The Prince of Tennis

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Prince of Tennis
Prince of Tennis Logo
テニスの王子様
(Tenisu no Ōjisama)
Genre Adventure, Sport, Shōnen
Manga: Prince of Tennis
Authored by Takeshi Konomi
Publisher Japan Shueisha
Other publishers:
Serialized in Japan Weekly Shonen Jump
Original run July 1999 – present
No. of volumes 35 volumes with 327 chapters current (as of December 7, 2006)
TV anime
Directed by Takayuki Hamana
Studio Trans Arts Co., J.C. Staff, Production I.G
Network Japan Animax, TV Tokyo
Other networks:
Original run October 10, 2001 – March 3, 2005
No. of episodes 178
OVA: Zenkoku Taikai Hen (The National Tournament)
Directed by Shunsuke Tada
Studio M.S.C.
No. of episodes 9 (as of December 1, 2006)
Released March 24, 2006 - present
Runtime 22 minutes per episode
Related works

The Prince of Tennis (テニスの王子様 Tenisu no Ōjisama?) is one of the most popular manga and anime titles in Japan. It is written by Takeshi Konomi, who has also written a manga called Cool. The manga is published in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump in Japan, and is published in English in North America by VIZ Media. The series has recently come out of hiatus, when the author was injured in an accident, but is now once again underway.

The anime series, produced by Trans Arts Co., J.C. Staff, Production I.G, premiered across Japan on the anime satellite television network Animax and the terrestrial TV Tokyo network, airing between October 10, 2001 and March 3, 2005, spanning a total of 178 episodes. Beginning in April, 2006 an OVA continuation of the anime began to be released on DVD.

The series has produced a half-hour weekly radio show, over 100 music CDs, several games, movies, multiple live-action musicals and a large selection of merchandise. On 13 May 2006 the live-action adaptation film, The Prince of Tennis, was released in Japan.

The Prince of Tennis anime has been announced to be a part of Cartoon Network's new online broadband service called Toonami Jetstream. It began streaming July 14, 2006. The anime will begin airing on Toonami's saturday night block on December 23rd.

In both the Japanese and English versions of the manga, the chapters are identified as "Genius" (Genius 1, Genius 2, etc).

Contents

[edit] Plot

The manga is primarily set in Tokyo. Ryoma Echizen, a tennis prodigy, attends Seishun Gakuen (青春学園 Seishun Gakuen), or Seigaku (青学) for short, a school famous for its strong tennis club and talented players. Ryoma quickly defeats numerous upperclassmen shortly after entrance to secure himself a spot on the regulars team. In pursuit of their ultimate goal of winning the all-Japan junior high tennis championship, members of the team make new friends while learning and mastering increasingly complex techniques.

[edit] Regulars

[edit] Other players

[edit] Notable rival schools

  • Fudomine Middle School （市立不動峰中学校）
    • Kippei Tachibana (Captain)
    • Akira Kamio (Vice-Captain)
    • Shinji Ibu
    • Tetsu Ishida
    • Masaya Sakurai
    • Tatsunori Mori
    • Kyousuke Uchimura
  • St. Rudolph Gakuen（私立聖ルドルフ学院中学校）
    • Yoshirou Akazawa (Captain)
    • Takuya Nomura (Vice-Captain)
    • Hajime Mizuki (Manager)
    • Yuuta Fuji
    • Shinya Yanagisawa
    • Atsushi Kisarazu
    • Ichirou Kaneda
  • Yamabuki（私立山吹中学校）
    • Kentarou Minami (Captain)
    • Kiyosumi Sengoku (Vice-Captain)
    • Taichi Dan (manager)
    • Jin Akutsu
    • Masami Higashikata
    • Ichiuma Kita
    • Inakichi Nitobe
    • Touji Muromachi
    • Tsubasa Nishikiori
  • Hyotei Gakuen（私立氷帝学園中等部）
    • Keigo Atobe (Captain)
    • Yuushi Oshitari
    • Ryou Shishido
    • Choutarou Ootori
    • Gakuto Mukahi
    • Jiroh Akutagawa
    • Wakashi Hiyoshi
    • Munehiro Kabaji
    • Haginosuke Taki
  • Midoriyama（緑山中学校） (manga only)
    • Yasuyuki Kiraku
    • Masato Takase
    • Wataru Kitamura
    • Takuma Minamoto
    • Itto Habu
    • Junpei Kongawa
    • Akane Tsuta
  • Jyosei Shonan（城成湘南中学校）(anime only)
    • Takahisa Kajimoto (Captain)
    • Reiji Shinjou
    • Hiroshi Wakato
    • Youhei Tanaka
    • Kouhei Tanaka
    • Shou Ota
    • Daichi Kiriyama
  • Rokkaku Chuu（市立六角中学校）
    • Kentarou Aoi (Captain)
    • Kojirou Saeki (Vice-Captain)
    • Ryou Kisarazu
    • Hikaru "David" Amane
    • Harukaze Kurobane
    • Marehiko Itsuki
    • Satoshi Shudou
  • Rikkai Daigaku Fuzoku（私立立海大附属中学校）
    • Seiichi Yukimura (Captain)
    • Genichirou Sanada (Vice/Substitute Captain)
    • Renji Yanagi
    • Akaya Kirihara
    • Masaharu Niou
    • Hiroshi Yagyuu
    • Bunta Marui
    • Jackal Kuwahara

[edit] Nationals Competition Rival Appearances

  • Higa Chuu（比嘉中学校）
    • Eishirou Kite (Captain)
    • Yuujirou Kai
    • Hiroshi Chinen
    • Kei Tanishi
    • Rin Hirakoba
    • Shiranui
    • Aragaki
  • Shitenhouji（四天宝寺中学校）
  • Saint Icarus
    • Richard Sakata
  • Makinofuji Gakuen
    • Hagi
    • Kadowaki
  • Nagoya Seitoku

[edit] Others

  • U.S./American Team
    • Kevin Smith
    • Arnold Ignashov
    • Bobby Max
    • Tom Griffey
    • Terry Griffey
    • Billy Cassidy
    • Michael Lee

[edit] Episode List

Further information: Prince of Tennis Episode Guide

[edit] Supporting Characters

Names are in Japanese order, with the surname before the given name.

  • Sumire Ryuzaki (竜崎スミレ Ryūzaki Sumire): Coach of Seigaku's tennis club, as well as the former coach of Ryoma's father.
  • Masashi Arai (荒井将史Arai Masashi): second year in Seigaku's tennis club who will probably end up a Regular his third year.
  • Satoshi Horio (堀尾聡史Horio Satoshi): Know-it-all first year in the tennis club with "two years of tennis experience". Main purpose for comic relief.
  • Kachiro Kato (加藤勝郎Katō Kachirō): first year in tennis club who is a voice of reason for Horio.
  • Karupin: The Echizens' mischievous and surprisingly intelligent Himalayan cat.
  • Katsuo Mizuno (水野カツオMizuno Katsuo): Basically the same as Kachiro, but Katsuo is not featured as much.
  • Sakuno Ryuzaki (竜崎桜乃 Ryūzaki Sakuno): Coach's granddaughter and first year who clearly has a crush on Ryoma Echizen. A sweet and extremely shy girl who started playing tennis inspired by Ryoma's example and works hard to sharpen her skills.
  • Tomoka Osakada (小坂田朋香 Osakada Tomoka): first year who is Sakuno's best friend. Also is president of the Ryoma Echizen Fanclub. She's a loud, somewhat pushy and energetic tomboy who likes cheering on the Seigaku team loudly and always catfights with Horio.
  • Nanjiro Echizen (越前南次郎 Echizen Nanjirō): Ryoma's father and former tennis pro. Nanjiro is currently a monk. His name is spelled Nanjiro Echizen in the English manga and Nanjirou Echizen in Roman characters in the Japanese version of the anime.
  • Nanako Meino (菜々子Nanako): Echizen's college-bound cousin who lives with Ryoma and his father.
  • Mamoru Inoue (井上守Inoue Mamoru): Reporter for Monthly Tennis magazine who follows the Seigaku team and is a big fan of Nanjiro Echizen.
  • Saori Shiba (芝砂織Shiba Saori): Photographer for Monthly Tennis who follows the team with Inoue.
  • Ann Tachibana (橘杏Tachibana Ann [An]): Kippei Tachibana's younger sister who supports Fudomine, she gets along well with the Seigaku members especially Momoshiro, whom she helped to regain his spirits when he was dropped off the regulars line. She's a second year player in the Fudoumine tennis club for girls.
  • Richard Baker: The coach of the U.S./American Team.
  • Rinko Echizen: Ryoma's mother and Nanjiroh's wife.

[edit] TV Show

The television program The Prince of Tennis is slightly different from the manga version. While most of the story and characters such as Ryoma Echizen, Takeshi Momoshiro, Shusuke Fuji, etc. are the same, there are small story-changes in the animated version because the author, Takeshi Konomi, thought it would be too boring to watch what fans have already read.

  • For example, table tennis scenes and billiard scenes exist in the TV version, but not in the manga.
  • The television series has already ended while the manga has not. There are 178 episodes and 326 chapters up till now. A year after the end of the TV show, they began releasing OVAs, made to adapt further events in the manga. 13 episodes are planned, with 9 having already been released.
  • Some schools are exclusive to the anime (Jyousei Shonan) and others are exclusive to the manga (Midoriyama).
  • Some events take place at different times. For example, Kirihara visits Seigaku in the manga prior to the District Regionals, but he doesn't meet them in the anime until after the Tokyo Prefecturals. Inoue and Shiba also visit Nanjirou much earlier in the anime then they do in the manga, and are introduced earlier (in the manga they don't show up until Ryoma's match against Inui)
  • Also, the anime starts shifting from the manga starting from the Rokakku arc. In the manga storyline, it is not Ryoma who faces Kentaro Aoi, but rather Kaoru Kaidoh.
  • The manga shows growth in tennis skill through modes of self-actualization. The anime doesn't, showing Ryoma's skill only extending to his "Cyclone smash".
  • The episodes in the anime dealing with Kevin Smith and the U.S. West Coast Team do not take place within the manga.

[edit] External links

[edit] Official Sites

[edit] Profiles


The Prince of Tennis
Characters
Tennis team members: Ryoma Echizen | Kunimitsu Tezuka | Shuichiro Oishi | Shusuke Fuji | Eiji Kikumaru | Takashi Kawamura | Sadaharu Inui | Takeshi Momoshiro | Kaoru Kaidoh
Schools: Seishun Academy Middle School | Fudomine Middle School | St. Rudolph Gakuen | Yamabuki | Hyotei Gakuen | Midoriyama | Jyosei Shonan | Rikkai Daigaku Fuzoku
Supporting characters: Sumire Ryuzaki | Nanjiro Echizen | Masashi Arai | Satoshi Horio | Kachiro Kato | Katsuo Mizuno | Sakuno Ryuzaki | Tomoka Osakada
Other
List of Prince of Tennis episodes | Tennis no Ojisama - Futari no Samurai | The Prince of Tennis (film) | The Prince of Tennis Musicals | Takeshi Konomi
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