The Prince of Tennis is a tennis-themed manga that was serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump. As of 2018, New Prince of Tennis is being serialized in Ultra Jump, depicting joint training camp practice sessions with high school students. The Prince of Tennis features a variety of handsome characters, many of whom are charming. In this article, we will take a closer look at the charms of Echizen Ryoma, the protagonist of The Prince of Tennis, who became a regular at Seishun Academy as a first-year student and contributed greatly to their national championship.
Seigaku Rookie!! About Ryoma Echizen
Source: The Prince of Tennis ©Takeshi Konomi/Shueisha・NAS
Ryoma Echizen is a first-year student at Seishun Academy Junior High School who plays tennis. His trademark is the prince's white cap, which he always wears when playing tennis. Although he is naturally left-handed, he usually plays right-handed, making him an all-around player. He has a very competitive and egocentric personality. Despite his cool demeanor, he loves to compete and is not afraid to speak up to anyone. This initially drew the attention of his seniors, but his abilities were recognized and he joined the team.
Seigaku Rookie!! Ryoma Echizen's Techniques
Source: The Prince of Tennis ©Takeshi Konomi/Shueisha・NAS
Ryoma Echizen has many tennis techniques. His most famous technique is the twist serve, which adds reverse spin to the ball, causing it to bounce towards the opponent's face. This makes it difficult for the opponent to return the ball, and he scores many points. He also has many other drive-type techniques, such as Drive A and Drive B. With Drive A, he fires the ball towards the opponent's body, or uses a sliding drive volley to hit a ball that drops sharply. Among Echizen Ryoma's techniques, the COOL Drive and Samurai Drive are particularly powerful. The COOL Drive is a technique that adds powerful spin so that the ball does not bounce when it hits the ground. The Samurai Drive is an incredibly unbelievable technique in which he uses the wires of the net to cut the ball in half, making it impossible for the opponent to return it.
Characters with a Strong Relationship with Ryoma Echizen
Source: The Prince of Tennis ©Takeshi Konomi/Shueisha・NAS
So far, we've introduced basic character information about Ryoma Echizen, the protagonist of The Prince of Tennis. So, what other characters have a close relationship with Ryoma Echizen? Learning about his relationships with these characters will help you understand Ryoma Echizen's charm even more, so let's take a look.
Nanjiro Echizen, Ryoma's father and professional tennis player
Source: The Prince of Tennis ©Takeshi Konomi/Shueisha・NAS
Nanjiro Echizen is Ryoma Echizen's father. He was a former tennis player who played professionally in the United States before suddenly retiring. However, he remains a skilled tennis player and was the one who taught Ryoma Echizen how to play. Echizen Nanjiro is currently the head priest of a temple and rarely plays tennis, but he does sometimes play against his son, Echizen Ryoma. Echizen Nanjiro is also a person who has reached the pinnacle of Teni Muho, and is a goal that Echizen Ryoma wants to defeat.
Seishun Academy's Captain!! Tezuka Kunimitsu
Source: The Prince of Tennis ©Takeshi Konomi/Shueisha・NAS
Tezuka Kunimitsu is a third-year student and captain of the Seishun Academy Junior High School tennis club. He has brown hair that curls outwards, wears glasses, and has a very strict and quiet personality. He is very stoic and pushes himself to the limits through intense training. He is a nationally renowned player with skills that have earned him professional scouting, and he specializes in a drop shot known as the Zero Drop, which returns without bouncing. He has only had one unofficial match with Echizen Ryoma, overwhelming him. However, Tezuka recognizes Echizen's abilities and has instructed him to become a pillar of Seigaku.
Senior and best friend!! Momoshiro Takeshi
Source: The Prince of Tennis ©Takeshi Konomi/Shueisha・NAS
Takeshi Momoshiro is a second-year student and regular on the Seishun Academy Junior High School tennis team. He has short, spiky hair and a bright, friendly personality. He acts as a big brother figure to Ryoma Echizen, taking care of Echizen and walking to and from school with him. His specialty is the dunk smash, and while he excels at power plays, he's also adept at tactics during matches.
They respect each other's abilities! Shusuke Fuji
Source: The Prince of Tennis ©Takeshi Konomi/Shueisha・NAS
Shusuke Fuji is a third-year student and regular on the Seishun Academy Junior High School tennis team. He has medium-length brown hair and a kind, always smiling personality. His playing style is a counter-puncher, specializing in a variety of counter techniques known as triple counters. He has only played against Echizen once, but the match was postponed due to rain. Both players recognize each other's strengths and hope to face each other again.
New Rookie from the West!! Kintaro Toyama
Source: The Prince of Tennis ©Takeshi Konomi/Shueisha・NAS
Kintaro Toyama is a first-year student and a regular on the tennis team at Shitenhoji Junior High School. He has messy red hair and a leopard print tank top, and is known for his bright and cheerful personality. He is an athletic and powerful tennis player, and is a famous rookie in the Kansai region. Toyama had heard rumors about Echizen and hoped to face him one day, so a special one-off match was scheduled at the national tournament. The result was a draw, but they have since become like friends.
Unrequited love for the girls' tennis club member! Sakurano Ryuzaki
Source: The Prince of Tennis ©Takeshi Konomi/Shueisha・NAS
Sakurano Ryuzaki is a first-year student on Seishun Academy's tennis club. She is very quiet, shy, and reserved. She fell in love with Ryoma Echizen at first sight, and has made him lunches and other attempts to approach him, but Echizen has not yet expressed his feelings.
Seigaku Rookie!! What's the Appeal of Ryoma Echizen?
Source: The Prince of Tennis ©Takeshi Konomi/Shueisha・NAS
So far, we've introduced Ryoma Echizen's basic characteristics and techniques, as well as his connections to other characters. So, what exactly is the appeal of Ryoma Echizen? We'll take a closer look at him based on episodes from the series.
Ryoma Echizen's Charm Part 1: His Competitive Spirit
Source: The Prince of Tennis ©Takeshi Konomi/Shueisha・NAS
First, the first thing I'd like to introduce about Ryoma Echizen's charm is his cool and competitive spirit. While Ryoma Echizen is competitive in many areas, he is especially competitive when it comes to tennis. This is why he is so dedicated to practicing and always devoting himself to tennis. Echizen Ryoma is usually cool and not the type to take an active role in anything. However, when it comes to tennis he is extremely aggressive and shows no mercy, no matter how big or intimidating his opponents are. He also never gives up in a match, even when facing opponents of a higher rank than him or when he is injured, and his ability to fight until the end and find a breakthrough is what makes him so cool and appealing.
Ryoma Echizen's Appeal #2: His Tennis Skills That Defeat Any Opponent
Source: The Prince of Tennis ©Takeshi Konomi/Shueisha・NAS
The next thing I'd like to introduce about Ryoma Echizen is his tennis skills, which allow him to defeat any opponent. Ryoma Echizen has been learning tennis since he was a child from his father, Nanjiro Echizen, a former tennis player. This has resulted in his incredible strength for a junior high school student. In the game, he is known for his precision, hitting consecutive serves onto fallen leaves from trees and aiming for the corners with pin-threading control. His tennis techniques, which surpass those of other characters during matches, are simply cool, and even people who have never played tennis will want to imitate them. Another part of his charm is his cheeky catchphrase, "I still have a long way to go."
The Appeal of Echizen Ryoma: His Brilliant Techniques in Three Matches
Source: The Prince of Tennis ©Takeshi Konomi/Shueisha・NAS
Finally, the appeal of Echizen Ryoma is the brilliance of his techniques in matches. Earlier, I introduced some of Echizen Ryoma's techniques. While I mentioned that he has many drive-spinning techniques, such as twist serves, drive A, and drive B, most of them are impossible. However, that's exactly why many of his moves are so cool and impressive. Echizen Ryoma often uses some kind of new technique in every match. Therefore, one of the attractions of this match is the excitement of wondering which technique will decide the outcome.
[The Prince of Tennis] Seigaku Rookie!! A Thorough Introduction to the Charms of Ryoma Echizen
Source: The Prince of Tennis ©Takeshi Konomi/Shueisha・NAS
This time, we introduced the charms of Ryoma Echizen, the protagonist of The Prince of Tennis. The Prince of Tennis is a series that is extremely popular with women due to its many handsome characters. In particular, Echizen Ryoma is cute, but he also has a cool and reliable appearance in matches, which is a contrast that has many fans. There are many aspects that are not tennis, but that is also interesting, so why not give it a watch?
