The Prince of Tennis is a manga about tennis 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 with high school students. The Prince of Tennis features many handsome characters, many of whom are attractive. In this article, we will take a closer look at the charms of Eiji Kikumaru, a famous doubles player who is known as the golden pair at Seishun Academy, where Echizen Ryoma, the main character of The Prince of Tennis, is also a member.
An innocent acrobatic volleyer!! Who is Eiji Kikumaru?
Source: The Prince of Tennis ©Takeshi Konomi/Shueisha・NAS
Eiji Kikumaru is a third-year student at Seishun Academy and a regular member of the tennis club. He has big eyes and brown hair that curls outwards. He has a very cheerful and playful personality, and is also the mood maker of the tennis club. However, he is also moody and easily angered. Kikumaru Eiji is one of the so-called Golden Pair at Seishun Gakuen, and excels at doubles. His playing style is serve-and-volleyer, and he often plays in the front line in doubles. He is good at volleying while performing acrobatic moves known as acrobatic plates, and he plays with his opponents with unpredictable volleys. He also has good dynamic vision, and can quickly see the rotation and trajectory of the ball.
An innocent acrobatic volleyer!! Introducing the techniques of Eiji Kikumaru
Source: The Prince of Tennis ©Takeshi Konomi/Shueisha・NAS
Eiji Kikumaru is good at various acrobatic plays. Among them, he often waits for decisive shots such as the Kikumaru Beam, a jump smash from the back, and the Kikumaru Bazooka, which is a two-handed shot. Furthermore, Kikumaru Eiji had little stamina at first and would easily get tired, which was a weakness, but by training with low oxygen, he gained extraordinary stamina. This allows him to take steps at high speed, giving his opponents the illusion that they see him split into two. With these doubles, he has incredible skills, such as being able to play doubles by himself.
Characters with a strong relationship with Eiji Kikumaru
Source: The Prince of Tennis ©Takeshi Konomi/Shueisha・NAS
So far, we have introduced basic character information about Eiji Kikumaru, a doubles player at Seishun Gakuen and one of the golden pairs. So, what kind of characters have a strong relationship with Eiji Kikumaru? By knowing the relationship with the characters, you can learn more about the charm of Eiji Kikumaru, so we will introduce them.
Cute junior Echizen Ryoma!!
Source: The Prince of Tennis ©Takeshi Konomi/Shueisha・NAS
Echizen Ryoma is the main character of The Prince of Tennis. He is a regular member of the Seishun Academy tennis club, just like Kikumaru, and is a first-year student who is a major force in the Seishun Academy. He has sharp eyes, a white FIRA hat, and a cheeky personality. To Kikumaru, a third-year student, he is like a younger brother, and he calls him "Ochibi" (little boy) and dotes on him. Echizen also acknowledges Kikumaru's acrobatic play, but he is also often scolded and teased for his constant chatter and cheeky manner of speech.
Partner of the Golden Pair!! Oishi Shuichiro
Source: The Prince of Tennis ©Takeshi Konomi/Shueisha・NAS
Oishi Shuichiro is a third-year student at Seishun Academy and the vice-captain. He is also a regular, and often plays doubles with Kikumaru as the Golden Pair. He has a very calm, caring, and gentle personality. He has an egg-shaped head and slightly hanging bangs. He has been good friends with Kikumaru since their first year, and they play doubles together. He understands Kikumaru better than anyone else, and is adept at controlling him and making plays. His special moves are the Moon Volley and Oishi's Territory, which he uses when the opponent is distracted by Kikumaru. He once had a big fight with Kikumaru, and the pair almost broke up, but they returned as the golden pair at the national tournament.
My junior and friend!! Momoshiro Takeshi
Source: The Prince of Tennis ©Takeshi Konomi/Shueisha・NAS
Takeshi Momoshiro is a second-year student in the Seishun Academy tennis club and one of the regulars. He has a distinctive, spiky black hair style, is tall, and has a humorous personality. His special moves are the dunk smash and the jackknife, and he excels at aggressive play. He and Kikumaru played doubles together in the Kanto Tournament against Hyoutei, and showed good teamwork. They are also good friends in private, and the three of them - Ryoma Echizen, Takeshi Momoshiro, and Eiji Kikumaru - often play pranks on each other.
The same acrobatic player!! Mukahi Taketo
Source: The Prince of Tennis © Takeshi Konomi / Shueisha, NAS
Mukahi Taketo is a third-year student who belongs to the tennis club at Hyoutei Academy. He is also a regular at Hyoutei Academy and has a distinctive red bob haircut. His personality is challenging and short-sighted. Like Kikumaru, Mukahi Taketo is good at acrobatic play. He is also good at even more intense acrobatic plays than Kikumaru, such as moonsaults, and played doubles with Kikumaru in the Kanto Tournament. The pair of Mukahi and Oshitari were pushing forward in the early stages, but Momoshiro's strategy and Kikumaru's game-making allowed them to turn the game around.
The innocent acrobatic volleyer!! What is the appeal of Eiji Kikumaru?
Source: The Prince of Tennis ©Takeshi Konomi/Shueisha・NAS
So far, we have introduced Eiji Kikumaru's basic characteristics and techniques, as well as his relationship with other characters. So, what is the appeal of Eiji Kikumaru? We will introduce him in detail based on episodes depicted in the work.
Eiji Kikumaru's charm number 1: his innocent personality
Source: The Prince of Tennis ©Takeshi Konomi/Shueisha・NAS
First, the charm of Eiji Kikumaru that I would like to introduce first is his innocent personality. Eiji Kikumaru is always cheerful during practice and games, and he cheers up the whole team and his teammates. Therefore, he is not easily discouraged even in the face of adversity, and is good at inspiring his teammates. He also often plays comedic roles in the story, making him a rare character among the many cool, handsome men in The Prince of Tennis. He also has a cute, cat-like appearance, which makes him extremely popular with female readers. Although he is a third-year student, he also plays the role of a younger brother, and his lovable personality is one of his charms. The Prince of Tennis is filled with characters who are far from being middle school students, such as Tezuka, Atobe, and Sanada, so perhaps it is because he looks and acts like a life-sized middle school student that he is easy to sympathize with.
Eiji Kikumaru's charm #2: His graceful acrobatic play
Source: The Prince of Tennis ©Takeshi Konomi/Shueisha・NAS
The next charm of Eiji Kikumaru that I will introduce is his graceful acrobatic play. As mentioned earlier, Eiji Kikumaru is a tennis player who excels at acrobatic play. Therefore, all of Kikumaru's matches are dynamic and attractive. Also, there are many exciting scenes, such as unexpected comebacks and comebacks after making players think they are in a pinch by using acrobatic plays. Furthermore, in Kikumaru's first singles match at Higa Junior High School, he easily creates an impossible situation by creating an alter ego to play doubles, which makes for an interesting match.
Eiji Kikumaru's charm No. 3: His combination with Oishi
Source: The Prince of Tennis ©Takeshi Konomi/Shueisha・NAS
The last charm of Eiji Kikumaru that I would like to introduce is his combination with Oishi. Eiji Kikumaru is a doubles player who has such good compatibility with Oishi that they are called the golden pair. They are famous throughout the country as the golden pair, and as a doubles team, they show amazing strength. In matches between the Golden Pair, various formations are used, including the Australian formation, I formation, and Oishi's territory. This allows you to see a variety of different fighting styles, which is one of the attractions of the game. Also, in doubles matches between Kikumaru and Oishi, they are able to achieve a state of synchronization that can only be achieved between partners who truly trust each other. This makes it cool to see them predicting their partner's movements without having to communicate, and there are plenty of highlights to be seen.
A cheerful and acrobatic volleyer!! A thorough introduction to the charms of Eiji Kikumaru
Source: The Prince of Tennis ©Takeshi Konomi/Shueisha・NAS
This time, we introduced the charms of Eiji Kikumaru, who appears in The Prince of Tennis. Kikumaru has many female fans and is one of the cute characters. In The Prince of Tennis, we will only focus on the rare doubles player.
