Arata Wataya

Arata is quiet, sincere and intensely devoted to karuta. His Fukui dialect and reserved manner make him stand out after transferring to Tokyo, and his family's limited finances contribute to his difficulty fitting in with classmates. Once karuta is involved, however, his hesitation disappears. He speaks about the game and his ambitions with a certainty rarely visible elsewhere.

He is competitive without needing to advertise it. Arata takes winning seriously and possesses enormous confidence in the karuta taught to him by his grandfather, but he also responds warmly to people who genuinely share his love for the game.

His friendship with Chihaya and Taichi matters because it gives karuta a social meaning beyond individual achievement. Having spent much of his childhood training at a level other children could not match, Arata is genuinely happy to find peers who want to keep playing with him.

Arata is a prodigious karuta player trained from childhood by Hajime, a former Eternal Meijin. He wins the national tournament for his school year in every grade from first through sixth, establishing exceptional fundamentals long before the main characters reach high school.

His style is precise, efficient and calm. Arata minimizes unnecessary movement and takes cards with remarkable speed while maintaining control over his posture and positioning. Years of practice have given him deep familiarity with the Hundred Poets and with the rhythms of competitive play.

Unlike Chihaya, whose most obvious natural weapon is hearing, Arata's strength comes from an exceptionally complete karuta foundation. His card placement, memorization, reactions and understanding of game flow work together rather than depending on one overwhelming specialty.

His connection to his grandfather's karuta is both an advantage and a challenge. Reaching the Meijin level requires Arata to preserve what Hajime taught him while developing a style capable of belonging to him rather than simply reproducing an inherited ideal.

Arata transfers from Fukui into Chihaya and Taichi's elementary school class. Chihaya initially knows little about competitive karuta, but watching Arata play gives her a new conception of what the game can be. He also challenges her belief that her sister's success can count as her own dream, telling her that a dream should concern something she herself can accomplish.

The three children begin playing together, but graduation separates them. Arata returns to Fukui to help care for his ailing grandfather while Chihaya and Taichi remain in Tokyo.

Arata subsequently stops playing karuta after a traumatic family event connected to a tournament. Chihaya and Taichi's visit to Fukui becomes part of his gradual return to the game, reopening the connection among the three childhood friends and restoring the competitive ambition that had defined him.

Back in competition, Arata becomes one of the leading young candidates for the Meijin title. His path increasingly intersects with both Chihaya's rise toward the Queen competition and Taichi's struggle to define his own karuta independently of their rivalry.

Arata eventually earns the right to challenge Hisashi Suo for the Meijin title. Although he pushes the reigning Meijin through the championship series, Arata loses the match, leaving his lifelong ambition unresolved at the end of that particular challenge.

Hajime Wataya is Arata's grandfather, teacher and the model behind his ambition to become Meijin. Arata learns competitive karuta directly from Hajime Wataya, and his grandfather's style remains deeply embedded in the way he approaches the game. Hajime's death while Arata is away competing leaves Arata with severe guilt and causes him to stop playing for a period.

Chihaya Ayase becomes one of Arata's closest childhood friends after taking an enthusiastic interest in his karuta. Arata recognizes Chihaya Ayase's extraordinary hearing early and encourages her potential. Arata later tells Chihaya that he loves her and asks her to consider a future with him, but their relationship ultimately remains rooted in their profound connection through karuta rather than becoming the manga's final romantic pairing.

Taichi Mashima initially treats Arata as a rival and bullies him after becoming jealous of his friendship with Chihaya. Arata nevertheless continues playing with Taichi Mashima, and the hostility develops into friendship and competitive rivalry. Their later matches bring years of personal tension into direct competition as Taichi grows strong enough to challenge Arata on much more equal terms.

Hisashi Suo represents the Meijin title Arata has pursued since childhood. [Arata eventually challenges Hisashi Suo in the Meijin match but is unable to take the title from him.](#spoiler)

Shinobu Wakamiya has known Arata through competitive karuta since childhood. Arata Wataya and Shinobu Wakamiya share the experience of reaching an unusually high level while young, and each recognizes the other's ability without needing the kind of encouragement newer players require.