Hyotei Academy

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Hyotei Academy
Hyotei Crest

Established: 1919
Type: Elevator School
Students: 1,652 (1,021 males / 631 females)
Location: Tokyo, Japan

Hyotei Academy Secondary Department (氷帝学園中等部 Hyōtei Gakuen Chūtō Bu?) is a fictional elevator school in the anime and manga series The Prince of Tennis, created by Takeshi Konomi.

Contents

[edit] School system

Hyotei possesses an elevator system, meaning that provided one passes the exam at every level, students may move up the academic ladder from primary school to university. The school's headmaster is Teruzane Sakujii.

Curriculum
The curriculum at Hyotei allows students to choose their own subjects. Subjects are divided into "specialized" and "generalist" subjects in which, through the specialized subjects, students can expand their knowledge for a career in specialist related fields. It is up to the student to take specialized or generalist subjects.
The Study Abroad Program
In preparation of a multi-cultural society, Hyotei Academy has arranged the study abroad program. This allows students first-hand experience with overseas students from the four sister schools Hyotei has around the world. Many find this a valuable experience and also find possible career paths through this rare experience.
Extra curricular activity
Hyotei also puts strength into its after-school sporting clubs and Student Council Chamber. By participating in these extra curricular activities, students are able to gain a wide range of experiences and responsibilities as a representative of Hyotei Academy.
Transport
When traveling to and from school, students must walk or make use of the bus or train. If, however, a parent or guardian is present, private transport methods can be arranged.

[edit] Official team record

In the Kantō Tournament

D2: Eiji Kikumaru/Takeshi Momoshiro v.s Gakuto Mukahi/Yuushi Oshitari. Seigaku Wins. 6-4

D1: Sadaharu Inui/Kaoru Kaido v.s Ryou Shishido/Choutarou Otori. Hyotei Wins. 3-6

S3: Takashi Kawamura v.s Munehiro Kabaji. 2-2. Ends in a draw when both players injure their hands using the Wave Surge - Hadokyuu.

S2: Shusuke Fuji v.s Jirou Akutagawa. Seigaku Wins. 6-1

S1: Kunimitsu Tezuka v.s Keigo Atobe. Hyotei Wins. 6-7

Reserve Match: Ryoma Echizen v.s Wakashi Hiyoshi. Seigaku Wins. 6-4

In the Nationals

S3: Takeshi Momoshiro v.s Yuushi Oshitari. Hyotei Wins. 4-6

D2: Sadaharu Inui/Kaoru Kaido v.s Gakuto Mukahi/Wakashi Hiyoshi. Seigaku Wins. 7-5

S2: Kunimitsu Tezuka v.s Munehiro Kabaji. Seigaku Wins. 7-6

D1: Eiji Kikumaru/Shuichiro Oishi v.s Ryou Shishido/Choutarou Otori. Hyotei Wins. 6-7

S1: Ryoma Echizen v.s Keigo Atobe. Seigaku Wins. 7-6

[edit] Tennis team

Hyotei's strength lies in its strict stratification and merit system, which prioritizes ability only rather than emotion. This allows for the members to reach their full potential. Hyotei is considered a rival school of Seishun Academy Middle School. The two teams compete against each other in the first match of the Kantō region Tournament and in the second match of the National Tournament.

With Keigo Atobe as their leader, Hyotei's tennis club is 200+ members strong. The coach, Tarou Sakaki, chooses the best players of the tennis club as the regulars and the others as assistant regulars. Usually the regulars start to play in the Kantō Tournament, although after losing to Fudomine Middle School, the regulars go up against St. Rudolph Gakuen for the 5th place in the Doh-Daikai.

[edit] Coach

Tarou Sakaki (榊 太郎 Sakaki Tarō?)
A 43-year-old music teacher at Hyotei who is very polite and elegant. As a good coach, Sakaki doesn't tolerate losses and knows how to motivate and push his players to the top. It's well known that Sakaki always keeps the best players for the important tournaments (such as Kantō and the Nationals) and plans the most favorable game strategies (i.e. the distribution of the singles-doubles places). He trusts in Atobe, knowing that Atobe is capable of leading the school name to first place.
His most known gesture is rising his hand and pointing with two fingers saying "Itteyoshi" ("You may go") when he finishes the advising with the players.
He states that he is "just" a music teacher. However, the regulars doubt the "just."

[edit] Regulars

[edit] Keigo Atobe

(跡部 景吾 Atobe Keigo?)

Main article: Keigo Atobe
Atobe is a third year and the captain of Hyotei's tennis club of over 200 members. His play style is All Rounder, and he likes to play long matches against his opponents. He wins against Kunimitsu Tezuka, but the victory does not satisfy him, as Tezuka does not show his true potential because of his shoulder injury. Atobe then loses to Ryoma Echizen in the Nationals.

[edit] Yuushi Oshitari

(忍足 侑士 Oshitari Yūshi?), seiyū - Kiuchi Hidenobu musical actor-Takumi Saito

The Tensai (Genius) of Hyotei Academy. He can perform Higuma Otoshi (one of Shusuke Fuji's Triple Counters: Bear Drop) perfectly. He is called 'Oshitari of the one thousand skills'. He plays doubles with Gakuto Mukahi in the Kantō Tournament against the Eiji Kikumaru-Takeshi Momoshiro pair and singles in National Tournament against Takeshi Momoshiro, losing 6-4. Oshitari is originally from Kansai. Oshitari also plays the violin, as shown in the nationals OVAs. Oshitari has a cousin named Kenya who is a regular for Shitenhouji (Osaka), which plays Fudomine Middle School and Seigaku in the Nationals.
Oshitari has been consistently popular since his introduction in the series, and has done well on all of the Prince of Tennis character popularity polls run by Weekly Shonen Jump since then. In the second poll, he debuted in 9th place. [1] He moved up to 5th place in the third poll[2], and came in 7th place in the fourth poll[3].
In the anime, Oshitari's Kansai accent was exaggerated, and this has been turned into a running joke most often seen in the Radio Shows and songs.
Along with Tezuka and Inui, they are known as the "Megane Trio" (Glasses Trio) and often performs songs and mini-dramas together.[citation needed] It was pointed out, however, that Oshitari does not actually need glasses as his eyesight is not faulty. He wears them just for show. This was shown when Sadaharu Inui's glasses broke. Atobe offered Inui Oshitari's glasses since he did not really need them. Inui accepted the offer but could not see anything because Oshitari's glasses had no prescription in them.[citation needed]
Stats
  • Birthday: October 15
  • Dominant Hand: Right
  • Play Style: All-Rounder
  • Family: Parents, older sister

[edit] Jirou Akutagawa

(芥川 慈郎 Akutagawa Jirō?), seiyū - Ueda Yuuji musical actor - Takuya

Jirou is considered to be the "magic volleyer" of Hyotei Academy. His play style was inspired by Rikkai's Bunta Marui during a match two years ago. In the Regional Tournament, Jirou defeats Yuuta Fuji (Shusuke Fuji's younger brother), whom Ryoma had a considerably tough time facing, in only fifteen minutes. Later on, in the Kantō tournament, Jirou plays Shusuke Fuji. It is revealed that Jirou has very flexible wrists and can return almost any shot. In the end, however, he loses 6-1 against the third of Fuji's Triple Counters, Hakugei. When Jirou is not sleeping (which is rare), he's a very bouncy and happy guy, especially at the court when he's playing strong rivals like Fuji, Marui, or even Atobe.Also to Kaido, when he first saw the Boomerang Snake. He was, ironically, asleep the first time Hyotei saw the around-the-pole shot. However, because he spends most of his time sleeping, he's known as "The Sleeping Beauty of Hyotei".
Jirou has appeared in all of the Shonen Jump character popularity polls since his introduction into the story. In the second poll, he came in 25th place.[1] In both the third and fourth polls, he came in 13th place. [2][3]
Stats
  • Birthday: May 5
  • Dominant Hand: Right
  • Play Style: Serve and Volley
  • Family: Parents, older brother, younger sister

[edit] Ryou Shishido

(宍戸 亮 Shishido Ryō?), seiyū - Kusuda Toshiyuki Musical Actor - Kenta Kamakari

After a humiliating defeat at the Tokyo Prefectural quarterfinals against Kippei Tachibana, Shishido is dropped from the regulars. Later, he comes back after defeating starter Haginosuke Taki. One of Shishido's sacrifices to prove his sincerity and that he was worthy of reinstatement is cutting off his precious long hair. He plays doubles with Chotarou Ohtori and is known as Hyotei's "dash specialist" due to his speed and ability to return almost any ball. After spending all that time with Chotarou Ohtori, Shishido has a special relationship with Ohtori, and they have become great friends. He often says "gekidasa daze", which translates roughly to "way uncool" or "lame." Along with the regulars, Shishido seems to have a closer relationship with Jirou and Gakuto, knowing them from elementary (Jirou is in his class in middle school).
Shishido has appeared in all of the Shonen Jump character popularity polls since his introduction into the story. In the second poll, he came in 20th place.[1] In both the third and fourth polls, he came in 12th place. [2][3]
Stats
  • Birthday: September 29
  • Dominant Hand: Right
  • Play Style: Counter Puncher
  • Family: Grandmother, parents, older brother

[edit] Gakuto Mukahi

(向日 岳人 Mukahi Gakuto?), seiyū - Hoshi Souichirou Musical Actor - Ruito Aoyagi

Gakuto is typically a doubles player who teams up with Yuushi Oshitari. He has acrobatic skills rivaling those of Seigaku's Eiji Kikumaru with his move the Moonsalut, in which he flips into the air. Although Gakuto's acrobatics are impressing, his stamina is too low so it is basically almost impossible for him to play games that require long endurance. In the Kantō tournament he teams up with Oshitari and loses to the Kikumaru-Momoshiro pair. In the Nationals he pairs up with Hiyoshi and again loses on the verge of victory.
In the 4th popularity poll for the series, he came in 6th place.[3]
Stats
  • Birthday: September 12
  • Dominant Hand: Left
  • Play Style: Serve and Volley
  • Family: Parents, older sister, younger brother

[edit] Choutarou Ohtori

(鳳 長太郎 Ōtori Chōtarō?), seiyū - Namikawa Daisuke Musical Actor - Koji Date

Choutarou teams up with Ryou Shishido in both the Kantō and Nationals tournaments. In both games they barely win their matches. Choutarou has a very fast serve called the Scud Serve, which can go up to 200 km/h. While the Scud Serve is virtually unreturnable, it has limited accuracy until it is overcome by training with Shishido. In the nationals, he redubs it the Neo Scud Serve, which goes up to 215 km/h and goes in every time. Each time he serves, he recites "Ikyuunyuukon"( 一球入魂), which translates to "one shot with all my soul".
At home, he practices with the piano and violin. He's known to be very emotional and sensitive, crying when he's confused or loses a match. He has a special bond with Shishido, which started as a respectful relationship between senpai-kouhai, and then developing as a strong friendship (Shishido even encourages Ohtori to surpass him). While Shishido calls him by his given name (which means in Japan a closer relationship), Ohtori keeps calling him with the respectful "Shishido-san".
He has appeared in all of the Shonen Jump popularity polls since his introduction. In the second poll, he came in 19th place. [1] In the third he came in 20th place [2], while he moved up to 16th place [3].
Stats
  • Birthday: February 14
  • Dominant Hand: Right
  • Play Style: Serve and Volley
  • Family: Grandmother, Parents, older sister

[edit] Wakashi Hiyoshi

(日吉 若 Hiyoshi Wakashi?), seiyū - Iwasaki Masami Musical Actor - Ryunosuke Kawaai

Hiyoshi uses an unorthodox style of tennis he dubs "Enbu Tennis", which combines martial arts with standard tennis. In the Kantō tournament, he ends up playing Ryoma and loses; in the Nationals he teams up with Gakuto and loses again. Hiyoshi's motto is "gekokujyou"(下克上) meaning "to defeat the greater and take his place". In the English manga 'gekokujyou' is translated as 'overthrow'. Hiyoshi is expected to be the next Hyotei captain after Atobe graduates.
In the fourth popularity poll for the series conducted by Shonen Jump, Hiyoshi came in 10th place. [3]
Stats
  • Birthday: December 5
  • Dominant Hand: Right
  • Play Style: Aggressive Baseliner
  • Family: Grandparents, parents, older brother

[edit] Munehiro Kabaji

(樺地 崇弘 Kabaji Munehiro?), seiyū - Tsuruoka Satoshi Musical Actor - Ryo Washimi

Kabaji is a powerful hitter with a strange ability: he can copy the moves of anyone he faces. In the Kantō tournament, his match against Takashi Kawamura ends in a draw when both players injure their hands using the Hadokyuu, a move Kabaji copies after seeing Kawamura use it. He later plays Tezuka in the Nationals and loses when he can't control a form of the State of Self-Actualization (Tezuka's Hyaku Ren Jitoku no Kiwami). Kabaji is almost always seen together with his captain, Keigo Atobe, whom he has known since childhood. He rarely speaks and answers Atobe's questions only with "usu" (roughly translated as "yeah"). Kabaji also shaves his hair after the quarterfinals either because of his loss or in sympathy for Atobe.
Kabaji has appeared in every single character popularity poll for the series run by Shonen Jump. He came in 31st in the first poll[4], and 33rd in the second poll [1]. He fell to 41st in the third poll [2], but he posted his highest ranking in the fourth poll, coming in 28th [3].
Stats
  • Birthday: January 3
  • Dominant Hand: Right
  • Play Style: Aggressive Baseliner
  • Family: Grandmother, Parents, younger sister

[edit] Non-Regulars

[edit] Haginosuke Taki

(滝 萩之介 Taki Haginosuke?)

First appeared in manga volume 14, chapter 118. Taki was a regular until he was dismissed from the lineup by Sakaki just before the Kantō Tournament for losing to Ryou Shishido, who at that time had been dropped from the regulars.
At the nationals, Taki seems to have a small role, telling the other players the speed of Sadaharu Inui's Waterfall. In the 14th OAV, however, Taki gets a chance to shine after Atobe's loss to Ryoma, volunteering to take on Atobe's "punishment" and get his own hair cut so Ryoma doesn't have to cut Atobe's. Atobe refuses Taki's offer and grabs Ryoma's electric razor, cutting his own hair right there.
In spite of his very small role in the story, Taki managed to come in 45th place in the fourth official character popularity poll. [3]

In several Prince of Tennis games, he is known as "Hyoutei's Magician."

Stats

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e Konomi, Takeshi (2003). "Genius 158", Prince of Tennis Vol. 18. Shueisha, 192. ISBN 4-08-873407-6. 
  2. ^ a b c d e Konomi, Takeshi (2006). "Genius 276", Prince of Tennis Vol. 33. Shueisha, 192. ISBN 4-08-874048-3. 
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Konomi, Takeshi (2007). "Genius 333", Prince of Tennis Vol. 38. Shueisha, 192. ISBN 978-4-08-874353-0. 
  4. ^ Konomi, Takeshi (2001). "Genius 83", Prince of Tennis Vol. 10. Shueisha, 184. ISBN 4-08-873162-X.