This includes the teams and characters that have appeared in the Prince of Tennis anime, and the tropes they embodied.Naturally, this is chock-full of SPOILERS.
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Seishun Gakuen aka Seigaku
Seigaku is a school which once knew glory as, 25 years ago, young Nanjiroh Echizen became its star and led a formerly mediocre team into a fearsome one. However, after Nanjiroh's graduation, the school slowly slipped back into the background, unable to make it into the Nationals until the arrival of talented young people like Kunimitsu Tezuka, Shuusuke Fuji and others. The strongest push comes from Nanjiroh's son, the also insanely talented Ryoma Echizen, whose presence finally gave Seigaku the strength to come back with a vengeance and reach Nationals, taking the Kanto regionals by storm.Here are the most outstanding characters in Seigaku, as well as the tropes associated with them.
Echizen Ryoma
The child of Nanjiroh Echizen (former star of Seigaku, now a somewhat perverted and always cheerful monk who retired from tennis to further his child's career) and Rinko Takeuchi (a sweet-tempered, calm attorney who used to be quite the tomboy in her younger years). Bratty, cocky, somewhat dense in anything not related to tennis, sometimes bordering on Jerkass due to some of his actions - still, he's got some kind of charm that attracts almost everyone in his surroundings. Liking him or not might depend on the canon you're watching, though.Tropes associated with Ryoma:
Big Damn Heroes: Either by winning a decisive match that allows Seigaku to win the current tennis round, or by protecting his friends from being bullied.
Bishōnen: Looks even more like a girl than most other bishonen. Still passable for a guy though.
Boring Invincible Hero: Throughout the entire run, in both the anime and manga, Ryoma has lost matches to less than five people, in spite of the fact that drama preserving handicaps are very frequently employed to make his matches more interesting.
Bratty Half-Pint: Can be stubborn and childish... well, he's only 12, what do you expect?
Bully Hunter: He will not let someone be bullied if he can help it.
When a 12 year old boy is already a 4 time tennis champ (in the US) it's kinda hard not to see it. But still, lots of the accusations come from rabid Atobe and/or Rikkaidai fans... who then go and make themMary Sues.
Troubled, but Cute: Sakuno and Tomoka are crazy for him despite his antisocial tendencies.
What the Hell, Hero?: Some of his actions leave you and his friends all "...wut?!". A huge example comes from the anime, in which he first acts apathetic about Senbatsu and then demands to play against Kevin Smith, which upsets Tezuka to the point of actually slapping him in public. Ryoma doesn't earn his forgiveness until he goes into Pose of Supplication.
Tezuka Kunimitsu
Raised in a very traditional Japanese household (having an ex-police officer as his grandfather and role model pays off), Tezuka is a handsome, serious, no-nonsense leader whose biggest wish is to win the Nationals, ever since as a first-year his Bunny-Ears Lawyer captain made him promise to be the "Pillar Of Seigaku". He's the first one to notice Ryoma, despite his great skills, still had a long way to go, and since then he wants to shape the kid into the future leader of the team. Lots of players admire him and see him as a great rival, especially Fuji, Atobe from Hyoutei and his childhood friend Sanada from Rikkaidai. Has also the misfortune of having a chronic injury plaguing him from his first year...Tropes associated with Tezuka:
Badass Bookworm: Excellent grades, to the point of being able to correct teachers.
Determinator: He has destroyed his arm twice because he just won't give up playing.
Genius Bruiser: As mentioned above, Tezuka is very intelligent, and his rivals such as Fuji and Atobe initially assumed that he was the calculating type on the court. He is also one of the tallest on the team, second to Inui with an intimidating presence. Plus, one of his signature techniques allows him to double the power of an opponent's shot.
The Stoic: Almost never smiles, gets angry, anything. Lampshaded by himself, when Fuji notes he's smiling after the Seigaku wins the Nationals and he asks the other to keep it a secret.
Yamato Nadeshiko: One of the rare male examples... might explain why he's the mother in the Chibi episodes.
Fuji Syuusuke
A cheerful, slightly feminine-looking, always cool young man, Fuji is regarded as possibly the only one, apart of Ryoma, who can surpass Tezuka in terms of skill inside of Seigaku, especially for his use of counters (he has SEVERAL of those, all of them with impossibly cool names). However, he seems to play more for the thrill of the game, rather than to truly win against an opponent; it's not until later that Fuji comes to take tennis as more than a fun, exhilarating way to pass time, learning to truly love the sport. Meanwhile, he helps out his friends and companions as much as he can, with an almost perpetual smile that disappears completely if someone he cares for is in risk...Tropes associated with Fuji:
Ensemble Dark Horse: SCARILY popular in the fandom, the only one who can compare is Atobe.
Extreme Omnivore: Eats extremely spicy food without flinching, and finds Inui's horrendous juices (with the sole exception of the Aozu) more than palatable.
Eyes Always Shut: He is only shown with his eyes open when he gets serious or shocked.
The Only One Allowed to Defeat You: Especially towards Tezuka, who actually acknowledges him as this and encourages him in this direction.
Weak, but Skilled: His lack of physical strength has repeatedly been remarked upon, yet he makes up for it with his incredible techniques. It's quite telling when he's one of the top three players in Seigaku.
Wholesome Crossdresser: In the chibi episodes he's usually portrayed as a female, be it as the grandmother of the Tenipuri family or the pretty girl searching for the "Lone Gunman".
A lot of fanart has him in women's clothing as well, such as "Lady Fuji-ko" which is a non-chibi version of the "Lone Gunman" Fuji, and "Tennis Skirt" which is Fuji playing tennis... in a skirt.
The epitome of bubbly and cheery is this bouncy, cheerful, slightly spoiled boy whose abilities rely on his sharp eyes, his flexibility and his ability to jump high and quick from her to there. He may look ditzy and act like a child sometimes, but if you underestimate him, you will lament it: not just because Eiji is very skillful, but can also have as much willpower and strength as the other players. Is often seen with his close friend Fuji or his partner Oishi, the other half of the "Golden Pair", and to whom he's fiercely devoted (and yes, this is the source of LOTS of Ho Yay, according to fandom - can't blame the fans one bit, though).Tropes associated with Eiji:
Ho Yay: He sometimes acts more like Oishi's girlfriend than partner, with scenes that reminds you a LOT of Romantic Two-Girl Friendship dynamics. Specially in the anime.
Badass Normal While the majority of the Seigaku regulars (and a good amount of characters) rely on fancy techniques and physics-defying moves, Inui relies on good ol' data, athleticism, and determination.
Super Strength: Actually a Deconstructed Trope. He has lots of strength due to his hard work at the family restaurant but it took him years to control it, and the sempai looked down on him for that. Calling him "Homerun guy", telling him to give up or to switch to the baseball team... It really, really didn't mix well with his borderline Shrinking Violet personality.
Team Chef: Well, he was raised by a sushi chef and is expected to take over Kawamura Sushi.
I Can Still Fight: During his match with Oshitari in OVA 8 he runs into a fence and he gets temporarily knocked unconscious, with his head bleeding.
Jack-of-All-Stats: Significantly capable in the areas of power, speed, technique, and mind games, but is not the best in either of these areas. Can also play both singles and doubles.
Lightning Bruiser: He's damn fast and persistent, with enough power to rival Kawamura. Unlike him, he focuses on skill as well.
Expository Hairstyle Change: First, he had long hair that he dyed blond. After the incident described, he cut it short and dyed it back to black. In the Nationals, he keeps his hair short... and dyes it blond again.
The Worf Effect After being stated to be a national-level player on par with Tezuka, he loses very badly against Kirihara. To be fair, he wasn't using his full strength. He also loses to his friend Chitose, who goes on to lose to Tezuka. Could be considered Worf Had The Flu.
It could be argues that this trope applies to Fundomine as a whole. After their arc, a lot of the other rival teams are shown intially defeating Fudomine and thus proving how dangerous they are.
Informed Ability: Said to have skills rivaling that of Fuji's. However, his only major technique is the Spot, which relies on a gradual effect, but can easily be sealed, as Ryoma showed.
Thinking Out Loud: Mumbles to himself a lot. Hilariously invoked in one of his Image songs and the Talk time track of said CD, which is basically him mumbling nonstop.
Bunny-Ears Lawyer: Off-court, he seems primarily concerned with flirting with women. On-court, he's one of the most skilled players in the series, shutting down Kamio's speed and giving Momoshiro a hard time.
Underaged Smoking: In one of the fanbooks there's a section on what some of the characters carry in their bags. It's blurred out, but you can faintly tell that it's a packet of cigerettes. Also, he's 15.
What the Hell, Hero?: To Ryoma in the anime, after his humiliating defeat against Sanada.
The biggest Ensemble Darkhorse among the fandom is this private school majorly attended by kids from rich families, which offers education from kindergarten to university level. Hyotei's strength lies in its strict stratification and merit system, which prioritizes ability only rather than emotion; the tennis club has 200 members selected through very strict methods devised by the coach and music teacher Taro Sakaki. Its captain is Keigo Atobe, whose wealth, charisma and skills are only compared with the Draco in Leather Pants treatment he sometimes gets in fanfiction.
Atobe Keigo
The only son and heir to one of the richer families in Japan, Atobe lived a good part of his life in England and only returned to Japan when it was his turn to attend junior high. Narcissistic, arrogant, self-centered and loud, Atobe isn't only brawns and no brains though - he's also an excellent leader, multi-talented, as well as quite more noble than one would expect from a rich kid who seems to be just the male version of a Rich Bitch in his first apparition. Atobe might have a pretty face, hordes of fangirls in both the story and real life (some of them reaching ridiculous extremes in fandom), but once you see through the facade, you can expect an excellent match and a quite noble rival.Tropes associated with Atobe:
Draco in Leather Pants: Some of his rabid fans often make him a pure, selfless, ultra-pure angel, overlooking the flaws and exaggerations that make him fun in the first place.
Fan Nickname: "Ore-sama", by the fandom. "Monkey King", in canon.
Fanon: It's obvious whether or not a person likes him within the fandom. He's either loved, or hated. Both is really just an exaggeration of his existing qualities.
Fridge Brilliance: Before the Nationals, he hones his insight to create World of Ice, a technique that can see any given player's blind spots. At first, you'd wonder why the creator chose ice. Hyotei actually means 'Ice Emperor'.
Gorgeous George: Fanfiction often flanderize him as one of these.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: So much. The biggest example is "Atobe kara no okurimono", in which he organizes a whole festival to cheer up Kabaji after his beloved older sister gets engaged.
What he spends his allowance on? Treating out his club members.
Magnificent Bastard: Don't let the pretty face fool you. He can be one nasty SOB and do it with style.
Pet the Dog: Is the Magnificent Bastard, but has shown a soft spot for his companion Kabaji and supported Shishido's plight without hesitation or second thoughts. And after he defeats Tezuka, he also acknowledges his deterination and instead of lifting his hand to celebrate, he takes Tezuka's hand and they both lift the together.
Chivalrous Pervert: In the dating sims games. If you choose his routes, he'll equally tease and flirt with the protagonist and help her out when she needs it. The databooks also say that he likes reading romance novels, which would explain a bit.
Heir Tothe Dojo: Comes from a martial arts-centered clan. His ending in Gakuensai no Oujisama game has him actually inviting the lead girl, now his girlfriend, to the dojo so she watch him practice and then meet his family.
Kung-Fu Kid: He bases his tennis style on martial arts.
Important Haircut: Invoked. In the anime, when Ryoma is going to cut Atobe's hair, Taki tries to stop him and offers to have his own beautiful hair cut instead. Ryoma looks like he's considering it, but then Atobe grabs the electric razor and cuts his own hair instead.
Sacrificial Lamb: Subverted. He has to sacrifice his regular spot as he lost to Shishido, he doesn't die because of it.
[[/folder][[folder: Jousei Shounen]]The anime-only team faced after Hyotei. In a sense, they're an Expy of Hyotei, with arrogance, players with similar play-styles, etc.
Hurricane of Puns: The 40.5 fanbook says that he makes 20 puns every morning when he wakes up, almost 80 in a single day or one every 12 minutes. Accordingly, he makes a whopping grand total of 28,775 puns in a year.
Not So Stoic: In the OVA, when Inui is injured by Kirihara and refusing to forfeit, his mask cracks and he begs Inui to do so for his own sake. "Please forfeit, Sadaharu! It's not like I'm enjoying this!"
Evil Counterpart: to Ryoma, though not explicitly stated. They're both the young, childish, arrogant aces of their teams with exceptional skills. While Ryoma may aim for people with his twist serve and Drive A, this is a key part of Kirihara's playstyle. Ryoma's been trained from a young age, Akaya's a prodigy.
Heavy Sleeper: He once fell asleep on the bus while on his way to school... and crossed all the way from Kanagawa to Tokyo. In his Sanroku no Mystic route he actually falls aleep on Tsugumi more than once.
I Can Still Fight: In the anime, during his match with Kevin Smith he injures his shoulder by colliding with the net pole. After so long he's forced to forfeit the match as the pain becomes too unbearable to carry on.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: His violent and cocky behavior in courts contrasts with his child-like naivete.
Malaproper: Apparently, he got off the wrong train due to being unable to read kanji well. He also always refers to Ryoma as "Koshimae", using the Alternate Character Reading of his name, despite Ryoma openly correcting him.
Skilled, but Naive: He's the best player on the team, even stronger than the club captain, Shiraishi. Literally everyone on the team is scared of his power. Even his signature move, 'Super Ultra Great Delicious Giant Swing Mountain Storm' is stronger than Gin's 108th level Hadokyuu.
He's one of the few who can mix this andUnskilled, but Strong. Yeah, he's super strong and all, but seriously lacks skill as well.
Signature Move: 'Super Ultra Great Delicious Giant Swing Mountain Storm'.
Super Strength: He can lift a motor scooter over his head.
What Could Have Been: Was supposed to have a larger role, and it's speculated that Konomi actually thought of having him as the main charas before coming up with Ryoma.
Beetle Maniac: Listed in the fanbooks and has a whole song dedicated to his pet beetle.
Boring, but Practical: His 'Bible' tennis is not as flashy some of the other characters, but he has refined it to the point where he easily crushes fancy techniques such as Fuji's counters.
She Cleans Up Nicely: The first proof of her growing feelings for Nanjirou is how she switches from a t-shirt and baggy pants into a cute tennis dress. He keeps teasing her, though.
Tsundere: Type B: Normally sweet and soft-spoken, but used to be rather violent to Nanjirou before they got together, and now she's hinted to be the main breadwinner.
Ms. Fanservice: Big breasts? Check. A pretty face with a Beauty Mark? Check. Nice red hair? Check. A melodious mezzosoprano voice? Check. Tight clothes when not at work? oh baby, Check Please.
Hypocritical Humor: Lightly scolds Shiba for not taking work seriously, then goes all blushy when he meets Nanako. Shiiba immediately lampshades the trope.
I Feel Angry: She's softpoken and polite, but not uncapable of anger.
Insert Sue If there's a fanart or fanfic that involves the poor girl, it's most likely one of these. Especially if it's regarding characters like Atobe and Kirihara...
For worse, many Het is Ew fans take it as "evidence" that Sakuno is a bad and horrible character in herself. Bangbang!
