Rubber Shooter

Rubber Shooter is the name of a persona known as a hero when the main trio were in junior school. It is revealed to be an identity assumed by a group of kids, which included Yoshitake, Tadakuni and Mitsuo among others.

History
When the main characters were in elementary school, Rubber Shooter became famous as a hero persona who defended kids from bullies. In reality, it was an outfit assumed by a group of around 5 kids, who wanted to help others and enjoyed playing the hero.

Eight years in the past, a young Hidenori was saved from bullies in an encounter with Rubber Shooter. Along with Yanagin and the Chemistry Club President, Rubber Shooter also took part in the battle against the Archdemon, and was the only one left standing after the battle ended despite being noticeably injured.

Appearance
Rubber Shooter wears a distinctive outfit. It comprises of a white T-shirt with long dark sleeves, blue shorts and white sneakers. The most noticeable features are his long red scarf and oval-shaped grey mask. The mask has a long white strip running down the middle from which a pair of yellow triangles protrude on either side like antennae. It has large green eye-holes resembling those of an insect (like the famous Kamen Rider masks), connected by a short horizontal white strip.

In nearly all of his appearances, he is shown having dark brown hair (with a hairstyle resembling Yoshitake's present one).

Personality
In all his appearances, Rubber Shooter shows a strong sense of justice and an eagerness to help those who need it. He helps others without being asked to, and encourages them to become more confident on their own to handle their adversities.

According to Hidenori, the Rubber Shooter who saved him used to play Pachelbel's Canon on his flute. Although the music does play in the hero's presence, no flute is actually seen.

Known Members

 * Yoshitake
 * Tadakuni
 * Mitsuo
 * Bicycle shop owner's son - Known to have lost to the Silver Devil.

High School Boys and the Tale of a Hero
Rubber Shooter is first introduced through Hidenori's flashback. A young Hidenori used to frequently get picked on by bullies near an old shrine. After one such incident, he hears someone whistling Pachelbel's Canon and is startled to see Rubber Shooter. The masked figure introduces himself as an ally of the weak and gives him a whistle to blow on should he ever get in trouble. He then bids farewell.

Later, the bullies are roughing up Hidenori again. He reaches for the whistle, but Rubber Shooter shows up and tells him not to blow it, and that he shouldn't always depend on being saved by stronger people. He attacks a couple of the bullies with his rubber bands, and they run away on realizing who he is.

Hidenori asks him why he came to help him without hearing the whistle, and Shooter responds that he'd always come to help his friends, before leaving again. Hidenori never sees him thereafter, but the hero leaves a lasting impression on him.

Abilities
Rubber Shooter's fighting style involves using the fingers of both hands to stretch rubber bands and then release them, shooting them towards opponents (a move dubbed 'Rubber Shoot'). The shots are shown to be accurate and strong enough to knock over kids around the same age when fired at the head.

Trivia

 * The Rubber Shooter who saves Hidenori is strongly implied to be Yoshitake. Yoshitake visits the shrine as a high-schooler and shows a fondness for whistling Pachelbel's Canon, which is what leads a nearby Hidenori to think that the hero from his past is there.
 * A detail in HSGF-9 could indicate that the Rubber Shooter who fought against the Archdemon is known by the name 'Shuichi'.
 * In the anime, Yoshitake is shown to have buried a box with the Rubber Shooter mask under a tree at the shrine.
 * In the character popularity poll, Rubber Shooter finished 18th with 1,822 votes.
 * Rubber Shooter's mask also figures in the poll, at 79th place with 2 votes.