<Basic>

Eiji is one of the third-year members of the Seigaku tennis club, and he's also a regular player on the team. He almost always plays in the first doubles spot with his partner Oishi, and together they are the famous Golden Pair that went to the Nationals a year ago.

<At First Glance>

Eiji is a happy, happy boy. In fact, even though Momoshiro gave him a run for his money, Eiji is probably the most hyperactively perky character in the whole series. He has more energy than a sugar rush, and has little grasp of the concept of "personal space." But at the beginning of the series, especially before you've seen him do his gymnastics/tennis routine, you might just take Eiji for another senpai who is nevertheless a bit more energetic than some of the other characters. Let me assure you that, the more you get to know Eiji, the more energetic he gets.

<Personality>

Eiji is, to put it bluntly, a truly hyperactive character, who is probably stricken with some undiagnosed form of Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). Not to mention he is a stereotypical "drama queen" (err... king?) and the "baby" of both his real family and his Seigaku one. Why do I make these assertions? It's probably the easiest way to describe one of the most colorful characters in all of PoT. Eiji is an extremely emotional person and prone to overreacting, which often gets him into trouble. He turns even small things into a huge deal, which he will then rant about for as long as it takes until he's willing to calm down and catch his breath. (Which can take awhile.) But he's also a happy-go-lucky character who isn't often upset. This can create its own problems, however... Eiji is anything but sensitive to the feelings of others and often takes a joke too far, which in one case resulted in a turn of events that was titled "Seigaku's Biggest Crisis." Really, no kidding. But I'll get into that more later on. As generally happy as Eiji is, he is not above having a meltdown, and often gets very distressed when his abilities reach their limit in a tennis match. But this does not undermine his generally carefree way of doing things. He dreams big and often on the spur of the moment. He likes to wander around and do his own thing, which, I think, makes the idea of "a free spirit" very applicable to Eiji. He has been described as "a boy who rarely shows a serious interest in anything." I think this is generally true, especially given that he has a penchant for goofing around and occasionally causing trouble. But when he is serious about something, it does become that much more significant. He really is dedicated to tennis and has been for three years, which I have a feeling is one of the longest periods of time he's remained committed to anything. He also seems to usually care very little what other people think about him and is definitely more than a bit eccentric. He is very openly affectionate toward his friends, and one of his favorite pastimes is attaching himself to Ryoma's back in an overly-aggressive embrace, a hobby which our pint-sized hero is not too fond of.

<Tennis Ability>

Eiji is certainly a talented player, like all of the Seigaku regulars. But he also probably earns the distinction of being the flashiest tennis player on the team, which is quite an accomplishment. The reason for this is because Eiji's chosen style of tennis is very unorthodox. Instead of moving around like a normal person while on court, Eiji prefers to get to balls by leaping, diving, and twisting into various and awkward positions. He then will hit the ball from behind his head or his back. It's a style that Eiji himself nicknamed "acrobatic" tennis. He doesn't use it with every single hit, though, which often makes his sudden gymnastics a shock to unexperienced players.

Besides this unusual way of hitting the ball, Eiji is also very fast. He likes to play at net instead of at the baseline, which means that he has to be very quick at running up the court. It has also been remarked that it is nearly impossible to get a ball past Eiji once he is at net, at least if the opponent is at the baseline. Given that tennis nets are certainly not small, this is quite impressive. Eiji also has a very odd trait, one that is commented on throughout the series. He apparently has very keen eyes. His eyes are said to be extremely sensitive to motion, which accounts for his excellent abilities in volleying. Being a good volleyer, as one might imagine, takes very good reflexes. So super-sight, or whatever it is that Eiji has, would certainly be helpful at net. The only other person who has eyes anything like Eiji's is, apparently, Ryoma himself.

Another key factor in understanding Eiji's tennis abilities is the role he plays as one half of the Golden Pair. Eiji is often seen as the more talented half of this doubles partnership, and to some extent, this is true. Eiji is the one whose flashy moves first catch the opponents off guard, often stunning them into missing the return shot. His personality sparkles just as much as his tennis moves, so he's also something of a crowd-pleaser and often gets the observers rooting for him with his whimsical behavior. However, the reason Eiji can get away with such an unusual style of tennis, one that would normally leave plenty of holes in a doubles game, is because of Oishi. Oishi is known for his ability to play situational tennis, carefully observe what's happened on court, and cover up any gaps left by Eiji's showy movements. This means that, within the Golden Pair, Eiji is the performer, while Oishi is there to back him up. The fact that Oishi is so good at supporting Eiji is also reflected in Eiji's trust in his partner, demonstrated on more than one occasion when Eiji suddenly avoids a volley that comes straight at him and allows Oishi to take the shot instead. This takes a great deal of confidence in each other, confidence that is almost exclusively demonstrated by the Golden Pair in the series. As Oishi and Eiji once called it, they see this "dependence" on each other as the key to a flawless doubles game, and it's probably the reason why they alone out of Seigaku made it to the Nationals the year before.

As impressive as Eiji's tennis style is (I've found it impossible to duplicate, so, kids, don't try it at home!), Eiji does have a weakness in his play. Since he does so much moving around, it uses up his stamina rapidly. And, unlike Kaidoh, who has an ungodly amount of stamina, Eiji is not really a marathon-style player who can keep going and going a la Energizer Bunny. So on occasion, the fact that Eiji can get very tired in long matches has come back to haunt him. One interesting thing about this, however, is that even though Eiji is capable of running out of steam, he can also recover quickly if given enough time to rest. However, this requires just enough time to possibly throw away the match... which, of course, just perfectly fits the need for Tension! and Drama! in various parts of the PoT plot. Of course. ^_^

<Plot Points>

Eiji is one of those eccentric characters that can be defined outside of the plot, mainly because he's so unusual that you don't need proof to assert how odd he can be. Actually, the plot is most useful in terms of defining Eiji's serious side, a side that would probably otherwise be considered mythological if there were no proof that it existed. O_o Of course, there are also plenty of moments in the plot where Eiji is just... well, odd.

Eiji starts in the plot as a somewhat typical happy-go-lucky character. His big role as half of the Golden Pair, especially at the series' start, is, well, to show off. The first time we really see Eiji in his element is during the Fudomine arc. He renders the opponents' plan to hit him at the net with the ball completely useless with all his acrobatics. And even when it starts raining, Eiji shows he can keep up his gymnastics despite how slippery the court becomes. As one of the members of the Freshman Trio observes, "Kikumaru-senpai moves like a cat." However, even though it's true that Eiji's main role in the Golden Pair is to be the flashy one, it is also obvious right away that he knows Oishi almost as well as Oishi knows him. Before the Fudomine arc even happens, there is a part where the Golden Pair is seen to be perfectly in sync with each other (unlike the unfortunate makeshift pair of Momoshiro and Ryoma). Eiji also can be seen to completely rely on Oishi on many occasions, such as with the finishing play in the Fudomine arc, wherein Eiji ducks out of the way of the ball so Oishi can hit the winning shot instead. So their teamwork is obviously mutual, and they also must be very close, as was proven later in the series by the fact that Eiji created a whole tennis strategy with Oishi by reminding him which way the teddy bear in his bedroom "falls." (Obviously, this is a very minor, and strange, detail that only best friends could be mutually aware of.)

However, even with the excellent sense of teamwork that exists within the Golden Pair, they do experience a few snags in their relationship. Eiji is not exactly the most sensitive person in the world, and shrugs off Momoshiro's dismissal from the regulars, much to Oishi's chagrin. The sensitive Oishi expresses his disapproval, and Eiji doesn't exactly respond well. There's eventually some kindergarten-style pushing on Oishi's part, and we then see Eiji's more childish side as he immediately declares he will never play doubles with "a guy like that" and wants a new partner. Clearly, Eiji overreacts to certain things and is not above acting like a complete drama queen. He also can be a little bit spiteful, as was seen in his prompt desire to play with Ryoma instead, which was expressed through his latching onto the pint-sized regular as if Ryoma were his new pet. I have a distinct feeling that Eiji did this to make Oishi jealous, so Eiji's not above petty behavior. But in the end, true to the synchronization that is Golden Pair, they both apologize at exactly the same time. Ah, happy endings. :)

The Golden Pair also experiences some snags during the course of the actual tennis matches in the plot. The biggest one is when Oishi has to help a pregnant woman get to the hospital and injures his wrist in the process. Since Oishi can't play that day, a makeshift doubles pair is made at the last minute that consists of Eiji and Momoshiro. In a rare display of understanding, Tezuka remarks that he knows it won't be easy on Eiji, but that they're all counting on Eiji to make this work. And it is during this match that we find out, lo and behold, Eiji can actually angst. Since the match with Hyoutei could have potentially been the last match the third years would ever play together as a team, Eiji is distraught at the fact he isn't playing with Oishi. He reflects back on the promise the two made to make it to Nationals again and, this time, be number one in all Japan. It's revealed that, really, certain things are very important to Eiji, even though he doesn't always show it. And yet, within that match, he also shows that he can be mature. (No, really!) He overcomes the difficulties of the situation and takes Oishi's place as the support to back up Momo. It's also during this moment that we see Eiji come to understand and appreciate Oishi's role in their partnership. In fact, it is in remembering Oishi's various words of encouragement at other times that Eiji is able to take heart and work hard to beat Hyoutei. (It's also in this moment that we find out Eiji himself isn't exactly much for sentimental sayings, since he assures Momo he'd "never say anything like that. They're all Oishi's words.")

Eiji really does care a great deal about Oishi. This is revealed subtly throughout the rest of the series. Perhaps the most poignant demonstration is during the match with Jyousei in the anime, where Oishi's wrist is still injured and the Golden Pair struggles. Instead of worrying much about the match itself, Eiji continually looks at Oishi's wrist and asks him if he's really okay. He isn't worried about their status as the Golden Pair, but about Oishi's injury. In fact, Eiji always has an infinite amount of confidence in the Golden Pair and, most of the time, in his own abilities. He truly believes that they will be the number one doubles team in Japan and is the first to vow that it will be so. He's the one who comes up with all the big dreams in the partnership, usually leaving Oishi to work out the details. In fact, it is revealed in a much later episode that when Oishi and Eiji first met, it was actually Eiji who suggested that they become a doubles pair. And as soon as Oishi agreed, Eiji already began to talk about being number one. Eiji's very unconcerned with being practical and would rather act on his own whims.

Outside of tennis, Eiji is shown to be an even more whimsical person. Before the match with Rikkai, he's seen wandering around a pet store and affectionately talking to the animals by name. While Seigaku waits for the bus to arrive to take them to a training camp, he balances on a railing like it's a tightrope. Once at camp, he shows himself to have some kind of ESP that allows him to detect unfolding pillow fights, and then he shows boundless enthusiasm in joining in the fun. He also has no sense of personal space, and rare is the time when he isn't glomping Ryoma or clinging to Oishi in some part of an episode. He's not above gossip, as proven in the episode where most of the Seigaku regulars spend the day on the phone debating about the "date" that Ryoma and Momo are supposedly going on with An Tachibana. And there's even a filler episode dedicated to his love for cute pop idols. So, really, in the end, Eiji's eccentric and also enjoys just being a teenage boy, which can be pretty refreshing in a show where many of the characters are just so dang serious all the time.

<Odds and Ends>

Eiji has more than just a few eccentricites. He has a preoccupation with toothpaste, of all things, and gets angry when one of his sisters uses it up without asking. He also owns a big teddy bear with a pink bow that he keeps in his room. He seems to have a bit of a thing for pop stars and can be seen often with his headphones in his ears, listening to music. He loves pillow fights, pet stores, and strawberry ice cream. He also loves teasing Ryoma and starts calling him "Ochibi" (something like "Shorty") mere episodes into the show. He's constantly glomping him, and between his and Momo's collective displays of affection, Ryoma often finds himself all but smothered. Eiji also has a very odd way of speaking. Often, many of the triumphant noises he makes while playing tennis are complete nonsense. He can often be seen saying, "Hoi hoi!" when pulling off one of his acrobatic moves, which translates into, well, gibberish. He has lots of equally nonsensical phrases and sounds that he uses, and he even tacks on the sound "Nya!" at the end of otherwise normal sentences. In that way, he continues to mimic a cat, since "nya" is the Japanese equivalent to "meow." He also has strange ways of referring to people. He likes to call himself "Kikumaru-sama" (something like saying "Lord Kikumaru"... pretentious much?) and the reason he doesn't call Oishi by his first name despite their closeness is because it's a pun. He pronounces Oishi's name exactly like the Japanese word for "tasty" and therefore makes it into his own unique pet name for his doubles partner. Obviously, Eiji's more than a little odd, but what's interesting is how the rest of the characters in the series almost seem to take these unusual traits for granted. I guess all of the strange things Eiji does are... well... just Eiji.

<My Take>

Ahhh, sweet little Eiji, of course I love you! Eiji's one of those characters that is already interesting to begin with, and keeps getting more intriguing the more you find out about him. I was first attracted to his unique character design, especially that flamboyant, flippy red hair. I mean, how can you not love such an odd haircut? When I found out his personality was just as flashy as his looks, well, I fell in love. The idea of acrobatic tennis is just plain unique, in my opinion, and while most of the tennis styles in PoT usually get ridiculous when trying to be interesting, Eiji's twists and jumps are actually almost possible as well as bizarre. Plus, Eiji's smile is downright contagious, and his happy-go-lucky personality is believable, and even realistically flawed.

I've heard it said that some people think Eiji's personality is, well, just too much, but I don't agree. I can deal with a childish character, so long as he's given some depth in the process. And Eiji, in my opinion, is more than lovable. He's absolutely adorable, and it's a joy watching him develop throughout the series into a multi-faceted character with more than just his cheerful attitude to support him. Not to mention that he is, after all, one half of the Golden Pair, and since I am collectively InLove! with the glorious GP, I can't help but obsess over Eiji just as much as I do over Oishi. They're perfect as a team, and that's that.

Eiji, you know I love you, nya! Now and for always! (And you know Oishi loves you too... heh heh heh...) Err... feel free to ignore that parenthetical aside. I'm a Golden Pair freak. :3

<Screencaps>

Coming soon!

<More Thoughts>

Coming soon!