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Inashiro Industrial
Narumiya Mei
Position: Pitcher
Voiced by: Yūki Kaji
- The Ace: The "absolute ace" of Inashiro. He is also widely recognised as the best lefty pitcher in the Kanto region, and as of Act II, as the best southpaw of his entire generation.
- All There in the Manual: His favourite food is rum-raisin ice-cream, his best subjects are world history and geography, his monthly allowance is 4600¥ (41.60 USD), and the player he most admires is Enatsu Yutaka.
- Attention Whore: Relishes in appearing on television, revels in the attention of his fans, brags about the fan mail and confessions that he gets, and gets annoyed when someone else steals his spotlight.Mei: (to Furuya) Hey!! Don't you stand out like that!!
- The Baby of the Bunch: He is the youngest child to a family with two older sisters.
- Badass Boast: Several.Mei: (to Yakushi) If you forgot who I am, I'll refresh your memory. I'm the king!!!
- Big Ego, Hidden Depths: Despite his arrogance and overly critical attitude, he is genuinely dedicated to his team, encourages his teammates, and on one occasion, even bows in gratitude to them. He's also a tremendously hard worker, who strives to be the best ace that he can be, and is very much aware of his own selfish and egoistic tendencies.Mei: (about Furuya Satoru) In the Fall Tournament, was I like that guy, too? Conceited and crumbling under the self-imposed pressure? It's so obvious when you watch from the side.
- Blasé Boast: A particularly harsh one after Inashiro defeted Sakurazawa in the Tokyo semi-finals.Mei: (to the Sakurazawa players) Hey! You should go home with your heads held high! You only lost to the best team in the country this season.
- Blonde, Brunette, Redhead: Among his yearmates, is the blonde to Carlos' brunet◊ and Shirakawa's redhead◊, and among Inajitsu's pitchers, to Hirano's brunet and Akamatsu's redhead.
- Blush Sticker: He sometimes gets them when he's praised, and often when he recieves attention from his female fans.
- Break the Haughty: Twice. The first one was after his wild pitch at the Summer Koushien when he was a first year, which caused Inashiro to lose. The second time was after losing to Ugumori in the Fall Tournament due to a combination of arrogance and lack of trust in his new catcher.Coach Kunitomo: (to Mei) Having a strong sense of responsibility, and not relying on your comrades are two different things. A conceited pitcher can never be called the ace.
- Brilliant, but Lazy: Outside of pitching, Narumiya has a very bubbly, air-headed, and somewhat childish personality. He acts somewhat lazy, but is actually only focused and puts an effort in what he's interested.
- Celibate Hero: Carlos outright says that the reason he doesn't have a girlfriend despite being so popular is because he's still just a kid. Being completely focused on baseball doesn't help either.
- Chick Magnet: Has a◊ lot of◊ female fans◊, even older ones.◊
- Comical Angry Face: Often has the classic one when annoyed, and the one with the mouth in the shape of a diamond, specific to him and Sawamura, when he's criticising or berating somebody.
- Crocodile Tears: While complaining to Harada that he has been benched, during a practice game.
- Crushing Handshake: Has one with Mukai after Inajitsu beats Teito in the Spring Tournament.Mukai: Thank you for your kind demonstration of immature pitching...Mei: (squeezes hard) Don't mention it. I wasn't even remotely serious, anyway.
- Dismissing a Compliment: When Itsuki compliments his bunt, he dismissively comments that he could have just as easily hit the ball.
- Exhausted Eye Bags: Has them on the day of the Tokyo final, having been unable to sleep the night before due to anxiety.
- Famed In-Story: During the summer of the 89th Koushien, his exceptional performance made him famous nationwide, causing him to frequently appear in the newspapers and on television, even having a special segment dedicated to him. The media called this "Mei-chan Fever", or "Meimania".
- Fatal Flaw: His greatest weakness would be his conceited and prideful attitude in general, that can affect his rhythm (especially when his pitches get hit) and can potentially result in his team losing a game.
- First-Name Basis: With Miyuki. Notably being the only named character to call Miyuki Kazuya in canon, as well as being one of the only characters whom Miyuki adresses by first name with no honorific attached. Miyuki remarks in an omake that Mei had dispensed with formalities when adressing him since their second meeting in middle school.
- Fist Pump: Does one a few times, most memorably when gloating that he has stayed longer in the game than Furuya, the opposing team's starting pitcher, and when expressing his resolve to win while being interviewed on television.Mei: I'll keep believing in my team, and do my best~!
- Gender-Blender Name: The typically feminine Mei.
- Graceful Loser: When Inashiro loses to Seidou in the finals of the Tokyo Tournament in Act II, he congratulates Miyuki with a hug, and tells him to make sure they win in at Koshien.
- Hand Behind Head: Once, when Miyuki compliments his pitching, and another time, when embarrassedly praising his teammates the night before the Summer Koshien final.
- Hate Sink: Without shadow a doubt is the most hateable character in the series, his arrogance is often irritating and definetely is created by the author to be hated by readers. Considering he ranked 7th as the only non Seido member in the popularity poll it didn't exactly work.
- Haughty "Hmph": Several times, such as when Harada tells him what to do or when he's appraising the opposing team's players.
- Hypocritical Humor: Insists that he doesn't really mind giving up a run, while a vein in his temple visibly twitches. Also tells Itsuki that by acquiring skill one can control one's emotions, while being in the middle of an angry tirade.
- Image Song: GET TO THE TOP.
- Inelegant Blubbering: After Inajitsu beats Seidou and qualifies for the Summer Koshien, he frustratedly cries from the relief, while surrounded by his fondly grinning teammates.
- In-Series Nickname: "King", used both by his teammates, as well as members of other teams.
- Insufferable Genius: He is easily one of the best pitchers in the Kanto region, something he is fully aware of.Mei: Hmph. If you're gonna do a squeeze play, then do it already. (smug grin) You can't hit off me, anyway.
- Meaningful Name: His surname, Narumiya, translates to "growing/becoming palace", while the kanji for miya can also be used as an honorfic for a memeber of the imperial family, which refers both to his nickname as "The Prince of the Capital", and to his growth to become "The King".
- My Greatest Failure: His loss at Summer Koushien during his first year, specifically the wild pitch that led to it. After that loss, he didn't attend practice for ten days because of the guilt he felt over it. Even a year later, he still sometimes has trouble sleeping because of it.
- Never My Fault: Subverted. He specifically blames himself for Inajitsu's loss at the 88th Summer Koshien, despite multiple reassurances from his teammates telling him otherwise. In fact, his pronounced arrogance and the high standards he sets for himself cause him to to shoulder a massive amount of responsibility for the team. When he fails to meet those standards, he tends to drive himself all the harder: to improve and to never repeat the same mistakes again.
- Older Than He Looks: Gets mistaken for a middle schooler, and then for a high school first year by the American players during the interleague game.
- Post-Victory Collapse: Collapses and cries due to overwhelming relief when Inajitsu beats Seidou and advances to the Summer Koshien, and has to be helped up by his teammates.Mei: (through tears) I'm glad... I've been talking so big all this time... I'm so glad we won...
- Red Baron: "The Prince of the Capital", for his performance in the 89th Summer Koushien.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: The loud, enthusiastic and arrogant Red to Harada's calmer, thoughtful Blue.
- The Rival: The main one in the series.
- Signature Move: His change-up, which is noted to have a remarkable drop, making it extremely hard to hit.
- Smug Smiler: One of his signature expressions.
- Suddenly Shouting: During the game with Seidou, when Haruichi goes up to bat.Mei: (internally) A first year, using a wooden bat... (exhale) '''''DO YOU WANT ME TO BREAK THAT BAT OF YOURS?!'''''◊
- Tantrum Throwing: After he gives up two runs in one inning, resulting in Seidou taking the lead. His teammates still commend him for saving the tantrum for after he got off the field, and for being more resolute after it.
- Training Montage: Two significant ones: one after his defeat at Summer Koushien in his first year, and the other after his loss to Ugumori. Both are shown in flashbacks, during the games with Seidou and Yakushi, respectively.
- Victory Pose: Some of them even featured in the newspapers and on television.
- V-Sign: Does it a few times.
Harada Masatoshi
Position: Catcher
Voiced by: Tomoaki Maeno
- The Captain: Of Inashiro. Noted as being the center of both the team's defense and offense, as both the head catcher and fourth batter. His retirement and subsequent absence from the club is one of the main reasons for Inashiro's loss against Ugumori.
- In-Series Nickname: Since graduating and joining the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, has earned the nickname 'Goriman'.
- One Head Taller: With Mei.
- Only Sane Man
- Perpetual Frowner: Usually has a serious or worried facial expression.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: The responsible, serious Blue to Mei's childish, loud Red.
- Tears of Joy: After their win against Seidou.
- Younger Than He Looks: Looks much older than eighteen. This is especially evident when he's standing next to Mei.
Shirakawa Katsuyuki
Position: Shortstop
Voiced by: Soichiro Hoshi
- Last-Name Basis: Notably, the only teammate in Mei's year who never calls him by his first name.
- Neat Freak: Criticized his teammates over a few balls left on the field.Shirakawa: If you can't even properly clean up after practice, just go kill yourself.
Kamiya Carlos Toshiki
Position: Center Fielder
Voiced by: KENN
- But Not Too Foreign: His father is Brazilian.
- Shirtless Scene: Several of them.
Tadano Itsuki
Position: Catcher
Voiced by: Yoshitaka Yamaya
- Nice Guy: is a nice guy overall.
- Shrinking Violet: Itsuki is often feel inferior compared to his senior Harada who is more of an complete player than himself.
Fukui Kento
Position: Captain
Voiced by: Atsushi Abe
- Affectionate Nickname: Fuku-chan.
- The Captain: As of the Fall Tournament in his second year. Harada specifically notes that none of the other more skilled regulars had the maturity or the sense of responsibility for the position.
- Nice Guy
- Non-Action Guy: He was chosen as a captain not because of his skill, but because of his good-natured and supportive demeanor.
Yakushi High School
Todoroki Raichi
Position: 3rd Baseman
Voiced by: Kensho Ono
- The Ace: Raichi is, arguably, the best batter in the series, and certainly is the best in his year. Only a handful of pitchers have ever managed to get him out, and even then, Amahisa, Sawamura, and later, Narumiya are the only ones who have done so with an actual strikeout rather than pitching to contact. Expect to receive a home run when facing him.
- Big Eater: He is often munching on a number of bananas.
- The Baby of the Bunch: Often forgets to bring his hat or glove with him on the field while his teammates have to keep reminding him.
- Challenge Seeker: His goal is to meet as many strong pitchers as he possibly can.
- Character Development: He matured since his defeat from Seidou. He repeatedly shown patience and the will to carry on the team like Tetsu. From playing for himself like he once played, he now played for the team and like Sawamura have the ability to be The Captain.
- Glowing Eyes of Doom: Is often portrayed with these, especially when he batting.
- Hot-Blooded: He acts wildly during games, often loudly declaring that he will send his opponent's pitches flying.
- Pint-Sized Powerhouse: He is a relatively short first year and still manages to be one of the biggest sluggers in the manga. Not only that, but he's also a wild and unpredictable makeshift pitcher and can jump very high despite his short stature when fielding, allowing him to catch balls that normally would be out of his reach.
- Signature Laugh: KAHAHA!!
- Shrinking Violet: Surprisingly, he is this outside of the field.
- Trademark Favorite Food: Bananas and tonkatsu, especially the former.
- The Rival: Perhaps Sawamura's biggest rival who doesn't wear the colors of Seidou.
- "X" Marks the Hero: Has a cross-shaped scar on his cheek. It is unknown how he got the scar in the first place.
Sanada Shunpei
Position: Pitcher
Voiced by: Hiroshi Kamiya
- The Ace: Sanada is the ace pitcher who is the pride of Yakushi. He's also one of their best batters; he clinches the Fall Tournament Semifinal match with Ichidai Sankou by hitting a 2-RBI double off of Amahisa, who struck out the seemingly unstoppable Raichi.
- Alliterative Name: Both his first and last name begin with a "S".
- Always Someone Better: To Sawamura in terms of being a moving fastball specialist. People even joke that he's "the upgraded version of Sawamura".
- Brilliant, but Lazy: Sanada is one of the best pitchers in the nation, capable of stopping Nationally-ranked teams in the midst of rallies with single pitches. However, until the summer of his second year, he never really viewed baseball as anything more than casual fun, so he often skimped on practices and injured his foot as a result. He shapes up for the Fall however, and leads Yakushi to the semi-finals of Fall Nationals, clinching second in the Tokyo Tournament to earn their spot.
- Broken Ace: His leg injuries prevent him from performing at full capacity during the Summer Tournament; he comes in during the 4th inning during the quarterfinals against Seidou and isn't able to hold them down. They score three more runs off of him and damage his confidence, especially when he learns that Tanba is still injured.
- He comes back stronger than ever, though; completely shutting down both Akikawa and Ichidai Sankou in the Fall Tournament.
- Let's Get Dangerous!: His carefree expression goes away entirely when he's on the mound. He doesn't even realize it himself.
Todoroki Raizou
Position: Coach
- Deadbeat Dad: Acts and is treated like this, but...
- Good Parents: Despite frequently arguing with his son, Raizou is very proud of Raichi, and does his best to make him happy.
- Hidden Depths: Understanding of his players' personalities, he knows what is best to train them to the best of their abilities.
- Parents as People: He plans to use Raichi's baseball skills to pay back his debts.
Ichidaisan High School
Manaka Kaname
Position: Pitcher
Voiced by: Kosuke Toriumi
- The Ace: Of Ichidai. At least before suffering a Game-Breaking Injury.
- The Rival: To Tanba. Overlaps as a Friendly Rivalry.
Amahisa Kousei
Position: Pitcher
Voiced by: Ryōhei Kimura
The Ace pitcher of Ichidai Third High School (Ichidai Sankou) during the Fall Tournament. He left his team after the Fall in his first year, but rejoined after their loss to Yakushi in the 89th Summer Tournament.
- The Ace: One of the best in the series in terms of raw talent. He struck out Todoroki Raichi in a man-to-man showdown at the plate, which no one had managed to do against his full strength up to that point (Tanba only struck him out because Raichi became overwhelmed by the weight of his team's hopes).
Word of God is that his breaking balls are the best in the entire series.- Broken Ace: After Sanada scores the game-winning 2-RBI double off of him, Amahisa walks off the mound like a zombie and completely shuts down.
- Brilliant, but Lazy: His work ethic is... questionable. He left the team for selfish reasons, and Manaka points out that he really doesn't understand what it means to be the Ace, rather than just a good pitcher.
- Character Development: After getting his head handed to him by Sanada, he stops underestimating his opponents and seems to be growing into the shoes of the Ace title that Manaka left him.
- Defeat By Irony: See Innocently Insensitive below.
- How Is That Even Possible?: His slider breaks at something like an 95 degree angle, to the point that it can go from looking like it'll smack the batter in the face to ending up in the dirt on the opposite side of the plate. Strictly speaking, it ''shouldn't'' be possible, and yet he does it nonchalantly.
- Innocently Insensitive: Upsets Seiko Academy's rookie ace by asking how it felt to lose the game with one bad pitch in the rudest and most brutal manner possible. When his teammates ask him about it later, he seems honestly confused as to how he could've upset him.Amahisa: "What did I say to upset him? All I did was ask an honest question. Because I've never lost like that."
- Ironically, he loses exactly the same way against Yakushi.
- Also, after defeating Seidou in the spring tournament he asks for him and Sawamura to exchange LINE, not really understading why Sawamura isn't interested in doing so.
- Mass "Oh, Crap!": Every baseball player in the stands and on Yakushi's bench has this reaction when Amahisa shows off his slider for the first time.
- Too Dumb to Live: If he'd done the smart thing and thrown a third slider to Sanada instead of trying to get him out with a fastball (which he'd already hit into the outfield once), Ichidai would've won. Instead, he gave up two runs because his pride got in the way of his good sense.
- Unskilled, but Strong: Played With. The range of his breaking balls is unbelievable, but his slider breaks so harshly that he actually has to ease into it; he can't control it right off the bat. So while he has amazing ball handling, his actual ability to use them varies wildly depending on his condition for that day.
Teitou High School
Mukai Taiyou
Position: Pitcher
Voiced by: Soma Saito
Pitcher of Teitou High School.
- The Ace: Of Teitou. Specifically known for his sidearm southpaw technique and for baiting batters to swing at his low pitches; he manages to hold Seidou scoreless until near the end of the game.
- It Amused Me: He loves nothing more than forcing batters to swing at pitches gone too low or too wide.
- Japanese Delinquents: While he doesn't look the part, he exhibits quite a few mannerisms typical of them, specifically the sticking out of the tongue to mock people as rudely as possible.
- Smug Snake: Immensely smug and mean-spirited. He delights in the despair of batters when he strikes them out and forces them to whiff his low pitches.
- Southpaw Advantage: One of many, but he's of note to be the only one specifically mentioned to have a distinct advantage because of his style; left-handed batters have a hard time even seeing his throws because the angle of his sidearm pitch is so sharp.
- Weak, but Skilled: Averted. His control is his most amazing feature, true. To whit, pitching to the nine sections is too easy for him, so he added depth. His control is arguably better than You "Clockwork" Shunshin. However, he also has impressive speed on his fastball, and Kanemaru remarks that his speed hadn't dropped despite being well into the late innings of the game during his match against Seidou.
Inui Kengo
Position: Catcher
Voiced by: Tomokazu Sugita
Captain and catcher of Teitou High.
- Perpetual Frowner: Has a serious expression most of the time.
- Running Gag: Getting 'struck by lightning'.
- Training from Hell: Subjects himself to this so that he can be a better catcher to Mukai.
- Younger Than He Looks: He is suppsosed to be a second-year High Schooler when he first appears. He really doesn't look like it.
Ugumori High School
Umemiya Seiichi
Position: Pitcher
Voiced by: Showtaro Morikubo
- The Ace: Of Ugumori; he inspires his teammates and is a talented pitcher and batter.
- Actor Allusion: Possibly the best all-round pitcher, batter and fielder in the entire series, who gets better under pressure; it's almost as if he was meant to have the same voice actor as a certain Shigeno Goro.
- Affectionate Nickname: Is called "Ume-chan" by his teammates.
- Delinquent Hair: He used to have bleached hair in middle school. In the present he seems to have settled for a nice pompadour instead.
- The Ditz: Downplayed when compared to characters like Sawamura but he has his moments, such as noticing his shoe is undone only to realize he actually lost the other one when leaving the dugout or getting stuck in a public bathroom because he forgot to check for toilet paper.
- Grin of Audacity
- Let's Get Dangerous!: Calling him a "clutch player" would be drastically understating just how strong he is in bad situations.
- Lightning Bruiser: Insanely fast as both a fielder and baserunner, powerful enough to hit to the backfield against Mei and Furuya both, and he has enough stamina to do all of that while handling his team's pitching for entire games. It's quite possible that he's the best all-around athlete in the entire series.
- Refuge in Audacity: Some of his plays border on this; stopping a grounder with his foot, for example.
- Scars Are Forever: A crescent moon shaped scar under his left eye.
Matsubara Nao
Position: Manager
Voiced by: Kenichi Suzumura
- Awesomeness by Analysis: He is known for having good analytical skills and being able to pull his team together.
- Career-Ending Injury: Was a very promising player in middle school but an accident left him in a wheelchair. However, he still decided to support the team as a manager.
- The Heart: For the entire Ugumori team.
- Nice Guy: He's strict, but friendly.
- Sadist: Described as one by his teammates, although in a humorous and affectionate manner.
- Stepford Smiler: It's implied that he is hurting a lot more than he lets on, at least in the beginning.
Seikou Academy
Ogawa Tsunematsu
Position: Pitcher
Voiced by: Subaru Kimura
Pitcher of Seikou Academy.
- The Ace: Surprisingly, no. Seikou's Ace is unreliable though, so Tsune gets to step in against Seidou.
- Acrofatic: He's actually a fast runner despite his size and weight.
- Beware the Silly Ones: He's an oaf with a strange train of thought, and his teammates aren't afraid to berate him for his stupidity. However, once he gets his pitching going, he puts Seidou against the ropes.
- The Big Guy: One of the largest and most physically powerful players in the league.
- Gonk
- Karma Houdini: Gets a mild scolding from the ref for outright tackling Miyuki out of the way when trying to get to the plate, when he should've been kicked out of the game, without question.
- Simpleton Voice: Sounds like this in the Japanese dub, talking very slowly and with a deep, plodding voice.
- Too Dumb to Live: Charging Miyuki was dumb no matter how you slice it. Even worse because it amounted to nothing, as Miyuki got him out anyway.
- Unskilled, but Strong: Surprisingly, no. While a power player with a heavy fastball, Tsune is also capable of using his trademark screwball against both right- and left-handed batters, when most people can only use it against righties.
- Unusual Eyebrows: As seen in the picture. He shaved them to look that way.
Masu Shinichirou
Position: Catcher
Voiced by: Jun Fukuyama
Captain and catcher of Seikou.
- The Napoleon
- Perpetual Frowner: Is always seen scowling.
Akikawa Academy
You Shunshin
Position: Pitcher
Voiced by: Kaito Ishikawa
Akikawa Academy's ace pitcher originating from Taiwan. Has incredible ball control which has earned him the nickname "Clockwork".
- The Ace: For Akikawa.
- But Not Too Foreign: Averted. He is fully Taiwanese.
- First-Name Basis: With most of his teammates; they mostly call him "Shun". Partially because it's probably the easiest bit for them to pronounce, but it also shows just how much they respect him.
- Jack of All Trades: Skilled as a fielder and batter in addition to his excellent pitching.
- Not So Stoic: Sheds some Manly Tears after Akikawa’s loss against Seido.
- Red Baron: Notable for being one of only a handful.
- Stoic Spectacles
- Weak, but Skilled: His pitches aren’t very fast, but he more than makes up for it with his amazing control.
- Notable because he doesn't just have control, but command. Control is the ability to throw strikes. Command is the ability to throw strikes when and where you want, induce batters to chase out of the zone with precisely located pitches, and blend the two together to get calls you wouldn't otherwise, while also being able to locate balls when and where you want to keep your opponent off-balance. You is the only pitcher in the series who is capable of that entirely on his own, without being led by a catcher (Mukai, Sawamura, even Mei all require their catcher's guidance to exhibit true command).
Sensen Academy
Maki Yousuke
Position: Pitcher
Voiced by: Takuya Eguchi
A 2nd year pitcher for Sensen Academy, known as the tallest pitcher in the league.
- The Ace: For Sensen. Notable for his powerful fastball and sharp arcing curveball.
- Broken Ace: Arguably. He's pitching without full confidence and while in denial, which cuts his strength tremendously.
- The Big Guy: The biggest in the league at 195 cm (6'5"), with a swing and throw to back it up. He hits several of Sawamura's pitches into the back stands (as fouls) with severe ease, and Haruichi can't hit his fastball because he'd either break his bat or get utterly jammed trying.
- Gentle Giant: NOPE. Maki is a vicious player who depends on raw power to overwhelm his opponents, and he has quite a mean streak to go with it.
- Heel Realization: "Yet... all this time, I've been regretting it alone. Instead, my heart should've been with this team. I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry!"
- Manly Tears: Sheds a few after his Heel Realization.
- Red Baron: "The Giant"
- In Japanese, it's "Daikyojin", meaning "Great Giant" or "Great Titan".
- The Resenter: Has a massive chip on his shoulder because he didn't get scouted by Seidou. Subverted in that it's actually self-hatred for being too afraid to go there himself.
- Shout-Out: His walk-up song is "A Cruel Angel's Thesis", the theme song for Neon Genesis Evangelion. Word of God is that he greatly respects Hideki Anno, its director.
- The Stoic: Very calm and straightforward, almost bland.
- Not So Stoic: When he breaks down after realizing the real reason he has such a grudge against Seidou.
Sakurawaza High School
Nagao Akira
Position: Pitcher
Voiced by: Takashi Kondo
Pitcher of Sakurazawa High School, known for his knuckleball. He managed to drag his below-average public school team to the semi-finals of the Summer Tournament with a combination of grit and skillful pitching.
- The Ace: Of Sakurazawa. His knuckleball is so good that it manages to completely stymie Inashiro, at least at first.
- A Day in the Limelight: In-series; Sakurazawa has next to no chance against powerful teams, but Akira pulls them all the way to the semi-finals, which makes them surprisingly popular as an underdog team.
- Confusion Fu: The knuckleball falls and moves unpredictably, so it's almost impossible to time properly despite being really slow. Akira's version is especially tricky; Shirakawa comments that it's much higher level than he had expected, even though he knew it was coming from the video.
- Determinator: Manages to drag Sakurazawa all the way to the Best of 4 because he wants to go to Nationals, but it comes back to bite him when he gets too fired up and ends up losing the needle-fine control that his pitch requires.
- Expy: Arguably, of Boston Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield. Wakefield was told as a minor league position player that he'd never get above Double-A ball with his skills, so he became a pitcher, learned the knuckleball, and practiced the hell out of his skills in order to "do everything he could." Akira is much the same, having learned the knuckleball in a desperate, fantastic bid for Nationals, and he spent his entire High School career learning how to do it. Wakefield is even mentioned by Chris as a reference for the knuckleball during Akira's debut episode.
- Glass Cannon: Not him specifically, but his knuckleball. The knuckleball is slow and has nearly zero spin, so it's almost impossible to hit cleanly. The problem is that when it is struck clean, it flies way farther on average than even the most poorly located fastballs. This trait bites Akira when he gets too fired up against Inashiro, and thus he gets shelled.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: Almost nobody can survive with only one pitch, and Akira is no exception. Once his knuckleball fails in the fourth inning, he and Sakurazawa are cooked.
- Underdogs Never Lose: Horrifically averted. Inashiro destroys Sakurazawa 11-0 after Akira gets overwrought in the fourth inning, and doesn't manage to recover.
- Weak, but Skilled: His pitch speed is listed in the stats as 1/5, but he's amazingly good at using his perfected knuckleball.
- When All You Have Is a Hammer…: Fujio-san comments that "he acknowledges [the knuckleball] for all it's pros and cons, and has made it his own." It's literally the only pitch that he throws, but it's so good and his team is so used to working with it that throwing anything else becomes pointless.
- In the end, though, it's this tendency that dooms him and Sakurazawa against Inashiro. When Akira gets too worked up in the 4th inning and loses his arm slot, he has nothing to fall back on. Without a usable fastball, he has nothing to steady himself with in order to hopefully correct his arm slot, and without a secondary pitch like a slow curve, he doesn't have anything with which to keep the hitters off his knuckler. This allows the Inashiro hitters to sit on his already-failing knuckleball and hammer it with impunity.
Oya Metropolitan High School
Wakabayashi Gou
Position: Pitcher
Voiced by: Toshiki Masuda
Pitcher of Oya High School, which is known as the best public school team in Japanese High School baseball.
- The Ace: For Oya, known for being very smart to go with his above-average skills as a pitcher.
- Awesomeness by Analysis: Quickly figures out that his opponents are reading Oya's signs and switches tacks to throw them off. Also figures out the batting patterns of players up to and including Miyuki. In addition, he's the first person to figure out why Sawamura's style is so dangerous; namely, because unlike most breaking ball pitchers, Sawamura's moving fastballs are almost all strikes, so you can't just stand back and watch to try and get a feel for his timing.
- Brainy Brunette: Dark-haired and very intelligent.
- Hypocrite: Harps on and on about the elitism of private baseball schools while acting like a total elitist snob.
- The Smart Guy
- Weak, but Skilled: Averted; Gou's specialty is the forkball, but he also has a shootball and sinker up his sleeve, both of which are fastball pitches.
Others
Aotsuki Wakana
Position: Right fielder (formerly), Manager
Voiced by: Ayano Kaji
A Childhood Friend of Sawamura, who used to play in his junior high school team with him and his other friends. She sends him text messages often and is dismayed that he barely replies.
- Childhood Friends: With Sawamura.
- Cute Sports Club Manager: Becomes this in high school.
- First-Name Basis: She and Sawamura call each other this way, implying they're rather close.
- Ship Tease: It's implied she's got feelings for Sawamura, but he constantly says She's Not My Girlfriend.
- Tsundere: Type B. She's shown to be a tad snarky towards Sawamura, but otherwise she's very sweet and friendly.
Owada Akiko & Mine Fujio
Owada voiced by: Yuuki (Seasons 1 & 2), Wakana Kowada (Act II)
Mine voiced by: Shinobu Matsumoto (Seasons 1 & 2), Yuuki Sanpei (Act II)
A pair of reporters for Montly Baseball Kingdom. They're almost always seen watching games or interviewing coaches and players.
- Has a Type: For Owada, baseball players who wear glasses.
- Huge Girl, Tiny Guy: Owada is pretty tall, while Mine is below average height.
