Ojo White Knights

Mascot: Knight with lance on horse.
Helmet logo: Blue shield with a white crucifix. Remarkably similar design to the Doshisha Wild Rover team in Japanese college football, although the Doshisha Wild Rover actually play in the Kansai region, rather than Kanto where ES21 is based.[1][2]
Team colors: White and blue - akin to the Indianapolis Colts' away kit.
Jerseys feature a lightning bolt across each shoulder.
Notes:
Ojo Private Senior High School resembles the Notre Dame Cathedral to indicate that the school has a long, proud American football tradition like the University of Notre Dame in the United States. Their team's chant is "Glory on the Kingdom!" The team coach is Gunpei Shoji, a man who played football with Doburoku when they were young. A pony-tailed girl named Koharu Wakana is the team manager.
The team is based on the old football maxim "Offense Wins Games, But Defense Wins Championships". If the opponent can be prevented from scoring, then only one point is needed to win. This is the direct opposite of the Deimon Devil Bats, in which ultimate offense is the best strategy. Hiruma: "If we can score 100 points to their 99 points (the number of points Ojo scored on their first game against Deimon), then one point is all we need to win."
Like Zokugaku, Ojo also has a university school, whose football team is the "Silver Knights". Currently, their players consist of the legendary "Golden Generation", known as the pinnacle of the ultimate defense and who came the closest to defeat the unstoppable Shinryuji Nagas during their time (prior to Deimon doing so this football season). However, it is questionable whether Ojou would lose to Shinryuji again with Ojou's strength during the Kanto Tournament (with the Ballista and Everest Pass and a dramatic improvement in the main four (Takami, Shin, Sakuraba, Otawara).


Players

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Seijuro Shin
Seiyū: Naoya Gomoto
Voice Actor: Crispin Freeman
Main article: Seijuro Shin

(進 清十郎 Shin Seijūrō) The ace linebacker of the Ojo White Knights American football team and Sena Kobayakawa's main rival. Known for his obsessive training habits and defensive power, he and Sena initially face off early in the Spring Tournament, where Sena gets a reality check on playing football while Shin discovers the true power of the Speed of Light Pace. After making a promise that they would meet again, he obsessively trained for their eventual rematch, which would not happen until the semi-finals of the Kantō tournament with the Christmas Bowl berth on the line.

Later on it was revealed that Shin is the reason why Hiruma recruited Sena on the team. Hiruma and the newly founded Deimon Devil Bats challenged Ojo White Knights to a practice game where Deimon lost badly with a score of 99-0. Dumbfounded by the outcome, Hiruma recognized Shin as being invincible but Shin responded by telling Hiruma that his weakness is a player that can run so fast that his Spear Tackle would be useless.

[edit]
Haruto Sakuraba
Seiyū: Mamoru Miyano
Voice Actor: Tony Oliver

(桜庭　春人 Sakuraba Haruto) A typical, good-looking pop idol (he has a CD single due to recording technology, despite the fact that he can't sing), he works in an advertising company called Jari Productions. When he was young, he used to watch sports all the time and dreamed of becoming a professional athlete. In high school, he managed to enter the team as a Wide Receiver after drawing much attention from the seniors due to his height; however, the coach, Shoji, was more interested in Shin. Shin soon surpassed Sakuraba, becoming the ace of the team. Sakuraba felt a little envious of Shin's success and achievements, and was disappointed with himself for not being able to soar to greater heights. He eventually became less interested in training and sports in general. One day, Miracle Ito of Jari Productions noticed him and decided that he would be a good model. Feeling wanted and pleased to be in the spotlight for once, Sakaruba agreed to work for him. Now, he is constantly misunderstood; because of his popularity, people mistake him for the genius of the Ojo team, and disregard the true ace, Shin. In fact, his football skills are mediocre at best, especially his catching ability.

Sakuraba always felt pressured to do well and to live up to assumptions people made about him. An accident in the Ojo vs. Deimon game changed it all, though: Sena, as Eyeshield 21, accidentally tackled Sakuraba while running, injuring him. The reason that Sakuraba was hit, even though he was not playing at that time, was that he ran onto the field to grab a card that Miracle Ito told him to wear as advertisement. In the hospital, after meeting Sena, Monta and his die-hard fan Torakichi, who admires Sakuraba for his catch in the game against Deimon the year before, he finally decides to stop being pessimistic and to succeed just as Shin has done. Just before the Fall tournament started, he decided to quit working with Jari Productions and focus on American football with the help of his friends after he heard Takami complimenting him and how he had waited for a friend like Sakuraba, someone like him who understood his predicaments. Before the opening ceremony, he cut his hair in a crew-cut style and started growing a goatee to show his renewed vigor in pursuing success in American football, much to the dismay of Miracle Ito, who had depended on Sakuraba's good looks to make money (although later he accept this, saying that his persona as sportsman actually gave the company more benefit than his persona as an idol, and that he must keep his good performance because of this). He also carries a wristband with the names of his teammates and Torakichi's signed on it, as a promise to carry it into the Christmas Bowl.

His skills as a wide receiver have rapidly improved and Sakuraba can now be considered a real ace. He was also complimented by Shoji as the player with "the strongest heart" in Ojo, and by Unsui as one of the big four in the wide-receiver battle (along with Ikkyū, Monta, and Tetsuma). As of now, Sakuruba joins Shin on defense to challenge Monta of the Devil Bats.

Currently, he has been recruited as a receiver for the Japanese Representative team. In chapter 318, the night before the America vs. Japan team, he is out on his balcony, looking for shooting stars, when "something more amazing" falls out from the room above: Sena. Sakuraba manages to catch him and pulls him back up on to his balcony. Sena quickly clears up that he was not doing suicide, but was actually practicing his Devil Light Hurricane and got carried away... quite literally. Sakuraba notices his uneasiness about facing Panther tomorrow, and tells him about how he had asked Shin all those months ago about how an average man was supposed to win. "An answer that only a man that struggled until the end can see... that's what I think."
40-yard-dash: 5.0 seconds, 4.92 seconds in Volume 11, 4.86 seconds in Volume 25
Bench-press: 50 kg, 70 kg in Volume 11
Position: Wide Receiver
Height: 186 cm(6'1.5")
Jersey Number: 18
2nd Year student (Grade 11)
The teams once nearly made a total loss to Sankaku Punks by 6-7, but thanks to Sakuraba's improved receiving skills, they dominated the rematch and won 82-0 in the fall tournament.

TECHNIQUES/STRATEGIES
Everest Pass - Sakuraba's height plays to his advantage as a receiver, especially since Ojo's quarterback Ichiro Takami is also tall. He launches the ball at a high angle over the field, in which Sakaurba leaps up to catch it. The pass is at such a great height that the opposing team can do little about it, even if they know where it will land. It's simply too high to intercept. However, this technique has a weakness since Sakuruba still relies on SEEING the incoming ball in order to catch it. Blocking his field of vision will stop him from properly receiving the pass. This weakness is evident as he is now unable to intercept passes meant for Monta, since the Deimon receiver can catch balls from behind his head, without even looking. Sakuraba cannot keep his eyes on the ball with Monta charging straight at him without turning around. His own attempt to copy the Devil Backfire is thwarted as Monta displayed his ability to catch a football with one hand.
Twin Tower Arrow - An advanced form of the Everest Pass, this technique combines the laser like passing strength of Hiruma or Clifford with the height of Takami and Sakuraba. Used during the world cup to defeat Tatanka's Human Dome, as the pass is so high, even he can't block it.
Sagittarius: A combination of Sakuraba's Everest Pass and Shin's Trident Tackle, the duo take a formation where Shin blocks any opponents approaching them (such as Sena and Monta) while Sakuraba reaches for Takami's pass. Unlike the Everest pass, Takami throws a short pass to prevent Monta from using the Devil Backfire to intercept. This strategy has its own weakness by dividing Shin's attention away from Sakaruba, causing Takami to change strategies, and making the quarterback vulnerable to sacks.

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Ichiro Takami
Seiyū: Kenji Hamada

(高見　伊知郎 Takami Ichirō) When Ichiro Takami entered the Ojo White Knights, his dream was to become a quarterback. However, a childhood leg injury left him unable to run as quickly as Otawara. After the coach told him he could not play due to this drawback, he decided to take on more training and study calculations for passing to other players. Finally, after his fourth year on the team, he officially became the team's quarterback for the Kantō Tournament. He is analytical and has some ability in reading the movements and strategies of opposing teams. His passes are done with precision and accuracy, though they are not on the same level as Hiruma's or Kid's. He has a recurring gag, where his glasses would always show cross-hairs whenever he drops back for a pass, satirizing his analytical side and accuracy. It has been recently revealed that he had been waiting for someone like Sakuraba to be his Wide Receiver, since both of them are tall, and are able to use that fact to compensate for their shortcomings, (ie: Takami's slow running, and Sakuraba's lack of drive and feelings of inadequacy). Together, they develop the Everest Pass.

With the rematch between Deimon and Ojo approaching, he has worked with the team to perfect the Ballista, using it in match against the former "Golden Generation". However, Hiruma is trying to find a way around it, even sabotaging a game show at the Ojo school festival to get answers from him! While Shin stepped in to save him at the last minute, Takami still believes the Ballista is what makes Ojo undefeatable in the tournament. What Takami doesn't know is that Hiruma had already read over the summary of the Ballista tactic, and that he and Doburoku are planning something in preparation for the game against Ojo. With the score 13-6 in favor of the White Knights, Takami realizes that he'd have to match Hiruma in terms of drive and mind games if he hopes to win.

With the start of the second half, he becomes a bit rattled. The Deimon players begin to fight back, as Monta and Hiruma intercept a touchdown pass meant for Sakuraba and display a new technique, the Devil Backfire, which effectively stops the tall receiver from intercepting.

Later, Takami faced his own dilemma as his team was forced to down the ball only a few yards from their own goal line. Due to Hiruma's goading and the position of the ball, it was very possible for Deimon to score a touchdown, should Ojo lose control of it. Takami decided to try for the Sagittarius, but at the start of the play, Sena rushed in to blitz him. Shin was able to stop Eyeshield from sacking him, thereby allowing Takami to attempt the Everest Pass, with no one covering Sakaruba. The Ojo quarterback then realized that he had fallen for Hiruma's trick as Monta also comes in for the blitz. Monta dives in at his feet, taking advantage of Takami's lack of speed. Unable to avoid him, Takami goes down in his team's end zone, resulting in a safety and a turnover. The score is now 20-15 in favor of the White Knights, with Deimon getting back the ball.

During Deimon's final gamble with no time left on the clock, he is fooled by the Killer Hornet, where Hiruma exercises reverse psychology upon Takami (he thought that Hiruma would keep the ball away from Sena, as it would obvious, but Hiruma gave Eyeshield 21 the ball anyways). The game came to a climax as Sena finally beats Shin's Trident Tackle and scores, ending the White Knights' bid for a chance to play in the Christmas Bowl. At the end of the game, Takami elects Shin as the new team captain of the White Knights. He then goes off to the restroom to cry over his final game and the lost chance to play in the Christmas Bowl.

At this point, he and the other White Knights became spectators at the Kanto Tournament Finals. He has also decided to go to a medical school, because of the scar on his leg, he wants to help others with the same problems.

In the first game against Russia of the Youth Football Cup, Takami and the others are given uniforms by Agon, while the other uniforms for the original starting players were hid by Agon. Takami demonstrates that even a team of players who didn't pass the tryouts and make it on the original starting team could start a fair chance against the Russia team. After making consecutive touchdowns, however, the going starts to get rough, when Russia's Rodchenko begins to defeat the cooperation plays of Onihei and company with his world-record strength and sacks Takami.


40-yard-dash: 5.7 seconds
Bench-press: 85 kg
Position: Quarterback
Height: 192cm (6'3+3/4")
Jersey Number: 3
3rd Year Student (Grade 12)

TECHNIQUES/STRATEGIES
Everest Pass - See Sakuraba's entry. Takami came up with this strategy to compensate for his slow speed by using both his height and Sakaruba's to make an extremely high pass that is almost impossible to intercept. However, in addition to the receiver's weakness with the Devil Backfire, the pass also suffers from the same flaws as the Nasa Aliens' Space Shuttle Pass. It takes a bit longer to initiate, thereby leaving Takami open to blitzes, and it is further compounded with his lack of speed, making him especially vulnerable to being sacked.
Ballista - See Shin's entry. Takami is, like Hiruma, a cunning player (in 215th Down he is described as using "black tactics" while pushing up glasses- a reference to One Piece's Captain Kuro). He seems to tell the Bats about which way the play will go, but all he's really saying is which way the Ballista will go - the ball doesn't necessarily go the same. This is revealed with the second Ballista play, when Takami says "The Ballista will be released to the right", conning the Bats' defense into following the call - while Takami sets ready for a pass to Sakuraba on the left. Hiruma figures it out just as the Knights' passer is letting fly with an Everest pass to Sakuraba - who is being covered by the diminutive Monta, whom Hiruma calls out to. Monta is unable to stop Sakaruba, but Hiruma almost manages to push the Ojo receiver out of bounds.
Though not a technique, it seems he is able to translate from English to Japanese and vice versa, as seen when Panther comes to challenge Shin in chapter 81, yet had no means of understanding (and having Shin understand) him until Takami arrived with Sakuraba, Wakana and Ootowara.

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Makoto Ōtawara
Seiyū: Kenji Nomura
Voice Actor: Patrick Seitz

(大田原誠 Ōtawara Makoto) A large lineman for the White Knights, with huge frame, muscles and ego. Ōtawara is a very loud and brash person, who always says what's on his mind, in spite of the fact there's not much up there to begin with. He has a flatulence problem, and makes no effort to hide it. Ōtawara doesn't even notice when his pants fall off (usually with many spectators present), even when Takami Ichirō (Ojo's quarterback) tells him about it, he doesn't even feel embarrassed. And he seems to have difficulty telling the difference between the Japanese Katakana "ヘ" (he) and the number "7". Furthermore, he has a bad habit of picking his nose in front of people. As Shōji, the White Knight's coach puts it, Ōtawara is plain stupid, and even he admits it freely. However, Ōtawara can be very insightful, which genuinely shocks just about everyone. Outside of football, Ōtawara was a reigning local sumo champion, but lost to Komusubi in a match not due to power or strength...but because he forgot to put on his outfit, exposing himself to the entire audience.

Despite all this, Ōtawara is the captain of the Ojo defence and leads the team in the huddle. His overall power and simplistic way of doing things makes him perfect for the line, both on offense and defense. When he's really motivated, he could rip apart two opposing rookies. In spite of how crude he can be, he's a nice guy at heart, though he is the epitome of the dumb jock. Always competing with Kurita, Ōtawara usually ends up on the short end of the stick, thanks to Kurita's drive.

During the game with the Sado Strong Golems, it was revealed that he too has been training to increase his speed in order to use his strength and bulk more effectively (though it took Shōji a week to explain the principle to him). Ōtawara is now able to smash through the stoutest of opponents like a battering ram. Like Shin is with Sena, Ōtawara is looking forward to his rematch against Kurita, who had defeated him in a personal contest of strength during the Spring Tournament.

During the second half of the game against Deimon, he and Ikari are used to block Monta from receiving since Sakuraba was unable to stop the Devil Backfire technique. However, Monta easily caught the ball anyway and with Sena's help, got through the two linemen and scored Deimon's first touchdown.

After Deimon scores with a minute left, the realization of the possible end of Ojo's Christmas Bowl hope awakens the beast within, making him lash out against anyone and everyone on Deimon's side and wearing them down as seconds tick away in the game. The touchdown made by Shin and the squib kick Ōtawara made during Deimon's final drive seemed to clinch the match. However, this was not to be, as he is confounded by Hiruma's Killer Hornet tactic and Sena getting past Shin to score the final points. He was last seen shedding tears and hugging Kurita as this was his final season.

However, he does make a reappearance after the Hakushū/Seibu game. When Hiruma and the Devil Bats "borrow" the Tokyo dome for a game of baseball, Ōtawara is one of the people called in to fill in the rosters. In true Ōtawara style, he eventually misplaces his pants, and ends up nude from the waist down.

In congratulation party for Deimon's winning of Kantou tournament,he shows up and take participation in punishment game... by blowing the punishment balloon with his fart.

In the latest chapter he is a personal training coach for Komusubi, Otowara shown flipping over Komusubi while sumo wrestling each other.

He was named as a starter for Team Japan, playing the three technique position, which suits him due to his better speed but lower power than Gaou, the starting Nose Tackle.
40-yard-dash: 5.4 seconds initially, most likely faster by the time of the Fall Season.
Position: Lineman
Bench-press: 135 kg, 140 kg in Volume 11, 145 kg (230th Down)
Jersey Number: 60
3rd Year Student (Grade 12)

TECHNIQUES/STRATEGIES
Squib Kick - Used on the final play of the game against the Devil Bats, Otowara kicks the ball at an extremely low angle in an attempt to keep Deimon from returning it for a touchdown. The ball is caught by Monta, then passed on to Sena with the Killer Hornet.
Defensive/Offensive Charge - In order to make use of his bulk and strength more effectively, Otowara trained to increase his speed, (though he didn't understand the principle behind it and it took Shōji a week to explain it).


Daigo Ikari
Seiyū: Eiji Takemoto

(猪狩 大吾 Ikari Daigo) Otherwise know as the ultra delinquient, "Prison Chain Ikari." A silver-haired freshman on the White Knights team, plays mostly on the defensive line with Ootawara. Ikari is kept chained up because irrational behavior, which is mainly because he takes A LOT of pride being part of Ojou High. He has absolutely no respect toward the graduated 'Golden Generation' members, since he never played with them. Managed to get himself ejected from his first game against the Sankaku Punks by attacking their coach, who had just insulted Sakuraba. In fact up to the semifinal against Deimon, he never played a single down, never mind a game, because of his anger problems. However, he does have great respect for Shoji, White Knights' coach. During the celebration party after the White Knights' first victories in the Kantō Tournament, he gets very competitive against Kurita and the Devil Bats, after seeing him eat 20 servings in almost no time at all. This makes him order 30 servings on the spot. The two teams get involved in an eating contest, in which they had to consume 500 servings each. The losers had to foot the bill. The White Knights lost, but luckily it was an all-you-can-eat buffet.

Ikari finally gets to play in the game between Ojo and Deimon; Shin has brought forth the idea that the Knights throw everything they've got at the Bats - including this nutter. Prior to this game, he finally broke free of his chains (without any help or keys AT ALL), being allowed to play alongside the other White Knights in their climactic showdown.

Indeed, on the very first play of the Ojo-Deimon game, in which Sena's running the opening kickoff back, Ikari pre-empts Shin's Trident tackle with a tackle of his own - resembling Kenshiro's fighting style, specifically the Hokuto Hyaku Retsu Ken (ironically, as some believe that Shin himself was based on the Fist of the North Star hero). However, when the play was blown dead, Ikari wasn't done - he charged headlong for Sena again to finish him off. Had it not been for Jūmonji, the Bats lineman (and the Hah Hah Bros' leader) blocking him, Sena would have been history.

The power in Ikari's blocked attack ignited a memory in Jūmonji. He knew Daigo Ikari previously, by a different moniker: "Prison Chain" Ikari. Back in his middle-school days, Ikari was famous as a vicious individual - he wore a thick chain over his shoulder, and was so intimidating nobody would even dare approach him. Ikari claimed at this point that he never once provoked a fight in his four years at Ojo - which turned out to be totally false; he almost never did anything else, thanks to his over-sensitive tempers. He spent more time suspended from school than anything else - but when he heard about Ojo's Golden Generation heading to Ojo University, and a side-comment about the White Knights turning into a poor team, he joined the side.

As previously stated, his white-hot temper has meant he's not played a single down - until the Deimon-Ojo semifinal; and now he's in the lineup, he can finally show what he can do. And what a devastating effect he has: in the first play from scrimmage, he brushed Jūmonji aside after his North Star-style attack, burst through to Hiruma and slammed him into the turf. It looked as if the Devil Bat quarterback had been sacked, but Hiruma did not have the ball when he was tackled. He had already seen Ikari attacking and threw a short pass, resulting in a 1-yard gain.

Throughout the remainder of the game, Ikari spends most of the time brawling with Jūmonji on the field, and had assisted in several key plays. In the end, his first game proved to be his last for the season as the Devil Bats win in the final second. He is later seen as a spectator during the Kanto Finals, back in chains again.
Position:Defensive Lineman
Jersey Number: 66
Bench-press: 120 kg
Ikari shares the same jersey number as a famous NFL linebacker, Ray Nitschke of the Green Bay Packers
Like he doesn't look insane enough already, he wears eye-black in the shape of lightning bolts, like on the Ojo jersey.

TECHNIQUES/STRATEGIES
Hokuto Hyaku Retsu Ken - not given its name in ES21 yet but it is, for all intents and purposes, Kenshiro's very own Hundred Crack Fist of the North Star stuck on the end of a charging run. This technique is very reckless and causes Ikari to be so focused on stopping an opposing player, that he loses sight of the ball. This is also useless against the Devil Bat Ghost.


Other Teammates
Hikaru Itadaki
Position: Tight End
Jersey Number: 16
Shun Kankazi
Position: Receiver
Jersey Number: 83
Keisuke Nekoyama
Position: Running Back
Jersey Number: 32
Shoichi Mayumura
Position: Running Back
Jersey Number: 38
Reiji Kagamido
Position: Offensive Lineman
Jersey Number: 52
Atsuo Iwabana
Position: Offensive Lineman
Jersey Number: 62
Yoshinori Agota
Position: Offensive Lineman
Jersey Number: 78
Eiji Suzuki
Position: Offensive Lineman
Jersey Number: 57
Kyohei Yakumaru
Position: Linebacker
Jersey Number: 35
Takaya Gushiken
Position: Linebacker
Jersey Number: 51
Rintaro Tsuyashima
Position: Cornerback
Jersey Number: 22
Bench: 75 kg
Hiroyuki Iguchi
Position: Cornerback
Jersey Number: 25
Tadashi Tsurime
Position: Safety
Jersey Number: 15
Sota Nakawaki
Position: Safety
Jersey Number: 33
Bench: 90 kg
Naoki Uemura
Position: Defensive Lineman
Jersey Number: 92
Yorihiro Watanabe
Position: Defensive Lineman
Jersey Number: 70



Coaches & Assistants


Gunpei Shōji
Seiyū: Tetsuo Komura

(庄司軍平 Shōji Gunpei) Shōji is the head coach and trainer of the Ojo White Knights. He sometimes wears a hat that bears a resemblance to a look sported by legendary NFL headcoach Tom Landry. During his years in university, he had been an ace player for his football team, along with Deimon's trainer Doburoku. Together, they were known at the Twin Japanese Blades. Unlike his former teammate, Shōji had avoided seriously injuring himself during the Death March Training. He's a harsh but fair coach and he firmly believes that victory can only be achieved through ultimate defense. He had immediately recognized Shin's potential and had instructed the upper classmen of the team to make certain that Shin was not recruited by any other clubs. At present, he believes that the current team of White Knights is the strongest ever. This was proven true as Ojo White Knights toppled the Ojo Silver Knights, with their Golden Generation, using Takami's new tactic, the Ballista (20-3). They managed to scores a clean sheet from touchdowns during that game, and during the tournament up until they get defeated by the Deimon Devilbats.

Though he and Doburoku are now on opposite sides of the field and are now facing each other as rivals, both still hold great respect toward one another. The two meet on the field prior to the game, in which their teams will face each other in the semi-finals, and both reminisce on their past and how far the Devil Bats and the White Knights have come to get to this point. With the Devil Bats becoming more tenacious in the 2nd half of the game, Shōji changed the defensive patterns and player assignments in order to prevent Deimon from gaining more points, but the White Knights were being hard-pressed to keep their lead. Near the end, Shōji commented that Doburoku had raised a good team, whereby his old friend denies this, stating that the Devil Bats had grown all on their own, and that he was just in the way. This statement proved true as the Devil Bats came from behind to win with the Killer Hornet tactic and Sena getting past Shin.

With the White Knights' season over, and Shin being elected as the new team captain, Shōji approves of his linebacker's goal to surpass Sena in the following year as this will make him stronger.
Position: Coach/Trainer

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Koharu Wakana
Seiyū: Sakenobe Mika

(若菜小春 Wakana Koharu) Wakana is the manager and assistant to Gunpei and the Ojo White Knights. She's known for recording most of the football games and catching thrown garbages with a trash bin. She seems to developed a friendship with fellow member Takami and Deimon's Mamori and Suzuna. It was said that she actually became manager to avoid working in her parents in grocery store.

Deimon Devils Bats

The Deimon Devil Bats (泥門デビルバッツ Deimon Debiru Battsu?) is a fictional American football team, composed of the protagonists of the anime and manga series Eyeshield 21. The team is from the fictional Deimon Private Senior High School (私立泥門高等学校 Shiritsu Deimon Kōtōgakkō?). At the beginning of the series, the club has only two members, Yoichi Hiruma and Ryokan Kurita, who are joined by Sena Kobayakawa, codename "Eyeshield 21". Over the course of the series, the Devil Bats acquire new members and gradually improve as they move toward their goal of playing in the Christmas Bowl, the high school American football championship of Japan. This team is closely based on the Philadelphia Eagles and the Arizona Cardinals where their uniforms are similar to the Devil Bats and both of the teams reached the NFC Final in 2008 as underdogs.Contents [hide]
1 Team information
2 Team history
3 Coach
3.1 Doburoku Sakaki
4 Players
4.1 Sena Kobayakawa
4.2 Yoichi Hiruma
4.3 Ryokan Kurita
4.4 Taro Raimon, a.k.a Monta
4.5 The Ha-Ha Brothers
4.6 Manabu Yukimitsu
4.7 Daikichi Komusubi
4.8 Tetsuo Ishimaru
4.9 Yohei Satake
4.10 Kenta Yamaoka
4.11 Futoshi Omosadake
4.12 Natsuhiko Taki
4.13 Gen "Musashi" Takekura
5 Manager
5.1 Mamori Anezaki
6 Cheerleader
6.1 Suzuna Taki
7 Mascots
8 References



Team information
Logo/Mascot
Red Devil Bat, a nonexistent creature with devil horns and tail. The Devil Bat frequently appears in omakes, sometimes along with a more innocent-looking bat, Little Devibat.
Uniform
The jerseys are red with white numbers. The pants are a very light shade of beige. Helmets are black with a white facemask, and adorned with red bat wings inspired by the helmets of the Philadelphia Eagles.[1] There is also an alternate away uniform, with white, red-lined jerseys that strongly resemble the Arizona Cardinals away jersey. In the Kanto Tournament, the jerseys change, gaining black streaks on the sides resembling bat wings, and the numbers are instead black with white outlines. This change does not occur in the anime.
Team Chant

"Kill'em! YA-HA!" (ブッツブス!YA-HA!! Buttsubusu! YA-HA!!?) in the anime and "Bukkorosu! YA-HA!!" (ブッコロス!YA-HA!!?) in the manga.
Play style
Deimon plays a high-octane offense and a lot of gadget routines, due to the preferences of team captain Hiruma. Initially, due to their lacking a kicker, Deimon is at a disadvantage in low scoring games early in the story because of their inability to score extra points, so scoring more touchdowns than the opponent is the only way to win. However, this philosophy continues for the team even after the kicker Musashi reunites with his teammates. Due to lack of numbers, the Bats' squad play both sides of the ball, but even when on defense, the Devil Bats rely heavily on big plays such as turnovers to take the ball from their opponents and gain more chances to score, rather than halting their opponents' efforts. They frequently use high-risk trick plays, which have a surprisingly high success rate due to the players dedicating themselves heart and soul to such plays.


Team history

The Deimon Devil Bats are the high school reincarnation of the Mao Devil Bats, which had only three members: Yoichi Hiruma, Ryokan Kurita, and Gen "Musashi" Takekura. After its inaugural year, its membership was further reduced with the departure of Gen Takekura. This remains the case until Hiruma discovers Sena Kobayakawa and his amazing running ability.

Coach

Doburoku Sakaki

Sakaki Doburoku (酒奇 溝六?)
Voiced by: Shōichiro Akaboshi

Statistics:
Position: Manager/Trainer

Doburoku Sakaki first appears during the Beach football match in the United States. He was a coach to Hiruma, Musashi, and Kurita, and taught them how to play American football. Doburoku loves drinking sake; he has many different gourds, all of which look the same, but each contains a different kind of alcoholic beverage.

He later ran off to the United States since he owed some loan sharks two million yen after gambling. He intended to look for talented people in America to play American football, but got into Beach football instead, training a team called Too Tattoos, who became better after undergoing his strict training regimens. After Hiruma gambles in Las Vegas, and pays off Doburoku's debts, he becomes the Deimon Devil Bat's coach and personal trainer.

He and Ojo's trainer and coach, Gunpei Shoji, were teammates at Sengoku University's American football team, and were known as "The Twin Japanese Blades", where he played as a tight end. Back then, the both of them participated in the Death March, with Shoji being on the offense line and Doburoku specializing in defense; Doburoku's philosophy, which was maybe passed on to Hiruma, was that the offense was the most important. However, after their other teammates gave up during the last 200 or so kilometers of the Death March, Doburoku overexerted himself in pushing the truck, resulting in an unrecoverable injury on his right knee.

Fearing that the Devil Bats might also ruin their potential athletic careers, he did not want the Devil Bats to undergo the Death March. However, he was quite amazed in their determination to do so and also for them being the only team to complete the Death March.

Despite being a good coach, he would sometimes rely on Hiruma for advice and final decisions. In the last quarter of the semifinal match between Ojo and Deimon, his philosophy of the ultimate offense clashes with Shoji's philosophy of the ultimate defense. When Shoji comments that Doburoku has raised a good team, the Devil Bats' trainer denies this, stating that the team had grown all on their own and that he is only in the way.

Doburoku has commented that he has never washed his clothes and has worn the same clothes for three years. Also, when he returned back to Japan, he started work as the school's janitor, however, his salary went into Hiruma's account, where it will be used for maintenance and improvisations for the team.

Doburoku still tends to gamble as he wagers a million yen on Deimon's victory over the Nagas with the odds of 170 to 1. Though he becomes a millionaire after their win, he is once again put into debt when he bets his winnings on the Taiyo Sphinx to win against the Hakushū Dinosaurs, where the Sphinx are forced to forfeit during half-time.


Players


Sena Kobayakawa

Sena Kobayakawa a.k.a Eyeshield 21 (小早川 瀬那 Kobayakawa Sena?)
Voiced by: Miyu Irino (Japanese), Yuri Lowenthal (English)
Main article: Sena Kobayakawa

The main character of Eyeshield 21. Initially a bullied gofer, his speed was discovered by Hiruma as he was literally forced into joining the football team at Deimon. However, he soon grows to love the game he plays as he masters both the Speed of Light Pace and further techniques as he gains the confidence to become a successful player. At different times throughout the anime and the manga, he will often, through emotions, tap into the Speed of Light Pace, but the problem with this is, every time he does that, he will often overextend himself, causing himself to faint. As time went on, he gets to the point where he can run the Speed of Light Pace at will.

Techniques and strategies

Speed of Light Pace - The ability to run 40 yds in 4.2 seconds. Gained from running errands for 10 years.
Devilbat Ghost - The ability to disillusion the opponent into thinking that he is in front of them. Learned when doing the death march.
Multiple Ghost - Learned by imitating Yamato's steps at the Christmas Bowl, it is just like it sounds- creating 3-5 multiple ghosts to confused several players.
Devilbat Dive - Jumping over the opponent and then spinning down like a rocket into the endzone.
Spin - Spinning around an opponent so they cannot block. Learned the first day of practice.
Devilbat Hurricane - Spinning around an opponent when using the 'Devilbat Ghost'. Learned when playing against Kyoshin Posiedons.
Devilbat Stun-Gun - Even without much arm strength, using his speed as power Sena can strike the enemy hard with his arms. Combos with Ghost on offense.
Fourth Dimension Run - Running straight at the opponent and taking a step back at the last second. Learned when playing in the Christmas Bowl.(manga only)


Yoichi Hiruma

Hiruma Yōichi (蛭魔　妖一?)
Voiced by: Atsushi Tamura (Japanese), Derek Stephen Prince (English)
Main article: Yoichi Hiruma

The twisted quarterback of the Devil Bats, who is deeper than his demonic face may appear. He even carries multiple amount of guns and a homicidal dog named Cerberus. He is cold and calculating on the field, never falling for tricks or mind games that his enemies may attempt. Though he acts cruel and a little crazy, he really does care about his teammates and friends. He is clever at calculating, always coming up with a maverick of a plan to pull the team out of dire straits. He is also very brilliant, and is the first member of the "Deimon's Smart Trio". Along with Kurita and Musashi, he is the one of the founders of the Devil Bats. His skill as a quarterback are highly recognized, even by Shin, including passes with incredibly high RPMs as well as executing extremely convincing play action fakes. Because he has worked with a poor defensive line in his earlier days on the team, he is very good at dodging and feinting incoming tacklers. His specialty off the field is a combination of blackmail and mind games along with superior intellect which has effectively allowed him to take control of all of Deimon High, including the faculty.

There have been several allusions to Hiruma being similar to a demon. These include his dog's name, his fondness for heat, his constantly present fangs and pointy ears (undoubtedly a comparison to horns), a general theme of Hell in his training methods, and his love of violence, explosives, and firearms (which he'll use at a moment's notice).

Techniques and strategies

Devil Laser Bullet - A high speed pass Hiruma throws that resembles a laser.
Wishbone - A play conducted by Hiruma where the offense all run forward and block, or pass, for whoever has the ball.


Ryokan Kurita

Kurita Ryōkan (栗田　良寛?) Ryokan Kurita
Voiced by: Kōichi Nagano, Masato Amada (jump fiesta)

Statistics:
Position: Center / Defensive Tackle/ Long snapper
Jersey: 77
40 yard dash: 6.5 seconds (faster, since intense training)
Bench Press: 160 kg(352 lb) (most likely increase after training with Banba and match with Hakushū)
Weight: 145 kg (319 lb)
Birthday: July 7
Graduated From: Mao 13th Middle School
2nd Year Student (Grade 11)

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 (in the manga, he did it by electrocuting Kurita with a stun gun, whereas in the anime, he simply did so by tossing the much-larger teammate contradictory to Kurita's overall weight). 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 all his previous earnings 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.

During Teikoku's match, his strength is important in ensures Deimon's 2 point conversions.

Two years later, Kurita has entered Enma College. Along with Unsui, he attempted to recruit new team members using methods Hiruma used at Deimon. He's thrilled when he learns that Monta, Sazuna, and Sena have followed him to Enma.
Techniques and strategies
Kuri-Hammer - When he dives for a fumble, he crushes other players under him, which sometimes include fellow teammates.
Zone Blitz - 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. During Teikoku's match, he almost succeeded, but failed since he's using too much strength to catch the ball (although he successfully crushed Sano, that becoming the target pass).
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. This is also used for breaking through the defensive line of the Alexanders for two-point conversions, since no one on the opposing team can match Kurita's drive and overall raw power.
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.


Taro Raimon, a.k.a Monta

Raimon Tarō / Monta (雷門　太郎 / モンタ?)
Voiced by: Yamaguchi Kappei
Main article: Monta (Eyeshield 21)

Statistics:
Position: Wide Receiver Split end / Cornerback
Jersey: 80
40 yard dash: 5.0 (as of the start of the Kantou tournament)

The primary wide receiver of the Deimon Devil Bats. Although he is short in stature, he has remarkable skill in catching. He is observant, recognizing Sena as Eyeshield 21 the first time he saw Eyeshield 21 in person during a practice. Monta was originally a member of the baseball team, where he was an effective fielder due to his intense focus on catching. However, he was cursed with terrible throwing abilities (to almost impossible degrees, sometimes), making him fail to be on even the backup lineup for the club. When the baseball team explained that they needed balanced players, Monta is approached by Sena and decides to pursue his dream of becoming a master catcher as a football player instead. He is best known for always going into a pose after a catch while yelling "CATCH MAX!" He also adds "Max" to nearly anything he describes while excited or determined. His nickname is Monta, which was initially a mistake by Sena, but later accepted when Hiruma tells Taro that the name "Monta" is a play on the name Joe Montana (though Hiruma later admits that was just a fib). He is Hiruma's primary receiving target on the field, and one of Sena's closest friends on the team. During the second game against Oujou, Raimon discovered his own special ability, the Devil Back-Fire, which his ability to predict Hiruma's passes due to trajectory and wind interference. This gives him the ability to rush forward at his target, keeping his attention focused and prepared for any tricks, then catch passes from behind him. As a former baseball player, he also has a talent for catching with one hand when necessary.


The Ha-Ha Brothers
Main article: The Ha-Ha Brothers
Kazuki Jumonji (十文字 一輝 Jūmonji Kazuki?)
Koji Kuroki (黒木 浩二 Kuroki Kōji?)
Shozo Togano (戸叶 庄三 Toganō Shōzō?)
Voiced by:
Japanese - Takanori Hoshino (Jūmonji Kazuki), Masami Iwasaki (Kuroki Kōji), Takeshi Maeda (Toganō Shōzō)
English - Kirk Thornton (Jūmonji Kazuki), Lex Lang (Kuroki Kōji), Liam O'Brien (Toganō Shōzō)

Three bullies initially bossed around Sena on their first day at Deimon. They joined the team because of Hiruma's blackmailing. When they try to get back at them, they are unexpectedly recruited to become linemen for the football team, eventually sticking with the team to prove their toughness both to their superiors as well as to their opponents. They are notably poor and inexperienced at the game when they start out, but their eagerness to prove themselves makes them train vigorously and prove to be very capable linemen. Their nickname is from their weird habit of expression, with each one of the trio saying "Ha!?", progressively louder in sequence. Their jersey numbers are: Jumonji - #51, Kuroki - #52, and Togano - #53.


Manabu Yukimitsu

Yukimitsu Manabu (雪光 学?)
Voiced by: Masaru Hōta

Statistics:
Position: Wide Receiver/Special Teams
Jersey: 16
40 yard dash: 5.5 seconds (most likely faster after Tetsuma training)
Bench Press: Unknown
Height: 179 cm (5' 10")
Weight: 67 kg (147 lb)
Blood Type: A
Birthday: February 29
Graduated From: Deimon 3rd Middle School (Same as Monta)
2nd Year Student (Grade 11)
Nickname: The Ambusher

Yukimitsu is the bench player of the Deimon Devil Bats. He makes his first appearance after watching the Zokugaku vs Deimon exhibition match. He has a big forehead with a prominent widow's peak, which appears consistent with the first signs of male pattern baldness. He initially combs his hair back, emphasising this even more. His mother wants him to be a studious person and makes him study from day till night in addition to going to cram school (even his name means "learn"). Yukimitsu has missed many festivals and games throughout his childhood and youth, and regrets it terribly. After watching the match between Zokugaku and Deimon, he decides to join the American Football club to fulfill his dreams; to be a winner, to be part of a game, rather than studying all day. He wanted to have sweet memories of his high school that didn't have anything to do with studying, even if he just played once.

Yukimitsu was able to pass Hiruma's "Tower of Hell" qualifying test only by Hiruma's pity. He's usually sitting on the bench; supporting the main players and waiting for a chance to play with them. A couple of times, he has inadvertently inspired plays, such as the tactic of neutralizing the Shuttle Pass with the Nasa Aliens, (when Cerberus bit his wrist), which gave Sena the idea of tackling the muscular and well-built American quarterback by the arm, rather than the midsection. Though not physically fit, Yukimitsu has a talent for memorizing plays and pass routes. He is the third member of the "Deimon's Smart Trio", with Mamori and Hiruma. He trains just as hard, if not harder, than everyone else. At one point during the Death March in America, Yukimitsu nearly gave up and was in danger of being cut from the team (he collapsed from exhaustion). However, thanks to Sena, he was able to muster up the courage to complete the Death March (Sena carried him for a short period of time, then Yukimitsu thanked him and even re-ran the segment where Sena had carried him!). He also helped Natsuhiko study for his entrance exam into Deimon, where he discovered that Suzuna's brother could learn things by associating them with football.

Though he wasn't chosen as a regular at the start of the Fall Tournament, he finally begins to play when the Devil Bats had to face against the Shinryuji Nagas. He was initially thought of as a joke, but that was all according to Hiruma's scheme. Though he lacks Hiruma's animal cunning, Yukimitsu's mind is a force to be reckoned with. Combing his hair forward between the start of Fall Tournament and the Shinryuji game (notably de-emphasising his apparent baldness), he was the first to score a touchdown against the Nagas, defeating both Ikkyu and Agon to do so. As of now, he is part of the offensive line for Deimon's pass strategies. Determined as he is to succeed with the Devil Bats, Yukimitsu has yet to tell his overbearing mother that he's on the team, much less playing in the Fall Tournament.

At the start of the game against Ojo, Yukimitsu is put into play early. This is a surprise to everyone since he never had enough stamina to last throughout an entire game. In chapter 229, he finally makes a catch that resulted in 2-yards. However, near the end of the 4th quarter, his lack of overall stamina finally catches up to him, causing him to collapse on the field, and consequently taken out of the remainder of the game. As Deimon becomes battered in the final seconds of the game with Ojo approaching the goal line, Sena is sent off with a bloody nose and Hiruma needs to choose a replacement. Based on Yukimitsu's peerless determination and will, Hiruma chooses him and sends him back out where he faces off against Shin. Completely unable to stop Shin's drive to the end zone, Yukimitsu realizes Ojos plan at the last second -to score exactly as the timer reaches zero- and instead pushes Shin from behind, forcing him to make the touchdown with 1 second remaining and giving the Devil Bats one last chance to catch up. His strength exhausted, he then leaves the field as Sena comes back on for the final play.

During the finals of the Kanto Tournament, Yukimitsu is surprised at Deimon's win over the Dinosaurs and is overjoyed that he will be participating in the Christmas Bowl. During the ceremonial party, he found out that her mother already found about his football activity, but instead chew him, she became proud of him, thanks to Hiruma convincing her (disguised as homereoom teacher) to let him play, since it will look good on his CV.

During coaching with Tetsuma, he was told by Kid and Tetsuma to keep his track on his pass route no matter what, despite got hard pressed or having low physical stats.

During the Christmas bowl against Teikoku, Yukimitsu doesn't get any passes towards him, instead he is only use to force Teikoku use a defensive player on him. During the last five minutes of the game, Yamato learns to stop Sena 4th Dimension run, forcing Hiruma to come up with a new play. The next play, Teikoku blitz against Deimon, and Yamato manages to tackle Hiruma but just before he hit the ground, he threw a pass across the field without being able to see, and having faith in Yukimitsu being in place, the weakest member of Deimon catches the pass and manages to do a touch down as his first catch of the Christmas bowl

TECHNIQUES/STRATEGIES
Option Route - Yukimitsu's main skill lies in the ability to calculate the positions of the opposing team members and where they are going to run, in relation to where Hiruma can throw the ball, allowing him to instantly choose the place to receive the pass. His many years of studying allow him to make snap judgements as to which option to take.
In-motion - Before the actual play begins, a player behind scrimmage can move anywhere as long as it is behind scrimmage. This was useful for trick play and confusing enemies. He once helps Deimon lines to break through the center of Shinryuji defense using this (although only slightly, but thanks to him, they win in numbers).
Pass Routes - After training with Tetsuma, he manages to improve his stamina and physical condition to be able to covering any pass routes given to him. Even though he got hard pressed and did not manage to catch a single pass, his presence alone can force opposition to spare defensive players to cover him, makes the other teammates can catch the pass.


Daikichi Komusubi

Komusubi Daikichi (小結 大吉?)
Voiced by: Hidenori Sakaki

Statistics:
Position: Offensive Guard/Defensive Tackle
Jersey: 55
40 yard dash: 5.2 seconds
Bench Press: 110 kg (242lbs)
Height: 150 cm(4' 11")
Weight: 64 kg (140 lb)
Blood Type: AB
Birthday: January 1
Graduated From: Gōremu Middle School
1st Year Student (Grade 10)

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 Zokugaku exhibition 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 2 am to go training. He does not talk much, and apparently speaks (and writes!) only in "Power-Go," or 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, though it was only once), though the truly powerful men comprehend long and detailed spews of meaning from a simple grunt of "hot!" or "suddenly!"

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.

Later in the match against Teikoku, Daikichi tackles Tenma but does not succeed in forcing an out-of-bounds because of Yamato. But it appears that Tenma has stepped on the line and the referee did not count the touchdown. Daikichi was also instrumental in aiding his fellow teammates to stop Yamato from blocking Musashi's game-winning field goal.

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.


Tetsuo Ishimaru

Ishimaru Tetsuo (石丸 哲生?)
Voiced by: Kei Katō (Japanese), Grant George (English)

Statistics:
Position: Fullback / Cornerback
Jersey: 30
40 yard dash: 4.9 seconds (quite likely faster since Riku's training)
Height: 168 cm (5' 6")
Weight: 59 kg (130 lb)
Blood Type: A
Birthday: May 26
Graduated From: Jimichū Middle School
2nd Year Student (Grade 11)
Nickname: The Shadowless God of Death

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 works 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. He 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 into play during the Deimon Devil Bats vs. Kyoshin Poseidon game. In order to overcome their opponent's height and extreme long reach, he was included as a runner 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, Hiruma shortlisted him as one of two candidates for the quarterback replacement, before Sena volunteered himself.

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 replacement 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.

Yohei Satake

Satake Yōhei (佐竹 洋平?)
Voiced by: Kyohito Kawano

Statistics:
Position: Receiver / Linebacker
Jersey: 13
40 yard dash: 5.2 seconds
Height: 166 cm (5' 5")
Weight: 58 kg (127 lb)
Blood Type: O
Birthday: April 10
1st Year Student (Grade 10)

Satake is a basketball player who gets blackmailed by Hiruma to become a "support" player for the football team. Satake is perverted and is not a very important character. In the manga, during junior high, he stole some underwear out of the locker room of the girls swim team, not knowing that the underwear belonged to a 50-year-old cleaning woman. He spent the following summer lamenting over that fact. He became especially excited when he saw the team manager of the Yūhi Guts in bloomers.He is the starter player over Yamaoka and always plays.His main job is just to block defenders to open up paths for Sena and Monta.

In the anime, Hiruma blackmails him by threatening to reveal that he used to wet his bed until he was in junior high. He hasn't done much for the team, but sticks with it longer than most of the other "support" players. This is mostly due to the fact that he gets better recognition from girls as a member of the Devil Bats, rather than as a basketball player, (as shown in the anime).


Kenta Yamaoka

Yamaoka Kenta (山岡 健太?)
Voiced by: Shinogiki Hiroshi

Statistics:
Position: Receiver / Linebacker
Jersey: 85
40 yard dash: 5.2 seconds
Height: 168 cm (5' 6")
Weight: 62 kg (136 lb)
Blood Type: B
Birthday: August 10
1st Year Student (Grade 10)

Yamaoka is another basketball player who gets blackmailed by Hiruma to become a "support" player for the football team. Yamaoka has a thing for Ai Kago. He spends 98% of his allowance to buy her CDs, products, and other stalking supplies. Every morning when he wakes up, he kisses a poster of her. Like Satake, he sticks around longer than most of the other support players. He does not do much and is always trying to put the moves on Mamori. He gets excited along with Yohei when he sees the Yūhi Guts manager in her bloomers, and praised the fact that there was "still such a paradise in Japan."


Futoshi Omosadake

Omosadake Futoshi (重佐武　太?)
Voiced by: DJ TARO

Statistics:
Position: Lineman
Jersey: 54
Height: 160 cm (5' 3")
Weight: 100 kg (220 lb)
Blood Type: O
Birthday: March 8
1st Year Student (Grade 10)

Omosadake is a chubby person who keeps his eyes shut all the time; he's very lazy, to the point where even opening his own eyes feels tiring. The only thing that isn't too troublesome for him is eating. In the manga, he was dragged onto the field by Hiruma in the match against Amino Cyborgs as a support player, though he claims he can only play for 30 minutes max. He's also a part of the Sumo Club. But in the anime, Omosadake is also seen in episode 56 of the anime first seen helping the Huh-Huh brothers with line practice for the match against the Poseidons and is then seen throughout the episode. Recently, he has assisted Kurita on the defensive line in the game against the Ojo White Knights, using a tactic similar to the Taiyō Sphinx to hold back the defensive line against players like Ootawara.

During the semi-final against Ojo (chapter 219 of the manga), his name is revealed to be a pun; Kumabukuro, the football journalist and commentator with the massive afro, said he thought Omosadake was just dead-weight on the team - 'Omosa' means weight, and 'dake' means only.

On a humorous note, in the anime, he is revealed to have a weakness for mango pudding, which causes him to exert 100% effort. Naturally, this quickly makes him use up what little stamina he possesses.

In the anime he stands no taller than Daikichi Komusubi,

Natsuhiko Taki

Taki Natsuhiko (瀧 夏彦?)
Voiced by: Kōji Ochiai

Statistics:
Position: Tight End/Safety/Outside Linebacker/H-Back
Jersey: 37
40 yard dash: 5.01 seconds
Bench Press: 90 kg (198lbs)
Height: 182 cm (6' 0")
Weight: 72 kg (158 lb)
Blood Type: AB
Birthday: April 10
1st year student

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 demonstates his ability as a H-Back by blocking Akaba with his flexability inorder to open a path for Sena. 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.

During the game against the Alexanders, Taki makes a few key blocks and was part of the group that stopped Yamato from blocking Musashi's game-winning field goal.

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 helps with other player,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 Christmas Bowl, Taki learned his defensive maneuvers to assist against Teikoku.


Gen "Musashi" Takekura

Gen "Musashi" Takekura a.k.a The 60-yard Magnum (武蔵　厳 / ムサシ Takekura Gen / Musashi?)
Voiced by: Rikiya Koyama

Statistics:
Position: Kicker/Linebacker/Punter
Jersey: 11
40 yard dash: 5.6 seconds
Bench Press: 100 kg (220lbs)
Height: 177 cm (5' 9")
Weight: 77 kg (169 lb)
Blood Type: A
Birthday: April 2 (17 years old)
Graduated From: Maō 13th Middle School
2nd year student

The place kicker for the Devil Bats and one of the original three members of the team, along with Hiruma and Kurita. 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 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, Kōtarō Sasaki, who according to Hiruma, has NEVER missed.

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.

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.

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 Kōtarō Sasaki is also a play on Miyamoto's rivalry with the legendary swordsman Sasaki Kojiro.

In the manga, 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 Devilbats 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 Devilbats 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 Gaō).

In chapter 297, it was revealed that, even though Musashi's kicks were considered legendary with great power, he was holding back the entire time! Hiruma tells Musashi to go all out, and he kicks it all the way to the goal line... almost! During a kickoff, if the ball crosses the goal line, then the opposing team gains twenty yards. Quite luckily, before it crosses over, it hits a pile of snow and slows down. This gives the Devil Bats a good advantage, resulting in a safety.

With the final play of the game and the Devil Bats down by 2 points, Sena notices that the distance to the goal is 60 yards. Now with the entire team focusing on stopping Yamato, Musashi is given the chance to live up to the nickname, '60 yards Magnum' by attempting the longest field goal of his life. He tells the other players to hold back Yamato for 3 seconds, in which he promises to kick the winning field goal. In the end, he manages to achieve the legendary 60-yard field goal, just barely clearing horizontal bar of the goalposts.

Due to his strong leg winning the game for Deimon, he was presumably recruited onto the team as the kicker for kickoffs and long field goals, while his rival Kotaro will handle shorter Field Goals.

TECHNIQUES/STRATEGIES
Onside Kick - Basically, 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.
Hyper High-Altitude Kickoff - The true strength of Musashi's kick is revealed in chapter 297, when he kicked the biggest kick-off in the entire season, with the ball landing near the goal line. The ball stopped near the goal line, luckily, because of the snow. This was half-predicted by Hiruma; because of the high altitude, the ball most likely will landed in the pointy ends; and if it lands on the snow, it will (hopefully) stick in the soft snow.
60 Yard Magnum - The legendary 60 yard field goal only achieved on the final play at the Christmas Bowl. Musashi only just manages to sneak in 3 points and award the Devilbats the Championship, when the ball lands on the horizontal post before bouncing over the line. See Chapter 304.


Manager


Mamori Anezaki

Anezaki Mamori (姉崎 まもり?)
Voiced by: Aya Hirano (Japanese), Yuka Imai (jump fiesta), Kate Higgins (English)

Statistics:
Position: Club Manager
Bench Press: 20 kg
Height: 162 cm (5' 4")
Weight: 48 kg (106 lb)
Birthday: November 24
Graduated From: Sakura Girls' Middle School
2nd Year Student (Grade 11)

Sena's overprotective and motherly childhood friend (actually, Mamori's name is meant to be a pun, as her name means protect). Mamori's mother met Sena's mother in a cooking class, and Mamori and Sena have been friends ever since. Her mother is half-Japanese, half-American which makes Mamori 25% American and 75% Japanese. Mamori has been protecting Sena from bullies since primary school, to the point that Sena has grown up never having to stand up for himself. Mamori joined the American Football club to watch over Sena and prevent any bullying by the other members (particularly Hiruma). Despite her 'joining the American Football club just to protect Sena's claim, she eventually becomes an excellent manager who knows the rules inside and out and makes up strategies for the team (since she has trouble with computers, she does it all on paper—super-analog). Mamori does not recognize Eyeshield 21 until he reveals his identity during the match against the Bando Spiders team. Mamori, who excels in all her studies except art (which she is horrible at), is the one responsible for helping Sena pass his high school entrance exam. She is the second member of "Deimon's Smart Trio", as well as a member of the school's disciplinary committee. Though she is constantly butting heads with Hiruma, she eventually sees a softer side to the Devil Bats' quarterback.

In the anime, Mamori tries to discover Eyeshield 21's identity, mostly because when she is making the telephone contact list, she needs a number to get in touch with him. Hiruma gets around this by assigning himself the responsibility of relaying all messages to Eyeshield 21. In the end, even when Sena is forced to remove his helmet to save her from the Zokugaku Chameleons, his identity remains secret to her, thanks to her own disbelief and Hiruma's tricks. She eventually gives up trying to learn who he was. Mamori has been known to block bullets from the trigger-happy Hiruma at times (once when they are aimed at Sena for daydreaming, and again after the completion of the Death March when everyone falls asleep in their hotel room).

Mamori learns about Eyeshield's identity in chapters 154 and 155, when Sena removes his helmet in front of her. After Sena apologizes and takes to the field, Mamori says that she should be the one apologizing. Seeing him run out of the tunnel finally made her realize that he is no longer a child and that she has been babying him all this time. Mamori joins the Devil Bats on the field, introduced as the team's manager, signal-relay and "expert at high-speed snack eating" (much to her obvious annoyance).

Prior to the start of the Kanto Tournament, Mamori gets a haircut, saying that she wanted a change of pace. Ishimaru changes his hairstyle, but goes largely un-noticed, as usual.

Mamori's relationship with Hiruma changes over the course of the story. At first she sees him as a bully and tries constantly to stop him from being mean to Sena, but then sees him in a softer light. She also refers to him as "Hiruma-kun" when he became injured, suggesting she has feelings for him. Like she does with Sena and other members of the team, she wants to take care of him and is often worried over his injuries. As much as she argues with Hiruma, she is actually the closest person to him, seeing as she understands him much more than most. In chapter 205, she tries to talk to him about how hard he pushes himself. After telling him that he doesn't need to worry so much, she secretly smiles to herself. Though Hiruma is likely aware of her feelings, he often chooses to ignore her kindness, and sometimes changes the subject in order to avoid an awkward moment. Hiruma certainly acknowledges her, as he usually ignores girls, including Suzuna. When Hiruma got his arm broken and had to be confined to the infirmary, she chose to sit with him instead of watching the game, only listening to the commentary. A running gag throughout the series is that everyone asks if she is Hiruma's girlfriend (emphasized in the anime) and always she responds with a scary disgusted expression about that, though there is no denying that she is extremely close to him, perhaps closer than Musashi and Kurita. In chapter 202, during the game between the Taiyo Sphinx and Hakushu Dinosaurs, after Gao became enraged after hearing someone insult Banba from the Sphinx team and threatens to break the bones of everyone in the audience. He enters the stands near Mamori and Suzuna, however, Mamori jumps in front of Suzuna to protect her from Gao, who was only a few feet away. Hiruma comes to her defense, standing in the between her and Gao as if ready for a fight and with tasers drawn.

Before the match with Hakushū Dinosaurs, Hiruma given Mamori instruction letter which contain how the play should be continued if, by any chance, he got injured. However, in tears, Mamori ripped the letter, saying that she doesn't want to see him injured, and she believes the team will do everything they can do to protect him. However, when Hiruma got really injured and can't continue to play, she reveals that she secretly tapes the letter, and when reading it, decides to let Sena play as quarterbacks as Hiruma's replacement, by saying nothing about it, and letting Sena take the decision by his own will.

When Hiruma began playing again after having Mamori tape his hand, she tried to coerce Hiruma to stop playing to avoid further injury, but Hiruma wouldn't listen, even trapping her with the pop-quiz bet she made with him in the past to force her to do what he wants.

In Teikoku's match, Mamori also became important, since she's the one who decided the snap count for Deimon's strategy "No Huddle" offense.

Also in the final chapter when everyone went their separate ways, Mamori stayed on with Hiruma instead of going to Sena's school of choice.

TECHNIQUES/STRATEGIES
Sign Language - Mamori analyses the action from the sidelines, and communicates any pertinent information to Hiruma via sign language so that the opposition does not discover the techniques.
Sign Language: Snap Count - Mamori communicates with her team using her sign language, decides the number of snap count the game will started. This was extremely effective, since Teikoku is focusing their attention to Hiruma's Play Call, try to determine the code meaning by counting the snap count. But of course, since Mamori is the one who decided the snap count, this was useless, and Hiruma (to add more insult) can calling for huts at his leisure even when the team already starts the play....


Cheerleader

Suzuna Taki

Taki Suzuna (瀧 鈴音?)
Voiced by: Shoko Nakagawa

Statistics:
Position: Cheerleading Captain (self-appointed)
Height: 151 cm (4' 11 1/2")
Birthday: March 31
1st year student (Grade 10)

Suzuna is a cute blue-haired girl who's always wearing rollerblades. She came to the United States and hitched a ride with one of the bikers of a bike gang. Sena first met her after he got lost halfway through the Death March and was surrounded by a whole lot of American bikers - Sena being Sena, he couldn't really communicate with them. However, one biker mentioned the words 'Japanese girl', 'Football player', and 'Japan', and Sena assumed said biker was talking about Mamori, and immediately went off in search of the aforementioned Japanese girl. The 'Japanese girl' term was actually referring to Suzuna, and 'Football player' Natsuhiko, her brother. Suzuna was looking for her brother, and in that same respect, met up with the 'Football player' assuming that it was Natsuhiko. The bikers then assumed they were boyfriend and girlfriend (cheering them on with "C'mon, hug! Kiss! Hug!"), but the fact was that Suzuna and Sena were not in a relationship. She eventually finds her brother and jumps and rolls her skates across his back while still on her feet as punishment for taking the family savings to fly to America. She also witnesses Sena in action as Eyeshield 21.

Later, Suzuna follows the team back to Japan after her brother accepts Sena's offer to join the Devil Bats (he didn't get picked for the American football team he was trying to enter). She then becomes a cheerleader for the Devil Bats even though she's not from Deimon High School (and the captain for the otherwise all-American cheerleading team). Now, the club has a second female member in the group. Fitting to her fiery personality and dislike of being by her surname, Suzuna loudly cheers for the Devil Bats, no matter what the situation as long as it's a competition, and gives many of them nicknames, even Hiruma.

Suzuna is built like that of a young girl, and is often teased mercilessly by others because of that. One thing to note is that she does not like to be addressed by her family name or be called Miss, (in Japanese, using the term 'san') however she does not mind being called Suzuna-ojōchan (little miss, young lady or even madame) by Doboroku.

In the anime, Suzuna was introduced earlier in the timeline as a part-time reporter, working for the magazine American Football Monthly to discover Eyeshield 21's identity. Her reason was to find her long-lost brother, whom she suspected was Eyeshield 21. Realizing that Eyeshield 21 was too short, however, she then leaves for America due to a tip from Hiruma. She later meets up with the Devil Bats during their Death March training. She even came up with the Devil Bats cheer:

GO! GO! LET'S GO!
GO! GO! DEVIL!
FLY! FLY! BATS!
RUN! RUN! BATS!
COME ON! COME ON! 21!
EYESHIELD 21! 21!
COME ON OUT, EYESHIELD 21!

Character Info:
The first time Sena and Monta (and Yukimistu in the anime) saw her in her cheerleading outfit, they were shocked as if they had just seen a ghost (here she teases Sena about liking her). She even made a special cheerleading outfit for Mamori and Monta was extremely happy to see it (he had a massive nosebleed there and then).
Hiruma managed to get American cheerleaders for the team mostly via threatening them (two of the cheerleaders appear to look distinctively like the two American girls who were featured in an episode in the anime).
In the 100th chapter (a whole chapter consisting of cute 4-column panel omake), Suzuna got Mamori to wear the Eyeshield 21 clothes. As she puts the visored helmet onto a resisting Mamori's head, that is when Monta suddenly walks in, believing that was Sena with Suzuna, and from the angle he was standing it looked like they were kissing.
Her catchphrase is a loud "YA!" (translated as "YEAH!").
She does not like being addressed as 'San' or by her last name. She demanded that Sena(and anyone who 'San' her) call her by her first, to his embarrassment (in Japanese culture, this is usually done between close friends or couples), perhaps she does not like a very formal treat for herself. However she gladly accepts being addressed as 'Chan'.
Suzuna claims to have little interest in romantic relationships of her own, but is always interested in those of other people. Whenever a prospective couple is mentioned, part of Suzuna's hair sticks up and spins like a radar, locking onto the unfortunate target (usually Mamori regarding Hiruma) before bombarding him/her with questions of their relationship.
She had a habit of making nicknames for people that she thinks makes them cuter. She called Hiruma "You-nii" ;much to the shock of the other members, although Hiruma doesn't seem to mind as much ('Nii' means big brother. Which sounds like 'Big brother Yoichi' , Jumonji as "Monjii", Kuroki as "Kurokki", Toganou as "Toga", Komusubi as "Komusubicchi" (this was also used by Mizumachi), Yukimitsu as "Yukki" (though he was her senior, although not from the same school), Tetsuo Ishimaru as "Tet-chan", Gen "Musashi" Takekura as "Musha-syan", Mamori as "Mamo-nee" (though Riku calls her this as well), Shien "Kid" Mushakonoji as "Kiddon", Cerberus as "Ceru", both Doburoku-sensei and Pig-Berus as "Burokki" (Much to Doburoku's chagrin) and in the latest manga chapter agon as "agone". In fact, the only person that Suzuna doesn't make a nickname for is Sena, which might actually imply that she thinks Sena's name is fine as it is, and doesn't need a nickname to know that she acknowledges him.
In several scenes, it has been implied that she has feelings toward Sena, though this has not yet been confirmed. It may also be interpreted that likewise, Sena may have feelings for Suzuna, based on his protective actions towards her. Examples include numerous instances when Suzuna leaps from high places and Sena purposely places himself beneath her to cushion her fall, perhaps by the own Sena's nature to help to anyone, although both of them claim to have tried to avoid each other at the same time and by the same way, so ending with a collision. Secondly, when Sena agreed to help Suzuna's brother for her Suzuna blushed. Also, when Mizumachi attempts to peek into the girls' side of the bath house, Sena tries to stop him after hearing that Suzuna is there as well (manga only). And when Sena finally reveals his identity in the game against the Bando Spiders, Suzuna gives a squeal of overjoyed excitement and declares that she was "waiting for this", and immediately begins to cheer him on using his name. After being exhausted in the game against the Spiders, Sena collapsed in Suzuna's arms(he was walking almost asleep and thinking about the game, so he did not notice if someone was in front of him); although she was initially embarrassed she supported him. Additionally, in chapter 241, Suzuna reacts to the possibility of Sena dating the Dinosaurs' team manager with worry, though Mamori thinks that it is because Suzuna thinks of Sena like a little brother. In response, Suzuna says that her feelings are different since the time she met him, but she does not elaborate on this. Also in the 7th ending of Eyeshield 21 (EP 127+) it show's Suzuna holding up Sena's shirt to dry and the ending also shows the silhouette of Sena and Suzuna holding hands. In chapter 275, Suzuna was wearing a dress, and wanted Sena to say that she looked beautiful. Sena did think so, but he was too shy to say it outright (he was actually also really surprised). During the flight to New York, America for the World Cup, Suzuna was seen seated next to Sena in the airplane. When Sena and Suzuna are in the trunk of the car listening in on Agon, Hiruma and Kid's conversation when Hiruma says he will do anything to get the NFL contract Suzuna has a loving/caring look in her eyes when she sees Sena's spirit concerning the subject. Two Years later, Suzuna is seen to continue her thinking about Sena noticing his changes. Suzuna is the first of the original Devil Bat team, that goes to Enma Univerity, to see Sena arrive..again.(not counting the Monta part) Suzuna seemed to noticed how Sena had made the lie become reality when Sena stayed in America.
At the end of the anime, Suzuna and Sena are seen shopping together, while being spied on by Mamori, Monta, and Togano.
Also at the end of the anime, while Sena plays for the NFL, Suzuna is a cheerleader for his team (this is not certain, as she was also seen in the stands, though still cheering).


Mascots
Devil Bat

A fictional creature with a similar personality to Hiruma. He usually appears to explain the rules of American football to the audience. In the omakes such as at the end of manga chapters he also appears, often to announce promotions or answer questions from the readers.
Little Devibat/ Lil' D.B.

A small, cute-looking, lighter-colored version of the Devil Bat. This bat looks up to the original Devil Bat, and often assists him in his omake appearances. First appears in a television propaganda ad during the Deimon-Seibu match created by Hiruma in an effort to get Musashi to rejoin the team.
Cerberus

Hiruma's ferocious dog, Cerberus is named after the Greek mythical creature that guards the gates to Hades. Though incredibly intelligent for a dog, Cerberus is apparently driven entirely by his appetite. Hiruma often uses Cerberus to frighten his players into training harder, and also to track down missing club members. However, in one omake Q&A segment, the Devil Bat claims that Cerberus is a wild dog that simply stays with Hiruma in order to get food more easily. In the anime, it was shown that Cerberus simply showed up at Deimon's football field when Hiruma was in middle school. Hiruma noted that Cerberus had "a good look in his eyes" and challenged the dog to a showdown. When they clashed, Cerberus managed to tear one of Hiruma's sleeves, but Hiruma had fastened the spiked collar on Cerberus in an instant, making Cerberus the loser. According to Kurita, Hiruma took a liking to Cerberus, and Cerberus did everything Hiruma told him to (and showing in episode 27 that Hiruma really did care for Cerberus a lot). Cerberus is somewhat anthropomorphic, and is able to use his front paws like hands while standing on his hind paws. According to chapter 251 of the manga, Cerberus can bench press 120kgs (264lbs).
Butaberus

A small, somewhat anthropomorphic piglet that first appears during the Deimon-Kyoshin match, with Doburoku. Doburoku had set off on a long journey to find Komusubi, who had nearly quit the team. Along the way, Doburoku became drunk, mistook the pigleta

Galery Foto