The Prince of Tennis/Characters

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.

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:
 * All There in the Manual: Apparently wants a Nintendo DS.
 * Annoying Younger Sibling: A rare subversion, as he plays this role to Ryoga.
 * Attention Whore
 * 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.
 * Big Eater: Do NOT have him tag along for burgers.
 * Bishonen: 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.
 * Catch Phrase: "Mada mada dane.", aka "You still have lots to work on." (In one episode, he deliberately translates this into English as "No, not yet; you still have a long way to go.")
 * Deadpan Snarker: Delivers his more snarky words either with a straight face or a sarcastic smirk. Can be seen as a Little Mister Snarker.
 * Eyes of Gold
 * God Mode Sue & Jerk Sue: His anti-fans LOVE to accuse him of being one of these.
 * 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 them Mary Sues.
 * Gratuitous English: "You have lots more to work on."
 * Heavy Sleeper: He loves taking naps, and is hard to wake up up in the morning.
 * I Am Not Left-Handed: Actually, he is not right handed. He switches to the left when he decides to get serious.
 * Insufferable Genius: He never really gets seriously chewed out for his arrogance, probably because he DOES have every right to be arrogant with that level of tennis-fu.
 * Junko Minagawa
 * Kindhearted Cat Lover: He shows quiet a bit of love toward his cat Karupin.
 * Like Father, Like Son
 * Mega Manning: Even before achieving  one of Ryoma's skills was copying shots after seeing them only a few times.
 * Mouthy Kid: Shown to have quite the attitude and usually provokes his opponents.
 * Nice Cap
 * Not a Morning Person: He is regularly late to practices and tournaments that take place in the early morning--or any time before 10 am.
 * Ron the Death Eater: No, he wasn't born evil just because your pretty widdle Atobe is your favorite, people.
 * Signature Move: 'Twist Serve.'
 * Sugar and Ice Guy: As a consequence of his care for Karupin and, to a degree, for his friends and teammates, moreso in the anime than the manga.
 * Teen Genius: Of course.
 * 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, 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.
 * Batman Gambit
 * Big Brother Mentor: For Ryoma and Miyuki Chitose.
 * Catch Phrase: "Yuudan senzou ni ikou!", aka "Let's not get careless!" or "Don't let your guard down!".
 * The Comically Serious: Almost as much as Shino
 * Curtains Match the Window
 * The Captain
 * Deadly Upgrade: Zero-Shiki Drop.
 * Determinator: He has destroyed his arm  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.
 * God Mode Sue
 * Hot-Blooded: When it comes to tennis, this is his true personality, as Atobe noted. He, unlike Fuji, goes for the win no matter what.
 * Heterosexual Life Partners: Does this with Fuji, at least in the anime, where they make their own observations about match.
 * Also with his sub-captain, Oishi, whom he confides in quite a bit.
 * Megane: Looks-wise, he's more of a Four Eyes, Zero Soul type, but his personality is far too Team Dad-ish for that.
 * The Only One Allowed to Defeat You: To several characters. He is considered the one to beat, period.
 * Pigeonholed Voice Actor: Ryotaro Okiayu is very versatile, but lately he's been voicing just too many serious guys...
 * Ryotaro Okiayu
 * Say My Name "TEZUKAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!" in Tenimyu. Also by players during matches, to vent out their frustration.
 * Scary Shiny Glasses: Not reaching Inui point, but still.
 * Signature Move: 'Tezuka Zone, Zero shiki drop shot.'
 * Stoic Spectacles
 * Student Council President: Though his Council isn't exactly absurdly powerful.
 * Supporting Leader: Towards the team as a whole, and then towards pretty much everyone in the entire series.
 * Team Dad
 * Teen Genius
 * The Stoic: Almost never smiles, gets angry, anything. Lampshaded by himself, when  notes he's smiling after   and he asks the other to keep it a secret.
 * Sugar and Ice Guy - When He Smiles (when he does show more open feelings...wow.)
 * The Worf Effect / Worf Had the Flu: He always gets injured in critical moments.
 * What Do You Mean It's Not Awesome?: The Movie says that he extinguished the dinosaurs. Right.
 * Yaoi Guys: One of the most popular targets for yaoi doujinshii and fanfiction in the fandom. Specially with Fuji and Atobe.
 * Younger Than They Look: Is he really just 14 going to 15? He's been mistaken for a teacher.

Oishi Shuichiro
Tropes associated with Oishi:
 * Beware the Nice Ones: Do NOT cook things in a way that contradicts his favorite recipes.
 * Fear of Thunder: Mentioned in one of the fanbooks.
 * Green Eyes
 * Expository Hairstyle Change: He changes his haircut every year.
 * Heterosexual Life Partners: With Kikumaru, though more than once it goes into Ho Yay territory.
 * Instant Fanclub: Which embarrasses him a LOT.
 * Signature Move: 'Moon Volley.'
 * Spell My Name with an "S": Shuichiro, Syuichiro or Syuuichiro. Which one is it?
 * Takayuki Kondo
 * Tall, Dark and Handsome
 * Team Mom
 * 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:
 * Beware the Nice Ones: Do NOT piss this guy off.
 * Berserk Button: The best way to upset him? Hurt either his friends or invoke his...
 * Big Brother Instinct: Towards Yuuta, his younger brother.
 * Bishounen
 * Blue Eyes
 * Dude Looks Like a Lady
 * Ensemble Darkhorse: 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.
 * Launcher of a Thousand Ships: ...is there someone he has NOT been paired up with in fanwork?
 * Signature Move: 'Higuma Otoshi, Tsubame Gaeshi.'
 * Spell My Name with an "S": Spelled either Shuusuke, Syusuke or Syuusuke within the fandom.
 * Stepford Smiler: He has more issues than you'd think at first sight, but rarely lets his mask fall.
 * Teen Genius
 * 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.
 * Yuki Kaida

Kikumaru Eiji
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:
 * Blue Eyes
 * Boisterous Bruiser
 * Bunny Ears Lawyer: Might act like a kid, but is really skilled in tennis.
 * Cat Boy: In the Chibi episodes he's portrayed as the cat of the family.
 * Cat Smile
 * Catch Phrase: "Zannen Munnen Mata Raishu!" (Too bad, see you next week!), or "Hoi hoi!"
 * Character Development: Compare the Eiji from the beginning of the Hyoutei arc to the one from the Higa matches. BIG difference.
 * Fragile Speedster: He's got sharp eyes and reflexes, but the downside is his lack of stamina.
 * Fiery Redhead
 * First-Name Basis: People rarely call him by his surname, something very rare in Japan.
 * Fun Personified: Loves attention and is always cheerful.
 * Genki Guy
 * Heterosexual Life Partners: With Oishi, namely.
 * 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.
 * Hiroki Takahashi
 * Keet: Cheery, cute, sometimes squealing. Still, thanks to Character Development, he gradually loses some of the shallow traits.
 * Shipper on Deck: Along with Momo, he ships Sakuno/Ryoma.
 * Signature Move: 'Kikumaru Beam, Kikumaru Bazooka.'
 * Verbal Tic "-nya!"

Inui Sadaharu
Tropes associated with Inui:
 * Awesomeness By Analysis
 * 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.
 * Batman Gambit: Really good at these.
 * Xanatos Speed Chess
 * Big Brother Mentor: To Kaidoh.
 * Birds of a Feather: Played straight and subverted with
 * Blank White Eyes
 * Blind Without'Em: A whole episode was dedicated to people trying to see his eyes
 * Butt Monkey: Especially in the OAV's.
 * Catch Phrase: "Ii data"
 * Gargle Blaster: His infamous juices.
 * Kenjiro Tsuda
 * Megane
 * Shipper on Deck: Another Ryo/Saku fan.
 * Sugar and Ice Guy
 * Teen Genius
 * The Smart Guy
 * The Strategist

Kawamura Takashi
Tropes associated with Kawamura:
 * Badass Normal
 * The Big Guy
 * Boisterous Bruiser: When in "Burning" mode.
 * Catch Phrase: "BURNING".
 * Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass
 * Curtains Match the Window
 * Determinator: Mostly as Burning Taka, but he's got his moments when normal.
 * The Dutiful Son: Eldest son of a sushi chef, expected to inherit the family restaurant
 * Gratuitous English
 * Heroic Self-Deprecation: Believes he's The Load, even when people tell him that he's not.
 * Hot-Blooded
 * Mighty Glacier
 * Naru Kawamoto
 * Signature Move: 'Hadokyuu, Dash Hadokyuu.'
 * Split Personality
 * 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.
 * Unskilled but Strong:

Momoshiro Takeshi
Tropes associated with Momoshiro:
 * Anime Hair
 * Badass Normal
 * Big Eater
 * Bromantic Foil: To Ryoma.
 * Boisterous Bruiser
 * Die for Our Ship: From the rabid Inu/Kai fans.
 * Fun Personified
 * Hot-Blooded
 * 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.
 * Masaya Onosaka
 * Purple Eyes
 * Red Oni, Blue Oni: The Red Oni to Kaidoh's and Ryoma's Blue.
 * Shipper on Deck: Ships Sakuno/Ryoma fervently, and may dabble a little in Eiji/Oishi.
 * Signature Move: 'Dunk Smash, Jack Knife.'
 * Wife-Basher Basher: Really hates it when a girl gets threatened.

Kaidoh Kaoru
Tropes associated with Kaidoh:
 * Alliterative Name
 * Asexuality
 * Bunny Ears Lawyer
 * Butt Monkey: If something humiliating or hilarious is gonna happen to a Seigaku player, he's the first candidate.
 * Catch Phrase: "Fshuuuuuuu".
 * The Comically Serious
 * Face of a Thug
 * Friend to All Living Things: Kids might fear him, but animals love him (but sometimes they get scared away because of his face.)
 * Jerk with a Heart of Gold: The very odd mix of this and Tsundere.
 * Kohei Kiyasu
 * Perpetual Frowner
 * Plot-Powered Stamina
 * Red Oni, Blue Oni: His Blue Oni to Momo's Red. The Red Oni to Inui's Blue.
 * Signature Move: 'Boomerang Snake.'
 * Sssssnaketalk
 * Strong Family Resemblance: He looks a lot like his father, Shibuki. His little brother Hazue, is basically a child version of Kaidoh.
 * Why Did It Have to Be Ghosts?

Tachibana Kippei
Tropes associated with Tachibana:
 * Blood Knight: In his backstory.
 * My God, What Have I Done? )
 * 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.
 * Facial Markings: A mole on his forehead.
 * New Transfer Student
 * Real Men Hate Sugar: According to one of the fanbooks, hates sweets.
 * Signature Move: Abare-dama.
 * Sugar and Ice Guy
 * Supreme Chef: According to one of the fanbooks, knows 125 recipes, and cooks dinner every night.
 * Which kinda contradicts a scene in "Atobe kara no okurimono", in which Kamio looks kinda grossed out when he sees his cooking. Oh, well.
 * Team Dad
 * The Worf Effect After being stated to be a national-level player on par with 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.
 * Yoshihisa Kawahara
 * Yoshihisa Kawahara

Kamio Akira
Tropes associated with Kamio:
 * Boisterous Bruiser
 * Catch Phrase: "Rizumu ni noruze!".
 * Chihiro Suzuki
 * Fragile Speedster: Perhaps the most literal example in the series.
 * Hot-Blooded
 * Signature Move: 'Sonic Bullet.'
 * Unlucky Childhood Friend: To Tachibana's sister, An. He pretty obviously has a crush on her, but she considers him her Platonic Life Partner.

Ibu Shinji
Tropes associated with Ibu:
 * Cloudcuckoolander
 * Curtains Match the Window
 * 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.
 * Signature Move: 'Kick serve, Spot.'
 * 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.
 * You Gotta Have Blue Hair

Ishida Tetsu
Tropes associated with Ishida:
 * Bald of Awesome
 * Deadly Upgrade: His variation of the Hadokyuu, so much that Tachibana banned him from using it.
 * Gentle Giant
 * Mamoru Miyano: In the musicals, at least. He actually provides Ishida with characteristics, as well as... other things.
 * Signature Move: 'Hadokyuu.'
 * Takeshi Maeda

Sakurai Masaya
Tropes associated with Sakurai:
 * Makoto Ueki
 * Ridiculously Average Guy

Uchimura Kyosuke
Tropes associated with Uchimura:
 * Kohei Kiyasu
 * Nice Cap

Mori Tatsunori
Tropes associated with Mori:
 * Ridiculously Average Guy
 * Takayuki Kondo

Mizuki Hajime
Tropes associated with Mizuki:
 * Akira Ishida
 * Always Camp
 * Camp Straight or Camp Bi
 * Curtains Match the Window
 * Kick the Dog: His treatment of Yuuta.
 * Smug Snake
 * Stalker with a Crush: To Yuuta, at least in fanon. Considering his behavior to him and his sister Yumiko, it's not that hard to see where it comes from.
 * Smug Snake
 * Stalker with a Crush: To Yuuta, at least in fanon. Considering his behavior to him and his sister Yumiko, it's not that hard to see where it comes from.

Fuji Yuuta
Tropes associated with Yuuta:
 * Afraid of Needles: According to one of the fanbooks.
 * Always Someone Better: The reason why he exchanged schools so he could try and beat his brother in a match.
 * Bratty Half-Pint: Milder version
 * Makoto Tomita
 * Noriko Namiki: As a child.
 * Signature Move: 'Twist Spin Shot, Rising.'
 * Sweet Tooth
 * The Unfavorite: A big part of his Character Development is his feelings of inadequacy and jealousy of his older brother Shuusuke.
 * Tsundere

Akazawa Yoshirou
Tropes associated with Akazawa:
 * Ambiguously Brown
 * Curtains Match the Window
 * Hot-Blooded
 * Jerkass
 * Masami Iwasaki
 * Trademark Favorite Food: Curry.

Kaneda Ichirou
Tropes associated with Kaneda:
 * Hero Worshipper: Big Akazawa fanboy, but still...
 * What the Hell, Hero?: "Bakazawaaaaaa!"
 * Nice Guy
 * Yoshihisa Kawahara

Kisarazu Atsushi
Tropes associated with Atsushi:
 * Fingerless Gloves
 * Hachimaki
 * Important Haircut
 * Satoshi Tsuruoka
 * Signature Move: 'Feint Drop Volley.'

Yanagisawa Shinya
Tropes associated with Yanagisawa:
 * Animal Motifs: A duck.
 * The Chew Toy
 * Norihisa Mori
 * Verbal Tic: "-dane". Lampshaded by Momo and Kaido, who get so annoyed that they openly tell him "STOP SAYING -DANE!"

Nomura Takuya
Tropes associated with Nomura:
 * The Short Guy with Glasses
 * Takayuki Kondo

Sengoku Kiyosumi
Tropes associated with Sengoku:
 * Boisterous Bruiser
 * 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.
 * Blue Eyes
 * Fiery Redhead
 * Handsome Lech
 * Kosuke Toriumi
 * Nice Guy
 * Signature Move: 'Kouhou.'

Akutsu Jin
Tropes associated with Akutsu:
 * Break the Haughty
 * Catch Phrase: "Don't order me."
 * Eyes of Gold
 * Jerkass
 * Jerk with a Heart of Gold
 * Nozomu Sasaki
 * 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  in the anime,

Minami Kentarou
Tropes associated with Minami:
 * Anime Hair
 * Embarrassing Nickname: 'Jimmies' (dull/plain) gets called this along with his doubles partner, Higashikata.
 * Masaaki Ishikawa

Higashikata Masami
Tropes associated with Higashikata:
 * Embarrassing Nickname: 'Jimmies' gets called this along with his doubles partner, Minami.
 * Ridiculously Average Guy
 * Yoshikazu Nagano

Dan Taichi
Tropes associated with Dan:
 * Catch Phrase: "Dadadadaan!", "Ussodaan!"
 * Cute Shotaro Boy
 * Dude Looks Like a Lady
 * Hachimaki: Given to him by Akutsu.
 * Moe
 * Morality Pet: To Akutsu.
 * Verbal Tic: "-desu"
 * Yumiko Kobayashi

Muromachi Touji
Tropes associated with Muromachi:
 * Cool Shades
 * Sixth Ranger
 * Takahiro Hirano

Nitobe Inakichi
Tropes associated with Nitobe:
 * Bob Haircut
 * Kei Watanabe
 * Those Two Guys: With Kita.

Kita Ichiuma
Tropes associated with Kita:
 * Ryotaro Okiayu
 * Those Two Guys: With Nitobe.

Hyoutei Gakuen
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:
 * The Ace
 * Anime Hair: In the games and the manga he's a blond, in the anime he's silver-haired.
 * Attention Whore
 * Big Fancy House: No doubt about that.
 * Bishie Sparkle: One of the biggest "offenders".
 * Catch Phrase: "Ore-sama no bigi no yoi na!" "Be awed at the sight of my prowess" and its variations.
 * Charm Point. His mole. There's even a song dedicated to it.
 * Die for Our Ship: Some Sanada/Yukimura fangirls loathe him.
 * 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
 * What he spends his allowance on? Treating out his club members.
 * Junichi Suwabe
 * I Have You Now, My Pretty: He was sorta doing this to An in his first apparition.
 * Insufferable Genius
 * Large Ham: So over the top.
 * Launcher of a Thousand Ships: Another one who's paired up with *everyone*
 * 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.
 * Signature Move: 'Hametsu e no Rondo.'
 * Tall, Dark and Snarky
 * The White Prince: Filthy rich, doesn't mind to either show it off or use it to help his friends.
 * The White Prince: Filthy rich, doesn't mind to either show it off or use it to help his friends.

Oshitari Yuushi
Tropes associated with Oshitari:


 * Blind Without'Em: Averted, seeing as he sees perfectly fine without them, he just wants to look smarter.
 * 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.
 * Curtains Match the Window
 * Hidenobu Kiuchi
 * Kansai Regional Accent
 * Megane
 * Number Two: Serves as this for Atobe along with Shishido.
 * Red Oni, Blue Oni: The Blue Oni to Gakuto's Red.
 * Is this for Atobe, as the latter is often much more flamboyant
 * Signature Move: 'Higuma Otoshi.'
 * Tall, Dark, Handsome AND Snarky
 * You Gotta Have Blue Hair

Mukahi Gakuto
Tropes associated with Mukahi:
 * Bob Haircut
 * Catch Phrase: "Motto tonde miso!"
 * Crazy Jealous Guy: With Oshitari Yuushi.
 * Fragile Speedster: Can jump very high, even higher than Eiji... but his stamina is terrible.
 * Jerkass <- -> Jerk with a Heart of Gold.
 * Red Oni, Blue Oni: Red Oni to both Oshitari's and Hiyoshi's Blue Oni.
 * Sempai-Kohai: With Hiyoshi
 * Signature Move: Moon Sault.
 * Soichiro Hoshi
 * The Napoleon: One of the shortest players out of all the teams, but not one of the nicest.

Shishido Ryou
Tropes associated with Shishido:
 * Big Brother Mentor: To Ohtori.
 * Catch Phrase: "Gekidasa daze!"
 * Hot-Blooded
 * Ho Yay: With Ohtori, cranked Up to Eleven in the anime.
 * Important Haircut
 * The Napoleon:
 * Nice Cap
 * Pointless Band-Aid
 * Red Oni, Blue Oni: Red Oni to Ohtori's Blue Oni.
 * Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: The manly man to Ohtori's sensitive guy.
 * Signature Move: 'Rising Counter.'
 * Toshiyuki Kusuda
 * Unexplained Accent: Speaks with a thick accent of some kind.

Akutagawa Jirou
Tropes associated with Jirou:
 * Fan Boy: Towards Fuji and Bunta.
 * Genius Ditz
 * Heavy Sleeper
 * Yuji Ueda

Kabaji Munehiro
Tropes associated with Kabaji:
 * Big Brother Instinct
 * Big Eater
 * Catch Phrase: "Usu!"
 * Gentle Giant
 * Mega Manning
 * Real Men Wear Pink: The fanbooks say that he loves knitting and his favorite school subject is Home Economics.
 * Satoshi Tsuruoka
 * Satoshi Tsuruoka

Ohtori Choutarou
Tropes associated with Ohtori:
 * Catch Phrase: "Ikkyunyukon!"
 * Daisuke Namikawa
 * Gentle Giant: His daily activities include going to the gardens to feed the birds.
 * Ho Yay: With Shishido. Amusingly lampshaded in the Dating Sim games... during his own romantic route even.
 * Nice Guy
 * Red Oni, Blue Oni: Blue Oni to Shishido's Red Oni.
 * Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: The sensitive guy to Shishido's manly man.
 * Signature Move: 'Scud serve.'
 * Spell My Name with an "S" Ohtori/Ootori/Otori... and then Choutarou/Choutaroh/Chohtarou.
 * White-Haired Pretty Boy: Although he is much nicer than what the trope suggests.
 * Yamato Nadeshiko: Gender flipped, but otherwise an almost perfect example.

Hiyoshi Wakashi
Tropes associated with Hiyoshi:
 * Arrogant Kung Fu Guy
 * Butt Monkey
 * Catch Phrase: "Gekokujou!"
 * Heir to the 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.
 * Masami Iwasaki
 * Megane: Though wears contact lenses when he's not at home.
 * School Newspaper Newshound: Part of the school newspaper committee. He also seems to always be on the look out for strange phenomena such as UFOs.
 * School Newspaper Newshound: Part of the school newspaper committee. He also seems to always be on the look out for strange phenomena such as UFOs.

Taki Haginosuke

Tropes associated with Taki:
 * Bob Haircut
 * Important Haircut: Invoked.
 * Kohei Kiyasu
 * Sacrificial Lamb: Subverted. He has to sacrifice his regular spot as he lost to Shishido, he doesn't die because of it.

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.

Kajimoto Takahisa
Tropes associated with Kajimoto:
 * Katsuyuki Konishi
 * Perpetual Frowner
 * Rubber Man: To a degree, as he's almost unnaturally flexible.

Shinjo Reiji
Tropes associated with Shinjo:


 * Berserk Button: Insulting Hanamura's training method.
 * Hot for Teacher: His huge apparent crush on Hanamura is played for laughs.
 * Ryuji Kasahara
 * Sugar and Ice Guy

Wakato Hiroshi
Tropes associated with Wakato:


 * Boisterous Bruiser
 * Chick Magnet
 * Everything's Better with Sparkles
 * Fiery Redhead
 * Large Ham
 * Masami Kikuchi
 * Playing Against Type: Come on it, Keiichi and Tenchi!
 * Nice Cap

Tanaka Yohei
Tropes associated with Yohei:


 * Chieko Higuchi
 * Dude Looks Like a Lady
 * She's a Man In Japan: The So Bad It's Good Latinamerican dub mistakes the twins for girls.
 * You Gotta Have Purple Hair

Tanaka Kohei
Tropes associated with Kohei:


 * Dude Looks Like a Lady: Even more than his twin brother.
 * Kanako Mitsuhashi
 * She's a Man In Japan: Again, the Latinamerican dub mistakes the twins for girls.
 * You Gotta Have Blue Hair

Kiriyama Daichi
Tropes associated with Kiriyama:
 * The Big Guy
 * Hachimaki
 * Kenji Iwama

Oota Shou
Tropes associated with Oota:
 * Cool Shades
 * Hachimaki
 * Ryo Naitou

Aoi Kentarou
Tropes associated with Aoi:


 * Boisterous Bruiser
 * Genki Guy
 * Fun Personified
 * Large Ham
 * Toshiyuki Toyonaga

Saeki Koujirou
Tropes associated with Saeki:


 * Claustrophobia: Mentioned in one of the fanbooks.
 * Childhood Friends: To Fuji.
 * Unlucky Childhood Friend: In fanon.
 * Katsuaki Arima
 * Nice Guy
 * Team Mom
 * White-Haired Pretty Boy: In the anime.
 * Hair of Gold: In the manga.
 * Yusei Oda

Amane 'Davide' Hikaru
Tropes associated with Amane:


 * Boke and Tsukkomi Routine: As the bokke.
 * 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.
 * Kosuke Takeuchi
 * Let's Get Dangerous: When he ties up his beautiful long red hair... watch out.
 * Pungeon Master

Kurobane Harukaze
Tropes associated with Kurobane:
 * Amusing Injuries: Kicks Amane on the head as a part of their routine.
 * Boke and Tsukkomi Routine: He's a rather... special tsukkomi.
 * Kazuhiko Oguro

Itsuki Marehiko
Tropes associated with Itsuki:
 * Catch Phrase: "Why".
 * Takehiro Hasu
 * Verbal Tic: "-none".

Kisarazu Ryou
Tropes associated with Ryou:
 * Badass Long Hair
 * Hiroki Takahashi
 * Nice Cap
 * Signature Move: 'Sky high volley.'

Shudou Satoshi
Tropes associated with Shudou:


 * Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette
 * Ridiculously Average Guy
 * Takayuki Kondo
 * Toshiyuki Kusuda: In the ova.

Yukimura Seiichi
Tropes associated with Yukimura:
 * Blue Eyes
 * Cross-Dressing Voices: Sachiko Nagai. In fact, he's the only captain or subcaptain voiced by a female.
 * Curtains Match the Window
 * Determinator
 * Don't You Dare Pity Me!
 * Dude Looks Like a Lady: Even more so than Fuji.
 * Hachimaki: A nice green one.
 * Ill Boy: It's a rather... complicated issue. See the main page.
 * Yamato Nadeshiko: Looks, speaks and acts like a genderflipped version.
 * You Gotta Have Blue Hair
 * You Gotta Have Blue Hair

Sanada Genichirou
Tropes associated with Sanada:
 * Aloof Big Brother
 * Arrogant Kung Fu Guy: So much that he names his tennis moves after quotes from The Art of War
 * Armor-Piercing Slap: Slaps his companions around instead of assigning laps or lectures.
 * Brown Eyes
 * Born in the Wrong Century: He acts like an old man in a teenager's body. Or as a Samurai stuck in the modern times.
 * Catch Phrase: "Tarundoru".
 * Heir to the Dojo: Of a famous kendo one. His endings in the dating sims often involve bringing the lead female to the Sanada dojo.
 * Kendo Team Captain: Subverted: he has the looks, attitude and skills, but prefers tennis rather than kendo.
 * Nice Black Cap
 * Not So Stoic: Tries to be The Stoic, but is far too Hot-Blooded.
 * Rescue Romance: In both dating sims. In Gakuensai, he rescues Shizuka from thugs trying to make moves on her. In Sanroku he and Tsugumi almost fall off a cliff and he actually manages to *throw her upwards in the air to a safer spot above them* before climbing his way up. With one arm.
 * Signature Move: Fuu Rin Ka Zan.
 * Taiten Kusunoki
 * Younger Than They Look: Actually 15 years old, he's been mistaken for a teacher in the Gakuensai dating sim game. And he was right behind the main girl when she said so.
 * Younger Than They Look: Actually 15 years old, he's been mistaken for a teacher in the Gakuensai dating sim game. And he was right behind the main girl when she said so.

Yanagi Renji
Tropes associated with Yanagi:
 * Big Brother Mentor: He, Sanada and Yukimura are this to Kirihara, but he fills in the most.
 * Birds of a Feather: With Inui.
 * Bob Haircut
 * Expository Hairstyle Change: His bob was longer when he was younger.
 * Eiji Takemoto
 * Eyes Always Shut
 * First-Name Basis: With Inui.
 * Jerkass Facade: Especially in the manga.
 * Not So Stoic:
 * Sugar and Ice Guy: Especially in the anime.
 * Unlucky Childhood Friend: In Fanon.
 * Unlucky Childhood Friend: In Fanon.

Kirihara Akaya
Tropes associated with Kirihara:
 * Bratty Half-Pint: Despite being already 13 years old.
 * Blood Knight
 * Catch Phrase: "Tsubusu yo" (I'll crush you), and "I'll defeat the three demons and become Number 1!"
 * Character Exaggeration: His Blood Knight tendences get exaggerated to ridiculous degrees in the manga.
 * 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.
 * Green Eyes
 * Red Eyes, Take Warning
 * 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.
 * Jerk with a Heart of Gold: His violent and cocky behavior in courts contrasts with his child-like naivete.
 * Showtaro Morikubo
 * Signature Move: 'Knuckle serve.'
 * The Berserker
 * The Berserker

Yagyuu Hiroshi
Tropes associated with Yagyuu:


 * Anime Hair: In the anime, it's purple. In the manga and video games, it's brown.
 * Catch Phrase: 'Adieu'.
 * Eisuke Tsuda
 * Four Eyes, Zero Soul: Has the looks, but isn't a bad person outside the fields.
 * Megane
 * Signature Move: 'Laser Beam'.
 * Tall, Dark and Handsome
 * You Gotta Have Purple Hair
 * You Gotta Have Purple Hair

Niou Masaharu
Tropes associated with Niou:
 * Catch Phrase: "Puri".
 * Magnificent Bastard
 * Master of Disguise and Master of Illusion
 * Trickster
 * White-Haired Pretty Boy
 * Yuuki Masuda

Marui Bunta
Tropes associated with Marui:
 * Big Eater
 * Genius' Sweet Tooth: Usually seen eating candies or cakes.
 * Fiery Redhead
 * Naozumi Takahashi
 * Signature Move: 'Tsuna Watari, Tecchu Ate.'

Jackal Kuwahara
Tropes associated with Jackal:


 * Badass Normal: Doesn't have flashy moves like the other Rikkai members, but is still an excellent defender.
 * Bald of Awesome: The anime explains that he shaves himself bald to honor his coach who taught him tennis when he lived in Brazil.
 * Brown Eyes
 * But Not Too Foreign: Half-Brazilian.
 * Catch Phrase: "Fire!"
 * Nice Guy
 * Nobuyuki Hiyama
 * Team Mom

Kevin Smith
Tropes associated with Kevin:


 * Break the Haughty
 * Blond Guys Are Evil
 * Hot-Blooded
 * Jerkass
 * Jerkass Woobie
 * Jerk with a Heart of Gold
 * Reiko Kiuchi
 * Unknown Rival
 * Unknown Rival

George Smith
Tropes associated with Smith:
 * Jerkass
 * Kick the Dog: How he treated.
 * Training From Hell
 * Yoshiro Matsumoto
 * Training From Hell
 * Yoshiro Matsumoto

Billy Cassidy
Tropes associated with Billy:
 * Boisterous Bruiser
 * Eagle Land
 * Odd Friendship: With Kevin.
 * Yuuto Kazama

Michael Lee
Tropes associated with Lee:
 * The Dutiful Son
 * But Not Too Foreign: Half-Chinese.
 * Isshin Chiba
 * The White Prince
 * You Gotta Have Green Hair

Tom Griffey
Tropes associated with Tom:
 * Kazunari Kojima
 * You Gotta Have Green Hair
 * You Gotta Have Green Hair

Terry Griffey
Tropes associated with Terry:
 * Bishonen
 * Dude Looks Like a Lady
 * Maiko Ito
 * Maiko Ito

Bobby Max
Tropes associated with Bobby:
 * Dark-Skinned Blond
 * Jerk Jock

Arnold Ignashov
Tropes associated with Arnold:


 * East Germany: Was born there, then his parents left to the USA.

Toyama Kintarou
Tropes associated with Kintarou:
 * Badass Adorable
 * Boisterous Bruiser: Always smiling and laughing and cracking jokes.
 * Dark-Skinned Redhead
 * Ditzy Genius
 * 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.
 * No Sense of Direction: Getting off the train in the wrong city?
 * 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 and Unskilled 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.
 * The Idiot From Osaka
 * Trademark Favourite Food: Takoyaki.
 * 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.
 * Wild Child

Shiraishi Kuranosuke
Tropes associated with Shiraishi:
 * Bandage Bishonen
 * 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.
 * Catch Phrase: "Mmm, ecstasy".
 * Getting Crap Past the Radar
 * White-Haired Pretty Boy (manga)

Chitose Senri
Tropes associated with Chitose:


 * Afro Asskicker: His hair is big. REALLY big.
 * Bunny Ears Lawyer: Always acts as if he was stoned.
 * Eye Scream:
 * Curtains Match the Window
 * Childhood Friends:
 * You Gotta Have Blue Hair

Ishida Gin
Tropes associated with Gin:


 * Aloof Big Brother: To Tetsu.
 * Bald of Awesome
 * The Comically Serious: In the yakiniku episode.
 * Gentle Giant
 * Honor Before Reason
 * Perpetual Frowner
 * Signature Move: '108 styles of Hadokyuu.'

Oshitari Kenya
Tropes associated with Kenya:
 * Dye Hard: His hair used to be rather dark when he was younger.
 * Jun Fukuyama
 * The Idiot From Osaka: Averted, he's fairly intelligent.
 * Lightning Bruiser: The best example in the series.

Konjiki Koharu
Tropes associated with Koharu:
 * Bald of Awesome
 * Ditzy Genius
 * Lovable Sex Maniac: Especially in the manga. Poor Kaidoh.
 * Master of Disguise: Parodied without any mercy.
 * Megane
 * No Sense of Personal Space: Again, poor Kaidoh.

Hitouji Yuuji
Tropes associated with Yuuji:
 * Crazy Jealous Guy: To Koharu, Played for Laughs. ("THAT'S ADULTERY!")
 * Hachimaki
 * Mask Power
 * Mega Manning

Zaizen Hikaru
Tropes associated with Zaizen:


 * Mouthy Kid: Calling your own sempai "gross"?
 * Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette
 * Teen Genius: Subverted. Gets mentioned as one, though we never see him play a match.
 * Played Straight when the 2nd lot of the 'Another Story' OVAs came out. We see him team up with Koishikawa.

Koishikawa Kenjirou
Tropes associated with Koishikawa:


 * Demoted to Extra: Was supposed to have a larger role, but Chitose's appearance shot that to hell.

Kite Eishirou
Tropes associated with Kite:
 * Catch Phrase: "Goya kuwasuyo".
 * Combat Pragmatist: Not above cheating if he can.
 * Dick Dastardly Stops to Cheat: OVA 6. In his match with Tezuka.
 * Four Eyes, Zero Soul
 * Megane
 * Signature Move: 'Shukuchihou, Big Bang.'
 * Smug Snake: Though not as bad as Saotome.
 * Also invoked in the Umibe Dating Sim, where Kite has very polite yet mocking speech patterns that he uses specifically to provoke people (like Akutsu). To be fair, if by that point he's fond of the Umibe girl Ayaka, he *does* show a kinder side (like apologizing to Ayaka openly if she gets caught in the fights and meaning it.)

Kai Yuujirou
Tropes associated with Kai:
 * Jerkass
 * Characterization Marches On: Is kinder in Umibe no Secret, though like Kite he isn't above behaving not so nicely towards other players.
 * Kick the Dog: See Saotome's section, as he was the one
 * Punch Clock Villain
 * Nice Cap
 * Peek-a-Bangs
 * Signature Move: 'Shukuchihou, Viking Horn.'

Tanishi Kei
Tropes associated with Tanishi:


 * Acrofatic: He's rather fast for a big guy.
 * Big Eater: In the yakiniku episode, he actually eats with tongs.
 * Catch Phrase: "Shimiti ichundo!" "I'm gonna attack!"
 * Fat Bastard: Pretty much built like a sumo wrestler
 * Lightning Bruiser
 * Signature Move: 'Shukuchihou, Big Bang.'

Hirakoba Rin
Tropes associated with Hirakoba:
 * Badass Long Hair
 * Dark-Skinned Blond
 * Dye Hard
 * Even Evil Has Standards: Openly questions Saotome-sensei's methods if he's pumped up enough in the match.
 * Hiroyuki Yoshino
 * Signature Move: Shukuchihou, Habu, Ohabu.

Chinen Hiroshi
Tropes associated with Chinen:


 * Looks Like Cesare: Very tall, very pale, very darkhaired aside of the white stripe on his hair.
 * Face of a Thug: Doesn't seem to be a bad guy per se. But holy shit, he looks creepy.
 * Skunk Stripe
 * Signature Move: 'Shukuchihou'.


 * Shiranui Tomoya and Aragaki Koichi

Tropes associated with Shiranui and Aragaki:
 * Plot-Powered Stamina
 * Those Two Guys
 * Stone Wall: They can't use Okinawan Tennis techniques, but they make up for it with sheer staying power that could give Kaidoh a run for his money.

Karupin

 * Cute Kitten
 * Everythings Cuter With Kittens

Echizen Rinko (née Takeuchi)

 * Biker Babe: In her youth
 * Hot Mom: When we see a young Rinko with an equally young Nanjirou and a toddler!Ryoma... holy crap
 * Love At First Punch: She was the first girl who didn't take Nanjirou's crap. Of course, they ended up married.
 * Pettanko: And not amused when Nanjirou lampshades the trope.
 * Plucky Girl
 * 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.
 * SHe Who Must Not Be Seen: We barely get to see her face in the modern time stories.
 * 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.

Echizen Nanjirou

 * Amazingly Embarrassing Parents: Poor Ryoma.
 * Berserk Button: In the anime, the mere mention of Banji can send him into screaming fits.
 * Big Damn Heroes: Like Father, Like Son.
 * Bunny Ears Lawyer
 * Lovable Sex Maniac
 * Love At First Punch
 * Jerk with a Heart of Gold
 * Obfuscating Stupidity: His tennis abilities haven't diminished, but he loves acting like a moron until he's got to comment on tennis or play.
 * Perma-Stubble
 * Retired Badass

Meino Nanako

 * Cool Big Sis
 * Risa Mizuno
 * Tall, Dark and Bishoujo: Minus aloofness, though she can be pretty snarky sometimes.
 * Yamato Nadeshiko

Yamato Yuudai
Tropes associated with Yamato:


 * Alliterative Name
 * Big Brother Mentor: To Tezuka and Oishi.
 * Cloudcuckoolander
 * Obfuscating Stupidity
 * Hachimaki
 * Masanori Ikeda
 * Sunglasses At Night
 * Younger Than They Look: He's actually only 17.

Ryuuzaki Sumire
Tropes associated with Sumire:
 * Badass Teacher
 * Cool Old Lady
 * Dirty Old Woman
 * The Comically Serious
 * Hello, Nurse!: In her younger years.
 * I Was Quite a Looker
 * Not So Stoic: Good Christ, the volleyball episode in the Nationals Arc.
 * Shizuka Okohira
 * Stern Teacher

Banda Mikiya
Tropes associated with Banda:
 * Cool Old Guy
 * Eyes Always Shut
 * Kazuhiko Nishimatsu
 * Stepford Smiler: He always smiles. And I mean, ALWAYS. So much that it creeps everyone out. And this sends Nanjirou in screaming fits.
 * Team Dad

Sakaki Tarou
Tropes associated with Sakaki:
 * Bunny Ears Lawyer: Very efficient coach and usic teacher. Just as quirky as his own pupils.
 * Catch Phrase: "Itte yosh!"
 * Jurota Kosugi
 * Stern Teacher

Hanamura Aoi
Tropes associated with Hanamura:


 * Bunny Ears Lawyer: Fawns over her pupils almost like a teenage girl, when she's not coolly supervising their training menus.
 * Kaori Yamagata
 * Hot Teacher
 * Meganekko
 * 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!.

Ojii
Tropes associated with Ojii:


 * Bald of Awesome
 * Bunmei Tobayama
 * Cool Old Guy
 * Eyes Always Shut
 * Team Dad

Richard Baker
Tropes associated with Baker:


 * Armor-Piercing Attack
 * Money, Dear Boy
 * Stern Teacher

Hannah Essenheimer

 * Canon Foreigner: Only appears in the anime.
 * Bottle Fairy
 * Fiery Redhead
 * Rica Matsumoto
 * Rica Matsumoto

Iijyuin Kurumi

 * Canon Foreigner: Only appears in the anime.
 * Moe
 * Precocious Crush: On Fuji.
 * Saeko Chiba
 * She Cleans Up Nicely
 * Token Mini-Moe
 * The Glorious War of Sisterly Rivalry: As the Smart Sister.
 * Zettai Ryouiki

Iijyuin Narumi

 * Always Someone Better: For Kurumi.
 * Canon Foreigner: Only appears in the anime.
 * Moe
 * The Glorious War of Sisterly Rivalry: As the Pretty Sister.
 * Token Mini-Moe
 * Yamato Nadeshiko
 * Yuka Nanri

Chitose Miyuki

 * Bokukko
 * Girlish Pigtails -- Hidden under a...
 * Nice Hat
 * Dropped a Bridget On Him: On Tezuka, who mistook her as a boy because of the hat.
 * Plucky Girl
 * Rina Satou
 * Token Mini-Moe
 * Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: Is a very good player, but suffers a bad case of stage fright.

Akutsu Yuki

 * Absurdly Youthful Mother: Had Akutsu when she was as much 18-19.
 * Haruhi Terada
 * Hot Mom

Fuji Yumiko

 * Cool Big Sis
 * Ms. Fanservice
 * Yuki Kaida

Inoue Mamoru

 * Fan Boy: Of Nanjirou.
 * Crazy Prepared: Always has his tennis stuff in his car, in case he needs it.
 * Combat Commentator
 * Hozumi Gouda
 * Hypocritical Humor: Lightly scolds Shiba for not taking work seriously, then goes all blushy when he meets Nanako. Shiiba immediately lampshades the trope.
 * Intrepid Reporter
 * Nice Guy
 * Sempai-Kohai: To Shiba.

Shiba Saori

 * Butt Monkey
 * Cool Big Sis: Tries to be this, though it doesn't alway work. It still lets her have a Crowning Moment of Heartwarming as she gives  a Kirk Summation.
 * Hot Scoop
 * Naive Newcomer
 * Noriko Namiki
 * Shotacon: Borderline, Played for Laughs.
 * Unlimited Wardrobe
 * Wendee Lee

Horio Satoshi
Tropes associated with Horio:
 * Bromantic Foil: To Ryoma.
 * The Chew Toy
 * Curtains Match the Window
 * Dojikko
 * Informed Ability
 * Jerk with a Heart of Gold
 * Ted Baxter
 * The Scrappy
 * Could, however, be seen as a rescued scrappy, though. Surprisingly many fans seem to like him, mostly because he's hilarious.
 * Shigenori Yamazaki

Kato Kachirou
Tropes associated with Kachirou:
 * Adorkable
 * Akira Nakagawa
 * Alliterative Name
 * Beware the Nice Ones: Especially in the anime.
 * Bob Haircut
 * Cute Shotaro Boy
 * Nice Guy

Mizuno Katsuo
Tropes associated with Katsuo:
 * Cute Shotaro Boy
 * Supreme Chef: Really good at making curry.

Arai Masashi
Tropes associated with Arai:


 * Butt Monkey
 * Hachimaki
 * Hot-Blooded
 * Jerkass: Especially at the beginning.
 * Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Sparsely, but it's there.
 * Norihisa Mori

Ikeda Masaya
Tropes associated with Ikeda:


 * Hiroshi Shimozaki
 * Those Two Guys: With Hayashi.

Hayashi Daisuke
Tropes associated with Hayashi:


 * Makoto Ueki
 * Those Two Guys: With Ikeda.

Ryuuzaki Sakuno
Tropes associated with Sakuno:
 * Butt Monkey: Poor little girl has a pretty lousy luck, though not as bad as Horio's.
 * Curtains Match the Window
 * Die for Our Ship: She'd probably be more tolerated by the Fan Dumb if she didn't have a crush on Kidanova Ryoma...
 * Dojikko
 * Fan Girl
 * 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!
 * Mikako Takahashi
 * Moe
 * Rapunzel Hair
 * Real Women Never Wear Dresses: Being girly, shy and insecure is apparently a worse sin than hurting your rivals deliberately.
 * Shrinking Violet: Moreso in the anime than in the manga.
 * Token Mini-Moe
 * Tomboy and Girly Girl
 * Yamato Nadeshiko: Moreso in the manga than in the anime.

Osakada Tomoka
Tropes associated with Tomoka:
 * Bully Hunter
 * Beauty Mark
 * Clingy Jealous Girl
 * Cosplay Otaku Girl: Hinted to be one in the anime.
 * Curtains Match the Window
 * Fan Girl
 * Fuyuka Ooura
 * Genki Girl
 * Girlish Pigtails
 * Hot-Blooded
 * Moe Moe
 * Plucky Girl
 * School Newspaper Newshound: In the Chinese drama.
 * The Scrappy
 * Shorttank
 * Supreme Chef
 * Team Chef
 * Token Mini-Moe
 * Tomboy and Girly Girl: The tomboy to Sakuno's girly girl.
 * Tsundere: Type B: sweet, energetic, kind, cheerful, kinda clingy... unless Horio is near or someone threatens her friends.

Tachibana An
Tropes associated with An:
 * Akiko Kimura
 * Cool Big Sis: To Sakuno.
 * Every Girl Is Cuter With Hair Decs
 * Hot Amazon: Attracts men with her beauty and her firey personality.
 * My Name Is Not Durwood: "Don't call me 'Tachibana-imouto'! My name is An!".
 * Plucky Girl
 * The Tease: The most fashion-conscious of the girls.