| Taniguchi (谷口) | |
| |
| Age | 16-17 |
| Gender | Male |
| Height | 170 cm (5'7") |
| Occupation | Student (grade 10-11) |
| Introduced In | The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya |
| Last Appearance | The Surprise of Haruhi Suzumiya |
| Voiced by | Minoru Shiraishi (JP) Sam Riegel (EN) Boris Alexeev (RU) |
"She's ignored every message from me, and there's been precisely zero contact from her side. I agonized about it for a while, like an idiot. But I've been dumped. Even I know that much."
―Taniguchi telling Kyon about Kuyoh Suoh
Taniguchi (谷口 Taniguchi) is Kyon's friend and classmate at North High. He was in Class 1-5 in year 0. Taniguchi is frequently found in the company of Kunikida. He previously went to East Junior High with Haruhi Suzumiya. Like Tsuruya and Kyon's sister, he acts as a fill-in member for the SOS Brigade whenever needed.
Minoru Shiraishi voices Taniguchi in the Japanese dub and Sam Riegel voices him in the English dub.
Personality[]
Taniguchi is comically lecherous; he gives a 'score' of attractiveness to each first-year girl based upon his tastes and preferences. He remembers the full names of everyone receiving an 'A' rank, with Ryoko Asakura receiving an AA+ and Yuki Nagato receiving an A-. In the manga he also ranks Haruhi Suzumiya as A+. Taniguchi however never actually pursues any of these girls (though he is implied to be the one who went out with Haruhi for the shortest amount of time she has ever dated: five minutes). As for Mikuru Asahina, her mere presence elicits an altered state of adoration for Taniguchi.
In the manga version Taniguchi is hinted to have had a much closer relationship with Haruhi during middle school. When Kyon questions her about her middle school activities in "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya III", she answers, "I don't know what you heard, but it was all from Taniguchi, right?" In addition, though Kyon still suspects Taniguchi of being the one to have dated her for five minutes, in the manga Taniguchi doesn't say anything that would suggest this is the case.
History[]
Season 1 artwork of Taniguchi
Taniguchi went to East Junior High with Haruhi Suzumiya, and was in the same class as her for three years. He became aware of her eccentric activities and short relationships.
Taniguchi goes on to attend North High, where he befriends Kunikida and Kyon. When Kyon asks about Haruhi, Taniguchi advises him against romantically pursuing her. Like Tsuruya and Kyon's sister, he acts as a fill-in member for the SOS Brigade whenever needed, notably playing a minor role in the movie "The Adventures of Mikuru Asahina Episode 00" and being accidentally pushed in the water in the process.
Though unlucky at love in his own right, Taniguchi comes to recognize Kyon's compatibility with Haruhi. In The Sigh of Haruhi Suzumiya he attempts to hook up Kyon with Haruhi, by shooting down Kyon's first two choices of Mikuru and Yuki, and in The Surprise of Haruhi Suzumiya (First Part) he tells Kyon that "you're perfect for Suzumiya. Nothing like with Asahina."
Taniguchi finally gets a Christmas Eve date with a girl from Kouyouen School (an elite girls' school nearby) at the beginning of The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya. They begin dating regularly, mostly going out to movies and eating at fast food restaurants. He gave her a watch. Right before Valentine's Day, in The Intrigues of Haruhi Suzumiya, Taniguchi is dumped by his date, who tells him she "made a mistake". She is later revealed to be Kuyoh Suou, who only agreed to go out with Taniguchi as part of a mission to observe Haruhi. After the breakup Taniguchi falls into a state of depression. He tells Kyon that he envies him (because he believes Kyon is dating Haruhi).
In The Surprise of Haruhi Suzumiya he has a chance encounter with Kuyou. She tries to return his watch but he lets her keep it. Afterward he tells Kyon a little about their relationship. He claims that he found her personality strange and annoying, but stuck with her because she was physically attractive and he considered himself fortunate to have a girl who pursued him rather than the other way around. Kuyou later tells Kyon she had mistaken Taniguchi for him, and broke up with him when she realized her mistake.
Other versions[]
The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya[]
Taniguchi's alternate reality counterpart
When Yuki Nagato alters the world, he loses his date. His lack of plans for Christmas Eve and being unaware of Haruhi Suzumiya's clubroom party are the first strange things Kyon notices about the new world.
When Kyon told Kunikida that he didn't know Taniguchi was sick until that morning, Kunikida said Taniguchi had been in bad shape for a few days and missed gym class the previous day, further shocking Kyon (who had spent time with Taniguchi at gym class in the normal world).
Aside from suffering from an inexplicable cold that spread around North High, Taniguchi's personality remains intact in the new world, and because Haruhi's middle school history was not altered, he still remembers Haruhi. Taniguchi indirectly helps Kyon find Haruhi after telling him she's at Kouyouen. When Yuki turns the world back to normal, Taniguchi regains his date and good health.
The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan[]
In The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan, Taniguchi injured himself while trying (and failing) to impress the girls at Kouyouen. Kuyoh Suou noticed him and dragged him to the infirmary. Afterward they began dating.
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