The manga "Gurazeni" depicts the protagonist, Natsunosuke Bonta, as he struggles as a professional baseball player, with the theme of the relationship between professional baseball and money. As the story is set in professional baseball, various baseball teams appear in the work. Among them, the "Bunkyo Mopps" is modeled on the Yomiuri Giants. The Bunkyo Mopps are one of the most representative teams in Japanese baseball, and with their high annual salaries, they are a team that players look up to. In addition, just like the original Giants, they are strict about personal appearance, and beards and long hair are prohibited. Here, we will announce a ranking of the attractiveness of the characters that appear in Bunkyo Mopps.
10th place: Horinouchi
Source: Gurazeni © Moritaka Yuji, Adachi Keiji / SKY PerfecTV!, Kodansha
He is an alumnus of the Mopps who appears in the conversation between Nanban and Nishiura. He is the only pitcher from Yamanashi Prefecture to win the Japan Series MVP. He is said to be modeled after former Giants pitcher Horiuchi Tsuneo.
9th place: Henmi
Source: Gurazeni © Moritaka Yuji, Adachi Keiji / SKY PerfecTV!, Kodansha
A character who became the manager of the Bunkyo Mopps, succeeding Suzuki. He became the manager because of his calmness and solid baseball theory, but he also has a flustered side, such as making large-scale reinforcements under the pressure of winning. He is fired due to poor performance.
8th place: Sugiura
Source: Gurazeni © Moritaka Yuji, Adachi Keiji/Sky PerfecTV!, Kodansha
This character went from being Suzuki's driver to pitching coach. Based on his own experience of injuries during his active career, he recommended Tommy John surgery for Onda, who had injured his elbow, and when Onda returned, he was given an overprotected plan of starting only five innings with a 10-day break, which he successfully brought about.
7th place: Suzuki Hiromitsu
Source: Gurazeni © Moritaka Yuji, Adachi Keiji / Sky Perfect!・Kodansha
This character is the manager of the Bunkyo Mops. He won the league championship in his first year and became Japan's top team in his second year, but he has not won in three years, and this year he is determined to win. To that end, he is not afraid to make ruthless decisions at times. When Natsunosuke Bonta joined the team, he showed his welcome by attending the press conference, but he ended up exhausting the party leader with his own decisions, causing Bonta to break down. He then resigns, taking responsibility for the team's loss in the CS.
6th place: Fujino Taizan
Source: Gurazeni © Moritaka Yuji, Adachi Keiji / Sky Perfect!, Kodansha
A big hitter with an annual salary of 400 million yen. A big-name slugger who joined the team from the Fukuoka Sharp Hawks as a free agent. He was originally a fan of the Bunkyo Mops, but before the draft he thought he would not be able to perform well in a team with a deep roster, so he named the Osaka Tempters and the Fukuoka Sharp Hawks as his favorite teams. After the transfer, he was under pressure he had never experienced before and had a slump with no hits in 18 at-bats since the start of the season, but he was able to get out of the slump with advice from head coach Tokugawa. He is good friends with Natsunosuke Bonda, as they are both free agents.
5th place: Natsunosuke Bonda
Source: Gurazeni ©Yuji Moritaka, Keiji Adachi/Sky PerfecTV!・Kodansha
Originally, Natsunosuke Bonta played for the Jingu Spiders, but after a dispute with the front office during the season in which he made great strides, he was transferred to the Bunkyo Mops. At first, he was unable to handle the pressure that is unique to the Mops and often ruined games as a relief pitcher, but he gradually showed his true potential and tried to establish himself as a setup man, but he injured his left elbow due to overuse in the championship race. After that, he underwent Tommy John surgery and made a comeback as a starting pitcher. During his time with the Jingu Spiders, he was a lackluster relief pitcher, but with his steady growth, he became an indispensable member of the team, and you can see his performance in the Bunkyo Mops.
4th place Sugisato Reiichi
Source: Gurazeni © Moritaka Yuji, Adachi Keiji / SKY PerfecTV!, Kodansha
Bunkyo Mopps relief pitcher. At the beginning of the season, he started in the second team, and there were scenes where he was anxious about the decrease in playing opportunities due to the joining of Onda, but he awakened by becoming Onda's apprentice. His pitching style was aggressive, focusing on hitting the inside of the plate, which led to the Spiders' Marukane, who was in top form, breaking his pinkie finger. He also hit a veteran player with a dead ball during the All-Star game, and since then he has lost his former brilliance. A small incident led to him being removed from the team during the off-season. He could be said to be a player who symbolizes the harsh world of professional baseball.
3rd Place: Takahashi Nobuyoshi
Source: Gurazeni © Moritaka Yuji, Adachi Keiji / SKY PerfecTV!, Kodansha
A veteran outfielder who is known as the Prince of Bunkyo Mops. As the name suggests, he is modeled after former Giants player Takahashi Yoshinobu. In the Climax Series, he hits a home run unique to the Tokyo Dome from Shibuya and defeats the Wildlands. Although he was struck out by Bonta in the finals, he otherwise performed well and was named the series MVP. He had previously injured his back, which led to him retiring from playing and becoming the manager of the Mops at the request of the team. Looking at him in this way, he is a character that is just like Takahashi Yoshinobu in every way.
2nd place: Shinji Tsujimoto
Source: Gurazeni ©Yuji Moritaka, Keiji Adachi/Sky PerfecTV!, Kodansha
Right-handed pitcher with an annual salary of 87 million yen. He is a relief pitcher who serves as a set-up man for the Bunkyo Mopps. In his private life, he behaves like a professional baseball player, owning a Porsche, a Jaguar, and a coupe. During the off-season, he appeared on a radio show with Onda and Genda, and there was a scene where he scolded Genda when he was upset by something Onda said.
1st Place: Tatsuya Kochi
Source: Gurazeni ©Yuji Moritaka, Keiji Adachi/Sky PerfecTV!, Kodansha
Tatsuya Kochi is a right-handed batter with an annual salary of 150 million yen. Kawachi has a history with Bonta Natsunosuke, and when Kawachi was in his third year of high school, his performance dropped, which caused his reputation among scouts to plummet. As a result, the Jingu Spiders, who were originally scheduled to nominate Kawachi, avoided the nomination at the last minute and instead nominated Bonta, so Kawachi, who had hoped to stay in Tokyo, was deprived of his wish and ended up joining the Sapporo team. Also, when he was in the second team, he was on the verge of hitting 150 hits in the farm season, but Bonta prevented him from doing so, so Bonta has always been involved in Kawachi's baseball career. He was a key player during his time with Sapporo, but due to trouble with the management and front office, he was traded to the Bunkyo Mops. Now, he is an indispensable main player for the Bunkyo Mops.
Summary
Source: Gurazeni ©Yuji Moritaka, Keiji Adachi/Sky PerfecTV!, Kodansha
Because the setting is professional baseball, many unique baseball teams appear in "Gurazeni". Among them, Bunkyo Mopps is the second most involved in the story after Jingu Spiders, so if you like "Gurazeni", you definitely want to know the characters introduced this time.
