| 1 | [[center: [-[[Characters/{{Eyeshield 21}} Main Character Index]] | [[Characters/Eyeshield21DeimonDevilBats Deimon Devil Bats]] | [[Characters/Eyeshield21OjoWhiteKnights Ojo White Knights]] | [[Characters/Eyeshield21ShinryujiNaga Shinryuji Naga]] | [[Characters/Eyeshield21SeibuWildGunmen Seibu Wild Gunmen]] | [[Characters/Eyeshield21TaiyoSphinx Taiyo Sphinx]] | [[Characters/Eyeshield21NASAAliens NASA Aliens]] | [[Characters/Eyeshield21KyoshinPoseidons Kyoshin Poseidon]] | [[Characters/Eyeshield21BandoSpiders Bando Spiders]] | '''Hakushu Dinosaurs''' | [[Characters/Eyeshield21TeikokuAlexanders Teikoku Alexanders]] | [[Characters/Eyeshield21ThePentagram The Pentagram]] | [[Characters/Eyeshield21CollegeAndSemiProFootballTeams College and Semi-Pro Football Teams]] | [[Characters/Eyeshield21OtherFootballPlayers Other Football Players]] | [[Characters/Eyeshield21OtherCharacters Other Characters]]]]-] |
| 2 | ---- |
| 3 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 4 | |
| 5 | [[folder:General]] |
| 6 | SIC District Champions and Kanto Regional dark horses, the Hakushu Dinosaurs were, like the Devil Bats, a young team, composed mostly of first-year [[RagtagBandOfMisfits rookies and misfits]]. Led by the unscrupulous Reiji "Marco" Maruko, the Dinosaurs ran on a brutal playing style - using their [[TheJuggernaut gigantic lineman Rikiya Gaou]] to break the bones of '''all''' quarterbacks they'd faced. Having turned the SIC District Tournament into a proverbial bloodbath, the Dinosaurs were now gunning for the title of Kanto's champions, and a shot at the Christmas Bowl. |
| 7 | ---- |
| 8 | * AnimalMotifs: Each of their star players was associated with a particular dinosaur. |
| 9 | * ArcVillain: The need to stop the Dinosaurs, ''particularly'' Gaou, dominated much of the Kanto Arc and hanged over every match after the Devil Bats vs Naga game. |
| 10 | * AttackAttackAttack: Subverted. The Dinosaurs became infamous for their north-south game, using Gaou's inhuman strength to hammer through '''any''' team in the way. [[spoiler: But their other two ace players (Marco and Kisaragi) were a safety and a cornerback respectively and their defense was at least as good as their offensive, repeatedly halting the Devil Bats in their tracks]]. |
| 11 | * BadassCreed: Strength is absolute. |
| 12 | * BadassCrew: Gaou was not the only top player in this team, just the best. |
| 13 | * ChekhovsGunman: The Dinosaurs were first mentioned in a football magazine shown in the extra materials, as a SIC District team currently recruiting ''"massive"'' new talents. It's not until the Kanto Arc that we finally got to meet Marco, and not until after the Devil Bats vs Naga match that we saw the [[TheJuggernaut massive talents]] in question. |
| 14 | * ClimaxBoss: Of the Kanto Tournament Arc, stepping into the role of the series' key antagonists [[spoiler: after the [[DiscOneFinalBoss Naga]] had been knocked out]]. |
| 15 | * ColorCodedCharacters: They uniforms were green, a color commonly used to contrast against red... which was the color of the Devil Bats, to whom the Dinosaurs were {{Evil Counterpart}}s. |
| 16 | * CurbStompBattle: Inflicted this on the Sphinx, and then [[spoiler: the Wild Gunmen]]. |
| 17 | * TheDreaded: Marco hid most of their exploits in the SIC tournament which leads to a MassOhCrap during the Kanto tournament when they see Gaou and the record that says all their previous match ended with the other team forfeiting for massive injuries. |
| 18 | * EvilCounterpart: As a whole, the Dinosaurs served as the evil counterparts to the Deimon Devil Bats. Both were [[RagtagBandOfMisfits Ragtag Bands Of Misfits]] led by a manipulative captain who'd a love for offensive plays. The difference was that whilst the Devil Bats genuinely enjoyed the sports, the Dinosaurs went all-out to prove something individually and didn't care who they hurt in the process. |
| 19 | * FreudianTrio: |
| 20 | ** '''Id''': Gaou, the one most [[BloodKnight aggressive and eager to fight]]. |
| 21 | ** '''Superego''': Kisaragi, the most idealistic of the three. |
| 22 | ** '''Ego''': Marco, who was [[TheSmartGuy the team's brains]] and kept Gaou in check. |
| 23 | * [[HeroKiller Hero Killers]]: The Dinosaurs focused on injuring the opposing team's players either by breaking the arms of the quarterback or sending the entire team's roster to the hospital. They'd steamrolled through the SIC district with that tactic, destroyed the Sphinx's near immovable "Pyramid Line"[[note]]However, they failed to injure that team's [=QB=], a fact that Gaou commends them for because that's the first time he didn't send one to the hospital[[/note]], and [[spoiler: the Wild Gunmen got run over the moment Gaou managed to break Kid's throwing arm and send Tetsuma and Riku to the hospital]]. Finally, [[spoiler: Hiruma got his arm broken as well]]. |
| 24 | * IAmNotLeftHanded: Once Gaou was finally stopped and they couldn't just do force plays, they [[spoiler: were shown to have a strong defense, and the third best kicker in Kanto]]. Marco made a point to keep most of their true strengths a secret apart from Gaou (and a giant lineman who broke arms was impossible to hide, anyway). |
| 25 | * NoodleIncident: According to Marco what they did during the SIC district tournament makes their CurbStompBattle with the Sphinx (where the whole line were rendered unconscious) pretty tame. Maria shows Sena and Riku footages of what the team did in an effort to convince them to back out of the tournament. Based from their reactions, it was not a pretty sight. |
| 26 | * OpposingSportsTeam: A '''classic''' example. Obsessed with winning instead of enjoying the sport, the Dinosaurs used [[UnnecessaryRoughness brutal tactics]] to injure or even cripple their opponents but not played ethically. Judging by the sound it wasn't pretty. |
| 27 | * PlanetOfHats: Extra materials revealed that Hakushu Highschool was build near an archaeological site by an archaeologist, and that excavating the site is a part of the school’s curriculum. Also, a fossil of a dinosaur’s head is displayed at the school’s entrance. However, since none of the known students exhibit traits often associated with archaeologists and opted to go with their dinosaurs AnimalMotifs instead, this is ultimately downplayed. |
| 28 | * PutOnABus: Downplayed. [[spoiler: Despite being important plot-wise, Marco, Kisaragi and Maria were notably absent from the epilogue, where nearly all major characters had their closures]], [[spoiler: though Gaou did show up in there, as an ace player of the Takekura Construction Babel alongside Musashi, Kid and Tetsuma]]. It is not impossible given their motivations [[spoiler: they just moved on to other things.]] |
| 29 | * RagtagBandOfMisfits: The core members of this team consisted of a [[CowardlyLion cunning but nervous]] quarterback, an inhumanly muscled lineman who joined the team [[BloodKnight to fight strong foes]], and a sickly {{Bishonen}} who [[InLoveWithYourCarnage had a warped sense of beauty]]. They were the EvilCounterpart to the Devil Bats, after all... |
| 30 | * {{Rookie Red Ranger}}s: All of the team's star players were first-years, with Marco being the only one who actually had prior experience in football. |
| 31 | * StraightForTheCommander: The Hakushuu Dinosaurs win their games by having Gaou crush the opposing Quarterback during their defense, though its more like Gaou couldn't hold back his immense power. Marco does go out of his way to take Hiruma Yoichi out during the Kanto finals because with Gaou having met his match with Kurita, the Dinosaurs aren't capable of handling Deimon's Offensive and getting Hiruma out of the picture would greatly cripple Deimon and bring them down to Hakushuu's actual level. |
| 32 | * UnnecessaryRoughness: So you're playing against [[BloodKnight Ga]][[TheJuggernaut ou]]? Well... ''good luck''. |
| 33 | * UnskilledButStrong: [[spoiler:Enforced, Marco knew he couldn't shape his team to win the Christmas Bowl in time (i.e., before Maria graduated), so he relied on brute strength and power plays, such as using Gaou for a north-south play and having Kisaragi injure opposing receivers]]. |
| 34 | ** And yet, it's ultimately PlayedWith. While the team's most remarkable moves were all based on arm strength, the Hakushuu Dinosaurs wouldn't be such a threat without a clever application of said strength or a set of skills totally unrelated to physical prowess - after all, one wrong move and Gaou could be thrown out of the field. [[spoiler:Marco's Screw Bite relied on him being able to follow the ball with his eyes, and Kisaragi's Ptero Claw was a difficult technique normally named "Reach and Grab". On a team level, without Marco to direct his players and devise their strategies, they wouldn't even have reached the Kanto Tournament]]. |
| 35 | ** Take [[TheJuggernaut Gaou]] away from the equation and the unskilled asset of the team becomes ridiculously clear as day. Outside of Gaou's North-South game, Hakushu's offense is so lackluster that [[GlassCannon Deimon's]] weak defense can stop them dead on their tracks. The other ace players Marco and Kisaragi are [[WeakAndSkilled dangerous in their own right]], but can be easily played around and circumvented as [[TheTrickster Hiruma]] proved multiple times during the Kanto Finals. Basically, the Dinosaurs have been carried by Gaou's power throughout the Fall Tournaments and they immediately lost once Gaou is able to be neutralized by a player just as strong as him (Kurita). The only reason the [[AttackAttackAttack Deimon Devilbats]] struggled against them at all is because Gaou crushed [[TheLeader Hiruma's]] arm early on, severely crippling the control tower of their plays. |
| 36 | * WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer: The north-south game was this team's favorite tactic, because no opposing line can defend against their monstrously powerful lineman Gaou. [[spoiler:Until Gaou meets his match in Kurita Ryokan]]. |
| 37 | [[/folder]] |
| 38 | |
| 39 | [[folder:Reiji "Marco" Maruko]] |
| 40 | [[quoteright:225:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Marco_Reiji_5889.jpg]] |
| 41 | ->''"For woman there is love, for man there is strength and for [[spoiler:Hiruma Yoichi]] there is death."'' |
| 42 | |
| 43 | A shifty, well-dressed fellow with a penchant for colas and secrecy. Marco wants to lead a team to victory in the Christmas Bowl [[spoiler:to impress his would-be girlfriend, the team manager]], and to do that strengthened Hakushu's football team immensely. A capable quarterback, he's actually at his most effective on defense, where he follows the ball with unerring precision, before prying it out of the runner's hand with his "Screwbite". |
| 44 | |
| 45 | * Position: Quraterback / Safety |
| 46 | * Jersey: 4 |
| 47 | * 40-yard Dash: 5.2 seconds |
| 48 | * Bench Press: 60 kg |
| 49 | * Height: 177 cm |
| 50 | * Weight: 66 kg |
| 51 | * Birthday: May 1st |
| 52 | * Blood Type: AB |
| 53 | * 1st Year Student (Grade 10) |
| 54 | * Nicknames: Marco, "Ball Handling Expert" |
| 55 | ---- |
| 56 | * AcademicAthlete: Again, the quarterbacks in this series tend to be this. |
| 57 | * AffablyEvil: A rather pleasant young man who is willing to negotiate with opponents, send flowers to the injured and allows [[TheJuggernaut Gaoh]] to demolish the team's competitor if it advances his goals. |
| 58 | * AnimalMotifs: The raptor to Gaoh's T-rex and Kisaragi's Pterosaur. |
| 59 | * ApologeticAttacker: Downplayed, he says he feel bad about hospitalizing quarterback and send flowers to the team but he sounds pretty half-hearted and has set his mind about it a while ago. |
| 60 | * AttackAttackAttack: PlayedWith. Marco, like Hiruma and Kid, advocates an all-offense strategy, focusing on using Gaoh as a bludgeon and forcing his way down the field in a north-south game. Yet, he also makes sure to recruit a very good cornerback in Kisaragi, and is himself one of the best safeties in Japan, serving as the only quarterback spy that the Devil Bats encounter in the series. |
| 61 | * AwesomenessByAnalysis: His defensive role is "Quarterback Spy", which means he needs to anticipate and counter every move the opposing quarterback plays. |
| 62 | * BattleOfWits: His position as a QB Spy forces this upon the enemy quarterback, constantly watching their every move and maneuvering to stop their plays. He is very effective against Sena, but [[GuileHero Hiruma]] is a completely different beast altogether. |
| 63 | * BigBad: Comes very close to being this during the Kanto Regional, particularly after Agon's defeat and the revelation that Hakushu is nobody to be screwed with during the Hakushu-Taiyo match. It's a sports series, but Marco's scheming drives much of the plot during the Kanto Arc, and leads to a whole lot of upsets, with his team serving as the ClimaxBoss of the said arc since his ambitions to reach the Christmas Bowl is what drives him to win even at the cost of literally destroying the bodies and dreams of the teams that oppose him. |
| 64 | * ButNotTooForeign: He's half Italian. |
| 65 | * ChekhovsGunman: The only thing that distinguishes Marco from the other throwaway captains at the start of the Kanto Arc is the fact that he comes over to speak to Sena, and is given some small focus when he draws the team he'll be facing. He's the closest thing the arc has to a BigBad. |
| 66 | * CombatPragmatist: Will do anything for victory. He plays with the UnnecessaryRoughness to almost foul play with Gaou breaking quarterback's arm and himself willing to rush an injured player to put him out of commission for good. |
| 67 | * CowardlyLion: Marco may be prone to panic, talks a lot about how he prefers to avoid facing strong teams, and finds the likes of Hiruma, Kurita, etc. to be terrifying, but he has no problem putting himself in harm's way, and is in fact one of most active quarterbacks in the series. |
| 68 | * DefeatMeansFriendship: With Hiruma, who admits he ''would'' have gone to the same lengths Marco did, if he found himself in the same position. [[spoiler:Plus, when Sena and Monta were gathering Kanto’s players for World Cup, Hiruma had already called Marco beforehand.]] |
| 69 | * {{Determinator}}: One who's gone way too far. Marco's inability to KnowWhenToFoldEm is what has turned him into the screwed-up person he is today. He's also one on the field, recovering from a full-power tackle by [[TheJuggernaut Kurita]] and returning to play. |
| 70 | * EmbarrassingFirstName: Last name anyway, which is why he calls himself "Marco" and Maruko Himuro "Maria." |
| 71 | * EvilCounterpart: Hiruma's first one. They both compensate for lack of physical ability through intelligence, lead darkhorse teams built around a couple of key players, favor winning by any means necessary, {{Determinator}} their way through serious injuries, are YoungerThanTheyLook, and want to take down the Alexanders no matter what it takes. His dynamic with Gaoh is a reversed one to Hiruma and Kurita, though. |
| 72 | * EvilGenius: He's smart enough to play XanatosSpeedChess with Hiruma and shut Sena down using only his brains. |
| 73 | * FriendlyEnemy: Especially to Sena. Off the field though, he's pretty nice to everyone. |
| 74 | * {{Foreshadowing}}: Marco made a point to hide his own skills during the Kanto tournament, by only carrying the ball behind Gaou. The only hints of his talent as a safety are when he deduces Riku's running technique from the bench and Maria saying the team will be way stronger with Marco taking Tengu's place on defense. |
| 75 | * HeelFaceTurn: Post-Kanto Regionals. Unlike Agon and Gaoh, who are {{Token Evil Teammate}}s to the end, Marco seems to have straightened out his act by the World Cup. |
| 76 | * HeelRealisation: Marco first got his slice of humble pie when he ends up going 1 v 1 against Kurita, who is for all intents and purposes Deimon's Gaou. This causes him to realize what he himself had subjected all the quarterbacks he had Gaou destroy after having a first-hand taste of the power he espouses all too much and changes his perceptions of strength. After Hakushuu lost to Deimon, Marco is forced to live with the fact that even with all the power in the world he still failed to reach the Christmas Bowl and his actions alienated him from Maria who always liked him, causing Marco to change for the better. |
| 77 | * HeroicBSOD: Seeing the Teikoku Alexanders inflicted that to him. With his unflinching will to win the Christmas Bowl in one hand and the monstrous difference in strength and skill between the Alexanders and everyone else in the other, Marco had no choice but [[TookALevelInJerkass taking a level in Jerkass]] and become the most ruthless player in and out of the field, using Gaouh to break other quarterbacks' arms. |
| 78 | * HiddenBadass: An average athlete, Marco doesn't look especially threatening on defense, particularly after the likes of Agon and Shin. He's actually more dangerous to the Devil Bats than either of them, as his ability to steal the ball from Sena, rather than tackling him, enables Hakushu to easily score touchdowns during Deimon's offense. Sena acknowledges how well Marco's kept his abilities hidden right before their first clash, noting that despite having talked to Marco frequently, he has no idea what the Hakushu captain is like as a player. |
| 79 | * HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: Because of Marco's nervousness he tends to misjudge the motive of those around. For example he thinks Maria hates him forever after his decision to have Gaou in the team and Gaou won't listen to him and just wants to find strong lineman to crush. Truth is Maria still loves him and Gaou basically sees him as a role model and would have never take over his leadership. |
| 80 | * IAmNotLeftHanded: Marco's a better defensive player than he is an offensive one, but keeps this concealed throughout the Taiyo and Seibu matches, only taking up his safety position when Tengu is injured and Hakushu's remaining defenders prove unable to stop Sena. |
| 81 | * JackOfAllStats: Players mention that he isn't especially gifted in American football but he practice hard and has average skills, like Hiruma he makes up for it with mind games. |
| 82 | * LaughablyEvil: Marco's nervousness put him on the receiving end of a ''lot'' of comedic moments, but never detracts from his on-field threat. |
| 83 | * TheLeader: The mastermind leader of Hakushu. Even more impressive as he is a first year who didn't have any particular talent for football but earned the leadership. |
| 84 | * LoveMakesYouEvil: Or at least a very brutal player. He wants to impress Maria badly enough that he's more than willing to use Gaou as a weapon, turn Kisaragi into a psycho, and break other team's quarterbacks in order to win. |
| 85 | * MadeOfIron: Recovers after having Kurita land on him at full speed, picks himself up and keeps on playing. Despite being somewhat shaken, he shows no visible damage, and gets right back in the action. |
| 86 | * TheMafia: What his suits, Italian heritage, and general demeanor are meant to evoke. |
| 87 | * ManipulativeBastard: To Takami's {{Chessmaster}} and Hiruma's TricksterArchetype. They make and modify plans. Marco messes with your emotions, relying on a combination of brute power and fear to help him win. |
| 88 | * ManOfWealthAndTaste: Dresses and conducts himself like a Mafia don. Somewhat justified, as his father is a former Mafia member turned investor and his mother is a fashion designer. Flashbacks for him and his teammates show that the pinstriped suits are Hakushu school uniforms to go with the theme. |
| 89 | * MotiveDecay: The main reason he wanted to play football was to woo Maria ,who was the team manager, by winning the Christmas Bowl. When he realized it would be impossible with the current team and despite Maria insisting that it doesn't matter if he fights what is a desperate battle he decided to recruit Gaou (using sheer power and brutality to close the talent gap) and drew himself apart from Maria. Subverted in that Marco wanted victory for himself as much as for Maria from the start. |
| 90 | * NotSoHarmlessVillain: Marco's got a bad case of nerves, and his jittery demeanor (and failed attempts to cover it up) makes him the target of much of the series' humor from his first appearance on, in a way that characters like [[TheSociopath Agon]] or [[FinalBoss Mr. Don]] never are. Then Sena goes one-on-one with him in the Hakushu game, and we discover that while Marco absolutely ''is'' an anxiety-ridden geek, he's also a highly-talented safety and quarterback spy who is every bit the menace that his CoDragons, Gaoh and Kisaragi are. |
| 91 | * ObliviousToHints: Maria points out that for all his cunning he was clueless to the fact she reciprocate his feelings, Marco thought the only way to impress her was to win the Christmas Bowl. |
| 92 | * PunchClockVillain: When he wants to make it to the Christmas Bowl, he is the worst person to meet in the field. Off the field, he is a friendly guy who offers cola. |
| 93 | * SaveOurTeam: A dark take on the trope. Marco is explicitly stated to have massively improved Hakushu's team, saving them from being just another also-ran. He did it by advocating UnnecessaryRoughness, allowing [[BloodKnight Gaoh]] off of his leash, turning Kisaragi into a PsychoSupporter, and injuring several of his own players. [[spoiler: And making Maria go the EmotionlessGirl route, which is very ironic since he did all this to impress her.]] |
| 94 | * SecondPlaceIsForLosers: Or is if you're trying to impress an upperclassman. |
| 95 | * SharpDressedMan: Pretty impressively for a highschooler. |
| 96 | * ShipTease: Has loads of this with Maria. |
| 97 | * SignatureMove: '''The Screw Bite'''. He is so good at ball-handling, he can snatch the ball without tackling the runner, even from somebody as fast as Sena. This technique is so fearsome that Sena, faced with the choice of being crushed by Gaoh or facing Marco, chose the former despite knowing he could end up in the hospital because having the ball stolen would mean the Devil Bats' defeat. |
| 98 | * SignificantNameOverlap: His surname is the same as Maria's real given name. He uses it as a commonality between them, but he's also embarrassed by how feminine it sounds that he took up his nickname of Marco as a result. |
| 99 | * TheStrategist: He's the one who figures out the best way to use [[TheJuggernaut Gaoh]]'s brute strength to the advantage of the team. |
| 100 | * TallDarkAndHandsome: {{Subverted}} to hell and back. Don't be fooled by the expensive Italian suits and [[AffablyEvil suave demeanor]], at his core, Marco's a panicky dork (and an [[ManipulativeBastard unpleasant guy to boot]]). |
| 101 | * TakeAthirdOption: A dark take, either try his hardest to win the Kantou tournament and be content with that or try his hardest and [[spoiler: lose to the Alexanders at the Christmas Bowl]]. He chose to become the most ruthless team that injured all their opponents so he can have a chance at winning. |
| 102 | * TrademarkFavoriteFood: Cola. |
| 103 | * TrialByFriendlyFire: Orders Gaoh to go through Kisaragi to get to Hiruma. |
| 104 | * TheUnfettered: A milder example than most, he doesn't do anything illegal in order to win, but we couldn't blame you if you thought that was the case. |
| 105 | ** Using a lineman to break opposite player's bones on purpose is against the rules but since Gaou was doing it by sheer strength instead of downright punching the player and he technically just said that Gaou will have his power contest if Hiruma was not there to devise trick play. |
| 106 | * UnnecessaryRoughness: Advocates it as part of his overall strategy. |
| 107 | * VerbalTic: "I'd say", spoken at the end of most sentences. Rendered "I think" in the official translation. |
| 108 | * VillainousFriendship: Some shades of this with Kisaragi. |
| 109 | -->'''Marco:''' I can't believe you did such a rash thing. I'd say.\ |
| 110 | '''Kisaragi:''' But I did a good job right?\ |
| 111 | '''Marco:''' [[SoProudOfYou Yeah, you did.]] |
| 112 | * VillainRespect: After Sena finally bypasses him to score Deimon's final touchdown Marco informs Sena that he is already worthy of being called "Eyeshield 21". |
| 113 | --> "Sena. You're already... The real deal, I'd say..." |
| 114 | * VillainousValour: Marco's scared to death but keeps on playing (and risking his own neck) because winning is far more important to him. |
| 115 | * WeakButSkilled: Marco himself isn't anything special in terms of physique, but what makes him dangerous is his cunning mind and specialization in both Quarterback and QB Spy roles, allowing him to stop most plays that his opponent would attempt. |
| 116 | * WorthyOpponent: To Sena and Hiruma. He's the first player to prove capable of snatching the ball out of Sena's hands without tackling him, and he forces Sena to rethink his playing style, while also spurring him to think outside the box during his tenure as backup quarterback. He's also one of the few team captains who can equal Hiruma in sneakiness, a fact that Hiruma makes no attempt to downplay. As Sena notes "Reiji Maruko is our worst foe yet". |
| 117 | * YoungerThanTheyLook: Another freshman, which means he's, ''at best,'' '''16.''' |
| 118 | [[/folder]] |
| 119 | |
| 120 | [[folder:Rikiya Gaou (峨王 力哉)]] |
| 121 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/61294.jpg]] |
| 122 | ->''"Yeah, it's just like you said... Let's begin this battle. Right now...!!"'' |
| 123 | |
| 124 | The Dinosaurs' ace player, Gaou's a [[TheJuggernaut massively muscular]] freshman who held the highschool record in bench press. Up until the game with the Devil Bats, the Dinosaurs had relied on him to smash through opponents' line and break quarterbacks' arms, causing a bloodbath at SIC District Regional Tournament. [[spoiler: Brutal as he might be, Gaou was shown to possess a sense of honor and refused to break rules on the field (i.e., he wouldn't tackle a quarterback if the latter didn't have the ball). Also, he genuinely treated Marco as friend and had lots of respect towards the latter for his determination to win]]. |
| 125 | |
| 126 | * Position: Centre / Defensive Tackle |
| 127 | * Jersey: 70 |
| 128 | * 40-yard Dash: Unspecified |
| 129 | * Bench Press: '''Over 200 kg (Over 440 lbs), 210 kg to be exact''' |
| 130 | * Height: 204 cm (6' 8") |
| 131 | * Weight: 130 kg (287 lbs) |
| 132 | * Birthday: April 4 |
| 133 | * 1st Year Student (Grade 10) |
| 134 | |
| 135 | ---- |
| 136 | * AffablyEvil: In a weird way. Gaou did ''not'' actually have a malicious bone in his body and, off the field, was a cheerfully crazed BoisterousBruiser who saw Banba and Kurita (the former of whom he '''sent to a hospital''') as his buddies. |
| 137 | * AnimalMotifs: Tyrannosaurus Rex, though he looked more like a caveman. |
| 138 | * TheApprentice: Somewhat hilariously, [[spoiler: he asked the tiny Chubo to mentor him on the Delta Dynamite the night before the finals of the World Cup]]. |
| 139 | * BadassCreed: Strength is absolute, and Gaou is the living embodiment of it. |
| 140 | * BerserkButton: If anyone had shown the guts to stand up to Gaou, you had better not make fun of him when Gaou is around. |
| 141 | * BrainsAndBrawn: The brawn to Marco's brain, Gaou just doesn't care about anything other than go through the other team so he leaves everything else to Marco. |
| 142 | * TheBigGuy: [[spoiler: To Team Japan during the World Cup]]. Probably also this on [[spoiler: the Takekura Construction Babel]]. |
| 143 | * BloodKnight: [[spoiler: Began playing american football simply because Marco told him there'd be strong people he could fight]]. When he did meet people who were his equals in strength, or at least not afraid of standing up to him, Gaou gave them the highest respect. |
| 144 | * BoisterousBruiser: He can't stop talking about how absolute strength is absolute, how he wants to find strong men to compete against, etc. |
| 145 | * TheBrute: [[{{Subverted}} What he seemed to be at first]], until it's shown that his status in the team was more akin to TheDragon. |
| 146 | * ChallengeSeeker: Maybe not as much as Shin, but Gaou was still ''very'' obsessed with finding men who could stand up to him in the strength department. |
| 147 | * CoDragons: To Marco, alongside Kisaragi. Gaou was the team's Right Hand. |
| 148 | * CurbStompBattle: ''Nearly every time'' when somebody dared to face him. [[spoiler: Gaou himself came to the receiving end of this when he challenged [[EvilerThanThou Mr. Don]], though]]. |
| 149 | * DefeatMeansFriendship: Given his BloodKnight tendency, this should surprise nobody. |
| 150 | * {{Determinator}}: [[spoiler: Against Mr. Don, where Gaou demonstrated that one became TheJuggernaut by starting out as this trope]]. |
| 151 | * TheDreaded: Nearly everyone who wasn't [[BigFun Kurita]], [[InLoveWithYourCarnage Kisaragi]], or [[spoiler: Mr. Don]] was terrified of Gaou. |
| 152 | * DumbMuscle: '''Subverted'''. Gaou could come off as this, due to his lack of tactics beyond brute strength and rather single-minded ways of thinking. But the former had more to do with his lack of field experience and the philosophy that strength is absolute, whilst the latter was due to his determination. Gaou was rather eloquent when he spoke and, as the [[TricksterArchetype Devil Bats]] found out on the field, ''not'' easy to fool or trick. |
| 153 | * EvilDuo: [[spoiler: Formed a sort-of-friendship with [[JerkJock Agon]] at the World Cup]]. |
| 154 | * EvilIsBigger: Unambiguously portrayed as a villain and towering over nearly everyone. |
| 155 | * FriendlyEnemy: You may miss this due to his [[BloodKnight personality]], but Gaou was never anything other than respectful of his opponents, especially Riku and Kurita. And he appeared to want nothing but to establish a FriendlyRivalry. |
| 156 | * TheGiant: He's just after [[spoiler: Mr. Don]]. |
| 157 | * GladHesOnOurSide: [[spoiler: As lampshaded by Sena during the World Cup]]. |
| 158 | * GoodScarsEvilScars: He had one on his forehead from ''a car he'd smashed''. It is more "chaotic" than good or evil, however. |
| 159 | * GracefulLoser: When [[spoiler: Kurita finally bested him]], Gaou's reaction was to promise him a rematch and wish him well. |
| 160 | --> '''Gaou''' (While falling): [[spoiler: Go, Ryokan Kurita. Go, with your spirited friends, to the Christmas Bowl]]. |
| 161 | * HeroKiller: Destroyed Banba, [[spoiler: Kid, Tetsuma, Riku, and Hiruma]] in rapid succession. Most of the Kanto Arc was spent trying to find a way to put this bastard out of commission. |
| 162 | * HeroWorshipper: [[spoiler: Apparently to Rodchenko, the world's record holder for bench press, though he quickly lost interest in Rodchenko after seeing how much of a money-grubber the latter was during the Japan vs Russia match]]. He also revealed that he always looked up to Marco. |
| 163 | -->'''Gaou:''' That man will immediately stand up by himself. |
| 164 | * HiddenDepths: Gaou may ''look'' like a savage brute, but he's a genuinely nice guy off the field, so long as you earn his respect. [[UnnecessaryRoughness And as rough as his playstyle is]], Gaou will follow the rules, such as not tackling non-linemen without the ball, something that Kid tried to use to his advantage. |
| 165 | * TheJuggernaut: Trying to stop Gaou is a surefire way to get yourself to the hospital, unless you are one of this trope yourself. |
| 166 | * KillingIntent: Gaou's raw power come not only from his huge body but from his complete lack of reservation. It's his major advantage over Kurita who is fine with losing if his teammates go through until [[spoiler: Kurita gains a will to kill for the sake of protecting his friends.]] |
| 167 | * LargeAndInCharge: '''Subverted'''. As the story unfolded, it became obvious that Marco was scared of Gaou, creating the impression that Gaou was truly leading the team. However, we later learnt that Gaou only had respect for Marco, and did not want to challenge his leadership, which meant that Marco was the one in charge after all. |
| 168 | * LargeHam: At times. Gaou roared and started giving a speech at the start of the Devil Bats vs Dinosaurs game when [[spoiler: Hiruma showed that he'd let Gaou fight Kurita one-on-one at the first play on, to the point that Hiruma cut him off and told him to shut up]]. |
| 169 | * LetsFightLikeGentlemen: Strictly adheres to the rules of football. The Wild Gunmen exploit this by turning their entire line into receivers and relying on Kid to pass faster than Gaou can tackle him (since he won't tackle someone not carrying the ball). |
| 170 | * LightningBruiser: Don't let his size fool you. Gaou can move ''frighteningly fast''. Demonstrated in the Dinosaurs vs Wild Gunmen match, in which Kid observed that Gaou was '''getting faster''' after each pass, [[spoiler: until he's fast enough to reach Kid before the latter could throw]]. |
| 171 | * MadeOfIron: Not only did he survive being hit by a car (as a kid, no less!) but ''[[PedestrianCrushesCar the car took more damage than he did]]''. |
| 172 | * MeaningfulName: His first name, "Rikiya", means ''great might'' or ''strength'' and his last name, "Gaou", is the Japanese onomatopoeia for a dinosaur's roar. |
| 173 | * MusclesAreMeaningful: Unlike Amino's bodies, which seemed to be inflated, Gaou was ripped yet somewhat slender for his size. Not only does his muscles tells you he has great strength but a speed more akin to a shaved gorilla than a bodybuilder. |
| 174 | * NobleMaleRoguishMale: Gaou was the Roguish to [[spoiler: Mr. Don]]'s Noble: the former relied only on brute strength, looked like a caveman, and was [[BloodKnight obsessed with fighting]], while the latter had great techniques on top of strength, wore classy suits off-field, and was a [[TheFace charismatic leader]]. |
| 175 | * ObviouslyEvil: He is [[GoodScarsEvilScars scarred]], [[TheJuggernaut inhumanly muscular]], and [[SlasherSmile smiling in an unsettling way]]. It shouldn't take too long to figure out he was going to be a villain. |
| 176 | * PetTheDog: His honest admiration for Marco and open liking for anybody (i.e., Banba, Riku, Kurita) who was willing to stand up to him helped humanize Gaou. [[spoiler: His absolute belief that [[{{Determinator}} Marco]] would get up after being tackled by Kurita was, in a way, oddly touching]]. |
| 177 | * PhraseCatcher: Gaou going easy on someone? That is impossible. |
| 178 | * RookieRedRanger: A rookie to the Dinosaurs, but arguably the team's most threatening player throughout the course of the story. |
| 179 | * RunningGag: Gaou does not open doors. He knocks doors off their hinges. |
| 180 | * SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: The Manly Man to Kisaragi's Sensitive Guy. |
| 181 | * SignatureMove: Unlike his team mates Marco and Kisaragi, Gaou didn't have a signature move, unless of course you consider breaking opposing quarterbacks' arms as a move. [[spoiler: He did manage the Delta Dynamite halfway through the Japan vs USA game, however]]. |
| 182 | * {{Slasher Smile}}s: When he does get excited, he tends to smile in ways that are rather... psychotic, such as [[http://read.mangashare.com/Eyeshield-21/chapter-243/page018.html this]]. |
| 183 | * SpiritedCompetitor: To the point he [[spoiler: forced a match with Team Russia just to challenge Rodchenko]]. |
| 184 | * SpotlightStealingSquad: [[spoiler: Alongside Agon, Gaou was the focus of the World Cup Arc]]. |
| 185 | * TestosteronePoisoning: The '''second''' biggest offender in the series. He's 6'8" (2m), had muscles that would have made the cast of DBZ jealous, ate nothing but meat, looked like a caveman, and ''punched a car head-on when he was in grade school''. |
| 186 | * TookALevelInBadass: And he is ''the last person who needed it''. Like Sena, Gaou was a rookie who had raw talent and could develop real fast during games when facing a strong team. [[spoiler: When Marco started trusting Gaou as a lineman instead of only using him to break bones, Gaou grew even more dangerous and stopped Kurita from tackling Marco '''with one hand''']]. |
| 187 | -->'''Banba''': learning from the battle [[BoxingLessonsForSuperman assimilating]]. He keeps improving! |
| 188 | * {{Troperiffic}}: At this point, Gaou's list is not much shorter than [[spoiler: Mr. Don]]'s. |
| 189 | * UncannyFamilyResemblance: To his younger brother, who was more or less just a mini-Gaou. Fortunately averted for his younger sister. |
| 190 | * TheUnfettered: Gaou didn't care about how many people he severely injure, as long as it gave him a challenge that satiated [[BloodKnight his thirst for power]]. [[spoiler: He learned it from Marco]]. |
| 191 | -->'''Gaou''': If you're lacking the talent, then ask for the help of others without shame. Dirty your own hands, even if you have to bear the contempt of the ones you love. In order to get to the top. |
| 192 | * UnnecessaryRoughness: Gaou simply used all of his strength against his opponents. When TheJuggernaut did this, it was no surprise that things weren't pretty. |
| 193 | * UnknownRival: He saw Kurita as the greatest genuine heavy player since the start of the tournament, Kurita for his part either didn't know or was too scared of Gaou to have a rivalry until halfway through their match. |
| 194 | * UnskilledButStrong: Gaou lacked in football techniques, but he ''more than made up'' with sheer brute strength, in so much as the Dinosaurs' strategy was basically letting him steamroll past the opposing team. [[spoiler: Kurita managed to win by using Gaou's lack of experience against him]]. |
| 195 | * VillainousFriendship: [[spoiler: Gaou honestly regarded Marco to be a friend and role model. Marco, for his part, was scared of him, though they got closer towards the end of the Devil Bats vs Dinosaurs game, and even more so during the Youth World Cup]]. |
| 196 | --> '''Gaou''' [[spoiler: (Bruised and charging towards [[BigBad Mr. Don]])]]: [[spoiler: When you find a path to the top... none of that matters! You just have to "climb"!! At the very least... that's what the man who taught me football... That's what '''Marco''' did]]!!! |
| 197 | * VillainRespect: Anyone who dared stand up to Gaou earned his respect. Banba, [[spoiler: Riku, Kid, Sena, Hiruma, Komusubi and, of course, Kurita]] had all won it by the end of the Kanto Arc. |
| 198 | * WorldsStrongestMan: Japan's strongest, anyway. [[spoiler: The world's strongest was [[EvilerThanThou Mr. Don]]]]. |
| 199 | * WorthyOpponent: After he TookALevelInBadass, Kurita viewed him as this. Before that, Gaou was just a brute who tried to hurt Kurita's friends, but now he had became a rival as Japan's best lineman. |
| 200 | * WouldHitAGirl: He urged Kurita to tackle [[ActionGirl Karin]], fully knowing that she's a girl (in contrast to Banba and Yamabushi, who were against it). |
| 201 | --> '''Gaou''' (Spectating the [[FinalBattle Devil Bats vs Alexanders game]]): Completely destroy that woman, Kurita. You will be able to do it, if it's a powerful man like you. |
| 202 | --> '''[[WouldntHitAGirl Yamabushi]]''' (Sweating): You... you really know no mercy... |
| 203 | * YoungerThanTheyLook: This guy was '''16''' during the Christmas Bowl. |
| 204 | [[/folder]] |
| 205 | |
| 206 | [[folder:Hiromi Kisaragi]] |
| 207 | [[quoteright:225:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/106965_3396.jpg]] |
| 208 | |
| 209 | A wilting pretty-boy with an enormous man-crush on Gaoh. He's impressed with "strength" in general due to Gaoh saving him from bullies and tends to wax eloquent on how wonderful strength is. He's not one to overlook, though, as he can knock the ball out of a back's grip with his slender arms (known as the "Ptera-Claw"), and has no qualms about injuring them in the process. |
| 210 | |
| 211 | * Position: Cornerback |
| 212 | * Jersey: 96 |
| 213 | * Bench Press: 10 kg |
| 214 | * Height: 160 cm |
| 215 | * Weight: 49 kg |
| 216 | * Birthday: July 4th |
| 217 | * 1st Year Student (Grade 10) |
| 218 | ---- |
| 219 | * AffablyEvil: Self-deprecating, unfailingly polite, and willing to break a receiver's arms if it will impress Marco and Gaoh. |
| 220 | * AgentPeacock: In spite of his slim build and pretty-boy looks, his sheer tenacity makes him quite a threat on the field. |
| 221 | * AllOfTheOtherReindeer: Relentlessly bullied by the other kids due to his girliness. He became a member of the football (a) because Gaoh saved him from bullies and he wants to impress him, and (b) because Marco, Gaoh, and the other players were the first to accept him for who he was. |
| 222 | * AmazonChaser: WordOfGod is that Kisaragi '''is''' straight, but is only attracted to muscular, powerful women. |
| 223 | * AmbiguouslyGay: Comes off as very, very gay for Gaoh, though it's at least partly hero worship. |
| 224 | * AnimalMotif: Pterosaur. |
| 225 | * BishieSparkle: All the damn time. |
| 226 | * BloodKnight: He's not as obvious about it as Gaoh is, but given that he sees football as a place to prove his own power (read: crushing other people) definitely. He's ''this'' short of being a PsychoForHire. |
| 227 | * CoDragons: To Marco, along with Gaoh. He's the team's Left Hand. |
| 228 | * {{Determinator}}: The very fact that he manages to play football despite his GeekPhysique is this. |
| 229 | * EvilCounterpart: To Komusubi. Both are praising the strength of their team lineman and despite their physique they can be useful to their team thanks to their arms (Komusubi is short but his short arm are powerful for a rip and Kisaragi has a frail slender arm that can break receiver's bone by entangling it). Kisaragi however looks insane. |
| 230 | * TheFightingNarcissist: His philosophy is that "strength is beautiful", and thus he wants to win his games with physical strength. |
| 231 | * GeekPhysique: Skeletally thin and the physically weakest high school football player, able to bench press just 10 kg. In comparison, Sena, who is also physically weak, can bench press 45 kg. Even [[ActionGirl Karin]] and [[TeamMom Mamori]] can bench more than him. |
| 232 | * HeroWorshipper: For Gaou since he beat up a bunch of bullies without breaking a sweat, showing that a man with that strength can do anything. |
| 233 | * HiddenBadass: Completely average or weaker than average in terms of his stats, but psychotically determined enough that it doesn't matter. Hiruma and Monta both lampshade this long before we see Kisaragi play, noting that he must have some sort of hidden talent. He can entwined his arm with a receiver's one like a snake. |
| 234 | * InLoveWithYourCarnage: The source of his admiration for/attraction to Gaoh. |
| 235 | * ImagineSpot: He sees other people’s appearance according to their physical prowess. The stronger they are, the prettier they look to him. |
| 236 | * KillUsBoth: Lighter variant. He grabbed Hiruma and told Marco to order Gaoh to go through both of them. Marco obliged. |
| 237 | * LeanAndMean: Rail skinny, and rather ill-looking to boot. He isn't exactly mean until he starts playing seriously. |
| 238 | * LongHairedPrettyBoy: He is prettier than Maria. |
| 239 | * MadeOfIron: Weirdly, yes. Tackled by Gaoh along with Hiruma, Kisaragi is out of action for a few plays, but breaks nothing. He then returns to play and finishes the game, seemingly fine. For all his lack of stamina, he's got one hell of a skeletal system. |
| 240 | * PsychoSupporter: Of Marco and Gaoh. Kisaragi is devoted, fanatically loyal, and very quietly insane. He's pleasant off-field though. |
| 241 | * SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: With Gaoh. Though he's obviously the Sensitive Guy, he would probably rather be the Manly Man. |
| 242 | * SissyVillain: Played very straight, but also nicely justified. He's an AmbiguouslyGay PsychoSupporter. Before joining the football team, Kisaragi was constantly bullied due to his girly interests, weak body, and feminine looks. Inspired by Gaoh, he joined the team, and let Marco turn him into a PsychoSupporter so that he could be as strong as his hero. |
| 243 | * UnnecessaryRoughness: Less notable than with his teammates, but it's there. He doesn't aim to injure Monta, but he doesn't mind hurting him, and he later threatens to permanently cripple Hiruma's throwing arm. |
| 244 | * VillainousFriendship: With Marco and Gaoh, whom he sees as role models and friends. |
| 245 | * VillainRespect: Kisaragi is unfailingly respectful of Monta's talents, and is among the first of Hakushuu's players to recognize Deimon as {{Worthy Opponent}}s. |
| 246 | * WeakButSkilled: Small and slender, but will seriously hurt you if he can. With just his skill, he single-handedly shuts down Monta, who is possibly the best Wide Receiver in-series. |
| 247 | * WorthyOpponent: Comes to see Monta as one. |
| 248 | [[/folder]] |
| 249 | |
| 250 | [[folder:Hanataka Tengu]] |
| 251 | [[quoteright:154:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tengu.png]] |
| 252 | Hakushu's former ace, a DirtyCoward who tends to overreact to everything and generally regarded as the "bottom of the top". Did they score a touchdown? We're doomed! Did we score a touchdown? Ha! They're weak! |
| 253 | |
| 254 | [[MeaningfulName He also resembles a tengu.]] |
| 255 | |
| 256 | * Position: Linebacker |
| 257 | ---- |
| 258 | * TheBrute: Was supposed to fill this role, being the team's best linebacker and the center of their defense, but made the mistake of ticking off Gaoh. Marco has to take his place. |
| 259 | ** Marco used him only because he does not want to get hurt, not because Tengu is the best for the job. |
| 260 | * CatchPhrase: "Yahyooo!" |
| 261 | * DirtyCoward: Flies into a panic whenever things don't go ''exactly'' as planned. |
| 262 | * JokeCharacter: He doesn't even get to play in the finals, and Maria straight up said that the team is probably better off this way. |
| 263 | * MeaningfulName: In addition to the obvious, "hana" means "nose", and his is very long. Like that of a tengu, in fact. |
| 264 | * TooDumbToLive: Yeah, go ahead. Insult Gaoh's WorthyOpponent in front of him. It's not like you've been on a team with him all year and know how he's going to react... Oh, wait. |
| 265 | * TheUnfought: After he [[BerserkButton made fun of Kurita and Banba]], Gaoh broke his ribs. And his nose. |
| 266 | [[/folder]] |
| 267 | |
| 268 | [[folder:Maruko "Maria" Himuro]] |
| 269 | [[quoteright:225:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Maria_Himuro_9727.jpg]] |
| 270 | |
| 271 | The beautiful and quiet assistant for the Hakushu team. She has serious problems with the way Marco runs the team, and tries to keep a limit on the casualties that he and Gaou inflict on other teams. |
| 272 | |
| 273 | * Position: Manager. |
| 274 | ---- |
| 275 | * AllGirlsWantBadBoys: [[SubvertedTrope No they don't]]. Maria likes Marco, but for who he [[NiceGuy used to be]], rather than [[ManipulativeBastard who he is now]]. |
| 276 | * AloofDarkHairedGirl: Incredibly pretty, but also incredibly intimidating. Tengu calls her their empress and Marco trying to woo her was what the team found the most unsettling and bold about him. |
| 277 | * BoyishShortHair: As part of her rather scary demeanor. |
| 278 | * CuteSportsClubManager: Though the players find her scary rather than cute. |
| 279 | * EmotionlessGirl: After Marco recruited Gaoh. |
| 280 | * TheHeart: She was this for the team, until Marco became a ManipulativeBastard. |
| 281 | * IgnoreTheFanservice: Walks into the locker room telling all the naked athletes to hurry the hell up if they don't want to miss the train. |
| 282 | * ShipTease: Has loads of this with Marco. |
| 283 | * SignificantNameOverlap: Her given name is the same as Marco's, something he tried to bond with her over. |
| 284 | * TheStoic: After the changes in her team, she puts on a stoic face. |
| 285 | * SugarAndIcePersonality: Towards Marco until he recruited Gaoh. |
| 286 | * TokenGoodTeammate: To [[ManipulativeBastard Marco]], [[BloodKnight Gaoh]], [[DirtyCoward Tengu]], and [[InLoveWithYourCarnage Kisaragi]]. |
| 287 | * WhenSheSmiles: Finally cracks a smile after Marco's defeat and HeelRealisation. |
| 288 | [[/folder]] |
| 289 | [[folder: Saburo Mitsui]] |
| 290 | Hakushu's kicker, third best kicker in Kantou. |
| 291 | * AmbiguouslyBrown: Not like the Sphinx but he is clearly of darker complexion. |
| 292 | * TheBrute: Physically imposing, playing linebacker when he isn't kicking, and not useful enough to be a right hand like Gaou or Kisaragi. |
| 293 | * CantCatchUp: He knows he can't beat Kotarou or Musashi so he'll make sure to be the bronze medal. |
| 294 | * FlatCharacter: He is a simple stoic man with a simple goal. |
| 295 | * NumerologicalMotif: [[RuleOfThree Three]]. |
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