Eyeshield 21 Shinryuji Naga / Characters

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General

The nine-time Kanto Regional champions and nine-time runners-up at the Christmas Bowl, the Shinryuji Naga had earned themselves a reputation within Kanto for nigh invincibility. Although the team's power was once thought to be waning, the recruitment of twins Unsui and Agon Kongo and ace Cornerback Ikkyu Hosakawa put the Naga back on the top in a big way. By the time of the series' main event, the Naga, with the power of the Kongo twins, were aiming for the tenth Kanto Regional championship and victory at Christmas Bowl. They were the Devil Bats' first opponents during the Kanto Regional, and lost to the latter after a very tough battle. Also, the Shinryuji highschool had a history with the Devil Bats' founders - Hiruma, Musashi, and Kurita, who intended to attend Shinryuji before Agon and the team's coach Sumito Sendoda refused to allow Kurita entrance.

The Ace: Of Kanto, but not Japan.
Badass Crew: Nine-time Kanto Regional champions who wiped the floor with nearly everyone.
Catchphrase: "Shishi Hokoutou" (which in Japanese literally means "a lion fighting a hare"), a proverb which means using your full strength even against weak opponents.
Combination Attack: The Dragonfly formation used by Agon and Unsui, which later evolved into the Golden Dragonfly involving three players (the Kongo twins plus Ikkyu) passing to each other.
Curb-Stomp Battle: They were well-known for inflicting this. But they were on the receiving end of it when they faced the Alexanders at the Christmas Bowl.
Disc-One Final Boss: The Naga had tons of build-up, status as the undefeated Kanto champions, the presence of the utterly detestable Agon, plus Hiruma, Kurita and Musashi's history with the team. They had "final challengers" written all over them... then they were taken out in the first round of the Kanto Regional, by the Devil Bats.
The Dreaded: Everyone was terrified of facing the Naga, and the other teams present breathed a visible sigh of relief when the Naga drew the Devil Bats as their first opponents.
I Am Not Left-Handed: At the time of the series' main event, the Kongo brothers' combination play was their new and best trump card, but they won most of their games without it. At first, it was because Sendoda wanted to keep it hidden until Fall, but was forced to go all-out with it when Ojo were winning (thanks to the Golden Generation and Shin). The brothers made a comeback and got instant fame (especially Agon). Afterwards, the Naga not going all-out was mostly due to Agon never playing unless he felt like and Sendoda not wanting to upset the once-in-a-century genius. Averted during their match with the Devil Bats, where they went all-out from the beginning.
Master of All: The Shinryuji Naga was a very well-rounded team.
Mythical Motifs:
- Well, Eastern Dragon, in case you haven't noticed.
- Given that "Shinryuji" literally means Temple of the Dragon God and that they're a Buddhist school, it's no surprise that Buddhist Motifs are all over the place.
One-Gender School: The Shinryuji Highschool is an all-boy Buddhist school.
Opposing Sports Team: Downplayed. Most of the Naga, including star players like Unsui, Ikkyu and Yamabushi were pleasant enough if overconfident. It's the presence of the sociopathic Agon that made them antagonistic.
Planet of Hats: Subverted. As Japan has a long Buddhist heritage, a Buddhist highschool with a giant Buddha statue and meditation rooms isn't implausible.
Real Men Love Jesus: Agon definitely didn't, but all the other members of the Naga were regularly seen engaging in meditation and other Buddhist spiritual practices. Shinryuji students admitted that Sendoda's meditation class wasn't really a part of the highschool program, though.
Running Gag: Except for Agon and Unsui, the Naga were not good at interacting with girls.
Warrior Monk: The Eastern variant of this served as their Motifs.
The Worf Effect: The Shinryuji's offscreen defeats by the Alexanders in the previous nine year's Christmas Bowls were used to show just how powerful the latter were.
Worf Had the Flu: Agon was benched half-way through the Naga-Alexanders game the previous fall, after punching one of his own teammates. While that might not have been enough to make the Naga lose, it certainly helps to explain why the score was as one-sided as it was.

Agon Kongo (金剛阿含)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/agon_6.jpg

"Well, even though that means you've just become a 15 from a 10, in comparison to my 100."

The ace player of the Shinryuji Naga. Agon had The Gift, which caused him to become a genius in both academics and athletics, who could competently play any position in football. His skills were so great his presence alone made it sufficient for the Naga to trample upon nearly all teams. However, having spent all his life hailed as "the genius of the century", Agon also developed into an arrogant, sociopathic Jerk Jock who's almost devoid of any empathy. With that, he tormented his older brother Unsui and teammates, looking down on those who lacked natural talents. Agon once worked with Hiruma before the main events of the series, but he ruined the tentative friendship to prevent Kurita, whom he saw as "trash", from joining the Naga. The two later amended this relationship at the Youth World Cup, where Hiruma's effective tactics against Team America made Agon (grudgingly) admit that the players he regarded as "trash" had their values.

Position: Many. Quarterback, Wide Receiver, Running Back...
Jersey: 2
40-yard dash: 4.6 seconds
Bench Press: 120 kg (265 lbs)
Height: 175 cm (5' 9")
Weight: 67 kg (148 lbs)
Birthday: May 31
2nd Year Student (Grade 11)

Academic Athlete: He's the ace player of his football team, while having the best grades.
The Ace: A gifted prodigy in both academics and athletics, he is so good at everything he rarely put effort in anything, and apparently, he doesn't need to rest.
All Work vs. All Play: He was All Play, while his brother Unsui was All Work. Was.
Aloof Big Brother: Inverted. His perfection gave his older brother a raging inferiority complex.
Always Someone Better: Clifford served as this to him. No matter how many times Agon tried, Clifford always effortlessly trounced him whenever he tried to take him down.
Ambiguously Brown: Though anyone who read or watched Eyeshield past the Sphinx match will know there's no point basing the characters' ethnicity off their physical appearances, quite a few newcomers to the series assume Agon is black. Not helping was that, in the colored illustrations, his skin color varies from being the same shade as everyone else's to being the token brown guy. The anime goes with him being tan.
Annoying Younger Sibling: Replace "annoying" with "sociopathic" and he is basically a twisted version of this trope to Unsui. This was especially notable in his first appearance, where he came off more as a cocky pervert then a full-on sociopath.
Arch-Enemy: To Hiruma. Agon's a dick to everyone on general principle, but with Hiruma, it's very personal, stemming from their former sort-of friendship and Agon's decision to keep Kurita from entering Shinryuji. Hiruma's gunning for the Naga generally, and Agon in particular, long before the Kanto Regional, while Agon's goal throughout their match was to remind Hiruma of "just how worthless he and his friends are", to quote Agon's own words.
Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy: It doesn't help that Agon has every right to be arrogant.
Ax-Crazy: Occasionally. He seemed to believe he's too good for ethics.
Badass Boast: And he gets bonus point for doing this ALL THE TIME.
Naga Player: His merit card just says "Let me enter."
Bash Brothers: With Unsui and ex-friend Hiruma as tagteam football players.
Berserk Button: Don't ignore him. Don't look down on him. Just don't do anything to imply he is not the best, really. Hiruma took a lot of pleasure in smashing every single one of his buttons during their match.
Big Brother Bully: Inverted. Agon picked on his older brother Unsui.
Unsui: Not 99%, but 100% victory. Widening the score gap to 20 points or more, making sure the opponents have no chance to make a comeback, and winning. That's our plan.
Agon (Death Glare): ... Your brains and mine. Which do you think is better?
Other Naga Players: ... (Exchanged nervous glances.)
Unsui: ...... Alright.
Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: When he wanted to get into girls' pants, by turning on his charm and social skills on and faking kindness. And when his facade didn't work on Mamori, he quickly showed his nasty, true colors.
Born Winner: And he will never allow you to forget about it.
Break the Haughty: Being defeated by the Devil Bats, and later Yamato, kicked start the lengthy process of shattering Agon's better-than-thou attitude, a process that was sped up when Clifford and Mr. Don gave him a look in the mirror during the Youth World Cup.
Brilliant, but Lazy: He almost never practiced, and was always flirting with women or goofing off. The Naga's coach allowed it because Agon was really that talented.
Broken Ace: He had the best grades in the entire cast and great social skills (when he bothered with that sort of stuffs), was popular with girls and hailed as the most talented athlete of a century. He's also a huge douche. This didn't make his actions excusable, but it's easy to see how Agon grew into such a jerk when you consider he had been called a prodigy his whole life with nothing to prove otherwise.
The Bully: A fairly brutal one, Agon savaged any one he felt he can prey upon. Sena mentioned that while he had met bullies and scary people like Hiruma and Habashira all his life, Agon was simply evil.
Bullying a Dragon: C'mon, Agon, did you really think it would be that easy to take down the number one quarterback in the entire world? When Agon called Clifford trash and attempted to tackle him, Clifford made it very clear that he didn't even consider Agon someone worth paying attention to before delivering him and Ikyuu an effortless curbstomp. Agon spent the rest of the game getting soundly defeated by Clifford whenever he tried to take him down one-on-one.
The Casanova: The bad, love 'em and leave 'em kind.
Character Development: He never really stopped being a smug, insufferable jerk, but in the final match against Team America, he actually started to enjoy playing football. He also seemed to recognize Kurita's true strength at last when Kurita saved his ass from Mr. Don not holding a grudge at all. It was apparent that Agon trusted Kurita as a lineman from then on.
Characterization Marches On: In Agon's first appearance, spectating the first Devil Bats vs White Knights match with the rest of the Naga, he was sarcastic, disrespectful and a little bit perverted, but otherwise completely unlike The Sociopath who's The Dreaded to both his opponents and his teammates. At a point, Unsui even smacked Agon on the head with their pair of binoculars when he caught the latter perving at Mamori, which was inconceivable with the later characterization.
Chekhov's Gunman: Introduced during the Devil Bats' second game and later outed as one of the worst antagonists in the series.
Chick Magnet: He's very popular with women despite... eve ry thing about him.
Consummate Liar: His complete lack of morals made it easy for him to lie to anyone whenever he felt like it.
Crippling Overspecialization: Discussed at one point. Agon thinks that a perfect team need only consist of 22 Agons (and given that he's able to play any position, this might be true). Hiruma, on the other hand, snidely remarks that a team consisting of one kind of player is easier to stop than a team with different kinds of players. Agon is clearly pissed at this.
Curb-Stomp Battle: Pulled Mizumachi's arm out of socket and single-handedly beat up Habashira's gang of thugs. He later came to the receiving end of this when he faced Clifford in the World Cup, though.
Defeat Means Friendship: "Friendship" is probably too strong a word, but losing to the Devil Bats ultimately (well, after a period of hating them even more) caused Agon's attitude towards the Bats to mellow. After playing on the National Team alongside some of the Bats (which he never would have done without having lost to them in the first place), Agon ended up respecting, if not liking, Sena, Hiruma, and Kurita.
The Dreaded: During the build-up to the Kanto Arc, Sena, and anyone who wasn't Hiruma, were terrified of him. Even his own teammates trembled in his presence. During the Youth World Cup Arc, he instilled the same fear in a number of opposing players, but he was at the receiving end of this from Mr. Don.
Dreadlock Rasta: Subverted. Though he was constantly referred to as "the reggae head", Agon attended a Buddhist school.
Enemy Mine: During the World Cup. Really, Agon was a lot easier to handle when he's calling the other team trash, especially against Clifford.
Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: When he was about to be decimated by Mr. Don (who'd almost hospitalized a giant like Gaou), Agon thought that even if Kurita could he probably would let him get sacked for what'd happened between them. Yet, Kurita showed up at the last moment and stopped Don, even having more resolve because he'd to protect Agon.
Evil Duo: Used to work with Hiruma years ago. They weren't exactly on good terms even back then, and claimed they were pretty much just using each other. Agon also formed a pseudo-friendship with Gaou during the World Cup.
Evil Former Friend: To Hiruma, with the caveat that they were both pretty evil to start with. They also both denied the "friendship" part. But given how well they worked together and Agon's wish that Hiruma was his physical equal, it was fairly clear that their relationship meant something to both of them.
Evil Is Petty: Aimed a football at Sena's right eye, threw a football at Torakichi's knees, stole a car, threatened injury on Kid and Hiruma whilst driving the said car, snatched a scholarship from Kurita, shoved Mamori to the ground, called you a fat loser when you're down and gave his older brother noogies. Let's not forget about his underage drinking and promiscuity.
Evil Laugh: "Fufufu". It's more of a snicker.
"Facing the Bullets" One-Liner: It probably wouldn't have killed Agon but just sent him to the hospital. Still, when Don was about to crush Agon, all the latter could say was: "Aah, so this ends so easily, damn it".
Financial Abuse: Implied to be using his girlfriends for their money.
Foil:
- To Hiruma. While Hiruma's sole asset was his mind and his evil was mostly an act, Agon played based entirely on instinct and his cruelty was bone-deep.
- To Shin — Shin is a brilliant and hardworking Humble Hero while Agon is a Brilliant, but Lazy Smug Super.
- To Yamato — Both of them are confident geniuses with special talents outside speed and strength (inhuman reaction time and perfect body balance respectively), but the latter was a respectful Nice Guy while the former was a full-on Jerkass.
Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: While Unsui is respectful and always at practices, Agon is quite arrogant to the point he believes he doesn't need to go to practices.
For the Evulz: Agon did not especially enjoy football. He simply liked "putting people in their place". Which, of course, was below him.
Riko (Sweating nervously): Now, next! "What is your reason for playing american football?"
Agon (Slasher Smile): ... I want to crush people just like that. I thought I'd show commoners that their efforts are useless. In the face of true talents.
Freudian Excuse: Subverted, sure he was being called a once in a century genius so that explains his ego but his hatred of everyone he considers trash and overt violence is just him enjoying it.
Genius Bruiser: Brutally strong and nigh impossible to fool or trick.
The Gift: Born with the ability to become a champion in anything with minimal effort.
Hiruma (To Sena): You probably know this already, but... that fuckin' dreads' (Agon) confidence isn't anything like arrogance or carelessness. Kongo Agon is a true genius.
Glad He's On Our Side: Sena and Monta lampshaded this during the World Cup.
The Glasses Come Off: He removed his shades to seduce girls. With them, he looks either like a smug douchebag or a psycho.
Goggles Do Nothing: Though the ones he wore at the start of the Kanto Tournament were crazy expensive.
Gold Digger: When asked what the most expensive thing he'd ever bought was, Agon replied that his girlfriends bought him anything he wants. For example, his goggles alone cost $350.
Good Eyes, Evil Eyes: His eyes are normally quite beady, but he could actually make them look almost moe when he put on his good guy act.
Hard Work Hardly Works: Being loved by the gods and given a reaction time almost out of humans' boundary, Agon never needed to work hard and took great pleasure in seeing people who, despite all their efforts, couldn't do anything against sheer talents.
Heel–Face Turn: Downplayed. Agon never stopped being unpleasant, but during the Youth World Cup, he mellowed a little bit, discovered genuine enjoyments of football, and made the first step towards repairing his relationship with Hiruma. He also showed some level of empathy, putting himself in Kurita's shoes, and challenging Unsui to do more with life than to follow him. He was still a bastard, but we were a long way from the jerk who threw a ball in the face of a handicapped grade-schooler.
Heel Realization: During the Youth World Cup, Agon admitted that, after everything he'd done to Kurita, the lineman could hardly be blamed if he just let Mr. Don crush Agon. That was the first time in-series that Agon ever admitted to culpability in anything, as well as the first time he ever successfully saw someone else's point of view.
Hijacked by Ganon: Invoked and averted. Agon sought to join the Teikoku Alexanders in order to gain revenge on the Devil Bats, but he was stopped by Yamato.
Hoist by His Own Petard: He ended up losing to the Devil Bats, a team that he inadvertently created with his antics in stealing Kurita's scholarship.
- On a smaller scale, during the Devil Bats vs Naga game, his attempt to destroy the hopes of Kurita (again) and the Devil Bats by taunting them over how it was game over. The said taunt hammered Sena's Berserk Button, making him angry enough that he wanted to fight Agon. This galvanized the rest of the team, and they really came out swinging in the second half.
- Also, his idea to crush the Devil Bats' hope with the Dragonfly early in the game bit him back because the Bats got the time to counter their best play. Lampshaded by a player from Kansai that if Agon didn't try to create a giant score gap from the get-go and instead went for a steady advance (which Unsui planned to do) the Naga could've won the game.
Hope Crusher: Loved watching someone's dream shattered by geniuses like him or Ikkyu.
Agon: That fat shit (Kurita) actually thought he could get into position in time... (Slasher Smile) Your dreams are over, trash.
Hypocrite: A minor case — though no one in his team dared say it, they pointed out that for an ace player who said they should always go all-out with the strongest card, Agon sure missed a lot of games with all his goofing off.
I Have You Now, My Pretty: Downplayed. During Agon's first appearance, he rather bluntly told Unsui that he wanted to get into Mamori's pants (whilst leering at her through goggles, no less). In his second appearance, Agon... got a bit too touchy when hitting on Mamori and shoved her to the ground when she rejected his advances.
Identical Twin ID Tag: Although Agon didn't like to admit it, he and Unsui are difficult to tell apart once the dreads and shades are done away with.
Instant Expert: Agon can mimic any physical activity as long as he'd watched it even once, an ability used to terrifying effect when he effortlessly did the the Devil Bat Ghost during the Devil Bats vs Naga match. Also, in a flashback, Agon was shown to learn how to ride a bike simply by seeing someone do it and start doing stunts right away.
Insufferable Genius: Take an insufferably big ego and a lack of morality and empathy, mix them with superhuman skills at everything, and you will get Agon.
Irrational Hatred: Towards anyone who's less naturally talented than he is. Agon especially hated Kurita, even though they almost never even talked to each other.
It's All About Me: He was pretty much an ego that walked like a man.
Jerkass: Made of pure, undiluted douche.
Jerk Jock: He basically elevated this into an art form.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Towards Unsui. A flashback showed that Unsui once received a scholarship award he had worked very hard for... only to be told that a mistake was made and the award was actually meant for Agon. After that, Unsui lost his last shred of self-worth and promised to Agon that he'd do everything he could to help Agon, not himself, be the best, coming to believe that to support his genius brother was the sole purpose of his existence. Despite being a generally sadistic asshole who'd gloat over everyone's sufferings, Agon was not amused.
- Another example would be this: During the Spring Naga vs White Knights match, Unsui yelled at Agon through his cellphone for not showing up. Agon just dismissively said he'd get there. When Yamabushi shouted at him for being late due to sleeping with his date, Agon snapped, and promised to kill the Naga if they were not winning before he arrived. Unsui didn't get respect from his brother, but he'd never get death threats, either.
- And again during the World Cup. Seeing Habashira Rui struggle on a field he wasn't prepared for but also refusing to back down from a hopeless battle made him think of Unsui. Normally, Agon would have derided such action, as he loves to see trash fail and give in to despair. But precisely because he was reminded of Unsui, Agon didn't say a goddamn word. He just walked over to the bench and removed his wig and shades, meanwhile making it clear that he was going to take this seriously and challenging his brother for not being out on the field with them, and continued to help Sena back Rui up. Possibly going back to his disappointment that his brother refused to struggle against his fate; if so, it worked, because after the World Cup, Unsui deliberately went to a less prestigious college so he could face off against Agon.
Kick the Dog: His biggest hobby, even when he has no reason other than The Evulz. See Evil Is Petty above for some examples.
Killing Intent: Has quite an evil one at that. During the Devil Bats vs Naga match, it felt more like he was trying to maim someone than to play football.
Knight of Cerebus: At first, the series' tone was lighthearted. Even the likes of Hiruma and Habashira had their shares of comical moments (especially the former, who's mostly a Comedic Sociopath). However, upon Sena's first personal encounter with Agon, we suddenly got scenes where Habashira and his gang were beaten senseless, where Mamori looked like she was going to be raped by Agon, and where Torakichi (a wheelchair-bound grade schooler) had a football thrown at his injured knees. None of these was played for comical effect. After that, the series became quite a bit more serious in general.
Know When to Fold 'Em: He let go of Yamato before he uses his Caesar's Charge, since he knew he couldn't win.
Lack of Empathy: What've been mentioned should make this very obvious.
A Lady on Each Arm: Every time Agon was shown on a date, it's with two girls.
Laser-Guided Karma: When the Devil Bats scored their final two-point conversion and knocked the Naga out of the Kanto Regional, it was Agon's former victim Kurita who pinned him down before he could stop Sena.
Lightning Bruiser: Agon was not the number one in strength or speed, but he's still frighteningly strong and fast. Also, his superhuman reaction time meant that even the fastest players couldn't compete with him easily as Agon would be moving long before they are.
Logical Weakness: His reaction time won't work if he doesn't see the action.
Master of All: Seen the long list of positions he can play?
Meaningful Name:
- "Agon" (in Japanese) is also the name of a collection of Buddhist scriptures. According to some scholars, the said scriptures were meant to be something imparted directly by Buddha himself. How fitting...
- "Kongo" can mean diamond, which alludes to the famous Diamond Sutra.
- "Kongo" is a reference to Kongorikishi, the two wrath-filled and muscular guardians of Buddha. Their statues are often seen at the gates of Buddhist temples. Kongorikishi represent using force to protect one's beliefs and values. Sums up the Kongo twins quite well.
- Agon's name is an allusion to the Kongorikishi that he's based off, Agyo. Agyo represents overt violence.
Mutant: Pretty much. His reaction time is explicitly stated to be inhuman and the result of a freak accident of genetics.
Mythical Motifs: Eastern Dragon. He even had one tattooed on his back.
Noble Male, Roguish Male: The Roguish Male to Unsui's Noble Male.
One-Man Army: He's fast enough and strong enough to play any position, and with his ridiculous reaction time and high intelligence, he can both read opposing plays at high speed and cover the entire field in time to halt them. He's an One Man Opposing Sports Team.
Only in It for the Money: This was his motive for entering the World Cup. Subverted later against Militaria, when Agon decided that he wanted to play seriously to crush the opponents, because the latter's captain shaved off his dreads.
Opposing Sports Team: He can be it all on his own.
Pet the Dog:
- During the Youth World Cup, Agon wished that Hiruma could match him physically so as to make them the ultimate tag team and displayed some sympathy for Unsui, expressing desire for his brother to join him on the field. Given Agon's usual personality, this was huge.
- Also, Agon admitted that Ikkyu would do as a star player in his dream team (with all of the other 10 being copies of himself, though). Ikkyu was also the first name Agon dropped when discussing players for Team Japan with Monta, Sena, Shin and Gaou.
Plot-Powered Stamina: There's no reason why the guy who barely trained had more stamina than a team who pushed a truck for 2000 km. Agon's just born with it, as with his reaction time.
Politically Incorrect Villain:
Agon: What are you guys, a bunch of homos with a fat fetish?
Pretty Fly for a White Guy: His dreadlocks, gold chain, and baggy clothes gave him this look. He doesn't hae the lingo and his attitude is more of a psychopath than a gangster wannabe though.
Product Placement: Beginning in the Kanto Tournament, sunglasses aficionados will notice that he had started wearing Oakley Juliet sports goggles with Ice Iridium lenses.
Really Gets Around: Agon was usually seen having fun with a girl... or several of them, instead of going to practice or even watching official games.
Sadist: He seemed to genuinely enjoy being a dick to everyone.
Scary Shiny Glasses: As well as being Sinister Shades.
Secret Weapon: His first official game was five minutes before the end of a match again Ojou's golden generation, he and Unsui turned the tables and everyone noted that Agon was truly blessed.
Sibling Team: With Unsui. Their instinctive teamplay gave birth to the Dragonfly formation, which later evolved into the Golden Dragonfly.
Sibling Yin-Yang: Agon and his brother Unsui couldn't be more different if they tried.
Signature Move:
- His chops, and the Dragonfly formation he did alongside Unsui. He also learnt the Devil Bat Ghost halfway through the Devil Bats vs Naga game.
- His God-speed Impulse (sort of) counted as a passive move as well.
Sinister Shades: Helped that they're opaque 90% of the time. He even wore them on the field.
Slasher Smile: If you do see Agon smile, the chance is very high that it's because he is going to do or say something nasty. Like this, for instance.
Smug Snake: Until he got his ass handed to him by the Devil Bats.
The Sociopath: He definitely has the Lack of Empathy, Hair-Trigger Temper, Consummate Lying, and Self-centredness down pat.
Sore Loser: When the Devil Bats beat Agon, he grew to hate them even more for a while.
Spotlight-Stealing Squad: During the World Cup, the plot focused more on him and Gaou than on the Devil Bats.
Super-Reflexes: Explicitly referred to as possessing such, though the story is careful to separate them from his equally superhuman reaction time.
Tall, Dark, and Snarky: An evil variation of this, as he's not just snarky, but The Sociopath.
Tattooed Crook: Had a dragon tattoo on his back. He wasn't a criminal, but still...
Token Evil Teammate: On the Naga, and even more so during the World Cup. Agon was probably still this even on the Saikyodai Wizards university team.
Trash Talk: Took this to quite literal levels, with his obsession with comparing "inferior" players to trash and so on.
Troperiffic: Hiruma and Mr. Don's sections are gaining ground.
Unnecessary Roughness:
- In the game with the Devil Bats, he tried to permanently injure Sena.
- Agon shoved Hiruma's head onto the ground when the latter tried to stop him, which was obviously intended to be an act of pure jerkassery.
Used to Be a Sweet Kid: There is a small panel late in the manga that shows him and Unsui playing cards together when they were young, that was before people fed Agon's ego by pointing out how gifted he is especially in comparison to his twin brother that Agon became the callous sociopath he is in high school.
Verbal Tic: Referred to most others as "trash", or "losers" in the official manga release.
Villainous Friendship:
- Agon and Hiruma used to be friends. They started trying to rebuild the said relationship during the finals of the World Cup.
- Agon harbored genuine respect for Ikkyu - noting that he was the only Naga player Agon saw as worth keeping around.
Villainous Rescue: He and Hiruma used to stop girls from being molested in subways... because Hiruma wanted the molesters as slaves for his blackmail network, while Agon wanted to date the girls. Agon chewed on Hiruma once for making him save an ugly girl. Agon also saved Gaou from being hospitalized by Mr. Don.
Villain Respect: Sena earned Agon's respect over the course of the game, with Agon eventually acknowledging that Sena was capable of playing at his level, and attending several of the Devil Bats' games afterwards. Hiruma gained his respect during their Enemy Mine in the Youth World Cup, with Agon admitting that they made an excellent combo.
The Worf Effect: When the Devil Bats were about to play against the Alexanders, he was used to show that Yamato, the original Eyeshield 21, might be an even better player.
Would Hit a Girl: Violently shoved Mamori to the ground when she rejected his advance. He also hit one of his dates because she talked while he was on the phone.
Would Hurt a Child: Pitched a ball into the face of a wheelchair-bound grade schooler.
Youngest Child Wins: At everything. His brother Unsui was not amused.

Unsui Kongo

Captain of the Shinryuuji Nagas. A serious, hard-working individual who nevertheless is always in the shadow of his younger brother.

Position: Quarterback
Jersey: 12
40 yard dash: 5.1 seconds
Bench Press: 95 kg
Blood Type: B
Birthday: May 31st
2nd Year Student (Grade 11)
Nickname: Unko-chan (used by Agon only)

All Work vs. All Play: He's the less talented All Work, while his brother is the genius All Play.
Aloof Big Brother: Subverted. He's somewhat aloof, but Agon's the antagonistic, perfect one.
Bash Brothers: With Agon, as they are a sibling tagteam in football.
Catchphrase: "Katsu!", which means something along the lines of "focus" or "concentrate", whenever he feels his team is starting to lose concentration.
The Champion: Part of his Character Development is learning to put his own well-being before Agon's.
Combat Commentator: During the Kanto arc.
Embarrassing Nickname: Although he never comments on it, "Unko-Chan" is an incredibly embarrassing name.
Evil Genius: A cunning quaterback, his game plans aim for victory while Agon aims for total domination.
Extreme Doormat: He always let Agon do whatever he wanted because of how naturally talented he was.
Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: While Unsui is respectful and always at practices, Agon is quite arrogant to the point he believes he doesn't need to go to practices.
Hard Work Hardly Works: The basis of his character. Despite his efforts, Unsui think that he will never be good like his talented brother.
Heroic BSoD: Just as he thought his efforts have finally paid off, he's told that the scholarship he had worked so hard for was meant for his brother. He didn't work any less harder afterwards, but he completely lost any sense of self-worth.
Identical Twin ID Tag: When in football uniform, his lack of hair distinguishes him from Agon.
The Lancer: Self-appointed to Agon, who doesn't think he needs a Lancer at all.
The Leader: He's the levelheaded leader of Shinryuji, although Agon can pretty much take over whenever he wants to.
Meaningful Name:
- His name is a term for someone pursuing enlightenment, usually an apprentice monk. It also goes with Shinryuji's Buddhist motifs.
- Since Agon's the name of scrolls imparted by Buddha and Unsui's the word for an apprentice monk, this implies that it's Unsui's job to follow Agon.
- Kongo is also a reference to Kongorikishi, the two wrath-filled and muscular guardians of the Buddha, whose statues are often seen at the gates of Buddhist temples. Kongorikishi represent using force to protect one's beliefs and values. Sums up the Kongo twins quite well.
  - Unsui's name is an allusion to the Kongorikishi that he's based off, Ungyo. Ungyo represents latent strength.
Morality Pet: Somehow to Agon during the World Cup arc, where it's implied that Agon wants Unsui to stand on his own feet and challenge him. They are flashbacks during the game against Deimon too that hint that Agon doesn't like seeing Unsui lose his self-worth.
Noble Male, Roguish Male: The Noble to Agon's Roguish.
Not So Stoic: There are several moments where he breaks down crying because of his inferiority complex.
Only Sane Man: Especially during the epilogue at Enma, where he finds himself surrounded by the crazier characters. At Shinriyuuji he was the only non perverted man.
Overshadowed by Awesome: In-universe and kind of out too since he was once in a who is the blandest character contest with Ishimaru. He destroys Ojou's defense during the spring tournament and everyone in the crowd just think how even more one sided it would be if Agon was there.
Perpetual Frowner: Not surprising, considering he can't be very happy with his life.
The Resenter: In middle school, towards Agon and his natural talent at just about everything. Then he just gives up.
Sibling Team: With Agon. The Dragonfly formation they use is based on their instinctive teamplay.
Sibling Yin-Yang: He and his brother Agon couldn't be more different if they tried.
The Smart Guy: Both when he is in Shinryuji and when he is in Enma.
The Stoic: As he forces himself to be the Responsible Sibling. When he joins Enma in the epilogue, he's starting to be more genuine.
Straight Man: Both at Shinryuji and at Enma, though in the second case he seems to enjoy himself a lot more.
The Strategist: Shame Agon rarely listen. But when he does, he actually aknowledge his brother as being the most careful person to stop their opponent's life. Doburoku calls him a rascal with a pokerface.
Surrounded by Idiots: Well in the case of Shinryuji, he was surrounded by perverts. At Enma, it seems like he's constantly on the verge of saying this.
The Unfavorite: Pretty much the whole world favors his genius brother Agon.

Ikkyu Hosokawa

"A true number one, only has that title because he is undefeated."

Another Shinryuji powerhouse, Ikkyu tends to be the Butt-Monkey of his own team and can be very shy around girls. However, once he enters the field, he becomes an Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy who can run backwards at high speeds and is unstoppable in the air. He's the team's primary cornerback, and doubles as wide receiver when necessary.

Position: Wide Receiver / Cornerback / Split End
Jersey: 33
40 yard dash: 4.89 seconds (forwards) / 4.9 seconds (backwards)
Bench Press: 65 kg
2nd Year Student (Grade 11)

The Ace: Shinriyuji's second genius, he even deliberately challenged Shin into aerial contest and won, just to show that even Japan's best linebacker can't beat him at his game.
Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy: He's genuinely surprised at the idea that Monta actually believes he can defeat him.
Berserk Button: Challenging or insulting (directly or not) his skill as a cornerback.
Beware the Silly Ones: The senior Naga members like to knock him down a peg but when his pride is seriously on the line they shut up as Ikkyu can get as riled up as Agon over someone besting him.
Butt-Monkey: Of the Nagas, despite being their second best player. The reason is that while he is good, he is still a junior to most of the Nagas, who mocks his I'm-the-best attitude toward his sempais. Unlike Agon, Ikkyu is not a sociopath who can scare them.
Cannot Talk to Women: The best cornerback in Kanto became a total dork around girls.
Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: When he's not being the best cornerback in Japan, he's the Butt-Monkey of his team.
Evil Counterpart: A short, super competitive wide receiver who prides himself on his area of expertise? Who also acts like a total dork around his one-sided crush(es)? Sounds familiar, right Monta?
Keet: Has some shades of being this among the Shinryuji.
Meaningful Name: "Ikkyu" is also the name of a famous Buddhist monk well-known for his contributions to Zen Buddhism and poems.
The Mentor: He became this to Monta before the Deimon-Teikoku match.
Precision F-Strike: Also counts as a Funny Moment.
"If I don't see the same kind of zeal you showed against me, I'LL CRUSH YOUR TINY MONKEY BALLS."
Retcon: Ikkyu originally referred to Agon as "Sempai" implying that he was a first year. 120 chapters later, Ikkyu is said to be a second year.
The Rival: One of Monta's many rivals.
Super-Speed: Ikkyu's running speed is unremarkable, until it's revealed that that's his speed running backwards.
Villainous Breakdown: He can't call himself number one if he lose even once. So every defeat is a massive blow for him.

Gondayu Yamabushi

A third-year and the eldest of the Shinryuji powerhouses. Despite entering Shinryuji on a sports merit scholarship, he's quite humble and tries his best to be the mature one of the team (with mixed results).

Position: Center / Nose Guard
3rd Year Student (Grade 12)

The Big Guy: The main lineman of his team.
Bruiser with a Soft Center: Rivals Kurita in sensitivity. He sheds Manly Tears when he realizes Agon's slowly becoming more of a team player. He later sheds Tender Tears when he realizes he can finally play football with Agon as a serious teammate, right before the Japan vs USA game. On the cover of volume 23 he's even shown sharing tears with Kurita.
Covert Pervert: Is often torn between keeping up his Warrior Monk persona and being a normal, hormone-ridden teenager.
Emotional Bruiser: Which evidently annoys Agon.
Eyes Always Shut: Except when he's especially focused.
Kiai: When he uses his elbow strike.
Not So Stoic: While Yamabushi isn't The Stoic, his reaction to cute girls is... what you would expect from a teenage boy from an One-Gender School.
Perma-Stubble: Part of his Younger Than They Look appearance.
Running Gag: Like most of the Nagas, Yamabushi is not good with girls. Whenever Ikkyu draws everyone's attention, Yamabushi will smack him.
Team Dad: He attempts to be this to the Nagas.
Warrior Monk: His Motifs.
Younger Than They Look: Apparently, he has the worst case of it out of all of Team Japan. And that's saying something.

The Saiyuki Brigade

As the name implies, four players in the Nagas who resemble the main characters of Journey to the West. Mainly act as the plucky comic reliefs.

Position: Linemen (Gojyo, Goku, and Hakkai) and Running Back (Sanzo)

All Men Are Perverts: This applies to all of Shinryuji (other then Unsui).
Big, Thin, Short Trio: Hakkai, Gojyo, Goku.
Covert Pervert: They try to keep the appearance of a serious sports team, but they lose it when they see a cute girl.
Big Guy, Little Guy: Hakkai and Goku.
Camp Gay: Sanzo.
Crossdresser: Sanzo's been known to walk around Shinryuji campus in a girl uniform despite it being an all-boy school. He also wears lipstick.
Elite Mooks: They are strong players, the three linemen have a really strong rush and Sanzo can keep up with the Dragon Fly, but they are just standard Naga level player.
Geek Physique: Gojyo. He looks thinner than Yukimitsu yet like the other members of the line they can put as much pressure as the Sphinx Mighty Glacier.
Incompatible Orientation: Sanzo has a crush on both Ikkyu and Unsui. Ikkyu's obviously straight and Unsui doesn't seem to have any interest in romance all together.
Muscles Are Meaningless: Gojyo and Goku are really skinny for linemen but they are apparently good.
Noblewoman's Laugh: Sanzo does this on several occasions.
Pet Homosexual: While we never see him flirt with other players, the extras show he's very open about his opinions of other players. The only player he doesn't find the least bit attractive is Monta.
Plucky Comic Relief: Either teasing Ikkyu or losing their focus when they see a cute girl.
Shout-Out: To the TV show Monkey more than the original story. For example, Sanzo being a transvestite is a reference to Sanzo being played by a woman in Monkey.
Smart People Wear Glasses: Gojyo.
Stout Strength: Hakkai.
Those Two Guys: They are "those four guys" of Shinryuji.

Characters / Eyeshield 21 Shinryuji Naga

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