Azuma Wataru of Tumbling

The series Tumbling follows a group of misfit male high school students in their highly unpopular club dedicated to male rythmic gymnastics. The club is run by Takenaka Yuta, but since it has so few members, they are not considered a team worthy of competing in any tournaments. They are ridiculed by many other students and even the female rythmic gymnastics club's coach. It is Yuta's dream to have enough members to compete in at least one tournament, but no male students seem to be interested in a sport usually done by girls.

Enter Azuma Wataru, a fearsome and incredibly short-tempered delinquent who tends to scare almost everyone he meets. He is told by one of his teachers that in order to make up for his poor grades and attendance, he has to participate in some form of club activity. Because he is highly impatient and short-tempered, he doesn't last long in any of the clubs. However, upon learning that the transfer student, Satonaka Mari, of whom he has developed a rather large crush on, has joined the female rythmic gymnastics club, he attempts to join the male version.

He is incredibly unsuccessful at first, never prone to any form of exercise that might help him to become more coordinated and flexible, and even accomplishing his first backflip is something worthy of celebration to him. As we go throughout the series, we see Wataru change from an irresponsible, fearsome teen to a naive and dedicated club member. He learns the values of friendship, teamwork, setting and finishing goals, and accepting people for who they are.

I think that this is probably one of my favorite roles of Yusuke's. Though the series could be painful at times for me, it is one that shows many different sides of Yusuke's versatile acting skills. He transitions flawlessly from loving sighs to angry screaming to cocky challenges to brutal fighting. I think this series is definitely one to watch if you're looking to see many wonderful examples of Yusuke's acting skills.

Also, he sports Kool-Aid red hair perfectly :)