School: Fukui Prefecture East Hitsufujioka High School
Karuta Society: Fukui Nagumo Society - A Class
Favourite food: Habutai mochi, Katsu don with sauce
Hobby: Karuta, Reading, Math, and cooking
Arata Wataya is the grandson of a master karuta player—the kind of pedigree that shapes everything about him. He transferred into Chihaya's elementary school from Fukui, though fitting in wasn't easy. His regional dialect and his family's modest means made him stand out in ways that mattered to kids. But what really set him apart was his genuine passion for karuta, inherited from his grandfather's legacy as a Meijin. During a game at his house, he casually mentioned to Chihaya that he thought she had real talent for the game. That one observation changed the course of her life—and made them friends.
After elementary school, Arata went back to Fukui to be with his grandfather, and he stopped playing competitively. The thing is, his grandfather died while Arata was actually in the middle of a tournament, trying to reach A-rank. It derailed him for a while. He didn't pick it back up until Chihaya and Taichi made the trip out to see him. That visit reminded him why he started in the first place: he's determined to become a karuta Meijin himself, just like his grandfather.
Favourite Song: Poem #76
Over the wide sea
As I sail and look around,
It appears to me
That the white waves, far away,
Are the ever shining sky.
Content compiled by AnimeList.moe from publicly available sources.
