History Characters / Eyeshield21

!!Taiyo Sphinx

Famed for the "Pyramid Line", the Taiyo Sphinx had the [[MightyGlacier heaviest linemen]] of any Japanese highschool, which usually guaranteed them a place at the Kanto Regional Tournament. Their greatest weakness was their lack of anything approaching a backfield. Nominally led by Quarterback Harao, the team was in truth under the control of Centre Banba, whose cool-headed leadership held the team together.

* AmbiguouslyBrown: The students of the Taiyo Highschool looked '''Middle Eastern''' despite all of them being ethnically Japanese. ''Somewhat'' justified, in that many of them were only tanned from all the surfing they did due to the school's proximity to the sea.
* AncientEgypt: Their {{Motif}}s. They've taken it to such a ridiculous level it's not even funny.
* BattleCry:
--> '''Harao''': One dare ask thou. Twenty and two legs in the morning, twenty and two legs at noon, twenty and two legs at night, eleven warriors who shall never fall... What may be the name of this team?
--> '''The Whole Team''': THE TAIYO SPHINX!!!!
* CombinationAttack: Their "Pyramid Line" and [[spoiler: "Tutankamon's Mask"]] both revolved around using their [[MightyGlacier heavy linemen]] to almost perfectly shield the quarterback.
* CurbStompBattle: At the receiving end for '''three''' times. See DiscOneFinalBoss below.
* CurbStompCushion: In the anime, they [[spoiler: got to at least show how awesome their "Tutankamon's Mask" formation was since, for some reason, Gaou wasn't there to crush it on the first go]].
* DiscOneFinalBoss: More so than the Naga. The Sphinx were portrayed as quite formidable in the Devil Bats' match against them. Afterwards, however, it became rather clear that the Sphinx were not by any mean a real threat as they ended up regularly [[CurbStompBattle routed]] by stronger teams (i.e., the Wild Gunmen, the Naga, and then [[spoiler: the Dinosaurs]]).
* DumbMuscle: All of the linemen, except for [[GeniusBruiser Banba]].

** TheLeader (de facto) and TheSmartGuy: Banba.
** TheBigGuy: Kasamatsu.
** TheChick: Harao, even though he's the ''quarterback''.
** TheSixthRanger: Kamaguruma.
* {{Guyliner}}s: Most of them have this, presumably to go with their Egyptian theme.
* [[JerkJock Jerk Jocks]]: Towards the Devil Bats during their match. They got better.
* MassOhCrap: When [[spoiler: Gaou made his first appearance as their opponent]].
* MightyGlacier: The team had tremendous linemen, but a lackluster backfield, meaning that they had to advance down the field slowly while shoving their opponents out of the way.
* MythicalMotifs: '''Sphinx'''.
* PlanetOfHats: The Taiyo Highschool is arguably the worst offender in the entire series, which is saying something.
* TheWorfEffect: First against the Wild Gunmen and then against [[spoiler: the [[ClimaxBoss Dinosaurs]]]]. They were also [[CurbStompBattle curb-stomped]] by the Naga offscreen.

[[folder:Kiminari Harao]]
[[quoteright:170:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Kiminari_Harao_386.jpg]]

A ''very'' beautiful young man who prides himself on being rich, refined, and elegant. Seemingly arrogant, Harao is actually deeply insecure about his talents as quarterback, and is highly reliant on his close friend Banba for protection and emotional support.

* Position: Quraterback
* Jersey: 8
* 40 yard dash: 5.4 seconds
* Bench Press: 50 kg
* 3rd Year Student (Grade 12)

* ActionSurvivor: Harao holds the honor of being the only quarterback not to be crushed by Gaoh. He's not to proud of it though, as it was due to Banba and the Taiyou line. He was forced to forfeit because he was ''literally'' the only man on his team left standing.
* ALadyOnEachArm: Or rather a constant entourage of scantily clad groupies.
* [[AlphaBitch Alpha Brat]]: At first. He was introduced as seeming to be very elitist and bossy, blaming others for his shortcomings. Of course it's mostly just an act because he's insecure.
* AmbiguouslyBrown: Like all members of the Sphinx.
* {{Bishonen}}: He's one of the most feminine-looking male characters.
* BreakTheHaughty: ''Twice.'' The tie with Deimon was embarrassing but beneficial to his CharacterDevelopment. The defeat by Hakushu (and seeing his best friend get hurt protecting him) elevated him to {{Woobie}} status.
* TheCasanova: Not as bad as Agon, but he isn't above taking advantage of his popularity.
* TheChick: To the Sphinx.
* FakeUltimateHero: Is a mediocre quarterback at best, yet is perceived as the team's ace.
* {{Guyliner}}: To go with his Egyptian theme.
* InstantFanClub
* JerkassFacade: Acts snobby and in control to hide the fact that's he very insecure about his abilities.
* LongHairedPrettyBoy
* PrincelyYoungMan: His father is the CEO of an oil company.
* [[RichBitch Rich Brat]]
* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: The Sensitive Guy to Banba's Manly Man.
* YeOldeButcheredeEnglishe: When his antiquated way of speaking is translated to English. He drops this after the Hakushu game.

[[folder:Mamoru Banba]]
[[quoteright:170:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Mamoru_Banba_3332.jpg]]

The imposing, stoic ace of the Sphinx, Banba's wisdom and calmness make him the real authority figure of the team. Widely regarded as one of the country's best young linemen, he has a respectful rivalry with Kurita.

* Position: Centre / Defensive Tackle
* Jersey: 50
* 40 yard dash: 5.5 seconds
* Bench Press: 145 kg
* Birthday: June 25th
* 3rd Year Student (Grade 12)

* AmbiguouslyBrown
* AnimalMotifs: He's compared to a cobra once.
* {{Badass}}
** BadassInCharge
* BaldBlackLeaderGuy: Though Harao is the team's official captain, it's rather obvious who has the final say.
* BaldOfAwesome: The bald player is the strongest and more reliable one of his team.
* TheComicallySerious: Keeps his stoicism even during a "pointlessly badass" pillow fight.
* {{Determinator}}: He's the first person to actually challenge Gaou, and although knowing that he was outmatched, repeatedly got up and held his ground, not allowing the Hakushuu player to lay a finger on his QB.
* GeniusBruiser: Yes, Banba is the strongest guy in his team, and one of the strongest guys in Japan. And yes, he has good grades, and he's the one calling the shot in his team when it comes to tactical decisions.

* TheLancer: To Harao. Subverted in that he's the real leader.
* LargeAndInCharge: The largest guy in Taiyo, and the de facto leader.
* TheLeader
* ScaryBlackMan: Has the appearance and composure of one, though he's ethnically Japanese.
* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: He's the Manly Man to Harao's Sensitive Guy.
* TheSmartGuy: He's the one who makes tactical decision in his team.
* TheStoic: Especially notable when Harao starts to lose it and Banba has to step in as TheLeader.
* TheWorfEffect: His defeat at Gaoh's hands is used to demonstrate just how overwhelmingly powerful the Hakushu lineman is.
* WorthyOpponent: He's one of the few players Gaoh respects. He and Kurita view each other as this, too.
* WouldntHitAGirl: Was very opposed to Kurita tackling Karin.
* YoungerThanTheyLook: When Yamabushi can't make a speech for the Japan Team, he steps up as the one with the second oldest face.

[[folder:Niinobu Kasamatsu]]
[[quoteright:170:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Niinobu_Kasamatsu_7639.jpg]]

A large, fat, and frighteningly stupid player who serves as one of Taiyo's best linemen.

* Position: Offensive Tackle / Defensive End
* Jersey: 66
* 40 yard dash: 5.9 seconds
* Bench Press: 100 kg

* AmbiguouslyBrown
* TheBigGuy: Though Banba is taller.
* DumbMuscle: It's rather terrifying just how stupid Kasamatsu is, and how totally unprepared he is for any of the Devil Bats' trick plays.
* FatBastard: Dumb, mean, and grossly fat.
* {{Gonk}}: Perhaps the single most emblematic example in the series outside of complete one-offs like the Sankaku Punks.
* {{Guyliner}}
* JerkAss: Definitely acts as this towards the Ha-Ha Brothers.
* JerkJock: Really likes humiliating the Ha-ha Brothers during their first game, until they turn it around.
* PetTheDog: With all the linemen [[spoiler: he is shown unconscious as he protected Harao from Gaou, that means he saw Banba getting destroyed and still faced Gaou.]]
* StoutStrength

!!NASA Aliens/[[spoiler:Shuttles]]

[[folder:In General]]
A top-ranked American highschool team that came to Japan to play an exhibition match promoting the sport. Whilst the team had a great deal of talents, they were held back by their racist coach, Leonard Apollo, who refused to let their [[TokenMinority best player]] actually get off the bench.

* BattleCry:
--> '''The Whole Team''' (Taking a step forward simultaneously): This is one small step for a man, and one giant leap for NASA Aliens' victory!
* CombinationAttack: Their Shuttle Pass involved a great amount of teamwork: (1) all the linemen used their muscle powers to stay steadfast and shield Homer; (2) Homer used his strong arm to throw a ''very'' long pass that flew all the way to the end zone; whilst (3) Watt ran at full speed and caught the pass.
* [[ConsummateProfessional Consummate Professionals]]: As noted by Sena, they were rather laid back and fun-loving off the field, but they got '''very''' serious once the football match began.
* CripplingOverSpecialization: Until [[spoiler: [[SuperSpeed Panther]] finally got to play]], they had ''one'' move and it was the Shuttle Pass. They were incredibly good at it, but once it was out of the table, they couldn't score since they lacked good runners and Homer had bad aim.
* CurbStompBattle: Notably, they inflicted one on an ''university'' football team.
* {{Eagleland}}: Downplayed but present, such as Apollo's racism against blacks. Would be a straight Type 1 if you take the coach out: a strong team made of nice people who viewed each other as family and both respected their opponents on the field despite the wager and friendly outside the field towards strangers.
* FiveBadBand: Well, the players are rather decent blokes, but thanks to [[TokenEvilTeammate Apo]][[{{Jerkass}} llo]]...
** BigBad and TheEvilGenius: Apollo.
** CoDragons: Homer and Watt.
** [[TheBrute The Brutes]]: The Gonzales Brothers.
** TheDarkChick: The forever benched [[TokenMinority Panther]]. [[spoiler: Until Apollo's HeelRealization]].
* HumanAliens: These guys are 100% earthlings, but their space {{Motif}}s can evoke this.
* JackOfAllStats: The Aliens were quite a well-rounded football team, sporting decent offense in Homer and Watt's Shuttle Pass, fine defense thanks to the Gonzales Brothers, and pretty tough linemen in general.
* [[LovableJock Lovable Jocks]]: ''All of the players''.
* MonochromeCasting: Apollo had taken extra cautions to ensure his team was this, [[spoiler: after having his career in the NFL ruined by a black guy [[FreudianExcuse thus developing a hatred towards blacks]]]].
* MrFanservice: At least, Homer and the linemen thought of themselves as this.
* [[NiceGuy Nice Guys]]: Everyone of them, except [[{{Jerkass}} Apollo]].
* OpposingSportsTeam: Downplayed in much the same way as the Naga example. Apollo, much like Agon, was a jerk and deserved to lose, but the team were mostly {{Nice Guy}}s.
* TrueCompanions: All of the white players and Panther genuinely cared about each other. This is especially apparent when [[spoiler: the whole team [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming showed up to help their abused black friend to look for the sweatband Apollo threw away]]]].

[[folder:Patrick "Panther" Spencer]]
[[quoteright:225:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tumblr_inline_nbggcomge71sz34oo.jpg]]
''"Even if it's coach Apollo, he will use a black guy if he's really good! Someday, he'll acknowledge me for my skills."''

A jovial young man who kept a positive attitude despite the many hardships he'd had to face, Panther dreamed of joining the NFL to improve his and his grandmother's living condition. At first, he was forced to be no more than a ball boy by his racist coach [[{{Jerkass}} Apollo]], but eventually won the latter over and became the Aliens/Shuttles' ace running back. [[spoiler: With his superb running skills, Panther later secured a place in Team America as a member of the Pentagram. At the end, he was nominated the MVP in the World Cup and became a pro NFL player, attaining his dream]].

* Position: Running Back / Safety
* Jersey: 20
* 40-yard dash: 4.5 seconds; [[spoiler: later '''4.1 seconds''']]
* Bench Press: 70 kg (154 lbs)
* Height: 185 cm (6' 1")
* Weight: 92 kg (205 lbs)
* Nicknames: Panther; [[spoiler: later "Fastest Man Above Ground"]]

* {{Adorkable}}: Especially [[spoiler: during the World Cup]].
* AllLovingHero: Kind and caring towards ''everyone''? Check. Believing the best of others? Check. Repaying cruelty with kindness and forgiveness? Check. Redeeming a bad guy with the PowerOfFriendship? Check. Let's face it, if this were a shonen adventure series, Panther would easily be TheHero.
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Played out ''both'' ways for him. At first, despite his talent in running being hyped up, he was utterly crushed by Sena and Shin simply because of his lack of experience. However, under the training of Apollo, he [[spoiler: later turned into the ''only person in the entire series'' that could run faster than Sena and Shin]].
* AnimalMotifs: '''Panther'''.
* TheApprentice: [[spoiler: Became this to Apollo after the latter's HeelFaceTurn]].
* AscendedFanboy: Reason he endured Apollo's abuse? Panther was that loyal as his fanboy. [[spoiler: He even avenged Apollo by [[http://read.mangashare.com/Eyeshield-21/chapter-307/page017.html curb-stomping Morgan]]]].
* {{Badass}}: Had fully evolved into this [[spoiler: by the time of the World Cup]].
* BerserkButton: Messing with his sweatband. And presumably, messing with anything related to his grandmother.
* [[spoiler: BigFancyHouse: Said to be living in one after he became a pro NFL player]].
* CurbStompBattle: [[spoiler: Inflicted one on Morgan, the former star running back who outed [[TheMentor Apollo]]]]. He also [[spoiler: did this to ''Shin'' during the World Cup]].
** Panther's inflicting this on [[spoiler: '''Yamato''']] indirectly caused the latter to [[spoiler: be run out of Notre Dame]].
* {{Determinator}}: No amount of Apollo's abuse could deter Panther from staying on the Aliens.
* TheDragon: [[spoiler: To Clifford and Mr. Don, during the World Cup Arc. Still a TokenGoodTeammate, though]].
* EarnYourHappyEnding: The best example in the whole series. Panther had to go through '''a lot''' before he was acknowledged by Apollo and [[spoiler: became a pro NFL player]].
* FragileSpeedster: Not as fragile as Sena, but he can be taken down relatively easily... provided you can even come close to touching him.
* FriendlyRivalry: Towards pretty much everyone, but in particular [[TheHero Sena]]. At a point, [[TheEvilGenius Clifford]] even scolded Panther ''for being too nice towards his opponents''.
--> '''Panther''' (Smiling): Nishishi, Sena! The first round is my win! Barely, though...
--> '''Clifford''': Panther!
--> '''Panther''': Ah, sorry! (Thought) Damn, of course. If I say this kind of stuff, the referee will be angry. "Don't taunt the opponent!" Or things like that...
--> '''Clifford''' (DeathGlare): You're not nearly good enough at taunting. Don't say stuff like you barely made it!
--> '''[[NiceGuy Panther]]''' (Sweating): Ohooooo!? That!? But it's the truth. It was really quite...
--> '''[[JerkJock Clifford]]''': It doesn't matter! Leave a strong expression! Is there a point if a trump card doesn't show its strength to the enemy!?
* TheGift: Whilst they handwaved it as the talents of blacks, [[spoiler: a flawless 4.1 40-yard dash]] was not something a highschooler could do just by being black. That's some polished gift.
* HeartwarmingOrphan: Although it wasn't being an orphan that caused Apollo to warm up to him, there was no denying Panther was one.
* HeroOfAnotherStory: Panther could make a pretty good claim to being this. Starting as the ball boy of his team despite his amazing talent and abused by his racist coach, he [[{{Determinator}} stick it out]]. Finally, his time came when the Aliens were backed up against the wall by the Devil Bats. After turning the game around and actually ''winning'' it for his team, he won his coach's grudging respect and a permanent spot on the reformed Shuttles. [[spoiler: Under Apollo's tutelage, he became the top runner in the US (at the highschool level, anyway) and joined the Pentagram for the World Cup, winning the NFL contract that Morgan offered. At the end, his dream came true]].
* HeroWorshipper: The major reason why he put up with Apollo's abuses was that he idolized him when the latter was in the NFL, and vowed he would be as hardworking as Apollo was.
* ImprovisedTraining: Hardly surprising given his family background. For years, Panther had been training himself via ''running across rooftops'', which gave him nigh inhuman agility.
* LovableJock: Went hand-in-hand with HeartwarmingOrphan and NiceGuy.
* ManlyTears: Shed this when [[spoiler: Apollo [[HeelFaceTurn offered to make him the team's official running back]]]].
* NiceGuy: He's this at his core.
* NobleTopEnforcer: [[spoiler: To the Pentagram]].
* ThePollyanna: Fortunately, this attitude paid off for him BIG TIME later in the series.
* ThePowerOfFriendship: [[spoiler: During the Devil Bats vs Aliens game, Panther's TrueCompanions ''all knelt down together to beg Apollo'' to let Panther play, causing Apollo to soften]].
* PutMeInCoach: During the Devil Bats vs Aliens game. He even did the PoseOfSupplication, just so that Apollo would put him in. [[spoiler: Then [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming the entire team did the same to support Panther]]]].
* [[spoiler: RagsToRiches: See BigFancyHouse and EarnYourHappyEnding above]].
* RaisedByGrandparents: Specifically, just his grandmother.
* {{Signature Move}}s: His Gravity Zero Run. [[spoiler: The Stiff Arm]] also counted.
* SkilledButNaive: Initially. Whilst he had always been incredibly fast and agile, his lack of actual field experience meant he didn't really know how to defend against opponents.
* SpiritedCompetitor: The reason he decided to go to Japan.
* [[spoiler: SuperSpeed: While he's no [[TheFlash Flash]] he was one of the few people on Earth who could run 40-yard dash in '''4.1''' seconds. That wasn't really impossible - Deion Sanders did a 4.1 without stretching, though to this day it's the fastest 40 ever recorded '''at the NFL Combine''']].
* [[spoiler: TokenGoodTeammate: In The Pentagram, in which he played alongside SmugSnake Clifford, CombatPragmatist Bud Walker, JerkJock Tatanka, and the [[TheJuggernaut monstrous]] Mr. Don]].
* TokenMinority: Justified. Apollo, the coach of the Aliens, was racist, and only allowed him to be the ball boy at first. Apollo's racism drove away all the other black players. Only Panther stayed on the team because he was a {{Determinator}} and was Apollo's biggest fanboy.
* TookALevelInBadass: [[spoiler: From a ball boy to the ''"Fastest Man Above Ground"'']].
* WorthyOpponent: To Sena, especially [[spoiler: during the World Cup Arc]].

[[folder:Homer Fitzgerald]]
[[quoteright:170:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Homer_Fritzgerald_6085.jpg]]

Panther's best friend and teammate. Helped Panther endure Apollo's racism and generally looks out for him. Noted for having a powerful, but uncontrolled long pass.

* Position: Quraterback
* Jersey: 5
* 40 yard dash: 4.75 seconds
* Bench Press: 160 kg

* BlackBestFriend: {{Inverted}}. He's Panther's underdeveloped, white best friend.
* BoisterousBruiser: A muscle flexing, beer-loving man's man. He's also said to have the 3rd most friends out of the entire cast.
* ButtMonkey: His teammates will not let him flaunt, Watt openly state that his aiming sucks and when he says he is not the real team's ace they just say he never was considered the ace.
* DrinkOrder: A can of Budweiser, despite being in high school. This isn't ''that'' unrealistic, but the writer probably assumed the drinking age was closer to 18 in the US.
* DumbMuscle: Despite the fact that the series' quarterbacks tend to be intelligent.
* FanDisservice: In-universe. It's stated that he likes to flex his muscles in front of girls and thinks of himself as MrFanservice, but the girls seem to find it repulsive.
* ImplacableMan: A somewhat muted example, but it's there; he can throw the Shuttle Pass ''while being tackled'', and he's pretty hard to take down in the first place.
* LovableJock
* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Fuzzy jawline, strong but unsure arm... Brett Favre, is that you?
* QuickNip: Unless he's on the field, he's usually shown with his TrademarkFavoriteFood, a can of Budweiser.
* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: The Manly Man to Watt's Sensitive Guy.
* StraightMan: Is usually the one to question Watt's "knowledge" of Japanese culture or comment on Panther's naivety.
* TestosteronePoisoning: See FanDisservice above.
* TrueCompanions: One of Panther's.

[[folder:Jeremy Watt]]
[[quoteright:170:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Jeremy_Watt_259.jpg]]

A well-meaning but very misinformed Japan-o-phile who often confuses both Japanese and Americans alike.

* Position: Wide Receiver
* Jersey: 81
* 40 yard dash: 4.8 seconds

* AcademicAthlete: He seems to be a smart kid. The anime shows that the Shuttle pass i such a success because he is good at estimating Homer's pass.
* BlackBestFriend: {{Inverted}} again with Panther.
* CloudcuckooLander: After seeing a skilled Japanese linebacker, he becomes fascinated with samurais. Nobody is able to figure out that train of thought.
* GratuitousJapanese: Being an OccidentalOtaku, he likes to use Japanese words.
* LovableJock
* OccidentalOtaku: Though unlike most, he's doesn't appear to be an anime otaku, and likes the culture as a whole. However, his ideas about Japanese culture are a bit... '''off'''.
* RunningGag: One of the Aliens asks Watt some questions about Japanese culture. Then the supposed Japan expert says something ridiculously wrong. It's made funnier by the fact that Watt's answers are in general taken seriously.
* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: The Sensitive Guy to Homer's Manly Man.
* SmartPeopleWearGlasses: Apparently the smartest guy among the Aliens, and the only one who wears glasses.
* TeenGenius: It's obvious that he's a very bright kid when it comes to non-Japan related stuff - for instance, he does the legwork for the Shuttle Pass by calculating where it'll end up and being there to catch it.
* TrueCompanions: To Panther.

[[folder:The Gonzales Brothers (Nathan "Big Shit" Gonzales and Otto "Piss" Gonzales)]]
[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Gonzales_Brothers_7409.jpg]]

Two linemen who are ridiculously muscular (even by the standards of the team), the older being the tallest on the team and the younger being the shortest. Both pride themselves on being "useful", which translate... '''oddly''' into written Japanese, to say the least.

'''Nathan:'''
* Position: Centre / Guard
* Jersey: 50
* Nickname: "Big Shit"

'''Otto:'''
* Position: Linebacker
* Jersey: 70
* Nickname: "Piss"

* BashBrothers
* BigGuyLittleGuy
* DumbMuscle
* EmbarrassingNickname: Duh.
* EmbarrassingTattoo: Are best known for having tattoos that say "big shit" and "little piss" by accident. They asked [[OccidentalOtaku Watt]] about Kanji characters as tattoo, "Big and Useful" and "Little and Fast" respectively, and Watt showed them the character, but not the right placement.
* EvilCounterpart: Not evil in the least, but are basically American versions of Kurita and Komusubi.
* GentleGiant: Nathan is the first lineman to rival Kurita in sheer strength (Banba had to use his posture and training) and he is also really supportive of his brother and suggested the whole team should meet Apollo and asks him to let Panther play.
* LightningBruiser: The little guy can practically keep up with Sena and packs a lot of power.
* MightyGlacier: The older one.
* PintSizedPowerhouse: The younger Gonzales, who does NOT like being underestimated.

[[folder:Leonard Apollo]]
[[quoteright:170:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Leonard_Apollo_1580.jpg]]

A former NFL player, Apollo's racial prejudice and mistreatment of Panther both trace back to the raw deal he received when he was a pro.

Position: Coach

* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: He was edged out of his job by a black star player named Morgan, resulting in his hatred towards black people and vow to build a powerful football team composed only of whites.
* BigBad: During the Deimon-NASA game.
* BigOlEyebrows
* [[DefrostingIceQueen Defrosting Ice King]]: Towards Panther during the game with Deimon.
* {{Eagleland}}: Arguably the most glaring one among the Aliens.
* EvilCounterpart: To [[ComedicSociopath Hiruma]] for the Deimon-NASA game. Or a GoodCounterpart. This troper's not sure.
* EvilGenius: To the Aliens.
* ExactWords: He uses the same trick for two different reasons. Firstly, after promising that the NASA Aliens would never return to the USA if they didn't beat the Devil Bats by at least 10 points, he weasels his way out of it by changing the name of the team to the NASA Shuttles. Then, when Panther glumly resigns himself to keeping his promise to quit the Aliens if he failed to stop Eyeshield 21 in the game, Apollo agrees that Panther can never call himself an Alien again, [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming then offers him the position of running back on the Shuttles instead]].
* FreudianExcuse: He's a racist and acts as a JerkAss towards Panther because a black player made him lose his dream.
* GrumpyBear: While he comes to respect Panther, he's never outright nice and is still a little racist.
* HardWorkHardlyWorks: The lesson he learned from his days in the NFL and one of the reasons he keeps Panther off the team.
* HeelFaceTurn: After the Deimon-NASA game.
* HeelRealization: ''"Since when did I start to hate football...?"''
* {{Jerkass}}: Much of his pre-HeelFaceTurn dialogue consists of statements that demean nonwhites or his opponents or both.
* {{Hypocrite}}: He called Hiruma's video immature only for him to go in a "no you have a small dick tirade" with him on the same page.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: It's arguable whether you say he has a heart of gold (maybe bronze...), but he does become a great mentor to Panther out of respect for his skill and work ethic. But as a person, he's still a blowhard and a bit racist.
* LoopholeAbuse: By renaming the team to the NASA '''Shuttles''', he feels he technically lives up to the stipulation that the NASA Aliens wouldn't go back home.
* TheMentor: [[spoiler: Became this to Panther eventually]].
* PetTheDog: When he puts Panther in the game and becomes a good coach and mentor to him.
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: He's racist towards both blacks and Asians.
* PutMeInCoach: Unfortunately, Apollo's coach didn't listen, and he never got the chance to prove himself on the field.
* [[RichBitch Rich Bastard]]: His first appearance was him badmouthing the Japanese on a yacht.
* RightHandCat: In the anime, he has one named "Hilary".
* SmugSnake: Initially played straight; he's utterly convinced of the superiority of his white American team over the Japanese. Hiruma accurately identifies him as NASA's biggest weakness. Subverted after his HeelFaceTurn when he became Panther's mentor, he turned out to be a ''damn'' good one.
* VillainousBSOD: After discovering Panther had weathered his racist abuse because he was his biggest fan.
* WearingAFlagOnYourHead: He wears an American flag tie during the game with Deimon.

!!Amino Cyborgs

[[folder:In General]]
Every year, the Amino Highschool decided to try and takeover a new sport in order to demonstrate the superiority of their training methods. In the previous two years, it was soccer and basketball; now they were aiming to form the ultimate football team and conquer the Tokyo Tournament. Emphasizing drug use and study over practices, the Cyborgs [[spoiler: were eliminated by the Devil Bats in the first round]].

* [[AcademicAthlete Academic Athletes]]: Every one of them was supposed to be this.
* CurbStompBattle: [[spoiler: On the receiving end when they fought the Devil Bats. The main purpose of the Cyborgs' existence appeared to be to show how much the Devil Bats had improved after the [[TrainingFromHell Death March]]]].
* {{Cyborg}}s: Their primary {{Motif}}s.
* {{Gonk}}s: They somehow managed to assemble a full team of these.
* [[JokeCharacter Joke Characters]]: Their status after losing to the Devil Bats.
* MusclesAreMeaningless: Played with. The Cyborgs built their muscles only through drugs and other forms of artificial stimulation, while the Devil Bats got theirs naturally through a '''very''' rough training regimen. The difference between these two could be compared to that between a body builder and a weight lifter: the body builder is more likely to be bigger and toned, but the weight lifter will end up having greater strength and stamina.
* OpposingSportsTeam: Their method of training goes against ''every'' aesop in the series, though only Aoyanagi is a real jackass about it.
* SkilledButNaive: Being able to bulk up and come up with football tactics in one summer was an impressive feat. However, it was stupid to think ''that'' would be enough to defeat people who had practice and theory on their side. And that a running back wouldn't fix his obvious flaw.
* [[SmugSnake Smug Snakes]]: Munakata and Aoyanagi were both vocal about their supposed superiority, [[spoiler: which made it funnier when the Devil Bats steamrollered them]].

[[folder:Atsushi Munakata]]
[[quoteright:170:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Atsushi_Munakata_9431.jpg]]

A buff, intellectual man who takes the idea of "brains over brawn" a little too far. Is almost always smiling and has a freakishly shiny face.

* Position: Linebacker
* Jersey: 29
* 40 yard dash: 5.3 seconds
* Bench Press: 115 kg
* 3rd Year Student (Grade 12)

* AcademicAthlete: He's proud of it.
* AffablyEvil: Off the field he's rather gentlemanly, and even on it he has a friendly charm that seems to be absolutely genuine.
* ArrogantKungFuGuy: Did not hesitate to brag about his superior intelligence and training to Devil Bats.
* BoisterousBruiser: Most of the time.
* CurbStompBattle: He didn't even come close to touching Sena.
* FanDisservice: Even his muscles are shiny.
* FridgeHorror: Invoked InUniverse. Just [[SiblingIncest why do his parents look so alike]]!?
* GeniusBruiser: Him and everyone at Amino. According to him, those who graduate from Amino go on to either Amino Medical School or ''Tokyo University''.
* GRatedDrug: His ridiculously buff physique is thanks to "science". ''Right...''
* {{Gonk}}: He kind of looks like a Ken doll on steroids.
* HypocriticalHumor: Gets angry when Americans underestimate Team Japan, then proceeds to bet on the American team as well.
* TheLeader: The charismatic leader for the Amino Cyborgs.
* MusclesAreMeaningless: He's a buff guy... and Sena got past him effortlessly.
--> '''Ikari''': "Are those muscles just for show?"
* StepfordSmiler: If he's not smiling it means he's in serious trouble.
* VillainousBSOD: When he loses to the Devil Bats.
* YoungerThanTheyLook: {{Lampshaded}} constantly. When the Devil Bats first met him, they assumed he was a doctor.

[[folder:Suguru Aoyanagi]]
[[quoteright:170:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Suguru_Aoyanagi_8444.jpg]]

A geeky otaku who went from bony to bodybuilder in a year and a half thanks to, ''ahem'', "vitamin supplements".

* Position: Lineman
* Jersey: 64

* AcademicAthlete
* ArrogantKungFuGuy: Like Munakata, but without the jovial charm.
* CelebrityResemblance: He used to looked exactly like Weird Al, complete with curls and geek glasses. After starting his training regimen, he looked like Weird Al ''on steroids''. Like Yankovic, he's also incredibly geeky, but what stops him from being another weird Eyeshield football expy is that he's a jerk and a mild masochist.
* EvilLaugh: Fufufu.
* {{Gonk}}: Both before and after his unnatural training regimen.
* {{Jerkass}}: He seems to have a lot of issues left from his GeekPhysique days.
* JerkJock: He's buff, and loves to taunt his opponent.
* MusclesAreMeaningless
* StraightMan: To Munakata's cheerful disposition.
* TooKinkyToTorture: Their manager can be quite cruel to the team and Aoyanagi ''loves'' it.

!!Kyoshin Poseidons

[[folder:In General]]
The Fall Tokyo Tournament's biggest dark horse after the Devil Bats themselves, the Poseidons were traditionally a fairly weak team, before [[SaveOurTeam Shun Kakei joined up]]. Recruiting a batch of new recruits, all of whom were ''5'11'' or taller, and using their heights to dominate both the line and the back, the team took out the veteran Hashiritani Deer and the thuggish Zokugaku Chameleons, before facing off against the Devil Bats in the semi-finals.

* ColorCodedCharacters: Their uniforms were ocean blue, which goes with their {{Motif}}s.
* CombinationAttack: [[spoiler: Their ultimate tactic, the '''"Poseidon"''', involved all their star players - Kakei, Mizumachi, Ohira and Onishi - becoming linebackers and using their heights to block '''all''' of their opponents' running and passing]]. That gave the Devil Bats a hard time.
* CurbStompBattle: They inflicted this on the Deer, and then the Chameleons. [[spoiler: They came on the receiving end when they fought the ''[[TheDreaded Naga]]'' in a practice match]].
* FiveManBand:
** TheLeader (de facto) and TheSmartGuy: Kakei.
** TheLancer: Mizumachi.
** [[TheBigGuy The Big Guys]]: Onishi and Ohira, both literally and figuratively.
** TheChick: Kobanzame, despite being the official captain.
* JackOfAllStats: They seemed fairly good at both offense and defense.
* MakingASplash: They did not have real ElementalPowers, of course, but their {{Motif}}s can evoke this trope. Like [[http://read.mangashare.com/Eyeshield-21/chapter-124/page008.html this scene]] (Note: the water isn't real).
* MythicalMotifs: '''Poseidon'''s.
* RedOniBlueOni: Notably, Kakei is the blue to ''all'' of his teammates.
* SaveOurTeam: The Poseidons were a [[ButtMonkey rather weak team]]... until Kakei joined and helped recruit the current star players.
* TrueCompanions: They had undergone some really crazy training regimens, and they managed to endure it because they trained together.
* TheWorfEffect: [[spoiler: Their being steamrollered showed how tough the Naga were]].

[[folder:Kengo Mizumachi]]
[[quoteright:170:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Kengo_Mizumachi_4101.jpg]]

A fun-loving, extremely lanky lineman who came to Kyoshin from the swimming team. His special ability is "The Swim", where he uses his height to push down opponent's linemen. Takes his clothes off a lot.

* Position: Lineman / Tackle / Defensive End
* Jersey: 71
* Height: 203 cm (6' 8")
* 1st Year Student (Grade 10)

* {{Adorkable}}
* BlondeGuysAreEvil: {{Subverted}}. He seems like a {{Jerkass}} at first, but in actuality, he's just incredibly tactless.
* BokeAndTsukkomiRoutine: With Kakei. And Kobanzame. And Agon. Pretty much everyone actually.
* {{Determinator}}: Part of the reason he joined the football team was because his teammates on the swim team didn't have his drive and passion.
* FunPersonified
* IKnowMaddenKombat: Who knew swimming translated so well to football?
* JerkJock: Subverted. Mizumachi came off like this at first, but is subsequently revealed as a SpiritedCompetitor with [[NoSocialSkills no sense of tact]].
* {{Keet}}
* TheLancer: To Kakei.
* ManlyTears: Shed this when [[spoiler: the Poseidons lost to the Devil Bats]].
* NoSocialSkills: Whatever goes into Mizumachi's head comes out of his mouth, for good or ill.
* RedOniBlueOni: The red to Kakei's blue.
* RunningGag: His interactions with the very powerful girl.
* SaveOurTeam: Suckered into joining the swim team through this, he later joins the football team to actually do it.
* SpiritedCompetitor
* SurferDude: In the official translation. "Like, dude."
* WalkingShirtlessScene: Being a former swimmer, he's used to being half-naked and he likes it. He did this so much he later became Ootawara's streaking buddy.
* WorthyOpponent: To Komosubi, whom he later acknowledged as such. For the most part Mizumachi has the upper hand throughout their clashes on the line, but the two times that Komosubi manages to knock him down both lead to significant gains for the Devil Bats, and earns Mizumachi's respect.

[[folder:Shun Kakei]]
[[quoteright:170:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Shun_Kakei_9291.jpg]]

A very serious linebacker and the other half of Kyoshin's aces. Also very tall, but he failed to put this to use back in middle school, ignoring his coach's advice, and was crushed by American players when he moved to the US to play. Met the real Eyeshield 21, [[spoiler: Yamato]] while playing and this inspired him to new heights (so to speak).

* Position: Lineman / Linebacker / Safety
* Jersey: 41
* Height: 202 cm (6' 8")
* Birthday: June 6
* 1st Year Student (Grade 10)

* ArrogantKungFuGuy: Used to have little drive in using his height to his advantage in football. When he started to play in America and saw just how outclassed he was, this trait died out quickly.
* BerserkButton: Don't try to sully the original Eyeshield 21's reputation in any way.
* BreakTheHaughty: What happens to him in America, breaking him out of his ArrogantKungFuGuy attitude.
* {{Bishonen}}
* TheComicallySerious: Continues talking placidly about Akaba's running style as Sena and Monta attempt to take down Mizumachi at the bathhouse (long story). Kobanzame lampshades this by noting that he's too used to the other players' wackiness.
* {{Guyliner}}
* CharlesAtlasSuperpower: His ability to stop another player with one hand.
* IcyBlueEyes: Both a reflection of his personality and a reference to his team's ocean motif.
* LargeAndInCharge: Kobanzame's the team captain, but the towering Kakei is the one giving the orders.
* TheLeader: A levelheaded de facto leader, despite not being the captain.
* RedOniBlueOni: The blue to all his teammate's red.
* TheSmartGuy: He's the Poseidon's brain when it comes to strategies.
* TheStoic: He very rarely lets his emotions show.
** NotSoStoic: Anger showed on him when Sena and him talked about the fake Eyeshield 21.
* TallDarkAndHandsome: The guy was 5'7" in ''grade school''.
* WorthyOpponent: To both Sena and the ''real'' Eyeshield 21, [[spoiler: Yamato]], who acknowledges Kakei as one of the few linebackers who might be able to stop him.
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair

[[folder:Osamu Kobanzame]]
[[quoteright:170:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Osamu_Kobanzame_6346.jpg]]

Kyoshin's quarterback and overshadowed team captain. Generally unremarkable save for his ability to dump the ball fast enough that he's never had an interception. Never actually "leads" the team, just sort of... [[InsistentTerminology agrees]] with Kakei.

* Position: Quarterback
* Height: 163 cm (5' 4")
* Weight: 54 kg (119 lbs)
* Blood Type: O
* 3rd Year Student (Grade 12)

* {{Adorkable}}
* CowardlyLion: Despite his nerves, he tries hard and is a capable quarterback.
* {{Determinator}}: He endures all the crazy training regimes Mizumachi proposed.
* DirtyCoward: Has a brief moment of this when he went to spy on the Devil Bats.
* LargeAndInCharge: Inverted. The (official) captain and the smallest of the key players.
* TheLoad: Sees himself as this, since he does not really bring much to the team and is the least physically remarkable. None of his teammates sees him as useless and his determination is actually what convinced Mizumachi to join the football team.
* ManlyTears: Shed this alongside Mizumachi when [[spoiler: the Poseidon lost]].
* MeaningfulName: His last name literally means "Little Shark".
* {{Mondegreen}}: His speech habit.
* StraightMan: Arguably the most "normal" person in his team.
* WeakButSkilled: He doesn't have the physical strength or talent of the star players in his team, but his experience makes him a competent quarterback.

[[folder:Hiroshi Onishi and Hiroshi Ohira]]
[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Hiroshi_Onishi_Ohira_9804.jpg]]

Kakei's self-proclaimed "apprentices" (fanboys) who constantly argue over whose the better player.

* Position: Linebackers
* Jersey: 32 (Onishi); 31 (Ohira)
* Height: 204 cm (Onishi); 205 cm (Ohira)

* [[TheBigGuy The Big Guys]]: To the Poseidons. Both literally and figuratively.
* HellBentForLeather: How Ohira dresses in his down time. Sena refers to his sense of style as "old fashioned" (presumably due his resemblance to the classic biker image).
* HotBlooded: Ohira is so hot-blooded he cries perpetual manly tears.
* {{Jerkass}}: Onishi tends to be this towards Ohira.
* ManlyTears: Ohira, almost constantly.
* {{Meaningful Name}}s: Their names literally mean "Atlantic Ocean" and "Pacific Ocean" respectively.
* OneSteveLimit: Averted, much to their displeasure.
* RedOniBlueOni: Ohira is a parody of the typical "hot-blooded" character while Onishi is supposedly "refined".
* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: Ohira is the Manly Man while Onishi is the Sensitive Guy.
* SmartPeopleWearGlasses: Onishi claims to be this.
* StoicSpectacles: Onishi.
* UnskilledButStrong: They're very tall, but aren't as skilled as Kakei.

!!Bando Spiders

[[folder:In General]]
Once the best team in Tokyo after the White Knights, the Spiders were the runners-up in the previous year's Tokyo Tournament, narrowly losing to the Knights in a 7-6 game (and it should be recalled that no other team in Tokyo was able to score '''any''' point against the White Knights in that year). [[spoiler: When the [[ChekhovsGunman Teikoku Highschool]] of Kansai recruited away most of the team's best players, the Spiders were left struggling to rebuild, with only Tight End Hayato Akaba and ace Kicker Kotaro Sasaki remaining from their original lineup]].

* AnimalMotifs: Guess. No point for getting the right answer.
* ClimaxBoss: Of the Tokyo Tournament Arc. They're the last team that the Devil Bats faced, and the one the Bats absolutely ''had'' to beat to make it to the Kanto Regional.
* CombinationAttack: Downplayed since it only relied on two players. The Spider's Web revolved around using repeated onside kicks and Akaba's invincible lead blocking to pull an endless cycle of "Onside kick, Akaba got the ball, then Kotaro kicked to score".
* FreudianTrio:
** '''Id''': Kotaro, who's emotional and often [[HotBlooded impulsive]].
** '''Superego''': Akaba, the most [[AwesomenessByAnalysis analytic]] of the three.
** '''Ego''': Julie, who [[TeamMom kept the peace]] between the two.
* HeroOfAnotherStory: Downplayed, but the story of how the Spiders managed to make it to the Tokyo Tournament's semi-finals, despite Akaba being benched and lack of any top player other than Kotaro would probably make for an interesting story.
* {{Large Ham}}s: It seems that one must be this trope to be admitted to the Bando Highschool, if the behavior of Akaba and Kotaro plus the fact that individual students had ''theme songs composed for them'' were any indication.
* SignatureMove: All the players knew how to use the Spider Poison.
* StealthPun: The Spiders relied on kicking. They're all ''legs''.
* ThreeAmigos: Akaba, Kotaro, and Julie.
* UnderdogsNeverLose: Not in the Tokyo Tournament, anyway. With Akaba benched and Kotaro the only star player they had left, the Bando Spiders still succeeded to plow their way through a succession of higher-ranked teams before running up against the White Knights, and even there they're the first team to score on the Knights during the tournament. By the time of the Devil Bats' match against them, Akaba could play again so the Spiders lost the underdog status.
* WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer: Because [[spoiler: their offensive and defensive teams were recruited into the Teikoku Highschool]], the Spiders only had a kick team. Therefore, the only way they could score is through field goals. They're ridiculously good at it.

[[folder:Hayato Akaba]]
[[quoteright:170:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Hayato_Akaba_5388.jpg]]

Voted Tokyo MVP the year prior, Akaba is the ace of the Bando Spiders. Obsessed with music, he often strums his electric guitar when thinking and uses musical metaphors to state his opinions. Claimed to be the real "Eyeshield 21" until Bando was defeated by Deimon, where he then passed on the title (and blue eyeshield) to Sena.

* Position: Tight End / Full Back
* Jersey: 21
* Nickname: [[spoiler: The Real Eyeshield 21]]

* TheAce: The Spiders' best player, and the previous year's Tokyo MVP. He is the best tight end in the series.
* AwesomenessByAnalysis: Hiruma's only rival in this area. His "Spider Poison" technique is the result of countless hours of research to learn every player he face shift point.
* BenchedHero: Due to his quitting the Teikoku team to return to Bando in the middle of the football season, Akaba was sidelined as part of the game's rules. The only game he's ever played (not counting the World Youth Cup) was their match with Deimon.
* {{Bishonen}}: Pretty enough to be noticed by Jari Productions.
* TheChessmaster: Akaba has a tactic called "Run Force", in which he places his players in specific positions in order to make the opposing ball carrier think there's a wide open path for them, only for Akaba to suddenly appear and stop them dead in their tracks.
* TheComicallySerious:
** Likes to strike corny rock star poses for no other reason than RuleOfCool, while keeping his usual [[TheStoic stoic expression]].
** He also tends to make rather ridiculous music metaphors with a straight face.
* CoolShades
* GeniusBruiser: After his contract cancelling with Teikoku, he spends almost entire season becoming technical advisor for his team, developing the "Spider Poison", which he taught to ''almost every player of his team'', turning the Spiders from mediocre team into decent team. The bruiser part? Well, he can stop Kurita in his track single-handed, by using his superior technique to compensate for Kurita's superior strength.
* LargeHam: Despite his reserved personality, he's every bit as dramatic as Kotaro.
* TheLeader: A levelheaded type, with some mastermind.
* MeaningfulName: "Aka" means red. Kotaro refers to him as Aka-baka, which means "red idiot".
* RedEyesTakeWarning: {{Subverted}} then {{Parodied}}. When the Devilbats first encounter Akaba he comes off as frightening, but is actually a pretty nice guy. In the bonus material, the principal reveals they're just contacts.
* RedOniBlueOni: The blue (ironically) to Kotaro's red.
* SitcomArchNemesis: To Kotaro.
* TheStoic: To the point that his teammates are shocked when he even chuckles.
* SugarAndIcePersonality: Despite his coldness, it's evident that he cares for his team and Kotaro.
* VerbalTic: He tends to begin his sentences with "Fuu..."
* VitriolicBestBuds: He and Kotaro can't stand each other. They also deeply respect and trust each other when it comes to football.

[[folder:Kotaro Sasaki]]
[[quoteright:170:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Kotaro_Sasaki_3144.jpg]]

The ace kicker for the the Bando Spiders said to have a success rate of 100%. Declared himself Musashi's rival even before actually meeting him due to his (false) reputation as the "60-yeard Magnum". Takes kicking very seriously and wants to prove that it's every bit as important as offense and defense in football. Is perpetually combing his hair back.

* Position: Kicker
* Jersey: 99
* 40-yard dash: 5.5 seconds
* Bench Press: 65 kg
* Birthday: November 30th

* TheAce: Akaba gets all the attention, but Kotaro is every bit as important to the Spider's success as he is, and is the one who gets them through most of the Fall Tournament.
* AssKickingPose: Even when there's no ass-kicking to be done.
* {{Badass}}: Kotaro's a goof, but he's also the only player in Tokyo to have scored any points against Ojo's so-called "Golden Generation", landing two field goals for a score of 7 to 6. He also carries his team through the following year's Tokyo Tournament while Akaba is benched, scoring almost all of their points for them, and even managing to score a field goal against this year's Ojo - explicitly stated to be even stronger than last year's team - for a 10-3 game, despite the fact that this year's Spiders are made almost entirely of second-stringers.
* CatchPhrase: Uses "smart" as an adjective for anything good and "not smart" for anything bad. Changed to "cool" in the American manga release.
* HotBlooded: Lets his emotions get the better of him constantly.
* ImprobableAimingSkills: Can make a kick-in even during a typhoon.
* LargeHam: Feels the need to accompany anything he says or does with a dramatic pose. Once called a time-out in the middle of a game JUST to explain his team's tragic back story.
* ManlyTears: Shed this when [[spoiler: the Spiders lost to the Devil Bats]].
* RedOniBlueOni: The red to Akaba's blue.
* SeriousBusiness: Kicking is ''very'' serious business for him.
* SitcomArchNemesis: To Akaba.
* TrainingFromHell: In order to make Bando the ultimate kick team. This is how Kotaro can score points even during a typhoon, by training ''during'' a typhoon.
* UnknownRival: Although it's not that Musashi doesn't know about him as much as he doesn't care.
* VitriolicBestBuds: He and Akaba can't stand each other. They also respect and trust each other, when it comes to football.
* WeakButSkilled: Musashi has more raw power, but Kotaro's kicks land with perfect precision, even in adverse weather conditions.
* WorthyOpponent: Sees Musashi as this.

[[folder:Juri "Julie" Sawai]]
[[quoteright:170:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Juri_Sawai_Julie_6235.jpg]]

The manager of the Bando spiders and the one usually responsible for keeping the peace between [[SitcomArchNemesis Akaba and Kotaro]].

* Position: Manager

* TheChick
* CuteSportsClubManager
* DeadpanSnarker: Often does this whenever Akaba or Kotaro say/do something crazy or wacky.
* [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Woman]]: Given that the team's aces are both such {{large ham}}s.
* TeamMom: Constantly seen keeping peace between [[SitcomArchNemesis Akaba and Kotaro]].
* ThreeAmigos: Together with Akaba and Kotaro.
* [[TheStraightMan The Straight Woman]]: Her normal-ness stands in stark contrast to Akaba and Kotaro.
* {{Tsundere}}: According to the bonus material, while she calls Kotaro an idiot, she's never outright rejected his romantic advances.
* WomenAreWiser
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: According to the colored artwork. Considering she's has black eyebrows, she probably dyed it.

!!Hakushu Dinosaurs

[[folder:In General]]
SIC District Champions and Kanto Regional dark horses, the Hakushu Dinosaurs were, like the Devil Bats, a young team, composed mostly of first-year [[RagtagBandOfMisfits rookies and misfits]]. Led by the unscrupulous Reiji "Marco" Maruko, the Dinosaurs ran on a very brutal playing style: using their [[TheJuggernaut gigantic lineman Rikiya Gaou]] to break the bones of '''all''' quarterbacks they'd faced. Having turned the SIC District Tournament into a proverbial bloodbath, the Dinosaurs were now gunning for the title of Kanto's champions, and a shot at the Christmas Bowl.

* AnimalMotifs: Each of their star players was associated with a particular dinosaur.
* ArcVillain: The need to stop the Dinosaurs, ''particularly'' Gaou, dominated much of the Kanto Arc and hanged over every match after the Devil Bats vs Naga game.
* AttackAttackAttack: Subverted. The Dinosaurs became infamous for their north-south game, using Gaou's inhuman strength to hammer through '''any''' team in the way. [[spoiler: But their other two ace players (Marco and Kisaragi) were a safety and a cornerback respectively and their defense was at least as good as their offensive, repeatedly halting the Devil Bats in their tracks]].
* BadassCrew: Gaou was not the only top player in this team, just the best.
* ChekhovsGunman: The Dinosaurs first got mentioned in a football magazine shown in an extra material, as a SIC District team currently recruiting "massive" new talents. It's not until the Kanto Regional that we finally got to meet Marco, and not until after the Devil Bats vs Naga game that we saw the [[TheJuggernaut massive talents]] in question.
* ClimaxBoss: Of the Kanto Tournament Arc, stepping into the role of the series' key antagonists [[spoiler: after the [[DiscOneFinalBoss Naga]] had been knocked out]].
* CurbStompBattle: Inflicted this on the Sphinx, and then [[spoiler: the Wild Gunmen]].
* EvilCounterpart: As a group, the Dinosaurs served as the evil counterparts to the Deimon Devil Bats. Both were [[RagtagBandOfMisfits Ragtag Bands Of Misfits]] led by a manipulative captain with a love for offensive plays. The difference was that whilst the Devil Bats genuinely enjoyed the sports, the Dinosaurs were all out to prove something individually and didn't care who they hurt in the process.
* FiveBadBand:
** BigBad and TheEvilGenius: MARCO.
** CoDragons: [[TheJuggernaut Gaou]] and [[WeakButSkilled Kisaragi]].
** TheBrute: Tengu.
** TheDarkChick: Maria.
* FreudianTrio:
** '''Id''': Gaou, the one most [[BloodKnight aggressive and eager to fight]].
** '''Superego''': Kisaragi, the most idealistic of the three.
** '''Ego''': Marco, who was [[TheSmartGuy the team's brain]] and kept Gaou in check.
* IAmNotLeftHanded: Once Gaou finally got stopped and they couldn't just do force plays, they [[spoiler: were shown to have a strong defense and the third best kicker in Kanto]]. Marco made a point to keep most of their true strengths secret aside from Gaou (and a giant lineman who broke arms was hard to hide, anyway).
* OpposingSportsTeam: A '''classic''' example. Obsessed with winning instead of actually enjoying the sports, the Dinosaurs used UnnecessaryRoughness to injure or even cripple their opponents but not played ethically.
* UnnecessaryRoughness: So you're playing against [[BloodKnight Ga]][[TheJuggernaut ou]]? Well... ''good luck''.
* WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer: The north-south game was this team's favorite tactic, because no opposing line can defend against their monstrously powerful lineman Gaou. [[spoiler: Until Kurita TookALevelInBadass]].

[[folder:Reiji "Marco" Maruko]]
[[quoteright:225:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Marco_Reiji_5889.jpg]]
''"For woman there is love, for man there is strength and for [[spoiler:Hiruma Yoichi]] there is death."''
A shifty, well-dressed fellow with a penchant for colas and secrecy. Marco wants to lead a team to victory in the Christmas Bowl [[spoiler:to impress his would-be girlfriend, the team manager]], and to do that strengthened Hakushu's football team immensely. A capable quarterback, he's actually at his most effective on defense, where he follows the ball with unerring precision, before prying it out of the runner's hand with his "Screwbite".

* Position: Quraterback / Safety
* Jersey: 4
* 40-yard Dash: 5.2 seconds
* Bench Press: 60 kg
* Height: 177 cm
* Weight: 66 kg
* Birthday: May 1st
* Blood Type: AB
* 1st Year Student (Grade 10)
* Nicknames: Marco, "Ball Handling Expert"

* AcademicAthlete: Again, the quarterbacks in this series tend to be this.
* AffablyEvil: A rather pleasant young man who is willing to negotiate with opponents, send flowers to the injured and allows [[TheJuggernaut Gaoh]] to demolish the team's competitor if it advances his goals.
* AnimalMotifs: The raptor to Gaoh's T-rex and Kisaragi's Pterosaur.
* AttackAttackAttack: PlayedWith. Marco, like Hiruma and Kid, advocates an all-offense strategy, focusing on using Gaoh as a bludgeon and forcing his way down the field in a north-south game. Yet, he also makes sure to recruit a very good cornerback in Kisaragi, and is himself one of the best safeties in Japan, serving as the only quarterback spy that the Devil Bats encounter in the series.
* AwesomenessByAnalysis: His defensive role is "Quarterback Spy", which means he needs to anticipate and counter every move the opposing quarterback plays.
* BigBad: Comes very close to being this during the Kanto Regional, particularly after Agon's defeat and the revelation that Hakushu is nobody to be screwed with during the Hakushu-Taiyo match. It's a sports series, but Marco's scheming drives much of the plot during the Kanto Arc, and leads to a whole lot of upsets, with his team serving as the ClimaxBoss of the said arc.
* ButNotTooForeign: He's half Italian.
* CatchPhrase: "I'd say", spoken at the end of most sentences. Rendered "I think" in the official translation.
* ChekhovsGunman: The only thing that distinguishes Marco from the other throwaway captains at the start of the Kanto Arc is the fact that he comes over to speak to Sena, and is given some small focus when he draws the team he'll be facing. He's the closest thing the arc has to a BigBad.
* CombatPragmatist: Will do anything for victory.
* CowardlyLion: Marco may be prone to panic, talks a lot about how he prefers to avoid facing strong teams, and finds the likes of Hiruma, Kurita, etc. to be terrifying, but he has no problem putting himself in harm's way, and is in fact one of most active quarterbacks in the series.
* DefeatMeansFriendship: With Hiruma, who admits he ''would'' have gone to the same lengths Marco did, if he found himself in the same position.
* {{Determinator}}: One who's gone way too far. Marco's inability to KnowWhenToFoldEm is what has turned him into the screwed-up person he is today. He's also one on the field, recovering from a full-power tackle by [[TheJuggernaut Kurita]] and returning to play.
* EmbarrassingFirstName: Last name anyway, which is why he calls himself "Marco" and Maruko Himuro "Maria."
* EvilCounterpart: Hiruma's first one. They both compensate for lack of physical ability through intelligence, lead darkhorse teams built around a couple of key players, favor winning by any means necessary, {{Determinator}} their way through serious injuries, are YoungerThanTheyLook, and want to take down the Alexanders no matter what it takes. His dynamic with Gaoh is a reversed one to Hiruma and Kurita, though.
* EvilGenius: He's smart enough to play XanatosSpeedChess with Hiruma and shut Sena down using only his brains.
* FriendlyEnemy: Especially to Sena. Off the field though, he's pretty nice to everyone.
* HeelFaceTurn: Post-Kanto Regionals. Unlike Agon and Gaoh, who are {{Token Evil Teammate}}s to the end, Marco seems to have straightened out his act by the World Cup.
* HeelRealisation: After being defeated by the Devil Bats.
* HiddenBadass: An average athlete, Marco doesn't look especially threatening on defense, particularly after the likes of Agon and Shin. He's actually more dangerous to the Devil Bats than either of them, as his ability to steal the ball from Sena, rather than tackling him, enables Hakushu to easily score touchdowns during Deimon's offense. Sena acknowledges how well Marco's kept his abilities hidden right before their first clash, noting that despite having talked to Marco frequently, he has no idea what the Hakushu captain is like as a player.
* IAmNotLeftHanded: Marco's a better defensive player than he is an offensive one, but keeps this concealed throughout the Taiyo and Seibu matches, only taking up his safety position when Tengu is injured and Hakushu's remaining defenders prove unable to stop Sena.
* LaughablyEvil: Marco's nervousness put him on the receiving end of a ''lot'' of comedic moments, but never detracts from his on-field threat.
* TheLeader: The mastermind leader of Hakushu.
* LoveMakesYouEvil: Or at least a very brutal player. He wants to impress Maria badly enough that he's more than willing to use Gaoh as a weapon, turn Kisaragi into a psycho, and break other team's quarterbacks in order to win.
* MadeOfIron: Recovers after having Kurita land on him at full speed, picks himself up and keeps on playing. Despite being somewhat shaken, he shows no visible damage, and gets right back in the action.
* TheMafia: What his suits, Italian heritage, and general demeanor are meant to evoke.
* ManipulativeBastard: To Takami's {{Chessmaster}} and Hiruma's TricksterArchetype. They make and modify plans. Marco messes with your emotions, relying on a combination of brute power and fear to help him win.
* ManOfWealthAndTaste: Dresses and conducts himself like a Mafia don. Somewhat justified, as his father is a former Mafia member turned investor and his mother is a fashion designer. Flashbacks for him and his teammates show that the pinstriped suits are Hakushu school uniforms to go with the theme.
* NotSoDifferent: From Hiruma, who admits it without problems.
* NotSoHarmlessVillain: Marco's got a bad case of nerves, and his jittery demeanor (and failed attempts to cover it up) makes him the target of much of the series' humor from his first appearance on, in a way that characters like [[TheSociopath Agon]] or [[FinalBoss Mr. Don]] never are. Then Sena goes one-on-one with him in the Hakushu game, and we discover that while Marco absolutely ''is'' an anxiety-ridden geek, he's also a highly-talented safety and quarterback spy who is every bit the menace that his CoDragons, Gaoh and Kisaragi are.
* PunchClockVillain: When he wants to make it to the Christmas Bowl, he is the worst person to meet in the field. Off the field, he is a friendly guy who offers cola.
* SaveOurTeam: A dark take on the trope. Marco is explicitly stated to have massively improved Hakushu's team, saving them from being just another also-ran. He did it by advocating UnnecessaryRoughness, allowing [[BloodKnight Gaoh]] off of his leash, turning Kisaragi into a PsychoSupporter, and injuring several of his own players. [[spoiler: And making Maria go the EmotionlessGirl route, which is very ironic since he did all this to impress her.]]
* SecondPlaceIsForLosers: Or is if you're trying to impress an upperclassman.
* SignatureMove: The screwbite, he is so good at ball-handling he can snatch the ball without tackling the runner.
* SharpDressedMan: Pretty impressively for a highschooler.
* ShipTease: Has loads of this with Maria.
* TheStrategist: He's the one who figures out the best way to use [[TheJuggernaut Gaoh]]'s brute strength to the advantage of the team.
* TallDarkAndHandsome: {{Subverted}} to hell and back. Don't be fooled by the expensive Italian suits and [[AffablyEvil suave demeanor]], at his core, Marco's a panicky dork (and an [[ManipulativeBastard unpleasant guy to boot]]).
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Cola.
* TrialByFriendlyFire: Orders Gaoh to go through Kisaragi to get to Hiruma.
* UnnecessaryRoughness: Advocates it as part of his overall strategy.
* VillainRespect: After Sena finally bypasses him to score Deimon's final touchdown Marco informs Sena that he is already worthy of being called "Eyeshield 21".
* VillainousValour: Marco's scared to death but keeps on playing (and risking his own neck) because winning is far more important to him.
* WeakButSkilled: Much like Hiruma, and the reason why he needs [[UnskilledButStrong Gaoh]].
* WorthyOpponent: To Sena and Hiruma. He's the first player to prove capable of snatching the ball out of Sena's hands without tackling him, and he forces Sena to rethink his playing style, while also spurring him to think outside the box during his tenure as backup quarterback. He's also one of the few team captains who can equal Hiruma in sneakiness, a fact that Hiruma makes no attempt to downplay. As Sena notes "Reiji Maruko is our worst foe yet".
* YoungerThanTheyLook: Another freshman, which means he's, ''at best,'' '''16.'''

[[folder:Rikiya Gaou (峨王 力哉)]]
[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/61294.jpg]]
''"Yeah, it's just like you said... Let's begin this battle. Right now...!!"''

The Dinosaurs' ace player, Gaou's a massively muscular freshman who held the highschool record in bench press. Up until the game with the Devil Bats, the Dinosaurs had relied on him to smash through opponents' line and break quarterbacks' arms, causing a bloodbath at SIC District Regional Tournament. [[spoiler: Brutal as he might be, Gaou was shown to possess a sense of honor and refused to break rules on the field (i.e., he wouldn't tackle a quarterback if the latter didn't have the ball). Also, he genuinely treated Marco as friend and had lots of respect towards the latter for his determination to win]].

* Position: Lineman
* Jersey: 70

* Bench Press: '''Over 200 kg (Over 440 lbs)'''
* Height: 204 cm (6' 8")
* Weight: 130 kg (287 lbs)
* Birthday: April 4
* 1st Year Student (Grade 10)

* AffablyEvil: In a weird way. Gaou did ''not'' actually have a malicious bone in his body and, off the field, was a cheerfully crazed BoisterousBruiser who saw Banba and Kurita (the former of whom he '''sent to a hospital''') as his buddies.
* AnimalMotifs: Tyrannosaurus Rex, though he looked more like a caveman.
* {{Badass}}: The strongest, most savage football player in all of Japan's highschools.
** BadassCreed: Strength is absolute, and Gaou demonstrated it nicely.
* BerserkButton: If anyone showed the guts to stand up to Gaou, you had better not make fun of him when Gaou is around.
* TheBigGuy: [[spoiler: To Team Japan during the World Cup]].
* BloodKnight: [[spoiler: Began playing american football simply because Marco told him there'd be strong people he could fight]]. When he did meet people who were his equals in strength, or at least not afraid of standing up to him, Gaou gave them the highest respect.
* BoisterousBruiser: He can't stop talking about how absolute strength is absolute, how he wants to find strong opponents to compete against, etc.
* CoDragons: To Marco, alongside Kisaragi. Gaou was the team's Right Hand.
* CurbStompBattle: ''Nearly every time'' when somebody dared to face him. [[spoiler: Gaou himself came to the receiving end when he challenged [[BigBad Mr. Don]], though]].
* DefeatMeansFriendship: Given his BloodKnight tendency, this should surprise nobody.
* {{Determinator}}: [[spoiler: Against Mr. Don, where Gaou demonstrated that one became TheJuggernaut by starting out as this trope]].
* TheDreaded: Nearly everyone who wasn't [[BigFun Kurita]], [[InLoveWithYourCarnage Kisaragi]], or [[spoiler: Mr. Don]] was terrified of Gaou.
* DumbMuscle: '''Subverted'''. Gaou could come off as this trope, due to his lack of tactics beyond brute strength and rather single-minded ways of thinking. But the former had more to do with his lack of field experience and the philosophy that strength is absolute, whilst the latter was due to his determination. Gaou was rather eloquent when he spoke and, as the [[TricksterArchetype Devil Bats]] found out on the field, ''not'' easy to fool or trick.
* EvilDuo: [[spoiler: Formed a sort-of-friendship with [[JerkJock Agon]] at the World Cup when the latter decided to go all-out against Militaria, giving the two a common goal: To ''crush'' the opposing team]].
* FriendlyEnemy: You can miss it due to his [[BloodKnight personality]], but Gaou was never anything other than respectful of his opponents, especially Riku and Kurita. And he appeared to want nothing but to establish a FriendlyRivalry.
* GladHesOnOurSide: [[spoiler: As lampshaded by Sena during the World Cup]].
* GoodScarsEvilScars: He had one on his forehead from ''a car he smashed''. It's more "chaotic" than good or evil, however.
* GracefulLoser: When [[spoiler: Kurita finally bested him]], Gaou's reaction was to promise him a rematch and wish him well.
--> '''Gaou''' (While falling): [[spoiler: Go, Ryokan Kurita. Go, with your spirited friends, to the Christmas Bowl]].
* HeroKiller: Destroyed Banba, [[spoiler: Kid, Tetsuma, Riku, and Hiruma]] in rapid succession. Most of the Kanto Arc was spent trying to find a way to put this bastard out of commission.
* TheJuggernaut: Trying to stop Gaou is a surefire way to get yourself to the hospital, unless you are one of this trope yourself.
* LargeAndInCharge: '''Subverted'''. As the story unfolded, it became obvious that Marco was quite scared of Gaou, creating an impression that Gaou was truly leading the team. However, we later learnt that Gaou only had respect for Marco, and did not want to challenge his leadership, which meant that Marco was the one in charge after all.
* MadeOfIron: Not only did he survive being hit by a car (as a kid, no less!) but ''[[PedestrianCrushesCar the car took more damage than he did]]''.
* MeaningfulName: His first name, "Rikiya", meant ''great might'' or ''strength''.
* PetTheDog: His honest admiration for Marco and open liking for anybody (Banba, Riku, Kurita) who was willing to stand up to him helped humanize Gaou. [[spoiler: His absolute belief that [[{{Determinator}} Marco]] would get up after being tackled by Kurita was, in a way, oddly touching]].
* RunningGag: Gaou does not open doors. He knocks doors off their hinges.
* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: The Manly Man to Kisaragi's Sensitive Guy.
* SignatureMove: [[spoiler: He managed the Delta Dynamite halfway through the Japan vs USA game]].
* {{Slasher Smile}}s: When he does get excited, he tends to smile in ways that are... quite psychotic. See [[http://read.mangashare.com/Eyeshield-21/chapter-243/page018.html this]] for an example.
* [[spoiler: SpotlightStealingSquad: Alongside Agon, Gaou was the focus of the World Cup Arc]].
* TestosteronePoisoning: The '''second''' biggest offender in this series. He's 6'7 (2m), had muscles that would have made the cast of DBZ jealous, ate nothing but meat, looked like a caveman, and ''punched a car head-on when he was in grade school''.
* TookALevelInBadass: And he is ''the last person who needed it''. Like Sena, Gaou was a rookie who had raw talent and could develop real fast during games when facing a strong team. [[spoiler: When Marco started trusting Gaou as a lineman instead of only using him to break bones, Gaou grew even more dangerous and stopped Kurita from tackling Marco '''with one hand''']].
* UnnecessaryRoughness: Gaou didn't care. He just used all his strength against opponents.
* UnskilledButStrong: Gaou lacked in football techniques, but he ''more than made up'' with sheer brute strength, in so much as the Dinosaurs' strategy was basically letting him steamroll past the opposing team. [[spoiler: Kurita managed to win by using Gaou's lack of experience against him]].
* VillainousFriendship: [[spoiler: He honestly regarded Marco to be a friend and role model. Marco, for his part, was scared of him, though they got closer towards the end of the Devil Bats vs Dinosaurs game, and more so during the Youth World Cup]].
--> '''Gaou''' [[spoiler: (Bruised and charging towards [[BigBad Mr. Don]])]]: [[spoiler: When you find a path to the top... none of that matters! You just have to "climb"!! At the very least... that's what the man who taught me football... That's what '''Marco''' did]]!!!
* VillainRespect: Anyone who dared stand up to Gaou earned his appreciation. Banba, [[spoiler: Riku, Kid, Sena, Hiruma, and, of course, Kurita]] had all won it by the end of the Kanto Arc.
* WorldsStrongestMan: Japan's strongest, anyway. [[spoiler: The world's strongest was [[EvilerThanThou Mr. Don]]]].
* WouldHitAGirl: He urged Kurita to tackle [[ActionGirl Karin]], fully knowing that she's a girl (in sharp contrast to Banba and Yamabushi, who were against it).
--> '''Gaou''' (Spectating the [[FinalBattle Devil Bats vs Alexanders game]]): Completely destroy that woman, Kurita. You will be able to do it, if it's a powerful man like you.
--> '''[[WouldntHitAGirl Yamabushi]]''' (Sweating): You... you really know no mercy...
* YoungerThanTheyLook: This guy was '''16''' during the Christmas Bowl.

[[folder:Hiromi Kisaragi]]
[[quoteright:225:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/106965_3396.jpg]]

A wilting pretty-boy with an enormous man-crush on Gaoh. He's impressed with "strength" in general due to Gaoh saving him from bullies and tends to wax eloquent on how wonderful strength is. He's not one to overlook, though, as he can knock the ball out of a back's grip with his slender arms (known as the "Ptera-Claw"), and has no qualms about injuring them in the process.

* Position: Cornerback
* Jersey: 96
* Bench Press: 10 kg
* Height: 160 cm
* Weight: 49 kg
* Birthday: July 4th
* 1st Year Student (Grade 10)

* AffablyEvil: Self-deprecating, unfailingly polite, and willing to break a receiver's arms if it will impress Marco and Gaoh.
* AllOfTheOtherReindeer: Relentlessly bullied by the other kids due to his girliness. He became a member of the football (a) because Gaoh saved him from bullies and he wants to impress him, and (b) because Marco, Gaoh, and the other players were the first to accept him for who he was.
* AmazonChaser: WordOfGod is that Kisaragi '''is''' straight, but is only attracted to muscular, powerful women.
* AmbiguouslyGay: Comes off as very, very gay for Gaoh, though it's at least partly hero worship.
* AnimalMotif: Pterosaur.
* BishieSparkle: All the damn time.
* {{Bishonen}}: It makes him seem pretty out of place in the team that has caveman Gaoh and Mafia don Marco.
* BloodKnight: He's not as obvious about it as Gaoh is, but given that he sees football as a place to prove his own power (read: crushing other people) definitely. He's ''this'' short of being a PsychoForHire.
* CoDragons: To Marco, along with Gaoh. He's the team's Left Hand.
* {{Determinator}}: The very fact that he manages to play football despite his GeekPhysique is this.
* EvilCounterpart: To Komusubi. Both are praising the strength of their team lineman and despite their physique they can be useful to their team thanks to their arms (Komusubi is short but his short arm are powerful for a rip and Kisiragi has a frail slender arm that can break receiver's bone by entangling it). Kisiragi however looks insane.
* TheFightingNarcissist: His philosophy is that "strength is beautiful", and thus he wants to win his games with physical strength.
* GeekPhysique: Skeletally thin and the physically weakest high school football player, able to bench press just 10 kg. In comparison, Sena, who is also physically weak, can bench press 45 kg.
* HeroWorshipper: For Gaoh.
* HiddenBadass: Completely average or weaker than average in terms of his stats, but psychotically determined enough that it doesn't matter. Hiruma and Monta both lampshade this long before we see Kisaragi play, noting that he must have some sort of hidden talent.
* IllBoy: If his constant fevers are any indicator.
* InLoveWithYourCarnage: The source of his admiration for/attraction to Gaoh.
* KillUsBoth: Lighter variant. He grabbed Hiruma and told Marco to order Gaoh to go through both of them. Marco obliged.
* LeanAndMean: Rail skinny, and rather ill-looking to boot.
* LongHairedPrettyBoy
* MadeOfIron: Weirdly, yes. Tackled by Gaoh along with Hiruma, Kisaragi is out of action for a few plays, but breaks nothing. He then returns to play and finishes the game, seemingly fine. For all his IllBoy status and lack of stamina, he's got one hell of a skeletal system.
* PsychoSupporter: Of Marco and Gaoh. Kisaragi is devoted, fanatically loyal, and very quietly insane. He's pleasant off-field though.
* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: With Gaoh. Though he's obviously the Sensitive Guy, he would probably rather be the Manly Man.
* SissyVillain: Played very straight, but also nicely justified. He's an AmbiguouslyGay PsychoSupporter. Before joining the football team, Kisaragi was constantly bullied due to his girly interests, weak body, and feminine looks. Inspired by Gaoh, he joined the team, and let Marco turn him into a PsychoSupporter so that he could be as strong as his hero.
* UnnecessaryRoughness: Less notable than with his teammates, but it's there. He doesn't aim to injure Monta, but he doesn't mind hurting him, and he later threatens to permanently cripple Hiruma's throwing arm.
* VillainousFriendship: With Marco and Gaoh, whom he sees as role models and friends.
* VillainRespect: Kisaragi is unfailingly respectful of Monta's talents, and is among the first of Hakushuu's players to recognize Deimon as {{Worthy Opponent}}s.
* WeakButSkilled: Small and slender, but will seriously hurt you if he can. With just his skill, he single-handedly shuts down Monta, who is possibly the best Wide Receiver in-series.
* WorthyOpponent: Comes to see Monta as one.

[[folder:Hanataka Tengu]]

Hakushu's former ace, a DirtyCoward who tends to overreact to everything and generally regarded as the "bottom of the top". Did they score a touchdown? We're doomed! Did we score a touchdown? Ha! They're weak!

[[MeaningfulName He also resembles a tengu.]]

* Position: Linebacker

* TheBrute: Was supposed to fill this role, being the team's best linebacker and the center of their defense, but made the mistake of ticking off Gaoh. Marco has to take his place.
** Marco used him only because he does not want to get hurt, not because he is the best for the job.
* CatchPhrase: "Yahyooo!"
* DirtyCoward: Flies into a panic whenever things don't go ''exactly'' as planned.
* JokeCharacter: He doesn't even get to play in the finals, and other players notice that the team is probably better off this way.
* MeaningfulName: In addition to the obvious, "hana" means "nose", and his is very long. Like that of a tengu, in fact.
* TooDumbToLive: Yeah, go ahead. Insult Gaoh's WorthyOpponent in front of him. It's not like you've been on a team with him all year and know how he's going to react... Oh, wait.
* TheUnfought: After he [[BerserkButton made fun of Kurita and Banba]], Gaoh broke his ribs. And his nose.

[[folder:Himuro "Maria" Maruko]]
[[quoteright:225:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Maria_Himuro_9727.jpg]]

The beautiful and quiet assistant for the Hakushu team. She has serious problems with the way Marco runs the team, and tries to keep a limit on the casualties that he and Gaou inflict on other teams.

* Position: Manager.

* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: [[SubvertedTrope No they don't]]. Maria likes Marco, but for who he [[NiceGuy used to be]], rather than [[ManipulativeBastard who he is now]].
* AloofDarkHairedGirl: Incredibly pretty, but also incredibly intimidating.
* BoyishShortHair: As part of her rather scary demeanor.
* TheChick: Before [[SecondPlaceIsForLosers Marco]] took over the team. She's more of TheDarkChick now.
* CuteSportsClubManager: Though the players find her scary rather than cute.
* EmotionlessGirl: After Marco recruited Gaoh.
* TheHeart: She was this for the team, until Marco became a ManipulativeBastard.
* NamesTheSame: She and Marco share a first name. Hence the nicknames.
* ShipTease: Has loads of this with Marco.
* TheStoic: After the changes in her team, she puts on a stoic face.
* SugarAndIcePersonality: Towards Marco until he recruited Gaoh.
* TokenGoodTeammate: To [[ManipulativeBastard Marco]], [[BloodKnight Gaoh]], [[DirtyCoward Tengu]], and [[InLoveWithYourCarnage Kisaragi]].
* WhenSheSmiles: Finally cracks a smile after Marco's defeat and HeelRealisation.

!!Teikoku Alexanders

[[folder:In General]]
The [[FinalBoss ultimate team]] in Japanese highschool football, dominating the whole Kansai district and winning the Christmas Bowl ''every'' year since its initiation. They had a policy of recruiting top players from other schools in order to build up its own ranks. Run on a meritocracy, the Alexanders divided their players into ranks and advanced them based on performance and nothing else.

* [[TheAce The Aces]]: They were the best players in Japan.
* [[DreamTeam All-Star Team]]: The Alexanders recruited ace players from all of Japan and grouped their players into six teams according to merits. The first string players were literally the best of the best.
* AlwaysABiggerFish: The Naga's nine-year Kanto winning streak was nothing compared to the Alexanders: The last nine Christmas Bowls were the former getting trounced by the latter.
* AncientRome: These guys seemed to have a Roman Empire [[{{Motifs}} theme]] going on, which fitted their meritocratic philosophy pretty well.
* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: In this team, authority was only for players who kicked asses.
--> '''[[{{Jerkass}} Ibarada]]''' (Walking ahead): Damn it, Karin, you're slow!
--> '''[[{{NiceGirl}} Karin]]''' (Carrying Ibarada's luggage): S-s-s-sorry!
--> '''Yamato''' (Passing by): Wait, Iba... What is it? Ah, yeah! Ibarada! Why're you using Karin as a luggage carrier?
--> '''Karin''': Yamato! It's alright. I don't really mind...
--> '''Yamato''' (Smiled): Underclassmen aren't slaves to their senpai. Instead... you should have that ''forth string player'' carry them. You know?
* BadassCrew: Duh.
* ChekhovsGunman: The Alexanders were first mentioned in Kotaro's flashback, in which they're responsible for most of the Spiders' best players leaving the team. They were mentioned again during the Devil Bats vs Dinosaurs match, in which Kisaragi flustered that the Dinosaurs were to crush the Alexanders using Gaou's brute strength. It turned out the Alexanders were the all-time football champions of Japan and FinalBoss.
* ColorCodedCharacters: They're the FinalBoss and associated with ''black''.
* [[ConsummateProfessional Consummate Professionals]]: They were so pro, they had no trouble cooperating with each other on the field despite the intense rivalries within the team.
* CurbStompBattle: They did this to the '''NAGA'''. It's offscreen, but still...
* DefeatingTheUndefeatable: Had been undefeated since the first Christmas Bowl, and hailed as Japan's undisputed aces.
* TheDreaded: Everyone, even the ''Shinryuji Naga'', feared the Alexanders.
* FinalBoss: [[spoiler: Before the World Cup, anyway]].
* FiveBadBand: They're not really evil, though...
** BigBadDuumvirate (de facto): Yamato and Taka.
** TheDragon and TheEvilGenius (de facto): Heracles.
** TheBrute: Achilles.
** TheDarkChick: Karin.
** BiggerBad: The Teikoku Highschool itself was the one who put forth that ridiculous policy of stealing ace players from other teams.
* {{Genius Bruiser}}s: A requirement to be a first string player was to memorize 1000 football plays.
* {{Lightning Bruiser}}s: Another requirement to be a first string player is to be able to run the 40 yard dash in under 5 seconds. Yes, even the linemen have to. This makes Teikoku's line both fast and strong.
* MasterOfAll: It's hard to talk about the Alexanders' weak points... because there's none.
* MightMakesRight: The Alexanders ran on an extreme meritocracy. Ages, friendships and other such stuffs didn't matter. The only thing they cared was what you bring to the team.
* NameToRunAwayFromReallyFast: "Teikoku" literally means '''Black Emperor'''.
* OpposingSportsTeam: They were not a bunch of bad guys, but their status as '''the''' undefeated champions and the fact that the rivalry within the team was as great or greater than that with their opponents still made them a fairly classic case of this.
* SeriousBusiness: The only highschool - not coach or player - to take football that seriously, they recruited ''every'' ace player in Japan they could get. That was why they were the Christmas Bowl champions for decades.
* WorthIt: As lampshaded by Heracles, the pride that came with being Teikoku's first string made it worthwhile to undergo all the TrainingFromHell.
* [[WorthyOpponent Worthy Opponents]]: Notably, these seemed to happen ''within'' the team.

[[folder:Takeru Yamato (大和 猛)]]
[[quoteright:170:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Yamato_Takeru_9585.jpg]]
''"It's settled... It's my win!"''

[[LateArrivalSpoiler The original Eyeshield 21,]] Yamato was a friendly and charismatic young man who played along well with other players. He was also filled with self-confidence and wouldn't hesitate to crush his opponents on the field. While Yamato was a ''very'' [[MasterOfAll well-rounded]] player with top-tier power and speed, his greatest strength was his perfect body balance and willpower, which made him nigh impossible to take down with tackles - a technique he named the "Caesar's Charge". [[spoiler: Yamato had a feud with Mr. Don, the leader of the USA ace players group "Pentagram": [[SmugSnake Mr. Don]], regarding Yamato as unworthy of the title of "Eyeshield 21", used his power as the son of the US President to ''kick Yamato out of Notre Dame''. During the Youth World Cup, Yamato went to the United States with Team Japan, fully intending to have his revenge against Mr. Don on the field]].

* Position: Running Back / Defensive Back
* Jersey: 22; [[spoiler: 21 during the match against the Devil Bats; 20 during the World Cup.]]
* 40-yard dash: 4.4 seconds
* Bench Press: Unspecified
* Height: 190 cm (6' 3")
* Weight: 79 kg (174 lbs)
* Birthday: October 10
* 1st Year Student (Grade 10)
* Nicknames: Eyeshield 21, "The Emperor"

* TheAce: Frequently hailed as being the "Perfect Runner" long before he actually appeared, and '''completely''' lived up to this expectation when he revealed himself; on top of being good looking, charming, and honorable, as lampshaded by Akaba.
* [[spoiler: AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Yamato was crushed by Panther on one occasion because of nothing but the latter's superior talents in running]].
* {{Badass}}: Even ''[[{{Jerkass}} Ag]][[SmugSnake on]]'' respected Yamato.
** BadassInCharge: He was the one who really led the Alexanders on the field.
* BashBrothers: With Taka, similar to Sena and Monta.
* BoisterousBruiser: Downplayed, but it stood out when compared to [[TheQuietOne Taka]].
* [[spoiler: BrokenAce: While Yamato was unmistakably a top running back in Japan, it was implied that he was seen by some (i.e., Mr. Don) as [[AlwaysSomeoneBetter not-of-the-top-tier]] when he's in the USA. Thus, his attempt to crown himself ''the'' ace by seizing the title "Eyeshield 21" earned him the contempt of Mr. Don, who eventually [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections had him expelled from Notre Dame]]]].
* CatchPhrase: ''"It's settled. It's my win."'' The official translation made it ''"I am certain to win."''
* CharlesAtlasSuperpower: How could he shrug off tackles and steamroll ''any'' line in Japan? His training in the USA, where [[spoiler: being beaten outside the field for being a better running back made him used to being attacked by people stronger than he was. Yamato earned the "Eyeshield" title by puking blood]].
* ChasteHero: Not to the same degree as [[AmbiguousDisorder Shin]], but Yamato did not have a girlfriend, and seemed not to be interested in finding one.
* ChickMagnet: If Achilles's words were to be taken, Yamato was popular with ladies.
* CombatCompliment: Yamato is always ready to acknowledge others' accomplishments.
--> '''Yamato''' (Halfway through the Devil Bats vs Alexanders game): Sena, Monta... no matter how many times you're knocked down, there's still fire in your eyes. You aren't losers. Without doubt, you're first-class players.
* ComicallyMissingThePoint: Yamato tended to do this whenever he interacted with Karin. Also see RunningGag below.
* CurbStompBattle: ''Almost always'' inflicted this when someone challenged him. [[spoiler: He suffered this at the hand of [[BigBad Mr. Don]] along with Gaou, though]].
* [[spoiler: DefeatMeansFriendship: Not that Yamato was mean to start with]].
* {{Determinator}}: His greatest skill was actually simple: He refused to be taken down when tackled. And just this was good enough to make him a very formidable running back. Even '''three''' people tackling him ''only made him fall to his knees''.
* TheEmperor: "Roman Emperor" was Yamato's primary {{Motif}}s... if his "'''Caesar''''s Charge" and his team's Roman theme hadn't made this obvious enough.
* {{Foil}}: He is apparently comparable to Shin and Agon in terms of sheer talents. Yamato was, like Shin, a genius who trained himself hard, but he is talkative and charismatic, whilst Shin was TheQuietOne. Of course, Yamato had aptitude outside speed and power, like Agon, but he's a NiceGuy while Agon was a full-on {{Jerkass}}.
* GeniusBruiser: Even ''[[TheSmartGuy Hiruma]]'' had a hard time outsmarting Yamato.
* TheGift: More or less implied given his interaction with Agon.
* [[spoiler: GracefulLoser: When Sena defeated him]].
--> '''Yamato''' (Sweating; [[spoiler: The Alexanders just lost to the Devil Bats]]): [[spoiler: I'm sorry, Sena... Since I am the one who lost, I should be praising you as the winner. But right now... I can't help feeling excited]].
* TheHero: To the Alexanders.
** [[spoiler: BrokenHero: See BrokenAce above]].
* HonorBeforeReason: He promised to use only his left hand in the match against the Devil Bats when he saw that Hiruma hadn't recovered. That's saying something about this guy.
* ImplacableMan: Yamato has places to go. You will ''not'' stop him. You ''may'' slow him down. You ''may'' impede his progress. But he ''will'' get there, even if he has to drag you with him. It's an oddly unique example of the trope, which is usually used to describe someone who's coming after you. In Yamato's case, it was more like he's trying to get away from you, and something as simple as failing to get away from you wasn't going to deter him one bit.
** Played straight whenever he played in defense, as his superior physical strength and speed as well as having a near perfect balance made it almost impossible for anyone to stop him in his tracks. Thus, he can either avoid blockers or simply shove them out of the way and get to the ball carrier. In fact, [[spoiler: all the Devil Bats tried to stop him from reaching Musashi during the final field goal play, yet he '''still managed to touch the ball''']].
* JackOfAllTrades: He is a very well-rounded player, but he isn't the best in any particular area, other than possibly determination, something Yamato himself admitted.
** MasterOfAll: But he's still near top-notch in terms of speed, power and... everything.
-->'''Akaba''': On the other hand, Yamato has everything. Speed. Power. Technique. Body balance. Height. Kinda good-looking.
-->'''[[StraightMan Unsui]]''': What has the last one got to do with the rest?
* LightningBruiser: Yamato was just slightly slower than Sena but even stronger than the likes of Shin and Agon. There's a reason why his usual tactic is to shove the defense out of the way.
* MagneticHero: He's quite charismatic, and had ''2479'' entries in his mobile phone contacts.
* MeaningfulName: "Yamato Takeru" was the name of an [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yamato_Takeru ancient Japanese prince]] who's... the King Arthur of Japan, in a nutshell.
* MessyHair: As pictured above.
* MightMakesRight: Downplayed, but it's there. Yamato only cared about whether a person could get the job done. He failed to remember Ibarada's name apparently due to the latter's forth string status.
* NiceGuy: What he was off the field.
* NoodleIncident: How Yamato was run out of Notre Dame was never explained during the Devil Bats vs Alexanders game. [[spoiler: Later subverted when the truth about the incident was revealed in the World Cup Arc]].
* NoSell: The "Caesar's Charge" was basically him refusing to go down after being tackled, often ''dragging the opposing player with him'' as he ran.
* TheRealRemingtonSteele: The original Eyeshield 21 whom Kakei had met.
* RedOniBlueOni: He was the red to Taka's blue. It wasn't that Yamato was impulsive, but he's quite a charismatic and talkative guy when compared to TheStoic Taka.
* RunningGag: Karin [[NiceGirl tried to avoid being competitive]] (i.e., declining to join the team or saying that she's afraid of tackles)... The very competitive Yamato misinterpreted her words as meaning that she thought she wasn't strong enough, and forced her to train even harder.
* SignatureMove: The Caesar's Charge.
* SmugSuper: An interesting example. Yamato is more or less made of confidence and without a doubt a super. '''BUT''', (1) He ''never'' rubs his superness on others' faces; (2) He ''never'' compares others to him; and (3) If you do accomplish an impressive feat, Yamato [[CombatCompliment will be the first person to acknowledge it]]. In short, Yamato is this trope, but unlike [[{{Jerkass}} Agon]], he isn't a douche about it.
--> '''Sena''' (Staring at Yamato in awe): Self-confidence. Every word brimming with strength behind that friendly speech. There isn't a part of him that thinks he is going to lose.
* TallDarkAndHandsome: Seen his stats and picture?
* WorthyOpponent: Came to see Sena as this. Also, Sena and Kakei both saw him as this.

[[folder:Taka Honjo]]
[[quoteright:170:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Taka_Honjo_7259.jpg]]

A stone-faced, utterly bored wide reciever, Taka's also [[spoiler:the son of Monta's favorite baseball player Masaru Honjo.]] His well-deserved nickname comes from his ability to jump ridiculous distances.

* Position: Wide Reciever / Cornerback
* Jersey: 10
* Birthday: June 26
* 1st Year Student (Grade 10)
* Nickname: The Bird-man

* TheAce: To the same ridiculous degree as Yamato.
* AnimalMotifs: Hawk.
* BashBrothers: With Yamato.
* {{Bookworm}}: He's constantly seen reading.
** BadassBookworm
* BrilliantButLazy: Downplayed. He practices just out of habit but almost never exerts effort when playing, simply because he's already the best wide receiver there is. When Monta proves to be an equal to him, he decides to give it his all when playing.
* BrokenPedestal: [[spoiler: Monta realizes that Honjo was following him just so he can set him up against his son]].
* CharlesAtlasSuperpower: How exactly can this guy jump like he's walking in air and catch '''any''' flying object that comes his way? It's said that his father has been training him every day since he's young. That's why.
* TheComicallySerious: During the World Cup Arc, he sometimes fills this role.
* DefeatMeansFriendship: With Monta.
* [[DefrostingIceQueen Defrosting Ice King]]: He was at first quiet and stoic, feeling bored from having wiped the floor with every wide receiver he had faced. Then he warmed up to Monta.
* GenreSavvy: Possibly the ''only'' player in Japan (besides Hiruma) to have this quality. Taka was able to counter Clifford's trick plays in the Japan vs. America match. As he himself pointed out, he ''learned'' from his match against the Deimon Devil Bats, and as a result, never defends against the obvious play, instead tightly marking receivers no matter what.
* GoodEyesEvilEyes: His eyes have a notably blank look to him before befriending Monta at the end of the Deimon-Teikoku match.
* {{Jerkass}}: It's probably unintentional on the part of the author, but Taka's attitude of bored superiority, his refusal to even look at any players he considers inferior, and his insistence that anyone who tries to stand up to him is engaged in a futile act makes him ''very'' punchable. It doesn't help that his so-called "problem" of being better than everyone around him is (a) not very relatable, and (b) the same one that [[TheSociopath Agon]] suffers from. He gets a lot better during the World Cup Arc, though.
* TheLancer: To Yamato.
* LongHairedPrettyBoy
* MeaningfulName: "Taka" means "hawk".
* TheQuietOne: Especially when compared to Yamato or Heracles. When not playing he usually sits on the bench, quietly reading.
* RapunzelHair
* RedOniBlueOni: The blue to Yamato's red.
* TheStoic: His [[TheQuietOne quiet]] behavior sometimes becomes this.
* SugarAndIcePersonality: A friendship version towards Monta.
* VictoryIsBoring: Having been trained since childhood by his father to be a great baseball player, Taka became the unstoppable force that he is today.
* WhenSheSmiles
* WorthyOpponent: Came to see Monta as this.

[[folder:Karin Koizumi (小泉 花梨)]]
[[quoteright:170:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Karin_Koizumi_3593.jpg]]
''"Um... Please be gentle to me."''

Karin was, at first glance, only a cute, young freshman girl... who served as the Alexanders' ''official quarterback''. [[strike: Forced to join]] ''[[InsistentTerminology Scouted]]'' by Yamato, she was unwilling to play football at the beginning. But, after some training, her natural talents as a quarterback soon brought her to the first string of the Alexanders, making her a top-tier quarterback in Japan and the only [[ActionGirl female player]] in the whole tournament. [[spoiler: As revealed in the epilogue, Karin became a manga artist after highschool, and her editor told her to [[IWroteOurStory write an american football manga using Eyeshield 21 as the main protagonist]]]].

* Position: Quarterback
* Jersey: 6
* 40-yard Dash: 4.9 seconds
* Bench Press: 35 kg (77 lbs)
* Height: 157 cm (5' 1")
* Weight: 44 kg (97 lbs)
* Birthday: July 7
* 1st Year Student (Grade 10)

* AccidentalAthlete: Her [[ImprobableAimingSkills great throwing skills]] came from drawing and playing piano. Luckily, she's fast too. Who knows a shy, quiet girl would make a top quarterback?
* ActionGirl: The only one in the series.
* AlliterativeName: '''K'''arin '''K'''oizumi, the Quarterback of the Strongest Empire.
* ApologisesALot: Being Sena's DistaffCounterpart, she naturally had this in spades.
* BadassAdorable: To the point that most of the Devil Bats had to be tricked into believing she's a guy to be willing to tackle her. As for the {{Badass}} part... If she throws a ball, the pass is complete. ''No'' interception. ''No'' problem catching the ball. She's the perfect quarterback.
* BraidsOfAction: As pictured above.
* CharlesAtlasSuperpower: Played with. Karin's extremely accurate passes came from the skills and precision she gained through drawing and playing piano, both of which, while not "tough" in the usual sense of the word, do require a lot of manual dexterity.
* TheChick: '''Double Subverted'''. In her first appearance, Karin showed up with Ibarada spectating the Devil Bats vs Dinosaurs game. When they left, some passersby ''appeared'' to refer to Ibarada as the Alexanders' quarterback (but they were in truth talking about Karin, of course). This would make readers think that Karin was the manager, and most likely TheChick... until it was shown that Karin, ''not'' Ibarada, was the quarterback of the team, and you'd think that Karin was going to have lots of actions... In the actual Devil Bats vs Alexanders games, however, it turned out even though Karin was very talented, she lacked the [[TheLeader authoritative personality]] to be a control tower like the other quarterbacks. So... she's TheChick, after all.
* CuteSportsClubManager: Subverted. Karin's actually the ''quarterback''.
* TheCutie: Just look at her picture!
* DistaffCounterpart: Okay, let's see... Recruited against her will? Check. Seen as the best in her specialty? Check. Low self-esteem and ''highly'' apologetic? Check. The only ways to tell her apart from [[TheHero Sena]] seemed to be position and gender.
** Lampshaded during the Devil Bats vs Alexanders game, where Heracles suggested that she would need to watch out for Sena's blitz. She spinned on her heel. She and Sena faced each other off... before [[ApologisesALot bowing repeatedly at each other]] ''at the same time'', clearly not wanting any hard feelings between them.
--> '''Karin''' (Bowing): Um... please be gentle to me.
--> '''Sena''' (''Also'' bowing): Oh, no. I should be the one... saying that.
--> '''Suzuna''': You wouldn't think they were football players. Acting like that.
--> '''Mamori''': [[{{Lampshaded}} Those two are really similar]], aren't they...?
* DudeLooksLikeALady: Well, Karin's 100% girl, but [[TricksterArchetype Hiruma]] told the team otherwise so that they would [[WouldntHitAGirl go all out against her]]. [[DumbJock Most of the Devil Bats]] ended up thinking of her as this.
* EveryoneLovesBlondes: Come on, how can you not love Karin?
* ExtremeDoormat: Yamato basically forced Karin to join. And somehow, ''she went along''.
--> '''Karin''' (Trying to decline to joint the football team): W... Wai... Wai... But I am... Thanks for thinking of me and all, but...
--> '''Yamato''' (Patted her on the shoulder): You're worried right. Well, don't be. It will be alright! [[ComicallyMissingThePoint You may start off at the sixth string, but you will surely be in the first string in no time]]!
--> '''Karin''': Ehhhhhhhhhhhh... Why does it feel like it's useless trying to argue with this person~~~?!
--> (The next day, [[NiceGirl Karin]] was training. In the Alexanders' football uniform.)
* FlowerMotifs: Whenever Karin does something during a football match, it'll be accompanied by images of petals.
** Let's not forget that her signature move is called the '''"Floral Shoot"'''.
* FragileSpeedster: She couldn't take a hit. Luckily, she didn't have to, because her agility meant no one other than Sena [[http://read.mangashare.com/Eyeshield-21/chapter-285/page017.html could even touch her anyway]].
* GroupieBrigade: Karin had a large one, consisting of male fans and other football players (such as Yamabushi). "Miracle" Ito was even selling products with images of Karin on them.
* [[HeroOfanotherStory Heroine Of Another Story]]: How Karin became the quarterback of the best team in Japan despite her shy personality and being recruited against her will ('''and''' the massive rivalry within the team) could make for a pretty good story in and of itself.
* ImprobableAimingSkills: So, you want Karin to throw something to a certain place? Just ask her and she will do it. The pass will be impossible to intercept and it won't be even hard to catch due to how gentle it is.
* [[spoiler: IWroteOurStory: Karin became a manga artist after highschool. Her editor asked her to write a football manga about the legendary runner Eyeshield 21]].
* LongHairIsFeminine: Is by far the most typically "girly" of the females in ''Eyeshield 21'', and has long hair to boot.
* MeaningfulName: "Karin" meant '''Pear Flower''', which goes with her FlowerMotifs.
* NiceGirl: Karin just could not stop being polite and gentle. It's one of the reasons she went along when Yamato pressured her into joining.
* ObliviousToLove: Karin appeared to be totally unaware of [[DoggedNiceGuy Achilles]]' affection for her, despite the latter's constant attempts to signal her about it.
* RunningGag: Karin's attempts to [[NiceGirl avoid competition]] ended up creating the opposite effects when Yamato came around.
* SamusIsAGirl: Yes, she ''was'' a quarterback. Yes, she was the country's ''best'' quarterback.
* ShrinkingViolet
* SignatureMove: The Floral Shoot, a pass so perfect and gentle that it is impossible to intercept for the opponents and effortless to catch for the wide receiver.
* TheSmurfettePrinciple: Granted, it's certainly an anomaly to the sport, but she's the only female football player in the entire series.

[[folder:Kureji Hera ("Heracles")]]
[[quoteright:170:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Hera_Kureji_Heracles_5482.jpg]]

A third-year and captain of the Alexanders. Although he enjoys playing up his "Osakan" persona, he's actually a very hardworking and responsible individual.

* Position: Centre
* Jersey: 78
* Height: 177 cm
* Weight: 100 kg
* Birthday: May 14
* Blood Type: O
* 3rd Year Student (Grade 12)
* Nickname: Heracles

* BerserkButton: Don't defy the string pecking order.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: If you actually succeed in pissing Hera off, watch out.
* BigBrotherMentor: According to the extras, he's always looking out for the other club members.
* TheBigGuy: Albeit in a primary leadereship role.
* BoisterousBruiser: Comes with being a very "Osaka-esque" person.
* CombinationAttack: The "Cross Stunts" he does with Achilles.
* DumbMuscle: Subverted. He appeared to be this at first, with an "idiot rating" of 20% (Yamato, Taka, and Karin are all 0%). See GeniusBruiser below.
* GeniusBruiser: Heracles is capable of seeing through many of Hiruma's trick plays and came up with quite a few useful tactics. There's a reason he's the team captain.
* {{Gonk}}: Downplayed, but he can give off this vibe when standing alongside more handsome characters like Yamato and Taka.
* TheIdiotFromOsaka: His dream is to be a famous Osakan-style entertainer so he does all he can to invoke this trope. In reality, he's actually a very capable leader who simply likes to keep the atmosphere lighthearted.
* TheLeader: Of the Alexanders. He seems a straight headstrong type, but he hides a ''very'' levelheaded side under his cheerful nature.
* LightningBruiser: Since he's a lineman who can wrestle with Kurita, he's fairly powerful, but supposedly he can do 40-yard dash in 5.0 seconds too.
* NiceGuy: He really keeps the mood light for a meritocracy where everyone is competing against each other and is the only one who has teamwork play with Achilles while other are just aces who do solo play.
* TheSmartGuy: Surprisingly, yes. If one of the Alexanders is seen giving tactical advice to the rest of the team, it is most likely Heracles.
* StoutStrength
* WorthIt: It's tough working to become a member of the top string in Teikoku, but he considers this all worthwhile with the pride that comes with it.

[[folder:Reisuke Aki ("Achilles")]]

A {{hot blooded}}, but gullible player with a strong desire for a girlfriend.

* Position: Lineman
* Jersey: 76
* Height: 173 cm
* Weight: 80 kg
* Birthday: August 18
* Blood Type: B
* 2nd Year Student (Grade 11)
* Nickname: Achilles

* AllGuysWantCheerleaders: He was deceived to join the team when a Teikoku scout told him that he could date the cheerleaders on the team.
* BaldOfAwesome
* ButtMonkey: Among the Alexanders.
* CombinationAttack: The "Cross Stunts" he does with Heracles.
* DoggedNiceGuy: To Karin.
* DumbMuscle: As suggested by his status as a lineman and an idiot (According to Hiruma, Achilles's "idiot rating" is a whooping 60%). Downplayed, as he is still a part of Teikoku's first string players, thus implying he has textbook knowledge of 1000 football plays. So, he is dumb at things other than American Football, like how to win Karin's affection.
* HotBlooded
* TheIdiotFromOsaka: And unlike with Heracles, it's not an act.
* LightningBruiser

!!The Pentagram

[[folder:In General]]
The nickname for the five star players of the American National Team at the World Cup. Consisting of Running Back [[TookALevelInBadass Patrick "Panther" Spencer]], Quarterback [[SmugSnake Clifford D. Louis]], Linebacker [[JerkJock Tatanka]], Cornerback [[LightningBruiser Bud Walker]], and Lineman [[TheJuggernaut Donald "Mr. Don" Oberman]], the Pentagram were widely hailed as the best highschool-level football players in the world.

* {{The Ace}}s: Even more so than the [[ClimaxBoss Alexanders]]. These guys were the very best football players at the highschool level, in the '''WHOLE FREAKING WORLD'''.
* BadassCrew: Pretty much a given.
* BadGuyBar: When the other national teams were doing the drawing at the Empire Building, the five... were chilling out at a ''strip club''. [[TokenGoodTeammate Panther]] was rather disturbed by it.
* [[spoiler: BreakTheHaughty: The Japan vs USA match did this to them]].
* [[ChickMagnet Chick Magnets]]: Clifford and Bud both had their {{Groupie Brigade}}s. Mr. Don was also frequently shown to be hanging out with ALadyOnEachArm. Justified, since these guys are [[TheAce The Aces]] in just about everything. Panther and Tatanka didn't have as much luck with ladies, though.
* CurbStompBattle: Inflicted this on ''every team they'd faced'', [[spoiler: except Team Japan]]. At a personal level, it's also very notable that [[spoiler: Mr. Don did this to ''Gaou and Yamato at the same time'', Panther to ''Shin'', while Clifford had one such moment against ''Agon'']].
* [[spoiler: DefeatMeansFriendship: Well, the Japan vs USA game ended in a '''tie'''. But these five did lose personal battles, and seemed to warm up to Team Japan afterwards]].
* DreamTeam: They were recruited from all around the United States.
* {{Eagleland}}: They certainly fitted into quite a few American stereotypes, including Mr. Don's pride over the greatness of his home country and, of course, a burning passion for football.
* [[EvilCounterpart Evil Counterparts]]: Bar Tatanka, each of the five was this to somebody from Team Japan. They were also clearly meant to be unpleasant. [[spoiler: Tatanka sort of got a counterpart in Rui, though]].
* FinalBoss: Of the World Cup Arc, and the series as a whole.
* FiveBadBand: These five formed a neat one.
** BigBad: Mr. Don, and he's [[LargeAndInCharge literally big]] as well.
** TheDragon: Panther.
** TheEvilGenius: Clifford.
** TheBrute: Tatanka.
** TheDarkChick: Bud.
** BiggerBad: ''Morgan''. He's, after all, the one who started the World Cup and hence the whole "Team USA decimates other national teams" thing, and he was in general obnoxiously smug. Of course, this man hosting the World Cup only fueled the Pentagram's [[JerkJock jerkish]][[SmugSnake ness]].
* TheGift: It's heavily implied that '''all''' five of them had this.
* {{Jerk Jock}}s: Aside from [[NiceGuy Panther]], they and Morgan were this trope taken UpToEleven.
* [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold Jerks With Hearts of Gold]]: General jerkishness and smug aside, they did have redeeming traits. [[spoiler: Mr. Don was a [[HonorBeforeReason guy of honor and refused to cheat]]. Clifford later seemed impressed by Sena and offered him a chance to play football at Notre Dame, during which Tatanka and him helped train Sena together. Lastly, Bud appeared to go on friendly terms with Team Japan and ''gave Taki a shot at becoming an actor in Hollywood'']].
* {{Motifs}}: Averted, these guys were the only team without any major gimmick except that they were top-tier american football players. Best illustrated by [[http://read.mangashare.com/Eyeshield-21/chapter-320/page008.html Mr. Don]]. The national stereotypes weren't applied to every major player as in the case for Team Russia or Germany.
* RatedMForManly: With [[TheJuggernaut Mr. Don]] going all the way into TestosteronePoisoning.
* {{Signature Move}}s: Averted. The Pentagram didn't rely on any flashy move. They instead focused on crushing opponents with their sheer superior stats. And '''this''' alone was enough to make them very formidable.
* [[SmugSnake Smug Snakes]]: Mr. Don, Clifford, and Tatanka. These three just could not stop looking down on the other national teams, or talking as though the World Cup was nothing more than a show in which Team USA decimated the other teams, etc.
* {{Smug Super}}s: A '''quintet''' of these, no less.
* OpposingSportsTeam: Panther was a NiceGuy, but Mr. Don and Clifford were both filled with smug and needed to be taken down a peg.
* SecondPlaceIsForLosers: [[spoiler: So were ties]].
* UpToEleven: Many of the tropes in the Pentagram's lists were shared by the other teams in the series... only taken to ridiculous extremes.
* VillainousFriendship: Despite being rather unpleasant, these five appeared to be on fairly good terms with one another.
* [[spoiler: VillainRespect: Team Japan's [[{{Determinator}} determination]] earned them the respect of these five]].
* YoungerThanTheyLook: They were highschoolers? ''[[SarcasmMode Riiiiiiiiight]]''...

[[folder:Clifford D. Louis]]
[[quoteright:225:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Clifford_D_Louis_1629.jpg]]
''"Do you understand how to handle cards now? I win as long as I can make you think "Maybe he will play this card." Brat."''

An arrogant but very gifted quarterback, Clifford was in a league of his own when it came to intellect and passion for head games, while having speed that rivaled ''Sena''. Said to be [[BlueBlood descended from French royalties]], Clifford acted as the [[TheEvilGenius brains]] of Team USA, and served as a cool-headed leader during offense using a rich arsenal of tricks and wits. [[spoiler: After the Japan vs USA match, Clifford appeared impressed by Team Japan, especially Sena. Later, he invited Sena to play football at Notre Dame and, along with Mr. Don and Tatanka, gave the latter training, thus making the lies about Sena being Eyeshield 21 come true. Also, the part about him being royal was a fraud. His father was in fact a genius computer hacker]].

* Position: Quarterback
* Jersey: 1
* 40-yard dash: '''4.2 seconds'''
* Bench Press: Unspecified
* Nicknames: "The Prince", The Invincible Gambler

* AbsurdlyHighStakesGame: The night right before the Japan vs USA match, he played Texas hold'em with Hiruma betting ''millions of dollars''. Hiruma '''lost''' and could only avoid being routed by retreating at the last moment.
* AristocratsAreEvil: [[spoiler: Subverted. He was [[ConsummateLiar lying]] about being descended from French royalties]].
* AwesomenessByAnalysis: One of his skills.
* {{Badass}}: This gentleman could do a completely accurate pass ''while running at a speed that can finish 40 yards in 4.2 seconds''. [[ThisIsGonnaSuck Damn it]].
** BadassBookworm: Being the brains of his team while committing such badassery.
* BigBadDuumvirate: With Mr. Don. Unlike the rest of the team, Clifford wasn't afraid of Don and provided the field leadership, tactics, and cool-headed calculations to Mr. Don's brutal plays and charismatic leadership.
* BlondeGuysAreEvil: Apparently a natural blonde and natural jerk.
* BlueBlood: [[spoiler: Subverted. It's a lie]].
* BrainsAndBrawn: The brains to Mr. Don's brawn. Well, Mr. Don was [[GeniusBruiser far from stupid]], but Clifford was nigh beyond human when it came to intelligence.
* BreakTheHaughty: Within the Pentagram, Clifford was the one most full of [[SmugSnake smug]], [[spoiler: which made it more fun to watch when Shin tackled Clifford and brought him to the ground]].
* BullyingTheDragon: Telling '''[[SmugSuper Agon]]''' that [[BerserkButton you didn't give a damn about him]] wasn't exactly a good idea, Clifford.
--> '''Agon''' (Trying to bring down Clifford): Die, trash...
--> '''Clifford''' (Running at max speed, doing his pass ''and'' ignoring Agon): ... I don't even need to pay attention to guys like you. (Passed the ball, uninterrupted.)
* TheChessmaster: Like Takami and Hiruma.
* ChickMagnet: Even more so than ''Bud''.
* ConsummateLiar: [[spoiler: Somehow, he managed to get away with lying about his being royal]]. He also seemed to have no qualm at all ''lying to his own teammates'', seeing that he tricked Panther into believing that he would let him play against Shin at Team USA's first play.
* CurbStompBattle: He did this to ''Agon''.
* DeadpanSnarker: Given he was TheStoic, EvilGenius and SmugSnake in one, it's no surprise that Clifford regularly delivered snarky comments to '''anyone''' who wasn't [[TheLeader Mr. Don]].
* [[spoiler: DefeatMeansFriendship: Okay, "Friendship" may be too strong a word, but after losing a battle of wits against Hiruma, Clifford dropped his smug attitude towards Team Japan]].
* EvilCounterpart: A blonde-haired, unscrupulous quarterback, in a #1 Jersey with a love of head games and refusal to ever lose his cool? Hiruma had got several counterparts over the course of the series, but Clifford had so much in common with him it's not even funny.
* TheEvilGenius: Was as smart as he's jerkish.
* FragileSpeedster: If his stats was any indication, Clifford seemed to be the second fastest (after Panther) '''and''' the second weakest (after Panther again) member of the Pentagram.
* FurAndLoathing: His style off the field.
* TheGambler: Clifford's primary {{Motif}}s.
* GroupieBrigade: A pretty large group of girls cheered for Clifford during football games, and Bud lamented that Clifford's group of fangirls was larger than his.
* ImprobableAimingSkills: ''Even when he's running at full speed''.
* {{Jerkass}}: Especially towards Bud.
* JerkJock: Superior, condescending, and totally convinced of his team's superiority.
* TheLeader: He and Mr. Don split this role. He took care of the mastermind part, while Don was the charismatic leader who gave {{Rousing Speech}}es and held the team together.
* ManipulativeBastard: Like Hiruma and Marco before him, Clifford enjoyed screwing around with his adversaries' heads. ''And'' occasionally his teammates'.
* [[spoiler: MultipleChoicePast: Did it deliberately, like Hiruma]].
* PerpetualFrowner: In contrast to Hiruma's manic-ness, Clifford had a perpetual poker face.
* PetTheDog: Unlike Morgan, Clifford did not have a problem with letting Panther invite Homer to the National Team's try-outs, even noting that they could make use of Homer's long pass. [[spoiler: Also, he invited Sena to play at Notre Dame for a semester after the Youth World Cup]].
* PlayingCardMotifs: All the freaking time. Just look at his quote above.
* SmugSnake: Samples...
--> '''Clifford''' (To a room full of reporters, and being told that he and Panther were the two best runners of USA): ''Two'' best...? Mister, in your country, Japan, do they teach you maths starting with the number 2? I, Clifford D. Louis, am the one best.
--> '''Clifford''' (To ''Morgan''): ... Strong-minded fellows? My strong attitude is a tool. If I can make opponent think "This guy is a fool who won't withdraw!" I will push him out of the way. So I'd like not to be put into the same class as you, a vulgar guy self-conceited about America.
** ''Sort of'' subverted in that Clifford mentioned that he did these only to "show a strong spirit". In private, he wasn't really that smug, so he might just be trying to intimidate opponents.
* SmugSuper: Need I say more?
* TheStoic: A poker face was Clifford's default expression.
** NotSoStoic: [[spoiler: When he was tackled to the ground by Shin, Clifford started to lose his cool]]. [[spoiler: It was [[SubvertedTrope part of a trick to fool Team Japan]], though]].
* StraightMan: Sometimes. Mostly when he interacted with Panther.
* TheStrategist: Could outsmart even '''Hiruma'''.
* VillainousFriendship: With the rest of the Pentagram, especially Panther and Mr. Don. For some reason, Clifford avoided this with [[TheDarkChick Bud]], much to the latter's displeasure.

[[folder:Bud Walker]]
[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/278370_bud_walker_2_large24.jpg]]
''"Yeah. Something like [[spoiler: a draw]]... It's like kissing your own sister."''

A highschool action movie star '''and''' top athlete. Bud was a showy young man who loved to entertain his audience, whether if he's on a film set or football field. Always eager to turn up the mood, Bud was the first Pentagram member to greet Team Japan upon the latter's making to the finals of the Youth World Cup. He instantly developed a rivalry with the wide receivers of Team Japan, especially Monta, and vowed to take them down.

* Position: Wide Receiver / Cornerback
* Jersey: 31
* 40-yard dash: 4.4 seconds
* Bench Press: 150 kg (330 lbs)
* Nickname: The Wild Guy From Hollywood

* AffablyEvil: Bud's a well-mannered guy... and won't hesitate to tell his opponents that he's going to wipe the floor with them.
--> '''Bud''' (To Monta): Raimon, you're the closest man to the Pentagram, the top of the world. So, I, Bud Walker of the Pentagram, will personally tear off your wings.
* AlwaysSecondBest: He often lost against Clifford, be it popularity with girls or ratings during the Japan vs USA game. Naturally, this annoyed Bud to no end.
* {{Badass}}: When Team Japan defeated Germany at the semi-finals, Bud came to greet them and offer congratulations... in a helicopter ''at least a hundred feet above ground''. He then proceeded to ''jump down from the said copter''. And ''land unscathed''.
* BestFriend: Bud wanted to be this with Clifford...
* ButtMonkey: ... But this was how [[{{Jerkass}} Clifford]] treated him.
* ChickMagnet: Given that he's an action movie star ''and'' top athlete, it's no surprise that he had a large group of fangirls.
* [[spoiler: CombatPragmatist: The only Pentagram member to advocate cheating]].
* TheDarkChick: Not only was he a famous actor, but he's also the only member of Team USA to [[spoiler: advocate cheating, attempting to talk Panther into doing so]].
* EvilCounterpart: A competitive wide receiver eager to fight players who shared his specialty? Loves showing off and attention from ladies? Bud sounded like Monta, Taki and a standard JerkJock mixed together.
* FlatCharacter: Compared to Clifford, Mr. Don and Panther, Bud got little development. This may be due to the fact that all of the other wide receivers (i.e., Monta, Ikkyu, Tetsuma...) had finished their growth already, so Bud didn't really have much to do.
* GroupieBrigade: See ChickMagnet above. Bud had an army of fangirls cheering for him during football games.
* ImprobableAge: Highschool-aged movie star? Not that unusual. Highschool-aged '''action''' movie star? That's a little less likely.
* JerkJock: He amplified the "love showing off" part.
* LightningBruiser: Bud had the most well-balanced stats out of the whole Pentagram, and by the standards of his position was ''very'' fast, ''very'' strong, and ''highly'' skilled technically, making him a huge problem for the more slightly built Monta.
* NiceGuy: Probably the nicest Pentagram member, other than [[TokenGoodTeammate Panther]]. Bud was definitely more pleasant than Mr. Don, Clifford and Tatanka.
* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Of Johnny Depp.
* PetTheDog: After the World Cup, he [[spoiler: offered Taki a chance to ''become a Hollywood actor'']].
* TheProtagonist: In the movie he starred in.
* SecondPlaceIsForLosers: [[spoiler: So were ties, which Bud described as the equivalent of [[BrotherSisterIncest kissing your sister]], which is [[ShownTheirWork an actual slang for a tied football game in America]]]].
* SmugSuper: Though not as annoyingly so as Clifford or Tatanka.
* TallDarkAndHandsome
* VillainousFriendship: He ''tried'' to be this with Clifford, but failed. He seemed to have little trouble with Panther and Tatanka, though.
* YoungerThanTheyLook: You can mistake him for a man in his early thirties.

[[folder:Tatanka]]
[[quoteright:225:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tatanka.jpg]]
''"You shouldn't get the wrong idea. This tournament isn't a game. It's just a slaughter show for America."''

The tallest player in the whole World Cup, Tatanka was well-known for being "The Human Dome", using his great height and long limbs to stop all of his opponents' passes. He idolized Mr. Don and had a firm belief in the superiority of Team USA over other national teams.

* Position: Linebacker
* Jersey: 47
* 40-yard dash: Unspecified
* Bench Press: Unspecified
* Height: '''210 cm (7' 0")'''
* Nickname: The Human Dome

----
* {{Badass}}: Naturally came with being a Pentagram member.
** BadassNative: And the only native american in the whole series, no less.
* BreakTheHaughty: [[spoiler: When Takami and Sakuraba got past his interceptions]].
* TheBrute: Tall and strong, but not exactly bright.
* DumbMuscle: Was slow enough that after studying to learn multiple languages, his English skills somehow decreased.
* EvilCounterpart: '''Subverted'''. Tatanka was the only Pentagram member who lacked an obvious counterpart from Team Japan. [[spoiler: [[DoubleSubversion Until]] a certain linebacker with very long arms and (formerly) cocky attitude showed up]].
* FlatCharacter: Along with Bud, Tatanka got rather little character development compared to Mr. Don, Panther and Clifford. We ''still'' haven't learnt why he idolized Mr. Don.
* GeniusDitz: His Japanese appeared to be good enough that Team Japan could understand him, despite his problems with the other languages.
* HeroWorship: Tatanka idolized [[TheLeader Mr. Don]].
* HonorBeforeReason: Not to the same degree as Mr. Don, but he had some shades of this. His main reason for entering football was that "He respected Mr. Don very much", for instance. Also, he said that he's attracted to women with "pure hearts".
* JerkJock: Okay, watch this.
--> '''Tatanka''' (Addressing players of Team Japan): You shouldn't get the wrong idea. This tournament isn't a game. It's just a slaughter show for America. For you, who are physically inferior to us, the World Cup is not an arena where you could compete to begin with.
* MightyGlacier: Big but not quick. His long reach, however, made him an interception machine.
* PetTheDog: [[spoiler: Despite coming off as an arrogant JerkJock, Tatanka helped train Sena along with Mr. Don and Clifford when Sena was invited to Notre Dame for a semester]].
* RapunzelHair: His hair's pretty long even when braided up.
* SmugSnake: Towards other national teams. Tatanka's nonetheless respectful towards the other members of the Pentagram. This contrasted him against Clifford, who's smug towards ''everyone'' except for Mr. Don.
* SmugSuper: As filled with smug as he's superhuman as a linebacker.
* TheStoic: The only other Pentagram member to rival Clifford in lack of emotions.
** NotSoStoic: See VillainousBreakdown below.
* TattooedCrook
* TokenMinority: Far more so than Panther. Whilst we had multiple black characters in the series (e.g., Morgan, Panther's grandma), Tatanka was ''the only native american ever seen''.
* VillainousBreakdown: The stoic Tatanka grew increasingly nervous over the course of the Japan vs USA game, as the other Pentagram members were taken down one by one.
--> '''Tatanka''' (Sweating heavily; Mr. Don and Clifford were already down): There's no way we will break down! The five men of America's Pentagram... are the strongest players in the world!
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Donald "Mr. Don" Oberman]]
[[quoteright:225:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Mr__Don_1214.jpg]]
''"Yeah, it's better this way. This is how a king should be like."''

An unstoppable goliath, Donald Oberman, aka "Mr. Don", was hailed as '''the''' best highschool-level lineman in the entire world. He was the official captain of Team USA, and a ''very'' charismatic leader who was regularly giving {{Rousing Speech}}es that energized his team and the spectators alike. He was also the son of Arnold Oberman, President of the United States. Mr. Don held a firm belief in the superiority of individuals who're naturally born talented and regarded these people (himself included) as "Those chosen by God". [[spoiler: This brought him into conflict with '''Takeru Yamato''' from Team Japan, when the latter was playing at Notre Dame. Yamato trying to become TheAce by calling himself "Eyeshield 21" despite being less gifted than Panther earned him disdain from Mr. Don, who [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections had him expelled from Notre Dame]] in no time]].

* Position: Centre
* Jersey: 69
* 40-yard dash: Unspecified
* Bench Press: Unspecified
* Nicknames: "Mr. Don", The Man Who Controls Everything

----
* AffablyEvil: Mr. Don was BigBad and physically outright '''monstrous'''... but these didn't stop him from being a charismatic bastard.
* ALadyOnEachArm: Almost every time he appeared with women, he was doing this.
* TheAlcoholic: Even though he's supposed to be ''highschooler''.
** When he's asked what truly made him sad, Mr. Don replied that it was his doctor telling him to ''watch his blood sugar levels'' upon seeing the amount of alcohol he consumed.
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: The son of a ''President'' and arguably the biggest {{Badass}} in a series already filled with outlandish badassery.
* {{Badass}}: And '''[[UpToEleven HOW]]'''!!!
** BadassBeard: Nicely combined with BeardOfEvil.
** BadassInANiceSuit: What he was off the field.
** BadassInCharge: Let's not forget that Mr. Don was also TheLeader of Team USA.
* BigBad: He's TheCaptain of Team USA and a tremendous problem for Team Japan in the final game. He also led the Pentagram, making him this trope in the FiveBadBand sense.
* BigBadDuumvirate: At times, he and Clifford seemed to form one, given the independence that the latter had and the fact that most of the plans were his. Clifford was the mastermind and field leader, while Mr. Don was the charismatic leadership.
* BeardOfEvil: Which made him look even less human.
* BlondeGuysAreEvil
* BrainsAndBrawn: With Clifford. Whilst Mr. Don's [[GeniusBruiser no dummy]], Clifford was in a league of his own in terms of intellect, so Don usually left the heavy thinking to him.
* TheCaptain: One of the few in the series that was also a de facto leader.
* CatchPhrase: ''"It makes me sad..."''
* ChickMagnet: Though for some unknown reason, Mr. Don didn't have a GroupieBrigade, unlike Clifford and Bud.
* CurbStompBattle: Notably [[http://read.mangashare.com/Eyeshield-21/chapter-320/page008.html inflicted this]] on ''Goau'' and ''Yamato'' '''at the same time'''.
* DefeatingTheUndefeatable: More than '''any''' other opponent Sena & co. faced, Mr. Don's played like this. Nobody [[TheJuggernaut had ever moved him before]], much less knocked him down. [[spoiler: When Gaou and Yamato finally pulled it off, everyone, including Mr. Don himself, was totally stunned because it'd honestly never happened]].
* TheDreaded: Mr. Don managed to put the fear of God into '''[[TheSociopath Agon]]''', of all people. In fact, the only characters who weren't frightened of Mr. Don on some level were Clifford, Tatanka, Gaou and of course, Hiruma (who seemed to be missing the fear gene anyway).
* EvenEvilHasStandards: When Panther refused to cheat, despite [[CombatPragmatist Bud]]'s urges to the contrary, Mr. Don agreed that it's better this way. After all, you don't prove anything if you win by breaking the rules.
--> '''Bud''' (Panther had been brought to the ground by Sena, but the ball he carried was almost in the end zone): Now, Panther! Sneak the ball inside the end zone! Only 10 cm left! Go on!
--> '''Panther''' (Sweating): ... (Did what Bud told him.)
--> '''Referee''': Tou...!!
--> '''Panther''' (Smiled, and held back the ball): Nishinishi! Just kiddin'! I didn't reach the goal line! This one is Sena's win!
--> '''Bud''': ... (Smiled awkwardly.)
--> '''Mr. Don''': Yeah, it's better this way. This is how a king should be like.
* EvilCounterpart: Okay, here's the recipe: Get Gaou, use hair dyes or skin bleach or whatever to turn him into a blonde whitey, inject more [[TestosteronePoisoning excess testosterone]] into him to crank all of his tropes UpToEleven, and you will get Mr. Don.
* TheFace: A charismatic leader for Team USA.
* FangsAreEvil: Like Hiruma, he had got quite the set of teeth.
* GeniusBruiser: Multilingual, a solid leader, and a '''totally unstoppable goliath'''.
* HeroKiller: He's only mentioned in whispers and his face was kept shadowed even after the rest of his team had been revealed. In his first appearance, he destroyed '''Gaou''' and terrified '''Agon'''. During the actual match, he steamrollered over [[MightyGlacier Kurita]], [[TheJuggernaut Gaou]], [[StoneWall Banba]], [[TheGift Agon]], [[ImplacableMan Yamato]], and [[LightningBruiser Shin]] in rapid succession, scared Sena half to death, and worried even '''Hiruma'''.
* HonourBeforeReason: Surprisingly, yes. For all of his other flaws, Mr. Don had no desire to win through cheating. See EvenEvilHasStandards above.
** Moreover, he even [[spoiler: chose to engage Gaou in a power contest when it was impossible for him to take the delta dynamite, just because if he simply avoided the hit, it would affect the morale of Team USA. That ended up giving him a blue sky and Team Japan a touchdown]].
* JerkJock: Finished with the ultimate "Rich dad who gets him out of trouble".
* TheJuggernaut: UpToEleven. He was this even compared to ''Gaou'' or ''Kurita''.
* LargeAndInCharge: The largest character in the series, and leading Team USA.
* LargeHam: Called for a pause mid-game just to "apologize to the American audience for having not wiped the floor with Team Japan yet and giving Team Japan false hope."
--> '''Mr. Don''' (Addressing the spectators): WE KNOW!! What did the men and women in this coliseum come to see!? They came to see the men chosen by God as they easily and gallantly hunt down a tiger! I have to apologize for this disappointing match! And also... (Turned towards Team Japan) For making you see a fleeting dream, I also have to apologize to you guys.
--> '''[[NervesOfSteel Riku]]''', '''[[TheStoic Taka]]''' and '''[[TheSmartGuy Hiruma]]''' (Not agitated): ...
--> '''[[HotBlooded Monta]]''', '''[[ArrogantKungFuGuy Ikkyu]]''' and '''[[DumbMuscle Achilles]]''' (Boiling in anger): ...
* LaserGuidedKarma: [[spoiler: Gaou, whom he used as a punching bag, and Yamato, who he ran out of Notre Dame, were the two who ended up sending Mr. Don ''falling face-up'' for the first time]].
* TheLeader: He and Clifford split this role. Mr. Don took care of the headstrong and charismatic part and left the mastermind part to Clifford.
* LightningBruiser: He was ''the'' strongest man in the world, but he's also fast.
* ManOfWealthAndTaste: Off the field, Mr. Don tended to be quite well-dressed, and he enjoyed tasting wine with his friends during leisure. He's the son of a President, after all...
* NobleDemon: Mr. Don was a very flawed person, but he still had a code of conduct that he held himself to. For instance, he didn't like insulting his opponents by withholding his own strength in football games.
--> '''Mr. Don''' (Addressing a kid who idolized him): Young man, remember that If you are someone who's chosen, you will understand too, one day... As long as you draw your sword on the battlefield, you have to kill your opponent with all your strength. This is the manner of those who stand at the top.
* PetTheDog: Stopped a stampeding crowd of fans so he could sign a little kid's football and gave him a speech about what it meant to be an athlete. He passed up on the opportunity to hit on a very attractive girl in the process, and it wasn't so he can showboat - the kid was honestly first in line, and ''that'' mattered to Mr. Don.
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: He was racist towards the Japanese, although not towards Panther or Tatanka. He may be more of a ''Patriotically'' Incorrect Villain: Every time he referred to Japanese as inferior, it's comparing them to Americans, but not any particular race.
* ReligiousBruiser: Maybe implied. Mr. Don seemed to believe in God. In fact, he's the only one in this series to so actively refer to the Abrahamic God. All other characters merely talked of God in football slangs or gods outside the Abrahamic one.
** Although, like Taki, it's always to refer himself and his team as "God's gift", so it might just be theatrics.
** But if we consider that American Presidents and their families tend to be Christians...
* RousingSpeech: Gave one to his team and the crowd when the game started going against the Americans. See LargeHam above for what he'd said.
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: He's the son of ''President of the United States''. He can do whatever he wants. [[spoiler: Like having someone expelled from Notre Dame, for instance]].
* SharpDressedMan: The suit he wore off-field was quite classy.
* SmugSnake: He's on par with Clifford.
--> '''Panther''' (They were at a ''strip club''): Wait, whaaat!? Isn't it already time for the drawing!? (Turned to Mr. Don) Err... shouldn't we go (meet up other national teams) soon, Mr. Don...?
--> '''Mr. Don''' (Surrounded by pretty women): Pantheeeer... [[CatchPhrase It makes me sad]]... I'm saddened by the weakness in your heart. There's no need for the king to thoughtlessly run around. Embrace both calm and girls. Just watch the ants crawling up, Panther.
* SmugSuper: ''Every bit'' as super as he's made of smug.
* SpikesOfVillainy: His hairdo is so spiky it doesn't look human, like the rest of him.
* TattooedCrook
* TestosteronePoisoning: '''The biggest offender in this series'''.
* {{Troperiffic}}: Mr. Don's right after Hiruma and Agon.
* UnnecessaryRoughness: He's as bad as or worse than ''Gaou'' in this regard. During the Japan vs USA match, he was basically using Gaou as a punching bag, and called a time out to say he will kill Shin to the crowd. [[spoiler: He proceeded to do so (figuratively)]].
* UpToEleven: Seen how much ''italic'' and '''bold''' we have to use on this list?
* VillainousFriendship: He and Clifford honestly appeared to be friends, which may be part of why they're such an effective BigBadDuumvirate.
* [[spoiler: VillainRespect: Team Japan's [[{{Determinator}} sheer determination]] eventually won them the respect of Mr. Don, who came to discard his better-than-thou attitude]].
* WorldsStrongestMan: Explicitly referred to as the strongest lineman in their age group.
* WorthyOpponent: How Gaou saw him. [[spoiler: Over the course of the final match, Mr. Don began to see Team Japan in the same light as they challenged his view on natural talents]].
* YoungerThanTheyLook: An 18-year-old who... looked older then his own '''[[http://read.mangashare.com/Eyeshield-21/chapter-315/page002.html father]]'''. Then again, he barely looked human, so this wasn't much of a surprise.
[[/folder]]

!!Other Football Players
[[folder:Sasuke Kanagushi]]
Position: Quaterback

Captain of the Dokubari's Scorpion, he uses his ability to pick up football player habits to read the opponent plays. His technique allowed him to defeat 10 admittedly weak team. Admittedly weak turned out to be the operative word.
* AdaptationalVillainy: He is smug in the manga but in the anime he is trying to get the other team disqualified or injured before the match.
* AwesomeByAnalysis: Parodied, he can see small habits such as quaterback licking their finger to indicate a pass but it doesn't do him any good against Hiruma who can read his opponent better than him and love confusing the other team. An Omake even has his father smacking him after he analyzed that he will smack him.
* ButtMonkey: Worse than Amino, the match was pretty much Hiruma toying with him.
* SmugSnake: His reading of body language is really basic and Hiruma pointed out how it only work on team that are garbage.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Rui Habashira]]
[[quoteright:170:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Rui_Habashira_8512.jpg]]
Position: Linebacker

Captain and only dedicated player of the Zokugaku Chameleons, Rui is a delinquent who appears to be "threatening" in order to motivate his team. Grudgingly respects Hiruma and occasionally helps out the Devilbats.
----
* AnimalMotif: Chameleon, obviously.
* AntiHero: Becomes this as the series goes on, especially during the World Cup arc.
* BadassBiker: Whatever you might think about his badassery as a football player, he's one hell of a BadassDriver on his bike.
* BadassLongcoat
* ButtMonkey: He becomes this whenever Hiruma is around.
* CantCatchUp: He is a decent linebacker and [[spoiler: was good enough to qualified for Japan team during world cup]] but he is no top tier player.
* CoolBike
* DefeatMeansFriendship: Though originally it was more like "defeats means slavery".
* {{Delinquent}}s: His entire team is made of these.
* {{Determinator}}: He's definitely one. Too bad the rest of his team isn't. [[spoiler: He get swat away by american players but still goes even if it's humiliating and makes him look like a joke, because he does not care what people think if he can play.]]
* EvilerThanThou: Even one of the ''heroes'' is eviler than him...
* {{Foil}}: To Hiruma. They're both dedicated players who act like thugs in order to motivate their teams.
* JerkassFacade: He only acts that way to motivate his team and intimidate his opponents.
* KnifeNut: To compliment Hiruma's {{trigger happy}}.
* NotSoDifferent: With Hiruma, after Rui's defeat. Hiruma silently acknowledges this.
* OverlyLongTongue
* TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou: Why he drove Sena to the Amino game.
* SheIsNotMyGirlfriend: Or so he says...
* TookALevelInBadass: [[spoiler:For the World Cup]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Megu Tsuyumine]]
[[quoteright:170:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Megu_Tsuyunime_1982.jpg]]

The manager of the Chameleons and one of Rui's closest friends.
----
* BikerBabe
* CornerOfWoe: Played seriously after the Chameleons' loss to the Poisedons. She's shown standing around a corner looking deeply depressed while Rui breaks down after the game.
* CuteSportsClubManager: She looks the part...than she opens her mouth.
* DrillSergeantNasty: She helps Rui force the other players to train harder.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: Does not seem to approve of just how violent Rui can get.
* HeIsNotMyBoyfriend: With Rui, despite referring to him by his first name and everything.
* IronLady
* WoodenKatanasAreEvenBetter: Never seen without one.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Yamamoto Onihei]]
[[quoteright:170:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Yamamoto_Onihei_3323.jpg]]
Position: Line

An experienced, technical linemen who lost early on in the Tokyo tournament. Most well-known for being a talkative combat commentator whose predictions are ''never'' right.
----
* ButtMonkey: Torakichi's butt monkey anyways.
* CombatCommentator: {{Parodied}}. Whenever he says something, the exact opposite instantly happens.
* GeniusBruiser: What he likes to think he is...
* IntergenerationalFriendship: With Torakichi.
* KnowNothingKnowItAll: As far as Torakichi's concerned.
* OddCouple: He and Torakichi act as [[CombatCommentator CombatCommentators]].
* RatedMForManly: Was viewed as this during his introduction (he had "manly charisma") and many linemen were quite GAR for him until he became a victim of TheWorfEffect.
* TheWorfEffect: He was considered the most experienced lineman in the high school league, to the point that people were lining up for his autograph, in his first appearance. He gets defeated during his first onscreen game, and later doesn't even become a World Cup regular. (He does play as a second-stringer during the match against Russia)
* YoungerThanTheyLook: He's only 18, but he looks like someone's dad.
* WiseBeyondTheirYears: {{Subverted}}. He acts wise and experienced, but everything he says is ''always'' wrong.
* WrongGenreSavvy: His knowledge is useless since all the players think outside the box.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Kaoru Hatsujou]]
[[quoteright:170:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Kaoru_Hatsujou_1640.jpg]]

Position: Quarterback and Kicker

The only decent player for the bottom-of-the-barrel Cupids. Mainly known for having a hot girlfriend despite being smug and unattractive.
----
* ButtMonkey: His only role in the story, even during the epilogue.
* {{Jerkass}}
* LaserGuidedKarma
* RunningGag: Mocking other players for not having a girlfriend.
* UglyGuyHotWife: After every game you can't help but feel that Hatsujou's the real winner, you know?
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Taiga Kamiya]]
[[quoteright:170:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Taiga_Kamiya_298.jpg]]

Position: Running Back

The captain and ace of the Misaki Wolves, Kamiya is a long-legged, fast-moving player with a high opinion of himself. In the manga, his team was easily defeated by the Seibu Wild Gunmen; in the anime, he is a far more serious threat, and is only barely defeated, after giving Seibu's ace, Riku, a serious run for his money.
----
* AdaptationalBadass: A joke in the manga, the anime turned him into a high-speed powerhouse, capable of matching Riku in terms of speed, and leading a team whom the Gunmen were only barely able to overcome.
* AnimalMotifs: Wolf
* ArrogantKungFuGuy: On the subject of speed.
* CuteLittleFangs
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Heinrich Schultz]]

Captain of the German football team.
----
* AwesomenessByAnalysis
* BadassBookworm
* BlondGuysAreEvil: Averted. Schultz is actually a pretty cool guy.
* TheLeader: Of the German Youth World Cup team
* PhotographicMemory
* TheQuietOne
* TheStoic
* WorthyOpponent: To Sena, a fact that both of them acknowledge. On a less personal note, his team serves as the first real challenge that the Japanese team encounters, a fact that Gaou and Sena both state aloud.
[[/folder]]

!!Other Characters

[[folder:Riku Kumabukuro]]

A reporter from a sports magazine known for his ridiculously large afro. Has a daughter, Riko, who is studying to be a journalist and sometimes stands in for him.
----
* CombatCommentator
* FunnyAfro
* StraightMan: To his loud and abrasive co-worker "Machine Gun" Sanada.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Riko Kumabukuro]]
Daughter of Riku Kumabukuro, she takes her father's place as announcer during the Kanto tournament. Tends to stutter when she's excited or nervous, but is otherwise an excellent announcer and journalist who just wants to be taken seriously.
----
* CombatCommentator
* FunnyAfro: In the anime she grows an afro whenever she gets too excited.
* GenkiGirl: Not nearly as energetic as Sanada but is still very enthusiastic about her job.
* HotScoop: Her good looks were how she managed to get an interview with Agon.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:"Machine Gun" Sanada]]
Kumabukuro's loud, fast-talking fellow commentator. A rather hammy fellow with an outlandish hair-cut that resembles a set of lawn-mower blades sticking out of his head.
----
* AnimeHair
* CombatCommentator
* ExpressiveHair: His hair starts rotating when he gets sufficiently excited.
* LargeHam
* HotBlooded
* MotorMouth
[[/folder]]

[[folder:"Miracle" Ito]]
President of Jari Productions, and somewhat sleazy manager to Haruto Sakuraba. Originally depicted as just a money-grubbing social climber seeking to make a fortune off Sakuraba's good looks, he naturally flips out when Sakuraba quits being a model to focus on sports. However, he shows a softer side after he comes to accept Sakuraba's wishes.
----
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold
* KickTheDog: When he tries to throw out the sweatband Sakuraba got from a young fan.
* PetTheDog: When he eventually accepts Sakuraba's desire to focus on football, and even starts cheering him on. There is even a flashback where he stopped some thugs from beating Sakuraba even though he was already badly beaten himself.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Torakichi]]
[[quoteright:170:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Torakichi_1156.jpg]]

Sakuraba's biggest fan, stuck with him even after discovering his actual abilities. One of Sakuraba's biggest motivators for improving himself. Is currently bound to a wheelchair, but desires to become a football player once he recovers.
----
* BrutalHonesty
* CheerfulChild
* DisabledMeansHelpless: Averted quite nicely, aside from not being able to play football, he's treated just like any other bratty kid.
* IntergenerationalFriendship: With Onihei, or atleast Torakichi thinks so (Onihei probably sees him more as the below).
* MouthyKid
* OddCouple: With Onihei.
* [[PluckyGirl Plucky Boy]]
* TagAlongKid: Amongst the combat commentators. Often steals Wakaba's camera. Lampshaded in Chapter 50, "Who's that kid?"
[[/folder]]

!!Seibu Wild Gunmen

An up-and-coming team in Tokyo, placing second to the White Knights during [[spoiler: both the Spring and Fall Tournaments]]. They were widely known for their prowess on offense... and inability to prevent even the weakest of teams from scoring on them. A generally [[NiceGuy pleasant group of guys]], the Wild Gunmen were on friendly terms with most of their opponents, with [[spoiler: Running Back Riku Kaitani]] and [[TheHero Sena Kobayakawa]] being especially close.

* AttackAttackAttack: Even more so than the Devil Bats. The Wild Gunmen relied on offense to get through games, racking up incredible scores to compensate for their lackluster defense.
* BadassCrew: The only team to [[spoiler: have '''never''' lost to the Devil Bats after the latter's TrainingFromHell]]. The team's three aces are basically more mature versions of the Devil Bats' aces.
* CombinationAttack: Their Shotgun formation. It involved all of the team's wide receivers running at full speed ''all over the field'' while Kid decided who he's going to pass the ball to using his swift brain. It was nigh impossible to block all the potential pass routes, and arguably the main reason why the Gunmen had such offensive power.
* {{Eagleland}}: Well, the Seibu Highschool was located in Japan and the Gunmen were all ethnically Japanese, but the school's founder was an American and the backstory of how the school came to be '''reeks''' of American stereotypes.

** TheLeader (de facto) and TheSmartGuy: Kid.
** TheLancer: Tetsuma.
** TheSixthRanger: Riku.
** [[TheBigGuy The Big Guys]]: "Buffalo" Ushijima and his fellow linemen.
** TheChick: "Doc" Billy Horide. Despite being the coach, he's almost never seen giving sagely advice like the other coaches regularly did. Or doing anything useful, for that matter.
* {{Foil}}: To both the [[TricksterArchetype Devil Bats]] (sharing an aggressive playing style, but placing their emphasis on passing instead of running) and the [[StoneWall White Knights]] (focusing on offense over defense).
* FriendlyRivalry: With both the Devil Bats and the White Knights.
* GlassCannon: As a team, the Gunmen scored '''constantly''', but couldn't prevent their opponents from returning the favor, even if the said opponent was the [[JokeCharacter Cupids]].
** Taken to extreme with the Dinosaurs match. [[spoiler: They kept attacking since they couldn't stop the north-south game, making onside kick after onside kick because at half or 3/4th of the field, the Dinosaurs will score for sure so why bother going defense. It was game over once Gaou got his hand on Kid, however]].
* PlanetOfHats: If the extra materials' description of the Seibu Highschool is any indication... their school appears to be one of the worst offenders in the series.
* TheWildWest: Their primary {{Motif}}s.
* TheWorfEffect:
** Inverted initially - The Wild Gunmen's narrow defeats by the White Knights in [[spoiler: Spring and Fall Tournaments]] were used to show how formidable the Gunmen are, especially [[spoiler: since [[WorfHadTheFlu Tetsuma was benched]] both times]].
** Played straight for Kanto, in which [[spoiler: the Gunmen's failure against the Dinosaurs showed how dangerous the latter was. It was also entirely justified since they had never dealt with anyone like [[TheJuggernaut Gaou]] before and it's not really allowed to win by breaking arms]].
* WorfHadTheFlu: Their losses were either due to bad luck or [[UnnecessaryRoughness unorthodox plays]].
* WorthyOpponent: To the Devil Bats. After the White Knights, they're probably the team the Devil Bats were most eager to fight, with Sena and Monta in particular hoping for rematches with Riku and Tetsuma.

[[folder:The Kid (キッド)]]
[[quoteright:200:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shien_mushanokoji.jpg]]
''"Humans who have dreams are only asking for trouble."''

A down-to-earth fellow whose talent lies in throwing the ball at incredibly high speeds. Usually very self-deprecating, Kid served as the (de facto) [[TheLeader leader]] for the Wild Gunmen, heading the team with his swift brain and wits. [[spoiler: His real name is Shien Mushanokoji (武者小路 紫苑), the son of an ace pistol shooting competitor who had won several gold medals at the Olympics. Unable to endure the pressure to achieve what his father had, Kid ran away from his family years before the story's events, together with Tetsuma, his childhood friend whose father served as the driver for his family]].

* Position: Quarterback
* Jersey: 7
* 40-yard dash: 5.6 seconds
* Bench Press: 70 kg (154 lbs)
* Height: 177 cm (5' 10")
* Weight: 66 kg (145 lbs)
* Blood Type: A
* Birthday: November 11
* 2nd Year Student (Grade 11)
* Nicknames: The Kid, The Quick Draw Kid

* AcademicAthlete: Known to have some of the best grades in the entire cast.
* TheAce: [[spoiler: What his family wanted him to be]].
--> [[spoiler: '''Kid's Father''']]: [[spoiler: The Olympic Event that you're going to participate in the future is the same as mine - the rapid fire pistol. Everyone expects much of you. As a thorough-bred, make sure you answer them with a gold medal]].
* {{Badass}}: Has ImprobableAimingSkills both when using firearms ''and'' when he is throwing things (typically, but [[http://read.mangashare.com/Eyeshield-21/chapter-242/page017.html not limited to]], footballs).
* BerserkButton: Kid was usually big on HeroicSelfDeprecation, but [[spoiler: he would get really angry if someone insults [[TheLancer Tetsuma]]]].
* BigBrotherMentor: Acting as this to Riku helped Kid with his issues.
* [[spoiler: BigFancyHouse: Used to live in one of these, before he ran away from home]].
* BloodFromTheMouth: [[spoiler: Courtesy of [[UnnecessaryRoughness Gaou]]]].
* [[spoiler: BlueBlood: "Mushanokoji" is an actual line of noble families in Japan]].
* BrokenAce: Hands-down Japan's best quarterback, since his passes were better than Hiruma's ''and'' he's trickier than Karin, who also relied on speed and pass accuracy. [[spoiler: But he didn't want the pressure of being an ace]], so he constantly underscored his achievement.
* CharacterDevelopment: At first, Kid appeared to be a MellowFellow who couldn't care any less about competing with the other ace players. But as the story progressed, it was shown that [[spoiler: this was no more than Kid's attempt to hide his insecurity about his failure to cope with the pressure to become an ace, which his family had imposed upon him. Later, during the Wild Gunmen vs Dinosaurs game, Kid, perhaps due to [[HonorBeforeReason Gaou]]'s disdaining him for lack of ambition, began to really desire to enter Christmas Bowl and prove himself - This showed at the World Cup, in which Kid, upon provocation from [[JerkJock Tatanka]], performed to earn MVP votes]].
* ChildhoodFriend: With Tetsuma.
* DeathGlare: Gave one to the Ha-Ha Brothers when [[spoiler: they insulted Tetsuma]]. It was ''almost hard to recognize him'' due to his typically laid-back attitude. In the manga, Kid instead did this to Hiruma, who was trying to see his fighting spirits.
* GenreBlind: ''"Nothing good ever comes from [[{{Shonen}} chasing your dreams]]."'' However, seeing that [[spoiler: [[TheJuggernaut Gaou]] broke his arm]] the instant he decided to chase his dreams, Kid might be right...
* GenreSavvy: ''"Things tend to go bad when they start looking good."'' When you were in the world of ''Eyeshield 21'', this may just as well be a fundamental law of physics.
* TheGunslinger: His primary {{Motif}}s, though calling him this would bring up bad memories.
* HeroicSelfDeprecation: [[spoiler: After running away from the pressure his family put on him]], Kid chose to use this strategy to prevent his teammates from relying on him too much.
* HeterosexualLifePartner: With Tetsuma. Fanfic writers enjoyed [[HoYay taking the "heterosexual" away]] from their relationship, however.
* IAmNotLeftHanded: Kid's more than just good at throwing fast passes. [[spoiler: He was not even at full speed until Hiruma tried to blitz him, and he could make quick decisions and carry the ball to the end zone if he had to]].
* ImprobableAimingSkills: Both as a literal sharpshooter, and a metaphorical sharpshooter when he played as a quarterback.
* IronicName: [[spoiler: "Shien" literally means '''Aster''', a genus of flowers known for ''being showy'']].
* TheLeader: A level-headed leader to the Wild Gunmen, despite technically not the captain. This was especially apparent when Kid was with [[ExtremeDoormat Tetsuma]]. This caused problems since Kid didn't feel like taking initiative out of fear of people relying on him, which meant the [[TooDumbToLive coach]] still had to make the final say in a few occasions.
* ManWithNoName: Invoked by his refusal to go by anything other than "Kid".
* MellowFellow: Kid was, as a general rule, laid back, and appeared to lack interest in competing with other ace football players. [[spoiler: Appear'''ed'''. See CharacterDevelopment above]].
* NervesOfSteel: [[spoiler: He did not even ''twitch an eyebrows in distress'' when Gaou, who was infamous for sending his opponents to hospitals, stopped his hand '''an inch from Kid's face''']].
* NiceHat: Part of his "western movie" appearance.
* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: A cowboy quarterback who had a quick release? [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Romo Tony Romo]], is that you?
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: He preferred to be referred to as just "Kid", since [[spoiler: he claimed to have abandoned his family name]]. Also a reference to his proficiency with guns, and his team's favorite play.
* OutGambitted: Kid spent most of the match outwitting Hiruma in tactics. But that's the problem: He became predictable and when he was forced to play safe, he'd have no choice but to use his most successful play. [[spoiler: Even he knew his pass was anticipated, he did it. Monta and Hiruma beat him because of that]].
* PermaStubble: He was one of the "guys with old faces" of the manga.
* [[spoiler: PrincelyYoungMan: When he was still living with his family]].
* QuickDraw: Part of his nickname, "The Quick Draw Kid", and a reference to his fast passes.
* [[spoiler: TheRunaway: Maybe classfiable as Type 5]]?
* TheSmartGuy: To the Wild Gunmen. Kid [[spoiler: had even outsmarted '''Hiruma''']], after all.
* TemptingFate: Constantly {{Lampshaded}}. He's convinced that things going well for him was only fate's way of setting him up for a fall. [[spoiler: It '''did''' go bad for him... as Gaou broke his arm the moment the Wild Gunmen vs Dinosaurs game began to look good for the former]].
* TheTropeKid: His nickname alone is a western movies reference.
* WellDoneSonGuy: [[spoiler: Kid was pressured from a young age to be nothing less than the best of the best marksmen, which explained how he had such an analytical look to football]].
* WorthyOpponent: To Hiruma, sort of.
** [[spoiler: [[BloodKnight Gaou]] also came to see Kid as this midway through the Wild Gunmen vs Dinosaurs match]].
--> [[spoiler: '''Gaou''']]: [[spoiler: Tokyo's strongest quarterback, Kid. (SlasherSmile) This guy... is the most interesting beast so far...]]!!
* YoungerThanTheyLook: You can easily mistake him for a man in his 20s.

[[folder:Jo Tetsuma]]
[[quoteright:170:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Jou_Tetsuma_3980.jpg]]

An old friend of The Kid, Tetsuma is a stone-faced powerhouse who plows through the defensive line like a freight train and always sticks to his route. He hardly ever says a word, and tends to take orders a bit too far: when his coach reminded him not to overeat before a game, he ''fasted for three days''. However, this literal-minded dedication is part of what makes him a great receiver.

* Position: Wide Receiver / Full Back
* Jersey: 15
* 40 yard dash: 5.0 seconds
* Bench Press: 115 kg
* 2nd Year Student (Grade 11)

* AmbiguousDisorder: He seems to have little social skill and few facial expressions, and he is ''very'' literal-minded.

** SubmissiveBadass
* BerserkButton: Don't hurt Kid in front of him.
* ChildhoodFriend: With Kid.
* {{Determinator}}: He won't go off the pass route no matter what happens.
* DumbMuscle: According to the extra materials, Tetsuma doesn't seem exactly smart.
* ExtremeDoormat: To Kid, at least at first. In the beginning he seemed barely sentient, doing ONLY what Kid told him to do. After Monta defeated him in a catching battle he began to develop his own ambitions.
* HeterosexualLifePartner: With Kid.
* LightningBruiser: Decent speed and ''insane'' strength, especially for a wide receiver.
* LiteralMinded: Tetsuma ''will'' follow ''any'' order to the letter.
* MeaningfulName: "Tetsuma" means "iron horse" in Japanese.
* {{Motifs}}: He is compared to locomotive a lot, which fits him pretty well.
* TheQuietOne
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: [[spoiler: Tries to do this against Goah when the latter broke Kid's arm during the Seibu-Hakushu match. Goah crushes him, though]].
* RunningGag: Tetsuma follows Kid's orders so literally that he ends up doing some very ridiculous things for several times.
* TheSilentBob: He almost never speaks, he just stays there and follows orders.
* TheStoic: He shows his feelings about two times in the entire story.
** NotSoStoic: [[spoiler: When Goah broke Kid's arm]].
* UndyingLoyalty: To Kid.
* WorthyOpponent: To Monta.

[[folder:Riku Kaitani]]
[[quoteright:170:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Riku_Kaitani_2764.jpg]]

A childhood friend of Sena's and the one who taught him to run. Although Seibu mainly works on their passing game, Riku can be an unstoppable force on the football field. His signature move is the Rodeo Drive, which adopts the goose-step from rugby to cause a sudden burst of speed.

* Position: Running Back / Safety
* Jersey: 29
* 40 yard dash: 4.5 seconds
* Bench Press: 60 kg
* Height: 159 cm
* 1st Year Student (Grade 10)

* TheAce: He's mature, smart, studious, brave, heroic, cool, good-looking, popular with girls, and taught Sena how to run. Almost any scene that features him prominently will be about him leaving everyone impressed. Needless to say, he'd make an incredibly boring protagonist.
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Was originally introduced as being like Sena, but cooler.
* {{Badass}}
* BigBrotherMentor: What he considers himself to Sena.
* CatchPhrase: He always tells people "you're pathetic" to chastise even the slightest failing. Not as spiteful as it sounds; at one point he even thinks to himself "I'm pathetic" when something is worrying him.
* ChickMagnet: he's popular with the girls.
* ChronicHeroSyndrome: Much like Sena himself. When Gaoh threatens to beat up everyone within a section of the stands in order to get the one guy who made fun of Banba, Riku takes the blame and prepares to fight Gaoh.
* {{Cowboy}}: His {{Motifs}}.
* DoNotGoGentle: After Kid and Tetsuma are benched due to injuries, and painfully aware Seibu is about to lose to Hakushu, he refuses to let his team just throw in the towel against Gaoh and even plays till he drops. [[{{Determinator}} Riku has balls.]]
* {{Foil}}: He's what Sena would look like if he {{grew a spine}}.
* ForgottenChildhoodFriend: Despite being the person who taught [[TheProtagonist Sena]] how to run, he's never mentioned until he appears during the 14th volume.
* FriendlyRivalry: With the emphasis on friendly. He and Sena go way back, and they are always friends first and opponents second. He's also the first player to manage this with Gaoh, never treating the feared Hakushu giant as anything other than a fellow competitor, something Gaoh appreciates and returns as best he can.
* HeroicRROD: Riku runs himself into the ground trying to hold off Gaoh, eventually passing out on the field from sheer exertion - though in doing so, he earns Gaoh's [[VillainRespect undying respect]].
* NervesOfSteel: Riku is a first grader but even his upperclassmen calm down when he sees how cool headed he is.
* PintSizedPowerhouse: Physically, he's not much taller than Sena. And without him, the Gunmen would be short one of their best players.
* TheSixthRanger: Riku didn't join the Gunmen until midway through the story.
* WorthyOpponent: To Sena and Gaoh.

[[folder:"Buffalo" Ushijima]]
[[quoteright:170:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Buffalo_Ushijima_4125.jpg]]

The ''actual'' captain of the Gunmen. No one remembers this, with Kid getting all the attention. Still, he's a powerful force on the line, using his so-called "Twin Horns" - borrowed from pro-wrestling - to bull his way through any opposition.

* Position: Defense Lineman
* Jersey: 94
* 3rd Year Student (Grade 12)

* AnimalMotifs: Buffalo, obviously.
* AwesomeMcCoolName: Although it's only a nickname.
* TheBigGuy: The Gunmen's best lineman.
* BoisterousBruiser: He happily throws Western Lariats at other linemen.
* DumbMuscle: Downplayed. He isn't very bright, but not at the same level as Ootawara or Ikari.
* LargeAndInCharge: Sort of. He's the biggest guy in the Gunmen, and he is, strictly speaking, the team captain.
* TheLeader: He is technically the captain of Seibu, so he's this in name.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: There was an extra that revealed his actual first name, however... It's "Baharou", which is pronounced identically to his nickname.
* WorthyOpponent: Sees the Ha-Ha Brothers as this when he has to crack out his Twin Horns to get past them. When Jumonji successfully counters the technique the second time, he goes up even farther in Ushijima's estimation.
* WrestlerInAllOfUs: Ushijima's "Twin Horns" (a double version of "the rip" used by Komosubi) is stated to be borrowed from pro-wrestling.
[[/folder]]

!!Taiyo Sphinx

[[folder:In General]]
Famed for the "Pyramid Line", the Taiyo Sphinx had the [[MightyGlacier heaviest linemen]] of any Japanese highschool, which usually guaranteed them a place at the Kanto Regional Tournament. Their greatest weakness was their lack of anything approaching a backfield. Nominally led by Quarterback Harao, the team was in truth under the control of Centre Banba, whose cool-headed leadership held the team together.
----
* AmbiguouslyBrown: The students of the Taiyo Highschool looked '''Middle Eastern''' despite all of them being ethnically Japanese. ''Somewhat'' justified, in that many of them were only tanned from all the surfing they did due to the school's proximity to the sea.
* AncientEgypt: Their {{Motif}}s. They've taken it to such a ridiculous level it's not even funny.

--> '''Harao''': One dare ask thou. Twenty and two legs in the morning, twenty and two legs at noon, twenty and two legs at night, eleven warriors who shall never fall... What may be the name of this team?
--> '''The Whole Team''': THE TAIYO SPHINX!!!!
* CombinationAttack: Their "Pyramid Line" and [[spoiler: "Tutankamon's Mask"]] both revolved around using their [[MightyGlacier heavy linemen]] to almost perfectly shield the quarterback.
* CurbStompBattle: At the receiving end for '''three''' times. See DiscOneFinalBoss below.
* CurbStompCushion: In the anime, they [[spoiler: got to at least show how awesome their "Tutankamon's Mask" formation was since, for some reason, Gaou wasn't there to crush it on the first go]].
* DiscOneFinalBoss: More so than the Naga. The Sphinx were portrayed as quite formidable in the Devil Bats' match against them. Afterwards, however, it became rather clear that the Sphinx were not by any mean a real threat as they ended up regularly [[CurbStompBattle routed]] by stronger teams (i.e., the Wild Gunmen, the Naga, and then [[spoiler: the Dinosaurs]]).
* DumbMuscle: All of the linemen, except for [[GeniusBruiser Banba]].
* FiveManBand:
** TheLeader (de facto) and TheSmartGuy: Banba.
** TheBigGuy: Kasamatsu.
** TheChick: Harao, even though he's the ''quarterback''.
** TheSixthRanger: Kamaguruma.
* {{Guyliner}}s: Most of them have this, presumably to go with their Egyptian theme.
* [[JerkJock Jerk Jocks]]: Towards the Devil Bats during their match. They got better.
* MassOhCrap: When [[spoiler: Gaou made his first appearance as their opponent]].
* MightyGlacier: The team had tremendous linemen, but a lackluster backfield, meaning that they had to advance down the field slowly while shoving their opponents out of the way.
* MythicalMotifs: '''Sphinx'''.
* PlanetOfHats: The Taiyo Highschool is arguably the worst offender in the entire series, which is saying something.
* TheWorfEffect: First against the Wild Gunmen and then against [[spoiler: the [[ClimaxBoss Dinosaurs]]]]. They were also [[CurbStompBattle curb-stomped]] by the Naga offscreen.

[[folder:Kiminari Harao]]
[[quoteright:170:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Kiminari_Harao_386.jpg]]

A ''very'' beautiful young man who prides himself on being rich, refined, and elegant. Seemingly arrogant, Harao is actually deeply insecure about his talents as quarterback, and is highly reliant on his close friend Banba for protection and emotional support.

* Position: Quraterback
* Jersey: 8
* 40 yard dash: 5.4 seconds
* Bench Press: 50 kg
* 3rd Year Student (Grade 12)

* ActionSurvivor: Harao holds the honor of being the only quarterback not to be crushed by Gaoh. He's not to proud of it though, as it was due to Banba and the Taiyou line. He was forced to forfeit because he was ''literally'' the only man on his team left standing.
* ALadyOnEachArm: Or rather a constant entourage of scantily clad groupies.
* [[AlphaBitch Alpha Brat]]: At first. He was introduced as seeming to be very elitist and bossy, blaming others for his shortcomings. Of course it's mostly just an act because he's insecure.
* AmbiguouslyBrown: Like all members of the Sphinx.
* {{Bishonen}}: He's one of the most feminine-looking male characters.
* BreakTheHaughty: ''Twice.'' The tie with Deimon was embarrassing but beneficial to his CharacterDevelopment. The defeat by Hakushu (and seeing his best friend get hurt protecting him) elevated him to {{Woobie}} status.
* TheCasanova: Not as bad as Agon, but he isn't above taking advantage of his popularity.
* TheChick: To the Sphinx.
* FakeUltimateHero: Is a mediocre quarterback at best, yet is perceived as the team's ace.
* {{Guyliner}}: To go with his Egyptian theme.
* InstantFanClub
* JerkassFacade: Acts snobby and in control to hide the fact that's he very insecure about his abilities.
* LongHairedPrettyBoy
* PrincelyYoungMan: His father is the CEO of an oil company.
* [[RichBitch Rich Brat]]
* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: The Sensitive Guy to Banba's Manly Man.
* YeOldeButcheredeEnglishe: When his antiquated way of speaking is translated to English. He drops this after the Hakushu game.

[[folder:Mamoru Banba]]
[[quoteright:170:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Mamoru_Banba_3332.jpg]]

The imposing, stoic ace of the Sphinx, Banba's wisdom and calmness make him the real authority figure of the team. Widely regarded as one of the country's best young linemen, he has a respectful rivalry with Kurita.

* Position: Centre / Defensive Tackle
* Jersey: 50
* 40 yard dash: 5.5 seconds
* Bench Press: 145 kg
* Birthday: June 25th
* 3rd Year Student (Grade 12)

* AmbiguouslyBrown
* AnimalMotifs: He's compared to a cobra once.
* {{Badass}}
** BadassInCharge
* BaldBlackLeaderGuy: Though Harao is the team's official captain, it's rather obvious who has the final say.
* BaldOfAwesome: The bald player is the strongest and more reliable one of his team.
* TheComicallySerious: Keeps his stoicism even during a "pointlessly badass" pillow fight.
* {{Determinator}}: He's the first person to actually challenge Gaou, and although knowing that he was outmatched, repeatedly got up and held his ground, not allowing the Hakushuu player to lay a finger on his QB.
* GeniusBruiser: Yes, Banba is the strongest guy in his team, and one of the strongest guys in Japan. And yes, he has good grades, and he's the one calling the shot in his team when it comes to tactical decisions.
* {{Guyliner}}
* TheLancer: To Harao. Subverted in that he's the real leader.
* LargeAndInCharge: The largest guy in Taiyo, and the de facto leader.
* TheLeader
* ScaryBlackMan: Has the appearance and composure of one, though he's ethnically Japanese.
* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: He's the Manly Man to Harao's Sensitive Guy.
* TheSmartGuy: He's the one who makes tactical decision in his team.
* TheStoic: Especially notable when Harao starts to lose it and Banba has to step in as TheLeader.
* TheWorfEffect: His defeat at Gaoh's hands is used to demonstrate just how overwhelmingly powerful the Hakushu lineman is.
* WorthyOpponent: He's one of the few players Gaoh respects. He and Kurita view each other as this, too.
* WouldntHitAGirl: Was very opposed to Kurita tackling Karin.
* YoungerThanTheyLook: When Yamabushi can't make a speech for the Japan Team, he steps up as the one with the second oldest face.