihoru tells Haruhiro her feelings on Moguzo's death. She despises herself for feeling almost nothing and Haruhiro denies that she's a bad person, coming to the conclusion that Manato's death was the biggest shock she could have received. Mary appears afterward and tries to run away. They easily catch her as she's drunk. She yells at them to leave claiming she doesn't want to see them. Haruhiro accepts this but tells her to meet with them the next morning at eight. Before she enters her home he tells her, “We aren’t done yet. It’s okay to stop and stand still, but we have to move forward.”

The team assembles at their usual spot around eight o'clock and waits until ten but they don't see Mary. They come the next day and again she doesn't show. Ranta suggests barging into her room but is quickly shut down. On the third day, Mary is the first to arrive which surprises the group. She looks small and entirely out of it but Haruhiro counts it as a victory. They didn't beg her to come, they didn't force her to come, she came out of her own free will. They rush to greet her and Yume goes in with a flying hug. She tells Mary that she and Shihoru are planning to move to the place she lives in so that they can be together.

Haruhiro takes the party to Damuro to face goblins thinking that an easy, known enemy would be good practice for fighting without a tank. The outing is less than successful as Moguzo's death still has a hold on the party and causes Haruhiro to overexert himself. He's hit with two poisoned arrows and they are forced to return early. Haruhiro and the rest of his party decided to spend ten days learning skills to increase their offensive power. During that time Kuzaku, a.k.a. Mr. Tall, a paladin who is the surviving member of Choko's party, asks Haruhiro to join the party. Haruhiro does not want to him outright, as he still harbors some resentment for his failure to protect Choko, but is also unable to bring himself to replace Moguzo. He gives Kuzaku a vague answer and hopes he won't turn up again. A few days later, Haruhiro and Mary are the first to show up at the front gate. They wait several minutes but Ranta and the others are nowhere to be seen. Haruhiro begins to fear they won't show up at all when suddenly Kuzaku appears. The atmosphere changes immediately as Mary and Kuzaku both are unable to look at each other. They're saved when Ranta, Yume, and Shihoru arrive. They welcome Kuzaku and Haruhiro is left to wonder about the relationship between the two.

Deciding to change it up, the party heads out to the Lonesome Field Outpost in order to gain experience at the Wonder Hole. In their first trip inside they're targeted by the three weakest species living in the Wonder Hole. While the monsters aren't difficult by themselves, they come in large numbers which forces the party to retreat. They buy two tents, one for the girls and one for the boys as the journey back to Alterna would take too long.

Haruhiro, while never saying it, feels as if Kuzaku doesn't do enough, at least when compared to Moguzo. While sneaking out of his tent, he sees Kuzaku and Mary talking together. He's not close enough to hear and convinces himself he doesn't want to hear it anyway.

Their next trip into the Wonder Hole leads to a much more dangerous situation as Haruhiro and the group takes on more than they can handle. Despite his efforts, they're surrounded and he has to go fully on the offensive to survive. Luckily, Soma and his team save them from death. After a short exchange between Haruhiro and Soma, Haruhiro and the rest of the group are offered the chance to join the Day Breakers. He accepts on the group's behalf and is given a communication device. Before Soma and his team leave, he tells them to first defeat an Ustrel to explore more of the Wonder Hole.

Time passes and Team Haruhiro now runs through the territory of the three weakest species to train against Muryans, an ant-like species. Although the Muryans are stronger than the previous monsters, they are far fewer in number. While the fight isn't difficult nor dangerous as the team can retreat back to another part of the Wonder Hole where the Muryans won't follow, Haruhiro grows increasingly frustrated at Kuzaku's lack of initiative as he only does what's given to him.

They finish their exploration into the Wonder Hole for the day and gather for drinks. Kuzaku is berated by Ranta for failing to be like Moguzo, a good tank. Though Ranta's words are harsh, Haruhiro doesn't stop him as he also agrees.

They return to the Wonder Hole the next day and battle Muryans again. A little bit into the fight they notice the Muryans stop and retreat into their holes. The group immediately goes into high alert as an Ustrel slowly trudges toward them. They hide within the Muryan's holes and Haruhiro takes the initiative as the group's scout to observe the Ustrel. Things turn out badly and the group rushes out to help Haruhiro. They soon find out they're no match for it and choose to hide instead.

Level 5
Takes place four months after the events of volume 4. Team Haruhiro has grown significantly since their early adventures into the Wonder Hole and are easily taking down Ustrels. After going further into the Wonder Hole, Team Haruhiro meets the Tokkis, a six member party lead by Tokimune, near a new hole inside the area. During their repeated adventures in and out of the Wonder Hole, Haruhiro finds himself the target of the Giantress, Mimori's, affection. After a few days of working together, they discover the Dusk Realm. They agree to meet the next day and explore it together but are left behind by the Tokkis as they try to claim glory for themselves.

Kikkawa returns to the Wonder Hole from the Dusk Realm injured and alone. Mary heals him and he tells Haruhiro and the others about the cultists who ambushed them and of how priest magic does not work in the Dusk Realm. Haruhiro, despite feeling the sting of betrayal, decides to launch a rescue.

Level 6
After defeating a few cult members, a giant, and a brief bout with Kuzuoka, Team Haruhiro and Tokkis finish their day's earnings and return to their camps. Haruhiro finds himself outside unable to sleep due to Ranta's snoring and the rowdy volunteer soldiers. He begins wishing to one day live alone, reflecting on his heavy role as a leader. He keeps his feelings to himself, however, as he does not want to rock the boat. He soon after discovers a secret meeting between Kuzaku and Mary with Kuzaku leading Mary away by the hand. Despite trying to be supportive in his thoughts, Haruhiro could no longer lie about his feelings for Mary claiming that if it had been anyone else in the party, no matter the paring, his heart wouldn't hurt that much. He accepts his one-sided crush and tries to move on.

Haruhiro surprisingly receives an invitation from Souma on a large scale operation in Dusk Realm involving many clans. Though reluctant, he accepts the request and has the Tokkis tag along.

Level 8
Upon their return to Grimgar, Haruhiro and the rest find themselves in an unknown territory shrouded in a dense fog. As Haruhiro and Yume scout around the area while the team rest in a cave, the two are discovered by a volunteer soldier named Kurou, one of the many reservists that Souma mentioned back in Darunggar.

In order to rescue Mary and Arara, Haruhiro promises his left eye to Setora in exchange for her help.

Level 9
He finds Shihoru and Tsuga scarcely fending off against a wyvern and decides to fight it in order for them to survive. He is able to damage the wyvern's eyes and escapes with the rest.

Abilities
As a Thief, Haruhiro excels at surprise attacks and distractions. He cannot hold the attention of enemies like a Warrior, but he can play a support role for the Warrior. Taking aggro from the Tank for a long enough amount of time that he can recover. One of Haruhiro's strengths is his analysis ability. By analyzing an opponents movements and actions he can find habits or weak points and exploit them. Unfortunately, he can sometimes get distracted by this while fighting an enemy.


 * Lock-Picking (Pick): One of a Thief's first skills that is simply learning how to pick locks.
 * Hit (Slap): A basic attack that can cause someone to lose their balance or drop their weapon if aimed at their wrists. Like all Thief skills, this works best from behind or by surprise.
 * Stealth Walk (忍び歩き, Sunīkingu): A skill that allows Thieves to be undetected by moving supernaturally silent.
 * Backstab (背面打突, Bakku Sutabu; lit. Back Infliction): A signature skill of Thieves that allows them to stab the back of opponents for massive damage.
 * Swat (蠅叩, Suwatto; lit. Fly Strike): A melee skill that causes opponents to lose their balance and fall to the ground. Less likely to work on especially strong or tough enemies. Particularly effective for parrying attacks in a duel.
 * Widow Maker (蜘蛛殺し, Supaidā; lit. Spider Kill): A grappling technique of balance and agility that involves joint locks to instantly lock oneself onto a target (usually from behind) and then mortally wound them. Even without a weapon, Haruhiro can still gravely injure an enemy by breaking their arm/leg or lethally snap their neck. Haruhiro also uses Widow Maker to immobilize an opponent to have someone else deal the finishing blow.
 * Arrest: A martial art technique utilizing an arm bar with a leg sweep to immobilize an opponent.
 * Assault (強襲, Asaruto): A method that aims to kill. It is a flurry of attacks that does not allow the enemy to respond. It is best used with Dual Wield.
 * Shatter (Kneeshatter): A kicking skill that causes enemies to fall over.
 * Stealth: The ultimate thieving skill. Allows the user to conceal their presence. The skill has three sub-parts: 1) Hide - Eliminate your presence, 2) Swing - Move with your presence eliminated, 3) Sense - To use your senses to detect the presences of others.
 * Hitter: A strike to the opponents jaw with either the palm or a weapon. Haruhiro uses his sap or the pommel of his dagger.
 * Dual Wield (両手構え, Duaru Wīrudo; lit. Two-handed Style): A style of combat requiring ambidexterity. As Haruhiro still uses a dagger with his right (dominant) hand, he wields an iron rod with his left to beat. Haruhiro was initially not used to using his left hand, so Barbara advised him to have both his weapons with him at all times to get used to it.
 * Gleaming Line (光る線, Sen; lit. Glowing Line): A mysterious and secret Thief skill that seems to come and go to all Thieves at random. It is a line of light that reveals a path to an enemy's exposed fatal area. Following the line allows a Thief to instantly kill in one strike. For Haruhiro, it immediately disappears whenever he changes his breathing rate or doesn't catch up to it, thus he follows it with his body already moving in.

Volume 1

 * At the end of his Thief training, Haruhiro was given: an old thief cloak, a used dagger, a used set of thief tools, and a second-hand pair of thief boots.
 * Bought a used pair of cloth underwear and a used durable looking hemp bag for a total of 55 coppers.
 * He later buys a second hand leather chest protector, belly band, hand and leg armor.

Volume 4

 * He purchases a new dagger and a sap.

Volume 7

 * Finds a short sword to replace his lost dagger.
 * Bought new dark colored, snakeskin leather armor.

Mary
While at first Haruhiro is put off by Mary, he makes an effort to try to get to know her better and urges the group to befriend her and include her in the group. Since the group has bonded, Mary has always been most fond of Haruhiro. In return, Haruhiro also opened up to her. They eventually look out for each other and talk about things and problems they have never mentioned to anyone besides themselves. After Haruhiro defeated Death Spot and woke up in bed after the fight, Mary cries for him and shows more affection for him. He does harbor feelings for Mary, but it's only revealed after he mistakenly believes that Kuzaku and Mary are in a relationship. He believes staying as only comrades would be better for their relationship and the group's.

Volume 9 and onward, it is strongly hinted that Mary has feelings for Haruhiro.

Yume
Haruhiro is on very good terms with Yume. Though he does find Yume physically attractive, he does respect her as a fellow partner. After Manato's death, they open up to each other and become close. They are also very good in battle as a pair and are usually working together. He sees Yume as the 'healer' of the team since her upbeat and social personality creates an animating atmosphere around her.

Ranta
He has a close relationship with Ranta, though they often banter with each other with Haruhiro as the tsukkomi  and Ranta as the bokkei . On multiple occasions Haruhiro tries to stop Ranta from doing things that are stupid, it shows that even though they do occasionally insult each other he really does care for Ranta. After Haru assumes leadership Ranta get's more difficult to be around driving a wedge in their relationship. Their understanding of each other strengthens during their exploration in the kobold mines when Ranta decides to stay behind to gain attention of the kobolds. Haruhiro chooses Ranta take over the party for him much like how Manato made Haruhiro take over the party when he died. Their perception of each other creates close coordination during fights.

Shihoru
Prior to Manato's death, Haruhiro hardly had any interaction with Shihoru as both were too shy to talk to each other. However, after Manato's death Haruhiro has opened up more to her and Yume in attempt to become a leader, and finally pays attention to their fighting styles and trying to learn more about them.

Manato
Haruhiro seemed to look up to Manato during their brief time together, seemingly looking upon him as an elder brother figure. On multiple occasions Haruhiro sought to broach difficult subjects with Manato only to flinch at the final moment and say something else. Haruhiro attempted to protect Manato during a scavenging mission and took an arrow from a Goblin meant for Manato. However just as they escaped the ruins an arrow took Manato in the back and he bled to death before he could be taken to the Chapel. Haruhiro feels responsible for this, as shown by his insistence at paying for the funeral costs and being the one to disperse Manato's ashes. Manato's final words to Haruhiro are 'Counting on you'.

Moguzo
Haruhiro was on good terms with Moguzo, and knows that he fulfills a key role in their group as a Warrior. He even went so far as to suggesting that everyone help buy a helmet for Moguzo when he noticed that he was very protective of his head during battle. He also enjoys Moguzo's cooking and is often seen drinking with him at the pub and shopping at the market with everyone else in his free time.

Kuzaku
A new reservist after Haruhiro's generation who was in the same party as Choko. He is the only surviving member of his party after the Twin Snake campaign. Afterwards, he joins Haruhiro's party to fill in the role of being the party's tank.

Choko
A new reservist recruit after Haruhiro's generation whom he knew from his previous life. He develops an immediate interest in her and even follows her group in joining the Twin Snake campaign. Witnessing her death at Dead Head created a brief flashback of their previous life as childhood friends.

Renji
Although Renji and Haruhiro meet each other very scarcely, Renji seems to have a respectable acknowledgement of Haruhiro. As after Manato's death, Renji appears before Haruhiro in a bar and drops him a gold coin to compensate for his party's loss. Haruhiro, unable to accept the offer, firmly returns it and the two depart after minimal talk. The next time they meet after Haruhiro slays Deathspot, Renji returns to the same bar and apologizes for what he did previously. Haruhiro says not to apologize as he admits he simply was unable to accept Manato's death and thanks Renji.

Souma
Haruhiro's clan leader.

Mimori
Mimori has feelings for Haruhiro and confesses to him after both groups return from Dusk Realm though he rejects her.

Setora
Haruhiro initially offers his left eye to her in exchange for her help in Mary's rescue. His boldness in the proposal spawns Setora's interest in him and requests Haruhiro to be her lover. Her appearance reminds him of Choko.

Gallery
See Haruhiro/Image gallery

Quotes

 * "I felt like I had a lot of things I wanted to ask Manato."
 * "We're not gonna die... Like hell any one of us will."
 * It's a battle of life or death, and I'm still alive. So I'm not going to give up, and I'll keep living. I'll keep living until I die.

Trivia
Who do you want Haruhiro to end up with? Yume Shihoru Mary Others
 * Haruhiro has shown to have conversations with Manato, his team's first Priest who had died. This shows he has mental difficulties either inherent or brought on by emotional trauma.
 * Haruhiro finally accepts his feelings for Mary but decides to be only comrades as this option is best for their future and the team's.