Honda Shigeharu is the husband of Chiaki Honda and the biological father of Goro Honda in the MAJOR (series). He raised Goro as a single father after the passing of his wife. After his unfortunate death by Joe Gibson's deadball, Shigeharu's presence remains through Goro and Momoko Shigeno who at particular times carry his photo in memory.
Biography[]
Initially a struggling second-string pitcher for the Yokohama Blue Oceans, Shigeharu's career comes to an abrupt end after injuring his elbow during practice. Honda ended up depressed who refused to relinquish his position, thus declining to switch into being a scout or trainer. His friend and teammate named Hideki Shigeno half-jokingly suggest Honda should try out as a batter since he was an outstanding slugger during his high school years. Honda did not find the joke amusing since being 30-years-old is too old to make the switch.
After Goro Shigeno runs out from kindergarten to make a passionate plea to the Blue Oceans' management, Shigeharu decides not to give up on baseball after all. He begins to practice batting secretly, afraid of disappointing Goro, should he fail. His coach and manager are initially opposed to his proposal, but as he manages to hit a home-run off their first-string pitcher, Shigeno, they give him a chance.
Shigeharu changing from a pitcher to a pinch-hitter
He eventually shows good enough results to play as pinch-hitter. During a game against the Tokyo Warriors, he is brought in at the bottom of the ninth and hits a walk-off home-run, earning him the respect of his teammates and rekindling Goro's faith in him. Following this "debut", he continues to play well enough to earn him a starting position during the following season.
In the meantime, Shigeharu pursues a relationship with Goro's kindergarten teacher, Momoko Shigeno, whom he finds a resemblance to his previous wife. He eventually asks for her hand in marriage after the following season. This was when he met Joe Gibson, a fierce, arrogant pitcher who just transferred from the American Major League to play for the Tokyo Warriors. The struggles intensify as Shigeharu managed to touch Gibson's pitches at 98 - 100 mph (158 - 160 km/h). Shaken up, Gibson loses his concentration until the unfavorable umpire calls and a "small baseball" bunt offense by the Blue Oceans only add insult to injury, ultimately leading to Gibson throwing a 98 mph (158 km/h) beanball at Honda's head.
Honda finishes the game seemingly without a hitch, but tragedy struck at night when he passed out and later found dead in the morning. The team doctor who failed later to notice the injury in time, discovers the cause was Intracranial hemorrhage from the previous deadball. His death hits everyone very hard, especially to Momoko and Goro and Shigeno, who blamed himself for pushing Honda into batting in the first place. Gibson visits Honda's deathbed and mutters a few words of apology, which seem thoroughly inadequate.
After Shigeharu's death, Yoshiharu Honda (Goro's uncle) offers to take in Goro, but Goro chooses to stay with Momoko instead.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Shigeharu graduated school with a degree in physical education.