Rikkai Daigaku Fuzoku
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Rikkai Daigaku Fuzoku (私立立海大附属中学校?), also known as Rikkai Dai, is one of the rival schools in the manga/anime Prince of Tennis. They were considered to be the best team before they played Seigaku. Rikkai Dai has won the Japanese National Tournament for the last two years.
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[edit] The Matchup
The matchup against Seishun Gakuen in the Kanto Regional Finals in the anime is as follows:
D2: Bunta Marui/Jackal Kuwahara vs. Takeshi Momoshiro/Kaoru Kaidoh- Rikkaidai Wins 7-5
D1: Masaharu Niou/Hiroshi Yagyuu vs. Shuichiro Oishi/Eiji Kikumaru - Rikkaidai Wins 6-4
S3: Renji Yanagi vs. Sadaharu Inui - Seigaku wins 7-6
S2: Akaya Kirihara vs. Shusuke Fuji - Seigaku wins 6-4
S1: Genichirou Sanada vs. Ryoma Echizen - Seigaku wins 7-5
However, the matchup against Seishun Gakuen in the Kanto Regional Finals in the manga is slightly different.
D2: Bunta Marui/Jackal Kuwahara vs. Takeshi Momoshiro/Kaoru Kaidoh- Rikkaidai Wins 6-1
D1: Masaharu Niou/Hiroshi Yagyuu vs. Shuichiro Oishi/Eiji Kikumaru - Rikkaidai Wins 6-4
S3: Renji Yanagi vs. Sadaharu Inui - Seigaku wins 7-6
S2: Akaya Kirihara vs. Shusuke Fuji - Seigaku wins 7-5
S1: Genichirou Sanada vs. Ryoma Echizen - Seigaku wins 7-5
[edit] Training
Rikkai Daigaku Fuzoku provides its tennis regulars with a lot of equipment for increasing their strength and skills, including a gym, ball machines, and many tennis courts. Rikkai Dai doesn't have a coach, which shows Sanada's skills in leadership. Rikkai Dai has a very strict training regimen, which has had spectacular results on the tennis courts.
[edit] Tennis team members
[edit] Seiichi Yukimura
Seiichi Yukimura (幸村精市 Yukimura Seiichi?) is a third year and the captain of Rikkai Dai. Yukimura, vice captain Genichirou Sanada, and regular Renji Yanagi are known as the Three Demons of Rikkai Dai, since all three joined the regulars when they were first years.
In the winter prior to the current school year, Yukimura collapsed and was hospitalized. In the hospital, he was diagnosed and treated for Guillain-Barré syndrome, a neurological disease. In the anime, Kippei Tachibana of Fudomine is hospitalized in the same hospital as Yukimura after breaking his leg. Supposedly Yukimura is the best player on the team, as well as the best junior tennis player in all of Japan--as good as Seigaku captain Kunimitsu Tezuka, or even better.
Yukimura has a delicate and almost feminine appearance, which contrasts with his strong willpower and a rather stern, brutally honest attitude on court attitude. Still, when not on the court, Yukimura is a very kind and friendly person, if still proud and dignified.
After going through a successful surgery on the day to Rikkai Dai lost the Kanto Finals to Seigaku, Yukimura has returned to lead his team in the National Tournament.
[edit] Genichirou Sanada
Genichirou Sanada (真田弦一郎 Sanada Genichirou?) is the team's third-year vice captain, and served as the temporary captain while captain Seiichi Yukimura was on leave to treat his illness. Sanada, Yukimura, and Renji Yanagi are known as the Three Demons of Rikkai Dai, as all three joined the regulars when they were first years.
Sanada comes from a very traditional family (his grandfather and father are the owners of a famous kendo dojo), is stern and noble, plays with honor, and expects the best from both himself and his teammates. In fact, he insists that people on his team are not supposed to lose, and there have been instances where he slapped his teammates for either losing or not obeying the Rikkaidai rules off-courts.
In the anime, he has the extraordinary ability to swing his racket at an incredibly high speed so that his swings and serves become "invisible". This renders the opponent unable to predict where the ball will land. He is characterized as unquestioningly loyal to Yukimura. In the anime, he plays a match with Ryoma Echizen before the actual match and crushes him 6-0. However, in the manga, Akaya Kirihara plays Echizen before the match, and Sanada slaps Kirihara when he finds out because Kirihara didn't ask him for permission.
Special Moves/Shots
- Invisible Swing
- His Invisible Swing has a very simple concept behind it despite the very destructive power and speed it has. Basically, Sanada had mastered an incredibly fast swing, making it near invisible for normal naked eyes to see the exact swing, hit and spin of the ball he handles. His swing doesn't work for people like Ryoma Echizen or Eiji Kikumaru, though, because of their extraordinary ability to see moving things more clearly with their inborn enhanced eyesight.
- Invisible Serve
- The Invisible Serve is essentially the same thing, except this time, it's a serve swing, and not a return swing. It has the same concept and does the same thing. Despite the simple concept, it does a lot to hinder the opponent from a successful return, since there is no sure way of seeing the speed, direction and spin of the ball.
- Fuu Rin Ka Zan (Wind Forest Fire Mountain)
- This was the name given to Sanada's special moves in the manga. The first of these special moves was Fuu (wind), an extremely fast swing which is based on the quick sword drawing technique. This is the move where most likely his invisible swing was based on in the anime. The next of his moves that was shown in the manga is Ka (fire), an extremely powerful ground smash. His other moves are Rin (forest) and Zan (mountain), which have not been shown in the manga yet, although it has been hinted that both Renji and Atobe was defeated by these two moves. When performing the "Fuu Rin Ka Zan", Sanada would usually say a phrase for each of his moves, e.g. "swift like the wind" for Fuu, "silent as the forest" for Rin, "Invade like fire" for Ka, and "immovable like a mountain" for Zan. It is also noted that each of his attacks elemental based so as to speak that the Fuu (wind) was used to counter the Ka (fire).
[edit] Renji Yanagi
Third-year Renji Yanagi (柳蓮二 Yanagi Renji?) is also known as the Data Master, as he is a data specialist. Renji, captain Seiichi Yukimura, and vice captain Genichirou Sanada are known as the Three Demons of Rikkai Dai, as all three joined the regulars when they were first years. Yanagi usually plays Singles 3, but is still an excellent doubles player; he has played doubles with Sanada, and lately with Masaharu Niou.
Before entering Rikkai Dai, Renji lived in Tokyo and was the friend and former doubles partner of Seigaku's Sadaharu Inui. Inui used to call him 'kyojyu' (Japanese for 'professor'), and in return, Yanagi called him 'hakase' ('doctor'). He keeps his eyes perpetually half-closed just as Inui hides his eyes behind his thick glasses.
Yanagi is quiet, mysterious, soft-spoken and and has a somewhat acid sense of humor, though he is somewhat more approachable than the aloof and serious Sanada. Still, Yanagi can be as rough as the other Demons when required; in the manga, he once hit Kirihara for asking him a stupid question in public, and also asked Sanada to slap him if he lost against Inui.
Special Moves/Shots
- Kamaitachi
- This is the only known special move that Renji has used in the manga. It is said to be a high speed slice with a very powerful cut.
[edit] Hiroshi Yagyuu
Third-year Hiroshi Yagyuu (柳生比呂士 Yagyū Hiroshi?) is known as "The Gentleman" for his seemingly polite demeanor, especially in comparison to his doubles partner Masaharu Niou. His special move in the anime, the Golf Swing, is an adaptation of a golf swing from his days in the golf club prior to his recruitment to the Rikkai Dai tennis team by his current doubles partner. In the manga, his special move is the Laser Beam, an extremely high speed technique that is difficult to return. Though usually calm, his latent aggressive side is apparent during tennis matches. In the manga, he and his partner Niou pull off a switch where each impersonates the other in appearance, persona, and play style for half the game. He also pulls off a switch with Kaoru Kaidoh in a later incident.
Special Moves/Shots
- Golf Swing
By assuming the position of a golfer, he can deliver a very fast return. This is exclusive to the anime.
- Laser Beam
This technique is similar to the golf swing, but it is a volley. This move is seen only in the manga and OVAs.
[edit] Masaharu Niou
Third-year Masaharu Niou (仁王雅治 Niou Masaharu?) is thought to be one of the scariest people on the court because of his tennis style. An all rounder, he specializes in trick play, hence the nickname "The Trickster". He can guess an opponent's move about 10 moves ahead. Niou uses black wristbands that supposedly tap his potential and physical strength, and he refuses to take them off in any circumstances. In the manga, he pulls a switch with his doubles partner, Yagyuu, and the two impersonate each other's appearance, persona and play style for half the game.
[edit] Bunta Marui
Bunta Marui (丸井ブン太 Marui Bunta?) is a third year volley specialist and self-proclaimed genius, cocky and cheerful. He has stamina issues, so he overdoses on sugar (such as bubblegum and sweets, according to the anime). He is almost always seen blowing bubblegum, even when he plays tennis. He plays doubles with his friend Jackal Kuwahara. Jirou Akutagawa of Hyotei idolizes Marui and bases his style off of Marui's style, following a game they played in the Newcomers Tournament when they were both first years.
Special Moves/Shots
- Tightrope Walking
A drop shot in which the ball rolls horizontally along the top of the net, much like a tightrope walker.
- Metal Bell Hit
A shot that hits the iron pole that supports the net.
[edit] Jackal Kuwahara
Jackal Kuwahara (ジャッカル桑原 Kuwahara Jackal?) is half-Brazilian. This third-year is known as Rikkai Dai's Iron Wall of Defense and plays doubles with his friend Marui. He shaves his head as a tribute to an old friend and often takes care of Kirihara off-courts (in fact, he was once slapped by Sanada when he lost track of Kirihara). In the fandom, Jackal is often sympathized with, as he isn't usually listed in a list of characters.
[edit] Akaya Kirihara
Second-year Akaya Kirihara (切原赤也 Kirihara Akaya?) is often depicted as a demon, because his very aggressive play often hurts his opponent. His first appearance is very early in the manga's run, when he mistakenly falls asleep on the bus on his way to school. Instead of getting off at Rikkai Dai, he wakes up at the last stop, which incidentally is Seishun Gakuen. He decides to check out the tennis club, and he causes quite a bit of trouble before he runs into Ryoma Echizen. After that, he decides to go home.
When he gets really excited about his matches and is able to fully concentrate, his eyes become bloodshot and his ability improves dramatically for a short span. This happens in the manga when Ryoma Echizen challenges him to an unofficial match before the matches between Seishun Gakuen and Rikkai Daigaku Fuzoku. Ultimately, Akaya is defeated by Ryoma's State of Self-Actualization. He is defeated for a second time by Shusuke Fuji during the Kanto tournament finals match with Seigaku. Akaya usually looks cheerful and happy-go-lucky, but this is a cover for his more aggressive side. Along with Niou, he is one of few who have stood up against Sanada. In the manga, he blocks Sanada's hand with his racket to defend Renji after his loss to Inui.
Special Moves/Shots
- Phantom Ball
- The Phantom Ball does not appear until after Kirihara's match with Seigaku's Shusuke Fuji. It was a new technique he had developed in order to prove to everyone that he was willing to change into a better person, and he didn't need shots that hurt his opponents in order to win. He first used this shot during his unfinished fight with the American Team's Kevin Smith.
- This shot uses inhuman speed and extraordinary amount of hit precision and force application in order to produce the necessary spin for the ball to seemingly land in one area, disappear, and then bounce off from another area. The spin and speed of the ball creates an illusion of temporary disappearance, and then reappears at another place, in order to unsettle the opponent and prevent a return.
- Knuckle Serve
- The Knuckle Serve is a more powerful version of the Kick Serve and the Twist Serve. Those three have essentially the same concepts behind them, but they differ in spin speed, acceleration and force. The Knuckle Serve is the most powerful and destructive of three, followed by Ryoma Echizen's Twist Serve, and Ibu Shinji's Kick Serve.
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| 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 | Rokkaku Chuu |
| Supporting characters: | Sumire Ryuzaki | Nanjiro Echizen | Masashi Arai | Satoshi Horio | Kachiro Kato | Katsuo Mizuno | Sakuno Ryuzaki | Tomoka Osakada |
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| List of Prince of Tennis episodes | Tennis no Ojisama - Futari no Samurai | The Prince of Tennis (film) | The Prince of Tennis Musicals | Takeshi Konomi | |
