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133-527: The Eyeshield 21 anime and manga series features an extensive cast of characters created by Riichiro Inagaki and Yusuke Murata . The series takes place in Tokyo , Japan , where the members of Deimon Devil Bats have the ambition to compete at the Christmas Bowl , the most important high school American football championship of the country. The main character of the series is Sena Kobayakawa ,

266-407: A balanced line . The interior offensive line consists of the center and guards. Besides the initial snap from center, offensive linemen are not eligible to handle the ball- with the exception of recovering fumbles- and are not allowed to advance more than two yards past the line of scrimmage at the time a pass is thrown, whether they are engaged with a defensive player or not. On running plays,

399-532: A field goal of 60 meters against Teikoku Alexanders at the Christmas Bowl. Tetsuo Ishimaru ( 石丸 哲生 , Ishimaru Tetsuo ) is the Devil Bats' second running back. Ishimaru is recruited from the track team by Sena who takes over half of his paper route for him. Ishimaru is considered an extremely ordinary person, and thus, many times, his adversaries and even teammates do not note his presence on

532-478: A gofer for others instead of getting rid of bullies. In his first day at Deimon High School, he is chased by three bullies known as the Ha-Ha Brothers and his speed is discovered by Hiruma. Under the alias "Eyeshield 21" because of the green eyeshield he wears to conceal his identity, Sena joins Deimon's football team as a running back . Yoichi Hiruma ( 蛭魔　妖一 , Hiruma Yōichi ) is the captain and

665-460: A "typical sports story", writing that what make it an above average series are its characters and artwork. He also wrote that people who think American football is boring "may change their minds after seeing the action sequences in Eyeshield 21 ." Later, Santos said, "[a] lot of familiar clichés show themselves" in Eyeshield 21 , and that "[t]he storyline also does a sloppy job of keeping track of

798-492: A ball that she threw back to him. She is reluctant at first but agrees after Yamato talks to her. As she had a natural ability for passes, Karin only trains hard to improve her dodging ability. The Taiyo Sphinx ( 太陽スフィンクス , Taiyō Sufinkusu ) are a team based in the Kanagawa prefecture. They are renowned for their "Pyramid Line" composed of strong and heavy offensive and defensive linemen. Its members include Banba Mamoru ,

931-726: A central subject of Eyeshield 21 after realizing that it fit perfectly with his idea for the series. The manga was originally serialized in Shueisha 's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump from July 2002 to June 2009. The series consists of 333 chapters collected in 37 tankōbon volumes. An anime adaptation consisting of 145 television episodes was co-produced by TV Tokyo , NAS , and Gallop . The television series first aired on Japan's TV Tokyo network from April 2005 to March 2008. The Eyeshield 21 franchise has spawned two original video animations (OVAs), audio albums, video games, and other merchandise. In North America,

1064-554: A charge, called the " Caesar Charge". However, after he was outran by Panther , then a ball boy , during a game between Notre Dame and NASA when the two teens chased after a runaway ball, former Notre Dame student Donald Oberman witnessed this and had Yamato removed from the team, believing that Yamato was undeserving of the Eyeshield 21 title. Yamato returned to Japan in order to reach the top and find an opponent capable of facing him; he then enrolled at Teikoku High School, reaching

1197-535: A comic relief in the series, Otawara can be very insightful, which genuinely shocks just about everyone. Later, he serves as a personal coach for Daikichi Komusubi during the Devil Bats' preparation for the Christmas Bowl. The Seibu Wild Gunmen ( 西部ワイルドガンマンズ , Seibu Wairudo Ganmanzu ) are a team from the Kantō region of Japan. They are considered to be the strongest offensive team in Tokyo. Its members include Kid ,

1330-512: A crawl and the storyline gets a little boring". In her review, Erin Finnegan from Anime News Network stated, "[t]he pace of Eyeshield 21 is its saving grace. It's way less boring than all the time outs and commercial breaks in a regular NFL game. Football is hard to understand, but Eyeshield 21 explains the Byzantine rules ... in an entertaining way. We're never left waiting for

1463-470: A joint effort with National Football League (NFL). The anime was eventually posted only on Toonami Jetstream, with the first episode, which condensed three episodes, being available on December 17, 2007. However, it was not completed due to Toonami Jetstream's cancellation and shutdown. In December 2008, the video streaming service Crunchyroll announced that it would begin to stream Eyeshield 21 subtitled on its site on January 2, 2009. The last episode

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1596-534: A lineman and the captain, and Reisuke Aki ( 安芸礼介 , Aki Reisuke ) , most known as Achilles, a lineman who joins the team due to its cheerleaders. Takeru Yamato ( 大和猛 , Yamato Takeru ) is the "real" Eyeshield 21 . He obtained the title while attending Notre Dame High School in the United States, becoming the first player of Japanese descent to do so. There, he felt he lacked speed and strength, so he focused everything on balance to become unstoppable in

1729-496: A lot of work on designing the logo". Sena Kobayakawa ( 小早川 瀬那 , Kobayakawa Sena ) is one of the main characters in the Eyeshield 21 series. During his childhood, he was a shy boy who was bullied and needed to be protected by Mamori Anezaki . Seeing this, Riku Kaitani , a young friend of Sena, taught him a running technique he referred to as the "explosive run" so Sena could defend himself. However, Sena used this to become

1862-502: A model of Jari Productions. Because of his popularity, people mistake him for the ace of the Ojo team; however, he is initially seen by the other players only as a pitchman and an average player. After getting injured and being hospitalized he meets Torakichi , a boy who admires him only due to his skills, and Sakuraba becomes excited again to play American football. Sakuraba starts to try harder, shaves his hair and let his beard grow, and before

1995-480: A monkey, and it is used as a recurring gag throughout the series. At the end of the series, he is shown to be attending Enma University. Mamori Anezaki ( 姉崎 まもり , Anezaki Mamori ) is a childhood friend of Sena that has been protecting him from bullies since primary school. At high school, and after Sena joins the American football club, Mamori also joins it as the club manager to protect him. Despite joining

2128-448: A play is often limited to just a few quick steps (typically from a three-point stance ) to establish position, followed by a wrestling match similar to sumo . Offensive linemen thus tend to be the largest and strongest players on the field with excellent agility and balance, but limited straight-line running speed and stamina. On some running plays, an offensive lineman will pull by backing out of his initial position and running behind

2261-424: A serial, the editorial department asked if Inagaki wanted to both write and draw the series, but Inagaki felt he was "so rookie", so he asked Murata to be the illustrator. Before being asked to work on Eyeshield 21 , Murata had read some of Inagaki's manga and noted that they "had many cool design concepts of uniforms and equipment". He said, "it could be turned into a great manga story" and he would "be happy to take

2394-465: A shooter like him and imposed on his son a lot of pressure. After he could not win a championship and thought he disappointed his father, Shien left his home and abandoned his name, adopting the pseudonym "Kid". He is known for having one of the quickest passing arms as he never took a sack . In the "Quick-Draw Pass" he throws the ball in 0.2 seconds by using both of his hands to generate a fast spiral, and due to this and his background in shooting he earned

2527-498: A sports game", and with this premise in mind he decided that American football would be "a very suitable material". When originally creating Eyeshield 21 , Inagaki said he was wary because he did not want his manga becoming "a simulator of football". The fact that football is not a popular sport in Japan also worried Inagaki. As last resort, he thought to turn the series into a " Kamen Rider -style masked hero story" if it could not met

2660-563: A team based in Houston, Texas . The team was known as the NASA Aliens ( NASAエイリアンズ , Nasa Eirianzu ) before they changed their name after their loss to the Devil Bats in a match they have bet with Hiruma that if the NASA Aliens could not win with a lead of ten points or more, they would not return to the United States. Then its coach, Leonardo Apollo , changed the team name to return to their home country. Its members include Panther ,

2793-718: A vow to win the Rice Bowl —Japan's national league football championship between the best college team and the best X-League team. In a bonus chapter set some time later, the Armadillos offer a spot on their roster for one Japanese player through the NFL's International Player Pathway Program , with Sena and Hiruma being chosen as the two candidates. To determine who receives the spot, Sena and Hiruma face off against each other with their respective college teams—the Enma Fires and

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2926-602: A weak, unassertive boy named Sena Kobayakawa enters the Deimon Private Senior High School. Sena's only remarkable physical abilities are his running speed and agility, which are noted by the school's American football team captain and quarterback , the ambitious and intimidating Yoichi Hiruma . Hiruma forces Sena to join the Deimon Devil Bats as its running back . To protect his identity from other teams who want to recruit him, Sena

3059-431: A wimpy boy who was a gofer to avoid being bullied during his childhood; he enters Deimon High School. While he runs away from the Ha-Ha Brothers his running ability is witnessed by Yoichi Hiruma , the captain of the Deimon Devil Bats, the school's American football team. After this, Hiruma coerces Sena to join the club under the alias "Eyeshield 21" to keep him from being recruited by other teams. Sena and Hiruma along with

3192-400: A winning mix of comedy, action and drama". On the 2008 list, Aoki listed Eyeshield 21 as the best continuing shōnen , as it was able to "[come] into its own" from other shōnen series. In that same year, Pop Culture Shock ' s Sam Kusek elected it the best continuing manga series. Chris Zimmerman of Comic Book Bin was positive on his review of the volumes 30–33; he affirmed it

3325-422: Is "one of the best shonen titles out there" and described it as "a superb series, with well developed characters, intense action, and touching humor". Scott Campbell of Active Anime commented it is an "action-filled" series with great artwork and humor, and that it "has managed to continually get more and more dynamic with each volume". Jarred Pine from Mania.com praised the humor and how the creators "bring out

3458-415: Is a Japanese manga series written by Riichiro Inagaki and illustrated by Yusuke Murata . The series tells the story of Sena Kobayakawa , an introverted boy who joins an American football club as a secretary , but after being coerced by quarterback Yoichi Hiruma , becomes the team's running back , wearing jersey number 21 and an eyeshield to conceal his identity. Inagaki chose American football as

3591-437: Is a second-year student who has always been dedicated to only the studies. His mother wants him to be a studious person and makes him study from day till night in addition to going to cram school . Contradicting his mother, Yukimitsu decides he wants to have sweet memories of his high school not related to studying, and so he applies for Hiruma's qualification test and enters the Deimon Devil Bats. Yukimitsu does not participate in

3724-474: Is a womanizer and irresponsible, having to be monitored by his brother, Unsui. Inagaki described him as "a real ladies' man, a very strong character" and noted he could not depict Agon "laying with the ladies" in a shōnen manga . Unsui Kongo ( 金剛雲水 , Kongō Unsui ) is the Naga's quarterback. He is known for his dedication to training and for his passion for football but is considered merely "a good player",

3857-444: Is an incredibly vain and narcissistic person usually dismissed as an idiot by several people, including his sister Suzuna and Hiruma, due to his odd and rather foolish attitude; it is exemplified by his habit of opening his jacket to bare his pecs and making weird poses and pirouettes. However, Taki takes football seriously and uses his flexibility to block his opponents. After he is rejected by Japan's high school teams, Taki travels to

3990-402: Is banned from playing for six months due to the school's policy, and during this time he is devoted to studying new tactics to teach his teammates. He introduces himself for the match against the Devil Bats as "the real Eyeshield 21". After his team is defeated, he officially hands Sena the Eyeshield 21 title and serves as a personal coach for Natsuhiko Taki during the Devil Bats' preparation for

4123-536: Is forced to publicly assume the role of the team secretary and enter the field under the pseudonym of " Eyeshield 21 " wearing a helmet with an eyeshield as a disguise. The makeshift team initially takes part in the spring football tournament hoping to win through the strength of their new "secret weapon". However, the extremely weak team is eliminated early by the Ojo White Knights , one of the best high school football teams in Tokyo. After Deimon's defeat,

List of Eyeshield 21 characters - Misplaced Pages Continue

4256-546: Is no other wide receiver as good as he. Taka eventually finds a suitable rival in Monta, who initially fears to go against Taka due to Masaru being his idol, but who defeat him in the end. Karin Koizumi ( 小泉香燐 , Koizumi Karin ) is the quarterback of the team and the only female player in the series. She would have joined the manga club when she started high school. Her skills as a player are discovered by Taka after he catches

4389-427: Is not from Deimon High School. Doburoku Sakaki ( 酒奇 溝六 , Sakaki Doburoku ) is the physical trainer and equipment manager of the Deimon Devil Bats and a former American footballer. He trained Hiruma , Musashi , and Kurita , and taught them how to play American football before they entered high school. However, after his loan shark 's debts became too high because of his gambling habits, he left them and fled to

4522-516: Is obsessed with music, often plays his electric guitar, and uses musical metaphors to state his opinions. A year before the start of the series, Akaba was named MVP in the fall Tokyo Tournament, which attracted the attention of Teikoku Alexanders. He joined the Alexanders and was given the title of Eyeshield 21 by {{#Takeru Yamato|Takeru Yamato}} who had retired the name, but soon he decided to return to Bando. Because of this last minute change, Akaba

4655-461: Is practically not possible, so the main objective of the offensive line is to slow them down, providing the quarterback with enough time to identify an open, eligible receiver and throw him the ball. The defensive line consists of one or two defensive tackles and two defensive ends who play outside the defensive tackles. The defensive line works with the linebackers to try to control the line of scrimmage . The 4-3 defense , most commonly used in

4788-530: Is so sidelined so often that it's frustrating to see it deal with situations as it does". Zimmerman, Chris (April 29, 2010). "Eyeshield 21 volume 31" . Comic Book Bin . Archived from the original on May 5, 2010 . Retrieved April 26, 2017 . Zimmerman, Chris (November 1, 2010). "Eyeshield 21 volume 32" . Comic Book Bin . Archived from the original on April 27, 2017 . Retrieved April 26, 2017 . Zimmerman, Chris (November 8, 2010). "Eyeshield 21 volume 33" . Comic Book Bin . Archived from

4921-625: Is the "Eyeshield 21", starting their rivalry. Despite this, he serves as a personal coach for Sena during the Devil Bats' preparation for the Christmas Bowl. Shin was modeled after Bruce Lee , and Murata noted he becomes like a real person as the story progresses. Haruto Sakuraba ( 桜庭 春人 , Sakuraba Haruto ) is the Ojo White Knights' wide receiver. While in high school he entered the team due to his unpaired height; however, Shin surpasses him. Sakuraba feels envious of Shin's success and achievements, and disappointed with himself he becomes

5054-402: Is the ace linebacker of the Ojo White Knights. Shin only joins an American football club because he is accompanying Haruto Sakuraba on the admission exam when the coach Gunpei Shoji sees his potential. Over time, he is regarded as the best linebacker in Japan, and is known for his obsessive training habits. Shin is also a good observer; at the first time Shin meets Sena, he realizes that Sena

5187-560: Is the largest and strongest lineman and player in the Deimon Devil Bats. Kurita met Hiruma and Musashi before entering high school, and with them founded the Mao Devil Bats, promising that one day they would contest the Christmas Bowl. Before completing high school, Kurita wanted to join the Shinryuji Naga through a scholarship , but Agon Kongo , who is considered a prodigy, entered his vacancy, and since he could not pass

5320-440: Is the only black member of the NASA Aliens. He is also known as "The Man who Possesses Weightless Legs" because he has innate and extraordinary running talents. However, by the start of the series, he is just used as a ball boy by the team coach, Leonard Apollo . Panther struggles because he has the dream of becoming a professional NFL player to sustain his grandmother, and also because he admires Apollo. Apollo allows him to play for

5453-480: Is the primary wide receiver of the Deimon Devil Bats. He is most known as Monta ( モン太 ) , a nickname given to him by Hiruma, who said that this name alluded to Joe Montana . Initially, he wants to become a baseball player, and sees Masaru Honjo , a Shuei the Bears' outfielder , as an idol. However, due to his lack of ability in other areas than reception he is not cast for the main team. Then, Sena invites him to join

List of Eyeshield 21 characters - Misplaced Pages Continue

5586-470: Is the younger of twin brothers on the Shinryuji Naga team. Agon joined the school through a scholarship for students with athletic skills above average, and he is considered a genius player who appears only once in a century, and he treats everyone with indifference, arrogance, and as worthless trash. He can play in most of the skill positions , and has a reaction time of 0.11 seconds. However, Agon

5719-417: Is usually translated as "completely". Gondayu Yamabushi ( 山伏権太夫 , Yamabushi Gondayū ) is one of the senior members and linemen of the Naga team and its captain. He joins the team through a scholarship for sportsmen, and is an elite player, according to his coach. During his freshman year, Yamabushi was noted alongside fellow receiver Doujirou Tenma as the future of the team. However, as skilled as he was,

5852-423: The de jure captain of the team, and the two tallest high school football players in Japan, Hiroshi Ohira and Hiroshi Onishi, who greatly admire Kakei. Shun Kakei ( 筧 駿 , Kakei Shun ) is a linebacker and the de facto captain of the team due to Osamu's shyness. During middle school, he was considered an exceptional player because he was taller than the other Japanese students. Because of this, he moved to

5985-522: The Eyeshield 21 manga has sold over 20 million volumes. The manga and anime have been featured at various times in weekly top ten lists of best-selling in their respective media. The anime has been watched by a large number of television viewers in Japan, helping to raise American football's popularity in the country. Publications for manga, anime, and others have commented on Eyeshield 21 , which received praise for its artwork and characters, and criticism towards its non-football related plotlines. In Tokyo,

6118-593: The Eyeshield 21 manga series were developed. The first one, named The Phantom Golden Bowl , was developed by Production I.G and shown as part of the Jump Festa Anime Tour in September 2003 and in Jump Festa 2004. The second OVA, titled Eyeshield 21: Christmas Bowl e no Michi – Minami no Shima de Tokkun da! YA-HA!! – , was shown at Jump Festa 2005. The two OVAs were later released on DVD;

6251-763: The PlayStation Portable on March 2, 2006. Nintendo secured the rights to the Eyeshield 21 video game license for its systems in December 2004, releasing Eyeshield 21: Max Devil Power for the Nintendo DS on February 2, 2006, and Eyeshield 21: Devilbats Devildays for the Game Boy Advance on April 6, 2006. Another game was scheduled for release on the GameCube , but it was later canceled. Nintendo published an Eyeshield 21 game for

6384-567: The San Antonio Armadillos and $ 3 million. Team Japan reaches the finals against Team America, whose roster includes Panther; the game ends in a tie, and both teams are declared winners. However, Japan and America are unsatisfied with the outcome and return to the field for their own, improvised overtime . It is unclear which team wins the unofficial extra period, but Panther is named the MVP. The series concludes with Sena being named

6517-603: The Teikoku Alexanders after the team achieved the second place in the Tokyo Tournament. The team's main player is Kotaro Sasaki , the one responsible for scoring, who has the help of Hayato Akaba , the one in charge for blocking the adversaries. The team is managed by Juri Sawai, a childhood friend of Kotaro. Hayato Akaba ( 赤羽 隼人 , Akaba Hayato ) is the tight end and the captain of the Spiders. He

6650-400: The Teikoku Alexanders , the undefeated and reigning Christmas Bowl champions from Osaka , who are led by Takeru Yamato , the real Japanese Eyeshield 21 from Notre Dame. In the game's final moments, Deimon narrowly defeats Teikoku with a record 65-yard game-winning field goal from kicker Gen "Musashi" Takekura , ending Teikoku's winning streak and becoming the first team from Kantō to win

6783-644: The Wii , entitled Eyeshield 21: The Field's Greatest Warriors , which was released in Japan on March 8, 2007. Two non-football games, Jump Super Stars and Jump Ultimate Stars , released for the Nintendo DS, have featured characters from the series. Various Devil Bats, Shin and Sakuraba from the White Knights appear in support cameos. Two art books based on Eyeshield 21 were released. The first, Eyeshield 21 Illustration Collection: Field of Colors ,

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6916-490: The quarterback of the Deimon Devil Bats. When he was a child, Hiruma learned about American football after crawling through a hole in a fence of an American military base. He befriended Ryokan Kurita and Musashi , and with them, founded the Mao Devil Bats. After completing middle school he intended to join the Shinryuji Naga , but as Kurita failed the entrance exam, he entered Deimon. Along with Kurita and Musashi, he re-established their former club, Mao Devil Bats, but renamed

7049-415: The quarterback . Ideally, the defensive players are able to tackle the quarterback for a loss (a sack ), but in practice the quarterback will usually manage to throw the ball before an actual tackle is made; the goal is thus to put pressure on the quarterback as quickly as possible to force him to throw the ball before he can find an open receiver. Defensive ends are usually the most skilled pass rushers on

7182-418: The American football team. Later, he serves as a personal coach for Koji Kuroki during the Devil Bats' preparation for the Christmas Bowl. At the end of the series, he is shown to be attending Enma University. The Bando Spiders ( 盤戸スパイダーズ , Bando Supaidāzu ) are a team of specialists that focus on scoring through field goals. One year prior the series' events, most of its members were recruited away by

7315-551: The Autumn Tokyo Tournament. Later, he serves as a personal coach for Tetsuo Ishimaru during the Devil Bats' preparation for the Christmas Bowl. At the end of the series, he is shown to be attending Enma University. Shinryuji Naga ( 神龍寺ナーガ , Shinryūji Naga ) is considered the strongest high school American football team in Kantō. It is based on Kanagawa in a boys-only school which follows Buddhism . Prior to

7448-657: The Christmas Bowl. Teikoku graciously accepts their defeat and Yamato acknowledges Sena as the true Eyeshield 21. Shortly after the Christmas Bowl, Japan's high school football commission begins to gather the nation's best high school football players to form a team to represent the country for the American Football Youth World Championship hosted in New York City , where the MVP will be awarded an NFL contract with

7581-575: The Christmas Bowl. Akaba is also recruited for Team Japan during the World Tournament. At the end of the series, he is shown to be attending Saikyodai University. Kotaro Sasaki ( 佐々木 コータロー , Sasaki Kōtarō ) is the kicker of the Bando Spiders. A skilled kicker, he has an average of 100% success of converting extra points . However, he aims to hold the title of the best kicker in Japan and then he wants to face Musashi as he heard

7714-610: The Devil Bats spend their summer vacation in Houston , where they meet Hiruma's and Kurita's former mentor Doburoku Sakaki , who reluctantly allows Hiruma's request to put the team through a dangerous training regimen known as the "Death March"—which involves traveling on foot from Houston to Las Vegas through the Mojave Desert . During the Death March, the team works to improve their strength and stamina and strengthen their bonds with each other; Sena reveals his identity to

7847-467: The Devil Bats, but he refuses the offer. Monta only enters the team after being scammed by Hiruma, who says the team needed someone to protect Mamori Anezaki from the egoistic and harmful Eyeshield 21 . From there on, he decides he will become a hero through American football. He has a habit to go into a pose after a catch while yelling "Catch Max", also adding "Max" to nearly anything he describes while excited or determined. In many aspects, Monta resembles

7980-575: The Kantō Tournament. Its members include Reiji Maruko , the quarterback and captain, Rikiya Gao , the main lineman, Hiromi Kisaragi the wide receiver who is considered the team's left arm, Hanataka Tengu, the team's former "ace", Saburo Mitsui, the kicker who proclaims himself the third best, and Maruko Himuro, the club's manager who although admires Marco's ambition does not appreciate his methods to win. Eyeshield 21 Eyeshield 21 ( Japanese : アイシールド21 , Hepburn : Aishīrudo Nijūichi )

8113-407: The Kantō tournament and Akaba officially names Sena as Eyeshield 21, revealing that Eyeshield 21 is in fact a title traditionally passed down to Notre Dame's best runner. In the Kantō tournament, the Devil Bats overcome several obstacles—including facing against the Shinryuji Naga in their opening game, who are led by the sociopathic prodigy Agon Kongo ; a rematch against the Ojo White Knights in

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8246-408: The NFL, employs two defensive tackles (and a defensive line of four men, with three linebackers behind them), while the 3-4 defense uses just a single defensive tackle, called the nose tackle (and a defensive line of three men, with four linebackers behind them). Defensive ends in a typical 3-4 have responsibilities more similar to a 4-3 defensive tackle than 4-3 defensive ends. On running plays,

8379-607: The Real Eyeshield 21. Taka Honjo ( 本庄鷹 , Honjō Taka ) is the wide receiver of the Teikoku Alexanders and the son of Masaru Honjo . He is known for his high jumps, having the Japanese high school record in long jump, which allows him to seem like he is walking on air when catching the ball. Masaru constantly trained Taka during his youth aiming Taka to be the best, and so he has no goal, as he thinks there

8512-699: The Saikyodai Wizards—in the Koshien Bowl , the college football national championship game. Although Enma is implied to win the championship, the chosen candidate for the Program is never revealed. Before the series was published regularly, Riichiro Inagaki and Yusuke Murata published two one-shots called Eyeshield Part 1 ( 前編 , Zenpen ) and Part 2 ( 後編 , Kōhen ) on March 5 and 12, 2002, in Weekly Shōnen Jump . When it would become

8645-452: The Shinryuji Naga. However, they are defeated after Agon and Unsui Kongo enter the match. Its members include Seijuro Shin , the linebacker, Haruto Sakuraba , the wide receiver, Ichiro Takami , the quarterback, Makoto Otawara , the captain, and Gunpei Shoji ( 庄司軍平 , Shōji Gunpei ) , nicknamed Shogun ( ショーグン ) , the head coach and trainer. Seijuro Shin ( 進 清十郎 , Shin Seijūro )

8778-464: The United States to play football there, but realized he was not as good as he thought he was. Kakei almost abandoned football after his team lost to Notre Dame but after meeting Nore Dame;s Eyeshield 21, who was also Japanese, he decided to train more to face him again. Kakei achieved his goal, but Eyeshield 21 disappeared, which caused him to return to Japan to find him. There, Kakei enrolled at Kyoshin. Before Kyoshin and Deimon play against each other in

8911-531: The United States, Jason Thompson wrote in Anime News Network that "Even Eyeshield 21 , a sports manga which is practically made for Americans, wasn't a big hit here". Critics have generally given the Eyeshield 21 manga positive reviews. Deb Aoki from About.com wrote that tying with Bleach , Eyeshield 21 was the best continuing shōnen manga of 2007, because it "has well-written characters, dynamic artwork, nail-biting cliffhangers, plus

9044-502: The United States, abandoning his family, to attend open tryouts in San Antonio by taking all the savings in his house to afford his flight and traveling expenses. Taki fails, but Sena asks him to join the Devil Bats back in Japan as a tight end. However, Hiruma only allows him to join the team if he follows them in the Death March, a journey of two thousand kilometers along the Mojave Desert . After arriving in Japan, he has yet to make

9177-494: The United States. There, he became a beach football coach, returning to Japan only after Hiruma paid all his debts. He and Ojo's trainer and coach, Gunpei Shoji, were teammates at Sengoku University's American football team, and were known as "The Twin Japanese Blades", where he played as a tight end . Natsuhiko Taki ( 瀧 夏彦 , Taki Natsuhiko ) is a high school student who has the dream of becoming an NFL player. He

9310-449: The anime in DVD format; thirty-six volumes were released between July 26, 2006, and June 26, 2007. Some changes were done in comparison to the manga; for example, swearings and guns or gambling references were reduced. Initially, Viz Media and Cartoon Network planned to air a dubbed version of Eyeshield 21 on the internet video streaming service Toonami Jetstream , and on NFL Rush site as

9443-696: The anime series have been released in Japan. The original soundtrack was released on two discs by Avex Mode on March 5, 2008, under the title Eyeshield 21 Complete Best Album . Three compilation albums, Eyeshield 21 Original Soundtrack Sound Field 1 , Eyeshield 21 Sound Field Especial , and Eyeshield 21 Song Best , featuring opening and ending themes, insertion songs, and character and team songs were released on August 31, 2005, December 21, 2005, and March 23, 2006, respectively. Six maxi singles containing character songs have also been published. The first three, for Sena Kobayakawa, Mamori Anezaki, and Monta, were released on October 26, 2005. The other three, with

9576-399: The best linemen in Japan, he is a third-year student who holds the school record for squats . He is distinguished by his massive physique, complete baldness, and, during the Kantō Tournament, multiple scars from training. Later, he serves as a personal coach for Shozo Togano during the Devil Bats' preparation for the Christmas Bowl. The NASA Shuttles ( NASAシャトルズ , Nasa Shatoruzu ) are

9709-456: The best players from all the country and stick them into a six-tiered ranking system. Players who want to move up in the ranks must memorize over one thousand different plays and all of the first string members must be able to run forty yards in under five seconds. Its members include Takeru Yamato , the running back, Taka Honjo , the wide receiver, Karin Koizumi , the quarterback, Kureji Hera ( 平良呉二 , Hera Kureji ) , most known as Heracles,

9842-549: The best team possible with only white players, and due to this attitude, he initially forbids Panther for playing. However, he changes his mind after all members of the Aliens do a dogeza to ask him to let Panther play. Kyoshin Poseidon ( 巨深ポセイドン ) are a team known for its members' height. Its members include Shun Kakei , the main linebacker, Kengo Mizumachi , the main lineman, Osamu Kobanzame, ( 小判鮫オサム , Kobanzame Osamu )

9975-637: The captain of the Devil Bats in his second year after Hiruma, Kurita and Musashi retire in their third year. In his final year of high school, Sena is invited to attend Notre Dame High School in America for the Fall semester. In the final chapter, Sena returns to Japan to enroll at Enma University and joins their football team, reuniting him with his friends, former teammates and rivals, many of whom have either joined Sena at Enma, other rival universities or Musashi's construction company team; all participating teams make

10108-521: The captain, Kiminari Harao, an eccentric quarterback who has his own harem and is considered a below average player, Niinobu Kasamatsu, the second-largest player of the Pyramid Line who is easily irritated and tricked, Ken Kamaguruma, a tall first-year cornerback whose speciality is the bump technique. Mamoru Banba ( 番場衛 , Banba Mamoru ) is the Taiyo Sphinx's captain. Considered one of

10241-408: The challenge"; eventually he was chosen. During Eyeshield 21 ' s original run in the magazine, Inagaki went to the United States to see college football matches, and National Football League games. Despite having never played American football, Inagaki chose this theme after deciding that he wanted to create "a protagonist that was wimpy at the beginning, yet could perform outstandingly in

10374-460: The club just to protect Sena, she eventually becomes an excellent manager who knows the rules, analyzes the adversaries strategies and creates strategies to combat them. Mamori's drawing abilities are terrible if compared to her other academic abilities—actually she is one of the school's top three students—and it is a recurring gag throughout the series. The Ha-Ha Brothers ( ハァハァ3兄弟 , Ha Ha San Kyōdai ) are three juvenile delinquents who join

10507-452: The commercial breaks "were informative and similar to the Go lessons of Hikaru No Go ." He also said the explanations were "hilarious", but that " Eyeshield 21 is an excellent introduction to football". The on-field action was also praised, with he saying the sports action is "where Eyeshield 21 truly shines", although he criticized the scenes away from the football field, "the pacing slows to

10640-420: The construction foreman at his family company after his father had suffered an accident at work. Despite this, Musashi has his company help build updated accommodations for the Devil Bats and maintains a cordial relationship with Hiruma. Sena and Monta discover Musashi's identity and he promises to return to Deimon if they can prove themselves to him. Musashi repeatedly refuses to rejoin his former teammates until

10773-567: The energy and excitement of the game for the readers". June Shimonishi, reviewing for School Library Journal , wrote that it "delivers a fresh and entertaining take on all the standard sports clichés". She also said that its art is "superb ... with every inch filled with details and no gag left unseen". Zac Bertschy from Anime News Network (ANN) declared Eyeshield 21 "defies convention" by turning what most might consider "a really ridiculously bad idea" into "something most everyone would be able to enjoy". Carlo Santos from ANN called it

10906-419: The fall tournament is last chance for second year students Hiruma and Kurita to participate in the Christmas Bowl, raising the stakes for the Devil Bats. The Devil Bats partake in several exhibition games that boost their popularity, including a match against the visiting NASA Aliens from the United States, whose ball boy turned running back Patrick "Panther" Spencer befriends Sena. After losing to NASA,

11039-491: The fall tournament, Kakei dismisses Sena as a fraud due to him not resembling the Eyeshield 21 he faced in America but changes his mind after Sena and Deimon win against Kyoshin. Both Kakei and Sena discover from Hayto Akaba that Eyeshield 21 is in fact a title passed onto the best runner at Notre Dame and that the "real" Eyeshield 21 Kakei played against was Takeru Yamato . Kakei helps to train Jumonji Kazuki before

11172-436: The field. Nevertheless, Ishimaru's obscurity works to his advantage when playing since no one notices when he is handing the ball. The Ojo White Knights ( 王城ホワイトナイツ , Ōjō Howaito Naitsu ) are considered the second best team in Kantō behind Shinryuji Naga at the start of Eyeshield 21 . Three years prior to the series' start, a group of defense-focused Ojo players known as "Golden Generation" manages to get close to defeat

11305-566: The first game and knowing his limitations he begins to devote more on training to dispute the Autumn Tokyo Tournament. However, he is not cast to that competition, making his debut only in the match against the Shinryuji Naga at the Kantō Tournament. Daikichi Komusubi ( 小結 大吉 , Komusubi Daikichi ) is one of the linemen of the Deimon Devil Bats. Daikichi is highly impressed by Kurita's amazing strength when first sees him and decides that he wants to become Kurita's "apprentice". He joined

11438-531: The first time in the match against the Devil Bats. Later, he is recruited by the Team USA . Leonard Apollo ( レオナルド・アポロ , Reonarudo Aporo ) is the coach of the NASA Aliens team. He is a former professional, NFL player, known for his dedication to training. When he is removed from the team in favor of Morgan, a black man with innate talents, he becomes a racist , not only against African-American but to Japanese as well. After this event, he decided he would form

11571-607: The first was released with the second OVA of Naruto in a compilation called Jump Festa 2004 Super DVD . The other was released by Bandai Visual as an extra track on the sixth DVD of the Eyeshield 21 anime series. The Eyeshield 21 anime adaptation was co-produced by TV Tokyo, NAS, and Gallop, and was directed by Masayoshi Nishida until episode 103, and by Shin Katagai from 104 to 145. The series of 145 television episodes aired in Japan from April 6, 2005, to March 19, 2008, on TV Tokyo. In Japan, Bandai Visual distributed

11704-423: The football team's first tier after one day. Shortly after enrolling, Yamato gave up the Eyeshield 21 moniker, which he then passed onto Hayato Akaba when he was recruited by Teikoku. When the Deimon Devil Bats qualify for the Christmas Bowl, Yamato meets the current Eyeshield 21, Sena, and changes back to his old Eyeshield 21 title. Yamato and Sena face each other at the Christmas Bowl as deciding on who becomes

11837-459: The game ... making it even less believable than it already is". However, overall, he considered the story has good art, action and pace, featuring "pure sports storytelling at its finest". The anime adaptation of Eyeshield 21 received positive and mixed responses. Bobby Cooper from DVD Talk praised how the rules of American football are "explained to a foreign audience that has no clue what it's all about", adding that instructions at

11970-406: The goal is to tackle the ball carrier. The defensive line attempts to maintain their original formation (even spacing without holes), but also to prevent any members of the opposing offensive line from successfully engaging the linebackers, who chase down the ball carrier. The defensive tackles are usually the most skilled run defenders on the team. On passing plays, the defensive line tries to reach

12103-470: The high school entrance exam, and he debuts only in the second match of the Autumn Tokyo Tournament. Gen Takekura ( 武蔵 厳 , Takekura Gen ) , most known as Musashi ( ムサシ ) , is the kicker of the Deimon Devil Bats. Along with Hiruma and Kurita, he established the team originally under the name of Mao Devil Bats during their middle school years. However, Musashi is forced to leave the team and drop out of high school during his first year at Deimon to work as

12236-541: The later phase of the fall tournament, after his father and workers convince him to return. In the manga, it occurs against the Seibu Wild Gunmen , and in the anime he returns later against the Bando Spiders . Despite the title of "The 60-yard Magnum" being actually a lie that Hiruma fabricated to scare the opponents, this arouses the rivalry of Kotaro Sasaki , and it becomes truth when Mushashi converts

12369-442: The lineman is embarrassed when Tenma is recruited for the all-stars of Teikoku Alexanders instead of himself.. Teikoku Alexanders ( 帝黒アレキサンダーズ , Teikoku Arekisandāzu ) are a team based out of Osaka . They are known as the ultimate all-star team and, prior to the match against the Devil Bats, no team had scored against them, they have never called a timeout, and they have won the Christmas Bowl since its inception. They recruit

12502-567: The manga was released by Viz Media from April 2005 to October 2011. The anime series was later licensed in North America by Toonami Jetstream as a joint effort with Viz Media and aired in December 2007, on its site, but before its completion, the streaming service was shut down. The whole series was streamed in English by Crunchyroll , while Sentai Filmworks licensed the series, with distribution from Section23 Films on DVDs. In Japan,

12635-399: The manga, Suzuna first appears in a scene in the United States where she is looking for her brother, Natsuhiko , and meets with Sena; in the anime, she appears before it, yet in Japan, where she is working as a reporter hired to discover the secret identity of Eyeshield 21 . Later, Suzuna follows the team back to Japan and then proclaims herself a cheerleader for the Devil Bats even though she

12768-474: The match between Devil Bats and Alexanders. Kengo Mizumachi ( 水町 健吾 , Mizumachi Kengo ) is the main lineman of the Kyoshin Poseidon. During middle school, he was known as a genius with a natural gift for sports, being requested by several teams. He joins and becomes a champion at the swimming club, but he quits due to his teammates lacking the drive to win; he is eventually recruited by Kakei to

12901-569: The moniker "Quick-Draw Kid". Jo Tetsuma ( 鉄馬丈 , Tetsuma Jō ) is the wide receiver of the Seibu Wild Gunmen. He is a childhood friend of Kid and his father was the driver of Kid's father's. He is very quiet and follows all orders given to him in an extreme way; he memorizes a number of different passing routes, and once Kid calls one out, he will almost automatically not falter from the course unless overpowered. However, he does act upon his own impulses to help keep Monta from attacking

13034-436: The most work on character designs are on their uniforms". Inagaki conceived the teams knowing that "each team has its own style", and designed the characters prior to assigning them a team. The main characters of the Eyeshield 21 series are part of Deimon Devil Bats, an American football team based on Deimon Private Senior High School. The Deimon Devil Bats were founded by Yoichi Hiruma , Ryokan Kurita , and Musashi under

13167-565: The name of Mao Devil Bats. After its inaugural year, they need to refound the team in Deimon. However, its membership was further reduced with the departure of Musashi. This remains the case until Hiruma discovers Sena Kobayakawa and his amazing running ability. For the creation of Deimon Devil Bats' uniform, Murata was inspired by the Philadelphia Eagles ' gear and helmets, and for its logo he created six prototypes, saying he "spent

13300-424: The opposite of his brother, Agon. Unsui never overcome his brother, and, aware of such situation, he decided to make his brother the best player as possible, even taking responsibility for Agon's actions. However, at the end of the series, Unsui joins a different university from Agon, wishing to grow on his own and to overcome his brother. Ikkyu Hosokawa ( 細川一休 , Hosokawa Ikkyū ) is the Naga's cornerback. He has

13433-427: The original on April 27, 2017 . Retrieved April 26, 2017 . Lineman (gridiron football) The offensive line consists of the center , who is responsible for snapping the ball into play, two guards who flank the center, and two offensive tackles flanking these guards. In addition, a full offensive line may also include a tight end outside one or both of the tackles. An offensive lineman's motion during

13566-437: The other member of the club, Ryokan Kurita , try to recruit new players to compete at the Christmas Bowl . While developing the characters, Murata intended to create characters who have unique qualities and that could stand out amidst the teams they are included. He focused his work on the characters' outfits since he thought it was the thing that would be most noted during the matches. Inagaki also used real-world influence for

13699-401: The other offensive linemen to engage a defensive player beyond the initial width of the offensive line; in modern games this duty usually falls to guards . When an offensive lineman knocks a player down on a block, leaving the defensive player lying flat on his back, it is known as a pancake block. When an offensive line has an equal number of men on either side of the center, it is known as

13832-401: The popularity required for the magazine. However, it was such a popular series that online commentators said that, considering the series' final length, the editors may have insisted that Eyeshield 21 be kept going due to business reasons. However, Inagaki declared that the manga was "exactly how [he] wanted to tell the story" and that Murata also seconded it. The Eyeshield 21 manga series

13965-431: The primary job of the offensive line is to create space for the ball carrier to run, either by pushing all defensive players backwards past the line of scrimmage, or by pushing defensive players to the side to allow the ball carrier to run past them. On passing plays, the offensive line is tasked with stopping defensive players from tackling the quarterback before he has thrown the ball. Stopping these players indefinitely

14098-439: The quarterback, Jo Tetsuma , the wide receiver, Riku Kaitani , the running back, Buffalo Ushijima, a lineman and the team's captain, and "Doc" Holiday, the coach. Kid ( キッド , Kiddo ) , whose real name is Shien Mushanokoji ( 武者小路紫苑 , Mushanokōji Shien ) , is the Seibu Wild Gunmen's quarterback. He is the son of Hajime Mushanokoji, a three-time Olympic gold medalist in shooting sport . His father always wanted Shien to be

14231-424: The record of 4.9 seconds in the 40-yard-dash while running backward, making him the best cornerback in the Kantō region. He is the only player on the Naga that Agon has any respect for since he is also considered a genius. Later, he serves as a personal coach for Monta during the Devil Bats' preparation for the Christmas Bowl. Ikkyu peppers his speech with the inflection "oni", which is used as an emphatic phrase, and

14364-467: The ref's decision for long minutes like in real life. A lot of dramatic tension carries the action between plays". Finnegan also criticized the artwork, saying, "any episode [of the show] without a game is clearly farmed out to an inferior animation studio". Chris Beveridge from Mania Entertainment wrote that Eyeshield 21 "has a good solid story idea, showing a young man finding his way through sports by finding friends and realizing he has potential, but it

14497-478: The referee to keep the Devil Bats from being disqualified. Later, he serves as a personal coach for Manabu Yukimitsu during the Devil Bats' preparation for the Christmas Bowl. Riku Kaitani ( 甲斐谷陸 , Kaitani Riku ) is the running back of the Seibu Wild Gunmen. He is a childhood friend of Sena, whom he considers a little brother, and who taught Sena how to run extremely fast in order to stand up to bullies. Riku eventually moves away and only meets Sena again during

14630-527: The rest of his teammates. The Devil Bats complete the Death March and return to Japan, stronger than ever. The Devil Bats enter the Tokyo fall tournament and make a strong impression by winning their first three games. While facing the Kyoshin Poseidon in the quarterfinals, Sena learns that his Eyeshield 21 identity belonged to another footballer of Japanese descent from Notre Dame High School's football team in America. The Devil Bats advance to

14763-538: The running back, Homer Fitzgerald, the quarterback whose specialty is a long pass known as the "Shuttle Pass",, Jeremy Watt, the Japanophile wide receiver, and two brothers, Nisan and Otto Gonzalez; the former is tall and strong and the latter smaller, but faster. Inagaki visited a space center to collect reference materials to use as a basis for creating the team. Patrick Spencer ( パトリック・スペンサー , Patorikku Supensā ) , most known as Panther ( パンサー , Pansā ) ,

14896-440: The school's exam he joined Deimon. Kurita is a kind-hearted individual who tries to do not hurt other people, but while on the field he does not hesitate to use all his strength. When playing, Kurita shouts his kiai "Funnuraba!" when exerting extra effort. At the end of the series, he is shown to be attending Enma University alongside Sena, Monta , Riku , Mizumachi , Unsui and Kotaro . Taro Raimon ( 雷門　太郎 , Raimon Tarō )

15029-513: The semifinals where they lose a close match to the Seibu Wild Gunmen ; however the Devil Bats can still qualify for the post-season Kantō tournament if they can win a consolation game against the Bando Spiders . After learning that Bando's team captain Hayato Akaba is supposedly the real Eyeshield 21, Sena publicly reveals his identity before the game between Deimon and Bando. The Devil Bats emerge victorious, allowing them to qualify for

15162-490: The semifinals, who have gotten stronger since the spring tournament and are more determined than ever to defeat the Devil Bats; and are forced to play against the Hakushu Dinosaurs in the final without Hiruma after the latter is taken out of the game when his throwing arm is temporarily broken—to win the Kantō tournament, achieving their dream of participating in the Christmas Bowl. The Devil Bats face off against

15295-1034: The series' 21st anniversary, was published in Weekly Shōnen Jump on January 29, 2024. An English translation of the manga was published in North America by Viz Media under the Shonen Jump Advanced label between April 5, 2005, and October 4, 2011. The manga has also been licensed in some countries such as in France by Glénat , in Hong Kong by Culturecom , in Indonesia by Elex Media Komputindo , in Italy by Panini Comics , in South Korea by Daewon Media , and in Taiwan by Tong Li Publishing . Two original video animations (OVA) based on

15428-452: The series' start, they have never been defeated at the Kantō Tournament. However, in the first game of the tournament, the Devil Bats overcomes them. Its members include the Kongo brothers— Agon and Unsui —, Ikkyu Hosokawa , the cornerback, Gondayu Yamabushi , the senior lineman, Sanzo, an androgynous-looking running back, and Sumito Sendoda, the coach. Agon Kongo ( 金剛阿含 , Kongō Agon )

15561-512: The songs of Haruto Sakuraba, Seijurou Shin, and Suzuna Taki, were released on January 25, 2006. In addition to the musical CDs, Eyeshield 21 Drama Field 1 , an audio drama CD, was released by Avex on September 21, 2005. Konami produced Eyeshield 21 games for Sony video game systems; it released Eyeshield 21: Let's Play American Football! Ya! Ha!! for the PlayStation 2 on December 22, 2005, and Eyeshield 21: Portable Edition for

15694-550: The spring tournament is revealed as secondary in importance to the fall tournament, a single-elimination tournament where the Tokyo area teams compete for the chance to play in the Christmas Bowl —the high school football league championship between the best teams from the Kantō and Kansai regions, respectively. Hiruma, Sena, and head lineman Ryokan Kurita regroup and slowly build a real team from misfits and students looking to define themselves, such as Tarō "Monta" Raimon —a former baseball player who can only catch— who becomes

15827-441: The start of the Autumn Tokyo Tournament he resigns with Jari Pro. Ichiro Takami ( 高見 伊知郎 , Takami Ichirō ) is the Ojo White Knights' quarterback. At first, a childhood leg injury left him unable to run as quickly as quarterbacks need to run. After the coach told him he could not play due to this drawback, he decided to train more running and to study calculations to make his passes more precise. Finally, after his fourth year on

15960-409: The team after Hiruma blackmails them with a negative of a picture where they appear nude. Despite not being brothers, Hiruma calls them this way due to their habit of expression, with each one of the trio saying "Ha!?", in rapid succession with a crescendo . The gang is formed by Kazuki Jumonji, considered the group's leader, Koji Kuroki, and Shozo Togano. They join the club permanently after passing

16093-472: The team after surviving the Tokyo Tower qualifying test, beating out the Ha-Ha Brothers . He does not talk much, and speaks only in the so-called "language of strong men", that only "truly strong men" (his father and Kurita) can understand, which consists mostly of strange grunts and one-word sentences. Suzuna Taki ( 瀧 鈴音 , Taki Suzuna ) is a blue-haired girl who is always wearing rollerblades . In

16226-517: The team the Deimon Devil Bats. As Musashi leaves the club and few people have an interest in American football, he starts to blackmail students, forcing them to join the club. Hiruma is greatly feared both by students and administrative members of the school. Besides blackmailing people, he also intimidates them with the multiple firearms he carries with him. He is also a genius in maverick trick plays and mind games that he uses to try to frighten his adversaries. Ryokan Kurita ( 栗田　良寛 , Kurita Ryōkan )

16359-514: The team's star wide receiver and three delinquents collectively known as Ha-Ha Brothers , who make up the team's remaining linemen. Other characters slowly join the team, and the series follows the building and growth of the Deimon Devil Bats and its members, and rival teams as they all strive to achieve their goal of playing in the Christmas Bowl. Due to a rule at several high schools, including Deimon, that prohibits students from participating in club activities in their third and final school year,

16492-538: The team, he became the team's starting quarterback for the Kantō Tournament. Makoto Otawara ( 大田原誠 , Ōtawara Makoto ) is the captain and the largest lineman for the White Knights. Otawara is a very loud and brash person, who always says what he thinks. He also has a flatulence problem and makes no effort to hide it. In contrast to his strength, Otawara is plain stupid, as Shoji, the White Knight's coach, puts it, and even he admits it. Although most featured as

16625-513: The team. In order to increase the pressure on the quarterback, teams will often have players other than the defensive line attempt to tackle the quarterback; this is called a blitz . Because the defense does not know whether the offense is attempting a passing play or a running play (or whether a quarterback will give up on an attempt to pass and instead run with the ball), they must balance passing and running strategies: running around offensive linemen and avoiding contact may allow faster pressure on

16758-587: The teams. Most reviewers have praised the characters of the series, declaring that the characters are one of the best elements of the Eyeshield 21 series as they are distinguishable. When Riichiro Inagaki and Yusuke Murata were creating the Eyeshield 21 series, Murata was concerned that each character had a stand-out quality because many of them are in groups. Murata said that "due to their heavy protective gear, it would be very difficult to identify personal characteristics in games" and because of this he decided to become more engaged in detailing their clothes, "so

16891-430: The test that consists in climbing Tokyo Tower without letting an ice bag melt. They are notably poor and inexperienced at the game when they start out, and so they are called "trash" by other players, journalists and even the father of Jumonji. This disbelief, however, make them strive to prove to those who do not believe in their skills that they are very capable linemen. Manabu Yukimitsu ( 雪光 学 , Yukimitsu Manabu )

17024-463: The urban legend of Musashi's sixty-yard field goal. Due to his abilities, Sasaki is invited to join the Teikoku Alexanders, but rejected the offer to stay with Hayato Akaba . At the end of the series, he is shown to be attending Enma University. The Hakushu Dinosaurs ( 白秋ダイナソーズ , Hakushū Dainosōzu ) are a team from the SIC region ( Saitama , Ibaraki , and Chiba ), participating for the first time in

17157-457: Was also featured several times in Japanese television rankings, with the first episode having a 7.5 percent television viewership rating. In 2006, Japanese television network TV Asahi conducted a poll for the top hundred anime, and Eyeshield 21 was placed 47th. Moreover, Eyeshield 21 ' s series is credited with increasing the number of Japanese teenagers playing American football. However, commenting on its genre's lack of popularity in

17290-962: Was available on November 1, 2009, for premium users, and on March 7, 2010, for free users. On February 26, 2010, Section23 Films announced that Sentai Filmworks received the license to the anime. The first fifty-two episodes were released on four subtitled-only DVDs between May 18, 2010, and February 8, 2011. The music for the Eyeshield 21 anime adaptation was composed by Kō Ōtani . The series use twelve pieces of theme music, five opening and seven ending themes. The opening themes are "Breakthrough" and "Innocence" by V6 , "Dang Dang" by ZZ , "Blaze Line" by Back-On , and "Honō no Running Back" by Short Leg Summer. The ending themes are "Be Free" by Ricken's, "Blaze Away" by The Trax , "Goal" by Beni Arashiro , "Run to Win" by Aya Hirano , Miyu Irino , Koichi Nagano and Kappei Yamaguchi , "A day dreaming..." by Back-On, "Flower" by Back-On, and "Song of Power" by Short Leg Summer. A number of audio CDs linked to

17423-756: Was published on May 26, 2006. The only original creator of the series who worked on these light novels was Murata, who illustrated them. In Japan, jigsaw puzzles, action figures, plush dolls, calendars, key chains, and a medal game machine were sold as merchandise for the series. Konami also released a collectible card game series. The manga has sold more than 20 million copies in Japan; individual volumes frequently appeared on top ten lists of best-selling manga there ( see table ). Individual volumes have appeared in Diamond Comic Distributors 's lists of 300 best-selling graphic novels in North America several times. The anime adaptation

17556-473: Was published on November 2, 2006. The second, entitled Paint Jump: Art of Eyeshield 21 , was released on December 19, 2008. Eyeshield 21 Official Databook: Chou Senshu Retsuden Ballers High , a databook, was published on October 4, 2005. A pair of light novels were launched; the first, written by Katsumi Hasegawa, based on and named for the first OVA, was published on March 24, 2004. The second, Eyeshield 21: Netto no Hundred Game! , written by Eijima Jun,

17689-648: Was written by Riichiro Inagaki, illustrated by Yusuke Murata, and originally serialized by Shueisha in the shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump from July 23, 2002, to June 15, 2009. The manga consists of 333 chapters spanning 37 tankōbon (collected volumes), released from December 20, 2002, to October 2, 2010. Eyeshield 21 has also been published as part of the Shueisha Jump Remix series of magazine-style books. Fourteen volumes were released between June 28, 2010, and February 14, 2011. A special 55-page one-shot chapter, to celebrate

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