<Basic>
Tezuka is the captain of the Seigaku tennis team, which makes him a very prominent figure in the series, even regardless of his pivotal role in helping Ryoma develop as a tennis player. He's also a fairly mysterious character to the extent that he's about as open and friendly as a rock. So beyond the fact he is Seigaku's captain, it's hard to say anything about Tezuka that isn't rather... complicated.
<At First Glance>
Tezuka is a brick wall. I do not mean this literally, but that is about the extent of his personality on the surface. He is an imposing captain and a strict disciplinarian with his subordinates, but not much else to begin with. Of course, anyone could tell that there must be more to him given all the hype, but exactly what that is takes awhile to become clear. One thing everyone does notice about Tezuka is how basically all of the characters admire him. And if you're a fangirl, at first glance YOU will admire him for that oh-so-handsome demeanor, lack of personality notwithstanding.
<Personality>
Well, I did say Tezuka had no personality. And to some extent, this is true, given that he is usually seen watching from the sidelines and saying nothing whatsoever about what's going on. So, given that Tezuka is definitely a man of few words, you'll have to read between the lines to figure him out. Given that fact, I would venture to say that while Tezuka is the least open of all the PoT characters (and Fuji did give him a run for his money), Tezuka is nevertheless probably the most selfless and passionate of all the Seigaku regulars. He just doesn't seem that way on the surface. He is a man with a huge amount of charisma, as Ryuzaki-sensei would put it, but he doesn't seem overly conscious of this fact. He does, however, use his influence to help better his teammates as much as he possibly can. Why he does this becomes much clearer, like Tezuka's true nature, as the series progresses. The easiest way to understand Tezuka's personality is to examine the way he helps Ryoma in finding a real purpose for playing tennis. This is what reveals the true nobility in Tezuka's personality and, in the end, makes him worthy of all the admiration he constantly receives. Admittedly, he still has all the warmth and charm of a rock, though.
<Tennis Ability>
Let me put it this way... Tezuka is probably the best tennis player in Prince of Tennis. Given that all the characters have practically supernormal abilities with what does not seem like a particularly strenuous sport, that is quite an accomplishment. Of course, there are a lot of factors in a person's tennis ability that often go over people's heads, and the game is a lot more complicated than one might think at first glance. So it may be a leap of faith to make this assertion. Nevertheless, Tezuka's tennis ability is pretty much held up throughout the series as the ultimate goal that Ryoma decides he wants to acheive. This is interesting, actually, because at first glance Tezuka's best move is surprising... it's a drop shot. Drop shots do not look intimidating, since they just barely bounce over the net. However, they are EXTREMELY difficult to execute well. It is very easy to hit the drop shot poorly, where it then becomes a shot an opponent can hammer right past you. So Tezuka clearly has skill. But he has also taken this drop shot to a superhuman level and executed a "zero-shiki" shot that barely goes over the net, doesn't bounce, and then actually ROLLS BACK toward the net. I don't think this is humanly possible, but it's definitely impressive in the context of the show, anyway.
But really, that's not even close to the extent of Tezuka's abilities. Just to make the character even more superhuman, Tezuka also has a bizarre ability to apparently control the spin of opponent's shots. He is then able to stand in one place and all the shots will come straight to him. And they call this ability... I kid you not... "Tezuka Zone." Very, very bizarre. Obviously nothing like this exists in reality, although I suppose to some extent it's possible to anticipate how the spin you're putting on the ball will affect your opponent. But I doubt anyone could do it the way Tezuka does... with the apparent exception of Nanjiroh, and this is why Ryoma, I think, sees some similarities in the way his father and his captain play.
Another interesting thing about Tezuka's tennis style is that he actually is left-handed, just like Ryoma. Unlike Ryoma, however, he mostly plays with his left hand, although there is a point later on in the series where he can't use his left arm and beats Ryoma using his right instead. So apparently he can, to some extent, also use both hands like Ryoma does. But for the most part, he's just a true lefty and doesn't attempt to be ambidextrous. The thing that is most surprising to people about Tezuka's tennis play is that, when pushed hard enough, Tezuka is a passionate player who will fight to the bitter end no matter what the situation. He's generally such an imposing figure who hardly has to work to win a match that this fact may come as a shock to some. Either way, Tezuka is definitely an awe-inspiring figure on the court, and rightly so.
<Plot Points>
Really, just about everything I am asserting on this page revolves heavily around my interpretation of different plot events. This is because otherwise Tezuka is just... well, you know. A rock. So the plot is key in understanding him fully. And it is from the plot itself that we get the clearest idea of Tezuka's true nature as a self-sacrificing and passionate person, since he is also excessively introverted and would never reveal any of his personal thoughts to anybody. Tezuka never talks about "feelings" or "beliefs"... he only discusses what it is he will DO about something, or what he expects others to do. Therefore, anything Tezuka does do takes on a huge amount of significance for understanding his character and his role in the story.
One of the most significant things that Tezuka does in the story is certainly his move to motivate Ryoma to become something better. He is revealed as an extremely observant person who recognizes that, as long as Ryoma's skills remain a copy of his father's, Ryoma will never actually progress or be able to get out of his father's shadow. Tezuka sees this as an opportunity to help a boy with a huge amount of potential become something better than that boy even dreamed. And in Tezuka's decision to play a match against Ryoma to inspire him to be a better player, Tezuka puts his own well-being on the line. We find out that Tezuka himself has been battling a injury for over a year that threatens not only to damage his junior high tennis career, but his ability to play tennis for the rest of his life. And he willingly pushed himself in order to push Ryoma into becoming a better player. It turned out to be probably the best possible decision that Tezuka could have made, a decision with unforseen consequences.
It turns out that, in asking Ryoma to become the "pillar of Seigaku," Tezuka is making Ryoma fill the gap that is created by his injury. Tezuka plays a magnificent match against Hyoutei's Atobe Keigo, a match that stuns every observer as Tezuka fights through *the longest* tiebreaker I have ever seen with a badly injured shoulder. But this match leaves him incapacitated and unable to continue playing as part of the team. And so if he had not encouraged Ryoma to become a better player, the future would have looked a lot worse for Seigaku when Tezuka winds up having to leave the team for rehabilitation in Germany. It certainly looked bad enough, though... To lose such a charismatic leader was painful for the whole team, and his loss was deeply felt.
That particular match against Atobe also revealed something even more important than the significance of Tezuka's decision, however. It revealed the captain himself. Tezuka put everything on the line in that single match, and it cost him. But it also brought to light the story of Tezuka's own journey to the position of captain, a story that, for the most part, only Oishi seems to fully understand. The significance of the whole "pillar of Seigaku" concept lies in Tezuka's past, especially when he first joined the tennis club as a seventh grader. Much like Ryoma, he was an impressive player even back then and beat everyone in the entire club. Some of the senpais were furious about this, and one even hurt his left elbow by hitting his arm with a tennis racquet. (Actually, this event led to one of Tezuka's most passionate lines ever, a line about how no one should ever use a tennis racquet to hurt somebody. Yikes. He sure had a lot of conviction for a 12 year-old.) At that point, Tezuka declared that he would quit the club. But the captain back then, an enigmatic figure named Yamoto, encouraged Tezuka to stick with it and to become the "pillar of Seigaku." This story reveals the true depth of Tezuka's passion for his team. He sacrificed everything he had for the team's success and made a promise to Oishi that Seigaku would make it to the Nationals in their time.
To me, this event explains A LOT about Tezuka. To him, nothing is more important than insuring that his team becomes the best it can possibly be. Hence the ever-strict adherence to the rules and the constant command for insubordinate club members to go run laps. This is also why he is so committed to bringing Ryoma up to a higher standard. But more than that, I think it reveals how much he cares about all of his teammates, especially the regular members he all but hand-picked himself, even though he's far too serious to express it in any other way than giving his absolute best on the court. It also explains in essence why even the regulars, who aren't bad at tennis themselves, pretty much idolize and love Tezuka. He's not outgoing or exactly endearing, but he's a charismatic leader who inspires them to a greater level. And he is the source of the promise that they so often repeat... they are destined for the Nationals.
Lastly, even when far away Tezuka is an inspiring presence. He reveals how much he really does care about his teammates by giving them a message before their match on one occasion... although the message is admittedly brief and to-the-point. (What did you expect? A confession of love from a brick wall? I didn't think so.) And he also gives us one of the rarest commodities in the series while over in Germany... a genuine Tezuka smile when Seigaku's captain discovers that his team, even in his absence, has far exceeded his expectations to compete in the Nationals. I'll say no more, except that Tezuka's success probably surprised even Tezuka in the end, though he had more than enough faith in his teammates all along that they could pull through if they were sure not to "get careless."
(One other thing that the plot reveals is that Tezuka actually does have a sense of ironic humor. When the team comes to visit him in Germany, he essentially sasses Ryoma a la "Mada Mada Dane" style. To me, this reveals that there's a lot more to Tezuka than we all assume. So, maybe, just maybe, he isn't just a rock after all. ^_^)
<Odds and Ends>
I do not understand this, but I must comment on it. Tezuka climbs mountains. This strikes me as extremely odd. Does he look like a mountain-climbing person to you? And yet at a young age his father took him to climb the Matterhorn. (Normally, kids do not climb the Matterhorn. And I do not mean the one at Disneyland.) Oh well, I guess he's Tezuka, after all. Another thing I do not understand... Tezuka is apparently vulnerable to Inui Juice, or else he hides suffering very well. Given his match with Atobe, it might actually be the latter explanation that's the most likely. Either way, he is the only Seigaku regular other than Fuji to NOT run to the restroom after drinking Inui Juice. Huh. Another interesting thing about Tezuka is that he is obviously grade-A brilliant. He corrects his teachers' mistakes in math formulas. Personally, I find this scary, and I'm glad I don't have to teach him. Apparently, Tezuka really is all but perfect. He also has no taste whatsoever for useless chatter and gossip, and often hangs up on Inui's 411 phone calls about the latest and greatest in the Seigaku grapevine. Tezuka's closest friend, by the way, is definitely Oishi, who seems to know the most about him out of anyone at Seigaku. Tezuka also seems to have some unexplained relationship with Atobe, or, at least, they're on conversational terms and actually conspire behind their teams' backs to the benefit of both later on in the series. Hmmm... making a deal with the devil, Tezuka? Okay, so I'm only kidding. But I admit the captain/captain relationship does intrigue me.
<My Take>
Personally, I LOVE Tezuka, for all that I harass him about being about as cuddly as gravel. *snuggles against the captain and is then forced to run 1,000 laps* Dang it. Why does that always happen to me? T_T Seriously, though, I really do adore Seigaku's captain and I'm sure I always will. It's kind of hard to explain why, although I must mention that he is voiced by my absolute FAVORITE seiyuu ever and therefore earned my love before I even really watched the series. (Okiayu Ryoutarou, I LOVE YOU!! *cough cough* Sorry.)
But Tezuka really did earn my adoration apart from his seiyuu and his killer good looks. (Not to mention that he's a lefty and wears glasses! Mad crazy love for four-eyed characters! :3) He's a truly noble person, and the fact that he has so much restraint is impressive. I know, many people say this is what makes him so boring. But to me, I think he sacrificed a chance to be a bit less uptight by taking on such a huge responsibility as leading a team to be the best of the best. He doesn't really have the freedom to be as casual about everything as some of his teammates are. And even though he has talent oozing out of his ears, he also works hard, and he is genuinely committed to the promise he made two years ago to bring his team to the Nationals. Now, really, that is inspiring.
So, Tezuka Kunimitsu, I will always love you. And now I still have 9,992 laps to go. *sighs and continues to run*
<Screencaps>
Coming soon!
<More Thoughts>
Coming soon!
