| Shirakawa Katsuyuki | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Inashiro High School - No.6 | |
| Shortstop | |
| Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
| Kanji | 白河 勝之 |
| Characteristics | |
| Gender | Male |
| Age | 16 (debut) 17 [1] |
| Date of birth | 6 September |
| Place of birth | Tokyo |
| Bloodtype | B |
| Height | 173 cm (5' 8") |
| Weight | 61 kg (134 lbs) |
| Status | |
| Education | 2nd Year High School (debut)
3rd Year High School (current) |
| First Appearance | |
| Manga | Act I - Chapter 135 |
| Anime | S1 - Episode 45 |
| Cast | |
| Voice Actor | Sōichirō Hoshi |
Shirakawa Katsuyuki is a student of Inashiro Industrial and plays shortstop for Inashiro's baseball team. He is a utility player with fast legs and has generally good batting skills.
Character[]
Shirakawa is a perfectionist seeking certainty. He thinks of practice as extension to matches, so never holds back during practice sessions. He is a shrewd person who is keen at observing opponents during games, and will exploit any signs of weakness shown by them.
He dislikes people who can't keep things clean.[2]
Act I[]
West Tokyo Tournament[]
Semi-finals[]
After Inashiro win their semifinals match, Shirakawa is with Narumiya and their second year peers when they see Miyuki standing near the toilet entrance in the stadium. He asks Miyuki if he got data out of their game but Miyuki says none from Narumiya's pitching. As their group leave, Shirakawa tells Miyuki that he'll regret his decision of not joining them forever, ten, or even twenty years down the line.[3]
Finals[]
At Inashiro's first batting cycle, Shirakawa asks Carlos if Furuya's pitch is fast to which Carlos says he should see for himself, but advises Shirakawa not to bunt at the first pitch for he'll just get himself out. At-bat, Shirakawa finds himself surprised with Furuya's fastball and eventually strikes out.[4]
On top of the fourth, after Furuya walks Carlos, Shirakawa bunts to get Carlos to second base. He notices that Furuya's pitch speed drops significantly when he throws from the stretch then signals his coach and Yoshizawa that it's now easier to hit Furuya's fastballs. On top of the fifth, with Tanba regaining his composure after Yamaoka's home-run hit, Tanba walks Shirakawa who thinks that they will not let Tanba recover from his shaken form without a fight.
Bottom of the ninth and Seidou an out away from winning the game, he hunches the plate, taking the same strategy as Carlos in facing off Sawamura.[5] Sawamura feels immensely pressured and throws harshly hitting Shirakawa on the helmet. Shirakawa falls to the ground but grins and howls as he stands up. While he receive treatment at the dugout, he tells a teammate that he's glad Sawamura too, feels the pressure of the game. After their team scores two additional runs, Shirakawa celebrates Inashiro's victory with his teammates.[6]
Summer Koshien[]
The evening before the Final round of Koshien, Narumiya waves to Inashiro's fangirls from the hostel window. Shirakawa comments that Narumiya enjoys the fuss and Carlos agrees saying that it's because Narumiya is a little boy.
In the final match against Komadai Fujimaki Inashiro lost in fourteen innings, finishing second place at the Koshien Tournament.
Fall Tournament[]
After Nationals, Shirakawa is shown complaining about balls left on the field and curses at people who can't keep things clean.
Following Inashiro's second round loss to Ugumori High, he participates in Inashiro's scrimmage against Koukaidai Sagara during their off season.[7]
Fall Tournament Finals[]
He is seen with the rest of Inashiro's main roster to watch Seidou's finals match against Yakushi High.
Act II[]
Spring Tournament[]
In the third round of the tournament is the Inashiro Industrial versus Yakushi High. At the top of the first, after Sanada jammed Carlos, Shirakawa is out on a weak grounder to third. At the top of the sixth, Shirakawa on base, Yamaoka hit a long one and Shirakawa scores.[8] The team scores additional runs at the top of the eighth and this combined with Narumiya's pitching, Inashiro wins the match.
Relationship with other characters[]
Narumiya Mei[]
Shirakawa entered Inashiro Industrial after being invited by Narumiya.[3] He tolerates Narumiya's cheeky persona and follows Narumiya's lead at crucial moments. When Narumiya gathered Shirakawa along with other Senior League players at Junior High, Shirakawa tells Miyuki Kazuya that joining Narumiya will surely avoid having to play against him; hence, highly acknowledging Narumiya's skill as a pitcher.[3]
Miyuki Kazuya[]
Has a strong one-sided rivalry and dislike for Miyuki. Constantly monitors Miyuki's technique and keeps track of his stats such as his homerun number. Sometimes quite harsh to him, like when he told him he would regret not joining Narumiyas team more than 10-20 years down the line. He sees Miyuki as a dangerous opponent and is aware of Miyukis keen eye and sense for the game, seen monologuing about how they should avoid letting Miyuki see too much of Narumiya's pitching.
Kamiya Carlos Toshiki[]
Him and Carlos are the closest friends on the team, often seen with each other. Have strong combination as the 1 and 2 holes of Inashiro and deep trust on the field.
Skills[]
| “ | Bunt and Run. An all-round prodigy. | ” |
— Mine Fujio on Shirakawa's skill
| ||
Batting: Batting second for Inashiro's line-up, Shirakawa is good at bunting and though he lacks power, he is capable of hitting any pitch. He is also quick to determine whether a pitch is a ball or a strike.
Player Statistics[]
| Defense | 4/5 | ||
♦Shoulder
|
2/5 | ||
| Running | 3/5 | ||
| Physical Strength | 3/5 | ||
| Mental Strength | 4/5 | ||
| Batting | 4/5 | ||
♦Contact
|
4/5 | ||
♦Power
|
3/5 |
Trivia[]
- In junior high, he was in the same Marugame Senior League as Takigawa Chris Yuu.
- Person he respects: Kurosawa Akira, Ogiyahagi (comic duo), Bananaman (comic duo)
- Rankings from the guidebook:
- Second in having the best batting eye.
- Third at bunting.
- Third in infield defense.
- Favorite food : Spicy food and parsley
- He likes late night radio shows, so always listens to them in headphones.
Name Etymology[]
- Shirakawa (白河) - White River
- Katsuyuki (勝之) - Widespread Victory
Quotes[]
- "Is there anyone who would push himself so much because of one mistake...? " - about Narumiya [9]
- "I'm glad that 1st year is more than a mere idiot who doesn't feel pressure..." - about Sawamura [10]
- "People who can't clean up properly should just die..." [2]
Gallery[]
References[]
[]
| v - e | Inashiro Industrial | |
|---|---|---|
| Players | Third Years | |
| Narumiya Mei • Shirakawa Katsuyuki • Kamiya Carlos Toshiki • Yamaoka Riku • Fukui Kento • Yabe Kouji | ||
| Second Years | ||
| Tadano Itsuki | ||
| First Years | ||
| Akamatsu Shinji • Yoshizawa Akimitsu • Mitsuichi Youji • Shima Ryouhei
| ||
| Former players | Harada Masatoshi • Yoshizawa Hideaki • Hirai Tsubasa
| |
| Coach | Kunitomo Hiroshige | |