Kuroda Yukinari is a third-year student at Hakone Academy and the vice-captain of the Hakone Academy Bicycle Club during the 42nd Summer Inter High arc.
Appearance
Kuroda has short white or silver hair in the manga. In the anime, he is portrayed with brown hair until the second season, where he has silver hair even in flashbacks to scenes from season one. Presumably, this was changed to match his revealed manga colors. (The 3DS game, based in the anime's canon and released prior to this, also has Kuroda with brown hair.) In the anime, his eyes are dark blue.
Personality
Prior to joining the Hakone Cycling Club, Kuroda was somewhat arrogant and conceited because of his athleticism and skills in nearly every sport. However, after Arakita derided him and refused to fight him anywhere but the road, winning a race against the new member, Kuroda learned to observe around and take everyone into consideration rather than stay egocentric. He gained enough respect to earn himself the position as the vice captain of the team in his third year. Kuroda himself isn't above scolding and poking at other members, and also shows a composed personality when he tells other members of his team to control themselves.
Skills and Techniques
He seems to be skilled climber that's well-respected by Izumida.Izumida also comments that he has become a more tactical rider, to the point that he would deliberately hold back and not challenge for the Climber's Checkpoint in order to help the team win. Arakita also noticed he has become more flexible around his knees, making him better at cornering and overtaking on the outside, even when it only lasted for a brief moment in the Third year's Farewell Race. In season 4, Izumida noticed his teamwork with Ashikiba, so he worked hard to learn to pull on the flats in the winter, making him an all-rounder, or as he suggested, a puncheur because his muscles look defined, they are very squishy and flexible, as a spectator in the race attests.
He also learnt to ride super close while cornering from learning from Arakita, but his skills seems unrefined, as he rides so close to the edge to the point that he drew blood from scraping his shoulders on the advertisement boards.
Trivia
- Misc
- His favourite bicycle manufacturer is Kuota.
- According to season 3, his running gag was "According to Ministry's investigations" to have a dig at Ashikiba (for being a gullible and idiotic air-head) and Manami (for shouldering too much burden after losing 42nd Inter High to the point of thinking about pulling a team of climbers on the flats).
- He is really bad at drawing. According to the Omake in episode 2 of season 4, he was mocked by Ashikiba and Izumida when he drew both himself and Ashikiba as a mushroom heads.