Ataru Hori

Ataru Hori is a major character in the Mr. Driller series, making his first debut in Mr. Driller G.

Ataru is Japanese with gray hair that covers his right eye. He has brown eyes and he's never seen wearing anything other than his driller outfit. He wears a black helmet with spike-shaped earpieces. His suit is a dark blue color with light blue sleeves and a white cross on his chest. He also wears a red scarf. He is sometimes seen with a twig in his mouth.

Ataru is Susumu Hori's older brother, and Taizo Hori and Toby Masuyo's eldest son who ran away from home. He is a rogue driller who lacks an official driller's license. He lives in an area unknown to any of the main characters in the series, thanks to a confrontation with his father, whom Ataru also holds a grudge against. He is a loner-type who usually attempts to look 'cool', and has a companion named Usagi. He considers his younger brother, Susumu, to be a "sweet kid." He is voiced by Toshio Furukawa, who also provides the voice of Taizo Hori.

Personality
He is a rogue driller who lacks an official driller's license, and lives in an area unknown to any of the main characters in the series, thanks to a confrontation with his father, whom Ataru also holds a grudge against. He is a loner-type who usually attempts to look 'cool', and has a companion named Usagi. He considers his younger brother, Susumu, to be a "sweet kid". He gets so many strategies calmed down by Whitney Brown when he made a guest appearance in Whitneyyy and Friends. He is known for being estranged. He doesn't get along with his father, Taizo. He's been trying to find his purpose in life ever since he left home. Rumor has it he currently works as an unlicensed driller.

Gameplay
Ataru's max top speed is much higher than the other drillers, surpassed only by Keel Sark. Due to his high speed, he has a higher air consumption rate, making him best suited for advanced players only.

Trivia

 * Ataru is the only asymmetrical Mr. Driller character to date. As a result, he's given two different sets of sprites, one for facing left and other for facing right.
 * Ataru's scarf originally belongs to an old friend of his called George. Both of them traded scarves and now George wears Ataru's original yellow scarf.
 * Ataru suffers from a severe case of Chiraptophobia (fear of bats).
 * In Susumu's Japanese profile, it states that he was the only member in the family that didn't know about Ataru, meaning that Ataru must have ran away from home at a very early age and Susumu eventually forgot about him.