Shun Mitaka

Shun Mitaka (三鷹 瞬, Mitaka Shun), in sharp contrast to Yusaku, is wealthy, educated, and hails from an elite family. Mitaka works as a ladies' tennis coach more out of love for the sport than any need for financial support. To everyone's surprise, he is revealed to be 31 years old by his parents, which would mean he was 26 at the beginning of the series. Nevertheless he is remarkably handsome, and his teeth have a trademark sparkle whenever he smiles. Kyōko begins to take tennis lessons from him early in the series, and Shun begins to court her. His biggest obstacle in the beginning is his morbid fear of dogs, which makes it difficult for him to be with Kyoko when her dog, Soichiro, is around. While very interested in and devoted to Kyoko, he is very popular with other women (such as Akemi): "Can I have him when you're done with him?") and has something of a reputation as a womanizer, a reputation not entirely undeserved (most of his more grievous actions have innocent explanations, but Shun has admitted to dating many women). Kyoko's mother strongly approves of him as a potential future husband for Kyoko (to Yusaku's chagrin).

Shun recognizes Yūsaku Godai as a rival for Kyoko's affection (and vice versa), and the two are usually antagonistic towards each other. Shun's actions towards Yūsaku are somewhere between magnanimous and condescending, depending on if Kyoko is around, and he is not above trying to position Kozue as a wedge between Yusaku and Kyoko. But while Shun and Yusaku are rivals, they both share moments where they bond over their mutual frustration over Kyoko's reluctance to fall in love with anyone.

Kyoko generally likes Shun and regards him as a suitor, but is apprehensive about his forwardness and occasionally feels pressured by him (Shun does not want to force a relationship with her, but will often "bend the rules"). It can be unclear whether Shun is interested more in Kyoko herself or in saving Kyoko from what he sees as a degrading life as a widow in Maison Ikkoku, putting him in the stereotypical role of the "knight in shining armor." At the end of the series, Shun marries Asuna Kujo, a girl from a wealthy, important family whom his parents wanted him to marry. They have twin girls, Moe and Mie Mikata, and an unborn child on the way. Although he is one of the characters who does not live in Ikkoku-kan, he is representative of the number three, his family name Mitaka meaning "three hawks", which is also the name of a well known city in the western part of Greater Tokyo.