Taki Tachibana


 * Warning: content in this article contains spoilers from the movie. Read at your own risk!

Taki Tachibana (立花 瀧) is a high school boy who lives in the city side of Tokyo. In his daily life, he spends fun times with friends and works part time at an Italian restaurant. He held a secret affection toward his co-worker Miki Okudera and switched bodies with a teenage girl named Mitsuha Miyamizu who lived in a small rural town, in contrast to his lively life is Tokyo. He is the male protagonist of the film.

Appearance
Taki is a teenager who appears to be quite tall. He has spiky, brown hair and dark blue eyes. When he was first properly introduced towards the audience, he was shown wearing a plain white t-shirt and blue shorts. He was also shown having a white band aid on his left cheek. On his way to school, he wore a white dress shirt, dark gray pants, a belt, dark blue loafers, and a striped green tie.

While working at his part-time job, he wears a waiters outfit that consist of a black vest, a long-sleeved dress shirt, a black bow tie, and a black apron that covers his pants.

During his date with Miki Okudera, he generally wore a dark jacket, a V-neck shirt striped with the colors orange, blue, and white, khaki pants, and black sneakers with shoelaces. At times, he wears an orange wristband on his right which he got from Mitsuha, as a good-luck charm.

As an adult, he grows much taller and develops broad shoulders. He wears a black suit and a blue tie, to which his two friends from high school like to comment on.

Personality
Taki is a kind, hardworking and caring individual, but he can sometimes be persistent. He is a very helpful and busy young man as well, and may even be called quite sensitive towards others. He is also quick to anger, which can cause him to be impatient and stubborn. He is noted by Okudera to be quite "weak" but quick-tempered. Taki often says the first thing in his mind when he is nervous or stressed, whether it may be wrong or right, which he however quickly fixes by saying what he really wants the second after. He is also interested in architecture and art, and is shown to have artistic abilities.

When he inhabits Mitsuha's body, he sometimes touches her chest, to which Mitsuha would call him a pervert later on. He is also very straightforward and Taki in Mitsuha's body is considered a tomboy, as he doesn't take much consideration about skirts according to Mitsuha. Taki noted that Mitsuha is more popular when he is in her body, with both boys and girls sending love letters to her, indicating that Taki is very sociable as well. He seems to be not so honest with his feelings, as he denied his feelings for Mitsuha although they were very obvious.

As an adult, Taki has matured but still has his former personality. When going to job interviews for a career in architecture, he is very polite and optimistic, as he claims that he wants to leave good memories of Tokyo, as they wouldn't know if Tokyo disappeared someday just like Itomori. He seems to be rather serious to find something, as he always feels like he is searching for someone, or something. Though, he mixes up this feeling with stress to find a job.

Plot
There is not much known about Taki's background, but he lives with his father in an apartment. His father seems to be a busy individual as well, as he isn't seen being home very often. According to the film's producer Makoto Shinkai, Taki's parents are divorced before the beginning of the story.

Itomori Incident (2013)
By the time of 2013, Taki is fourteen years old and probably in his last year in middle school (ninth grade). Somewhere around autumn, Mitsuha started switching bodies with Taki, though it was him three years in the future when he was seventeen, the same age as Mitsuha at the time. As such, Taki didn't experience this until later, and didn't know who Mitsuha was.

One day, when Mitsuha had gone to Tokyo to find Taki, she found him in the train on her way back home just as she thought she would never meet him. On the train, Taki was supposedly reading through some flashcards, paying no attention to Mitsuha just in front of him, surprising her. When Mitsuha called out to him and asked if he remembered her, he bluntly asked who she was. But Mitsuha knew it was this Taki she switched bodies with, but Taki just thought Mitsuha was a "strange" girl. However, he seemed to be interested to get know her, as he asked for her name when she was about to get off her station. Mitsuha gave Taki both her name and her braided cord that she was wearing, something that Taki would later wear as a good-luck charm.

The next night, Taki would watch the TV when hearing about the comet. He went out and saw "the stars falling", which he thought was nothing but a beautiful view. It is presumed that Taki didn't know about the comet hitting Itomori, as he wouldn't learn this until 3 years later.

Main Story (2016)
In 2016, Taki is seventeen years old and probably in his third year in high-school. Somewhere in late august/early september, Taki experienced the body switching with Mitsuha, though he switched with her before the incident. Taki would first realize that they were switching places when he saw memos on his phone (which was written by Mitsuha) and her name written on his palm, surprising him. At last, he realized that he was indeed switching bodies with Mitsuha after reactions from people around him (and Mitsuha). They got to know about each other, their different lifestyles and friends, and laid down rules to protect each other lifestyles. Though Mitsuha helped Taki out with his relationship with Okudera and Mitsuha got more popular because of Taki, they also experienced annoyment and bickering, often leaving messages like fool, idiot on each other's bodies, and even telling each other that they were single because they wanted to be.

One day, Taki woke up in Mitsuha's body and went to their body of the Miyamizu Shrine's god, along with Yotsuha and their grandmother Hitoha. On the way there, Hitoha explained about the concept "Musubi" - knotting, which is time. She told them that no matter what, when a person consumes something, it joins their soul (which is also Musubi). They then went on to continue to the "underworld", the shrine. But returning to the shrine means that someone needs to leave the most important thing belonging to yourself, the "kuchikamisake", (a sake both Mitsuha and Yotsuha made by chewing rice to intake yeast for fermentation), which is half of Mitsuha and something to offer to the gods in the shrine; in exchange. At the way back home, Taki was confused about some old Itomori expressions and about the comet, to which Hitoha noted that Taki was probably dreaming. At that time, Taki woke up in his body and started crying. Right after, he got a message from Okudera. Turns out, Mitsuha arranged a date with Okudera for him. Taki hurried to Okudera and they went on their date. They enjoyed themselves but Taki was quite hopeless in terms of dates and so on, but Mitsuha had given him some advice, though Taki noted that she was mocking him. When they were watching an exhibition, Taki saw a picture of Itomori and looked at it in awe and fascination. After the date, Okudera noted that Taki had previously a crush on her, but now liked someone else, to which Taki nervously and embarrassingly denied, though his true feelings were very obvious. After the date, Taki was reading through the memos Mitsuha wrote and wondered what she meant by saying that the comet would be visible after the date. He then proceeded to call her, but with no reply. At the same time in Mitsuha's timeline (2013), the comet struck with the residents perishing. After this, Taki didn't switch bodies with Mitsuha anymore which left him shocked and clueless.

The following days and presumably weeks, Taki started to draw a picture of Itomori in hopes of finding Mitsuha. But because of not knowing the town's name, Taki relied solely on his memory of Itomori's scenery to draw the picture. Some while later after completing the drawing, he went on a trip with Tsukasa and Okudera to look for her. When passing by a restaurant, an older man that lived in Itomori before was impressed by his drawing. But when Taki excitedly asked if the town was near, he shockingly replied that a comet hit Itomori three years ago and killed most of the residents, leaving Taki and his friends (that knew about this incident however) in shock. When they arrived at Itomori, Taki was explained by Tsukasa that this accident took many lives, and when tried to prove that it must've been some kind of misunderstanding with the memos Mitsuha left behind in his phone, the memos disappeared. They then went to a library and studied the events of the comet, and when Taki saw Mitsuha's name as one of the victims of the comet, he became absolutely devastated as she had explained to him that the comet would be visible just a few weeks ago.

Taki, Tsukasa and Okudera then went to a hotel to spend the night. Taki started questioning things like what actually happened to Mitsuha and how he switched bodies with her, and slowly, his memory of her started to fade away. However, the word braided cord sparkled Taki's interest as he was wearing one, someone had given one to him in the past. At night, Taki was looking at a map of Itomori and while sleeping, he heard Mitsuha's voice, asking if he didn't remember her, which made remember Mitsuha. As such, Taki went out to go to the "underworld" the following day, where Mitsuha and Yotsuha's "other half" were, their kuchikamizake. When he arrived at the cave where the kuchikamizakes were, Taki realized that their timelines weren't in step to being with. He then proceeded to drink Mitsuha's sake and wished to travel back in time to prevent Mitsuha's, as well as the other Itomori residents death. The plan seemed unsuccessful, until Taki fell and saw a comet. Taki then went through a dream sequence with Mitsuha's braided cord as an connection. He saw her past and the time when Mitsuha switched bodies with himself, though he didn't know about this since Mitsuha switched bodies with himself three years in the future. He then saw when she announced that she would go to Tokyo and later on the festival to watch the comet. Still "dreaming" Taki desperately told Mitsuha to get away from there before the comet struck, and before seeing the comet struck in the dream, Taki woke up in Mitsuha's body, safe before the incident, making him overjoyed.

Taki then tried inform Mitsuha's grandmother of the situation, but she didn't believe her (him). But this didn't stop Taki, as he mentioned that he absolutely wouldn't let anyone die. He then started making a plan with Sayaka and Tessie so they could evacuate all the citizens. Taki tried to convince Mitsuha's father and other small children, but with no success. When Taki in Mitsuha's body heard from Yotsuha that she had gone to Tokyo the day before, he was hesitant and shocked. Taki then realized that since he had fallen asleep in the Miyamizu shrine in the "underworld", Mitsuha should be in his body there since they are switching places. Taki started to make his way there. Meanwhile while Taki went to find Mitsuha, he was recalling memories when Mitsuha went to Tokyo to find him before he even got to know her. When Taki got there to the mountains, the entrance to the "underworld", he called out to her, with Mitsuha doing the same. They heard each other and knew they were there, but they couldn't see each other, because of their different timelines. However, they started searching for each other and when they felt like they had passed by each other, they tried to reach out to each other, but failing. Hopelessly, as they saw how the sun went down, both Mitsuha and Taki, now in their original bodies and the same timeline, commented on how it was Twilight - "Kataware-doki", shocking them both deeply upon seeing one another. However, both became extremely happy to see one another. Taki explained the lengths he had to go through to save her, for example drinking her kuchikamizake, to which Mitsuha commented on Taki being a pervert, and he apologized. Mitsuha then realized that Taki had her braided cord as an armband. Taki explained that he had kept it for three years and gave it back to Mitsuha to wear. After conversing and enjoying each others company, Taki explained to Mitsuha that she had things to do, since the comet was already visible, with Kataware-doki almost coming to an end. Taki suggested that they should write their name on each others hand so they wouldn't forget each other's name, to which Mitsuha happily agreed to. At first Taki wrote his name (though it was later revealed that he wrote "I love you"), but before Mitsuha could do the same, she and Taki where separated by their timelines once again, with Mitsuha being sent back to 2013, leaving Taki shocked and lost at words.

He then looked around for any traces from Mitsuha, but with no sucess. Taki then commented at the horizontal line Mitsuha had written as the start of her name, that no matter where she was in the world, he would definitely go find her. He then repeatedly said her name so he wouldn't forget it, but in the end, he forgot her name and questioned who she even was. He couldn't understand why he was on the mountains, but he was searching, and wanted to save and see "her", a precious person to him. This feeling of forgetting someone dear to him, made Taki cry while shouting out for "her" name.

After Mitsuha saved everyone in her town back in 2013, Taki woke up in the original timeline (2016), still in the mountains. However, he forgot everything that happened the previous day, and asked himself what he was doing at such a place.

Epilogue (2021)
8 years after the comet struck, Taki is 21-22 years old and is searching for a job. It is presumed that he both completed high school and university. He always feels like he has forgotten someone important, and has searching for something or someone, and this feeling has possessed him for a while. Taki theorizes that it must be something from a dream he can never recall.

One day, Taki was seen riding the train. Glancing at his hand, he looks out the door and sees a woman with a red ribbon, that catches his attention. Taki is speechless and tries to get off the train as fast as possible, but is disappointed. He then went to some job interviews and explained his reasons for applying for a job; to build a city's landscape. Thereafter, he grabbed a coffee with his high school friends, and when they told Taki that they already had many job offers, Taki got irritated. He then got a message from Okudera; she suggested that they should meet up for a bit, especially since she's nearby for work. They talked about how they went to Itomori once, and how they didn't remember much from back then. However, at one point, Taki mentioned that he was inexplicably drawn to the events surrounding Itomori, and though half of the town disappeared, the citizens survived. He read those articles intently on the net, and he still wonders what had caught his attention, especially since he never knew someone in that town. Before parting ways, Okudera tells him that he'll be happy someday too, to which Taki glances at his hand once again.

One rainy day, Taki sat alone in a cafe looking through his schedule. He heard a couple behind him talking about their upcoming wedding and when the young woman called out to the man; "Tessie", Taki got surprised (since he actually knew them when he was in Mitsuha's body). However, they went out before Taki could say anything. Another snowy day, Taki passed a young woman on the street, where her red ribbon caught his attention. He looked back at her, only to see her continue walking. Thinking that he was misunderstood, he continued walking as well. Taki then went to a library and read books about the incident that occurred in Itomori; he couldn't understand why a city that disappeared wrung his heart so much.

Several months later, Taki glanced at his hand for the third time before going out for work. When he was in the train, he saw the young woman with the ribbon, staring at him in shock and awe in another train in front of him, with Taki making a similar reaction upon seeing her. At this moment, both knew they were always, for the past years, searching for each other. After getting of the trains, they ran and tried to find each other. Ater a hasty search, they found each other at a staircase; Taki at the bottom and Mitsuha at the top. Mitsuha was still lost for words and stood still. In Taki's case, despite being shocked, he didn't say anything or react and instead went up while Mitsuha made her way down. This made them both regretful and sad, but when Taki reached the top, he called out to Mitsuha, and noted that they had met before. When Mitsuha replied that she also thought so, both of them started to cry out of joy. The movie ends with them asking for each others' names.

Trivia

 * Taki is three years younger than Mitsuha.
 * He was shorter than Mitsuha in 2013, but grew taller than her over time.
 * When Mitsuha and Taki met at Kataware-doki, it was the only time they were the same age, as you would experience something "not human" at Twilight (Kataware-doki).
 * The red braided cord Taki got from Mitsuha is a reference to a Japanese myth: "The red string of fate". The two people connected by the red thread are destined lovers, regardless of time, place or circumstances. This magical cord may stretch or tangle, but never break.
 * This is also associated with the concept of the movie: "Musubi"; knotting, which has a similar description. Mitsuha and Taki were separated by time, circumstance and memory, but they still found each other in the end.
 * When he inhabits Mitsuha's body, he wears a ponytail since he doesn't know how Mitsuha does her hairstyle.
 * When embarrassed or flustered, Taki tends to clench his fist.
 * When he switched bodies with Mitsuha's body, Taki touched her chest quite a lot, as Yotsuha saw it happening at least three times.
 * When Taki told Mitsuha to write her name on his hand at "Kataware-doki", it's actually a reference to the first time they started switching bodies, as Mitsuha wrote her name on her hand when she was in Taki's body.
 * His name, Taki (瀧) means "waterfall" or "rapids".