< Eyeshield 21

Eyeshield 21/Characters


The majority of the main characters in Eyeshield 21.

Deimon Devilbats

Sena Kobayakawa

"Little by little... it's as if the lies are becoming true."

The titular character of the series, Sena (alias: Eyeshield 21) entered high school always running from and running errands for bullies, with his remarkable foot speed. Of course, his talents are spotted by the school's resident Shadow Dictator and captain of the two man American Football team and Sena is promptly blackmailed recruited into the team.

  • Position: Running back/Free Safety
  • Jersey: 21
  • 40 yard dash: 4.2 seconds
  • Bench Press: 45 kg (99 lbs)
  • Height: 155 cm (5' 1")
  • Weight: 48 kg (105 lb)
  • Blood Type: A
  • Birthday: December 21
  • 1st Year Student (Grade 10)
  • Nickname: Eyeshield 21

Youichi Hiruma

If they score 99 points on us, we score 100 points on them! In football, offense wins!

Undoubtedly the most memorable character of the series, Hiruma is the demonic, gun-toting co-founder and captain of the Devil Bats who will do anything short of outright cheating to help his team win (and get away with it, too). "Anything" includes blackmail, threats (with guns, lots of guns), psychological warfare, trick plays, Training from Hell, and that's just to his own team. A brilliant chessmaster and Magnificent Bastard, Hiruma seems to care little for his teammates other than their abilities to win football games. But through Character Development, he shows that he does care for and believe in his friends. In his own special way.

  • Position: Quarterback/Strong Safety/(really bad) Punter
  • Jersey: 1
  • 40 yard dash: 5.1 seconds
  • Bench Press: 75 kg (165 lb)
  • Height: 176 cm (5' 9")
  • Weight: 67 kg (147 lb)
  • 2nd Year Student (Grade 11)

Ryokan Kurita

The strongest and slowest player in the Deimon Devilbats by far, Kurita lives with his father, who is a leader of a Buddhist sect. As a boy, he was overfed by his father who believed that a young boy had to eat a lot. A soft and kind fellow, he contrasts sharply to Hiruma, the devlilish captain of the team. His battle cry of "Funuruba" is shouted often on the field. He loves American football and is passionate about the sport, to the point of sometimes attending morning practice as early as 2:00am. He originally wanted to attend Shinryuuji, but Agon, disliking the fact that a slow player like Kurita could get into Shinryuuji, took the athletic scholarship despite being talented enough to enter the school normally. Hiruma and Musashi left with Kurita and instead attended Deimon.

  • Position: Center / Nose Guard
  • Jersey: 77
  • 40 yard dash: 6.5 seconds
  • Bench Press: 160 kg (352 lb)
  • Height: 195 cm (6' 5")
  • Weight: 145 kg (319 lb)
  • Birthday: July 7
  • 2nd Year Student (Grade 11)
  • Bear Hug
  • Beware the Nice Ones: Quite possibly the friendliest, kindest person in the entire series. He's also the premiere lineman of Japanese high school football, and is willing to kill to protect his team.
  • Big Eater
  • Big Fun
  • The Big Guy: He's a sumo wrestler-sized centre/nose tackle, and leads the other big guys on the line.
  • Catch Phrase: His battle cry of "Funnuraba!"
  • Determinator: Less obvious than many others, but Kurita's a perfect offensive lineman. It's been shown that his strength actually increases the more people he has to protect, to the point where he stopped Mr. Don singlehandedly just before Agon would have been broken in two.
  • Does Not Know His Own Strength: When he's happy, he likes to (bear) hug his teammates.
  • Fat Best Friend: Justified considering the sport.
  • Gentle Giant
  • Gonk: But in a really adorable sort of way.
  • Morality Pet: For Hiruma.
  • Stout Strength: Built like a sumo wrestler; easily one of the strongest characters in the series.

Mamori Anezaki

Position: Manager

Sena's childhood friend, she's always been there to protect him. Sena originally keeps her in the dark about his identity as Eyeshield 21 to stop her worrying (and to prevent friction between her and Hiruma).

  • Acceptable Feminine Goals: Everyone notes that with her intelligence she could be anything she wanted. But for the most part, she's content to become a daycare worker and the perfect Yamato Nadeshiko.
  • But Not Too Foreign: While Hiruma is American by osmosis, Mamori had an American grandfather. Her mother thinks that this is where she gets her interest in football. Word of God is that the author came up with it after color art showed her with brown hair. Blackmailing quarterbacks can dye their hair, managers who are on the discipline committee? (worse than being The Class Rep) forget it.
  • Women Are Wiser: Though really, considering the cast, it's not that hard.
  • Cool Big Sis
  • Cute Sports Club Manager
  • He Is Not My Boyfriend: While having a discussion with Doburoku-sensei about supporting Hiruma, Doburoku mentions that Mamori supports Hiruma in various ways, 'for example, as his girlfriend'. Mamori unthinkingly replies 'Yes' to his comment-- the look on her face when she realizes what was just said is priceless.

Mamori, sweating and glaring slightly: I am doing my best as a ma-na-ger.

Tetsuo Ishimaru

Position: Full Back

A plain (very plain) fellow who was drafted from the track team as a support player. Paradoxically, his lack of remarkable features is the only thing remarkable about him; his lack of presence occasionally lets him slip through the opposing line and gain some yardage, but that's about all you can say about Ishimaru. Wait, who were we talking about again?

  • Butt Monkey: Everyone calls him plain. Like everything else, he's alright with this.
  • Catch Phrase: "It's alright, it's alright..."
  • Demoted to Extra: As more characters got introduced, he became less and less represented in the show and manga because, let's face it, he's by far the least interesting member of the team. Or any of the teams for that matter.]]
  • The Generic Guy
  • Nice Guy: His second most prominent feature is that he's ridiculously nice (it's pretty much impossible to anger him), which Hiruma exploits mercilessly.
  • Running Gag: "I always like this moment before a match. It feels like your blood is running cold."

Taro "Monta" Raimon

A hot-headed first-year student with an uncanny resemblance to a monkey. Originally a member of Deimon's baseball team, he always wanted to be a great baseball player like his hero, Masaru Honjo of the Shuhei Bears. But while Monta's skills weren't well-rounded enough for baseball, he was still an excellent catcher, and was eventually convinced to join the Devil Bats as a receiver. Eventually develops the "Devil Bat Backfire", where he catches the ball from behind his head.


  • Position: Wide Receiver / Cornerback
  • Jersey: 80
  • 40 yard dash: 5.0 seconds
  • Bench Press: 50 kg (110 lb)
  • Height: 155 cm (5' 1")
  • Weight: 51 kg (112 lbs)
  • Birthday: August 31st
  • 1st Year Student (Grade 10)

The Ha-Ha Brothers

Position: Linemen

Kazuki Juumonji (the one with the scar), Kouji Kuroki (the one with dark hair), and Shozo Togano (the one with sunglasses who's always reading manga) were originally just three delinquents who targeted Sena on his first day at Deimon. However, Sena managed to dodge them, and Hiruma managed to get some embarrassing pictures, using them to blackmail the trio into leaving Sena alone. While scouring the Devil Bats' clubhouse for the negatives of those photos, they got dragged into an exhibition game with the Zokugaku Chameleons, and from then on were blackmailed into acting as linemen. However, they gradually built up a camaraderie with the rest of the team and start taking the sport more seriously as time goes on.

  • Kazuki Juumonji:
  • Position: Offensive Tackle / Defensive Tackle
  • Jersey: 51
  • 40 yard dash: 5.5 seconds
  • Bench Press: 85 kg (187 lb)
  • Height: 175 cm (5' 9")
  • Weight: 71 kg (156 lb)
  • Birthday: October 1st
  • 1st Year Student (Grade 10)
  • Kouji Kuroki:
  • Position: Offensive Guard / Linebacker
  • Jersey: 52
  • 40 yard dash: 5.1 seconds
  • Bench Press: 85 kg (187 lb)
  • Height: 175 cm (5' 9")
  • Weight: 70 kg (154 lb)
  • Birthday: September 2nd
  • 1st Year Student (Grade 10)
  • Shozo Togano:
  • Position: Offensive Tackle / Defensive End
  • Jersey: 53
  • 40 yard dash: 5.5 seconds
  • Bench Press: 85 kg (187 lb)
  • Height: 175 cm (5' 9")
  • Weight: 74 kg (163 lb)
  • Birthday: October 13th
  • 1st Year Student (Grade 10)

Daikichi Komusubi

A diminutive but powerful first-year student who looks up to Kurita. Communicates almost exclusively in "Power-Speak", a language of grunts and one-word sentences that can only be understood by strong men such as Kurita (and Mamori, for some reason).

  • Position: Offensive Guard / Defensive End
  • Jersey: 55
  • 40 yard dash: 5.2 seconds
  • Bench Press: 110 kg (242 lb)
  • Height: 150 cm (4' 11")
  • Weight: 64 kg (140 lb)
  • Birthday: October 1st
  • 1st Year Student (Grade 10)

Manabu Yukimitsu

A second-year student who had grown tired of being pressured by his mother, and everyone around him, into spending all his free time studying. He joined the Devil Bats in search of something more, and managed to stick with the team through all the hellish training. While he wasn't good enough to be more than a benchwarmer, he eventually got to prove himself during the Fall Tournament.

  • Position: Wide Receiver (occasionally a lineman or assorted defensive position)
  • Jersey: 16
  • 40 yard dash: 5.6 seconds
  • Bench Press: N/A
  • Height: 179 cm (5' 10")
  • Weight: 67 kg (147 lb)
  • Birthday: February 29th
  • 2nd Year Student (Grade 11)
  • Awesomeness By Analysis: Yukimitsu is capable of making very good split-second decisions during play--he's the only receiver in the series that runs the option route because he's the only one who can observe and calculate as quickly as Hiruma, and he figures out Ojou's plan in time to keep them from running the time clock out.
  • Badass Bookworm: He becomes this eventually, putting his eidetic & photographic memory and fast thinking to good use.
  • Determinator: It's how he goes from bookworm to athlete.
  • Geek Physique: He's the only one who can rival Hiruma in skinniness.
  • My Beloved Smother: His mom is obsessed with making him study harder and harder.
  • Photographic Memory
  • Secret Weapon: Against Agon.
  • The Smart Guy: Even before he started playing physically he helped Hiruma and Mamori make calls from the bench; easily the smartest guy on the field once he gets out there.
  • Took a Level in Badass: A top contender for this trope's poster child. He went from stick-thin bookworm who couldn't remotely keep up with the rest of the Devil Bats, to getting a touchdown on two undisputed athletic geniuses.
  • Weak but Skilled

Natsuhiko Taki

A good-looking, flamboyant idiot with a highly exaggerated sense of his own skills. After flunking out of a football team tryout in America during the Death March arc, he decides to go back to Japan with the Devil Bats and play for them.

  • Position: Tight End / Linebacker
  • Jersey: 37
  • 40 yard dash: 5.1 seconds
  • Bench Press: 90 kg (198 lb)
  • Height: 182 cm (6' 0")
  • Weight: 72 kg (158 lb)
  • Birthday: April 10th
  • 1st Year Student (Grade 10)

Gen "Musashi" Takekura

The third founding member of the Devil Bats, he has the stone-faced demeanor of a man at least twice his age. He was forced to leave school and help the family construction business after his father fell ill, but he finally returned as the Devil Bats' kicker during the game with the Seibu Wild Gunmen.

  • Position: Kicker / Punter / Linebacker
  • Jersey: 11
  • 40 yard dash: 5.6 seconds
  • Bench Press: 90 kg (198 lb)
  • Height: 177 cm (5' 10")
  • Weight: 77 kg (169 lb)
  • Birthday: April 2nd
  • 2nd Year Student (Grade 11)

Doburoku Sakaki

Position: Coach

An old man with a weakness for drink who taught Kurita, Hiruma, and Musashi a few things about football. Back in college, he played football alongside Gunpei Shoji, coach of the Ojou White Knights.

Suzuna Taki

Position: Head Cheerleader

Natsuhiko's considerably smarter younger sister. A petite, perky girl with a fondness for roller skates whose patience is constantly tried by her idiotic brother.

Cerberus

A fierce mongrel dog who sleeps outside the Devil Bats' locker room. Not quite Hiruma's pet, but Hiruma does seem to be the only one he'll leave alone.

Satake and Yamaoka

Two guys from the basketball team who were blackmailed into acting as support players. Not much to say about them, but Satake once stole underwear from the girls' swim team locker room (which turned out to belong to the cleaning lady), and Yamaoka is a fanboy of Ai Kago from Morning Musume.

Futoshi Omosadake

A sumo club member who is so lazy, he can't even be bothered to open his eyes. When Sena and Natsuhiko took the wrong bus to the game with the Amino Cyborgs, he was dragged in as a stand-in, and has since stayed on as a support player.

Oujou White Knights

Seijurou Shin

The man widely regarded as the best defense player in the high school league. Shin is a hard-working genius who is constantly training to improve himself. At 4.4 seconds, he used to hold the record of the fastest 40 yard dash, until Sena surpassed him. His signature move is the spear tackle, which he later evolves into the trident tackle.

  • Position: Linebacker / Fullback / Running Back
  • Jersey: 40
  • 40 yard dash: 4.4 seconds , in the Kanto Tournament, 4.2 seconds
  • Bench Press: 140 kg (308 lb)
  • Height: 175 cm (5' 10")
  • Weight: 71 kg (156 lb)
  • Birthday: July 9th
  • 2nd Year Student (Grade 11)

Haruto Sakuraba

Position: Wide Receiver

A Bishonen model with a large amount of Fan Girls. He's hyped up to be Oujou's ace, but really isn't anything special. Suffers from a lot of Heroic Self-Deprecation early on, but eventually decides to Take a Level In Badass, quit being a model, and start training seriously.

Makoto Ootawara

Position: Defensive Lineman

A cheerful buffoon who's Ojou's strongest lineman. He considers himself to be Kurita's rival. Has the unfortunate tendency to forget to wear pants.

  • The Big Guy
  • Boisterous Bruiser
  • Dumb Muscle: At least he's aware of it. "[Ikari]'s got muscle for brains. That's better than me, I've got no brains at all!"
  • Fan Disservice: His tendency to forget to wear pants, as well as him farting.
  • Flanderization: Not in terms of personality, but his habit of forgetting to wear his pants eventually evolved into him becoming Mizumachi's streaking buddy.
  • Friendly Rivalry: With Kurita
  • Gonk
  • Idiots Cannot Catch Colds: He's the only on the entire team to never miss a practice. Shin comes at a close second, only because he broke the ticket machine at an airport.
  • Lightning Bruiser: By the Fall Tournament he had developed a level of speed that is freaking ridiculous for someone his size.
  • Naked People Are Funny: Later on he goes from forgetting to wear pants, to parading around stark naked just cause he can.
  • The Rival: To Kurita.

Ichiro Takami

Position: Quarterback

Oujou's quarterback and team captain. Takami is Hiruma's intellectual equal. He has a leg wound that keeps him from running fast, but he makes up for it with his height and the accuracy of his passes.

Daigo Ikari

Position: Defensive Lineman

Also known as the notorious "prison chain", Ikari is a Delinquent who tends to go completely berserk whenever anyone speaks badly of Oujou (or he thinks they did). He's so out of control, his teammates have to tie him up with chains to prevent him from attacking people.


Shinryuuji Nagas

Unsui Kongo

Position: Quarterback

Captain of the Shinryuuji Nagas. A serious, hard-working individual who nevertheless is always in the shadow of his brother.

Agon Kongo

Position: Many; typically Linebacker or Quarterback

Unsui's brother, whose fast nerve control caused him to become Brilliant but Lazy, as well as a smug, arrogant jerk. He worked with Hiruma prior to the events of the story.

  • All Work vs. All Play
  • Ambiguously Brown: Although anyone whose read or watched Eyeshield past the Taiyou match will know there's no point basing a character's ethnicity off their physical appearance, a lot of newcomers to the series assume Agon's black.
    • Not to mention in the colored illustrations his skin color varies from being the same shade as everyone else's to being the token brown guy. The anime went with him being tan.
  • A Lady on Each Arm: Every time he's shown on a date it's always with two girls.
  • All Girls Want Bad Boys: He's very popular with women despite... everything about him.
  • Aloof Big Brother: Inverted. His perfection gives his older brother a raging inferiority complex.
  • Annoying Younger Sibling: Replace annoying with Jerkass and he's basically a twisted version of this trope to Unsui.
    • This was especially noticeable in his first appearance where he came off more as a cocky pervert then a full on Jerkass.
  • Axe Crazy: Occasionally.
  • Arrogant Kung Fu Guy: It doesn't help that he has every right to be arrogant.
  • Badass Long Hair: Apparently since middle school.
  • Bash Brothers: With Unsui and ex-friend Hiruma
  • Berserk Button: Don't ignore him. Don't look down on him. Just don't do anything to imply he isn't the best really.
  • Big Brother Bully: Inverted, he picks on his older brother.
  • Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: When he wants to get into a girl's pants.
  • Blonde Guys Are Evil: He switches between dreads and bleached blonde throughout middle school.
  • Born Winner: And will never let you forget it.
  • Brilliant but Lazy
  • Broken Ace: He gets the best grades out of the entire cast, is popular with girls, has great social skills (when he bothers with that sort of stuff), and is the most talented athlete of a century. He's also a huge douche.
    • Although it doesn't make his actions any more excusable, his huge ego and superiority complex are somewhat more understandable when you consider he's been called a prodigy and a "once-in-a-century" genius his entire life with nothing to prove him otherwise.
  • Consummate Liar
  • The Casanova: The bad, love 'em and leave 'em kind.
  • Chekhov's Gunman: Introduced during Deimon's second ever match; later outed as one of the worst villains in the series.
  • Different As Night and Day: With Unsui.
  • Disc One Final Boss: In the Kantou Regionals. Given the amount of build-up they get one could be forgiven for expecting Agon (and by extent, the Shinryuuji Naga) to be the main antagonists of the Kantou Arc. Instead they're knocked out in the first round and Marco Reiji and his Hakushuu Dinosaurs take over as the Climax Bosses of the arc.
  • The Dreaded: During the build-up to the Kantou Arc. Sena (and everyone who isn't Hiruma) are terrified of him, and even his own teammates shake in his presence. During the Youth World Cup Arc he instills that same fear in a number of opposing players, and is the on the recieving end of it from Mr. Don.
  • Dreadlock Rasta: Subverted. Despite constantly being referred to as "the reggae head", he attends a Buddhist school.
  • Enemy Mine: During the World Cup.
  • Evil Former Friend: Is implied to be this with Hiruma. Of course they've both always been evil.
  • Evil Is Petty: Aimed a football at Sena's right eye, threw a football at the knees of a kid in a wheelchair, stole a car, threatened injury on Kid and Hiruma while driving a stolen car, stole Kurita's scholarship, shoved Mamori to the ground, calls you a fat loser when you're feeling down and gives his older brother noogies. PURE EVIL.
    • Lets not forget his underage drinking and promiscuity.
  • Evil Laugh: Fufufu. More of a snicker.
  • Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: The foolish one.
  • For the Evulz: He doesn't especially like football, he just likes "putting people in their place" (according to him).
  • Freudian Excuse: From day one, he's been told he's special. His coach threatens horrific retribution on any team member who mimics Agon, but lets him get away with his behaviour solely because of his talent. Is it any surprise he turned out the way he did?
  • The Gift
  • Good Colors, Evil Colors: In the anime his dreads are purple and reminiscent of tentacles.
  • Good Eyes, Evil Eyes: His eyes are normally quite beady, but he can actually make them look almost moe when he puts on his good guy act.
  • Gold Digger: When asked what the most expensive thing he's ever bought was, he stated that his girlfriends buy him anything he wants.
    • For example, his goggles alone cost $350.
  • Hoist by His Own Petard: Ends up being beaten by the Devil Bats, a team he inadvertently created with his antics.
  • Identical Twin ID Tag: Although he doesn't like to admit it, without his dreads and sunglasses he and Unsui are difficult to tell apart.
  • I Have You Now, My Pretty: A mild example. During his first appearance, he quite bluntly tells Unsui that he wants to get into Mamori's pants (while leering at her through goggles, no less). During his second appearance he's a bit too touchy when hitting on Mamori and shoved her to the ground when she rejected his advances.
  • Insufferable Genius
  • It's All About Me: He is the ego that walks.
  • Jerkass: Made of pure undiluted douche.
  • Jerk Jock: Takes it to sociopathic levels.
  • Kick the Dog: His hobby.
  • Laser-Guided Karma: When the Devil Bats make their final two-point coversion, knocking him and his team out of the tournament, it's Kurita who pins Agon down before he can grab Sena.
  • Lightning Bruiser: Agon's frighteningly strong, and while he's not as fast as Sena or Shin, his incredible reaction time means he might as well be.
  • Mutant: Pretty much. His reaction time is explicitly stated to be inhuman.
  • One-Man Army: Fast enough and strong enough to play any position and with his ridiculous reaction time and high intelligence he can both read opposing plays at lightening speed and cover the entire field in time to halt them. He's a One Man Opposing Sports Team.
  • Only in It For the Money: This is his motivation for entering the World Cup.
  • Opposing Sports Team (He can be it all on his own.)
  • Politically-Incorrect Villain: "What are you guys, a bunch of homos with a fat fetish?"
  • Pretty Fly for a Japanese Guy: His dreadlocks, gold chain, and baggy clothes give him this appearance.
  • Product Placement: Beginning in the Kantou tournament, sunglass aficionados will notice he starts wearing Oakley Juliet sports goggles with Ice Iridium lenses.
  • Really Gets Around
  • Scary Shiny Glasses: As well as being sinister shades.
  • Sibling Team: With Unsui.
  • Sibling Yin-Yang: He's the yang.
  • Sinister Shades: Helps that they're opaque 90% of the time. He even wears them while playing.
  • Smug Snake: Until he got his ass handed to him by Deimon.
  • Smug Super: This trope personified.
  • Tall, Dark and Snarky: Evil variation.
  • The Sociopath: Arguably. He definitely has the Lack of Empathy, Hair-Trigger Temper, Consummate Lying, and self-centredness down pat.
  • Sports Goggles Do Nothing: Though the ones he wears at the start of the Kantou tournament are crazy expensive.
  • Spotlight-Stealing Squad: During the World Cup.
  • Token Evil Teammate: On the Nagas and even more so during the World Cup.
  • Trash Talk: Takes it to quite literal levels.
  • Unnecessary Roughness
  • Verbal Tic: Refers to most others as "trash", or "losers" in the official manga release.
  • Villainous Friendship: He and Hiruma used to be friends. They start trying to rebuild it during the World Cup Arc.
  • Would Hit a Girl
  • Youngest Child Wins

Ikkyu Hosokawa

Position: Cornerback / Receiver

Another Shinryuuji powerhouse, Ikkyu tends to be the Butt Monkey of his own team and can be very shy around women. However, once he enters the field, he becomes an Arrogant Kung Fu Guy who can run backwards at high speeds and is unstoppable in the air.

Gondayu Yamabushi

Position: Center / Linebacker

A third-year and the eldest of the Shinryuuji players. Despite entering Shinryuuji on a sports merit scholarship, he's quite humble and tries his best to be the mature one of the team (with mixed results).

The Saiyuki Brigade

Position: Line (Gojyo, Goku, and Hakkai) and Runningback (Sanzo)

As the name implies, four players in the Nagas who resemble the main characters of Journey to the West. Mainly act as the Plucky Comic Relief.

Seibu Wild Gunmen

The Kid

Position: Quarterback

Real name Shien Mushanokoji, son of an ace pistol competitor. A very down-to-earth fellow whose talent lies in throwing the ball at high speeds.

Jou Tetsuma

Position: Wide Receiver

An old friend of The Kid, Tetsuma is a stone-faced powerhouse who plows through the defensive line like a freight train and always sticks to his route. He hardly ever says a word, and tends to take orders a bit too far: when his coach reminded him not to overeat before a game, he fasted for three days. However, this literal-minded dedication is part of what makes him a great receiver.

Riku Kaitani

Position: Running Back

A childhood friend of Sena's and the one who taught him to run. Although Seibu mainly works on their passing game, Riku can be an unstoppable force on the football field. His signature move is the Rodeo Drive, which adopts the goose-step from rugby to cause a sudden burst of speed.

  • The Ace: He's mature, smart, studious, brave, heroic, cool, good looking, popular with girls, and taught Sena how to run. Almost any scene that features him prominently will be about him leaving everyone impressed. Needless to say, he'd make an incredibly boring protagonist.
  • Always Someone Better: Was originally introduced as being like Sena, but cooler.
  • Big Brother Mentor: What he considers himself to Sena.
  • Do Not Go Gentle:After Kid and Tetsuma are benched due to injuries, and painfully aware Seibu is about to lose to Hakushu, he refuses to let his team just throw in the towel against Gao and even plays till he drops. Riku has balls.
  • Forgotten Childhood Friend
  • Pint-Sized Powerhouse: Physically, he's not much taller than Sena. And without him, the Gunmen would be one short of its best players.
  • White-Haired Pretty Boy

"Buffalo" Ushijima

Position: Line

The actual captain of the Gunmans. No one remembers this. Or his existence for that matter.

Taiyou Sphinx

Kiminari Harao

Position: Quarterback / Team Captain

A very beautiful young man who prides himself on being rich, refined, and elegant.

  • A Lady on Each Arm: Or rather a constant entourage of scantily clad groupies...
  • Alpha Bitch: At first. He was introduced as seeming to be very elitist and bossy, blaming others for his shortcomings. Of course it's mostly just an act because he's insecure.
  • Bishonen
  • Break the Haughty: Twice. The tie with Deimon was embarrassing but beneficial to his character development. The defeat by Hakushuu (and seeing his best friend get hurt protecting him) elevated him to Woobie status.
  • The Casanova: Not as bad as Agon, but he isn't above taking advantage of his popularity.
  • Fake Ultimate Hero: Is a mediocre quarterback at best, yet is perceived as the team's ace.
  • Guyliner: To go with his Egyptian theme.
  • Long-Haired Pretty Boy
  • Jerkass Facade: Acts snobby and in control to hide the fact that's he very insecure about his abilities.
  • The Ojou: His father is the CEO of an oil company.
  • Instant Fanclub
  • Rich Bitch
  • Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: To Banba.
  • Ye Olde Butcherede Englishe: When his antiquated way of speaking is translated to English. He drops this after the Hakushuu game.

Mamoru Banba

Position: Line

The imposing, stoic ace of the Sphynx, Banba's wisdom and calmness make him the real authority figure of the team.

Niinobu Kasamatsu

Position: Line

Nasa Aliens/Shuttle

Patrick "Panther" Spencer

Position: Running Back

A jovial fellow who keeps a positive attitude despite the many hardships he's had to face. Desires to join the NFL so his grandmother no longer has to work. Originally forced to be a ball boy by his racist coach, he eventually wins him over and becomes the Aliens/Shuttles' ace running back. Would later join Team America for the World Cup.

  • Adorkable: Especially during the World Cup.
  • Berserk Button: Messing with his sweatband. Presumably, messing with anything related to his grandmother.
  • The Dragon: To Clifford and Mr. Don during the Youth World Cup. Still a Token Good Teammate though.
  • Earn Your Happy Ending: The best example in the whole series.
  • Fragile Speedster: Not as fragile as Sena, but he's the weakest guy in the Pentagram.
  • Friendly Rivalry: Towards pretty much everyone, but especially Sena. Clifford even scolds Panther for being too nice a guy.
  • Heartwarming Orphan: Although it's not being an orphan that makes Apollo warm up to him, there's no denying Panther is one.
  • The Messiah: Kind and caring towards everyone? Check. Believes the best of others? Check. Repaying cruelty with kindness and forgiveness? Check. Redeeming a bad guy with the Power of Friendship? CHECK. Lets face it, if this were a shonen adventure series, Panther would be the hero.
  • Nice Guy
  • Plucky Boy
  • The Pollyanna: Fortunately, this attitude pays off for him BIG TIME later in the series.
  • Raised by Grandparents: Specifically, just his grandmother.
  • Skilled but Naive: At first. While he's always been incredibly fast and agile, his lack of playing experience meant he didn't really know how to defend against opponents.
  • Spirited Competitor: The reason he decided to go to Japan.
  • Super Speed: Deconstructed. While he's no Flash he isone of the few people on Earth with a 4.1 second 40-yard-dash. It isn't actually impossible - Deion Sanders ran a 4.1 without even stretching, though to this day it's the fastest 40 ever recorded at the NFL Combine.
  • Token Good Teammate: On The Pentagram where he plays alongside showboat Bud Walker, Dumb Muscle Tatanka, Jerk Jock Clifford, and the thoroughly monstrous Mr. Don.
  • Token Minority: Justified. The coach for the Aliens was extremely racist and only allowed him to be the ball boy at first.
  • Worthy Opponent: To Sena.

Homer Fritzgerald

Position: Quarterback

Panther's best friend and teammate. Helped Panther endure Apollo's racism and generally looks out for him. Noted for having a powerful, but uncontrolled long pass.

  • Black Best Friend: Inverted, he's Panther's underdeveloped, white best friend.
  • Boisterous Bruiser: A muscle flexing, beer loving man's man.
    • Also said to have the 3rd most friends out of the entire cast.
  • Implacable Man: A somewhat muted example, but it's there; he can throw the Shuttle Pass while being tackled, and he's pretty hard to take down in the first place.
  • No Celebrities Were Harmed: Fuzzy jawline, strong but unsure arm... Brett Favre, is that you?
  • Straight Man: Is usually the one to question Watt's "knowledge" of Japanese culture or comment on Panther's naivety.
  • Quick Nip: Unless he's on the field, he's usually shown with...
  • Trademark Favorite Food: A can of Budweiser, despite being in high school...
    • This isn't that unrealistic, but the writer probably assumed the drinking age was closer to 18 in the US.

Jeremy Watt

Position: Wide Receiver

A well-meaning but very misinformed Japan-o-phile who often confuses both Japanese and Americans alike.

  • Cloudcuckoolander: After seeing a skilled Japanese linebacker, he becomes fascinated with samurais. No one is able to figure out that train of thought.
  • Gratuitous Japanese
  • Occidental Otaku: Though unlike most, he's doesn't appear to be an anime otaku, and likes the culture as a whole (though his ideas about Japanese culture are a bit...off.)
  • Teen Genius: It's obvious that he's a very bright kid when it comes to non-Japan related stuff -- for instance, he does the legwork for the Shuttle Pass by calculating where it'll end up and being there to catch it.

The Gonzales Brothers (Nathan "Big Shit" Gonzales and Otto "Piss" Gonzales)

Positions: Linemen

Two linemen who are ridiculously muscular (even by the standards of the team), the older being the tallest on the team and the younger being the shortest. Both pride themselves on being "useful", which translate...oddly into written Japanese, to say the least.

Leonard Apollo

Position: Coach

A former NFL player, Apollo's racial prejudice and mistreatment of Panther both trace back to the raw deal he received when he was a pro.

  • Always Someone Better: He was edged out of his job by a star player named Morgan.
  • Big Ol' Eyebrows
  • Defrosting Ice Queen: Towards Panther.
  • Grumpy Bear: While he comes to respect Panther, he's never outright nice and is still a little racist.
  • Hard Work Hardly Works: The lesson he learned from his days in the NFL and one of the reasons he keeps Panther off the team.
  • Heel Face Turn: After beating Deimon.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: It's arguable whether you say he has a heart of gold (maybe bronze...), but he does become a great trainer to Panther out of respect for his skill and work ethic. But as a person, he's still a blow hard and a bit racist.
  • Loophole Abuse: By renaming the team to the NASA Shuttles, he feels he technically lives up to the stipulation that the NASA Aliens wouldn't go back home.
  • Pet the Dog: When he puts Panther in the game and becomes a good coach and mentor to him.
  • Put Me in Coach: Unfortunately, Apollo's coach didn't listen and he never got the chance to prove himself on the field.
  • Right-Hand-Cat: In the anime, he has one named Hilary.
  • Rich Bitch: His first appearance was him a on yacht bad mouthing the Japanese.
  • Villainous BSOD: After discovering Panther had whethered his abuse because he was his biggest fan.
  • Wearing a Flag on Your Head: He wears an American flag tie during the game with Deimon.


Amino Cyborgs

Atsushi Munakata

Position: Linebacker

A buff, intellectual man who takes the idea of "brains over brawn" a little too far. Is almost always smiling and has a freakishly shiny face.

  • Affably Evil: Off the field he's rather gentlemanly.
  • Arrogant Kung Fu Guy: Did not hesitate to brag about his superior intelligence and training to Deimon.
  • Boisterous Bruiser: Most of the time.
  • Fan Disservice: Even his muscles are shiny.
  • Fridge Horror: Invoked in-series. Just why do his parents look so alike?!
  • Genius Bruiser: Him and everyone at Amino. According to him, those who graduate from Amino go on to either Amino Medical School or Tokyo U.
  • G-Rated Drug / Getting Crap Past the Radar: His ridiculously buff physique is thanks to "science". Right...
    • Is that what they call it these days?
  • Gonk: He kind of looks like a Ken doll on steroids.
  • Hypocritical Humor: Gets angry when Americans underestimate Team Japan, then proceeds to bet on the American team as well.
  • The Leader: Of the Amino Cyborgs. Type IV.
  • Muscles Are Meaningless: Somewhat justified, as Munakata (and all of Amino) got their muscles through drugs and other forms of artificial stimulation while Deimon actually got their muscles naturally through an incredibly straining training regimen.
    • Thus the difference between Amino and Deimon could be compared to the difference between a weight lifter and body builder, while the body builder is more likely to be bigger and toned, the weight lifter has more pure strength and stamina.
    • As Ikari best put it, "Are those muscles just for show?" Yes. Yes they are.
  • Opposing Sports Team: His methods of "training" go completely against the ideals of the series...
  • Perpetual Smiler: If he's not smiling it means he's in serious trouble...
  • Villainous BSOD: When he loses to the Devilbats.
  • Younger Than They Look: Lampshaded constantly. When Deimon first met him, they assumed he was a doctor.

Suguru Aoyanagi

Position: Line

A geeky otaku who went from bony to bodybuilder in a year and a half thanks to, ahem, "vitamin supplements".

  • Arrogant Kung Fu Guy: Like Munakata, but without the jovial charm.
  • Celebrity Resemblance: He used to looked exactly like Weird Al, complete with curls and geek glasses. After starting his training regimen, he looked like Weird Al on steroids.
    • Like Yankovic, he's also incredibly geeky, but what stops him from being another weird Eyeshield football expy is that he's a jerk and a mild masochist.
  • Evil Laugh: Fufufu.
  • Gonk
  • Jerkass
  • Straight Man: To Munakata's cheerful disposition.
  • Too Kinky to Torture: Their manager can be quite cruel to the team and Aoyanagi loves it.

Bando Spiders

Hayato Akaba

Position: Tight End

Voted Tokyo MVP the year prior, Akaba is the ace of the Bando Spiders. Obsessed with music, he often strums his electric guitar when thinking and uses musical metaphors to state his opinions. Claimed to be the real "Eyeshield 21" until Bando was defeated by Deimon, where he then passed on the title (and blue eyeshield) to Sena.

  • Awesomeness By Analysis: Hiruma's only rival in this area.
  • Bishonen: Pretty enough to be noticed by Jari Productions.
  • The Comically Serious: Likes to strike corny rock star poses for no other reason than Rule of Cool all while keeping the same stoic expression.
    • Also tends to make rather ridiculous music metaphors with a straight face.
  • Cool Shades
  • Genius Bruiser / Muscles Are Meaningless: The genius part? After his contract cancelling with Teikoku, he spends almost entire season becoming technical advisor for his team, developing Spider Poison, which he taught to almost every player of his team, turning the team from mediocre kick- team into decent team. The bruiser part? Well, he can stop Kurita in his track singlehandedly. The "muscles are meaningless" thing is somewhat justified in that the Spider Poison was specifically designed to overcome opponents with greater physical strength.
  • Large Ham: Despite his reserved personality, he's every bit as dramatic as Kotaro.
  • The Leader: Type II.
  • Meaningful Name: Aka means red. Kotaro refers to him as Aka-baka, which means "red idiot".
  • Red Eyes, Take Warning: Subverted then parodied. When the Devilbats first encounter Akaba he comes off as frightening but is actually a pretty nice guy. In the bonus material, the principal reveals they're just contacts.
  • Red Oni, Blue Oni: The blue (ironically) to Kotaro's red.
  • The Stoic: To the point that his teammates are quite shocked when he even chuckles.
  • Sugar and Ice Personality

Kotaro Sasaki

Position: Kicker

The ace kicker for the the Bando Spiders said to have a success rate of 100%. Declared himself Musashi's rival even before actually meeting him due to his (false) reputation as the "60-yeard Magnum". Takes kicking very seriously and wants to prove that it's every bit as important as offense and defense in football. Is perpetually combing his hair back.

Juri "Julie" Sawai

Position: Manager

The manager of the Bando spiders and the one usually responsible for keeping the peace between Akaba and Kotaro.

Kyoshin Poseidons

Kengo Mizumachi

Position: Line

A fun-loving, extremely lanky lineman who came to Kyoshin from the swimming team. His special ability is "The Swim", where he uses his height to push down opponent's linemen. Takes his clothes off a lot.

Shun Kakei

Position: Linebacker

A very serious lineman and the other half of Kyoshin's aces. Also very tall, but he failed to put this to use back in middle school and was crushed by the real Eyeshield 21, Yamato. This inspired him to new heights (so to speak).

Hikaru Kobanzame

Position: Quarterback/Team Captain

Kyoshin's quarterback and over-shadowed team captain. Generally unremarkable save for his ability to dump the ball fast enough that he's never had an interception. Never actually "leads" the team, just sort of... agrees with Kakei.

Hiroshi Onishi and Hiroshi Ohira

Positions: Linebackers

Kakei's self-proclaimed "apprentices" (fanboys) who constantly argue over whose the better player.

Hakushu Dinosaurs

Reiji "Marco" Maruko

Position: Quarterback/Safety/QB Spy

A shifty, well-dressed fellow with a penchant for colas and secrecy. Marco wants to lead a team to victory in the Christmas Bowl to impress his would-be girlfriend, the team manager, and to do that strengthened Hakushu's football team immensely. Has the ability to follow the ball unflinchingly, and he can pry the ball out of a back's hands with his "Screwbite".

  • Affably Evil: A rather pleasant young man, willing to negotiate with opponents, sends flowers to the injured and perfectly willing to let Gaou demolish the team's competition if it advances his goals.
  • Animal Motifs: The raptor to Gaou's T-rex, and Kisiragi's Pteranodon.
  • Attack! Attack! Attack!: Played with. Marco, like Hiruma and Kid, advocates an all-offense strategy, focussing on using Gaou as a bludgeon and forcing his way down the field in a north-south game. Yet he also makes sure to recruit a very good cornerback in Kisiragi, and is himself one of the best safeties in Japan, serving as the only quarterback spy that the Devil-Bats encounter in the series.
  • Awesomeness By Analysis
  • Big Bad/The Heavy: Comes very close to being this during the Kantou Regionals, particularly after Agon's defeat and the revelation that Hakushuu is nobody to be screwed with during the Taiyou match. It's a sports series, but Marco's scheming drives much of the plot during the Kantou Arc, and leads to a whole lot of upsets, with his team serving as the Climax Boss of the arc. He's also this in a Five-Bad Band sense, given his position as leader of Hakushuu.
  • Catch Phrase / Verbal Tic: "I'd say."
  • Chekhov's Gunman: The only thing that distinguishes Marco from the other throwaway captains at the start of the Kantou Arc is the fact that he comes over to speak to Sena, and is given some small focus when he draws the team he'll be facing. He's the closest thing the arc has to a Big Bad.
  • Combat Pragmatist: Will do anything for victory.
  • Cowardly Lion: Marco may be prone to panic, and he talks a lot about how he prefers to avoid facing strong teams, and finds the likes of Hiruma, Kurita, etc. to be terrifying, but he has no problem putting himself in harms way, and is in fact one of most active quarterbacks/safeties in the series.
  • Defeat Means Friendship
  • Determinator: One who's gone way too far. Marco's inability to Know When to Fold'Em is what has turned him into the screwed-up person he is today. He's also one on the field, recovering from a tackle by Kurita of all people, and returning to play.
  • Embarrassing First Name: Given name anyway, which is why he calls himself "Marco" and Maruko Himuro "Maria."
  • Evil Counterpart: Hiruma's first one. They both compensate for lack of physical ability through intelligence, lead darkhorse teams built around a couple of key players, favour winning by any means necessary, Determinator their way through serious injuries, are much Younger Than They Look, and want to take down the Alexanders/go to the Christmas Bowl no matter what it takes.
  • Evil Genius: Absolutely. He's smart enough to play Xanatos Speed Chess with Hiruma and to shut Sena down using only his brains.
  • Friendly Enemy: Especially to Sena. Off the field though, he's pretty nice to everyone.
  • Heel Face Turn: Post-Kantou Regionals. Unlike Agon and Gaou, who are Token Evil Teammates to the end, Marco seems to have straightened out his act by the World Cup.
  • Heel Realisation: After being defeated by the Devil-Bats.
  • The Leader: Of Hakushuu. Type I.
  • Love Makes You Evil: Or at least a very brutal player. He wants to impress Maria badly enough that he's more than willing to use Gaou as a weapon, turn Kisiragi into a psycho, and break other team's quarterbacks in order to win.
  • Made of Iron: Recovers after having Kurita land on him at full speed, picks himself up and keeps on playing. Despite being somewhat shaken, he shows no visible damage, and gets right back in the action.
  • Manipulative Bastard: To Takami's Chessmaster and Hiruma's Trickster Archetype. They make and modify plans. Marco messes with your emotions, relying on a combination of brute power and fear to help him win.
  • Man of Wealth and Taste / Wicked Cultured: Dresses and conducts himself like a Mafia don.
    • Somewhat justified, as his father is a former Mafia member turned investor and his mother is a fashion designer.
      • Fully justified, as flashbacks for him and his teammates show that the pinstriped suits are Hakushu school uniforms.
  • Not So Different: From Hiruma.
  • Save Our Team: A dark take on the trope. Marco is explicitly stated to have massively improved Hakushuu's team, saving them from being just another also-ran. He did it by advocating Unnecessary Roughness, allowing Gaou off of his leash, turning Kisaragi into a Psycho Supporter, and injuring several of his own players. And making Maria go the Emotionless Girl route, VERY ironically since he did this to impress her.
  • Second Place Is for Losers: Or is if you're trying to impress an upperclassman.
  • Sharp-Dressed Man
  • The Strategist
  • Tall, Dark and Handsome: Subverted to hell and back. Don't be fooled by the expensive Italian suits and suave demeanor, at his core, Marco's a panicky dork (and an unpleasant guy to boot).
  • Trademark Favorite Food: Cola.
  • Trial by Friendly Fire: Orders Gaou to go through Kisiragi to get to Hiruma.
  • Unnecessary Roughness: Advocates it as part of his overall strategy.
  • Villainous Valour: Marco's scared to death but keeps on playing (and risking his own neck) because winning is far more important to him.
  • Weak but Skilled: Much like Hiruma.
  • Younger Than They Look: Another freshman, which means he's, at best, 16.

Rikiya Gaou

Position: Line

Hakushu's ace, a massively beefy freshman who holds the high school record in the bench press. Up until their game with Deimon, Hakushu relied on Gao to smash through the opponent's line and break the quarterback's arms. However, Gao refuses to break the rules of football (i.e. he won't tackle quarterbacks if they don't have the ball) and is generally an honorable opponent...for what good that'll do.

  • Affably Evil: In a bizarre way. Gaou doesn't actually have a malicious bone in his body, and off the field is a cheerfully crazed Boisterous Bruiser who considers Banba and Kurita (two guys he nearly killed on the field) to be his buddies.
  • Animal Motif: Tyrannosaurus, though he looks like a caveman.
  • Badass
  • Berserk Button: If anyone has the guts to stand up to him, you'd better not make fun of them when Gaou is around.
  • Blood Knight
  • Blue and Orange Morality: Although he does have his own code of honor, it doesn't make him any less terrifying. While his main objective is simply to challenge worthy opponents, he feels no guilt if others get hurt in the process. On the other hand, if whoever he faces proves themselves to be brave and strong-willed, he's a surprisingly loyal friend and will defend them in every sense of the word (including attacking ANYONE who insults them).
  • Boisterous Bruiser
  • Co-Dragons: To Marco, alongside Kisiragi. He's the team's Right Hand.
  • Defeat Means Friendship: Given his Blood Knight tendencies, this should surprise no one.
  • Determinator: Against Mr. Don, where he demonstrates that one becomes The Juggernaut by starting out as this.
  • The Dreaded: Everyone who isn't Kisiragi or Mr. Don is afraid of Gaou.
  • Good Scars, Evil Scars: He has one on his forehead from a car he smashed. More "chaotic" than good/evil, though.
  • Hero-Killer: Breaks Banba, Kid, Tetsuma, Riku, and Hiruma in rapid succession. Most the Kantou Arc is spent trying to find a way to put this bastard out of commission.
  • Made of Iron: Not only did he survive getting hit by a car (as a kid, no less!), but the car took more damage than he did!
  • The Juggernaut
  • Large and In Charge: Subverted. As the story progresses it becomes apparent that Marco is quite scared of Gaou, creating the impression that Gaou is really leading the team. However, we also discover that Gaou has nothing but respect for Marco and has no desire to challenge his leadership, meaning that Marco really is the one in charge.
  • Pet the Dog: His honest admiration for Marco and open liking for anybody (Banba, Riku, Kurita) who is willing to stand up to him help to humanise Gaou. His absolute belief that Marco will get up after getting tackled by Kurita is oddly touching in a way.
  • Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: The manly man to Kisaragi's sensitive guy.
  • Testosterone Poisoning: Cranked Up to 11. He's 6'7 (2m), has muscles that would make the cast of DBZ jealous, eats nothing but meat, looks like a cave man, and punched a car head on when he was in grade school.
  • Unnecessary Roughness: The posterboy
  • Unskilled but Strong: Kurita finally manages to win by using Gaou's lack of football experience against him. Gaou swears to gain more experience and have a rematch.
  • Villainous Friendship: He honestly considers Marco to be a friend and role-model. Marco, for his part, is terrified of Gaou, although they seem to get closer during the Youth World Cup.
  • World's Strongest Man: Japan's strongest man anyway. Mr. Don is the world's strongest.
  • Would Hit a Girl: Demands that Kurita tackle Karin even knowing that she's a girl (in sharp contrast to Banba and Yamabushi, who were opposed to it).
  • Younger Than They Look: He's 16 during the Christmas Bowl.

Hiromi Kisaragi

Position: Cornerback

A wilting pretty-boy with an enormous man-crush on Gaou. He's impressed with "strength" in general due to Gaou saving him from bullies and tends to wax eloquent on how wonderful strength is. He's not one to overlook, though, as he can knock the ball out of a back's grip with his slender arms (known as the "Ptera-Claw").

  • Affably Evil: Self-deprecating, unfailingly polite, and willing to break a reciever's arms if it will impress Marco and Gaou.
  • All of the Other Reindeer: Relentlessly bullied by the other kids due to his girliness. He became a member of the football a) because Gaou saved him at one point and he wants to impress him, and b) because Marco, Gaou, and the other players were among the first to accept him for who he was.
  • Ambiguously Gay: Comes off as very, very gay for Gaou, though it's at least partly hero worship.
  • Animal Motif: Pteranodon.
  • Bishie Sparkle: All the damn time.
  • Bishonen
  • Blood Knight: He's not as obvious about it as Gaou is, but given that he sees football as a place to prove his own power--while crushing other people--definitely. He's this short of being a Psycho for Hire.
  • Co-Dragons: To Marco, along with Gaou. He's the team's Left Hand.
  • Determinator
  • The Fighting Narcissist
  • Hero Worshipper: Of Gaou.
  • Hidden Badass: Completely average or weaker than average in terms of his stats, but psychotically determined enough that it doesn't matter. Hiruma and Monta both lampshade this long before we see Kisiragi play, noting that he must have some sort of hidden talent.
  • Ill Boy: If his constant fevers are any indicator.
  • In Love with Your Carnage: The source of his admiration for/attraction to Gaou.
  • Kill Us Both: Lighter variant. He grabs Hiruma and tells Marco to order Gaou to go through both of them. Marco obliges.
  • Lean and Mean: Rail skinny, and rather ill-looking to boot.
  • Long-Haired Pretty Boy
  • Made of Iron: Wierdly, yes. Tackled by Gaou along with Hiruma, Kisiragi is out of action for a few plays, but breaks nothing. He then returns to play and finishes the game, seemingly fine. For all his Ill Boy status and lack of stamina, he's got one hell of a skeletal system.
  • Masculine Girl, Feminine Boy: Word of God is that Kisiragi is straight, but is only attracted to muscular, powerful women. He would be the feminine boy is such a set-up.
  • Psycho Supporter: Of Marco and Gaou. Kisiragi is devoted, fanatically loyal, and very quietly insane. He's fairly pleasent off-field though.
  • Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: With Gaou. Though he's obviously the sensitive one, he would probably rather be the manly man (or at least date one).
  • Sissy Villain: Played very straight (he's an Ambiguously Gay Psycho Supporter), but also nicely justified. Before joining the football team, Kisiragi was constantly bullied due to his girly interests, weak body, and feminine looks. Inspired by Gaou, he joined the team, and let Marco turn him into a Psycho Supporter so that he could be as strong as his hero.
  • Unnecessary Roughness
  • Weak but Skilled: Small and slender, but will seriously hurt you if he can. With just his skill, he singlehandedly shuts down Monta, who is possibly the best Wide Reciever in-show.
  • Worthy Opponent: Comes to see Monta as one.

Hanataka Tengu

Position: Linebacker

Hakushu's former ace, a Dirty Coward who tends to overreact to everything and generally regarded as the "bottom of the top". Did they score a touchdown? We're doomed! Did we score a touchdown? Ha! They're weak!

He also resembles a tengu.

Himura "Maria" Maruko

The beautiful and quiet assistant for the Hakushu team.

Teikoku Alexanders

Yamato Takeru

Position: Running Back

The real Eyeshield 21. He's friendly and plays along with the other team, but he won't hesitate to tell them he's going to crush everyone. His special ability is the "Caesar's Charge", where he flat-out refuses to be tackled.

  • The Ace: Frequently hailed as being the "perfect runner" LONG before he actually appeared and completely lived up to this expectation when he finally revealed himself; on top of being good looking, charming, and honorable.
  • Badass: Even Agon respects him.
  • Bash Brothers: With Taka
  • Boisterous Bruiser: A mild example, but it stands out when compared to Taka.
  • Defeat Means Friendship: Not that he was especially mean to start with.
  • Determinator: His greatest skill is simply that he refuses to be tackled.
  • Implacable Man: Yamato has places to go. You will not stop him. You may slow him down. You may impede his progress. But he will get there, even if he has to drag you with him.
  • Jack of All Trades: He's a very well-rounded player but he he's not the best in any particular area other then possibly determination.

Akaba: On the other hand, Yamato has everything. Speed. Power. Technique. Body balance. Height. Kinda good-looking.
Unsui: What has the last one got to do with the rest?

Taka "Bird-man" Honjo

Position: Wide Reciever

A stone-faced, utterly bored wide reciever, Taka's also the son of Monta's favorite baseball player Masaru Honjo. His well-deserved nickname comes from his ability to jump ridiculous distances.

Karin Koizumi

Position: Quarterback

A cute young freshman girl who serves as Teikoku's chief quarterback. Forced to join Scouted by Yamato.

Hera "Heracles" Kureji

Position: Center

A third-year and captain of the Alexanders. Although he enjoys playing up his "Osakan" persona, he's actually a very hardworking and responsible individual.

  • Beware the Nice Ones: If you actually succeed in pissing Hera off, watch out.
  • Big Brother Mentor: According to the extras, he's always looking out for the other club members.
  • The Big Guy: Albeit in a primary leadereship role.
  • Boisterous Bruiser: Comes with being a very "Osaka-esque" person.
  • Genius Bruiser: There's a reason Heracles is the team captain.
  • The Idiot From Osaka: His dream is to be a famous Osakan-style entertainer so he does all he can to invoke this trope. In reality, he's actually a very capable leader who simply likes to keep the atmosphere lighthearted.
  • The Leader: Of the Alexanders. On the surface he looks like a Type III, but he's more of a Type II, leading on the basis of his cheerful nature and level-headedness.

Aki "Achilles" Reisuke

Position: Line

A Hot-Blooded, but gullible player with a strong desire for a girlfriend.


The Pentagram

Clifford D. Louis

Position: Quarterback

An arrogant but extremely talented player, he shares Hiruma's keen intellect and passion for head games but has speed that nearly rivals Sena's.

  • Aristocrats Are Evil: Claims to be descended from French royalty.
  • Awesomeness By Analysis
  • Big Bad Duumvirate: With Mr. Don. Unlike the rest of the team, Clifford isn't scared of Don, and provides the field leadership, strategy, and cool-headed calculation to Mr. Don's brutal play and charismatic leadership. He's a also one of the best players on the field, and his intelligence coupled with his smarts makes him one of the two biggest threats to the Japanese team's survival.
  • Blond Guys Are Evil
  • Brains and Brawn: The brains to Mr. Don's brawn. Mr. Don is far from stupid, but Clifford (like Hiruma) is in a league of his own when it comes to intelligence.
  • The Chessmaster: Much like Takami and Hiruma.
  • Evil Counterpart: Hiruma's had a few of these before, but Clifford has so much in common with him it's not even funny. The only notable difference in their play is that Clifford isn't quite as fond of trick plays and is much quicker.
  • Evil Genius
  • Fur and Loathing: Off the field.
  • Jerk Jock: Superior, condescending, and totally convinced of his team's superiority.
  • The Leader: He and Mr. Don split this role. He's a Type I, much like Hiruma.
  • Lightning Bruiser: He's a quarterback who's as fast as Sena. Damn it.
  • Manipulative Bastard: Like Hiruma and Marco before him, Clifford enjoys screwing with his adversaries' heads.
  • Multiple Choice Past: Does it deliberately, like Hiruma.
  • Perpetual Frowner: In stark contrast to Hiruma's manicness, Clifford has a perpetual poker face.
  • Pet the Dog: Inviting Sena to play at Notre Dame post-World Cup.
  • The Strategist
  • Villainous Friendship: With the rest of the Pentagram, especially Panther and Mr. Don.

Bud Walker

Position: Cornerback

A famous action movie star who vows to rip off Monta's wings.

Donald "Mr. Don" Oberman

Position: Line (Centre)

An unstoppable, elitist goliath, Mr. Don is the son of Arnold Oberman, President of the United States.

  • Badass
  • Big Bad/Final Boss/The Heavy: The captain of Team USA, and a tremendous problem for the team during the final arc. He's also The Leader of The Pentagram, making him one in the Five-Bad Band sense.
    • Big Bad Duumvirate: At times he and Clifford seem to form one, given the level of independence that Clifford has and the fact that most of the plans are his. Clifford is the mastermind and field leader, Mr. Don the face and the charismatic leadership.
  • Beard of Evil
  • Blond Guys Are Evil
  • Brains and Brawn: With Clifford. While Mr. Don's no dummy, Clifford's in a league of his own, so Don typically leaves the heavy thinking to him.
  • Catch Phrase: "It makes me sad..."
  • Defeating the Undefeatable: More than any other opponent Sena & Co. face, Mr. Don is played like this. No one has ever moved him before, let alone knocked him down. When Gaou and Yamato finally pull it off, everyone, including Mr. Don himself is stunned because it's honestly never happened before.
  • The Dreaded: Mr. Don manages to put the fear of God into Agon of all people. In fact the only characters who aren't frightened of him on some level are Clifford, Gaou, and of course, Hiruma (who seems to be missing the fear gene).
  • Even Evil Has Standards: When Panther refuses to cheat (despite Bud's suggestions to the contrary) Mr. Don agrees that it's better this way. After all you don't prove anything if you win by breaking the rules.
  • Evil Counterpart: He's an even worse version of Gaou.
  • Fangs Are Evil: Like Hiruma he's got quite the set of teeth.
  • Genius Bruiser: Multilingual, a solid leader, and The Juggernaut.
  • Hero-Killer: He's only mentioned in whispers and his face is kept unrevealed even after the rest of his team has been revealed. During his first appearance he beats up Gaou and terrifies Agon of all people. During the actual match he steamrolls over Gaou, Kurita, Banba, Agon, Yamato, and Shinn in rapid succession, frightens Sena half to death, and worries even Hiruma.
  • Honour Before Reason: Surprisingly yes. For all his other flaws, Mr. Don has no desire to win through cheating.
  • Jerk Jock: With the ultimate "rich dad who gets him out of trouble".
  • The Juggernaut
  • Large and In Charge: The largest character in the series.
  • Laser-Guided Karma: Gaou, whom he used as a punching bag, and Yamato, who he ran out of Notre Dame, are the two who end up beating him for the first time.
  • The Leader: He and Clifford split this role. Mr. Don's a Type III/IV.
  • Lightning Bruiser
  • Pet the Dog: Stops a stampeding crowd of fans so he can sign a little kid's football and give him a speech about what it means to be an athlete. He passes up on the opportunity to hit on a very attractive girl in the process, and it's not so he can showboat--the kid was honestly first in line and that matters to Don.
  • Politically-Incorrect Villain: He's quite racist towards the Japanese, though not it's worth noting towards Panther or Tatanka.
  • Rousing Speech: Gives one to both his team and the crowd when the game starts going against the Americans.
  • Screw the Rules, I Have Connections
  • Tattooed Crook
  • Testosterone Poisoning
  • Unnecessary Roughness: As bad or worse than Gaou in this regard.
  • Villainous Friendship: He and Clifford honestly seem to be friends, which may be a part of why they're such an effective Big Bad Duumvirate.
  • The Worf Effect: Notably manages to inflict this on Gaoh!
  • World's Strongest Man: Explicitly referred to as the strongest lineman in their age-group.
  • Worthy Opponent: How Gaou sees him. As the final match progresses, Mr. Don begins to see the Japanese team in the same light, as they challenge his views on natural talent.
  • Younger Than They Look: An 18-year-old who looks older then his own father. Than again, he barely looks human, so this isn't a surprise.

Tatanka

Position: Linebacker

The tallest player in the entire World Cup, Tatanka is of Native American heritage and idolizes Mr. Don.

Other Football Players

Rui Habashira

Position: Linebacker

Captain and only dedicated player of the Zokugaku Chamelions, Rui is a delinquent who appears to be "threatening" in order to motivate his team. Grudgingly respects Hiruma and occasionally helps out the Devilbats.

Megu Tsuyumine

The manager of the Chameleons and one of Rui's closest friends.

Yamamoto Onihei

Position: Line

An experienced, technical linemen who lost early on in the Tokyo tournament. Most well-known for being a talkative combat commentator whose predictions are never right.

Kaoru Hatsujou

Position: Quarterback and Kicker

The only decent player for the bottom-of-the-barrel Cupids. Mainly known for having a hot girlfriend despite being smug and unattractive.

Taiga Kamiya

Position: Running Back

The captain and ace of the Misaki Wolves, Kamiya is a long-legged, fast-moving player with a high opinion of himself. In the manga, his team was easily defeated by the Seibu Wild Gunmen; in the anime, he is a far more serious threat, and is only barely defeated, after giving Seibu's ace, Riku, a serious run for his money.

Heinrich Schultz

Captain of the German football team.

Other Characters

Riku Kumabukuro

A reporter from a sports magazine known for his ridiculously large afro. Has a daughter, Riko, who is studying to be a journalist and sometimes stands in for him.

Riko Kumabukuro

Daughter of Riku Kumabukuro, she takes her father's place as announcer during the Kanto tournament. Tends to stutter when she's excited or nervous, but is otherwise an excellent announcer and journalist who just wants to be taken seriously.

  • Combat Commentator
  • Funny Afro: In the anime she grows an afro whenever she gets too excited.
  • Genki Girl: Not nearly as energetic as Sanada but is still very enthusiastic about her job.
  • Hot Scoop: Her good looks were how she managed to get an interview with Agon.

"Machine Gun" Sanada

Kumabukuro's loud, fast-talking fellow commentator. A rather hammy fellow with an outlandish hair-cut that resembles a set of lawn-mower blades sticking out of his head.

"Miracle" Ito

President of Jari Productions, and somewhat sleazy manager to Haruto Sakuraba. Originally depicted as just a money-grubbing social climber seeking to make a fortune off Sakuraba's good looks, he naturally flips out when Sakuraba quits being a model to focus on sports. However, he shows a softer side after he comes to accept Sakuraba's wishes.

Torakichi

Sakuraba's biggest fan, stuck with him even after discovering his actual abilities. One of Sakuraba's biggest motivators for improving himself. Is currently bound to a wheelchair, but desires to become a football player once he recovers.

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