Eyeshield 21/Characters

The majority of the main characters in Eyeshield 21.

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


 * Accidental Athlete: His abilities would have gone relatively unnoticed had it not been for a certain someone.
 * Adorkable
 * Apologises a Lot
 * Badass Adorable: Evolves into this.
 * Bash Brothers: With Monta
 * Brown Eyes
 * Butt Monkey: Is subject to this throughout the series, though admittedly, most of the Devilbats are when they're subjected to Hiruma's various schemes.
 * Clark Kenting: Subverted; the eyeshield and helmet (along with a self-modified "deeper" voice) don't make his true identity glaringly obvious, it's just that he never bothers to check his speed when out of uniform.
 * Cowardly Lion: He is the Ace running back of the Deimon Devilbats. And of course,  a complete wimp, who'd rather run from fights than face them head on.
 * Curtains Match the Window
 * Distaff Counterpart: Shares an almost identical recruitment and character traits with Karin from Teikoku Alexanders.
 * Dramatic Unmask
 * Fake Ultimate Hero
 * Fragile Speedster: 40 yard dash in 4.2 seconds. At the physical peak limit of human ability, where no one can theoretically run faster. And he's weaker than the average high school male.
 * Goggles Do Nothing: The eyeshield is only to hide identity, and it even does that pretty poorly.
 * He is All Grown Up: A subtler take in that it's more about his emotional than physical growth.
 * Hey Its That Voice: Hey, it's Sora and Syaoran! You can tell by the hair.
 * To add more brunets into the mix, in the dub he's also the teenage Ben Tennyson and Suzaku.
 * I Just Want to Be Normal: If only it wasn't for this crazy quarterback shooting his guns all over the place. He does eventually learn to enjoy football, however.
 * Just a Kid: The reason why Mamori doesn't let him join the team, and why she can't imagine Eyeshield 21's true identity.
 * Nice Guy: Aside from being a bit spineless at times, he's a good kid.
 * Shonen Hair
 * Took a Level In Badass
 * Older Than They Look: Though to be fair, he's constantly near people who look WAY older then their actual age.
 * Worthy Opponent: It'd be easier to name the characters he wasn't a worthy opponent to.
 * Worthy Opponent: It'd be easier to name the characters he wasn't a worthy opponent to.

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.


 * 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)


 * All Girls Want Bad Boys: Certainly has his share of lady fans out-universe and Suzuna most definitely thinks that Mamori's one.
 * Anti Hero: Hoooo boy... he would be an Evil Overlord in any other story.
 * Attack Attack Attack: His philosophy for everything.
 * Awesomeness By Analysis: Hiruma can and will find any weakness in a team or person just by observing them.
 * Badass
 * Badass Bookworm: While no stronger than an average high-schooler, he is a brilliant (if unconventional) strategist, has incredible stamina, and is the god of blackmail.
 * Belligerent Sexual Tension: Something like this is implied to be the deal with him and Mamori, though by the end of the series they bicker considerably less...which can be taken as even more Ship Tease...
 * Blackmail: He is the God of it and has blackmail material for most people on Earth, including the security guards at the Tokyo Dome, a few cops in Houston, and a motel owner somewhere along on the Death March.
 * Blond Guys Are Evil: He's not a natural blond, but is Genre Savvy enough to invoke this trope.
 * Censor Box: His, uh, colorful banter requires it sometimes.
 * The Captain
 * Cheshire Cat Grin
 * Poker Master
 * Cluster F Bomb
 * Comedic Sociopathy: The embodiment.
 * Determinator
 * Deuteragonist
 * Devil in Plain Sight: See Names to Run Away From Really Fast.
 * Drill Sergeant Nasty
 * Eagle Land: An interesting example. Although he's ethnically Japanese and has lived in Japan his entire life, he spent a lot of his childhood hanging out at an American military base (and it shows). As a result, he exhibits nearly every type 2 trait, such as:
 * Loudness, lack of personal space, rudeness, crudeness, violence, sadism, trigger happy, militant leadership, boisterousness, use of intimidation, a "might-equals-right" mindset, ruthless ambition, fluency in English, cheerful psychoticness, and, of course, an undying love of football.
 * He's even blonde and pale skinned!
 * Evil Eyebrows: Just LOOK at them.
 * Evil Genius: Is either this or The Smart Guy depending on how you look at it.
 * Evil Laugh: Kekekekekeke...
 * Heroic Sociopath: Yes, indeed.
 * High School Hustler
 * Hyperspace Arsenal: He carries innumerable pistols, rifles, and bazookas and other items of various uses on his body without it ever being discernible. And then he showed up with a tank. During a sports festival.
 * I Can Still Fight: Or at least pass with a broken arm.
 * Improbable Aiming Skills
 * Intelligence Equals Isolation: Well, there are several reasons why people would steer clear of him for the most part, but the fact that he'd rather hustle money and write football strategies than actively seek friends is pretty telling.
 * Jerk With a Heart of Gold: He doesn't show it often, but it's there.
 * Know When to Fold Em: Two varieties: in the early days, he packs up to go home once there's a zero percent chance of winning, later on he uses the tactical retreat to his advantage (and to piss off his opponent).
 * The Leader: Of Deimon. Type I/IV cross.
 * Lean and Mean
 * Names to Run Away From Really Fast: Has the kanji for "devil" in his name. His name can be read as Devil in Broad Daylight.
 * Never Tell Me the Odds: Played with, as he always knows and often announces the odds, but will not give up unless the possibility of success is an absolute zero. What happens in that situation is part of his Character Development.
 * The Nicknamer: He calls a number of characters, including his team-mates, "Fucking (something)" (changed to "damn (something)" in the English translation).
 * Noble Demon: Will always play a fair American football game, but he's also a foul-mouthed, manipulative, psychotic gun maniac.
 * Pointy Ears
 * Post Dramatic Stress Disorder: After the Death March.
 * Real Men Hate Sugar: He likes his gum sugarless, thank you.
 * Refuge in Audacity
 * Screw the Rules I Have Money: Well, he prefers Blackmail but it's been stated that he's the richest character in the series and his most expensive possession is an island.
 * Sergeant Rock
 * Sir Swearsalot: It's hard to find a sentence where he isn't cursing or saying something filthy.
 * Slasher Smile: His default expression.
 * The Smart Guy
 * Spikes of Villainy: Even his ears are pointy.
 * The Strategist
 * Supporting Leader
 * Take a Third Option: Or a fourth or a fifth or create a new one.
 * Team Dad: In his own violent, abrasive, bullet-ridden way.
 * Trademark Favorite Food: Chewing gum.
 * The Trickster
 * Trigger Happy
 * Troll: Used in two ways: to rile up his opponents (which surprisingly fails a lot) and to enrage people to fight the Devil Bats' opponents (which is more successful; it's how Monta got on the team.)
 * Troubling Unchildlike Behavior: He could play poker like a pro at age 10 and proceeded to hustle a bunch of soldiers out of their money.
 * Unusual Ears
 * Villainous Friendship: He and Agon used to be friends, or as close to friends as a guy like Agon can get. It's broken now though.
 * Vitriolic Best Buds: The greatest extent of friendship one can hope to achieve with this guy.
 * Vitriolic Best Buds: The greatest extent of friendship one can hope to achieve with this guy.

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.


 * 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).

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


 * Hey Its That Voice: Aya Hirano played her before (and during) the time she was Haruhi.
 * Mama Bear
 * My Beloved Smother: Has some shades of this in the start towards Sena, though she eventually lets go of it.
 * The Not Love Interest: An interesting example as it was hinted that Mamori was supposed to be Sena's love interest in the beginning, but became a not-love interest when it became clear their relationship was too much like that of a mother and son (and the fans found her relationship with Hiruma to be much more interesting).
 * Rose Haired Girl: Blurs a line between this and a stylized brown in the anime.
 * Selective Obliviousness: About Sena being Eyeshield 21. Afterwards, she notes the obviousness of it all and how childish it was of herself to think Sena would never outgrow his wimpiness.
 * Ship Tease: With Hiruma. Nothing came out of it since no romance in this manga.
 * Tareme Eyes: To Suzuna's Tsurime Eyes.
 * Terrible Artist: Art is Mamori's weakest subject in school, and it's easy to see why.
 * Tsundere: Mid-series, Mamori behaves a little like this to Hiruma.
 * Team Mom
 * Tomboy and Girly Girl: With Suzuna. Though interestingly, which is which depends on the context. On the field, Mamori is the perceptive, football-savvy manager dressed in a t-shirt and track pants while Suzuna is the cutesy cheerleader in a mini-skirt. Off the field, Mamori is the ladylike Team Mom in frilly clothing while Suzuna is the snarky shorttank who hangs around Sena and Monta.
 * Trademark Favorite Food: Cream puffs.
 * Yamato Nadeshiko

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..."
 * : 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


 * 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)


 * Alternate Character Reading: He got his nickname from Sena misreading "Raimon Taro" as "Kaminari Montaro" on the baseball team's roster. He didn't like it at first, but changed his mind once Hiruma told him that the name came from Joe Montana.
 * Animal Motifs
 * Bash Brothers: With Sena
 * Berserk Button: He hates people making fun of his resemblance to a monkey.
 * Catch Phrase to The Max: Trope Namer
 * Crippling Overspecialization: The reason he fails as a baseball player, but also the reason he succeeds as an American football player.
 * Determinator: It actually works to his disadvantage at first, as he originally refused to quit baseball despite having far more potential as a football player.
 * Heroic BSOD: See Ten Minute Retirement below.
 * Hey Its That Voice: Since when was Inuyasha so into baseball and football? And wasn't Shinichi more of a soccer person?
 * Hot Blooded
 * I Am Not Weasel
 * Improbable Aiming Skills: In his case, improbably bad aiming skills.
 * I Resemble That Remark: His tendency to grunt incoherently when people call him a monkey doesn't help his case. "Who are you calling a woohee?!"
 * Pointless Band-Aid: Across the bridge of his nose.
 * Running Gag: His complete inability to throw.
 * Shonen Hair
 * Ten Minute Retirement: After he learns that one of the receivers for the Alexanders is.
 * Trademark Favorite Food: Bananas.

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)


 * Accidental Athlete
 * All Girls Want Bad Boys: Juumonji is quite popular with the ladies.
 * Bash Brothers
 * Blond Guys Are Evil: Juumonji.
 * Catch Phrase: Their collective surprised reaction of "Ha?" "HA?!" "HAAAAA?!"
 * Cool Shades: Togano.
 * Delinquents
 * Divergent Character Evolution: All three started out as typical delinquents, but eventually became a smart guy who ran in the wrong crowd (Juumonji), big fan of manga and aspiring artist (Togano), and... a typical delinquent (Kuroki)
 * A typical delinquent who really freaks out about love letters.
 * The Drag Along: Up until the showdown with the Nasa Aliens.
 * Genius Bruiser: Juumonji has the highest grades on the team, after Hiruma, Yukimitsu and Mamori.
 * Hot Blooded: Kuroki.
 * Jerks With Hearts Of Gold: They become this after some Character Development.
 * The Leader: Juumonji is the leader of the trio.
 * Terrible Trio: With Juumonji as the central, more intimidating figure.
 * That One Player: Kuroki is supposedly really, really good at fighting games. Although he cheats a lot.
 * Took a Level In Badass: Especially Juumonji.
 * X Marks the Hero: Juumonji.

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)


 * Badass Adorable
 * Gonk: In a cute way.
 * Hot Blooded
 * Pint Sized Powerhouse
 * Stout Strength
 * Ten Minute Retirement: Feeling that his shortness makes him a liability to the team, he runs away from home before the game with the Poseidons.
 * Translation Yes: The translations of his Power-Speak can get pretty verbose.
 * The Unintelligible

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)


 * Bishie Sparkle
 * Brainless Beauty
 * Camp Straight: He's very flamboyant (he likes to call himself a gentle prince), but never has his sexuality questioned or mentioned like Kisaragi or Sanzo.
 * Catch Phrase: "My success rate is 100%!" when things are going well for him, and "That's impossible!" when they aren't.
 * Also "Ah ha ha!"
 * Gratuitous English: Refers to Suzuna as "Mai Sistah!"
 * Gratuitous French: In the English translation, less so (but still there) in the original.
 * Important Haircut: Although it's more like "important hairband".
 * Jack of All Stats: Naturally, as a tight end.
 * Jerk With a Heart of Gold: Taki can off like a jackass, what with his colossal ego, but he's a remarkably nice guy under it all, and he certainly brings a lot of enthusiasm to the team.
 * Let's Get Dangerous:
 * Small Name Big Ego

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)


 * Badass: Makes kicking look very cool. This is frequently lampshaded.
 * Chekhov's Gunman: Introduced as a carpenter long before we had any idea he the mysterious Musashi.
 * Cool Old Guy: What the first years thought he was.
 * Deadpan Snarker
 * Jerkass Facade
 * Rated Mfor Manly: Stubble and general hairiness? Check. Muscular physique? Check. Manly occupation? Check. Mangst? The source of his inner turmoil.
 * Was even voted manliest (over Kid and before Gaou came along), by the fans.
 * The Stoic
 * Straight Man
 * Wise Beyond Their Years
 * Younger Than They Look - Lampshaded.

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.


 * The Alcoholic
 * Cool Old Guy
 * Dirty Old Man
 * I Coulda Been a Contender: He seems to be taking it well, though
 * Old Master

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.


 * A Cup Angst
 * The Cheerleader: Completely averted. She's quite nice, if rather snarky, and far from dumb.
 * Deadpan Snarker: Provides a lot of dry commentary during the sillier scenes.
 * Genki Girl
 * The Heart
 * Modesty Shorts
 * Nice Girl: Which is part of what makes her interactions with Nice Guy Sena so adorable.
 * The Nicknamer
 * Rollerblade Good
 * Shipper On Deck: Patron saint of Hiruma/Mamori.
 * Ship Tease: With Sena.
 * Shorttank
 * Tomboy and Girly Girl: See Mamori's entry.
 * Tsurime Eyes: To Mamori's Tareme Eyes.

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.


 * Angry Guard Dog
 * Big Eater
 * Team Pet

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.


 * Panty Thief (Satake)
 * Those Two Guys

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.


 * Big Eater
 * Catch Phrase ("What a pain...")
 * Eyes Always Shut

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
 * Jersey: 40
 * 40 yard dash: 4.4 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)


 * Alliterative Name
 * Bash Brothers: With Sakuraba
 * Bruce Lee Clone
 * The Comically Serious: When you put him around technology...or normal social situations for that matter.
 * Expy: Of Kenshiro, in a dream sequence, Sena even says that dream Seijuro takes Hokuto Shinken.
 * Friendly Rivalry: With Sena.
 * Genius Bruiser
 * Genre Savvy: He doesn't usually display elements of this, but in one memorable case he left the Deimon-Kyoshin game early while Deimon was behind -- because he knew Eyeshield 21 would use some crazy new technique to win it all like he's done so many times before.
 * Lightning Bruiser
 * The Quiet One
 * Rated Mfor Manly: He's a Kenshiro expy after all.
 * The Rival: To Sena.
 * The Stoic
 * Walking Techbane: Capable of wrecking a vending machine because he presses the buttons too hard.
 * Worthy Opponent
 * Shirtless Scene: Loads. His coach even calls him out on it in the gag chapter.

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.


 * Attractive Bent Gender: He looks really good as a Meido.
 * Bash Brothers: With Shinn and Takami
 * Bishonen
 * Butt Monkey: A rather mild example, but he does put up with a lot of (unintentional) comical injuries from Ootawara.
 * Can't Catch Up: Does angst over an understandable inferiority complex for a bit before Takami assures him just how much he and the team overall needs him.
 * Chick Magnet
 * Even the Guys Want Him: Once he becomes a genuine ace.
 * "What a crowd. I even hear some deep manly voices."
 * Fake Ultimate Hero: Until he Took a Level In Badass.
 * Groupie Brigade
 * Heroic Self Deprecation: Suffers from this a lot initially.
 * Important Haircut: To show he quit being a model and started taking American football seriously.
 * The Lancer: To Shin.
 * The Resenter: What pushed him into modeling.
 * Only Sane Man / Straight Man: He shares this role with Takami.
 * Stupid Sexy Flanders: When he wears a maid outfit, Kurita and Sena become a little disturbed by how well it suits him.
 * The Rival: To Monta.
 * Took a Level In Badass

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.


 * Awesome By Analysis: Is physically average, but has a sharp mind.
 * Beware the Nice Ones
 * The Chessmaster: He's every bit Hiruma's intellectual equal.
 * Determinator: To make first string QB.
 * Good Counterpart: Is arguably one to Hiruma and Marco.
 * Improbable Aiming Skills
 * The Leader: Of Ojou, Type II.
 * No Celebrities Were Harmed: As a tall, efficient, and accurate QB who can't scramble to save his life, Takami may be based on Peyton Manning.
 * Only Sane Man / Straight Man: He shares this role with Sakuraba.
 * Scary Shiny Glasses: When he's in "Dark Takami" mode.
 * Smart People Wear Glasses
 * Stoic Spectacles
 * The Strategist
 * Weak but Skilled: Not as much as Yukimitsu, but he's still not a very flashy player...

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.


 * Chained By Fashion
 * Delinquent
 * Dumb Muscle: Just as dumb as Ootawara.
 * Hair Trigger Temper
 * Painting the Fourth Wall: His thought bubbles are arrows containing short phrases pointing towards his opponent du jour.
 * Rapid Fire Fisticuffs

Unsui Kongo
Position: Quarterback

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


 * All Work vs. All Play: Guess which.
 * Aloof Big Brother: Subverted. He's somewhat aloof, but Agon's the antagonistic, perfect one.
 * Bash Brothers: With Agon
 * Catch Phrase: "Katsu!" (which means something along the lines of "focus" or "concentrate")
 * The Champion: Part of his character development is learning to put his own well-being before Agon's.
 * Combat Commentator: During the Kanto arc.
 * Different As Night and Day: With Agon.
 * Embarrassing Nickname: Although he never comments on it, "Unko-Chan" is an incredibly embarrassing name.
 * Foolish Sibling Responsible Sibling: The responsible one.
 * Hard Work Hardly Works: The basis of his character.
 * Heroic BSOD: Just as he thinks his efforts have finally paid off, he's told that the scholarship he had worked so hard for was meant for his brother. In contrast to other break downs, he doesn't work any less harder afterward, he simply stops seeing his own self-worth.
 * Identical Twin ID Tag: When in football uniform, his lack of hair distinguishes him from Agon.
 * The Lancer: To Agon.
 * The Leader: Of Shinryuuji (Type II) although Agon can pretty much take over when he wants to.
 * Meaningful Name: His name is a term for someone pursuing enlightenment, usually an apprentice monk.
 * Morality Pet: Again, to Agon.
 * Only Sane Man: Especially at Enma.
 * Perpetual Frowner
 * Sibling Team: With Agon.
 * Straight Man
 * Surrounded By Idiots: Well in the case of Shinryuuji, he was surrounded by perverts. At Enma, it seems like he's constantly on the verge of saying this.
 * The Resenter: In middle school.
 * Sibling Yin Yang: He's the yin.
 * The Stoic: Less so when he joins Enma University.
 * Not So Stoic: During his Woobie moments.
 * The Unfavorite

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
 * Its 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.
 * Spot Light 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.


 * Adorkable: Around girls.
 * Arrogant Kung Fu Guy
 * Beauty Mark: It's often mistaken for a bindi, jyoti, or third eye. In actuality, it's just a very prominent mole.
 * Berserk Button: Challenging or insulting (directly or not) his skill as a cornerback.
 * Butt Monkey: Of the Nagas.
 * Crouching Moron Hidden Badass
 * Expy: Of Vegeta, though only when he's serious.
 * Evil Counterpart: A short, super competitive wide receiver who prides himself on his area of expertise? Who also acts like a total dork around his one-sided crush(es)? Sounds familiar...
 * Precision BALLS Strike: Also counts as a Crowning Moment of Funny.
 * "If I don't see the same kind of zeal you showed against me, I'LL CRUSH YOUR TINY MONKEY BALLS."
 * Retcon: Ikkyu originally referred to Agon as "Sempai" implying that he was a first year. 120 chapters later, Ikkyu is said to be a second year.
 * Teens Are Short: Ikkyu does not look 5'6 at all.
 * The Rival: To Monta

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 Big Guy
 * Bruiser With a Soft Center: Rivals Kurita in sensitivity. He sheds Manly Tears when he realizes Agon's slowly becoming more of a team player. He later sheds Tender Tears when he realizes he can finally play football with Agon as a serious teammate, right before the Japan vs USA game. On the cover of volume 23 he's even shown sharing tears with Kurita.
 * Covert Pervert: Is often torn between keeping up his Warrior Monk persona and being a normal, hormone-ridden teenager.
 * Emotional Bruiser: Which evidently annoys Agon.
 * Eyes Always Shut: Except when he's especially focused.
 * Perma Stubble
 * Younger Than They Look: Apparently the one with the worst case of it out of all of Team Japan. And that's saying something.

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.


 * All Men Are Perverts: This applies to all of Shinryuuji (other then Unsui).
 * Big Thin Short Trio: Hakkai, Gojyo, Goku
 * Covert Pervert
 * Big Guy Little Guy: Hakkai and Goku.
 * Camp Gay: Sanzo.
 * The Chick: Sex aside, Sanzo fits this perfectly.
 * Cross Dresser / Drag Queen: Sanzo's been known to walk around Shinryuuji in a girl uniform despite it being an all boys school. He also wears lipstick.
 * Expy
 * Geek Physique: Gojyo.
 * Incompatible Orientation: Sanzo has a crush on both Ikkyu and Unsui. Ikkyu's obviously straight and Unsui doesn't seem to have any interest in romance all together.
 * Noblewomans Laugh: Sanzo.
 * Pet Homosexual: While we never see him flirt with other players, the extras show he's very open about his opinions on other players. (Evidently the only player he doesn't find the least bit attractive is Monta.)
 * Shout Out: To the TV show Monkey more then the original story. For example, Sanzo being a transvestite is a reference to Monkey's Sanzo being a woman.
 * Smart People Wear Glasses: Gojyo
 * Stout Strength: Hakkai.
 * Those Two Guys: Well four.
 * You Gotta Have Blue Hair: Goku.

The Kid
Position: Quarterback

Real name  A very down-to-earth fellow whose talent lies in throwing the ball at high speeds.


 * Big Brother Mentor: To Riku.
 * Everyone Calls Him Barkeep / Only Known By Their Nickname / The Trope Kid: He prefers to be referred to as Kid since he claims to have abandoned his real name. Also a reference to his proficiency with guns and his team's favorite play.
 * Genre Blind: "Nothing good ever comes from chasing your dreams." Although given, he may be right...
 * Genre Savvy: "Things tend to go bad when they start looking good." When you're in the world of Eyeshield 21, this is a fundamental law.
 * The Gunslinger: Though calling him one would probably bring up bad memories.
 * Improbable Aiming Skills
 * The Leader: To Seibu, despite not being the team captain. He's a Type II.
 * Nice Hat
 * No Celebrities Were Harmed: A cowboy quarterback with a quick release? Tony Romo, is that you?
 * Perma Stubble
 * Quick Draw: Part of his nickname, "The Quick Draw Kid", and a reference to his fast passes.
 * Tempting Fate: Constantly lampshaded.
 * The Trope Kid
 * Well Done Son Guy: He was pressured from a young age to be no less than a perfect marksman, which explains how he has such an analytical look to football.

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.


 * Berserk Button: Don't hurt Kid in front of him.
 * Extreme Doormat: To Kid, at least at first. In the beginning he seemed barely sentient, doing ONLY what Kid told him to do. After Monta defeated him in a catching battle he began to develop his own ambitions.
 * Lightning Bruiser: Decent speed. Insane strength.
 * Literal Minded
 * Meaningful Name: "Tetsuma" means "iron horse" in Japanese.
 * The Silent Bob
 * The Stoic
 * Undying Loyalty: To Kid.

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:
 * 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.


 * Awesome McCoolname: Although it's only a nickname...
 * The Big Guy
 * Boisterous Bruiser: He happily throws Western Lariats at other linemen.
 * Only Known By Their Nickname: There was an extra that revealed his actual first name, however...

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.


 * Ambiguously Brown
 * Bald Black Leader Guy: Though Harao is the team's official captain, it's rather obvious who has the final say.
 * Bald of Awesome
 * The Comically Serious: Keeps his stoicism even during a "pointlessly badass" pillow fight.
 * Guyliner
 * I Will Definitely Protect You: Towards Harao.
 * The Lancer: To Harao. Subverted in that he's the real leader.
 * The Leader: Type II.
 * Scary Black Man: Has the appearance and composure of one, though he's ethnically Japanese.
 * Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: He's Harao's manly man.
 * The Stoic
 * Worthy Opponent
 * Wouldn't Hit a Girl: Was very opposed to Kurita tackling Karin.
 * Younger Than They Look

Niinobu Kasamatsu
Position: Line


 * The Big Guy: Though Banba's taller.
 * Dumb Muscle
 * Gonk: Perhaps the single most emblematic example in the series outside of complete one-offs like the Sankaku Punks.
 * Guyliner
 * Jerkass
 * Jerk Jock
 * Stout Strength

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.


 * Dumb Muscle
 * Embarrassing Tattoo: Are best known for having tattoos that say "big shit" and "little piss" by accident.
 * Evil Counterpart: Not evil in the least, but are basically American versions of Kurita and Komusubi.
 * Lightning Bruiser: The little guy can practically keep up with Sena and packs a lot of power.
 * Mighty Glacier: The older one.
 * Pint Sized Powerhouse: The younger Gonzales, who does NOT like being underestimated.

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.

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.

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.


 * Asskicking Pose: Even when there's no ass-kicking to be done.
 * Catch Phrase: Uses "smart" as an adjective for anything good and "not smart" for anything bad. Changed to "cool" in the American manga release.
 * Hot Blooded: Lets his emotions get the better of him.
 * Improbable Aiming Skills: Can make a kick-in even during a typhoon.
 * Large Ham: Feels the need to accompany anything he says or does with a dramatic pose. Once called a time-out in the middle of a game JUST to explain his team's tragic back story.
 * Red Oni Blue Oni: The red to Akaba's blue.
 * Serious Business: Kicking
 * Sitcom Arch Nemesis: To Akaba.
 * Unknown Rival: Although it's not that Musashi doesn't know about him as much as he doesn't care.
 * Worthy Opponent: Sees Musashi as this.

Juri "Julie" Sawai
Position: Manager

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


 * The Chick
 * Only Sane Man: Given that the team's two aces are both large hams.
 * Tsundere: According to the bonus material, while she calls Kotaro an idiot, she's never outright rejected his advances.
 * You Gotta Have Blue Hair: According to the colored artwork. Considering she's has black eyebrows, she probably dyed it.

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.


 * Adorkable
 * Blonde Guys Are Evil: Subverted. He seems like a Jerkass at first, but in actuality, he's just incredibly tactless.
 * Boke and Tsukkomi Routine: With Kakei. And Kobanzame. And Agon. Pretty much everyone actually.
 * Determinator: Part of the reason he joined the football team was because his team-mates on the swim team didn't have his drive and passion.
 * Fun Personified
 * Hair of Gold
 * I Know Madden Kombat: Who knew swimming translated so well to football?
 * Keet
 * No Social Skills: Whatever goes into Mizumachi's head, comes out of his mouth, for good or ill.
 * Red Oni Blue Oni: The Red Oni to Kakei's Blue Oni
 * Save Our Team: Suckered into joining the swim team through this, he later joins the football team to actually do it.
 * Walking Shirtless Scene

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,. This inspired him to new heights (so to speak).


 * Arrogant Kung Fu Guy: Used to have little drive in using his height to his advantage in football. When he started to play in America and saw just how outclassed he was, this trait died out quickly.
 * Berserk Button: Don't try to sully the original Eyeshield 21's reputation in any way.
 * Break the Haughty: See Arrogant Kung Fu Guy.
 * Bishonen
 * The Comically Serious: Continues talking placidly about Akaba's running style as Sena and Monta attempt to take down Mizumachi at the bathhouse (long story). Kobanzame lampshades this by noting that he's too used to this.
 * Guyliner
 * Charles Atlas Superpower: His ability to stop another player with one hand.
 * Icy Blue Eyes: Both a reflection of his personality and a reference to his team's water motif.
 * The Leader: Type II, despite not being the captain.
 * Red Oni Blue Oni: The Blue Oni to Mizumachi's Red Oni
 * Shiny Midnight Black: It's made plain blue in the anime though.
 * The Stoic
 * Tall Dark and Handsome: The guy was 5'7" in grade school.

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.


 * Adorkable
 * Cowardly Lion: Despite his nerves, he tries hard and is a perfectly capable quarterback.
 * Mondegreen: His speech habit.
 * Straight Man

Hiroshi Onishi and Hiroshi Ohira
Positions: Linebackers

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


 * Hell Bent for Leather: How Ohira dresses in his down time. Sena refers to his sense of style as "old fashioned" (presumably due his resemblance to the classic biker image).
 * Hot Blooded: Oohira is so hot-blooded he cries perpetual manly tears.
 * Jerkass: Onishi tends to be this towards Ohira.
 * Meaningful Names: Their last names are "Atlantic Ocean" and "Pacific Ocean" respectively.
 * Manly Tears: Oohira
 * One Steve Limit: Averted, much to their displeasure.
 * Red Oni Blue Oni: Oohira is a parody of the typical "hot-blooded" character while Onishi is supposedly "refined".
 * Sensitive Guy and Manly Man
 * Smart People Wear Glasses: Onishi claims to be this.
 * Stoic Spectacles: Onishi

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, 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
 * 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.
 * 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
 * With Badass Long Hair to boot.
 * 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.
 * Worlds 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.


 * The Brute: Was supposed to fill this role, being the team's best linebacker and the centre of their defence, but made the mistake of ticking off Gaou. Marco has to take his place on defence.
 * Catch Phrase: "Yahyooo!"
 * Dirty Coward
 * Joke Character
 * Meaningful Name: In addition to the obvious, "hana" means "nose", and his is very long. Like that of a tengu, in fact.
 * Too Dumb to Live: Yeah, go ahead. Insult Gaou's Worthy Opponent in front of him. It's not like you've been on a team with him all year and know how he's going to react...oh wait.
 * The Unfought: After he makes fun of Kurita and Banba, Gao breaks his ribs. And his nose.

Himura "Maria" Maruko
The beautiful and quiet assistant for the Hakushu team.


 * The Chick: Before Marco took over the team. She's almost more of The Dark Chick now.
 * Cute Sports Club Manager
 * Emotionless Girl: After Marco recruited Gaou.
 * Sugar and Ice Personality: Towards Marco until he recruited Gaou.
 * The Heart
 * Names the Same: She and Marco share a first name. Hence the nicknames.
 * The Stoic
 * Tall Dark and Bishoujo: Incredibly pretty, but also incredibly intimidating.
 * Token Good Teammate: To Marco, Gaou, Tengu, and Kisiragi.
 * When She Smiles: Finally cracks a smile after Marco's defeat and Heel Realisation.

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.

"Akaba: On the other hand, Yamato has everything. Speed. Power. Technique. Body balance. Height. Kinda good-looking.
 * 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.

Unsui: What has the last one got to do with the rest?"


 * Lightning Bruiser: Not as fast as Shin, but he appears to be stronger.
 * Messy Hair
 * No Sell
 * The Real Remington Steele
 * Red Oni Blue Oni: The red to Taka's blue.
 * Tall Dark and Handsome

Taka "Bird-man"
Position: Wide Reciever

A stone-faced, utterly bored wide reciever, Taka's also  His well-deserved nickname comes from his ability to jump ridiculous distances.


 * The Ace: To the same ridiculous degree as Yamato.
 * Bash Brothers: With Yamato.
 * Broken Pedestal
 * The Comically Serious
 * Good Eyes Evil Eyes: His eyes have a notably blank look to him before befriending Monta at the end of the Teikoku match.
 * Jump Physics
 * Long Haired Pretty Boy
 * Meaningful Name: "Taka" means "hawk".
 * The Quiet One
 * Rapunzel Hair
 * Red Oni Blue Oni: The blue to Yamato's red.
 * The Stoic
 * Sugar and Ice Personality: A friendship version towards Monta.
 * Victory Is Boring: Having been trained since childhood by his father to be a great baseball player, Taka became the unstoppable force that he is today.
 * When He Smiles
 * White Haired Pretty Boy

Karin Koizumi
Position: Quarterback

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


 * Acceptable Feminine Goals: Hilariously inverted. Poor sensitive Karin just wants to draw shoujo mangas and play the piano; too bad everyone else thinks she's more cut out for playing football and making shonen manga.
 * Accidental Athlete: Her great throwing skills come from drawing and playing piano. Luckily, she's fast too.
 * Action Girl: The only one in the series.
 * Alliterative Name
 * Apologises a Lot
 * Badass Adorable
 * Braids of Action
 * Charles Atlas Superpower
 * The Chick: Though she's extremely talented, she lacks the authoritative and analytical personality to be a control tower like other quarterbacks.
 * The Cutie
 * Distaff Counterpart: Recruited against her will? Check. Considered the best in her specialty? Check. Low self-esteem and highly apologetic? Check. The only difference between her and Sena seems to be apparance and gender.
 * Dude Looks Like a Lady: She's 100% girl but Hiruma told the team otherwise so they'd go all out against her.
 * Everyone Loves Blondes: How can you not love Karin?
 * Fragile Speedster: Cannot take a hit. Luckily, she doesn't have to because her speed, and especially her agility, mean no one but Sena can touch her.
 * Long Hair Is Feminine: Is by far the most typically "girly" of the females in Eyeshield and has long hair to boot.
 * Long Haired Pretty Boy: What Hiruma told everyone she was.
 * Nice Girl
 * Samus Is a Girl: Yes, she is a quarterback. Yes, she is the country's best quarterback.
 * Smurfette Principle: Granted, it's certainly an anomaly to the sport, but she's the only female football player in the entire series.

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.


 * Dogged Nice Guy: To Karin.
 * Dumb Muscle: As suggested by his status as an idiot and a lineman.
 * The Idiot From Osaka

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.


 * The Dark Chick: Not only is he a famous actor but he's the only member of the team to advocate cheating, attempting to talk Panther into doing so.
 * Expy: Of Johnny Depp.
 * Improbable Age: High school age movie star? Not that unusual. High school age action movie star? That's a little less likely.
 * No Celebrities Were Harmed
 * Second Place Is for Losers: So are ties, which he describes as the equivalent of kissing your sister.
 * Younger Than They Look

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!
 * Worlds 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.


 * Badass Long Hair
 * Badass Native
 * The Brute
 * Dumb Muscle: Slow enough that after studying to learn multiple languages his English skills somehow decreased.
 * Genius Ditz: His Japanese appears to be good enough that Team Japan can to understand him.
 * Mighty Glacier: Big, but not quick. His long reach, however, makes him an interception machine.
 * Rapunzel Hair: His hair's pretty long even when braided up.

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.


 * Animal Motif: Chamelion, obviously.
 * Anti Hero
 * Badass Biker: Whatever you might think about his badassery as a football player, he's one hell of a Badass Driver on his bike.
 * Badass Longcoat
 * Butt Monkey
 * Cool Bike
 * Defeat Means Friendship: Though originally it was more like "defeats means slavery".
 * Delinquents: His entire team is made of these.
 * Determinator: Too bad the rest of his team isn't.
 * Eviler Than Thou: Even one of the heroes is eviler then him...
 * Jerkass Facade: He only acts that way to motivate his team and intimidate his opponents.
 * Knife Nut: To compliment Hiruma's Trigger Happy.
 * Not So Different: With Hiruma.
 * Overly Long Tongue
 * The Only One Allowed to Defeat You: Why he drove Sena to the Amino game.
 * She Is Not My Girlfriend: Or so he says...
 * Took a Level In Badass:.

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


 * Biker Babe
 * Corner of Woe: Played seriously in a flashback. She's shown standing around a corner looking deeply depressed while Rui brandishes his knife at one of their players.
 * Cute Sports Club Manager: She looks the part...than she opens her mouth.
 * Drill Sergeant Nasty
 * Even Evil Has Standards: Does not seem to approve of just how violent Rui can get.
 * He Is Not My Boyfriend: With Rui, despite referring to him by his first name and everything.
 * Iron Lady
 * Wooden Katanas Are Even Better: Never seen without one.

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.


 * Butt Monkey: Torakichi's butt monkey anyways.
 * Genius Bruiser: What he likes to think he is...
 * Intergenerational Friendship: With Torakichi.
 * Know Nothing Know It All: As far as Torakichi's concerned.
 * Odd Couple: See above.
 * Rated Mfor Manly: Was viewed as this during his introduction (he had "manly charisma") and many linemen were quite GAR for him until he became a victim of...
 * The Worf Effect: The first to be subject to it.
 * Younger Than They Look: He's only 18, but he looks like someone's dad.
 * Wise Beyond Their Years: Subverted, he acts wise and experienced, but everything he says is always wrong.

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.


 * Butt Monkey
 * Jerkass
 * Laser Guided Karma
 * Running Gag: Mocking other players for not having a girlfriend.
 * Ugly Guy Hot Wife

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.


 * Adaptational Badass: A joke in the manga, the anime turned him into a high-speed powerhouse, capable of matching Riku in terms of speed, and leading a team whom the Gunmen were only barely able to overcome.
 * Animal Motifs: Wolf
 * Arrogant Kung Fu Guy: On the subject of speed.
 * Cute Little Fangs
 * You Gotta Have Blue Hair

Heinrich Schultz
Captain of the German football team.


 * Awesomeness By Analysis
 * Badass Bookworm
 * Blond Guys Are Evil: Averted. Schultz is actually a pretty cool guy.
 * The Leader: Of the German Youth World Cup team
 * Photographic Memory
 * The Quiet One
 * The Stoic
 * Worthy Opponent: To Sena, a fact that both of them acknowledge. On a less personal note, his team serves as the first real challenge that the Japanese team encounters, a fact that Gaou and Sena both state aloud.

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.


 * Combat Commentator
 * Funny Afro
 * Straight Man: To his loud and abrasive co-worker "Machine Gun" Sanada.

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.


 * Anime Hair
 * Combat Commentator
 * Expressive Hair: His hair starts rotating when he gets sufficiently excited.
 * Large Ham
 * Hot Blooded
 * Motor Mouth

"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.


 * Jerk With a Heart of Gold
 * Kick the Dog: When he tries to throw out the sweatband Sakuraba got from a young fan.
 * Pet the Dog: When he eventually accepts Sakuraba's desire to focus on football, and even starts cheering him on.

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.


 * Brutal Honesty
 * Cheerful Child
 * Disabled Means Helpless: Averted quite nicely, aside from not being able to play football, he's treated just like any other bratty kid.
 * Intergenerational Friendship: With Onihei, or atleast Torakichi thinks so (Onihei probably sees him more as the below).
 * Mouthy Kid
 * Odd Couple: With Onihei.
 * Plucky Boy
 * Sorry Billy but You Just Don't Have Legs: Not that it stops him from being one of the most energetic characters in the series.
 * Tagalong Kid: Amongst the combat commentators. Often steals Wakaba's camera.
 * Lampshaded in Chapter 50, "Whose that kid?"