Characters / Eyeshield 21 Deimon Devil Bats

Main Character Index | Deimon Devil Bats | Ojo White Knights | Shinryuji Naga | Seibu Wild Gunmen | Taiyo Sphinx | NASA Aliens | Kyoshin Poseidon | Bando Spiders | Hakushu Dinosaurs | Teikoku Alexanders | The Pentagram | College and Semi-Pro Football Teams | Other Football Players | Other Characters

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General

Founded by the trio Yoichi Hiruma, Ryokan Kurita, and Gen "Musashi" Takekura, the Deimon Devil Bats have traditionally been a weak team due to the shortage of truly dedicated players, a situation that only worsened when Musashi had to drop out of school. With the recruitment of Sena Kobayakawa, however, the Devil Bats' fortunes began to turn around, pulling in more members that formed the Devil Bats into a cohesive whole.

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• Animal Motifs: Obviously the bat, with some Mythical Motifs of demons thrown into the mix as well. Like bats, the team heavily relies on strong perception skills and great maneuverability to secure their victories. Bats also symbolically represent rebirth, stalwart determination, and initiation through perilous trials, all of which fit the underdog team perfectly.
  • As for the demon motif, most members of the team have felt outcast in some way (by their peers, families, etc.), and football is their way of uniting and achieving something they previously thought to be beyond their limits. Their strategy relies on offense, with a variety of trick plays that catch their opponents by surprise. Not to mention, two of their rival teams come from schools that resemble a cathedral and a Buddhist temple.
• Attack! Attack! Attack!: The Devil Bats' offense was among the best in Kanto (probably the very best in Japan by the end), thanks to Hiruma's highly aggressive playing style with a focus on trick plays. It turned out that this was not due to Hiruma's personal preference. Instead, Hiruma chose this strategy because the team had to resort to getting a high number of touchdowns, to make up for their failure to score points from kicking. By the time Musashi came back, their scoring and options increased monstrously.
  Hiruma: If they score 99 points on us, we score 100 points on them! In football, offense wins!
• Badass Crew: Each player of the Devil Bats was a top-tier football player by the end.
• Battle Cry: "We will kill Them! YA-HA-!!!"
• Color-Coded Characters: Their uniforms are red, reflecting their aggressive playing style.
• Defeating the Undefeatable: Whether it was knocking the nine-time champions out in the very first round of the Kanto Tournament, breaching the White Knights' impenetrable defense, taking down the most powerful lineman in their age group, or besting Japan's undefeated champion team, the Devil Bats had a habit of doing this.
• Determinator: The Devil Bats believed that hard work can make anything possible. Their belief allowed then to pull off the craziest of plays, only because of the firm belief that it could work and willingness do everything to make sure it does.
• Dumb Jock: Quite a few of the players are this.
  Ikkyu (deadpan): Deimon is a gathering of idiots...
• The Fettered: In the sense that they had no kicker for a good portion of the series. Takami compared it to playing rock-paper-scissors with only rock and scissor.
• Freudian Trio: The original founders of the team formed one.
  • Id and Superego: Hiruma and Kurita traded off on these two. Hiruma seemed to be the Id with his guns, aggressive personality and (apparent) jerkassery, but beneath that he was the Superego in that he was actually a cool-headed leader and brilliant strategist who tactically chose to use the facade as a way to unnerve opponents. Kurita was a bit of an Id in that he was obviously less bright than the other two of the trio and relied mostly on brute strength. He was, however, the most idealistic of the three, a trait commonly associated with the Superego.
  • Ego: ... But Musashi filled this role firmly.
• From Nobody to Nightmare: The team was once considered one of the joke teams at the start of the series. Then they became legitimate contenders starting from the Fall Tournament, and eventually grew into Japan's champions.
• Glass Cannon: The Devil Bats have very strong offense, but their defense is... mediocre at best. Hiruma prefers to go for interceptions and sink-or-swim defense plays.
  • Brought about in the beginning because the only players Hiruma can recruit/extort to play are largely offensive in nature, barely enough to have enough players on the field. Which means that that same offense also has to play defense most of the time. Those trick plays and alternative defense strategies are pragmatic options to try to keep the offensive from being hurt to badly before they get the ball again.
• Lovable Jock: Every one of them has some endearing traits.
• Manly Tears: The whole team shed this when they made it to the Christmas Bowl.
• Mascot: The two Devil Bats serve as this for both the team and the series.
• Miracle Rally: Takami called it Hiruma's devil magic. The Devil Bats went for sink-or-swim tactics most of the time and, thanks to planning and determination, miraculously turned the table a lot. Their victories over stronger team edged on thing even Hiruma didn't know.
  • Their match with the Naga was won because Monta reached for the grass outside the bound in a desperate attempt to counter Agon who just outsmarted Hiruma.
  • Their match against Ojo has Hiruma coming up with the hornet nest trick when he saw that Sena understood what to do without any orders from him, which wasn't even in his plans.
  • The Alexanders' level was so high they needed three miracles: Sena beating Yamato, which Hiruma only had faith as proof, the ball doing an irregular bounce which Monta anticipated and Musashi pulling a 60-yard field goal, with no history of ever having done so, even in training.
• Planet of Hats: Averted. The Deimon Highschool is the only normal Japanese highschool in the entire series... so long as you forget about the existence of a certain Shadow Dictator who controlled the principal from behind the scenes.
• Ragtag Band of Misfits: The Devil Bats' members included an insane quarterback, a scaredy-cat turned star athlete, a catching-obsessed former baseball player, three reform school candidates, a midget who only spoke in grunts, and a scrawny geek with zero athletic ability.
• Red Is Heroic: They are the protagonists, and their uniforms are red.
• Surrounded by Idiots: There was quite an uneven idiot/smart ratio, and the smarter guys (namely Jumonji, Hiruma and Musashi) couldn't help cringing when the idiots came up with an obvious or stupid tactic.
• Taught by Experience: Playing against strong teams helped a lot in their growth, which was why Hiruma forced a game with the NASA Aliens, though their chance of winning was low, especially right after their draw with the Sphinx. They had no pride to lose but a lot to learn.
• Took a Level in Badass: A given considering its genre, with every torturous training session and seemingly insurmountable team match pushing them further and further upwards, and not always through victories (especially in the beginning).
  • In the beginning of the Christmas Bowl, the team was revealed to have taken a major one as a group, having spent the last month training with the best players from all their previous opponents. By doing this, they had learned lesser versions of those players' specialty techniques, such as Ishimaru using the Rodeo Drive or Taki using the Spider's Poison, or had simply improved their own abilities, like Kurita or Sena simply being so good in their roles that the Alexanders had to take them on as a group.
• Training from Hell: They'd been through the "Death March" - a training that required them to run 2000 km from Houston to Las Vegas (for the backs), or push a truck through the same distance (for the linemen). Whilst the girls did neither, they came along to help, and their support was vital in motivating the guys to persist through the hell.
  • Late into the series, we get another instance of this, when Hiruma revealed all the teams thus far had signed an agreement to help train whichever team managed to win the tournament, hoping to help said team become strong enough to face the Teikoku Alexanders. For a month, Hiruma paired the Devilbats players with appropriate partners to train them up in various methods, like forcing Sena and Shin to chase one another at full speed while making 90-degree cuts, having Ikkyu and Monta face off constantly in catching contests, and tying slower players to faster ones to increase their footspeed through brute force.
• Trickster Archetype: Their playing style by necessity. When other teams are better than you overall, tricks and tactics force them to play your way.
• True Companions: Especially after completing the grueling Death March together.
• Underdogs Never Lose: Subverted. If they fight a team that clearly outskills them, they will lose. They barely qualified in Tokyo Tournament. They were a dark horse team during Kanto, but after adding Musashi, they became the best offensive team In-Universe. Both Sena and Kurita were considered the best at their positions after Kanto.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: Arguments, insults, and grievances are regularly traded off between the members (it's basically Hiruma's MO for team morale to threaten and egg them on), but they're as thick as thieves.
• When All You Have Is a Hammer…: Deconstructed and justified. Their early losses were heavily due to the fact that they had no choice BUT to rely on the very few cards they had. They had to go full offense at the beginning because they didn't have a reliable kicker. They could only rely on Sena's run because there weren't any good receivers. When Monta DID join, he was the only pass target, and blocking him crippled their passing game. By adding more dedicated members to the team, their weaknesses grew smaller until the Wild Gunmans' game was their last loss in the entire series because they had a full team, including Musashi. Kid likened their situation to Hiruma being forced to play rock, paper, scissors while not being allowed to choose scissors, claiming that Musashi's return giving Hiruma a full deck sent a chill down his spine.
• Wouldn't Hit a Girl: The reason why Hiruma needed to tell the team that Karin of the Alexanders was actually a guy to make them willing to tackle her.

Sena Kobayakawa (小早川 瀬那)

"Little by little... it's as if the lies are becoming true."

Voiced by: Miyu Irino (JP), Yuri Lowenthal (EN), Miguel Ángel Ruiz (MEX)

The titular character of the series, Sena, aka Eyeshield 21, entered highschool always running away from and running errands for bullies, which gave him very remarkable foot speed. Very soon, Sena's talents were noticed by the highschool's Shadow Dictator, also captain of the two-man American Football team "Deimon Devil Bats". And he was promptly... recruited into the team.

At first, Sena played football only because of being forced by a certain insane quarterback. However, after his encounter with Seijuro Shin in the Spring Tournament, he came to the realization that playing football was the first time he actually did something worthwhile with his life, and developed the desire to make himself stronger in order to face Shin again. As more players joined the Devil Bats enabling him to engage in more and more football plays, Sena even started to LIKE playing American football. For the Devil Bats, the recruitment of Sena was the true beginning of the team.

Sena, for his part, grew to seriously love american football, to the point that he voluntarily participated in the Death March and even joined Team Japan for the Youth World Cup. At the end, Sena proved to be impressive enough that he was invited to play football in Notre Dame, truly becoming "Eyeshield 21". The finale showed that Sena went to the Enma University after highschool, and was aiming at becoming a professional football player after college.

• Position: Running Back / Free Safety / Scrambling Quarterback
• Jersey: 21
• 40-yard Dash: 4.2 seconds
• Bench Press: 45 kg (99 lbs)
• Height: 155 cm (5' 1")
• Weight: 48 kg (105 lbs)
• Blood Type: A
• Birthday: December 21
• 1st Year Student (Grade 10)
• Nickname: Eyeshield 21

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• 10-Minute Retirement: Several times. Sena was the key runner of the team. Putting this together with the fact that Devil Bats players had to play on both offense and defense, he temporarily retreated from the field due to minor injuries quite a few times. The most notable instance of this was his brief retirement from the game during the rematch against the White Knights. This trope was defied during the game against the Naga, where Hiruma insisted that Sena kept playing despite the risk of crippling his legs, because Sena was the only one capable of handling Agon.
• Accidental Athlete: His amazing talents as a running back would have gone completely unnoticed had it not been for a certain quarterback "persuading" him to join the football team.
• The Ace: Not at first, but he did grow to live up to the title of "Eyeshield 21". To the point that Hiruma stopped thinking in terms of odds and simply believed he could beat Yamato, the real Eyeshield 21, during the Devil Bats vs Alexanders game. By the finale, he was a world-class running back, and could reliably blitz a flawless 4.2-second 40-yard dash, which isn't easy to find even in the NFL.
• Alcohol-Induced Idiocy: The night before the Devil Bats vs Aliens game, Sena got so drunk that he ran on the highway (alongside Panther) and then somehow ended up in the zoo's lion enclosure.
• Always Someone Better: Played rather straight every time Sena came to face a stronger opponent (Shin, Riku, Akaba, Agon, and Yamato). He would begin the match being curb-stomped by the said opponent for a while... until he stepped up and surpassed the latter. However, this trope was played very straight in the case of Panther, who grew to be able to do a 4.1-second 40-yard dash, something Sena admitted he could never do.
  Hiruma: Even second-rate males (lions) have a single right allowed to them, that is the right to challenge the boss of the group in a fight.
• Apologizes a Lot: Part of his Extreme Doormat characterization, especially at the start. He could go from improbably badass running back to compulsively apologizing coward in an instant if he got flustered.
• The Apprentice: When Sena was in elementary school, Riku once mentored him in running techniques.
• Arc Number: 21 popped up a lot with Sena. Aside from the obvious, his birthday was 12/21, and it always became his test number whether during the entrance exam of Deimon or that of the Enma University.
• Awesomeness by Analysis: Not to Hiruma's level. Still, Sena could instantly visualize the best running routes possible by looking at the defense's weaknesses. A lifetime of running in crowds did that for him.
• Badass Adorable: Even when he keeps evolving into a better football player, he's still a sweet (though increasingly less timid) guy.
• Badass Normal: Manages to be ridiculously fast without looking outlandish.
• Bash Brothers: With Monta.
• Because You Were Nice to Me: When he first joined the team, Sena merely wanted to be a manager and preferred to avoid the field for fear of tackles. But he almost agreed to play in the Devil Bats vs Cupids game because he wanted to support Kurita, who was arguably the first person to be nice to Sena outside Mamori and Riku.
• Becoming the Mask: He was at first a coward who, while fast, was mostly running away from his problems instead of solving them. Over the course of the story, he slowly grew to become an inspiration to his team, and even surpassed Takeru Yamato, the original Eyeshield 21. After the Youth World Cup, Clifford invited Sena to train at Notre Dame for a semester, meaning that Hiruma's lies about Sena being Eyeshield 21 came true after all.
• Berserk Button: Sena truly grew angry for the first time when Agon mocked his friends' dream and tried to crush their morale during the Devil Bats vs Naga game. In fact, messing with his friends in general tends to set Sena off.
• Beware the Nice Ones:
  • An absolute doormat who will run your errands and never complain about being called names. But do not, repeat, do not try any of that with his friends, because he will ruin your shit. Agon learnt the hard way that, if you insult his friends or their dreams, Sena will try to murder you.
  • Or, in a Filler episode of the anime, when Habashira kidnapped Mamori, Sena handed him his ass so hard it's hard to believe that it's the same Sena.
• Big Man on Campus: After he revealed himself and dropped his Eyeshield 21 identity before the 3rd place playoff match against Bando Spiders, Sena's popularity in school increased exponentially, in particular after the Christmas Bowl... though he's still the same Sena we knew since the beginning.
• Book Dumb: He wasn't particularly smart and settled for the Enma University, which wasn't a very good college. To his credit, he's one of the smarter idiots on the Devil Bats, and he's incredibly observant and can come up with strategies and techniques on the fly. This culminated in him being a capable substitution for Hiruma during the game against the Dinosaurs.
• Butt-Monkey: Subject to this throughout the series, although admittedly, most of the Devil Bats were this when they're subjected to Hiruma's various schemes.
• The Captain: Became this after Hiruma had to leave the team. It's also part of Sena's Character Development to show that he grew to be a capable leader to the team.
• Character Development: For most of his life, Sena had been a major pushover. But this began to change as he matured through the series. The first sign of this was his refusal to sell Kurita out despite Ha-ha brothers' threats. After he'd faced Shin, he became even bolder and came to want to challenge strong opponents. Later, he even grew Killing Intent when fighting Agon out of the desire to defend his friends, and finally defeated Yamato, the real Eyeshield 21, at the Christmas Bowl, becoming Japan's ace running back. By the end, he's a world-class American football player and aiming at becoming a pro.
  Sena (During the climax of the Japan vs America game): I will probably never be able to surpass him (Panther). I know it, but still, I will challenge. And keep fighting. This is the world that american football had taught me. The male's way of living I chose for myself...
• Clark Kenting: Subverted. The eyeshield and helmet (along with a self-modified "deeper" voice) did not make his true identity glaringly obvious. It was just that they never bothered to see his speed when he's out of uniform. Not helping matters was that, thanks to Hiruma, Eyeshield 21 had two VASTLY different personalities On- and Off-field.
• Classical Anti-Hero: Insecure, a doormat, and tried to go back to his normal life before football.
• Cool Shades: The eyeshield he wears during games (green at first, changes to blue after the Bando Spiders game but stays green in the anime). The only time he didn't wear an eyeshield is during the Devil Bats vs Spiders match.
• Combination Attack: He managed the Dragonfly formation with Hiruma in the game against the Dinosaurs.
• Covert Pervert: When Sena, Monta, Mamori, and Suzuna visited a bath house in order to talk to Kakei of the Kyoshin Poseidon, Mizumachi's attempts at peeping at the girls' side led to the normally shy and quiet Sena having a vision of Suzuna... naked except for a towel held against her front.
• Cowardly Lion: He was the ace running back of the Deimon Devil Bats, and of course, began as a complete wimp who would rather run from fights than face them head on.
  Hiruma: He's a guy who will say he absolutely can't do something... right before doing it.
  • Let us not forget that, during the Devil Bats vs Dinosaurs match, Sena became cornered and was forced to choose between facing Gaou or Marco... and chose to confront Gaou and risk having himself sent to the hospital for it, just because he knew that the Bats would lose for sure if he let Marco snatch the ball.
  "That frightened resolution... IS STRENGTH!"
• Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Because of some misfortunes during the NFL tryouts he looked like an idiot in front of Suzuna and the bigger American athletes until he finally got the ball in a practice match and realized Doburoku's training was paying off.
  Sena: Are they really coming for me... so slowly?
• Curtains Match the Window: He has matching brown hair and eyes.
• Dangerous Forbidden Technique: The Devil Bat Dive, which's basically him jumping over the linemen in order to score a touchdown. A bad mid-air tackle or landing can instantly lead to serious injuries, which, given Sena's body type, is a very real possibility.
• David vs. Goliath: Which is natural given Sena's petite figure. It was most notable with Banba of the Sphinx and Gaou of the Dinosaurs.
• Determinator: Slowly grew into this over the course of the story.
• Dramatic Unmask: In front of Mamori, just before the match with the Spiders.
• Extreme Doormat: All his life, Sena would do whatever any bully told him to do without hesitation. He grew out of this after joining the Devil Bats... despite having to spend some time being this to Hiruma first.
• Fake–Real Turn: "Eyeshield 21" was at first a bluff Hiruma made to intimidate people and boost popularity. Once Sena started playing for real and especially after he found out about the real Eyeshield 21, he decided to live up to the title and become a true hero.
• Fake Ultimate Hero: Started as this, but he's determined to become a real ultimate hero. For his teammates at least. He eventually did become "Eyeshield 21" and played at Notre Dame.
• Fragile Speedster: For all his speed, he is still a wimpy little runt, so he's easily sacked when he's cornered. This flaw was reduced by the end of the series, where he learnt techniques to defend himself and started building up a little bit of muscle.
• Friendly Rivalry: Most notably with Shin, Panther and Yamato, the original Eyeshield 21.
• Gender-Blender Name: Sena's name is also perfectly acceptable for a girl.
• Goggles Do Nothing: The eyeshield was only to hide his identity, and it even did that quite poorly. Later arcs had Sena keep his eyeshield simply out of habit and Rule of Cool.
• Got Volunteered: This conversation summarizes why Sena started playing football:
  Hiruma (Turned to Sena): Well, lastly...
  Sena: I can't... I'll have to pass...
  Hiruma: Whaaat? You said you really want to run that much?
  In the next panel, Sena was ready to do a 40-yard dash.
• Grew a Spine: His time playing American football also helped him to become bolder and willing to say what he wanted to say.
• He Is All Grown Up: A subtler take, in that it's more about his emotional than physical growth.
• The Hero: Sena was usually the one to take down the key player of the opposing team. Apparently, he still played this role even on the Enma Fires.
• Hidden Depths: While his main talent is running, and is often seen as an idiot, Sena has on several occasions proposed tactics or moves that ended up saving the game at the critical moment. And while he was outmatched by Agon in the tactical department, he still managed to hold his own until Hiruma came back.
• Iconic Item: The eyeshield of course. Originally justified to hide his identity, it was eventually worn to become a symbol for Sena's dream - winning the Christmas Bowl and surpassing the real Eyeshield 21.
• I Just Want to Be Normal: At the beginning, Sena simply wanted to be a manager... if only it wasn't for a certain insane quarterback shooting his guns all over the place. Sena did eventually come to enjoy football, however.
• Just a Kid: The reason why Mamori didn't let Sena join the football team, and also why she could not imagine that he's Eyeshield 21.
• The Leader: When Hiruma was put out of commission by Gaou in the finals of Kanto Regional, Sena briefly served as the new quarterback, taking the leadership role in the team. Later, after Hiruma left the team, Sena became the new captain of the Devil Bats.
• Limit Break: At first, Sena's normal 40-yard dash was a mediocre 5.0 seconds, and he could run a 4.2-second 40-yard dash only under specific conditions (e.g., when being chased by Cerberus or in the later parts of a match after a bit of warm-ups). Even then, he tended to collapse after doing one. By the time of the finals of Kanto Regional, he did grow to be able to do 4.2-second 40-yard dash on the fly and without collapsing, though.
• Living Legend: Hiruma presented Sena as this in his attempts to advertise the team. Sena (as "Eyeshield 21") did gain quite a bit of fame over the course of the story. By the end of the Fall Tokyo Tournament, Sena seemed to be pretty well-known at least in Japan. Of course, after the World Cup, he was seen even by the Pentagram as worthy of the title of "Eyeshield 21".
• Logical Weakness: Sena leaves everybody in the dust when he runs at full speed and can easily find the shortest path to a destination. However, he stops in order to change direction, especially in turns, which means opposing defenders need only to force him to turn in order to catch him. This is demonstrated when Doburoku, an old, out-of-shape drunkard, was able to repeatedly catch him to test his abilities. The weakness was removed during the pebble-kicking drills he did at the Death March, allowing Sena to change direction at will without stopping.
  • His Devil Forth Dimension is a sudden backstep after a full speed run that allowed him to avoid Yamato's Caesar's Charge. However, as Yamato demonstrated, as long as one can catch Sena's timing during the backstep and move accordingly, the technique fails. Sena overcame this weakness by combining the Devil Bat Ghost and Devil Fourth Dimension, which resulted in a technique that made Sena untouchable for it is, according to Yamato, genuine speed.
  • Panther, of course, presents the biggest weakness of all. If you're faster than Sena, there's really not much he can do.
• Lovable Coward: Sena was always panicking and running away from whatever scared him (often Hiruma). But he's a cute dorky nice guy who began to grow a backbone.
• Nice Guy: Aside from being a bit spineless at times, Sena's a good kid. A good kid who can kick your ass if you dare push him, but a good kid nonetheless.
• Older Than They Look: Though to be fair, he's constantly around people who look way older then their real ages.
• The Only One Allowed to Defeat You: By the end of the rematch with the White Knights, almost all the ace players of the previous arcs declared this in their minds: That THEY will be the ones to take down Eyeshield 21.
• The Power of Friendship: Before the start of the Christmas Bowl, Monta lost the motivation to fight after realizing that Masaru Honjo was just trying to pit him against Taka Honjo. After that, Sena went to all of Monta's previous rivals and collected their gloves and encouragements, which cheered Monta up and helped him regain motivation.
• Rookie Red Ranger: Sena had zero experience in football at the beginning of the story and was basically forced to join the team by a certain insane quarterback. But these didn't stop Sena from becoming The Hero to the Devil Bats.
• Running Gag: Sena tried to be a competent manager... only to fail miserably due to his personality. It happened more frequently in the early parts of the story, with the most notable instance being the time when Sena was asked to take photos of the match during the Devil Bats vs Sphinx game. More generally, Sena's wimpiness was a source of quite a few comical moments, such as when the extra material said he once lost a fight against his family's pet cat.
• Ship Tease: Mainly with Suzuna. Once she came in, she always managed to encourage and help him before and during incredibly harrowing moments in his life. Equally, he did the same for her. And when he realizes Mizumachi might peep on Suzuna (in a public bath), Sena immediately goes to stop him.
• Shonen Hair: He has some rather strange spikes. Given the fact that he had them as a kid, it seems to be natural.
• Signature Moves: Many, but the Devil Bat Ghost and the Devil's Fourth Dimension were the most notable ones.
• Sociopathic Hero: Invoked. Sena wouldn't hurt a fly, but Hiruma tried to present his "Eyeshield 21" persona as this.
  Hiruma: In American football, you win if you scare your opponents out of their wits! You gotta be a bad guy in order to deal with the enemy!
• Speed Blitz: This was how he sacked quarterbacks way bigger than him. Sena didn't have much muscle and mass, but his acceleration was top-notch. This culminated in crashing into Marco for the Vertical Light Hurricane.
• Spirited Competitor: Sena might be a coward, but he would become quite motivated when a strong opponent showed up. This happened with Shin, Panther, Akaba, and Yamato. The desire to compete against Shin was arguably what first sparked Sena's genuine interest in football.
  After the first encounter with Panther in the Devil Bats vs Aliens game...
  Sena: My legs wouldn't rest... I want to fight!
• Taught by Experience: As Shin pointed out, because he had no prior experience, Sena grew by leaps and bounds even in the space of a single match. In his rematch with Panther during the Japan vs America game, the latter was amazed by Sena's hand techniques since in the last time they met, Sena barely used his hands.
• Took a Level in Badass: At the beginning, his potential had to be polished from "only slightly above average runner" to "near-superhuman fast," first through dangerous fight-or-flight scenarios and then growing more confident in his football skills. After the Death March, he was essentially one of the best running backs in Japan. Come the Kanto Regional, Sena was standing up to a psychopathic Jerk Jock hailed as the genius of the century and a gigantic lineman known to send hundreds of opponents to hospital. He defeated all these opponents, entered the Christmas Bowl, and surpassed the original Eyeshield 21. By the time of the finale, Sena was a world-class running back and had received training at Notre Dame.
• Worthy Opponents: Sena had got one in nearly every major team the Devil Bats had faced, but Shin and Yamato, the original Eyeshield 21, were the most notable ones. Also, Sena's rivalry with Panther made him want to become a pro football player. Sena is aiming for this dream by the finale.

Yoichi Hiruma (蛭魔 妖一)

"If they score 99 points on us, we score 100 points on them! In football, offense wins!"

Voiced by: Atsushi Tamura (JP), Derek Stephen Prince (EN), Jesús Barrero (MEX)

Undoubtedly the most memorable character of the whole series, Hiruma is the devilish, gun-toting co-founder and captain of the Devil Bats. He would do anything short of outright cheating to make his team win (and get away with it, too). "Anything" included blackmails, threats (with guns, lots of guns), psychological warfare, trick plays, inhumane training, and that's just to his own team.

• Position: Quarterback / Strong Safety
• Jersey: 1
• 40-yard Dash: 5.1 seconds
• Bench Press: 75 kg (165 lbs)
• Height: 176 cm (5' 9")
• Weight: 67 kg (147 lbs)
• Birthday: February 7
• 2nd Year Student (Grade 11)

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• 10-Minute Retirement: During the Devil Bats vs Dinosaurs game, Hiruma's throwing arm was broken by Gaou, which resulted in Hiruma briefly retiring from the game.
• Absurdly High-Stakes Game: He has a liking for this. In the night before the Japan vs America game of the World Cup, he played Texas Hold'em with Clifford betting millions of dollars, even.
• Academic Athlete: Hiruma's the smartest and craftiest member of the Deimon Devilbats in addition to being their primary Quarterback.
• Anti-Hero: According to Inagaki, Hiruma was created to be a "devil-hero" or a kind of anti-hero. If Hiruma were on any other team, he'd easily be the main villain of the series.
• Attack! Attack! Attack!: His philosophy for... nearly everything.
  Hiruma: To sum it up, attack as aggressively as possible! When you defend, you attack as well!
  Sena: American football sure does reflect one's personality accurately...
• Awesomeness by Analysis: Hiruma can and will find the weakness of any team or person just by observing them and analyzing tons of data from his wide-spanning network.
• Ax-Crazy: His ridiculous weapons arsenal and signature evil grin and cackle are mostly for effect, but boy does he enjoy the effect.
• Badass Bookworm: While he's no stronger than an average high schooler, Hiruma is a very brilliant (if unconventional) strategist, has incredible stamina, and has a talent for blackmail.
• Bash Brothers: With former friend Agon. They even did the Dragonfly together at the finals of the World Cup.
• Batman Gambit: Many of Hiruma's trick plays relied on getting his opponents to behave exactly the way he wanted.
• Belligerent Sexual Tension: Implied with him and Mamori, as one has tried to stare down the other since day 1, though by the end of the series, they bickered considerably less... which could be taken as even more Ship Tease.
• Berserk Button: His hot temper was just to scare opponents and keep his team focused. He was usually cool-headed against their opponents' taunts. But when his team's chance of going to the Christmas Bowl are affected, like Agon stealing Kurita's scholarship or Musashi leaving to take care of his family business, Hiruma would get genuinely furious.
• Big Good: In spite of his uncompromising nature, he's the guiding force for the protagonists from start to end, and his leadership on- and off- the pitch was what made the Devil Bats the team they ultimately became.
• Blackmail: He has blackmail materials for most people on Earth, including the security guards at the Tokyo Dome, a few cops in Houston, and a motel owner somewhere along the Death March.
• The Bully: He's the one who pushed Sena around at the beginning, though that died down as Sena grew to genuinely enjoy football and need not be motivated by fear.
• The Captain: A pretty strict and violent one, but the Devil Bats put up with it because they saw that he pushed himself at least as hard as he pushed others.
• Catchphrase: YA- HA- !!!!!!!!!!
• Celibate Hero: He'll more often weaponize other people's horniness to his advantage (like in the Cupids match); his romantic or physical interest in almost anyone is basically non-existent.
• Censor Box: His, uh, colorful banter required it sometimes.
• Character Development: Hiruma was, at first, very much a Magnificent Bastard who treated his teammates largely as pawns to win football matches. Over the course of the story, however, Hiruma underwent his share of hardships - from the Death March to many, many tough football matches - together with his friends and teammates. These resulted in him starting to feel trust towards the latter, which showed in the Christmas Bowl, where he stopped thinking solely in terms of odds and simply believed that Sena would surpass Takeru Yamato.
• Cheshire Cat Grin: One of his default expressions, especially when he thinks of a risky gambit to try during a game.
• Chekhov's Armoury: Well, would you expect anything less than armory from a guy like this?
  • Chekhov's Gun: Back when Mamori first joined the Devil Bats, Hiruma made her play a pop quiz game on American Football rules, with the condition that if she got any wrong, she'd stop going against him. He stopped on question three because he felt bored by then. Later, in the game against the Dinosaurs, Hiruma got to go back to the game despite having a broken arm because he asked a Xanatos Gambit third question: Even in the NFL, injured players go back to the game. Yes or No? - If she answered true, then she'd have no reason to stop him. If she answered false, she'd be unable to stop him.
  • Chekhov's Skill: Back in the morning training in Chapter/Episode 2, Hiruma said that he ran his best 40-yard dash time of 5.1 seconds. In the game against the Naga, Agon thought it was 5.2 because the last time they met was several years ago. Agon's being unaware of Hiruma's new time resulted in the Devil Bats getting a touchdown that turned the tide of the game.
• The Chessmaster: His ability to strategize, bluff and manipulate his opponents is so great, it was literally the only thing that kept the Devil Bats from being crushed by all the teams that surpassed them in sheer athletic abilities.
• Cluster F-Bomb: Hiruma nicknamed everyone he knows as "fucking [insert character trait]". For example, Sena was the "fucking midget", while Monta was the "fucking monkey".
  Sena: Fucking right arm?
• Combination Attack: He did the Dragonfly with Sena during the finals of the Kanto Regional. He later did it with Agon in the finals of the World Cup.
• Comedic Sociopathy: By all accounts, Hiruma should be arrested or taken in for some serious counseling, but where's the fun in that?
• Complexity Addiction: He keeps running trick plays, partially because the Devil Bats are usually physically outmatched by their opponents, but also because he just likes trick plays.
• Confusion Fu: One of his main weapons. His trick plays often relied on being totally unpredictable.
• Crazy Enough to Work: While his plans were carefully calculated risk, his reaction when Sena or Monta proposed an idea was to laugh at how impossible and stupid it was... only to say "let's do it".
  Monta: I thought of a way to turn the tide, there is nothing left but this.
  Togano: I smell stupid.
  Kuroki: I smell monkey wisdom.
  Hiruma: So let's hear it.
• Deadpan Snarker: Whenever the idiots of the Devil Bats said or did something dumb.
• Determinator: He needed to be this in order to compete with extraordinarily gifted athletes, as he had merely average physique and reflexes.
• Deuteragonist: He usually received almost as much focus as Sena during major matches because of the nature of the team and being the Devilbat's captain/quarterback.
• Devil in Plain Sight: He deliberately invoked this to unnerve opponents. It's been described as "the complete opposite of a poker face".
• The Dreaded: Played for Laughs. With all the dirt Hiruma had on pretty much everyone in Japan and his demonic look, Togano had problems believing he was even human, and Sena understood the sentiment.
  Mamori: Hiruma! You're bleeding...!
  Hiruma: It's just a scratch from a rock on the ground.
  Tagano (Astonished): His blood... It's red, isn't it?
  Musashi: What were you thinking?
  Sena: I can't say I don't understand you...
• Drill Sergeant Nasty: The way he chose to train his Ragtag Band of Misfits due to the strength of the monsters in the Kanto League and the incomplete roster forcing the team to play both Offense and Defense.
• Eagleland: An interesting example. Although he's ethnically Japanese and had lived in Japan his whole life, he spent a lot of his childhood hanging out at an American military base. As a result, he exhibits nearly all Type 2 traits, such as loudness, lack of personal space, rudeness, general crudeness, violence, sadism, trigger happy, militant leadership, boisterousness, regular use of intimidation, a "might-equals-right" mindset, ruthless ambition, fluency in English, and, of course, an undying love of football. He even dyed his hair blonde and is pale-skinned!
• Evil Duo: He and Agon used to work together to hustle money and blackmail slaves.
• Evil Eyebrows: Part of his Devil in Plain Sight appearance.
• Evil Former Friend: He used to be (kind of) friends with Agon of the Shinryuji Naga, though both of them were pretty evil to begin with. They were basically using each other to acquire new slaves (for Hiruma) and find pretty girls to court (for Agon).
• The Evil Genius: Either this, or The Smart Guy, depending on how you look at it.
• Evil Laugh: Kekekekekeke...
• Fangs Are Evil: This picture shows it best.
• Freudian Excuse: His father Yuya was a failed chess/shogi champion. Yuya played an aggressive style of chess, which he soon gave up after too many losses, moving to a safer defensive style. In the end, he was unable to make a sufficient amount of wins and forced to retire. It seemed that Hiruma resented Yuya for obediently accepting failure, which gave him an obsession for winning and an undying will to maintain his own aggressive style.
• Friendly Rivalry: With Takami of the White Knights. The two weren't truly friends, but Hiruma had quite a lot of respect for Takami for being comparable to him when it came to head games. The feeling was mutual.
• The Gambler: Not exactly a straight example, although he did gamble a lot and had gambling as one of his Motifs. He did not rely on luck, but instead used his intellect and "friendliness" to steer things to his advantage. Musashi lampshaded this by saying that even though Hiruma's all-or-nothing insane tricks looked thoughtless, they're actually calculated tactics.
• The Gift: Hiruma was born with incredible mental faculties and a "high risk, high reward" MO that's gotten him far from a very young age. But, life is fair, so he's totally hopeless when it comes to his own physique.
• Glad He's On Our Side: Being forced to face off against Hiruma during the sports festival caused the opposing members of the Devilbats to be thankful that he's their ally.
• Good Is Not Nice: Deep down, he is just a guy who likes the challenge of a good football game, and rarely holds anything personal against his opponents (unless they're actively trying to hurt people who don't have his connections and safety nets, as Agon did with Kurita). He also has abysmal people skills, a sadistic sense of humor, and will in fact make your life a living hell if he thinks you deserve it.
• Hard Work Hardly Works: Played with. Musashi once mentioned that Hiruma trained very hard, but he simply lacked the physique to compete with more talented football players. As a result, Hiruma relied on trickery in his attempts to win. That did work out very well, but Hiruma was still no match for geniuses like Shin or Agon when it came to sheer physical prowess.
• Heterosexual Life-Partner: With Musashi, they had coffee together, they share the same luxury suite during a filler episode, he reacts very poorly when Musashi left the team and although he has blackmail material on him he refuses to force him to join the team like that since a friend with passion for the sport is more valuable than a lackey.
• Hidden Badass: As the appropriate chapter said, he was the Devil Bats' "Hidden Ace". His trick plays allowed him to take his players to their full potential. It's at that moment when it was made clear his trick plays weren't simply gambles, but well-thought plans that highschool footballers shouldn't even know.
• Hidden Depths: Hiruma started out as the resident Jerkass and a Trigger-Happy Jerk Jock who treated his teammates as a disposable collection of statistics and probabilities. By the end, he's shown to be a Determinator in his own right and a capable leader whose faith in his teammates was ultimately rewarded with great success. He's still quite vulgar, though.
• Hidden Heart of Gold: His apparent jerkassery is mostly an act to unnerve his opponents. Hiruma's actually very much capable of noble deeds, which contrasts him against Agon, whose cruelty is genuinely spiteful.
• High-School Hustler: The principal of his school was one of his favorite blackmail targets. The best part is that Hiruma had nothing on him - the principal was just so afraid of his reputation he assumed Hiruma knew about his affair and fell into servitude.
• Hyperspace Arsenal: He carried innumerable pistols, rifles, bazookas, and other strange items of various uses, without them ever being discernible. And then in the sport festival, he showed up with a TANK. Always Played for Laughs.
• I Can Still Fight!: In the Devil Bats vs Dinosaurs game, Hiruma went on playing with a broken arm, even making it one of his gambits.
• Improbable Aiming Skills: Lampshaded when he threw lighters at fireworks to ignite them from a distance.
  Sena: What's with his useless accuracy?!
• Indy Ploy: He literally had a few cards up his sleeves (the cards had tactics written on them). But since the other teams also had a few surprises, Hiruma had to make a lot of plays on the fly, with varying success. He was so convincing that even with obvious lies, such as having planned for the score gap to be huge, his teammates still believed he's in control.
• Inexplicably Awesome: Just about all we know about his past is that he seems to have a strained relationship with his father, had been living in a hotel since middle school, and used to spend his time hanging out at an US military base. None of these explains his endless supply of firearms, ability to blackmail people at an international level, and why he has elf ears and fangs. His existence is simply a buck load of Crazy Is Cool.
• Intelligence Equals Isolation: Well, there are justifiable reasons why people would steer clear of him for the most part, but the fact that he'd rather hustle money and study football strategies than actively seek friends was pretty telling.
• It Amused Me: Takami pointed out that Hiruma didn't use trick plays because he liked it, but because he faced teams that would beat him if he played by the book.
  Takami: Deimon... didn't use any surprise plan against the weaker Guts or Scorpions. It's not like they're trying surprise plans because they like it. It's just a gamble for a rookie to win against a champion.
  Mamori: No, I think it's also because he likes it too...
• Jerkass: Crass, rude, and gleefully uses underhanded methods to get what he wants. If his antics weren't framed in such an absurd and over-the-top way, he'd easily be too unnerving to appeal as a main character.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He didn't show it often, but it's there.
  • Very noticeable with regards to his team. The only permanent members of the Devil Bats he blackmailed into joining ended up glad that they were able to be something more than punks. He also let Yukimitsu pass at the Hell Tower test, despite the latter's arriving with no ice and obviously being unable to run the tower again purely because Yukimitsu showed the tenacity he wanted.
  • On the other side of things, he released the Zokugaku Chameleons from their debts to him in advance of the Fall Tournament, giving them plenty of time for training, and showing that he stopped short of the spirit of cheating, not just the letter.
  • Despite his in general callous attitude towards Mamori, when Gaou invaded the stands after the Dinosaurs-Sphinx match, Hiruma put himself in front of Mamori and Suzuna, pulling out a handful of tasers with the obvious intent to protect them.
  • Also, when the Devil Bats won against the White Knights in the semi-finals of the Kanto Regional, Hiruma stopped Kuroki and Togano from going to the bathroom, saying that the team was to have a post-match meeting. When the readers got to see what's going on in the bathroom, they saw why Hiruma did that: Takami was crying after having his dream to enter Christmas Bowl broken.
  • After the final chapter, it's stated that he financially helped Kid start his own stunt company... probably not without ulterior motives of some sort, though.
• Know When to Fold 'Em:
  • Two varieties: in the early days, he packed up to go home once there's a zero percent chance of winning. Later on, he used tactical retreat to his advantage, and to piss off his opponents.
  • During the Devil Bats' game against the Wild Gunmen, when Tetsuma didn't go down from a bump, Hiruma showed Kid the entire playbook he'd planned, and said that it's useless now.
• The Leader: A headstrong and charismatic mastermind for the Devil Bats. His importance in holding the team together was best shown when all of the Devil Bats (especially Kurita) broke and started to lose the will to fight in the Devil Bats vs Dinosaurs game when Hiruma had his arm broken by Gaou and had to retire from the game.
  Doburoku (Examining the fallen Hiruma): His right arm... It's probably broken.
  Akaba: Ffffu... the starting point of all the offenses. The central part was destroyed.
  Unsui: Deimon doesn't have a substitute quarterback.
  Takami: No, more than that... There isn't any player that can take Hiruma's place. It's over for Deimon...
• Lean and Mean: Part of his Devil in Plain Sight appearance.
• Manipulative Bastard: Hiruma was very good at getting into his opponents' heads - His devilish facade and (apparent) reckless risk-taking often messed with his opponents' emotions, which quickly opened them to Hiruma's gambits.
• Missing Mom: His father is The Faceless and his mother's never shown. She's not completely out of the picture either, but it's doubtful that Hiruma lives with either of his parents.
• Multiple-Choice Past: Every time when someone asks Hiruma about his background, they never get a straight answer. The story he gave to Kurita regarding his father is the first time he was completely straight with somebody.
• Names to Run Away from Really Fast: He has the Kanji for "demon" in his name. His name can be read as "Devil in Broad Daylight".
• Never Tell Me the Odds!: Played with, as he always knew (and often announced) the odds, but he would not give up, unless the possibility of success is an absolute zero. What happened later in that situation is a part of his development - in the Christmas Bowl, he simply believed in Sena's ability to surpass Yamato and built his game plans around it.
• The Nicknamer: Called a number of characters, including his teammates, "fucking (something)" or "damn (something)", depending on the translation.
• Nightmare Face: Frequently shows this. Little kids watching their games mistook him for a demon once, and Togano doubts he's even human because of it.
• Noble Demon: He will always play a fair football game, but he's also a foul-mouthed, manipulative, and psychotic gun maniac.
• Obviously Evil: Very much invoked in his character design: lean physique, pointed face, pointed ears, spiked hair, sharp teeth, and a sharper grin. Not exactly the most approachable kind of guy.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Hiruma's loud and aggressive attitude is a scare tactic and a way to motivate his team, if he is quiet and explain the situation that means he is too worried to front. He also exploits it at time such as when he has to secretly tell the team they'll do an onside kick.
• Oral Fixation: Quite often seen blowing bubblegum.
• Out-Gambitted: Hiruma being out of ideas is how you know the other team meant business, the most brutal example is when Marco and Kisiragi makes sure his arm is broken by Gaou; while he knew it might happen, he also knew there was a high chance Gaou breaks all of his teammates while he is knocked out, so half deliriously try to tell the team everything is fine before losing consciousness.
  Hiruma: Why aren't you listening to me fucking brats...No that's wrong, my voice isn't coming out, shit.
• Passing the Torch: Hiruma appointed Sena to be the new Devil Bats captain when he had to leave.
• Pet the Dog: In a side comic, Hiruma had a literal opportunity of this trope, which he completely ignored until it turned out the dog's sad little puppy face was really a trap to trick a potential victim into coming close enough to become food. He and Cerberus were really made for each other.
• Pointy Ears: The reason Suzuna called him "brother elf".
• Post-Victory Collapse: After the Death March, he collapsed in his hotel room.
• Professional Gambler: He seemed to have earned a lot from gambling with the soldiers of an American military base, to the point that he could live on his own from the money he acquired this way.
• Real Men Hate Sugar: He liked his gum sugarless, thank you.
• Refuge in Audacity: Most of his antics ended up being this.
• Save Our Team: His was a rather dark example. Kurita was a great player and very passionate about the game, but he needed someone like Hiruma to make his championship dream come true.
• Scary Teeth: He has unusually sharp teeth, just in case you still weren't sure that he's not a nice person.
• Screw the Rules, I Have Money!: Well, he preferred Blackmail, but it'd been stated that he's the richest character in the series, and his most expensive possession is an island, whatever that means.
• Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: The aggressive, gun-toting quarterback to the timid and gentle Kurita.
• Sergeant Rock: Whatever crazy training regimen he imposed on his teammates, he's doing it too. While carrying a lot of (very heavy) weapons on himself, no less.
• Shadow Dictator: Hiruma used his arsenal of blackmailing to turn the principal of the Deimon Highschool into a slave. Everyone knew he's the one truly ruling the school.
  The Principal (Speaking to the whole school): I hope everyone stays alive for another semester. Don't cause troubles by doing troublesome things, like bullying. As for the person who bullied me about my aff... *COUGH* my small mistake in the past, please be nice this semester and leave me alone. I'm really sorry.
  Hiruma (Working on his laptop and ignoring the principal): ...
  • According to Ikkyu, Hiruma did the same to the principal of the Saikyodai University.
• Ship Tease: With Mamori. Despite their frequent disagreements, he comes to view her as his strategical second. And by virtue of Mamori being the team medic, she's the only one he's regularly allowed into his personal space.
• Signature Move: The Devil Laser Bullet. It's also his only physical prowess. A straight pass unaffected by the wind.
• Sir Swears-a-Lot: It is difficult to find a sentence where he wasn't cursing or saying something filthy. Take this exchange with Apollo.
• Slasher Smile: His default expression is a sadistic smile revealing all his pointy teeth.
• The Smart Guy: Nearly all of the Devil Bats' tactics came from Hiruma's brains. He also has a photographic memooory given he can memorize Mamori's signbook in seconds and paid for the trip back in Japan thanks to card counting at the casino.
• Sociopathic Hero: He loves his teammates in his own way, but his stubborn sense of pride and obsession with mind games leads to some very strange views about how to interact with people.
• Spikes of Villainy: Even his ears are pointy. While he is a protagonist and decent to his teammate when they bonded he is still a devilish teen with blackmail materia over almost everyone in Japan, some of those taken by force when he was teaming up with Agon.
• The Strategist: The main reason he will ever be considered for MVP at all. If you look at his stats above, they're pretty much average across the board, but his plays and game plans are at professional level.
• Super-Speed Reading: Mamori develops an intricate sign language to communicate with Hiruma from outside the field. Hiruma skims the codebook and promptly burns it to prevent leak. Mamori starts to protest, but stops when Hiruma signals her using the language.
• Supporting Leader: His primary job as the quarterback was to create an opening for the runners (Sena and Ishimaru) and receivers (Monta, Taki and Yukimitsu) of his team to score points.
• Take a Third Option: His preferred strategy is basically to do the one thing the opponents would never think of doing in his situation.
• Trigger-Happy: Kurita and Musashi mentioned that when Hiruma is happy, he tends to randomly shoot while thinking, in the way that a sane person would play with a pen.
• Troll: Used mainly in two ways: to rile up his opponents (which surprisingly fails a lot), or provoke people into fighting the Devil Bats' opponents (which is more successful; it was how Monta got on the team). He often provokes his opponents as part of his strategies. He says it's worth provoking the opponents if it hampered the latter even by 0.1%.
• Troubling Unchildlike Behavior: He could play poker like a pro at age 10 and proceeded to hustle a bunch of American soldiers out of their money.
• Villainous Friendship: He and Agon used to be friends, or as close to friends as a guy like Agon can get. It was broken when Agon snatched the sports scholarship of the Shinryuji high school - thus kicking Kurita off the Naga. They did sort of rebuild their friendship during the Youth World Cup, however.
• Villainous Rescue: He and Agon used to work together to save girls from being molested... only so that Hiruma could blackmail the molesters over the incidents and Agon could save (and court) the girls.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: The greatest extent of friendship one can hope to achieve with this guy.
• Walking Armory: Hiruma brings a massive arsenal of firearms with him wherever he goes.
• Weak, but Skilled: For a national-level quarterback, Hiruma is weak, but he can do plays far more advanced than what can be expected for highschool american football. It's best shown when he stopped Akaba's "Spider Poison" by faking a gravity shift, although Akaba still won by just using his superior strength on Hiruma, making the trick a one-shot.
• Worthy Opponent: Marco was glad to face someone as vicious as him.
  Marco: The very best plan with the pieces I had... If you had been in my shoes... you would have done the same, right...?
  Hiruma: Of course, fucking eyelashes!
  Marco: That's why I had you crushed too. That is... american football! I'm glad that I could fight a man like you in the finals. I will be able to crush a man like you without any reservation...! (Falls.)

Ryokan Kurita (栗田 良寛)

"Funuruba!"

Voiced by: Koichi Nagano (JP); Javier Rivero (MEX,1-104 Epi.), Ricardo Méndez (MEX, 105-145)

The strongest and slowest player in the Deimon Devil Bats. Kurita lives with his father, the leader of a Buddhist sect. Having a firm belief in the need for modern Buddhist monks to be strong, Kurita's father overfed him and made him the heavy lineman he is today. A soft and gentle fellow, Kurita served as a sharp contrast to Hiruma, often motivating the team with his kind heart and sincere love for them as a team as opposed to Hiruma's more coercive methods.

• Position: Centre / Nose Guard
• Jersey: 77
• 40-yard dash: 6.5 seconds
• Bench Press: 160 kg (352 lbs)
• Height: 195 cm (6' 5")
• Weight: 145 kg (319 lbs)
• Birthday: July 7
• 2nd Year Student (Grade 11)

---

• Acrofatic: Sort of. Kurita was very fat and athletic (being a lineman and all), but he's slow as hell. He surprised people by being able to jump as high as Sakuraba. His lower body strength is greater than any player in the series and his Kurihammer technique is him leaping high enough to dogpile four people at once.
  Hiruma: Kekeke, there is a fault in thinking chubby doesn't have any speed. It can be upside down. Because he can get into an advantage if his center of gravity sits on you.
• Badass Adorable: Eventually became the best lineman in all of Japan. He even stood up to Mr. Don...while still being a droky Nice Guy.
• Badass Boast: He rarely did this, but when he claims he's gonna crush the other line, he is gonna do it. Even if it was the strongest man in Japan.
  Kurita: I'll defeat him, right now, right there. I'll destroy Gaou-kun
• Bear Hug: If Kurita's happy to see you, you had better run away or make him hug something else. His hug was strong enough to crush a truck.
• Beware the Nice Ones: Quite possibly the friendliest and kindest person in the entire series. He is also the premiere lineman of Japanese high school football, and is willing to kill if you ever threaten his friends.
• Big Eater: The reason why he's so big. He actually needs this in order to be The Big Guy of the team.
• Big Fun: He's extremely fat and one of the friendliest and nicest persons you'll ever meet.
• The Big Guy: He's a sumo-wrestler-sized centre and nose guard, and, on the field, leads the other Devil Bats linemen, who're already The Big Guys to the team.
• Blood Knight: Not as obvious as the other Blood Knights, such as Gaou. But when Gaou evolved from a mere violent brute to an actual lineman, Kurita grew ecstatic and wanted to go all-out, not just to protect his friend but also to finally go into power contest with another player who's on par with him in strength.
  • Kurita also wished to have a rematch against Banba of the Taiyo Sphinx, for the same reason.
• Catchphrase: His battle cry of "Funnuraba!"
• Character Development: He went from shy, gentle giant to an unstoppable powerhouse with Killing Intent for the sake of protecting his friends and desire to prove himself, by the time of the finals of the Kanto Tournament.
• Covered in Scars: For some time after his training with Banba. They inexplicably faded after the time skip, though.
• Curb-Stomp Battle: While Kurita is slow, directly confronting him is very likely to result in you suffering this due to how strong he is.
• Determinator:
  • This was evident in the creation of the Devil Bats. Kurita was pressured to give up football by numerous factors: not making it into the Naga because of Agon, being the only player who practiced, and the faculty telling him to stop playing. But he never gave up on the sport. He eventually convinced the current captain of the Devil Bats to play as well. Hiruma was the how of the Devil Bats' founding, but Kurita's spirit is largely the why.
  • When he first awakened against Rikiya Gaou, who had never faced an equal on the line before that moment and spent half of the game overpowering Kurita and breaking his spirit. Once he realized that Gaou was just going to obliterate every single player on his team unless he stopped him? That would not stand.
  • He was less flashy than many other players, but Kurita's a perfect offensive lineman. It had been shown that his strength actually increases the more people he has to protect, to the point that he stopped Mr. Don single-handedly just before Agon would be broken in two.
• Does Not Know His Own Strength: When he's happy, Kurita likes to Bear Hug his teammates.
  Kurita (Crying Tears of Joy while Bear Hugging Monta and Riku): Uwaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!! Monta-kun and Suzuna-chan too!!!! You came to our university!!!!!
  Unsui: Awesome... with both of you in our team, winning against the Saikyodai Wizards isn't a dream anymore! But right now, those two will die before even joining...
• Fat Best Friend: Justified, considering the sport they're playing. His father also believed a child should eat a lot to grow proper and the Buddhist's sect he is part of gets a lot of leftover services.
• Gentle Giant: Big, strong, and extremely kindhearted. His Worthy Opponent Gaou did his best to shake Kurita out of this, believing that a lineman needed "killing instinct" to be really effective. Gaou succeeded.
• The Giant: "An unsinkable ship that can lift up to 160 kg", as lampshaded by "Machine Gun" Sanada.
• Gonk: But in a really adorable sort of way.
• The Heart: Sometimes. Compared to Hiruma, who relied on coercion, Kurita motivated the underclassmen to work for the team by being nice. Sena almost agreed to join the team for the match against the Cupids because of that. Kurita seems to serve as this even in the Enma Fires.
• Hero-Worshipper: To Onihei.
• Hot-Blooded: Mostly downplayed. When he was still in junior high, Kurita's primary strategy of recruiting players for the team was to make people find the fun in american football.
• Kevlard: Played for Laughs for a couple of times.
• Killing Intent: After his Character Development. Kurita will come at you with murderous intent if you dare lay a finger on his friends.
• Kindhearted Simpleton: While he wasn't exactly bright, Kurita was a great guy to be friends with.
• Large and in Charge: Among the linemen, at least. Temporarily in charge of everyone when Hiruma is hospitalized.
• The Leader: During the Devil Bats vs Dinosaurs match, after Hiruma had been put out of commission, Kurita Took a Level in Badass and became a strong leader who galvanized the whole team.
• Manly Tears: He was very prone to these. The most notable instance he shed this was the moment when Musashi came back to the team halfway through the Devil Bats vs Wild Gunmen game.
• Meaningful Name: "Kurita", his family name, contains the character "Kuri", which means chestnut. That presumably refers to his head's resemblance to a chestnut, and it is fitting for him to be named after a food. Also, "Ryokan", his first name, literally means goodhearted and gentle.
• The Mentor: Primarily to Komusubi, but also to the other linemen. To a lesser extent Sena, being the one to explain the procedures and rules of the game to him.
• Mighty Glacier: Extremely large and powerful, but arguably the slowest character in the series.
• Morality Pet: To Hiruma, especially during the flashback. Agon even used this once to get under Hiruma's skin when his usual trash talk didn't work.
• Nice Guy: Kurita was so nice that he was even willing to protect Agon during the World Cup's finals... although Agon had kicked him out of the Shinryuji Naga for nothing but pure spite.
• Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: The gentle and timid Sensitive Guy to Hiruma's gun-totting Manly Man.
• Stout Strength: Built like a sumo wrestler; easily one of the strongest characters in the series. His 160-kg bench press may not even be accurate, since he did it rather effortlessly.
• Sweet Tooth: Kurita is not only a Big Eater, he also loves his sweets. During his first meeting with Sena, he makes tea for both of them and asks "How many dozen sugars do you take?" while upending the sugar bowl over his own cup.
• Took a Level in Badass: Before and during the game against the Dinosaurs. It was a subtler version in that, as Banba noted, it was an increase in techniques and mental fortitude rather than simply strength.
• Training from Hell: Aside from the Death March, Kurita also had several boxing sessions with Banba before the Devil Bats vs Dinosaurs game.
• Unskilled, but Strong: Kurita was ridiculously strong, but he's relatively lacking in techniques (not from lack of experience but his bulk and slow movement stops him from doing advanced hand techniques like a swim or a elbow strike). Yamabushi and Heracles both used this to their advantage.
  • Later averted by the time of the Hakushuu match. He underwent boxing training with Banba to properly use his body. By the end of the match, it's his skill and experience, plus his lower body strength, that allowed him to win against Gaou.
• When All You Have Is a Hammer…: He is a power type lineman so most of his techniques relies on using his lower body strength.
• Worf Effect: Being the biggest character on the heroes' side Kurita was sent flying by other players in serious matches, to show the other team's strength.
• World's Best Warrior: A lineman variation. He was too experienced and determined to lose to Gaou and even Mr. Don, who's too strong for everyone else. By the time of the Christmas Bowl, Kurita could guarantee a 2-point conversion, since if it's just pushing a few millimeters for a touchdown, nobody in Japan could stop him.
• World's Strongest Man: Japan's strongest, alongside Gaou.
  Hiruma: Kekeke how about you rack your brains, you bastards! If it's a simple power match, with that fucking fatty's strength just now do you think there's anyone in Japan who can stop him anymore?
• Worthy Opponent: Initially for Ootawara. Kurita was also excited for a rematch with Banba and, more surprisingly, wanted to defeat Gaou at the finale of the Devil Bats vs Dinosaurs match, not just because they needed that to win but also, for the first time, Kurita wanted to take a shot at being number one, for which defeating Gaou was needed.

Mamori Anezaki (姉崎 まもり)

"Leave Sena alone!"

Voiced by: Aya Hirano (JP), Kate Higgins (EN), Mayra Arellano (MEX)

Mamori is a warm and mature young woman who acts as a motherly/big sister figure to many of her friends. As Sena's childhood friend, Mamori had always been there to protect him. At the start, Sena kept her in the dark about his identity as Eyeshield 21 to stop her from worrying and prevent friction between her and Hiruma. Mamori later decided to join the Devil Bats as a manager to keep an eye on Sena.

• Position: Manager
• Bench Press: 20 kg (44 lbs)
• Height: 162 cm (5' 4")
• Weight: 48 kg (105 lbs)
• Blood Type: A
• Birthday: November 24
• 2nd Year Student (Grade 11)
• Nickname: Mamori nee-chan (used by Sena only)

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• Belligerent Sexual Tension: One reading of her relationship with Hiruma. She was one of the only characters who actually could see through his acts. As a result, they tended to butt heads a lot.
• Big Eater: When it comes to cream puffs she can out eat anyone. Yes, even Kurita.
• Brainy Brunette: The brunette part varies, but she's still a model student, a prominent member of the disciplinary committee, and an excellent sports team manager who can strategize with the best of them.
• But Not Too Foreign: Mamori had an American grandmother. Her mother thought this was why she got an interest in football. Word of God was that the authors came up with this after color art showed her with brown hair.
• Catchphrase: "Leave Sena alone!" Before her Character Development.
• Character Development: Mamori gradually learned to stop babying Sena and realized that he didn't need her like he used to.
• Cool Big Sis: She served as this to many characters, including Sena, Monta, Suzuna and Riku. She often got a bit too overprotective of Sena. It was stated several times both In-Universe and by Word of God that the relationship between Mamori and Sena was not romantic.
• Cute Sports Club Manager: Acts as the Devil Bats' manager in administrative work as well as the general upkeep of the team, and players from other schools are often pretty jealous of the Bats for this.
• The Cutie: A very sweet and pretty young woman.
• Dude Magnet: Many men have commented on her cuteness, though Mamori usually politely brushes them off.
• Early Installment Character-Design Difference: Mamori is brunette in the first volume, but her hair becomes more orangish-red in subsequent volumes.
• Feminine Women Can Cook: She's a lady-like Team Mom to the Devil Bats, and the lunch she prepared for the team before the first match against the White Knights was quite saliva-inducing.
• He Is Not My Boyfriend: While having a discussion with Doburoku about her support for Hiruma, Doburoku mentioned that Mamori had been a great help to Hiruma in many ways, for example, as his girlfriend. Mamori unthinkingly replied 'Yes' to his comment - the look on her face when she realized what she just said is priceless.
  Mamori (Sweating and glaring slightly): I am doing my best as a ma-na-ger.
• Implied Love Interest: To Hiruma. Never officially resolved, but they did end up going to the same university and working on the same football team together at the end.
• Mama Bear: Not literally a mother, but plays this role as the Team Mom, to the point that she'd even stand up to Hiruma or Gaou to protect her kouhai.
• Marshmallow Hell: Gave some to Sena at the end of the first game against the Cupids while tearfully apologising to him for (apparently) causing him get beaten up by Hiruma (since she was the one who'd encouraged him to join a club).
• Meaningful Name:
  • "Mamori" literally means to protect or to guard.
  • "Anezaki" contains the character "Ane", which means older sister in Japanese.
• My Beloved Smother: Again, she isn't a literal mother, but her role had some shades of this in the start towards Sena. Her growing out of this was her Character Development.
• Near-Rape Experience: The scene in which Agon shoved Mamori to the ground for rejecting his advances evoked this trope.
• Nice Girl: Gracious, kind, and firmly so.
  Hiruma: Usually you would say remove notoriety or regain popularity right?
  Mamori: It doesn't matter! He's working so hard for it anyway, we shouldn't mind small things like that.
• Noblewoman's Laugh: Hiruma persuaded her into doing this during his sport festival antics. She wasn't proud of it.
• The Not-Love Interest: An interesting example, as it was hinted that Mamori was supposed to be Sena's love interest at the beginning. But she became a not-love interest when it became clear their relationship was too familial.
• Oblivious to Love: To Monta's love, at least.
• Only Sane Woman:
  • Especially when she's with Hiruma, given that she's basically the only one in the team who can go toe-to-toe with him in an argument.
  • She is also the most level-headed person in the room at any given time, and a strong pillar of morale and tactical support for the team.
• Pretty in Mink: During the sports festival, she isn't proud of her behavior and clothes but Suzuna can't help but scream how cool she looks with a fur coat.
• Real Women Don't Wear Dresses: Zigzagged. On-field, Mamori was a perceptive manager in track pants, and notably more competent than Suzuna, the cheerleader in mini-skirt. Off-field, Mamori typically wore frilly clothes while Suzuna was in Shorttank outfits, but she's still more helpful than the latter when it came to anything football-related.
• Running Gag: A situation required Mamori to draw something (e.g., when she, as the manager, needed to record the activities of the team). Mamori... tried her best.
• Selective Obliviousness: About Sena being Eyeshield 21. Later, she realized the obviousness of it all and how childish it was of herself to think Sena would never outgrow his wimpiness.
• Serious Business: Cream puffs.
• Ship Tease: With Hiruma. While nothing official comes out of it, they come to operate on a strangely similar wavelength and mutual respect, especially in the Dinosaurs match.
• The Smart Gal: Mamori wasn't quite at the same level as Hiruma, but she's still of a lot of help when it came to deriving football tactics. She was really valuable with what she could see from the sideline and gave info Hiruma could not access, such as wind speed or statistics on the opponents' most successful plays.
• Tareme Eyes: To Suzuna's Tsurime Eyes.
• Team Mom: At the beginning, she's this only towards Sena. As the story progressed, she acted like one towards all of the Devil Bats.
• Terrible Artist: Art was her weakest subject in school, and it's easy to see why.
• Textile Work Is Feminine: Mamori helps with uniform repair and design for the Devil Bats.
• Tomboy and Girly Girl: With Suzuna. Interestingly, who was which depends on the context. On the field, Mamori is the perceptive, football-savvy manager dressed in a t-shirt and track pants whilst Suzuna is the cutesy cheerleader in a mini-skirt. Off the field, Mamori helps with the team's daily upkeep and dresses in more obviously feminine street clothes while Suzuna's the snarky Shorttank who hung out with Sena and Monta.
• Trademark Favorite Food: Cream puffs. It's mentioned she can eat more than Kurita, as long as the food in question was cream puffs.
• Tsundere: Mid-series, Mamori began to behave like this towards Hiruma.
• Yamato Nadeshiko: She was great at traditionally feminine tasks, and hid a very sharp mind and an iron will under her niceness. Mind you, this young woman was ready to stand up to Gaou.

Tetsuo Ishimaru

Voiced by: Kei Katō (JP), Grant George (EN); Igor Cruz (MEX, 2 - 7 and 38 epi.), Eduardo Fonseca (MEX, 53 - 104 epi.), Gerardo Alonso (105-145 epi.)

• Position: Full Back
• Jersey: 30
• 40 yard dash: 4.7 seconds
• Bench Press: Unknown
• Height: 168 cm (5' 6")
• Weight: 59 kg (130 lb)
• Blood Type: A
• Birthday: October 1
• 2nd Year Student (Grade 11)

A plain (very plain) fellow who was recruited by Sena from the track team as a helper. Though not an official member of the team, as he's only loaned from the track team, he plays in every match and is more or less accepted as a permanent member. Paradoxically, his lack of remarkable features is the only thing remarkable about him; his lack of presence occasionally lets him slip through the opposing line and gain some yardage, but that's about all you can say about Ishimaru. Wait, who were we talking about again?

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• Butt-Monkey: Everyone calls him plain or just forgets about his existence. Like everything else, he's alright with this.
• Catchphrase: "It's alright, it's alright..."
• A Day in the Limelight: For the anime only, Ishimaru had an episode where he has some conflicts with his track and field and football teams. Sena repays his time on the team by helping him run a track and field race (which ends about as well as a race with Sena is wont to be), securing his position with the Devilbats and also allowing Ishimaru to become one of the few people who know about Sena's identity.
• Demoted to Extra: As more characters got introduced, he became less and less represented in the show and manga because, let's face it, he's by far the least interesting member of the team. Or any of the teams for that matter. It's even Lampshaded several times by other characters, to the point that this is basically his defining trait.
• Dude Where Is My Respect: He was the best athlete on the track team and he was one of the few devil Bats member running under the 5.0 seconds 40 yard dash. Even that was never considered seriously.
• The Generic Guy: He has no notable features other than being a Nice Guy, and seems fine with it.
• Honorary True Companion: Ishimaru runs in every match Deimon undertakes and the only thing stopping Ishimaru from being a main part of the team is that he is a helper from the Track and Field club and cannot partake in everything outside of official matches.
• Nice Guy: His second most prominent feature is that he's ridiculously nice (it's pretty much impossible to anger him), which Hiruma exploits ruthlessly.
• Overshadowed by Awesome: Ishimaru is a very good runner by NFL standards seeing that he can run 40 yards under 5 seconds, but he's primarily a track team member and his lack of football experience and techniques means that Ishimaru gets outstripped by Sena aka Eyeshield 21 and people who trained full time in American Football. Ishimaru does become more viable once he learns several running techniques from Riku.
• Ridiculously Average Guy: Mercilessly Lampshaded by pretty much everyone.
• Running Gag: "I always like this moment before a match. It feels like your blood is running cold."
• Uncanny Family Resemblance: His entire family looks the same, that is, plain.
• Took a Level in Badass: Sets the tone for how far the entire team progresses in between beating Hakushuu and facing Teikoku by successfully doing the Rodeo Drive to start off the match, taking the Alexanders (briefly) by surprise.

Taro "Monta" Raimon (雷門 太郎)

"Catch MAX!"

Voiced by: Kappei Yamaguchi (JP), Moisés Iván Mora (MEX)

A hot-headed first-year student with an uncanny resemblance to a monkey. Monta had always wanted to be a great baseball star like his hero, Masaru Honjo of the baseball team Shuhei Bears. However, Monta's skills weren't well-rounded enough for baseball, despite his extreme prowess in catching. His dream to become a baseball player was shattered when the coach of Deimon Highschool's baseball team assigned him to the team's third string. At the same time, the Devil Bats were looking for a wide receiver and, with some... help from Hiruma, got Monta into american football. Monta eventually came to equal footing with Masaru Honjo, by defeating the latter's son, Taka Honjo, in the Christmas Bowl.

• Position: Wide Receiver / Cornerback
• Jersey: 80
• 40-yard dash: 5.0 seconds
• Bench Press: 50 kg (110 lbs)
• Height: 155 cm (5' 1")
• Weight: 51 kg (112 lbs)
• Birthday: August 31
• 1st Year Student (Grade 10)
• Nickname: Monta

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• 10-Minute Retirement: After he learned the true identity of the main wide receiver of the Alexanders, he sent Hiruma an email saying that he'd like to quit the Devil Bats. It didn't last long. And Monta was soon back to practice with the team.
• Accidental Athlete: Monta would've never discovered his potential as a wide receiver, had a certain quarterback not fed him with the lies that Mamori needed a catching expert to save her from falling in love with a Jerkass running back...
• The Ace: When it came to catching at least. To the point that by the World Cup Arc he had no problem keeping up with Bud Walker, the Pentagram's wide receiver.
• Alternate Character Reading: He got his nickname from Sena misreading "Raimon Taro" as "Kaminari Montaro" on the baseball team's roster. Monta didn't like it at first, but changed his mind once Hiruma told him that the name came from Joe Montana... who wasn't even a wide receiver.
• Always Someone Better: Like Sena. This happened every time he faced a strong foe (Tetsuma, Ikkyu, Sakuraba, and Taka). Monta would receive a good curb-stomping... before taking a level in badass to prove himself an equal to his opponent.
• Amusingly Awful Aim: Monta's inability to throw anything in a straight line is a Running Joke.
• Animal Motifs: Monkey, but don't say this to him.
• Ass-Kicking Pose: Points his finger at the sky whenever he does something impressive in a match, as pictured.
• Awesomeness by Analysis: Surprisingly, Monta had many moments of this. First, Monta can predict the trajectory of a ball with a quick glance and paying mind to the wind, enabling his Devil Backfire, which is essentially catching the ball while jumping, from the back, without looking at the ball. Later, his experience in ball physics makes him able to predict the erratic movements of a kicked ball.
• Badass Normal: Like Sena, he was a world-class player by the finale, without looking particularly outlandish.
• Batman Gambit: He can read receivers better than Hiruma. He can tell when Ikkyu or Sakuraba will intercept the pass and adapt himself to it on the fly.
• Bash Brothers: With Sena.
• Berserk Button: He hates people making fun of his resemblance to a monkey.
• Butt-Monkey: Pun probably not intended. When one of the Devil Bats ends up at the receiving end of a demeaning joke, it is most likely Monta.
• Catchphrase: His favorite one is probably "Catch MAX!" when he catches a particularly important pass.
• Crippling Overspecialization: The reason he fails as a baseball player. Monta is very good at catching, to the point that he even learnt to catch balls that come from behind his head, a technique that Hiruma named the "Devil Backfire", but he is absolutely terrible at doing anything else with (i.e., throwing, kicking and... trying to in any way manipulate) balls. However, it is also the reason he succeeds as a player of American Football, for which high degree of specialization is required.
  • Even within his role of being a wide receiver, Monta is extremely specialised. He lacks the ungodly athleticism that lets Ikkyu run as fast backwards as other receivers can forwards, he lacks the unstoppability that makes Tetsuma impossible to cover or stop, he lacks the height and length of limbs that lets Sakuraba catch passes other receivers couldn't even touch, and he lacks the jumping ability that lets Taka practically walk on air to get to the ball. But when it comes to the pure discipline of catching the ball, Monta is absolutely without peer. If he can get his hand on it, it's his. Coach Gunpei of Ojo pointed it out after he beat Ikkyu in the Shinryuji game.
    Shogun: For sheer athletic ability Ikkyu is superior. But in catching, in catching alone, while he may not realise it yet, Monta is already number one in Kanto!
• Determinator: It actually worked to his disadvantage at first, as he originally refused to quit baseball despite having far more potential as a football player. It was later played straight when he endured the Death March and eventually became a world-class wide receiver.
• Dogged Nice Guy: To Mamori. Also the reason Monta was tricked into joining the team.
• Dumb Jock: While players of the Devil Bats weren't known for being bright, Monta stood out in that his dumbness was regularly Played for Laughs.
  Monta: As I promised, I have regained my notoriety... Wait, why da hell would I want to regain my notoriety? I've wiped my reputation clean!
  Hiruma (Deadpan): Someone come teach this monkey human language.
• Exactly What I Aimed At: One of his best moments: he was being tackled by Agon, who tried to make Monta fall infield, sealing the Naga's victory. When Monta screamed "Catch Max", Agon mocked that he already had the ball. In truth, Monta was aiming at the grass out of bounds, making the clock stop at that moment.
• Fragile Speedster: Monta wasn't as fast as Sena on the ground, but he's very good at jumping. When Sena and Monta were running upstairs during the Hell Tower, Monta could catch up with Sena by relying on jumps. Despite this, Monta was just slightly stronger than Sena.
• Friendly Rivalry: Ended up developing one with Taka Honjo, and also Bud Walker.
• Hard Work Hardly Works: Played with. Monta was hardworking and not as naturally gifted as the likes of Ikkyu and Taka. He could defeat these genius opponents by being very specialized in (thus extremely good at) catching and with tactical support from Hiruma, but he was still not as good as these geniuses in terms of overall stats.
• Heroic BSoD: He never had one during a match, but he did briefly leave the club when he discovered the real identity of the ace wide receiver of the Alexanders.
• Hero-Worshipper: Was this to Masaru Honjo, the legendary baseball player known for his prowess in catching.
• Hot-Blooded: Whenever he was up against a better opponent (especially in the case of Ikkyu), Monta's typical solution was "I'll just try harder and defeat him somehow!" Hiruma was not impressed.
• I Am Not Weasel: Every time someone pointed out the similarity between Monta and monkeys.
• I Resemble That Remark!: His tendency to grunt incoherently when people called him a monkey didn't help his case.
  Monta: Who are you calling a woohee?!
• Instant Expert: Monta used Marco's Screwbite to snatch the ball out of Bud's hands after the latter's showing off. With Monta's catching power, it was even better than Marco's, as the quarterback admitted.
• It Was a Gift: When he was young, Monta received the baseball glove of Masaru Honjo, his idol, when spectating the latter's match. He kept it as a personal treasure and grew to take catching very seriously from then on.
• Just a Kid: The main reason why Mamori didn't notice Monta's romantic interest in her.
• The Lancer: Monta served as a support to Sena. He was usually the one to take down the opposing team's secondary ace player while Sena was busy dealing with the key one.
• Large Ham: He often shouted the tactics the Devil Bats were planning while charging towards opponents.
• Manly Tears: Monta shed this when Masaru Honjo revealed that he remembered him and when he was fighting with Sena over the baseball glove Honjo gave him.
• My God, What Have I Done?: When he punched Sena after their argument made him drop Honjo's glove. He placed a lot of value on the glove, but he reckoned that his best friend Sena was even more important.
• Pointless Band-Aid: Across the bridge of his nose. He admitted that it's just part of fashion.
• The Power of Friendship: Before the Devil Bats vs Alexanders game, he had his idol's glove destroyed in an accident, fought with Sena, and lost his fighting spirit... Then Sena went everywhere to gather the gloves and encouragements of all of the ace wide receivers Monta had previously played against. That cheered Monta up and helped him regain his motivation.
• Running Gags: His complete inability to throw. His resemblance to a monkey. His dumbness... Alright, a very sizable portion of things Monta did were Played for Laughs, since he's the Butt-Monkey of the Devil Bats.
• Serious Business: Catching is this to him. Monta won't give up the distinction of number one in catching, not to Ikkyu, not to Sakuraba, especially NOT to his idol's son Honjo Taka. The fact that he lost to Tetsuma still haunts him to this day.
• Signature Move: The Devil Backfire.
• Spirited Competitor: Every time when the Devil Bats were going to face a team with a strong wide receiver, you can bet that Monta would be the one most eagerly anticipating the match.
• Took a Level in Badass: Oh, boy... where to begin? At first, Monta was a Butt-Monkey of the baseball team and well-known for being incapable of doing anything other than catching. Then once he joined the Devil Bats, he quickly became one of the team's ace players. By the time of Kanto Regionals, he was recognized as one of Kanto's best wide receivers alongside the genius Ikkyu. He eventually proved that he's on equal footing with Taka Honjo, the best wide receiver in all of Japan and son of Masaru Honjo, during the Christmas Bowl. At the World Cup, he was a world-class wide receiver who could compete with the Pentagram and was personally reckoned by Bud Walker.
• Trademark Favorite Food: Bananas. Does not help his case when he insists that he doesn't look like a monkey.
• Worthy Opponents: Many, which was unsurprising as he's The Lancer to Sena. Ikkyu, Tetsuma, Sakuraba, Kisaragi, Taka and Bud all came to see Monta as this.

The Ha-Ha Brothers

Voiced by: Takanori Hoshino, Masami Iwasaki, and Takeshi Maeda respectively (JP); Kirk Thornton, Lex Lang, and Liam O'Brien respectively (EN); Víctor Covarrubias, Kaihiamal Martínez, Víctor Ugarte (MEX)

Position: Linemen

Kazuki Juumonji (the one with the scar), Kouji Kuroki (the one with dark hair and fishlips), and Shozo Togano (the one with sunglasses who's always reading manga) were originally just three delinquents who targeted Sena on his first day at Deimon. However, Sena managed to escape them, and Hiruma managed to get some embarrassing pictures, using them to blackmail the trio into leaving Sena alone. While scouring the Devil Bats' clubhouse for the negatives of those photos, they got dragged into an exhibition game with the Zokugaku Chameleons, and from then on were blackmailed into acting as linemen. However, they gradually built up a camaraderie with the rest of the team and start taking the sport more seriously as time goes on.

• Kazuki Juumonji:
• Position: Offensive Tackle / Defensive Tackle
• Jersey: 51
• 40 yard dash: 5.5 seconds
• Bench Press: 85 kg (187 lb)
• Height: 175 cm (5' 9")
• Weight: 71 kg (156 lb)
• Birthday: October 1st
• 1st Year Student (Grade 10)

• Kouji Kuroki:
• Position: Offensive Guard / Linebacker
• Jersey: 52
• 40 yard dash: 5.1 seconds
• Bench Press: 85 kg (187 lb)
• Height: 175 cm (5' 9")
• Weight: 70 kg (154 lb)
• Birthday: September 2nd
• 1st Year Student (Grade 10)

• Shozo Togano:
• Position: Offensive Tackle / Defensive End
• Jersey: 53
• 40 yard dash: 5.5 seconds
• Bench Press: 85 kg (187 lb)
• Height: 175 cm (5' 9")
• Weight: 74 kg (163 lb)
• Birthday: October 13th
• 1st Year Student (Grade 10)

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• Accidental Athlete: They get blackmailed into joining the footbal club, where they find they can be more than just some thugs.
• Alliterative Name: Kouji Kuroki.
• Badass Boast: Juumonji has a few to show they are about to get serious.
  Juumonji: I won't say something pathetic like telling you to escape through narrow route anymore, we'll open a wide road for you to advance.
• Badass Biker: All three own motorcycles to complement their initially thuggish image.
• Bash Brothers: One of their main strengths during games. They've been with each other so long that they have a perfect teamplay.
• Batter Up!: Their weapons outside of football.
• Berserk Button:
  • While they all hate being called "trash", Juumonji has it the worst out of them, as his dad constantly belittles his two friends by calling them trash.
  • A Played for Laughs example: Both Kuroki and Togano hate popular guys who receive a lot of love letters or confessions because they have never gotten anything like that.
• Brilliant, but Lazy: Juumonji slacks just as much as his friends but he still had good grades.
• Bully Turned Buddy: After fully integrating into the Deimon Devilbats, Sena's former assailants stopped picking on him and treated him as their equal. This is impressive since they are no longer motivated by their fear of Hiruma but their shared passion for American Football.
• Catchphrase: Their collective surprised reaction of "Ha?" "HA?!" "HAAAAA?!"
• Chick Magnet: Juumonji is quite popular with the ladies.
• Cool Shades: Togano.
• Delinquents: They start as these, and even use their experience in street fights during some games.
• Determinator: The trio go from second-string garbage to starting linemen on the basis of stubbornness and sheer perseverance. Jumonji takes it a step farther, going so far as to drag Agon into the endzone with him to complete a touchdown.
• Dirty Coward: Kuroki refers to himself as one, stating that this is why he always carries a bat and makes sure to hit from behind.
• Divergent Character Evolution:
  • All three started out as typical delinquents but eventually became: a smart guy who ran in the wrong crowd (Juumonji), a big fan of manga and aspiring artist (Togano), and an avid Video Gamer (Kuroki).
  • Their skills also began to diverge somewhat, with Kuroki being the fast one, Togano the strong one and Jumonji the skilled one.
• The Drag-Along: Up until the showdown with the Nasa Aliens, in which they all received Character Development.
• Education Mama: Gender-inverted with Juumonji, who has an education papa. His dad calls his two friends trash and advises him to quit hanging out with them and focus on studying or something more productive instead.
• Genius Bruiser: Juumonji, surprisingly enough, has the highest grades on the team, after Hiruma, Yukimitsu and Mamori.
• Good Old Fisticuffs: Juumonji counter Ushijima's dual horn with his street toughness. In the anime the three knock him out together, saying that they'll retaliate three time harder when you punch them.
• Hot-Blooded: Kuroki. He is the one who says "HAAA".
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: They become this after some Character Development.
• The Leader: Juumonji is the leader of the trio, and is mentioned to be one of the very few Deimon players that at least partly understand Hiruma's strategies.
• Let's Get Dangerous!: When the other team tries brawling with them instead of using regular techniques.
  Juumonji: Comet to think of it, if they
  Togano: Come into our territory fighting on purpose
  Kuroki: Then we just can't let that pass.
• Number Two: Juumonji is also this on the line. While Komusubi may be Kurita's apprentice, when Kurita needs both hands free for his start in the final play against Hakushu, it's Juumonji who takes responsibility for the snap from him. Later, when the national team's second-string plays against the Russians in the World Cup, he again takes over as centre, making the snap to Takami.
• Progressively Prettier: Applied to all of them due to Art Evolution, but especially Kuroki, who gradually lost his fish lips and start sporting straighter, less messy hair.
• The Rival: Within the team, all three share a rivalry with Komosubi. Outside of it, Jumonji and Ojo's Ikari Daigo swiftly become rivals for the title of most effective thug on the field.
• The Smart Guy: Juumonji is the smartest of them, which reflects in both his playing and his academic performance. Notably he is the only member of the Devilbats who got admitted into Saikyoudai University, a college with high academic standards with Hiruma.
• Terrible Trio: With Juumonji as the central, more intimidating figure. This even lasts after their Heel–Face Turn, as Juumonji is a far more dedicated player than the other two, and is considerably more skilled.
• Terrible Artist: Inverted with Togano, who has good art fitting with his dream of becoming a mangaka.
• That One Player: Kuroki is supposedly really, really good at fighting games. Although he cheats a lot.
• Theme Naming: The three guys' first name all has a number in it: Kazuki (1), Kouji (2), and Shouzou (3). Fittingly, their names also reflect their position in their family: Juumonji is an only child, Kuroki has an older brother and a younger brother, and Togano has two older brothers.
• Took a Level in Badass: All three by the end, but especially Jumonji who for his size is a stunningly effective lineman, tossing the likes of Kasamatsu, tanking punches from Ikari, and making a regular habit of sacking quarterbacks, while also doing things that no lineman is expected to do, including running lead blocker for Sena, and scoring two touchdowns.
• Took a Level in Kindness: They become a lot nicer than they were in their first appearance.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: With Komosubi. For all their fist fighting and one-upping, they're quick to defend each other if their skill as a line is questioned.
• "X" Marks the Hero: Juumonji has an X scar on his cheek, and is easily the most important of the trio.

Daikichi Komusubi

Voiced by: Hidenori Sakaki (JP), Igor Cruz (MEX)

A diminutive but powerful first-year student who looks up to Kurita. Communicates almost exclusively in "Power-Speak", a language of grunts and one-word sentences that can only be understood by strong men such as Kurita (and Mamori, for some reason).

• Position: Offensive Guard / Defensive End
• Jersey: 55
• 40 yard dash: 5.2 seconds
• Bench Press: 110 kg (242 lb)
• Height: 150 cm (4' 11")
• Weight: 64 kg (140 lb)
• Birthday: October 1st
• 1st Year Student (Grade 10)

---

• 10-Minute Retirement: Feeling that his shortness makes him a liability to the team, he runs away from home before the game with the Poseidons.
• Badass Adorable: His adoration for Kurita is pretty endearing, and he's the second physically strongest player in the team.
• Born Lucky: Played for laughs as part of a joke about his name meaning lucky star. The reason why he was accepted at Deimon despite mostly grunting is because the P.E. teacher was part of the interview and could understand power speak.
• Determinator: He followed Kurita's training without slowing down and, more awesomely, he stopped Gaou from blitzing Sena with sheer tenacity despite being almost dead on his feet when Kurita was too traumatized from Hiruma getting injured.
• Dumb Muscle: Unless you understand power speak and even then he is of average smarts.
• Gonk: In a cute way.
• Eloquent in My Native Tongue: Komusubi may only speak in the language of men, but his yips and grunts translate to incredibly precise and elegant paragraphs.
• I Can Still Fight!: During the match against the Dinosaurs, his repeated attempt at stopping Gaou left him bruised but he was still going.
• Lightning Bruiser: The second fastest lineman and second strongest. He can launch himself like a torpedo to stop people way bigger than him like Kasamatsu and Gaou from sacking the quarterback.
• Hero Worship: Toward Kurita, his fantasy during the match against Bando is to stop Akaba in the first kick off with Kurita cheering him.
• Hot-Blooded: Noted In-Universe as the reason why he's probably better in defense than in offense.
• Might Makes Right: A rare positive example, his father taught him that there is no such thing as an evil strong man and Kurita is the best example of a Gentle Giant, so he should follow his training to make him proud.
• Pint-Sized Powerhouse: His lack of height can cause him problems during games, but he compensates with his strength.
• Stout Strength: As Kurita's disciple, this is his style.
• Translation: "Yes": The translations of his Power-Speak can get pretty verbose. At some points, one grunt can translate into whole paragraphs. This extends to his written language.
• The Unintelligible: You can understand what he says only if you're an Hot-Blooded warrior type too.
• Warrior Poet: His Power-Speak may consist of grunts and yaps, but they actually translate to precise and elegant wording.

Manabu Yukimitsu

Voiced by: Masaru Hōta (JP), José Gilberto Vilchis (MEX)

A second-year student who had grown tired of being pressured by his mother, and everyone around him, into spending all his free time studying. He joined the Devil Bats in search of something more, and managed to stick with the team through all the hellish training. While he wasn't good enough to be more than a benchwarmer, he eventually got to prove himself during the Fall Tournament.

• Position: Wide Receiver (occasionally a lineman or assorted defensive position)
• Jersey: 16
• 40 yard dash: 5.6 seconds
• Bench Press: N/A
• Height: 179 cm (5' 10")
• Weight: 67 kg (147 lb)
• Birthday: February 29th
• 2nd Year Student (Grade 11)

---

• Awesomeness by Analysis: Yukimitsu is capable of making very good split-second decisions during play—he's the only receiver in the series that runs the option route because he's the only one who can observe and calculate as quickly as Hiruma, and he figures out Ojou's plan in time to keep them from running the time clock out by letting them get a touchdown.
• Badass Bookworm: He becomes this eventually, putting his eidetic & photographic memory and fast thinking to good use.
• Baldness Means Sickness: He starts out as a balding teenager to enforce his frail body. He gets a full head of hair on the last third of the manga to show his new, healthier build, but his forehead is still as big and shiny as before.
• The Benchwarmer: Due to lacking in athletic ability (since he spent most of his time studying instead of exercising), he was relegated to the bench. He finally gets his turn to shine during the Fall tournament, after which he becomes a staple of the Devil Bats' strategy.
• Determinator: It's how he goes from bookworm to athlete. Yukimitsu may very well be the biggest one in a series that could be called a World of Determinator—one of the chapters focusing on him is named "First in Tenacity."
• Geek Physique: He's the only one who can rival Hiruma in skinniness.
• Heroic Second Wind: During the last match of Deimon vs Ojou, Yukimitsu has completely run out of stamina and is lying on the bench, lacking the strength to even sit up. But when Sena is injured and Hiruma needs a replacement for just one play, Yukimitsu realizes it has to be him, and puts on one hell of a Death Glare as he forces himself to his feet to help his team by taking on Shin and making a comeback possible for Deimon.
• Milholland Relationship Moment: When his Education Mama finally found out he'd joined the football team, Hiruma was able to use some smooth talking to convince her that his participation in the Devil Bats would look really good on his college application,^note Unlike a lot of Hiruma's bullshit, this is actually true so she gave him her full approval.
• My Beloved Smother: His mom is obsessed with making him study harder and harder, to the point that he has to keep the fact he's a football player hidden to her for most of the series.
• Photographic Memory: The result of his life spent studying, and his biggest weapon as a receiver when he runs the Option Route.
• Secret Weapon: Hiruma uses him as this against Shinryuji and Agon.
  Hiruma: I've waited half a year for this moment...
• The Smart Guy: Even before he started playing physically he helped Hiruma and Mamori make calls from the bench; easily the smartest guy on the field once he gets out there.
• Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: He completed Hiruma's hellish summer spartan training but was overlooked in the main lineup behind the basketball helpers whom never went to America. It takes more just one summer in high school to go from a lifelong bookworm to an athlete. His brain and tenacity made up for it in the end but he remained athletically weaker than the other regular players.
• Took a Level in Badass: A top contender for this trope's poster child. He went from stick-thin bookworm who couldn't remotely keep up with the rest of the Devil Bats, to getting a touchdown on two undisputed athletic geniuses.
• Weak, but Skilled: He's so weak that he can only play offense for about a quarter, while his teammates play offense and defense for a whole game. He's also so skilled that Hiruma uses him as a trump card vs the enemy team's ace repeatedly.

Natsuhiko Taki

Voiced by: Masaru Hōta (JP); Manuel Campuzano (MEX, 33-104 epi.), Víctor Ugarte (Mex, 105 - 145 epi.)

A good-looking, flamboyant idiot with a highly exaggerated sense of his own skills. After flunking out of a football team tryout in America during the Death March arc, he decides to go back to Japan with the Devil Bats and play for them.

• Position: Tight End / Linebacker
• Jersey: 37
• 40 yard dash: 5.1 seconds
• Bench Press: 90 kg (198 lb)
• Height: 182 cm (6' 0")
• Weight: 72 kg (158 lb)
• Birthday: April 10th
• 1st Year Student (Grade 10)

---

• Bishie Sparkle: Constantly, especially when he's feeling happy.
• Brainless Beauty: He's quite good-looking, but the first thing people notice about him is just how dumb he is.
• Butt-Monkey: Almost as much as Monta. Everyone calls him "idiot".
• Camp Straight: He's very flamboyant (he likes to call himself a gentle prince), but never has his sexuality questioned or mentioned like Kisaragi or Sanzo.
• Crippling Overspecialization: Inverted for how he plays, played straight with his intelligence. He's an idiot and he won't understand anything... Unless you put it in terms of American Football, in which case he's fairly smart.
• Catchphrase:
  • "My success rate is 100%!" when things are going well for him, and "That's impossible!" when they aren't.
  • Also "Ah ha ha!" whenever he wants to draw attention to him.
• Characterization Marches On: In his first appearance, Sena is shocked to realise that despite playing football having been his dream for years, Taki doesn't even know the rules (when asked what position he plays he says "I don't worry about stuff like that. I just play all of 'em."). A short while later in the series he turns out to be something of a Genius Ditz who can actually answer even difficult questions as long as they're phrased in football terms, and even corrects the other Devil Bats on some of the rules, such as what you get for scoring a Safety.
• Contortionist: He is really flexible with bonus material revealing he got it from having Suzuna stretch him while he was sleeping.
• The Ditz: His defining trait.
• Dumb Jock: He managed to go to a NFL try-outs in America and show potential as a recruit without knowing how to read English.
• Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: The Foolish Sibling to Suzuna's Responsible Sibling.
• Genius Ditz: Taki is explicitly stated to be the dumbest member of the Devil Bats (which is saying something), but he will always give right answers when someone asks him questions about football.
• Gratuitous English: Refers to Suzuna as "Mai Sistah!" Even more gratuitous since his English is so bad he can't even tell the letters.
• Gratuitous French: In the English translation, less so (but still there) in the original.
• Important Haircut: Although it's more like "important hairband". He still does all the weird moves and speaks the same way, but with a more stoic expression.
• Inferiority Superiority Complex: Despite his Small Name, Big Ego attitude, he's genuinely surprised both when he's chosen as a regular player and when the crowd actually starts praising him. This implies that his antics are probably his way to hide his insecurity.
• Jack of All Stats: Being a tight end, he makes a point of being this.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Taki can come off like a jackass with his colossal ego, but he's a remarkably nice guy under it all, and he certainly brings a lot of enthusiasm to the team. Notably, unlike most people with an ego, Taki never compares himself to others. Most characters with an undeserved ego are all about how much better they are than others, but Taki only thinks in terms of how awesome he is, which makes it easy for him to acknowledge how amazing his teammates are while still thinking of himself as the best thing since sliced bread.
• Let's Get Dangerous!: Midway through the Bando game. It doesn't last long, though.
• Phrase Catcher: "Taki's so cool! But he's still an idiot!"
• The Rival: Briefly to Ootawara..because they are both idiots!.
• Small Name, Big Ego: He sets up an autograph booth before a game, despite basically nobody in the stands recognizing him.
• Took a Level in Badass: His Let's Get Dangerous! moment during the Bando game coincides with him learning to weaponize his flexibility against Akaba, rendering Akaba's technique of sending people flying when their balance shifts useless, as Taki is simply too flexible to lose his balance so easily. The attitude only lasted for a single play, but Taki would continue to utilize his flexibility to make himself harder to shake off for the rest of the series.
• Younger Than He Looks: Despite how he looks, Taki is only a first-year high school student (the Japanese school year cutoff point it the end of March and he was born in April, while Suzuna was born almost exactly a year after him in March, which is why they're in the same grade).

Gen "Musashi" Takekura (武蔵 厳)

"When a man bleeds freely for the sake of other people, it's only proper to pretend that you never saw it."

Voiced by: Rikiya Koyama (JP), Igor Cruz (MEX)

The third founder of the Devil Bats and the team's original kicker. Musashi was a mature, level-headed guy who's a constant source of sagely advice to the first-years. He first appeared as a carpenter who helped with expanding the Devil Bats' clubhouse, and for a while, none of the first-years was aware of his real identity. Upon the revelation that he was the last member of the founding trio and the kicker whom the team desperately needed, Musashi dismissively said that he left Hiruma and Kurita due to the boredom of staying in a weak team. However, it turned out that he was actually forced to leave school to help with his family business after his father fell ill, and still harbored a burning desire to return to the team. Aware of this, his father's employees all gathered together to tell Musashi to go back to the field to help his friends. And Musashi eventually returned to the Devil Bats midway through their match against the Wild Gunmen.

• Position: Kicker / Punter / Linebacker
• Jersey: 11
• 40-yard dash: 5.6 seconds
• Bench Press: 90 kg (198 lbs)
• Height: 177 cm (5' 10")
• Weight: 77 kg (169 lbs)
• Birthday: April 2
• 2nd Year Student (Grade 11)
• Nicknames: Musashi, "The 60-yard Magnum"

---

• Abusive Parents: Sort of. His father used to punch him with full strength when he refused taking his vaccine shots and yells abuse at him. However, like Musashi, a lot of it was just a facade to toughen up the boy, and both knew it. He even tried to make Gen pursue his dream by asserting his workers could handle themselves.
• Accidental Athlete: His legs were very strong, and he didn't know he could be an ace kicker before Kurita and Hiruma tried to get him into american football.
• The Ace: When it came to kicking. He was Kanto's best kicker. In the game against the Naga, it was his kick that got the first Oh, Crap! reaction from the team of aces. Also, it was his 60-yard field goal kick that made the Devil Bats win the Christmas Bowl.
  • Apparently the only kicker to have earned MVP votes in the World Cup, if Akaba and Kotaro's reactions were any indication
• Alternate Character Reading: "Takekura" and "Musashi" were different reading of the same Kanji characters.
• Anime Hair: Hiruma forced him into getting such a hairdo right before the Kanto Regionals.
• Becoming the Boast: Hiruma once spread rumors of Musashi making a field goal of 60 yards, even calling him "The 60-yard Magnum". When Kotaro asked him about it, Musashi flatly confessed that it was a lie. During the Devil Bats vs Alexanders game, Hiruma dared him to live up to the lie and become the 60 yard magnum. Musashi did and made the game-winning field goal]].
• Big Damn Hero: Halfway through the Devil Bats vs Wild Gunmen match.
• Brutal Honesty: Dished some out to Taki about his own inadequacy, giving him a cold dose of reality and knocking him down hard so he'd stand back up stronger.
• Chekhov's Gunman: Introduced as an unnamed carpenter long before readers had any idea he was the mysterious Musashi.
• Cool Old Guy: What the first years thought he was.
• Deadpan Snarker: Whenever he bothered joking, this was his style.
  Kurita (Produced a cake): Look! It's a celebratory cake! I've kept it since a year and a half ago, waiting for the day we'd be gathered together again!
  Musashi (Flatly): No, it's surely molded over. I'll pass.
  Sena: Amazing! He refused it flat!
  Suzuna: He's the warrior type...
• Force and Finesse: Musashi is the Force to Kotaro's Finesse regarding their kicks. Kotaro's kicks may be more elegant and accurate, but Musashi's kicks can bring the ball almost 3/4th's of the field with his full power.
• Friendly Rivalry: Kotaro tried to establish this with Musashi, at least.
• Friendship Moment: Musashi didn't really care much about american football at first. He agreed to join the Devil Bats just because he really liked Hiruma and Kurita's (admittedly hilarious) attempts to recruit him.
• Genius Bruiser: He's muscular and has a manly occupation, but he also gets better grades than most of the cast and is one of the sane men of the team. He could even win poker games against Hiruma.
• Gentleman Snarker: Unlike Hiruma's, however, Musashi's snark was polite and non-aggressive.
• Heterosexual Life-Partner: With Hiruma, he joined the team because he found Hiruma and Kurita's antics funny and he saw Hiruma more as a friendly jackass than a sociopath, even explaining away Hiruma's shotgun twirling the same way you explain a friend's quirk. He is also moved by Hiruma putting faith in him during the Christmas Bowl.
• Hidden Heart of Gold: Had a habit of giving insensitive statements to cover much nobler intentions.
  • During a flashback, Musashi tried to dissuade Hiruma and Kurita from recruiting him by saying that their dream was stupid, because he knew his father was sick and he would have to take care of the family business by himself.
  • In the match against the Spiders, he cruelly rubbed Taki's weakness in his face, leading the latter to his Let's Get Dangerous! moment.
  • In the Devil Bats vs Dinosaurs game, after Hiruma got sacked by Gaou, Musashi taunted the other first-years by saying he's the only one tough enough to take the quarterback's place, which simply meant he wanted to risk being the one to be injured by Gaou next.
• Humble Hero: After his return, his kicks were one of the key reasons why the Devil Bats weren't crushed by the likes of the Naga and the White Knights, but Musashi never tried to draw attention to himself.
• Hypocrite: Promptly subverted. Once, Musashi told the first-years not to smoke, as smoking would diminish their lung capacities, which're vital for athletes... while smoking himself all the time. The Ha-ha brothers called Musashi out on it. He conceded the point and immediately burned all of his cigarettes in flames.
• I Am Not Left-Handed: His kick had a limiter, meaning he held back during kickoffs so the ball didn't fly over to the end zone and result in a touch back. Sena lampshaded how unbelievable the devil's big cannon wasn't at full power.
• Important Haircut: Played for Laughs. However, he kept that Anime Hairdo until the epilogue.
• Improbable Aiming Skills: Downplayed. Musashi's kicks were accurate, but his accuracy wasn't as good as Kotaro's. Musashi's main strengths were that his kicks were too powerful to block and he was impossible to unnerve.
• The Leader: To his family business, at least. He's a solid one, too, willing to sacrifice his own well-being (leading to his Mangst) for his employees. Later, he apparently served as this in the Takekura Construction Babel as well.
• Mangst: He really wanted to return to the team, but couldn't do it because he must tend to his family business and take care of its employees while his father stayed in the hospital. It was the source of lots of his inner turmoil.
• Manly Man: Stubble and general hairiness? Check. Muscular physique? Check. Manly occupation? Check. Mangst? The main source of his inner turmoil. Also, his nickname is ''Musashi''. He was even voted the manliest by the fans!
• Meaningful Name: "Gen" literally means serious. It's quite fitting.
• Mighty Glacier: Not to the same level as Kurita. Still, Musashi's stats suggested that he'd above-average strength, but was as good as Yukimitsu in terms of speed. It didn't matter, though, as a kicker doesn't need to run around the field.
• Nerves of Steel: No pressure will shake him. He kicks and if you don't snap it, he scores. Even if you snap it, he might still score. Yes, even if you snap it by crushing through three of his team's linemen.
  Musashi (Stoic): Mm. Were you trying to do something?
  Akaba: ... Interesting.
• Only Sane Man: When you put someone who's The Stoic and Wise Beyond Their Years alongside the likes of Hiruma, Kurita and the Devil Bats' first-years, he probably couldn't help but become this.
• Perma-Stubble: Part of the reason he looks much older than he actually is. He briefly shaved it when he showed up in the Devil Bats vs Wild Gunmen game.
• The Stoic: Unlike the other smart members of the Devil Bats, Musashi had no quirks like Mamori's cream puffs fixation or Yukimitsu's fear of his mom. He just had a good head on his shouldera. Most of the time, he reacted to Hiruma's antics with a cool face.
  • Not So Stoic: When he loudly admitted that he really did want to return to the Devil Bats.
• Straight Man: He plays this to Hiruma's antics, although he's clearly amused by several of them.
• Team Dad: Not as much as Hiruma, but Musashi regularly provided advice to the first-years.
• This Is Unforgivable!: Briefly said this in the game against the Naga, when Hiruma told Sena to continue blitzing Agon, even though Sena's legs were reaching their limits and he'd risk crippling his legs.
• True Companions: With his employees. In the Devil Bats vs Wild Gunmen game, things were looking real bleak for the Bats. They would lose if they couldn't score a field goal, which could mean the end of their Christmas Bowl dream. Musashi and his father were watching it on a TV at the hospital... and then their employees showed up, asserted that they could take care of themselves without Musashi, and told him to go help his friends.
• Unskilled, but Strong: At the time of the founding of the Devil Bats, Musashi was the only member of the founding trio to know nothing about american football. He drew the attention of Hiruma and Kurita because of his ridiculously powerful legs. Musashi did learn more techniques from then on, though.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: With Hiruma. He was also the only non-one-sided version of this. When everyone was afraid of the quarterback's antics, Musashi would simply ask him to cut the crap, even though he knew it was impossible.
• Wise Beyond Their Years: He sometimes offered emotional guidance for the first-year players when they needed it. It nicely complemented Kurita's enthusiastic leadership and Hiruma's strategic one.
• Worthy Opponent: Kotaro regarded Musashi as this.
• Younger Than They Look: Lampshaded all the freaking time. Hiruma's nickname for him is "fucking geezer".

Sakaki Doburoku

Voiced by: Shōichiro Akaboshi (JP), Arturo Mercado (MEX)

An old man with a weakness for drink who taught Kurita, Hiruma, and Musashi a few things about football. Back in college, he played football alongside Gunpei Shoji, coach of the Ojo White Knights.

Position: Coach

---

• The Alcoholic: Played for Laughs, despite being the reason he can't hold on to his money or his job.
• Bash Brothers: Was this with Shoji during their highschool.
• Can't Catch Up: He is past his prime but his experience made compensated for it for most of the manga, however before the Christmas Bowl he admits that he can't train them anymore since they are simply too advanced and need personal coaching of equal or higher level to progress now.
• Career-Ending Injury: During his college days he inflicted some kind of horrendous strain injury on his knee while on the Death March with Shogun (he was trying to push the truck by himself and refused to give up) which ended his football career and left him with a hideous scar on his leg.
• Cool Old Guy: During his more serious moments. Despite being a Dirty Old Man and The Alcoholic, he's extremely good at what he does.
• Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: The team had doubts about his training ability at first, but he quickly proved them wrong.
• Dirty Old Man: He's introduced teaching beach football to hot girls instead of searching for good football players for Hiruma as he should have done.
• The Gambling Addict: He stayed in America to avoid debt collectors after losing 2 million yen in horse races until Hiruma managed to gamble and pay back his debt so he would be the Devil Bats' coach and trainer. After betting the Devil Bats against the Shinryuuji Naga in the Kantou Tournament with the odds being 170 to 1 as a way to put his faith into the team, he becomes a millionaire after the Devil Bats won... only to lose it all by betting all the won money on the Taiyo Sphinx against the dark horse Hakushuu Dinosaurs.
• I Coulda Been a Contender!: He seems to be taking it well, though.
• Jack of All Stats: Back when he was a player, Doburoku's position is a Tight End, somebody who can perform multiple roles depending on the situation.
• The Mentor: To the whole team, he is also the one that taught Sena the Devilbat Ghost.
• The Medic: He was really good at numbing pain and treating muscle aches. It makes sense since his career ended because he overworked his body in a dangerous way.
• Old Master: Plays this role for the team, complete with twisty and outlandish (but extremely effective) training methods.
• Miniature Senior Citizens: He's portrayed as being shorter than even Sena and Monta. However, he also mentioned that his lack of height as a player was also a problem even when he was in his prime.
• Odd Friendship: Subverted, at first it was odd that him and Shoji used to be buddies. As the manga went on it revealed that Ojo's coach was way more wild in his youth.
• Training from Hell: Doburoku once partook in the Death March alongside Shouji and the rest of the Sengoku FC where his American Football career ended due to sustaining a fatal leg injury. He later subjects the Devilbats to the same training in order to get them up to par with the superhuman teams of Kanto in the span of 40 days.
• Welcome to Hell: Makes it clear that the Death march is not only straining but dangerous and can ruin their body forever before asking them if they'll volunteer for this trip to Hell.

Suzuna Taki (瀧 鈴音)

"With his own strength, he turned the lie into a reality... Sena..."

Voiced by: Shoko Nakagawa (JP); Christine Byrd (MEX, 22 and 33 - 104 epi.), Yectli Barrero Palestino (MEX, 105 - 145 epi.)

A perky yet levelheaded young woman, Suzuna was constantly looking out for her idiotic older brother, Natsuhiko. She bumped into Sena when the latter was undergoing the Death March, and swiftly became friend with him. Once her brother decided that he would like to join the Devil Bats, Suzuna came along and supported the gang until they finished their Training from Hell. When they were back to Japan, Suzuna joined the team as the head cheerleader while recruiting a sizable group of girls to back her up, providing emotional support for the Devil Bats on the field. She, together with Sena and Monta, later went to the Enma University.

• Position: Head Cheerleader
• Height: 151 cm (4' 11")
• Weight: 41 kg (90 lbs)
• Blood Type: B
• Birthday: March 31
• 1st Year Student (Grade 10)

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• A-Cup Angst: Regularly Played for Laughs.
• Adaptational Early Appearance: In the anime, she's introduced in a filler episode after the Deimon vs Taiyou match, working part-time for a newspaper to find out Eyeshield 21's identity, while in the manga she didn't appear until halfway through the Death March.
• Annoying Younger Sibling: Inverted. She found her older brother Natsuhiko totally annoying because of his antics (not that you can blame her for it), but she still cared about him. She did sometimes act like this to Mamori, however.
• Audience Surrogate: Among all the regular members of the Devil Bats, she was likely the one who was the least savvy about football. As a result, Suzuna often asked questions that readers less familiar with football would ask.
• Berserk Button: Don't remind Suzuna of her cup size and height (or lack thereof).
• Catchphrase: "YA!!!"
• Character Development: Hers was subtle. At first, she came off as a snarky Shorttank who acted like the little sister to the team. Over the course of the story, she grew alongside Sena. By the finale, she behaved more like an equal to the others on the Enma Fires.
• Crash-Into Hello: The way she and Sena first met. The gang of Texan bikers brought Sena to the scene. The girl came skating down. The two crashed into each other... with Suzuna ending up on Sena.
• Curtains Match the Windows: Blue hair and blue eyes.
• The Cutie: Just look at her!
• Deadpan Snarker: She provided quite a lot of dry commentary during the sillier scenes.
  Sena: I've maybe thought of a countermeasure against Sakuraba! ... In this situation, Kurita should mark Sakuraba!
  Nearly All of the Devil Bats: Woooooooooh!!
  Musashi and Jumonji (Deadpan): No, that's impossible.
  Suzuna: We can easily know who's in the smart squad and who's in the idiot squad in our team, right...
• First-Name Basis: Got into this with Sena right after they met. It was partly because she didn't want to be referred to as a "Taki" and thus become associated with her idiotic older brother.
• Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: The Responsible Sibling to Taki's Foolish Sibling.
• Fragile Speedster: She never went onto the field, of course. But judging from the fact that she was built like Sena and even faster than the latter when she's on rollerblades, she could still be considered this.
• Friend to All Living Things: Or to Cerberus and Pig-Berus, at least.
• Genki Girl: She's nice, enthusiastic, and can make friends with pretty much anyone, even a gang of bikers somewhere around San Antonio. An extra material revealed that, among the Devil Bats, Suzuna was the one who had the largest number of friends.
• The Heart: Especially to Sena.
  (Suzuna handed Sena his helmet, to prepare for the final kick-off against the White Knights.)
  Sena: Thanks, Suzu... (Noticed that Suzuna's hands were shaking) na...?
  Suzuna: Don't say it. I know already. Even though I'm the cheer captain, I can't help shaking. I know already. During the match against the Wild Gunmen, it was like right now. In the end the victory was to be decided on the last kick-off. We lost. I don't want to see a second time everyone being so sad. I can... do nothing but cheering! Sena, you must... You must...!!
  Sena (Patted her on the shoulder): It's alright. We'll win, Suzuna.
• Idiot Hair: She uses it as a Shipper on Deck radar.
• Implied Love Interest: To Sena, to pretty much exactly the same degree that Mamori is to Hiruma. And like those two, they ended up going to university together at the end of the series, with Suzuna still the head cheerleader of Sena's team.
• Large Ham: She briefly developed a rivalry with "Machine Gun" Sanada because of this. She also out-hammed Horide during the match against Seibu by using Hiruma's machine gun.
• The Leader: Among the cheerleaders.
• Little Miss Snarker: Could come off as this due to her status as a first-year and petite figure.
• Meet Cute: The scene she and Sena first met was more or less made of this trope. The two were a couple of inches away from kissing. Not helping was that the gang of Texan bikers were chanting "C'mon, hug! Kiss! Hug!"
• Modesty Shorts: She wore this beneath her skirts.
• Nice Girl: Which was part of what made her interactions with Sena so adorable.
• The Nicknamer: She almost never calls anyone by their real names. She even nicknamed the nicknamer Hiruma, calling him "Yoo-Nii", which's a pun on his name, Yoichi, and the Japanese words for "brother elf", referring to his pointy ears. Strangely enough, the only exception is Sena.
• Plucky Girl: She was brave enough to go around the USA looking for Natsuhiko alone and to affectionately nicknamed even Hiruma. The latter act astonished Sena and Monta.
• Pom-Pom Girl: She is the main cheerleader of the team and with a whole squad she recruited...that is more developed than her.
• Real Women Don't Wear Dresses: Averted. She respected Mamori for her lady-like attitude. While her moral support was a strong help for Sena, Mamori was more useful than her when it came to football tactics.
• Rollerblade Good: Suzuna was very good with roller skates, and seldom seen without them... even in her cheerleader uniform. It was shown that when she's on her rollerblades, she's faster than Sena (although admittedly they were going downhill at the time).
  • She can even Ice Skate pretty well.
• Sailor Fuku: Often seen wearing one with a white blouse and a blue pleated Magic Skirt.
• She Cleans Up Nicely: Not that she's ugly by any stretch, but Sena takes notice that she looks gorgeous in the dress she wears in the Christmas Bowl after party.
• She Is All Grown Up: A rather subtle case. She's physically still a petite girl by the finale, but she had become notably calmer and less of a little sister figure.
• Shipper on Deck: Was the patron saint of Hiruma/Mamori. She's shown moving her hair like antennae whenever some shippable interaction was happening between the two.
• Ship Tease: She has so much subtext with Sena you can touch it.
• Shorttank: Her dynamics with Sena and Monta. Off-field, the three of them were frequently seen hanging out with each other, and when Sena or Monta said something dumb, Suzuna was often there to deliver the snark.
• Sixth Ranger: Technically to the entire Devil Bats team; it's easy to forget that Suzuna was the only member of the team who didn't actually go to Deimon (she went to Sukeito City High School).
• Tomboy and Girly Girl: Formed such a duo with Mamori. She's the cutesy cheerleading Girly Girl during matches and the snarky Shorttank Tomboy outside them.
• Tomboy with a Girly Streak: It was more like that she didn't have a problem with being girly or tomboyish depending on the context.
• Tsurime Eyes: To Mamori's Tareme Eyes.

Cerberus

Voiced by: Masami Iwasaki (JP), Jesús Barrero (MEX)

A fierce mongrel dog who sleeps outside the Devil Bats' locker room. Not quite Hiruma's pet, but the two use each other for mutual benifit.

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• A Day In The Lime Light: In the anime, the episode featuring the Devil Bats' flight to the USA is focused on him, as he's mistaken by a girl's plush doll that looks just like him and is used by a pair of thieves to hide a stolen jewel.
• Angry Guard Dog
• Big Eater
• Butt Biter: To Sena and Monta, used for Training from Hell.
• Hellhound: A parody of this trope. One graph shows that his power is above Godzilla.
• Mascot: Frequently play this role alongside the Devil Bat.
• Name To Run Away From Really Fast: Named after Cerberus, the guard dog of hell in Greek Myth. Oh, boy, he certainly lives up to that name.
• Team Pet: He is a wild dog who stays with Hiruma because it's easier for him to get food that way and not a pet, he still fits the part.

Satake and Yamaoka

Voiced by: Kyohito Kawano and Shinogiki Hiroshi respectively (JP); Ernesto Lezama and Víctor Covarrubias (MEX)

Two guys from the basketball team who were blackmailed into acting as support players. Not much to say about them, but Satake once stole underwear from the girls' swim team locker room (which turned out to belong to the cleaning lady), and Yamaoka is a fanboy of Ai Kago from Morning Musume.

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• All Men Are Perverts: They are both distracted by the Yuuhi Guts manager's bloomers to listen to Hiruma and acts like Abhorrent Admirer with Mamori. Make sense as being perverts is how Hiruma blackmails them.
• Flat Character: They are just there to fill up the remaining defensive spots on the field.
• Panty Thief: How Hiruma blackmails Satake into joining the club.
• Those Two Guys: They never get any development.

Futoshi Omosadake

Voiced by: DJ TARO (JP), Ricardo Méndez (MEX)

A sumo club member who is so lazy, he can't even be bothered to open his eyes. When Sena and Natsuhiko took the wrong bus to the game with the Amino Cyborgs, he was dragged in as a stand-in, and has since stayed on as a support player.

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• Big Eater: His only notable trait as a sumo wrestler, other than his laziness.
• Catchphrase: "What a pain..."
• Eyes Always Shut: And pretty strange eyes, as he's a Gonk. He doesn't look that ugly when he opens them though.
• Gonk: Makes it very clear he's not a serious or important character.
• Stout Strength: He is a pure weight based lineman.