Hinohara, Arata

日ノ原革

Arata Hinohara is a shy, quiet person who dislikes standing out and tends to lack self-confidence. He is athletic and adheres to his morals regarding right and wrong, standing up for anyone hurt because of him. He is from present-day Japan and ran track in middle school. His name, Arata, uses the kanji for revolution.
Arata Hinohara is first introduced in chapter 2 of volume 1, getting ready for school. He looks forward to starting fresh in high school after being bullied in middle school. On his way to school, he catches a pervert in the act. As the pervert flees, Arata chases him down and tackles him until the police arrive. Because of that incident, he meets his first friend in high school, Suguru Nishijima. He also becomes popular in school until Masato Kadowaki arrives on his first day of class with a broken leg, having been hospitalized. Masato then makes fun of Arata (who dislikes him because Arata slowed down during track training to let Masato win, fearing Masato might not have been able to compete in the next meet), along with the rest of the school. Later, his desk gets covered in glue, and he discovers that his best friend, Suguru, has betrayed him.
After being mocked and after school ends, he wishes to disappear so that everyone can be happy. He loses all trust in people, stating that it is pointless to trust them as they only betray you. As he walks around, he hears a voice calling for him in an alley. As he enters the alley, everything becomes black. Although he finds that he is no longer in Japan, but rather in a new world known as Amawakuni (he finds that out a little later).
In Amawakuni, he meets Kotoha, who was worried about Arata. He is confused about what is going on, and when Kannagi searches his "house," he comes across a rusted sword and activates its power, becoming a Sho. The sword is known as a Hayagami, or god, and its name is Goshintai. His Hayagami has the power of the wind.
Kotoha tells him that she will be there for him, and later finds out that he does not have the stone (michihi no tama) that the princess gave him, so she gives him hers. He later gets arrested, and while in a holding cell, he talks to Arata by the power of the stone. He finds out that Kannagi was behind the murder of the princess and that Arata was framed for it. During his trial, he is exiled to Gatoya Island (it is known for being the same as hell). On the trip to the island, Kotoha tags along and gives him his Hayagami. Also, because of the stone's power, he is able to talk to the princess (who is just barely alive), and she asks him to govern the world; otherwise, there will only be war and bloodshed.
On the island, he meets Kanate and Ginchi, who try to steal everything he has as well as Kotoha. He trades everyday items from Japan (no one has seen anything like that before) for information, and later finds out that Gatoya Island is like a man-eating island and that it is controlled by a Sho named Tsutsuga. After facing Tsutsuga in a fight, he is given the Warden's power and returns the island back to normal. He later escapes with his new friends, Kanate and Ginchi, as well as Kotoha, on a ship back to the mainland as he starts his journey on restoring order and saving the princess.