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General
An up-and-coming team in Tokyo, placing second to the White Knights during both the Spring and Fall Tournaments. They were widely known for their prowess on offense... and inability to prevent even the weakest of teams from scoring on them. A generally pleasant group of guys, the Wild Gunmen were on friendly terms with most of their opponents, with Running Back Riku Kaitani and Sena Kobayakawa being especially close.
- Attack! Attack! Attack!: Even more so than the Devil Bats. The Wild Gunmen relied on offense to get through games, racking up incredible scores to compensate for their lackluster defense.
- Badass Crew: The only team to have never lost to the Devil Bats after the latter's Training from Hell. The team's three aces are basically more mature versions of the Devil Bats' aces.
- Combination Attack: Their Shotgun formation. It involved all of the team's wide receivers running at full speed all over the field while Kid decided who he's going to pass the ball to using his swift brain. It was nigh impossible to block all the potential pass routes, and arguably the main reason why the Gunmen had such offensive power.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: They inflicted this on a lot of teams. The onscreen instances of this include the Sphinx, the Cupids, and, for the manga at least, the Wolves. They came to the receiving end when they faced the Dinosaurs.
- Eagleland: Well, the Seibu Highschool was located in Japan and the Wild Gunmen were ethnically Japanese, but the school's founder was an American and the backstory of the school reeks of American stereotypes.
- Early Installment Character-Design Difference: The coach, Doc Horide, was a relatively normally-proportioned adult during the Gunmen's first appearance in volume 5. The next time he appears when the Devil Bats meet the Gunmen in volume 9, he's become significantly shorter and squatter, with even Mamori being visibly about half a head taller than him when the two teams join forces for the beach football tournament. By the time the two teams actually play each other in volume 15, he's barely taller than the comically short Doboroku.
- Foil: To both the Devil Bats (sharing an aggressive playing style, but placing their emphasis on passing rather than running) and the White Knights (focusing on offense over defense).
- Friendly Rivalry: With both the Devil Bats and the White Knights.
- Glass Cannon: As a team, the Gunmen scored constantly, but could not prevent their opponents from returning the favor. Even if the said opponent was the Cupids. Doburoku however points out their defense is not weak but focused on interception (as Riku said even on defense they attack), which is why they rack so many touchdown.
- Taken to extreme with the Dinosaurs match. Since they couldn't stop the latter's north-south game, the Gunmen just kept attacking, making onside kick after onside kick (at half or 3/4th of the field, the Dinosaurs will score for sure so why bother going on defense). It was game over once Gaou got his hand on Kid, however.
- Nice Guys: They were on friendly terms with nearly every major team they'd faced.
- Planet of Hats: If the extra materials' descriptions of the Seibu Highschool are any indication, their school seems to be one of the worst offenders in the series. Seibu's school uniforms look like costumes you'd see in The Wild West.
- Training from Hell: Halfway through the Devil Bats' Death March, there was a montage of what the other teams were doing. Apparently, the Wild Gunmen were also training... by running away from (for the backs) or trying to stop (for the linemen) a stampede of cattles while Horide cheered them on. It was a miracle Horide wasn't arrested for treating his highschool football team like that.
- By the way, it was probably the only time where Horide was shown doing something useful.
- The Wild West: Their primary Motifs.
- The Worf Effect:
- Inverted initially - The Wild Gunmen's narrow defeats by the White Knights in Spring and Fall Tournaments were used to show how formidable the Gunmen are, especially since Tetsuma was benched both times. In-Universe articles even debated if they weren't the new top dog in Tokyo after Ojo's Golden Generation graduated.
- Played straight for Kanto, in which the Gunmen's failure against the Dinosaurs showed how dangerous the latter was. It was also entirely justified, since they had never dealt with anyone like Gaou before and it's not really allowed to win by breaking arms.
- Worf Had the Flu: Both times the Gunmen lost to the White Knights, they didn't have Tetsuma – the first time because he drank too much water and had to run to the restroom, and the second time because he knee-tackled Monta to keep him from getting suspended before the 3rd place match.
- Worthy Opponent: To the Devil Bats. After the White Knights, they're probably the team the Devil Bats were most eager to fight, with Sena and Monta in particular hoping for rematches with Riku and Tetsuma.
The Kid
"Humans who have dreams are only asking for trouble."
A down-to-earth fellow whose talent lies in throwing the ball at incredibly high speeds. Usually very self-deprecating, Kid served as the (de facto) leader for the Wild Gunmen, heading the team with his swift brain and wits. His real name is Shien Mushanokoji (武者小路 紫苑), the son of an ace pistol shooting competitor who had won several gold medals at the Olympics. Unable to endure the pressure to achieve what his father had, Kid ran away from his family years before the story's events, together with Tetsuma, his childhood friend whose father served as the driver for his family.
- Position: Quarterback
- Jersey: 7
- 40-yard dash: 5.6 seconds
- Bench Press: 70 kg (154 lbs)
- Height: 177 cm (5' 10")
- Weight: 66 kg (145 lbs)
- Blood Type: A
- Birthday: November 11
- 2nd Year Student (Grade 11)
- Nicknames: The Kid, The Quick Draw Kid
- Academic Athlete: Known to have some of the best grades in the entire cast.
- The Ace: In football, he's considered Japan's best quarterback. Kid has insane accuracy both when using firearms and when he is throwing things (typically, but not limited to, footballs).
- In his backstory, this is what his family wanted him to be.
Kid's Father: The Olympic Event that you're going to participate in the future is the same as mine - the rapid fire pistol. Everyone expects much of you. As a thorough-bred, make sure you answer them with a gold medal. - Always Someone Better: His fast thinking and physical abilities are greater than Hiruma, who realized that none of his prepared game plans would work safe waiting for Musashi to show up which isn't exactly a plan at all.
- Berserk Button: Kid was usually big on self-deprecation, but he would get really angry if someone insults Tetsuma, even if it's basic Trash Talk.
- Big Brother Mentor: Acting as this to Riku helped Kid with his issues.
- Big Fancy House: Used to live in one of these, before he ran away from home.
- Blasé Boast: He stated with his usual detachment that he planned to throw passes before Gaou could blitz him, with no lineman to protect him. He was basically brushing off the fact that he'd be constantly challenging a rampaging beast to a speed contest.
- Blood from the Mouth: Courtesy of Gaou.
- Blue Blood: "Mushanokoji" is an actual line of noble families in Japan.
- Broken Ace: Hands-down Japan's best quarterback, since his passes were better than Hiruma's and he's trickier than Karin, who also relied on speed and pass accuracy. But he didn't want the pressure of being an ace, so he constantly underscored his achievement.
- Character Development: At first, Kid appeared to be a Mellow Fellow who couldn't care any less about competing with the other ace players. But as the story progressed, it was shown that this was no more than Kid's attempt to hide his insecurity about his failure to cope with the pressure to become an ace, which his family had imposed upon him. Later, during the Wild Gunmen vs Dinosaurs game, Kid, perhaps due to Gaou's disdaining him for lack of ambition, began to really desire to enter Christmas Bowl and prove himself - This showed at the World Cup, in which Kid, upon provocation from Tatanka, performed to earn MVP votes.
- Childhood Friend: With Tetsuma.
- Death Glare: Gave one to the Ha-Ha Brothers when they insulted Tetsuma. It was almost hard to recognize him due to his typically laid-back attitude. In the manga, Kid instead did this to Hiruma, who was trying to see his fighting spirits.
- Genre Blind: "Nothing good ever comes from chasing your dreams." However, seeing that Gaou broke his arm the instant he decided to chase his dreams, Kid might be right...
- The Gunslinger: His primary Motifs, though calling him this would bring up bad memories.
- Heroic Lineage: While he wasn't even named in the story, Kid's father had apparently won gold medals in Olympics, not to mention the fact that Kid was actually from a noble family. It was, however, also the key reason why Kid's family exerted such great pressure on him.
- Heroic Self-Deprecation: After running away from the pressure his family put on him, Kid chose to use this strategy to prevent his teammates from relying on him too much.
- Heterosexual Life-Partner: With Tetsuma. Fanfic writers enjoyed
taking the "heterosexual" away from their relationship, however. - I Am Not Left-Handed: Kid's more than just good at throwing fast passes. He was not even at full speed until Hiruma tried to blitz him, and he could make quick decisions and carry the ball to the end zone if he had to.
- Improbable Aiming Skills: Both as a literal sharpshooter, and a metaphorical sharpshooter when he played football as a quarterback. In addition, his throwing motion is unique as he uses two hands (as opposed to the one-handed throw of his fellow QBs) and flicks the ball between his hands to have a rapid spiral similar to a ball throwing machine. This unique throwing motion allows him to rapidly throw the ball as soon as he gets it (hence his "quickdraw" pass) to any of his receivers with pinpoint accuracy.
- Ironic Name: "Shien" literally means Aster, a genus of flowers known for being showy.
- The Leader: A level-headed leader to the Wild Gunmen, despite not the official captain. This was especially apparent when Kid was with Tetsuma. This caused problems since Kid didn't feel like taking initiative out of fear of people relying on him, which meant the coach still had to make the final say in a few occasions.
- Man With No Name: Invoked by his refusal to go by anything other than "Kid".
- Mellow Fellow: Kid was, as a general rule, laid back, and appeared to lack interest in competing with other ace football players. Appeared. See Character Development above.
- Nerves of Steel: Kid was nigh impossible to unnerve. This gave Hiruma a subdued Oh, Crap! during their match when Hiruma realized that his seventeen remaining plans to counter Kid's quick draw wouldn't work, until Musashi came and gave access to different plans, because Kid's too calm and good at fast decision making. Moreover, Kid didn't even twitch an eyebrows in distress when Gaou, who was infamous for sending opposing quarterbacks to hospitals, stopped his hand an inch from Kid's face.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: A cowboy quarterback who had a quick release? Tony Romo
, is that you? - Only Known by Their Nickname: He preferred to be referred to as just "Kid", since he claimed to have abandoned his family name. Also a reference to his proficiency with guns, and his team's favorite play.
- Out-Gambitted: Kid spent most of their match outwitting Hiruma. But that's the problem: He became predictable and when he was forced to play safe, he'd have no choice but to use his most successful play. Even he knew his pass was anticipated, he did it. Monta and Hiruma beat him because of that.
- Perma-Stubble: He was one of the "guys with old faces" of the manga.
- Princely Young Man: When he was still living with his family.
- Quick Draw: Part of his nickname, "The Quick Draw Kid", and a reference to his fast passes.
- The Runaway: Maybe classfiable as Type 5?
- The Smart Guy: To the Wild Gunmen. Kid had even outsmarted Hiruma, after all. He's probably still this even on the Takekura Construction Babel.
- Tempting Fate: Constantly Lampshaded. He was convinced that things going well for him was only fate's way of setting him up for a fall. It did go bad for him, as Gaou broke his arm the moment the Wild Gunmen vs Dinosaurs game began to look good for the former.
- The Trope Kid: His nickname alone is a western movies reference.
- "Well Done, Son" Guy: Kid was pressured from a young age to be nothing less than the best of the best marksmen, which explained how he had such an analytical look to football.
- Worthy Opponent:
- To Hiruma, sort of.
- Gaou also came to see Kid as this midway through the Wild Gunmen vs Dinosaurs match.
Gaou: Tokyo's strongest quarterback, Kid. (Slasher Smile) This guy... is the most interesting beast so far...!! - Younger Than They Look: You can easily mistake him for a man in his 20s.
Jo Tetsuma
An old friend of The Kid, Tetsuma is a stone-faced powerhouse who plows through the defensive line like a freight train and always sticks to his route. He hardly ever says a word, and tends to take orders a bit too far: when his coach reminded him not to overeat before a game, he fasted for three days. However, this literal-minded dedication is part of what makes him a great receiver.
- Position: Wide Receiver / Full Back
- Jersey: 15
- 40 yard dash: 5.0 seconds
- Bench Press: 115 kg
- 2nd Year Student (Grade 11)
- Childhood Friend: With Kid.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: His Roaring Rampage of Revenge had a predictable outcome even as an unstoppable receiver he got hospitalized by Gaou, Japan's strongest high schooler.
- Determinator: He won't go off the pass route no matter what happens.
- Dumb Muscle: According to the extra materials, Tetsuma doesn't seem exactly smart. His unclear disorder doesn't help.
- Extreme Doormat: To Kid, at least at first. In the beginning he seemed barely sentient, doing ONLY what Kid told him to do. After Monta defeated him in a catching battle he began to develop his own ambitions.
- Heterosexual Life-Partner: With Kid.
- Implacable Man: Tell Tetsuma to go somewhere, and he will get there. Tell him to catch the football along a certain pass route and continue to the end zone and he will run the play, sometimes dragging the opposing defender with him.
- In the Blood: His quiet and subservient nature to Kid is similar to his dad who was the chauffeur for Kid's dad, although it's never shown if the two had the same friendship their sons have.
- Lightning Bruiser: Decent speed and insane strength, especially for a wide receiver.
- Literal-Minded: Tetsuma will follow any order to the letter.
- Meaningful Name: "Tetsuma" means "iron horse" in Japanese. It goes well with the Gunmen's wild west motif since "iron horse" is the nickname for a steam locomotive.
- Motifs: He is compared to locomotive a lot, which fits him pretty well.
- Not So Stoic: When Gaou broke Kid's arm.
- The Quiet One: Monta is shocked to see him speak for the first time, to Kid's amusement.
- Roaring Rampage of Revenge: Tries to do this against Gaou when the latter broke Kid's arm during the Seibu-Hakushu match. Gaou crushes him, though.
- Running Gag: Tetsuma follows Kid's orders so literally that he ends up doing some very ridiculous things for several times. The most notable examples is jumping out of a bus an running all around a city in Texas to find Kid, because Kid told him to wake him up when he was in the bus.
- The Silent Bob: He almost never speaks, he just stays there and follows orders.
- The Stoic: He shows his feelings about two times in the entire story.
- Undying Loyalty: To Kid.
- Worthy Opponent: To Monta.
Riku Kaitani
A childhood friend of Sena's and the one who taught him to run. Although Seibu mainly works on their passing game, Riku can be an unstoppable force on the football field. His signature move is the Rodeo Drive, which adopts the goose-step from rugby to cause a sudden burst of speed.
- Position: Running Back / Safety
- Jersey: 29
- 40 yard dash: 4.5 seconds
- Bench Press: 60 kg
- Height: 159 cm
- 1st Year Student (Grade 10)
- The Ace: He's mature, smart, studious, brave, heroic, cool, good-looking, popular with girls, and taught Sena how to run. Almost any scene that features him prominently will be about him leaving everyone impressed. Needless to say, he'd make an incredibly boring protagonist.
- Adaptational Jerkass: The anime version of Riku turned him from being a prideful Spirited Competitor with slight case of Chronic Hero Syndrome into a very prideful Jerk Jock, which can make someone not familiar with the manga wonder why Sena would consider him as a friend.
- Almighty Janitor: In the "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue, Riku attends the very average Enma University despite being smart enough for the prestigious Saikyo University. He explains that he was inspired by Sena saying that he wanted to beat Hiruma, who has entered said Saikyo University, and in addition the Saikyo football team.
- Always Someone Better: Was originally introduced as being like Sena, but cooler.
- Bash Brothers: In the epilogue, he and Sena attend the same university and form a running duo.
- Big Brother Mentor: What he considers himself to Sena despite them being then same age.
- Catchphrase: He always tells people "you're pathetic" to chastise even the slightest failing. Not as spiteful as it sounds; at one point he even thinks to himself "I'm pathetic" when something is worrying him.
- Chick Magnet: He's popular with the girls, but he only cares about football.
- Chronic Hero Syndrome: Much like Sena himself. When Gaoh threatens to beat up everyone within a section of the stands in order to get the one guy who made fun of Banba, Riku takes the blame and prepares to fight Gaoh.
- Cowboy: His Motifs.
- Do Not Go Gentle: After Kid and Tetsuma are benched due to injuries, and painfully aware Seibu is about to lose to Hakushu, he refuses to let his team just throw in the towel against Gaoh and even plays till he drops. Riku has balls.
- Foil: He's what Sena would look like if he Grew a Spine.
- Forgotten Childhood Friend: Despite being the person who taught Sena how to run, he's never mentioned until he appears during the 14th volume. To make up for this, he and Sena are seen interacting with each other a lot as the story progreses and they even attend the same college, forming an unstoppable running duo.
- Friendly Rivalry: With the emphasis on friendly. He and Sena go way back, and they are always friends first and opponents second. He's also the first player to manage this with Gaoh, never treating the feared Hakushu giant as anything other than a fellow competitor, something Gaoh appreciates and returns as best he can.
- Gender-Blender Name: Like Sena, Riku's name is also perfectly acceptable for a girl.
- Heroic RRoD: Riku runs himself into the ground trying to hold off Gaoh, eventually passing out on the field from sheer exertion - though in doing so, he earns Gaoh's undying respect.
- Hero-Worshipper: Downplayed but he sees Kid as the true ace of the team and feels insulted when Maria implies Gaou hospitalizing him is a certainty.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Downplayed but had he not taught Sena how to run properly, he would have never grown to become the best runner in the Kanto, able to defeat the Wild Gunmen.
- Important Haircut: After the Tokyo Tournament, Riku's hair changes from this◊ to this◊.
- Nerves of Steel: Riku is a first-year but even his upperclassmen calm down when he sees how cool headed he is.
- Pint-Sized Powerhouse: Physically, he's not much taller than Sena, but without him, the Gunmen would be short one of their best players.
- The Sixth Ranger: Riku didn't join the Gunmen until midway through the story.
- Small Role, Big Impact: Had Riku not met Sena and taught him to run, the latter would have never got noticed by Hiruma and become involved with the plot.
- Wise Beyond Their Years: Even when he just an elementary school, he was very mature, cool and with knowledge that are beyond his age.
- Worthy Opponent: To Sena and Gaoh.
"Buffalo" Ushijima
The actual captain of the Gunmen. No one remembers this, with Kid getting all the attention. Still, he's a powerful force on the line, using his so-called "Twin Horns" - borrowed from pro-wrestling - to bull his way through any opposition.
- Position: Defense Lineman
- Jersey: 94
- 3rd Year Student (Grade 12)
- Animal Motifs: Buffalo, obviously.
- The Big Guy: The Gunmen's best lineman.
- Boisterous Bruiser: He happily throws Western Lariats at other linemen.
- Butt-Monkey: No one pays attention to his boasts.
- Dumb Muscle: Downplayed. He isn't very bright, but not at the same level as Ootawara or Ikari.
- Large and in Charge: Sort of. He's the biggest guy in the Gunmen, and he is, strictly speaking, the team captain.
- The Leader: He is technically the captain of Seibu, so he's this in name.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: There was an extra that revealed his actual first name, however... It's "Baharou", which is pronounced identically to his nickname.
- Worthy Opponent: Sees the Ha-Ha Brothers as this when he has to crack out his Twin Horns to get past them. When Jumonji successfully counters the technique the second time, he goes up even farther in Ushijima's estimation.
- Wrestler in All of Us: Ushijima's "Twin Horns" (a double version of "the rip" used by Komosubi) is stated to be borrowed from pro-wrestling.
