The Oujou White Knights are a High School American Football team based out of Ojo Private Senior High School. They are the main rivals of the Deimon Devil Bats throughout the series, and the team's star linebacker Seijuro Shin is Sena's first and most prominent rival. The White Knights are a strong team with a major focus on their stringent defense. Their closest NFL team match would be the Baltimore Ravens
The White Knights are historically known as the best high school team in the greater Tokyo area and one of the best teams in all of Japan. One reason for this strength is the program in place at Ojo - Ojo is an escalator school from Ojo Junior High, so students can gain an additional three years of experience prior to entering high school. In recent years Ojo has been considered the only team in Kanto capable of challenging the Shinryuji Naga due to the strength of the "Golden Generation", a group of players who graduated from Ojo the year before the series takes place. However, Ojo was never actually able to defeat Shinryuji, coming closest in the Golden Generation's final year when Shin Seijuro joined the team, when Agon and Unsui Kongo had to lead the Nagas to a comeback in the final five minutes to win.
When the Golden Generation departs, the White Knights are considered a weaker team, which particularly shows when the team nearly loses to the Seibu Wild Gunmen and is blown out by Shinryuji in the Spring tournament. During the course of the series, the team exceeds these expectations, primarily due to the improvement of Shin and the wide receiver Haruto Sakuraba.
The original three Deimon Devil Bats along with Yoichi Hiruma and Ryoukan Kurita.
Appearance:
He is often mistaken for an older person, since he initially has a bit of stubble and has a buzz-cut. When he finally joins the team, he grows out his hair and shaves. He is quite muscular due to his work in construction. While working in construction, he was often seen with a plain bandana wrapped around his head.
History:
He first meets Kurita on a job from his father to fix a hole in the fence of the American base Hiruma snuck into. After listening to Kurita's pleas, he still patches the hole but kicks another one, claiming its not his problem what happens after he finishes patching. Afterwards, he finds out they go to the same middle school and the three form the Maou Devil Bats.
He leaves the team during the spring season of his freshman year, due to the fact that his father had become seriously ill. As a result, he was forced to drop out of school and take over as the construction foreman of Deimon High. Though he desperately wanted to get back into playing, he refused to rejoin the Devil Bats. However, after meeting with Sena and Monta and seeing how determined they are to get him back on the team, he agrees, but only if they become a strong team. In the manga, he makes his comeback during the game against Seibu, when his father hit him for abandoning his team. In the anime, he does not rejoin the team until the game with the Bando Spiders. He has a one-sided rivalry with the kicker of the Spiders, Kotaro Sasaki, who according to Hiruma, has NEVER missed.
Synopsis:
Musashi has an incredibly strong right leg which helps the Devil Bats on kickoffs, often pinning their opponents deep or forcing them to down the ball deep in their own territory, or in their end zone for a touchback. The title of the 60-yard Magnum was actually a lie fabricated by Hiruma, in order to make Musashi seem invincible, and Musashi keeps telling people that it is a lie. However, the kicker of the Bando Spiders STILL wants to prove that he's better than the Deimon player. During the game against the Nagas, he is instrumental in the Devil Bats' onside kick at the start of the second half, and even pounds some sense into Hiruma with his fist, (though it was all an act). He also has been the only player on Deimon to score during the climactic game against Ojo, making two field goals that kept Deimon within range of the White Knights with a 14-6 score at halftime.
After Hiruma went down with an injury at the hands of Gaou, Musashi was one of the few characters to be considered as a replacement QB during the game with Hakushuu, but Sena volunteered instead.
Following the Bando game, there is an omake strip in which Hiruma and Kurita take Musashi to a barber as 'punishment' for not coming back until that game - if he had kicked against the Wild Gunmen, Deimon may have won. They give him various comedic hairstyles (which lead to Hiruma in particular nearly killing himself laughing) before deciding on shaving the left and right sides of his head, giving him a mohawk hairstyle. The omake was shown in the anime's special episode, but Musashi's hairstyle still remains as it was during the Bando Spider game. It might have been a mistake on the animator's part, but the reason is still unknown.
Trivia:
The kanji in Musashi's last name, Takekura, can also be read as Musashi, thus his nickname. The name is derived from Miyamoto Musashi, a famous samurai, who was famous for his skills with two swords, which relates to the fact that Musashi must put up two kicks for every successful possession (extra point kick or field goal and the kick off). Gen's rivalry with the Bando Spiders kicker Kotaro Sasaki is also a play on Miyamoto's rivalry with the legendary swordsman Sasaki Kojiro.
Musashi has a habit of picking his ear whenever he's not serious (or as a comedy gag).
He also has a knack for making unsensitive statements (Claiming that the Devil Bats are a weak team when Monta and Sena ask him to rejoin, and also saying that the Ha-Ha brother's are weak compared to him who worked for a year as construction worker, claiming that he is the one more fitted to be quarterback) to cover his true, much more noble, motive (he can't rejoin the Devil Bats since his father's company is in danger and with his father's illness, he's the one who expected to work, and he doesn't want to see the first year get injured by Gao).
Techiques/Stratigies:
Extremely Powerful Kick - Musashi have an extremely powerful right leg which he trained from his carpenter job, he is seen powerful enough to kick a giant hole in a steel fence,and kicking a long distance field goal with relative ease, although his kick isn't really accurate.
Onside Kick - Musashi kicks the ball at an angle and a shorter distance than usual in order for his teammates to try to regain possession of the ball.
High-Altitude Kickoff - Due to his kicking ability, Musashi is able to launch the ball into the air to an unbelievable altitude. This causes the opposing team to fall back deep into their own territory. The longer the ball stays in the air, the more time the Devil Bats have to surround the enemy and pin them down near their own goal line.
60-Yard Field Goal - In the final play of the Christmas Bowl, Musashi kicks a successful 60-yard field goal to win the game for the Devil Bats.Thus proving his name The Legendary 60-Yard Magnum, even when the ball barely got in.
A man with an odd and rather foolish attitude, and is apparently quite oblivious to the silliness of his actions. He was first introduced in the series when Sena met him in the San Antonio stadium (Natsuhiko was trying out for the team there). He has a habit of opening his jacket to bare his pecs, making weird poses like rising up his leg 180 degrees and is often portrayed as a ladies-man. His dream is to become a pro football star, even though he didn't know the rules, nor the positions, stating that he was an all-around super player. He couldn't play American Football in Japan; he wasn't qualified, so he went to America to apply for a position in the San Antonio Team by taking all the savings in his house to fly to America. He failed; however, the coach did praise him on his potential and asked him to try out again after gaining some experience in high school football. Sena passed the pro-tryouts as Eyeshield 21, (though he and the Taki siblings left before his name was announced). Sena, feeling sorry for him, sensed that Natsuhiko had potential and that his talent shouldn't be wasted, asked him to join the Devil Bats back in Japan as a Tight End. He manages to qualify as a Devil Bats team member after undergoing the rest of the Death March.
Although he's quite the clueless, narcissistic fool, he is undeniably a very good (not to mention useful) player in the team. His personality is noted to be gentlemanly, but he's still an idiotic, competitive showoff. During the Bando Spiders game, after getting thrashed pretty badly by Akaba of the Spiders, Natsuhiko gets serious for the first time, and manages to out-perform Akaba. He also began wearing his hair in a samurai topknot. However, after getting a tiny bit of praise, he reverts back to his usual idiot persona. Though not a major player in the surprise win over the Nagas, Natsuhiko made key blocks and catches throughout the game. Natsuhiko's height and leaping ability also helped Monta cover Sakuraba during the match against Ojo. He also plays a part in the final play of the game in Hiruma's Killer Hornet tactic.
Monta harbors an intense dislike towards Natsuhiko; in junior high, while Monta was taking an entrance exam, Natsuhiko approached Monta and asked him whether a book he found earlier, Son Son (with a picture of a chimpanzee on it) was Monta's, since he thought that Monta looked like a chimp. Natushiko's flexibility is also comparable to Monta's, further deepening their rivalry.
There are several key instances that show his idiocy, one of which is the ability to understand directions. Before the match against the Amino Cyborgs, he made Sena and himself take the wrong bus to Nagano; however, thanks to Hiruma and the Zokugaku Chameleons, Sena eventually got back to play in the match in time. But then, Natsuhiko got lost (again) by taking the wrong train back. In the end he missed the game, yet Hiruma later claimed he was not going to play anyway since he had yet to enroll at Deimon. He is also an idiot when it comes to academics. He proudly announces that he only knew up to the 6 times tables, and said that 9 X 9=18. However, if he associates the questions with football, then he gets it right and it was through this method that he was able to cram for the entrance exam. Hiruma was about to assassinate the examiner in Deimon to make Natsuhiko pass, but the examiner concluded that he passed (barely) and was eligible to enroll in Deimon High School. When Hiruma injured and Deimon had to choose another quarterback, Ha-Ha Brothers quickly rules him out thanks to his stupidity and narcissity ("He'll likely try to run the ball on his own").
He always addresses Suzuna as "My Sister". His catchphrase is usually a loud "AH-HA-HA!", and exclaiming that he has a 150% success rate at anything he does. This usually leads to the Ha-Ha brothers being irritated at him. TECHNIQUES/STRATEGIES
Flexibility - Taki's body is incredibly flexible, which allows him to bend and contort at extreme angles to make catches or blocks. It also helps him to makeshift his gravity point quickly, making Akaba's Spider Poison ineffective.
Power Off Tackle/ Gentle Prince Tackle - Basically it's a one-man Sweeper using just Natsuhiko to open a smaller path for Eyeshield to run through. He can also do this with help from other players, though.
Prince Gentle Hurricane - Taki's own variation of Sena's Devil Bat Hurricane, he lifts up one of his legs and spins around with the football down the field. Unfortunately, the technique is easy prey against an opposing team's defense and is considered more for show than effective.
Prince Spiders Poison - Training with Hayato Akaba for the Chirstmas Bowl, Taki learned his defensive maneuvers to assist against Teikoku.
Quick-Draw Pass - Taki were able to do the same pass techniques like Kid,although,he has no aim during the pass.(Anime only)
Ishimaru is the Devil Bats' second running back. Ishimaru was recruited from the track team by Sena who took over half of his paper route for him. He played in the Koigahama match, but was injured due to Sena being unable to discern between the types of cleats. Ishimaru continued to play for the Devil Bats, even though no one notices his presence in the team. However, his obscurity plays to his advantage when playing since no one notices when he is handed the ball. Many teams curse to themselves in front of him after the play, usually saying that, "he has no presence," or that, "We didn't notice him". He's the track and field captain, which is why Hiruma usually refers to him as "Track Star".
Ishimaru often acts as a fullback, blocking for Sena on screen passes and other trick plays. When he actually learns that Sena is Eyeshield 21, he foams at the mouth and "breaks". Like Yukimitsu, Ishimaru also grows out his hair, but no one seems to notice. Is referred to as the Stealth Running Back, Shadowless God Of Death, or just "plain" Ishimaru. He is such a pushover, that he's willing to go with anything that happens around him. His catchphrase is, "It's alright."
One interesting thing to note is that Ishimaru has an American look-a-like named Jimmy Simard ("Jim I-Shimaru" the name itself being a play on words of Ishimaru's nickname ("地味 石丸" Plain Ishimaru ). Sena mistakes Jimmy for Ishimaru during the tryout with the San Antonio Armadillos. Jimmy actually made the cut for the pros, despite some bullies' cheating and foul tactics, thanks to Eyeshield 21's help.
Ishimaru’s importance came in to play during the game of Deimon Devil Bats against Kyoshin Poseidon. In order to overcome their opponent’s height and extreme long reach, he was included as one of the runners for one of Hiruma’s trickiest strategies: Wish Bone.
In the match against Ojo, when Ikari sacked Hiruma, Hiruma was able to throw a short pass towards Ishimaru seconds before the quarterback got sacked, however, Ishimaru only managed to run 1 yard before Shin tackled him.
During match with Hakushū dinosaurs, because of his position, he became one from two Hiruma's choice for quarterback replacements, before Sena volunteering himself.
off scren of the manga In the anime, Ishimaru learned of Eyeshield 21's identity when his track team was in trouble for the finals at the Relay Races. Ishimaru was planning on leaving the football club, but thanks to Sena volunteering to be the third man in the race, Deimon's Track Team won. Seeing Sena run without his helmet confirmed his identity as Eyeshield 21 and in gratitude, Ishimaru decided to stay with the Devil Bats until the end of the Tournament.
In the match against Teikoku, he is the one who carries the ball at the beginning of the game. Just as a group of the Alexander's line is about to catch him, he reveals that he has been taught the Rodeo Drive from Riku of the Seibu team, thus allowing him to beat two of the Alexander's players before he was knocked out of bounds by Yamato. It is revealed that he did the hard training with Riku in order to help prove that he is more than just a replacment player on the team and that he is a true Deimon Devil Bat to everyone including himself.
TECHNIQUES/STRATEGIES:
Insubstantial: Due to Ishimaru's lack of "presence" he can often make long runs or catch passes out of the backfield without the opposing team noticing until it's too late.
Rodeo Drive: In preparation for the Christmas Bowl, Ishimaru trained with Riku Kaitani of Seibu, learning his running style to improve on his own track-honed speed.
Komusubi is one of the linemen of the Deimon Devil Bats. His given name of Daikichi means 'Good Fortune.' His father named him after he had gotten a promotion after his son's birth. Though Daikichi is not very fast nor tall, but he makes up for it with his indomitable will and power. He decided to join the Devil Bats after seeing the Zokugakuexhibition match. Daikichi was highly impressed by Kurita's amazing strength and build, and decided that he wanted to become Kurita's "apprentice". He was able to join the team after surviving the Hell Tower qualifying test, beating out the Ha-Ha Brothers. Komusubi has taken to bunking at Kurita's house, and joining Kurita in waking up as early as 2AM to go training. He does not talk much, and apparently speaks (and writes!) only in the language of strong men, that only "truly strong men" can understand, which consists mostly of strange grunts and one-word sentences. It is still confusing as to how people like Komusubi's father, Kurita, Deimon's gym teacher, Mizumachi, Gaō of Hakushu, and some of the members of the Nasa Aliens team, can comprehend what he is saying. (It should be noted that Mamori seems to be able to understand him as well.)
He always seems to be the thorn in the side of the Ha-Ha Brothers, showing them that he's stronger than them and spurring them on to become stronger. He has also been shown lifting around 20 high-schoolers at once. Though they hate each other, Hiruma knows that their rivalry is what really drives them to become better players. He is also has a gifted talent for being a sumo. Later, especially seen before match against Poseidon, the rivalry later developed into some kind of friendly rivalry (when he disappears because of his feeling of inadequancy, it's the Ha-Ha brothers who, literally, kicking some sense to him, saying that without him it's impossible for them to defeat the Poseidon).
He does not like to be teased about his small stature and does his best to prove that size is not everything. Komusubi is short like his mother, but he inherited his father's strength. He learns all on his own how to deal with taller opponents. Using the Rip Tackle and his Fast Start technique, he is able to bowl over even the tall linemen of the Kyoshin Poseidon. He proved to be instrumental in the final seconds of that game, pushing down his opponent for Eyeshield 21 to get through to score.
Komusubi was not a major factor in the win over the Nagas, however his quietly efficient performance made things much easier for Kurita and Jūmonji. He was also the one to catch Musashi's onside kick. Similarly, Komusubi found no real defensive struggle during the game against Ojo due to the focus on offense. However, the challenge of Hakushū's Gaō towards Kurita has ignited the fire within the small defensiveman, choosing to make his own enigmatic statement towards the beastly lineman prior to the climactic showdown.
In chapter 260, when Kurita became weakened, he desperately stands for his master, to the point of tearing his own body when facing Gaō, and crying, begging to the audience not to badmouth Kurita, sayin that his master just "take a break", continually believing in his master. In the end, Sena decides to use him as Lead Blocker to pass Gaō.
However, as it appears, actually Sena believes that this move will incite Kurita's will once again, and he choose to do run from middle instead. The trick works and it is Kurita's drive which renews Komosubi's faith in his master. TECHNIQUES/STRATEGIES
Trap Block - Komusubi ignores the person in front of him at the line of scrimmage, then tackles from the side, anyone who tries to sack Hiruma. Opponents have very little force to counter a side attack.
Fast Start - Being smaller gives him a lower center of gravity, allowing Komusubi to get a flying head start than his opponent once the ball is snapped. He learned how to accomplish this feat by taking part in a Sumo competition.
Rip Tackle - To deal with taller opponents, (which is almost all the time), Komusubi pushes upwards during the tackle, utilizing the insane amounts of arm strength he inherited from his father. This allows him to flip over larger adversaries.
Two-Stage Rocket - Not officially the name of the technique, but that is what Komusubi is likened as, when he defeats Kengo Mizumachi's Swimmer's Start by combining both the Fast Start and the Rip Tackle. He uses the Fast Start to get in close, then as Mizumachi brings his arm up for the 'Swim,' Komusubi uses the Rip Tackle to attack Mizumachi's exposed chest, thereby knocking him down. This was also used during the Deimon's final play to allow Sena to get through with the Devil Bat Dive.
Extremely Low Altitude Devil Bat Dive - Combining his combination of his size and power, Komusubi attacks head on against an opponent in combination with Sena, who dives over them. Used as a maneuver against Gaō to ignite Kurita's power and determination to face him.
Sweeper - The linemen excluding Ryokan Kurita form a protective barrier around Eyeshield, allowing him to run through the enemy's defense.
Yukimitsu very smart and diligent. He was also active in training at the club because he was the slowest (no.2 after Kurita) at the club. Actually, he failed at the club entrance test. But, because Hiruma has impressed him the hell out of difficulty so that finally he "passed". He had two classes together with Hiruma, Kurita, and Musashi, but still signed football club, not wanting to waste their youth simply by learning. Since childhood Yukimitsu always forced her to learn and not allowed to join any club. After seeing the appearance of Eyeshield 21, she was amazed and determined to enter the club Football. He regretted only enter the club right now, until the team failed to participate regularly at the Autumn Tournament. He had entered the "Kanto Tournament" against Shinryuji Dragons and scored a Touchdown against Agon with receiver position. Although his physical pains but his ability to read the game and the position of the opponent (the result of watching the game tape before) is also remarkable spirit, making all the despised (Agon and Ikkyu) must pay dearly. Statistics:
1. Record Run 40 yards: 5.6 seconds 2. Bench Press: Unknown 3. Position: Wide Receiver 4. No. Players: 16 5. Class 2 high school 6. University: Shuuei 7. University Football Club: Shuuei Doctor Fishes
The Ha-Ha Brothers: Kazuki Jūmonji(十文字 一輝,Jūmonji Kazuki?), Koji Kuroki(黒木 浩二,Kuroki Kōji?) and Shozo Togano(戸叶 庄三,Toganō Shōzō?), are fictional characters of Eyeshield 21. Though constantly re-affirming that they are not brothers, the Ha-Ha Brothers give that impression since they are constantly together. They are so called due to their schtick of saying "Ha?" in rapid succession with a crescendo in response to a challenge or something they disbelieve. This 'routine' starts with Togano and ends with Kuroki. (Ex. Togano: HA?! Jumonji: HAA?!! Kuroki: HAAA?!!!) The Ha-Ha Brothers consist of three delinquents; "Ha-Ha Brothers" is even written in English in the anime and manga when they are VS somebody, along with all the other characters names.
They first appear in the series by ordering Sena Kobayakawa to buy items for them, much to Sena's disbelief, as he had only met them in class that morning. After Sena made a final dash and jumped into the MRT carriage, Yoichi Hiruma, who spotted Sena's talent for running and dodging, beat up the brothers and took pictures of them naked. Hiruma keeps the negatives of the photos and extorts them into playing and later joining the team by threatening to reveal the photos to everyone. During the Zokugaku Chameleons exhibition match, they were searching for the negatives of the pictures when Kurita stumbled upon them. Kurita wrongly assumed they were intending to join the club as linemen. Later, because of the appearance of Kurita's apprentice, Komusubi (and his constantly looking down upon the brothers), they competed with him at the Tokyo Tower and managed to pass Hiruma's qualification test (fittingly called the Tower of Hell). The three decided to quit the team later and forget about the negatives of their pictures, regardless of what Hiruma did. However, after being beaten up by Banba of the Taiyo Sphinx, they changed their minds and set out to become great linemen. Kuroki and Togano were considered as trash by the editor of a sports magazine after their match against Taiyo Sphinx, but later proved themselves as linesmen during the games against NASA Aliens. During the game against the Americans, they also learned a new maneuver called the Sweep. It was here that Jumonji shows his respect for Eyeshield by promising to open a line for him to get through. During the Death March, they learn the proper method of pushing off with their entire body, rather than just their arms. In the anime, even Otawara of the White Knights found it difficult to hold them back.
The Ha-Ha Brothers have a running rivalry with Komusubi, who always shows them up in tests of strength and determination. Hiruma approves of this war of the linemen, which drives the Ha-Ha Brothers to become better players. During the Death March training in America, two of the Hah Brothers, Kuroki and Togano were about to abandon the team due to the harsh training and lack of determination, but they changed their minds once they learned that Hiruma and Kurita will no longer be able to play after their second fall season. This would be their final chance. Jumonji also pointed out that they earned more respect as linemen rather than as useless punks. It is also fair to note that their background as punks has come in rather handy in several games, where they've relied more on their streetfighting skills than actual lineman skills, like against Zokugaku and Seibu.
In the game versus Bando, when they are introduced individually, Machine Gun Sanada describes Juumonji as having the best technique, Kuroki the best speed, and Togano the most power. This is another sign of their branching out as individuals.
(十文字 一輝 Jūmonji Kazuki) Jumonji is the apparent leader of the group. In some of the episodes including the NASA Aliens game and the Death March, we see him as a leader who urges the other two to follow. He sports an X-shaped scar on his right cheek, which was originally supposed to be used to get Kurita arrested. He is also the only one of the three to figure out that Sena was actually Eyeshield 21. He seems to be the most thoughtful (in a sort of positive way). He always seems to keep the three-some (includes him) together, and is considered the "eldest brother" of the three. He gets fired up a lot. He is also the only one so far of the three to score touchdown, and probably the only one in Deimon Devilbats who has scored touchdowns from defense aside from Sena. The first is one scored when Sena caused a fumble against the Nagas and Juumonji took the ball and scored a touchdown. This in itself is a near-miracle, since his position almost NEVER handles the ball, still , after being fueled by flashbacks of Sena's determination and devotion in the football field (along with the fact that Jūmonji more accostomed to direct injury long before he joined the Devil Bats),he managed to get across the goal line, dragging Agon along with him. The second time happened when Kurita crushed Marco; he caught a fumbled ball and unexpectedly scored a counter touchdown from defense. He is also the first to really become serious about football, occasionally sympathizing with Sena and vowing to become a better lineman in order to assist him. Juumonji also has an uneasy relationship with his father, since his father is always telling him not to associate himself with his friends, who he puts down as "trash" (like Agon does). During the match with Ojou, Jumonji takes the fullback position to assist Sena in his run. It is revealed that Juumonji is one of the smartest on the team- in an omake where the intelligences of the Devil Bats were compared, he ranked above everyone but Hiruma, Mamori, and Yukimitsu. (Musashi was not included.)
The show also implies that he is the most likely candidate for team captain when the founding members of Devil Bats graduate, effectively huddling the junior members together without their help.
Musashi has commented that Juumonji is 'the same kind of guy as him', in terms of attitude (stoic and samurai-esque). Juumonji and Musashi tend to react the same way to outrageous incidents- that is to say, with a deadpan or a reality check.
In the anime only, he suffers from acrophobia, a problem which Doburoku admits that not even finishing the Death March can fix.
His last name means "cross" most likely a reference to the scar on his cheek. It is possible the scar itself is hereditary as his father has the same scar on his forehead. But this is probably a coincidence as he is shown without the scar several times in chapter 1 of the manga.
In last play to score two-point conversion against Hakushuu, he became the center so that Kurita can utilize his full strength to face Gaou. He also seems to have a relationship.(Shown in the anime, Mentioned in the manga)
Currently, he's under coaching of Kakei, who gave him all his technique and knowledge to help Sena face the real Eyeshield 21.
In the last chapter 333, Juumonji was revealed in a small panel along with Banba and Ikkyu to be part of the Saikyoudai team which also includes Hiruma, Agon, Akaba, Yamato and Taka.
(黒木 浩二 Kuroki Kōji) Kuroki sports dark hair of medium-length with noticeably longer eyelashes than the other two. He seems to be the most violent, and his usual weapon is his metal bat. He suggests that his specialty is to "Strike only once from behind," and he has claimed himself to be a coward more than once. When playing defense, Kuroki can sometimes play Linebacker. The other two stick to Defensive Line. He seems to be a prodigy at games, whether it be tossing hoops or an arcade game. (In the first book end-of-the-book character introduction, he is shown to be firing a Kikôha as he yells "HUH-DOE-KEN!!!") In the arcade when Deimon does their final prep work for facing Seibu the first time, Kuroki is shown to be furiously button-mashing, and a player comments that he is unexpectedly good at video games. Out of the three, Kuroki is the most hot-headed, and willing to fall back on his streetfighting skills when his lineman skills fail him. Later, as he and the others become more distinguished as individuals, Hiruma gives him his own nickname, 'fish mouth'.
He is surprisingly gifted musically as music is one of the few classes he excels in.
Currently, he is training with Mizumachi for the Christmas Bowl.
In the last chapter 333, Kuroki along with Tagano was seen along with Musashi, Gao, Shien (The Kid), Tetsuma and Onihei making up the (currently) worst team of the semi-pro X-League, The Takekura Construction Babels.
(戸叶 庄三 Toganō Shōzō) Has long spiky blonde hair, and constantly wears orange tinted sunglasses. Can usually be seen reading manga. He seems to be the most quiet of the three. Likes Jump, but puts it aside for a while when going to the United States, saying "Sigh, I guess American comics are alright." Compared to the others, Togano is fairly laid-back, preferring to read his manga, often just going along with what Juumonji and Kuroki want.
He is additionally the most artistically talented amongst the three (as well as perhaps the entire team except for Hiruma); his drawings sometimes mimic muscular men like those in Fist of the North Star.
In a DevilBat021 omake where a reader requests a page of his manga, the description is given that the manga is about a character with qualities from many of Jump's ultimate heroes, like stretchy arms, nen control, incredible skill at basketball or tennis, and ninjutsu. It seems that since the character is named Shozo and has recently developed skills as an amefuto lineman, he is who Togano would like to be.
In chapter 264, when Hiruma answers Musashi question about his damaged arm, he jokingly said that "he had replacements, so he just discarded his old bone and replaced it". Togano is the one who almost bought it, most likely inspired by Shaman King character who can do the same.
In the anime, he admits aloud that cheerleaders like Suzuna are "his type". While others in the team are put off by her initial cheers -due to her blunt and conspicuous attempts to stalk Eyeshield, Togano finds them attractive and charming. It is hinted he is a lolicon. However, this event may have only been added for comedic factor as the issue has been dropped when she reappears in later episodes (and also as a bashful kind of affection is hinted at between Suzuna and Sena).
In the manga, he is currently training with Taiyo Spinx captain Banba.
Selasa, 18 Januari 2011
Ryokan Kurita
Ryokan Kurita
Position: Center / Defensive Tackle / Offensive Tackle
The largest and strongest player in the Deimon Devil Bats, Ryokan Kurita is a kind-hearted individual, and the only thing bigger than his body is his heart. He becomes Sena's second friend after entering Deimon High School. He is somewhat dim-witted, nearly giving away Sena's identity as Eyeshield 21, but is immediately silenced by Hiruma. When playing, Kurita shouts his kiai "Funnuraba!"(Here I come!) when exerting extra effort. His biggest dream is to compete in the Christmas Bowl.
Yusuke Murata, artist of the series, said that Kurita is his favorite character; Murata likes how Kurita's "zeal" for American football matches Murata's passion for manga.[1]
He lives in a temple with his father, who is the director of a Buddhist sect. His father believed that to grow up big and strong, a young boy had to eat a lot, thus overfeeding his son. Kurita, as his name would suggest, has a head shaped like a chestnut.
Before coming to Deimon, he applied to Shinryuji High School, but failed to get in because Kongo Agon was chosen over him for the special athletic scholarship, so he came to Deimon High along with Hiruma and Musashi. It is Kurita who was interested in football from the beginning, reading magazines and practicing in order to reach the Christmas Bowl. Before meeting Hiruma, Kurita tried to encourage everyone to join the American football club, but failed to convince anyone. A fateful falling piece of paper, detailing football strategies, from the roof of Maoh Middle School, led him to first meet Hiruma, who claimed to have only been interested in betting on the game rather than actually playing. Soon, Kurita's goals met with more obstacles as the school denied him the formation of a football club, and ordered him to destroy all training equipment. Kurita's desire for playing football soon struck Hiruma, resulting in the latter to bet one of his suit cases filed with money which he has multiple of on one match in the army base in order to gain enough money to start a football club at his school. Injuries on the team Hiruma bet on to win resulted in him and Kurita to play in the injured players' stead. Though they lost tragically, the game inspired both to create a football club at their school, in the hopes of one day making it to the Christmas Bowl.
He gains an "apprentice", Komusubi, who practices with him whenever he can. He is insanely strong, and has accidentally destroyed a small truck by hugging it; encouraging other characters to run away from his hugs. Also, whenever fights ensue between the Deimon members, he always stops them by flattening all of them. Though he normally looks rather comical, he is dangerous when he is actually fired up. He was nominated among the top eleven defensive players of the Fall Tournament. When Musashi rejoins the team, Kurita's "alternate personality" is revealed during the games; his face changes as his eyes inflame and become bigger, his eyebrows thicken, and his face tightens up. He gains even more strength than usual in this "form"; though he can quickly change back when he gets happy, he can also change back again as the game resumes.
Kurita's drive and determination finally pays off as he pushes down Agon, the one who had ridiculed him and had him ousted from Shinryuji's team, and three other members of the Nagas at the same time, which allowed Deimon the win over the Nagas. In the game against Ojo, he is given quite a bit of trouble from Otawara and his new charging tactic, but is later seen hugging and crying with his rival when the Devil Bats win the game.
Kurita then faces off against the monster Gaō as the Devil Bats and Hakushu Dinosaurs prepare to play in the Kantō finals. In order to prepare him for the upcoming match, Banba agrees to train him with a week of boxing at the Taiyo gym. By the time the Hakushu game arrives, Kurita appears as scarred as Banba from the training regimen. Though Kurita is initially unable to stop his opponent completely, he is still able to keep the Dinosaur's lineman away from Hiruma. However, during a play, when he is distracted by Kisaragi, he loses his balance, thus making him unable to stop Gaō, and without anything between him and Hiruma, Gaō manages to crush his best friend. Kurita becomes so weakened by this, he was not able to understand the "Powerful Go- Language" which Komusubi spoke. Hiruma, before he was escorted off the field, motioned to Mamori to take him over where Kurita sat, slumped on the ground. Hiruma put all his energy in to giving Kurita a good kick, to show that he was still alive and, well, kicking, although he fainted right after.
It was only until Sena and Komusubi displayed their determination to win despite their small statures, that Kurita's spirit is reawakened, and for the first time, he faces Gaō with all his might, along with a killing drive, for the sake of protecting his teammates. Banba commented that his strength was born from his kindness, unlike Gaō's absolute strength and Hiruma's intelligence and manipulation. This motivates his whole team, to the point that members of his team begin chanting "FUNNURABA!!!" while defending.
After Kurita successfully tackles Marco, however, Gaō becomes even stronger, which excites Kurita more. In the last play of the game, Kurita decides to go all out against Gaō, though Gaō has superior upper-body strength, Kurita is able to take down Gaō using his lower-body strength and experience as a football player, finally settling who the number one power player is.
Techniques and strategies
Kuri-Hammer - When he dives for a fumble, he crushes other players under him, which sometimes include fellow teammates.
Blitz Zone - Taking advantage of Kid's quick but predictable pass, when one lineman tries to sack him, he will silently move to the place of the designated receiver, effectively interfering with the pass thanks to his build.
Kurita-Push/ Blast - After snapping the ball, Kurita serves as a blocking wall for Sena by charging five yards ahead and pushing any opposing blocker out of Sena's path.
Belly-Bounce (anime only) - During the game against the Blizzards before the Kantō Tournament, Kurita and Komusubi utilized their mass and fat to create a variation of the Hip-explosion, breaking down the Blizzard's line by thrusting their bellies forward, sending the Blizzard linemen flying.
The Lonely Center - A trick play which has only Kurita defending in front of Hiruma while the other members of the Devil Bats are positioned to the left. This tricks the Dinosaurs into using just Gaō to break through the line, instead of the normal 4 to 5 linemen. With Gaō preoccupied, Hiruma is given the time needed to throw any pass he wants. Furthermore, if the opposing linemen do try to rush Hiruma from the empty side, that leaves the rest of the field open for a lateral to Sena. However, this is also a risky tactic since the only one standing between the quarterback and the sacker is just one man, therefore, if the center failed, the quarterback will be totally defenseless.
Lineman Switch/ Stunt - By switching positions with Komusubi during the start of the opponents' drive, Kurita is able to guard Hiruma when Marco tries to break through him.
Four-Point Stance - By standing on all fours, including his arms, Kurita can focus all his strength to tackle his enemy, in this case, Gaō. However, he cannot be the one to hike the ball because of this stance.
Boxing Guard - Learned when training with Banba. Also known as a cover up in boxing terms, Kurita holds up his arms in front of his chest like a boxer. This allows him to take on the full-strength push from Gaō while getting inside his reach. Once inside, Kurita is able to use his weight and lower-body strength to push upward and force Gaō down.
The Oujou White Knights are a High School American Football team based out of Ojo Private Senior High School. They are the main rivals of the Deimon Devil Bats throughout the series, and the team's star linebacker Seijuro Shin is Sena's first and most prominent rival. The White Knights are a strong team with a major focus on their stringent defense. Their closest NFL team match would be the Baltimore Ravens 
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