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Hanatarō Yamada (山田 花太郎, Yamada Hanatarō) is the 7th Seated officer of the Gotei 13's 4th Division, where he is also the leader of the 14th Advanced Relief Team.

Hanatarō is very timid and nervous. His black hair is mid length and his bangs frame his face. Hanatarō also bears a close resemblance to Rin Tsubokura. He tends to be clumsy and easily duped. Hanatarō's kind nature and nervousness results in him becoming the victim of many bullies and practical jokes. In fact, he states that he is "the most bullied kid in the world." Hanatarō's birthday is on the same day as Keigo Asano's, April 1, April Fools' Day. People spend the whole day tricking him as a result. According to Kon, he has a "boring but somehow popular with the ladies" look.

Despite Hanatarō's cowardly exterior, he is shown to be very bold at times. After hearing Rukia Kuchiki's story, he attempts to rescue her, despite her recent criminal record and noble heritage. After meeting Rukia's friend, Ichigo Kurosaki, Hanatarō decides to help Ichigo save Rukia, knowing that if he were to be caught he would be imprisoned for betrayal. After watching Ichigo fight for what he believes in, Hanatarō decides that he, too, wants to start playing a more important role rather than watching from the sidelines, and begins to carry his Zanpakutō with him.

Hanatarō states, when he introduces himself, that his name is relatively easy to remember, though Ichigo says otherwise, stating that if his name was Hanako (a girl's name) or Tarō (a boy's name) it would be easy. The name Hanatarō, according to Ichigo, is just confusing.

Because the 4th Division's combat ability is very poor compared to the other divisions, they are often assigned to perform the chores of cleaning in Seireitei, such as sweeping the sewers and jail cells. Because of this, Hanatarō and other members of the 4th Division know the sewer system and other esoteric passageways very well and have access to the keys of most buildings.