Tezuka Kunimitsu

characteristics

height: 179cm weight: 58kg birthday: october 7 horoscope: Libra

Tezuka Kunimitsu

is a third-year who is currently the captain of the Seigaku tennis team. He is known to be a National-level player and has been noted by many characters in the series to be one of the toughest opponents in their era.

background

A serious and strict third year, he gives the series' protagonist, Echizen Ryoma, a chance to become a regular by allowing him to participate in the Intraschool Rankings Tournament. Furthermore, throughout the series, he, seeing the immense potential in Echizen, encourages him to develop his own style of tennis and to become Seigaku's "Pillar", leading the latter to consider him to be both a mentor and a rival. Like Echizen, he was made into a Seigaku regular during his freshman year. Throughout the series, Tezuka constantly struggles with the pain in his left arm, which was caused by an injury inflicted upon him by an upperclassman two years prior to the start of the series. However, he is often willing to sacrifice his arm in order to defeat his opponent and to lead his team to the Nationals. Despite being known as Seigaku's "strongest man", he initially remains on the sidelines during tournaments, as another teammate would sometimes play in his usual position of singles 1 or his team usually defeats their opponents in straight sets. Though he secretly challenges and defeats Ryoma in an unofficial match in an attempt to reach his junior to become Seigaku's new "pillar of support", his true skills are first shown during an Intraschool Ranking match against Inui.

appearance

Tezuka has dark brown hair and wears glasses.

personality

As the captain of the tennis team, Tezuka is serious about everything he does, and is very strict; one of his trademark phrases is "Don't let your guard down" ("Yudan sezu ni ikou") and to Ryoma "You will become the Seigaku pillar of support" ("Omae wa Seigaku no Hashira ni nare"). Still, he is fair and sticks to his word; if the rules are broken, he punishes everyone, including the regulars. He would often make the entire team run laps when they break the rules - a trait which he inherited from Yūdai Yamato. Though his arm heals to some extent, the doctor still warns Tezuka against long matches and using his signature drop shot. Tezuka, however, considers his health secondary to the team's success, and continues to risk re-injuring himself in his matches to ensure his team's victory, even after returning from his medical treatment. Throughout the original manga series, though Tezuka never smiles around his team it is shown that while he is in rehab for his arm he smiles, though he is apparently immensely popular among the female fans of his school. He smiles in a flashback when Oishi's uncle tells them both that he is healed, then when his team becomes the National champions at the end of the series that he shows a smile, though he instantly reverts back when Fuji points out the fact. He smiles again during his match against his Seigaku captain Yamato Yuudai. Tezuka is normally addressed as Tezuka-kun, Tezuka-buchou (buchou meaning captain), Tezuka-san and Tezuka. The only people that refer to Tezuka as Tezuka are Fuji Shusuke, Oishi Shuichirou and Inui Sadaharu. The younger members (Ryoma, Momoshiro and Kaido) address him as buchou or Tezuka-buchou, respecting his position as captain more than as a senior student. Also showing they are not as familiar with him as the third years.

dialy school life

05:30 - Rises from bed. Has breakfast after stretching and weight training. 06:30 - Listens to English lessons on the radio 06:50 - Goes to school. Morning practice 08:40 - First Period: Society/World History 09:40 - Second Period: Calligraphy 11:00 - Third Period: Math III. 12:00 - Fourth Period: Music/Classics Appreciation. 12:50 - Lunch break: Has unacha (bento) 13:20 - Fifth Period: P.E./Hurdling 14:20 - Sixth Period: Science III/Physics. 15:20 - Student council meeting. Takes care of reports on suggested items. 16:00 - Club activities. Free practice. 19:00 - Returns home. Takes a bath 19:30 - Dinner. 20:00 - Watches the TV program "The gluttonous player title." (recording) 21:00 - Reads. (mainly foreign books) 21:30 - Diary. Goes over points that need reflection. 22:30 - Goes to sleep.