Goro Sasabe

After the original Iwatobi Swim Club closes, he works as a delivery boy, but returns to coaching after observing the enthusiasm of teenagers Haruka, Makoto, Nagisa, and Rei Ryugazaki as they work together to win the medley relay at the regionals. He sells his grandfather's old squid fishing boat and rebuilds the club himself, naming it Iwatobi SC RETURNS.

In the past, Goro was the coach of the Iwatobi Swimming Club's swim teams, which included Haruka Nanase, Rin Matsuoka, Makoto Tachibana, Nagisa Hazuki, and Aki Yazaki, among others. [2][1] However, the swim club soon disbanded, and he found a part-time job as a pizza delivery driver. [2]

He appears to be a kind and friendly coach. [2] He gets along well with his students and knows them well. [2] Although he seems to have enjoyed coaching, [2][1] he also seems content with his part-time pizza delivery job. [2] It is later revealed that he still enjoys coaching swimming and is a very demanding coach, which has earned him the nickname "Goro the Demon". [2][1]

Despite having a part-time job, Goro decides to coach the Iwatobi High School Swim Club for free as they prepare for the relay competition. [1] He constantly encourages them to practice and notes their mistakes in form, kicks, and timing. Sometimes he gets exasperated and tells them they "don't know what they're doing." Goro sometimes sets up a recording device in the pool so the swimmers can observe their form from multiple angles, which proves very effective. [1]

When training or swimming, he wears a black one-piece swimsuit. [2][1] As a pizza delivery man, he wears a red and white jacket and shirt, both with a yellow star on the right side of the chest; red pants and a red helmet. [2][3] When not working, Goro often wears colorful tropical T-shirts and shorts. [3][4] He is often seen driving his pizza delivery vehicle, even when not working. [4]

Goro has vermilion eyes and short, blond hair, styled with a faded cut on the sides and longer bangs on top, swept to the right. He has a shaved star on the left side of his head, something he was missing when Rin Matsuoka returned from Australia to compete against Haruka Nanase during the junior high school winter break. [1] He sports a thin mustache and goatee, as well as two earrings in his left ear.

Goro Sasabe (笹部 吾朗, Sasabe Gorou) is a supporting character in the anime series Free!, beginning with Free! He is a former student of Iwatobi Junior High School and a former member of its swim club. He later becomes a coach at the Iwatobi Community Swim Club, where Haruka Nanase, Rin Matsuoka, Makoto Tachibana, and Nagisa Hazuki used to practice when they were in elementary school. He currently works as the owner-coach at ITSC RETURNS, in addition to occasionally coaching the Iwatobi Junior High School Swim Club. He continues to support former members of the swim club.