The Prince of Tennis is a manga about tennis that was serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump. As of 2018, the New Prince of Tennis is being serialized in Ultra Jump, depicting joint training camps with high school students. The Prince of Tennis features many handsome characters, including many attractive ones. This time, we will take a closer look at the charms of Akaya Kirihara, the ace of Rikkaidai Junior High School, known as one of the strongest schools in The Prince of Tennis.
Dangerous Red-Eyed Devil!! Kirihara Akaya
Source: The Prince of Tennis ©Takeshi Konomi/Shueisha・NAS
Kirihara Akaya is a second-year student who belongs to the tennis club at Rikkaidai Junior High School. He has curly black hair and is usually high-spirited and friendly. However, he has an angry and cruel side, and in matches he has no qualms about hitting his opponents with the ball. He aims to become the top of Rikkaidai Junior High School by defeating the Big Three of the school: Seiichi Yukimura, Genichiro Sanada, and Renji Yanagi. His playing style is an aggressive baseliner, and his goal in matches is to end the game as quickly as possible.
Dangerous Red-Eyed Devil!! Introducing Kirihara Akaya's Techniques
Source: The Prince of Tennis © Takeshi Konomi / Shueisha, NAS
Kirihara Akaya can do the same one-legged split step as Echizen Ryoma, the main character of The Prince of Tennis. This allows him to catch up to the ball faster than others. He is good at the knuckle serve, a powerful serve where he grips the ball in one hand, spins it wildly, and hits the opponent. Additionally, when Kirihara gets angry, his eyes become bloodshot. This dramatically increases his speed and power. However, this is not the only power-up. When he is called a "seaweed bastard," his anger reaches its peak and he transforms into a devil, his hair turning white and his body turning red. By transforming into a devil, his powers increase and he begins to play tennis with an even more brutal style.
Characters with strong ties to Akaya Kirihara
Source: The Prince of Tennis ©Takeshi Konomi/Shueisha・NAS
So far, we have introduced basic character information about Akaya Kirihara, a regular at Rikkaidai Junior High School. So, what kind of characters have a deep relationship with Akaya Kirihara? By knowing the relationships with the characters, you can learn more about the charm of Akaya Kirihara, so we will introduce them.
The same one-legged split step user!! Echizen Ryoma
Source: The Prince of Tennis ©Takeshi Konomi/Shueisha・NAS
First, the character who has a strong relationship with Kirihara Akaya is Echizen Ryoma. Echizen Ryoma is a first-year student who belongs to the Seishun Academy tennis club. He is a master of the one-footed split step, just like Kirihara, and can catch up to the ball faster than any other character. In the story, there is only one impromptu match in an external match, and Kirihara was leading in the early stages, but Echizen reached a state of selflessness and overtook him. This prompted Kirihara to also reach a state of selflessness in the Kanto Tournament final against Seishun Gakuen.
A worthy opponent in the Kanto Tournament!! Fuji Shusuke
Source: The Prince of Tennis ©Takeshi Konomi/Shueisha・NAS
The next character who has a strong relationship with Kirihara Akaya is Fuji Shusuke. Fuji Shusuke is a third-year student who belongs to the Seishun Academy tennis club. He has medium-length brown hair and is called a genius. He competes against Kirihara in singles at the Kanto Tournament. During that time, Kirihara hit him in the head with a ball, causing him to temporarily lose his eyesight. However, being blind sharpened his senses and allowed him to concentrate better, giving him the upper hand. Fuji is a master of the triple counter technique, and has powerful techniques such as Tsubame Gaeshi and Kuma Otoshi.
Senior to aim for!! Yukimura Seiichi
Source: The Prince of Tennis ©Takeshi Konomi/Shueisha・NAS
Yukimura Seiichi is also one of the characters who has a strong relationship with Kirihara Akaya. Yukimura Seiichi is a third-year student and the club president of the tennis club at Rikkaidai Junior High School. He is characterized by his purple hair and headband. Although he is usually very calm, he is also strict and dignified. He has always been a skilled tennis player, and can make his opponent suffer from extreme yips with a perfect return, taking away their five senses. He is Kirihara's senior and the strongest at Rikkai University, so he is one of the goals he wants to beat the most.
A goal to beat!! Genichiro Sanada
Source: The Prince of Tennis ©Takeshi Konomi/Shueisha・NAS
The next character who has a strong relationship with Kirihara Akaya is Genichiro Sanada. Sanada Genichiro is a third-year student and vice-captain of the tennis club at Rikkaidai Junior High School. He wears a black cap and has a stubborn personality that is strict with himself and others. He is good at fighting in a way that matches his opponent's playing style, known as Fuurinkazan, and has top-class skills nationwide. He is one of the Big Three at Rikkaidai Junior High School and one of the people Kirihara wants to beat. However, so far he has not been able to win no matter how many times they play against each other. However, Sanada himself acknowledges Kirihara's strength and hopes that he will grow.
A senior who can control Kirihara!! Renji Yanagi
Source: The Prince of Tennis ©Takeshi Konomi/Shueisha・NAS
The last character to be introduced who has a strong relationship with Akaya Kirihara is Renji Yanagi. Renji Yanagi is a dangerous red-eyed devil!! What is the charm of Akaya Kirihara? He is a third-year student who belongs to the tennis club at Rikkaidai Junior High School. He has a bob haircut and thin, closed eyes. He is skilled at data tennis and can predict what his opponent will say next. Renji Yanagi is also good at doubles and is good at controlling his partner. This allows him to control Kirihara's red eyes and devil transformations well. Renji Yanagi is also one of the Big 3 at Rikkaidai Junior High School and is one of the people Kirihara wants to defeat.
Dangerous red-eyed devil!! What is the appeal of Kirihara Akaya!?
Source: The Prince of Tennis ©Takeshi Konomi/Shueisha・NAS
So far, we have introduced Kirihara Akaya's basic characteristics and techniques, as well as his relationship with other characters. So, what is the appeal of Kirihara Akaya? We will introduce him in detail based on episodes depicted in the work.
The charm of Kirihara Akaya, part 1: his overwhelming cruelty
Source: The Prince of Tennis ©Takeshi Konomi/Shueisha・NAS
First, the charm of Kirihara Akaya that I will introduce first is his overwhelming cruelty. Kirihara will do anything to win. There are many enemy characters in The Prince of Tennis, but he is a particularly vicious character. He regularly plays rough, hitting opposing players with the ball to steal points, and eventually pinning them to the fence of the court. He has charisma as an enemy, and his bad side is attractive. He is one of the most popular characters, and many people admire him for being able to do things that normally wouldn't be possible. Another part of his charm is his ability to change form, turning red and into a devil, which is typical of a shonen manga, and his appearance becomes even more sinister and cool.
Kirihara Akaya's charm part 2: The gap between his usual self and during a match
Source: The Prince of Tennis ©Takeshi Konomi/Shueisha・NAS
The next charm of Kirihara Akaya that I will introduce is the gap between his usual self and during a match. As mentioned earlier, Kirihara gets very angry during a match and likes brutal tennis. However, you don't see much of his brutal side in his daily life, and he is a character who has a strong air of being a joker. For this reason, he is something of a mood maker among the members of the tennis club at Rikkaidai Ryugakuen. Because of this, there is a gap between his match and everyday life, which is what makes him so appealing. Also, his genius side, such as his ability to perform split steps on one foot and to enter a state of selflessness, is also part of his charm.
【The Prince of Tennis】The dangerous red-eyed devil!! A thorough introduction to the charms of Akaya Kirihara!! Summary
Source: The Prince of Tennis ©Takeshi Konomi/Shueisha・NAS
This time, we introduced the charms of Akaya Kirihara, a regular at Rikkaidai Ryugakuen who appears in The Prince of Tennis. Kirihara is a formidable opponent who has appeared in The Prince of Tennis since the beginning. He is very powerful and gets stronger with each match. He is expected to play an active role in the currently serialized New Prince of Tennis, so we look forward to his future success. He's one of the most popular characters among the members of Rikkaidai's Dragon School, so why not check it out?
