Captain Tsubasa/Characters

This is a character sheet for the famous sports anime/manga series Captain Tsubasa.

Be warned: since football/soccer is played 11's side, expect Loads and Loads of Characters. And that's without going outside the touchlines.

Japanese National Team
Tsubasa Ohzora

The protagonist of the story, his dream is to one day win the World Cup for Japan. A Child Prodigy he was captain of his school Nankatsu's varsity team, and became the youngest captain of Japan's U-17 in the Youth World Cup. After graduation, he turned professional and played for both Sao Paulo in Brazil and Barcelona in Spain's La Liga. He is now the captain of Japan's Senior Men's Football Team.


 * The Ace
 * Big Brother Mentor: To Shingo.
 * Boisterous Bruiser: Milder case when compared to others.
 * Chaste Teens: He's so Married to the Job it becomes a Running Gag,.
 * Cross-Dressing Voices: Often voiced by female seiyuu... one of them being Yoko Ogai, Youichi Takahashi's ex-wife. Avoided in the latter half of the Road to 2002 TV series, where his child self is voiced by Kikuko Inoue... and his adult one, by Tomokazu Seki.
 * Determinator: Boy, is this guy ever.
 * Disappeared Dad: Partially. His father works abroads, but is otherwise a pretty nice guy.
 * The Hero
 * Invincible Hero
 * Kindhearted Simpleton and Nice Guy: When off work.
 * Nozomu Sasaki: In Captain Tsubasa J.
 * Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette
 * Red Baron: Heaven Sent Child of Soccer, Soccer Genius, Field Samurai.
 * Red Baron: Heaven Sent Child of Soccer, Soccer Genius, Field Samurai.

Koujirou Hyuuga

Started as The Rival, became The Lancer with time. Having lost his dad at an early age, he became hateful and rude towards others, but loving and hardworking to his mother and siblings. Hot-Blooded to the max and one of the best scorers in the Japanese Team, but with serious problems towards authority that habe brought him trouble more than once. After working on some of such issues and graduating from school, he now plays for Juventus in Italy's Serie A.


 * The Ace: In Road to 2002.
 * Animal Motifs and Red Baron: "The Tiger"
 * Break the Haughty: At least twice.
 * The Comically Serious: Starting from the World Youth saga, and scenes of this pop up from time to time with increased frequency as the series goes on.
 * Disappeared Dad: Who either died of illness (anime series) or in an accident (manga). To be fair, the accident deal wasn't revealed until WYC, so the anime series had to make up something out of scratch.
 * Mr. Fanservice: Tall, Dark and Handsome, also snarku and somewhat of a bad boy (but kind underneath), has several Shirtless Scenes...
 * Hirotaka Suzuoki: Original TV series and Shin OAV's.
 * Hot-Blooded
 * Jerkass --> Jerk with a Heart of Gold
 * Tsundere: Arguably, in regards to Maki Akamine.
 * Kick the Dog: His treatment of Morisaki, in the beginning.
 * And slapping Matsuyama across the face, just for physically standing in his way.
 * Morality Pet: His family, and later Takeshi and Maki.
 * Pose of Supplication: Does this to his Stern Teacher when begging him to let him re-enter the team for the finale of the third Junior High National Championship.
 * Promotion to Parent: Partially. His mom does not want him to work outside of school, but he insists on doing so.
 * Rica Matsumoto: As a kid, in Road to 2002.
 * Takehito Koyasu: As an adult, in Road to 2002.
 * She Is Not My Girlfriend: Pulls off a weak one each time his friends tease him regarding his relationship with his sweetheart Maki Akamine.
 * Silly Rabbit, Idealism Is for Kids: Tries to tell that to Tsubasa during their first match. It does NOT work ("Soccer is my DREAM!").
 * Sleeves Are for Wimps: He always rolls up his shirt's sleeves.
 * Tall, Dark and Snarky
 * Trademark Favourite Drink: He loves Coca-Cola. And this gets him remarks from other athletes such as Maki and Gozza, about sodas being not good for sportsmen. This doesn't faze him a single bit.
 * Troubled but Cute: Very popular among fangirls, both in-story and in the fandom.

Genzou Wakabayashi

Goalkeeper for Shuetsu and Tsubasa's main rival before he transferred to Nankatsu. Also played for Japan's U-17. After turning professional, he played for the German Bundesliga's Hamburger SV, and was constantly on the talks to transfer to Bayern Munich, to his refusal.


 * Game-Breaking Injury:.
 * Get a Hold of Yourself, Man!: First is given one by Mikami, then gives another to Tsubasa.
 * Hot-Blooded: To the MAX.
 * Kenichi Suzumura: In Road to 2002.
 * Jerk with a Heart of Gold
 * Nice Hat: Or rather, Nice Cap.
 * Pet the Dog: He's got a cute puppy named John, and he's very protective of Morisaki.
 * Red Baron: "Super Great Goal Keeper"
 * Shinichiro Miki: In Captain Tsubasa J.
 * The White Prince: Younger son of the richest family in Shizuoka. In fact, all of the ex-Shutetsu kids are white princes, contrasting with middle-class Nankatsu kids.

Taro Misaki

Played in several teams due to his father traveeling through Japan all the time. Settled in Nankatsu for a semester and became Tsubasa's closest companion, but right after the championship was over, he moved away again. Later he went to France, whre he joined the Japanese Team in the Youth Cup, and returned to Nankatsu to finish his education. Currently in France, where he developed a friendly rivalry with El Si Pierre.


 * Akira Ishida: In Captain Tsubasa J, as an adult.
 * Beware the Nice Ones: Most of the time, he's very peaceful and nice. But don't push him too far, as he's quite capable of standing on his own when needed. Notably when he destroys a table to prove his Game-Breaking Injury is no more.
 * Break the Cutie: His familiar problems make him suffer more than once, but he's not completely broken..
 * Cross-Dressing Voices: Like Tsubasa, he almost always voiced by women except for the second half of Road to 2002, where Kosuke Toriumi takes over Satsuki Yukino's work.
 * The Determinator
 * Game-Breaking Injury: In the first arc, accidentally due to Sawada. Later, in the WYC.
 * Heroic Self-Deprecation: In the Holland Youth movie, his self-esteem takes a nosedive when . Misugi has to talk him out of it.
 * Megumi Ogata: In Captain Tsubasa J, as a kid.
 * Missing Mom: Parents are divorced, mother remarried again..
 * Nice Guy
 * Why Do You Keep Changing Jobs?: Or better said, Why Do You Keep Moving Away.
 * The Worf Effect: See Game-Breaking Injury.
 * Yamato Nadeshiko: A male version, considering how he's soft-spoken and incredibly devoted to his friends and father, but also very stubborn when it counts.

Jun Misugi

Captain of the Musashi school team, an excellent player... with a fatal flaw: his very weak heart. Not even an operation and treatment are fully able to let him overcome it: whie his skill is intact, his stamina is severely limited. His analytical midn, however, gives him a sort-of solution: becoming The Smart Guy and The Strategist, alongside a reserve player who comes out in crucial moments.


 * Ai Orikasa: As a kid, in Road to 2002. Succeded by Issei Miyazaki in the second half.
 * The Determinator: Manages to come back to action after his illness, through the standard "operation" and very hard work.
 * Drama-Preserving Handicap
 * Don't You Dare Pity Me!: Very extreme version, as he'd rather put his life in risk than lose a match. He loosens up later, though.
 * Ill Boy: Due to his weak heart, making him prone to Hollywood Heart Attacks.
 * Glass Cannon: After he recovers. He's very talented and skilled, but his stamina remains very low.
 * The Strategist: His role, both in and outside the fields.
 * Sugar and Ice Personality
 * Victorious Childhood Friend: with Yayoi, arguably.
 * The White Prince: Only son of a very rich family from Tokyo.
 * Yuko Kobayashi: In Captain Tsubasa J.

Shingo Aoi

A Japanese boy who admires Tsubasa so very much. He tired to make his own way in Italy but things were EXTREMELY hard for him there, since he was subjected to a huge Break the Cutie process. Shingo managed to work through it, however, and becomes a good addition to the Japanese team.


 * Boisterous Bruiser
 * Cheerful Child
 * The Determinator
 * Masami Kikuchi: In Captain Tsubasa J.
 * The Pollyanna
 * Showtaro Morikubo: Playing Against Type in Road to 2002.

Ryo Ishizaki

One of Tsubasa's closest friends, and the first Nankatsu captain. He lacks Tsubasa and others's natural skills, but replaces it with his will of iron and his cheerful disposition. His family owns a popular bath house in Shizuoka.


 * Bald of Awesome: To a degree, since he keeps his hair very short.
 * The Big Guy
 * Boisterous Bruiser: Straightest example in the series.
 * Butt Monkey
 * Cross-Dressing Voices: Until Road to 2002.
 * Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass
 * The Determinator
 * Heroic Sacrifice: At least twice, each time by blocking a critical opponent shoot with his face, leaving him KO for the count and sent in the stadium's infirmary.
 * Hot-Blooded
 * Urara Takano: As a kid, in Road to 2002.

Yuuzo Morisaki

A sweet young boy who has a big responsability on his shoulder: covers up for Genzo when he's injured in the Nankatsu team. For a Naive Newcomer like Morisaki, this is NOT easy, and he has to struggle very hard to get his work done.


 * Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Associated with his Body Block skill, and he once catches Soda's Razor Shoot.
 * Overshadowed by Awesome: Mainly by Ken and Genzo, and most of the aces' shoots are far beyond his abilities, and he's supposed to be the third best goalie of Japan.
 * Red Baron: "Super Brave Goal Keeper"
 * Shrinking Violet: At the beginning. More or less understandable, considering how he has to live up to super goalkeepers like Ken and Genzo.
 * Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: He can be paralyzed if there's a chance of him being hit in the face. Thank you, Hyuga. It takes him a long time to get over it.

Ken Wakashimazu

A close friend of Hyuuga, and the goalie for their team. A Tall, Dark and Handsome Heir to the Dojo who is caught between what his heart desires and his duty as heir, and later with severe self-esteem problems.


 * Big Damn Heroes
 * Chick Magnet: Very popular with the girls.
 * Diving Save: To rescue a puppy. The injuries he sustained would cause trouble later.
 * The Dutiful Son
 * Heir to the Dojo: Subverted, he loves the family dojo but does not want to inherit it.
 * Kentaro Ito: In Road to 2002.
 * I Know Madden Kombat: Averted, as he knows his karate very well.
 * Nobuo Tobita: Original TV series and Shin OAV's.
 * Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette
 * Red Baron: "Karate Keeper".
 * Ten-Minute Retirement: In WYC, after.
 * Tomokazu Seki: In the J series.
 * You Have 48 Hours: Or better said, "You Have A Year To Prove Yourself As a Better GK Than Karate Practitioner".

Hikaru Matsuyama

The captain of the Furano team, which is from Hokkaido. Serious, dependable and responsible, as well as with a bittersweet emotional baggage in his highschool years.


 * A Father to His Men
 * Akira Ishida: In Road to 2002.
 * Martial Arts Headband: Proud owner of a hand-sewn one, courtesy of Yoshiko; also qualifies as Memetic Outfit and Iconic Item.
 * The Smart Guy
 * Twice Shy: With his assistant Yoshiko.
 * Vitriolic Best Buds: Sometimes, with Hyuga.
 * Team Dad: Not only to Furano, but also when.

Hiroshi Jito
 * The Big Guy
 * Boisterous Bruiser
 * Casanova Wannabe: Hilariously used in his first anime appearance.
 * Hot-Blooded
 * Heterosexual Life Partners: With Sano.
 * Obfuscating Stupidity: His main character trait and strength during the National Junior Interhigh arc. Hadn't Tsubasa responded with a Let's Get Dangerous of his own, his team would have won against Nankatsu.
 * Volleying Insults: With his cousin Yukari.

Mitsuru Sano
 * Heterosexual Life Partners: With Jito.
 * Hidden Eyes
 * Shorter Means Smarter

Makoto Soda
 * Break the Haughty
 * Hochu Otsuka: Original series.
 * Hot-Blooded
 * Tall, Dark and Snarky

Shun Nitta
 * Big Bad Wannabe
 * Cute Little Fangs
 * Kid Appeal Character

Takeshi Sawada
 * Expository Hairstyle Change: Had VERY short hair while in Meiwa Elementary, has let it grow a little longer by the time he goes to Toho.
 * Kid Appeal Character
 * Morality Pet: To Hyuga.

Mamoru Izawa
 * Chick Magnet
 * Power Trio: With Taki and Kisugi.
 * Shigeru Nakahara: Original series.
 * Tall, Dark and Handsome

Hajime Taki
 * Deadpan Snarker
 * Heterosexual Life Partners: With Kisugi.
 * Kenyuu Horiuchi: Original series.
 * Power Trio: With Izawa and Kisugi.

Teppei Kisugi
 * Dude Looks Like a Lady
 * Heterosexual Life Partners: With Taki.
 * Power Trio: With Izawa and Taki.

Shingo Takasugi
 * The Big Guy
 * Lightning Bruiser: As proved by his goal against 's team.
 * Name's the Same: Absolutely no relation with Green Two.

Tomeya Akai
 * Anime Hair
 * The Determinator: See the match against Sweden and you'll know why.
 * My Name Is Not Durwood: "I'M NOT MATSUYAMA-SAAAAAAAAN!"
 * Red Baron: "The Red Stopper".

Kazuo and Masao Tachibana


 * Butt Monkeys: Not Played for Laughs, since the poor dudes almost always get injured in one way or another and almost never can finish a game.
 * Twin Brothers Team
 * Cross-Dressing Voices: Almost always voiced by ladies.
 * Deadpan Snarkers: Very much so, and their favorite "victim" is Ishizaki. Though that might be because he and Tsubasa are among the few able to counter their attacks.
 * Fastball Special: Their signature Sky Hurricane.
 * Single-Minded Twins: Weaponized, even. If they weren't twins and didn't know each other as well as they do, their partnership wouldn't be as succesful as it is.

Real Japan 7 Team

 * The Psycho Rangers: Much less villainous than usual, since this is a sports manga without real evil characters.

Hanji Urabe
 * X Marks the Hero: Subverted: not only he's not The Hero, but his x-shaped scar is located on his forehead.
 * Vitriolic Best Buds: With Ishizaki

Youji Sakaki
 * The Big Guy

Kouji Yoshikawa
 * Not Good with People

Nobuaki Yumikura
 * "Well Done, Son" Guy: Seems to admire Tsubasa quite a bit.

Toshiya Okano
 * Badass Long Hair: And spiced up with a green bandanna
 * Fragile Speedster

Mitsuteru Yamada
 * Bald of Awesome
 * The Stoic
 * The Voiceless: Doesn't say a single word in the whole RJ7 arc

Ryoma Hino See "foreign rivals"

Argentina
Juan Diaz
 * Bash Brothers - Heterosexual Life Partners: With his childhood friend Alan Pascal. To the point that when he got the chance to join a big team, he refused to do so unless Pascal went with him.
 * Expy: Of Diego Maradona, obviously.
 * Fragile Speedster
 * Street Urchin

Alan Pascal
 * Jack of All Stats
 * Peek-a-Bangs
 * Street Urchin

Gabriel Galvan
 * Alliterative Name
 * Lightning Bruiser

France
El Sid Pierre


 * The Ace
 * Armor-Piercing Slap: Applied to  in the manga.
 * Bishonen: Cracked Up to Eleven in Road to 2002.
 * Chick Magnet and Mr. Fanservice: With a Shower Scene and Instant Fanclub, to boot!
 * Cool Horse: In Road to 2002, has a scene where he rides to the stadium on one.
 * Hair of Gold: Manga, OVA's and Road to 2002 series
 * Kenyuu Horiuchi: Original series and Shin OAV series.
 * Lonely Rich Kid: Was one as a child.
 * Phenotype Stereotype: Played with. In the original TV series he had dark hair and blue eyes, whereas in the manga and other media he was a blue-eyed blond.
 * The White Prince: Son of a noble family as well as an ex Lonely Rich Kid, Pierre actually plays soccer to not have people reject him for his social status, and show them that he has his own merits.
 * Worthy Opponent: To Misaki.

Louis Napoleon
 * Blond Guys Are Jerkasses
 * Boisterous Bruiser
 * Break the Haughty: Gets massively bitchslapped by karma twice.
 * Manly Tears: In the manga, after.
 * Yasunori Matsumoto: Original series and Shin OAV series.

Germany
Karl Heinz Schneider


 * The Ace
 * Bishonen: Specially in Road to 2002.
 * Big Brother Instinct: Adores his cute little sister Marie.
 * Blond Guys Are Evil: Averted: He's very ruthless in courts, but a kind person (if quite proud) outside of them.
 * Demoted to Extra: In WYC.
 * Identical Stranger: Look at Tsubasa's design. Then look at Schneider's. Karl is quite taller, blond and with Blue Eyes, but otherwise, they're very physically similar.
 * Parents as People: In Shin CT he angsts considerably at the possibility of his parents getting a divorce..
 * Phenotype Stereotype: Light blond hair, Blue Eyes.
 * Stage Dad: Subverted. While his father Rudi is also his coach and boss as well as an ex-player, they're very close and love each other very much.
 * Sugar and Ice Personality
 * Worthy Opponent: To Wakabayashi. And HOW!

Hermann Kaltz
 * Boisterous Bruiser
 * Eyes Always Shut
 * Hot-Blooded
 * Oral Fixation Fixation
 * Pint-Sized Powerhouse

Dieter Mueller
 * Adaptation Dye Job: The original manga and the games make him a blue-eyed blond. The Road to 2002 series gives him light brown hair and Purple Eyes instead.
 * Achilles' Heel: Literally. His only "weak spots" are his feet, so the best chance to score against him is aiming low shots.
 * The Big Guy
 * Lightning Bruiser: The Japanese thought he was a Mighty Glacier. They were wrong. Cue the Oh Crap.
 * Spell My Name with an "S": It's Dieter, people! That's the German spelling.
 * Training From Hell: Was mentioned to be going through this in the mountains before joining the team.
 * X Marks the Hero: In the Road to 2002 series.

Franz Schester
 * Chick Magnet
 * Green Eyes
 * Kappei Yamaguchi: In the Shin OAV's.
 * The Smart Guy

Italy
Gino Fernandez


 * The Ace
 * Big Brother Mentor: To Shingo.
 * Diving Save: We meet him when he saves a young girl from being hit by a car.
 * Nice Guy

Salvatore Gentile


 * Jerkass --> Jerk with a Heart of Gold
 * Kick the Dog: Being extremely rude to Shingo during the WYC opening gala, calling him "a monkey".
 * Kick the Dog: Being extremely rude to Shingo during the WYC opening gala, calling him "a monkey".

China
Shou Shuunko/Xiao Jung Guang


 * The Ace
 * Animal Motifs: The dragon
 * Boisterous Bruiser
 * Drama-Preserving Handicap: His legs can only withstand limited pressure coming from his playing style
 * Keet
 * Lightning Bruiser
 * "V" Sign
 * Worthy Opponent

Thailand
Faran, Chana and Sakun Konsawatto
 * Red Baron: The Sepatakuro Brothers
 * Power Trio
 * You Have 48 Hours: Similarly to Wakashimazu, they'd rather play soccer than continue the familiar tradition. Their dad and coach promises he'll let them free if they win the WYC.

Bunnark
 * Arrogant Kung Fu Guy: Or better said, Arrogant Muay Thai guy.
 * The Big Guy: He's just 18 and is already 7 feet tall?!
 * Combat Pragmatist

Saudi Arabia
Prince Maaaka Owairan


 * The Ace
 * Nice Hat: Better said, nice white headscarf.
 * Lonely Rich Kid: Was like this until he started playing soccer.
 * Red Baron: "Desert Prince"
 * Tall, Dark and Handsome
 * The White Prince: Literally, as he's a Saudi Arabian nobleman.
 * Worthy Opponent

Bakuran
 * The Big Guy

South Korea
Cha Inchon


 * The Ace
 * Bash Brothers: With Lee
 * Hot-Blooded
 * No Koreans in Japan: Obviously averted, and even more - he and Lee are portrayed quite sympathetically, which is a feat considering the (understandable) bad blood among Koreans and Japanese.
 * Red Oni, Blue Oni: Red to Lee's Blue
 * Red Oni, Blue Oni: Red to Lee's Blue

Lee Young-Woon


 * The Ace
 * Bash Brothers: with Cha
 * No Koreans in Japan: Again, obvious aversion.
 * Red Oni, Blue Oni: Blue to Cha's Red

Mexico
Ricardo Espadas
 * Break the Haughty: And holy crap, HOW!
 * Expy: Of Jorge Campos, down to the extravagant shirts.
 * Jerkass
 * Street Urchin: His and his teammates's collective Freudian Excuse.

Uruguay
Ryoma Hino
 * But Not Too Foreign: Half Japanese, half Uruguayan. He first plays in the Real Japan 7, then refuses to stay in the Japanese team to honor his Uruguayan side.
 * Expository Hairstyle Change: Dyes his hair blond in the Cup itself
 * Hot-Blooded
 * Jerk with a Heart of Gold
 * Worthy Opponent: To Hyuga

Sweden
Stefan Levin
 * Blond Guys Are Evil: Or at least, emotionless.
 * Broken Ace
 * Emotionless Guy --> Defrosting Ice Lord
 * Kick the Dog: His treatment of, while off-screen, is quite bad. He was this close to treat   that way as well, if not worse, but
 * Love Makes You Crazy: He promised  to be the best player ever  . Little did she know what he would do to fulfill his word...
 * Peek-a-Bangs
 * Stuffed Into the Fridge: )

Brazil
Carlos Santana

Brazil's Captain for the World Youth Cup and Tsubasa's rival. Turned Professionala nd played for Flamengo before a transfer to Spain's CF Valencia.


 * Break the Cutie: As a child.
 * Break the Haughty: As an adult.
 * Broken Ace
 * Cry Cute: And how
 * Dark-Skinned Blond: In the original movies.
 * Door Step Baby: Was abandoned by a teenaged mother in a soccer field.
 * Emotionless Guy --> Defrosting Ice Lord
 * Expository Hairstyle Change: Has short hair in the beginning, later lets it grow and keeps it in little braids.
 * Kazuhiko Inoue: In the movie.
 * Morality Pet: Luciano Leo plays this role for him.
 * Parental Abandonment: Was abandoned by his mother as a baby. His kind adoptive parents died when he was around 10 years old. . In the original movie, however, he did have his parents... but was raised in a favela.
 * Tall, Dark and Snarky
 * Tall, Dark and Snarky

Luciano Leo
 * Alliterative Name
 * Heterosexual Life Partners: With Santana
 * Ho Yay: For some.
 * Morality Pet: Santana's.
 * Nice Guy
 * Tall, Dark and Handsome

Pepe
 * Bash Brothers: With Tsubasa
 * Nice Guy
 * Self-Made Man: Comes from a poor village and aims to become this.

Naturezza

A player for Brazil at the World Youth Cup, he becomes Tsubasa's rival at the Road to 2002 Arc. Currently playing for Real Madrid.


 * Country Mouse: He and his brother come from the Amazonas. No, really!
 * Fatal Flaw: He's a very skilled player, but terrible in regards to team work. Hence why his coach  got him benched until the end of the WYC.
 * Only Known by Their Nickname
 * Skilled but Naive
 * Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: With his older brother, a currently unnamed Man in White who dresses like a Santeria believer.
 * Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: With his older brother, a currently unnamed Man in White who dresses like a Santeria believer.

Julio Salinas
 * The Ace
 * Hair of Gold

Netherlands
Bryan Cruyfford


 * The Ace
 * Chekhov's Gunman
 * Expy: Johann Cruyff, who else?
 * Expy: Johann Cruyff, who else?

Luther Kleinstmeif
 * The Big Guy
 * Demoted to Extra

Caesar Guilt
 * Hot-Blooded
 * Pint-Sized Powerhouse
 * Spell My Name with an "S"

Other characters
Roberto Hongo
 * Break the Cutie: His backstory, specially, and his eyesight problems, which forced him into retirement. He could be seen as a male Broken Bird, to a degree.
 * Broken Ace
 * Big Brother Mentor: To Tsubasa, and how.
 * Driven to Suicide: In the manga and original series, Roberto was about to throw himself into the sea during an Heroic BSOD caused by the loss of his career, but Tsubasa's father Koudai saved him and helped him get back to his feet. It should be noticed that the Road to 2002 TV series removes his suicidal episode.
 * Drowning My Sorrows: Until he met Tsubasa, he was heavily drinking in order to drown his sorrow of losing his career.
 * Hideyuki Tanaka: Original series.
 * I Owe You My Life: To Koudai for saving him when he tried to kill himself, and to Tsubasa for giving him a new reason to live.
 * Missing Mom: The J and Road series dwell a little on this. Both series change the circumstances in whihc he lost his mom, but both are Tear Jerkers.
 * Mitsuru Miyamoto: In Road to 2002.
 * Perma-Stubble
 * Obfuscating Stupidity: Used this in his first apparition. The Nankatsu kids had to pick up their jaws off the floor upon seeing him play.
 * Self-Made Man:
 * Street Urchin: As a child.
 * Team Dad

Louis van Saal

Dutch Manager of FC Barcelona. He is the one who saw Tsubasa's potential and invited him to play for the Catalan giants.


 * Expy: of Louis van Gaal, Barcelona manager for 2002.
 * The Chessmaster: As a football manger, this is a prerequisite. He decided to move Tsubasa to the reserve squad because he cannot use two playmakers in the pitch with Rivaul.

Manabu Okazaki
 * Butt Monkey
 * The Short Guy with Glasses
 * The Strategist: Later in the series.
 * Will Not Tell a Lie: Subverted in the original series, where he's shown to be an excellent liar.

Sanae "Anego" Nakazawa
 * Cool Big Sis: To Kumi.
 * Cute Sports Club Manager: Of Nankatsu, during the Junior High arc. She's the Manga Ur Example of this trope.
 * Demoted to Extra: In the Road to 2002 anime, as it skips through all romantic developments between her and Tsubasa, Sanae's teenage and adult years were drastically changed as a result, she isn't following her boyfriend, and later husband, as it never happened in this continuity.
 * Expy: Of Aki Yamazaki, the CSCM from the CT pilot story.
 * Fan Girl: Not only of Tsubasa, but of the whole team.
 * Girl Next Door
 * Hello, Nurse!: Her beauty was praised more or less frequently in the anime series and the manga.
 * Love At First Sight: Actually subverted. Sanae was reluctant to accept Tsubasa at first, until she got to witness his skills first-hand; even moreso in the first anime, where she was downright hostile to him since he accidentally hit Manabu with his soccer ball.
 * Plucky Girl
 * Secret Keeper: In the original series, she becomes an asymmetric one after
 * Shorttank: As a little girl and a teenager.
 * Shut UP, Hannibal:
 * The Other Darrin: Had four different seiyuus: Chika Sakamoto in the original TV series and the OAV's, Fujiko Takimoto in one of the movies, Junko Iwao in the J series, and finally Atsuko Enomoto in Road to 2002.
 * The Medic: Pretty efficient nurse.
 * Team Mom: As the Nankatsu assistant.
 * Victorious Childhood Friend: To Tsubasa..
 * Yamato Nadeshiko: She grew into this in the manga. The three anime series make her a very mild Type B Tsundere instead.
 * Yamato Nadeshiko: She grew into this in the manga. The three anime series make her a very mild Type B Tsundere instead.

Kumi Sugimoto
 * Character Development: Joined the team only because she was a Tsubasa fangirl, ended up loving the sport for real and caring for the team boys as her older "siblings". Lampshaded in canon more than once.
 * Cute Sports Club Manager: She's one of Sanae's two assistants.
 * Genki Girl
 * Girlish Pigtails: Until the World Youth Cup.
 * Plucky Girl
 * Unlucky Childhood Friend: To.
 * Unlucky Childhood Friend: To.
 * Unlucky Childhood Friend: To.
 * Unlucky Childhood Friend: To.

Yukari Nishimoto
 * Cool Big Sis: To Sanae and Kumi, being the more mature and levelheaded of the three girls.
 * Cute Sports Club Manager: The second of Sanae's assistants, and the more experienced and closest to Sanae of the two.
 * Girlish Pigtails: Variation. She has them in the anime series, but has a single Tomboyish Ponytail in the manga.
 * Plucky Girl
 * Team Mom: Even more so than Sanae.
 * Team Mom: Even more so than Sanae.

Yayoi Aoba
 * Adaptation Dye Job: She's a redhead in the original series, but has dark brown hair in the Road to 2002 series.
 * Cute Sports Club Manager: Not as much as the other girls, as she hangs around quite a bit with the Musashi Elementary team but apparently entstops that in Junior High. Unless we count the Road to 2002 series, which removed her friendship with Tsubasa but put much more emphasis on her manager role due to having the Musashi JHS out cut outta the story after their Nankatsu match.
 * Team Mom
 * Unlucky Childhood Friend: To Tsubasa
 * Victorious Childhood Friend: To Misugi, apparently
 * Yamato Nadeshiko

Yoshiko Fujisawa
 * Cute Sports Club Manager: Of the Furano Junior High team.
 * Long-Distance Relationship: She and Matsuyama, in the end.
 * Makiko Ohmoto: In Road to 2002.
 * Shrinking Violet
 * Star-Crossed Lovers: To a small degree, with Matsuyama.
 * Stepford Smiler: She hides her inner turmoil very well from Matsuyama and the team, only letting her mother and Machiko see how she's unhappy and depressed at the prospect of leaving Japan.
 * Team Mom
 * Trying Not to Cry
 * Yamato Nadeshiko
 * Yamato Nadeshiko

Machiko Machida
 * Alliterative Name
 * Cute Sports Club Manager: She's Yoshiko's assistant.
 * Meganekko
 * Plucky Girl
 * Shipper on Deck: The most open Matsu/Yoshi shipper
 * Team Mom
 * Tomboy and Girly Girl: With Yoshiko.
 * Tsundere: Type B one, as she's sweet and kind until something/someone sets her off.

Maki Akamine
 * Indirect Kiss: By sharing with Hyûga a Coca-cola can (his favourite drink) in the World Youth Saga, after he has completed his Training From Hell in Okinawa and is about to go get back his place in the national team.
 * He Is Not My Boyfriend: She denies more vehemently than Hyûga does when teased about this, but Everyone Can See It.
 * Passionate Sports Girl: Wants to have her own career in softball and is very serious about it.
 * Plucky Girl: She has her ups and downs like any teenage girl, but does her best whenever she can.
 * Shorttank
 * Tsundere: Type B. She's cute and cheerful and happy, but don't press her buttons.
 * The Power of Love: She is an excellent softball player in her own right, but her Power Level in matches go Up to Eleven each time Hyûga cheers her. Conversely, the one time Hyûga didn't come to her match to support her, she lost.
 * Wakana Yamazaki: In the J series.

Munemasa Katagiri
 * Big Brother Mentor
 * The Consigliere: Is the one handling things behind the scenes so he can help the Japanese Team coaches.
 * The Smart Guy
 * Sunglasses At Night
 * Tall, Dark and Handsome
 * Three Amigos: Was this with Gamo and Mikami.
 * Tall, Dark and Handsome
 * Three Amigos: Was this with Gamo and Mikami.

Tatsuo Mikami
 * Big Brother Mentor: To Genzo.
 * Get a Hold of Yourself, Man!: To Genzo, too.
 * Parental Substitute: Hinted to be this when he and Genzo go to Germany.
 * Stern Teacher
 * Sunglasses At Night
 * Tall, Dark and Snarky: Though he softens up a little as time passes.
 * Team Dad

Gamo Minato
 * Jerk with a Heart of Gold
 * Perma-Stubble
 * Stern Teacher
 * Tall, Dark and Snarky
 * Team Dad
 * Training From Hell: This quote from one of the RJ7 players perfectly sums up his coaching style: "Coach Gamo is again opening to us the gates of his Hell".
 * Training From Hell: This quote from one of the RJ7 players perfectly sums up his coaching style: "Coach Gamo is again opening to us the gates of his Hell".

Kouji Kanda
 * Alliterative Name
 * Boisterous Bruiser
 * Book Dumb
 * Crazy Jealous Guy and Hopeless Suitor: To Sanae, though he doesn't reach Yandere (disambiguation) extremes.
 * Jerkass
 * Platonic Life Partners: With Yukari.
 * Rated "M" for Manly
 * Rated "M" for Manly

Natsuko and Koudai Oozora
 * Hot Mom: Natsuko, though she looks her age.
 * Nice Guy: Koudai.
 * Parents as People: Koudai works abroad as a ship captain, but does what he can to keep contact.
 * Potty Emergency: Inverted: In the Shin manga, Koudai was once in the bathroom when Tsubasa scored a goal.
 * Strong Family Resemblance: Tsubasa has Natsuko's features and Koudai's black hair and grey eyes.
 * Team Mom: Natsuko.
 * Yamato Nadeshiko: Natsuko, with emphasis on maturity.

Ishizaki's mother
 * Almighty Mom
 * Apron Matron
 * Expy: She gets one in the kindly yet Hot-Blooded shopkeeper of Road to 2002
 * Large Ham
 * No Name Given
 * Plucky Girl: A grown up version
 * Tsundere: Non-romantic example

Kaori Matsumoto
 * Atsuko Tanaka: In Road to 2002.
 * The Ojou
 * Plucky Girl: Another adult version
 * The Smart Business Woman: Specially as
 * Tall, Dark and Bishoujo
 * Woman in White: In the primary school arc. Combined with a Nice Hat.

Kira Kouzou
 * Perma-Stubble
 * Retired Badass
 * Team Dad
 * The Alcoholic: of the Drunken Master type.
 * Training From Hell

Azumi Hayakawa
 * Expy: Of Sanae. Since she was both Older and Wiser and more feminine, Azumi was created to bring back a tomboy for the Shin CT part. (See Rurouni Kenshin, where Misao was created in similar circumstances)
 * Hot-Blooded
 * Platonic Life Partners: With Misaki.
 * Tomboy: Even more than Sanae.

Ichiro Misaki
 * Parents as People
 * Why Do You Keep Changing Jobs?: Keeps moving away due to his job as a painter.
 * Why Do You Keep Changing Jobs?: Keeps moving away due to his job as a painter.

Shirley Marks
 * Girlish Pigtails: Subverted, she has them despite being in her late teens.
 * Hospital Hottie: A medical student

Karen
 * Friend to All Living Things: At some point, she stops Levin from accidentally stepping on an ant's nest.
 * Rapunzel Hair: Takahashi likes his girls with short hair, but he made an exception with Karen's hip-lenght Hair of Gold.
 * Rapunzel Hair: Takahashi likes his girls with short hair, but he made an exception with Karen's hip-lenght Hair of Gold.

Rika Oosawa
 * But Not Too Foreign: Half-French, half-Japanese
 * Canon Foreigner: Created only for the original anime series.
 * Expy: She's a somewhat less Hot-Blooded Azumi
 * Nice Girl
 * Shorttank
 * She Cleans Up Nicely: Inverted. She shows up in a cute dress at the beginning, but the rest of the time she wears rather tomboyish clothes,
 * Tsundere: A small Type B to Pierre