The Seven Lines: PoT Dictionary

The Prince of Tennis Dictionary

A Guide to Some Commonly-Used Terms in PoT

Prince of Tennis/ Tennis no Ohjisama/ PoT/ Tenipuri	These are all different ways of referring to the anime/ manga series Prince of Tennis. "Prince of Tennis" is the English translation of the Japanese "Tennis no Ohjisama." "PoT" is just a commonly used abbreviation of the letters in the series title. "Tenipuri" is a bit more confusing to English-speaking fans, because it's an abbreviated form of the series name in Japanese. It's kind of like a slurred form of the two words "tennis prince" put together. If you don't get it, it's okay. It took me awhile to understand completely myself, and I'm an anime freak anyway. ^^;
Seigaku/ Seishun Gakuen/ Seishun Academy	"Seishun Gakuen" is the full, formal Japanese name of the middle school of the protagonist tennis team of the series. Since, believe it or not, the series is all about junior high tennis, the junior high where the "prince" of tennis plays is central to the story. "Seishun Gakuen" roughly translates in English to "Seishun Academy" or "Youth Academy." (I know, it's corny.) "Seigaku" is a VERY commonly used abbreviation of "Seishun Gakuen," and it's also what's written on the back of the protagonist players' uniforms. The word "Seigaku" is also used a lot in the cheers the spectators come up with while they're watching the matches.
Seigaku regular	The Seigaku Tennis Club is one of the club activities available at Seishun Gakuen. However, clubs in Japan are really more like sports teams, except in the case of the Seigaku Tennis Club, cuts aren't really made. Instead, the not-so-talented club members (especially first year students, sometimes even if they're talented) are stuck doing things like court clean-up and picking up balls until they're good enough to play in ranking matches. In ranking matches, all the good players in the club compete for the eight available slots on what U.S. school teams would call the "varsity" team. These eight players, who are the ones chosen to play in competitions, are called the "Seigaku regulars" in the series. (It's pretty self-explanatory, since they're the regular players, but the term is used so often it deserves an explanation.)
First year/ Second year/ Third year	All the "_ year" terms refer to the ranking of junior high school students in Japan. There are three years of middle school in Japan, so if you're a first year, you've just entered middle school, and so on. Roughly speaking, the "first years" are equivalent to seventh-graders here in America, with the "second years" being eighth-graders and the "third years" being ninth-graders. I've also heard the terms casually translated into the Americanized terms "freshman," "junior," and "senior." Whatever works for you. ^^
Regular jersey	The name given to the blue and white jacket worn by Seigaku regulars, which I find humorous because it's so... well... "Duuuuhhhhhhh...." But those jackets are definitely used a lot in Seigaku-related symbolism, so it's good to know. They're also embroidered with the regular player's name, so it's not like you can recycle a regular's jacket once it's been given out.
"Mada mada dane."	The phrase often repeated by the main character of Prince of Tennis, Ryoma Echizen. It can have many connotations, and so translating it into English is difficult. But it roughly means "Not yet," and usually refers to the fact that Ryoma is less than impressed with a given player's tennis skills, or lack thereof. It's pretty much the signature phrase of PoT and is referenced many times throughout the show in different ways. It's also not usually translated in fansubs, so it's good to know what it means. Note: In the Viz translation, the phrase has been written as "You've still got a ways to go!" So... yeah. That's why Ryoma says that so much. ^^;
"Echizen, become Seigaku's pillar of support!"	This key phrase in the series is spoken by Tezuka to Ryoma, in a pivotal match played in an empty court near a train station. I included it in this dictionary because it is a HUGE turning point in the series, and it's important to understand it if you're a fan. What it basically means is that Tezuka wants Ryoma to become Seigaku's key player, and the kind of "heart and soul" of their team. I thought it was a good idea to explain this, because it was translated in the Viz version as Tezuka saying, "Ryoma, you can carry Seishun!" and I just thought it didn't have quite the same effect. ^^; Besides, fans who become involved in the online PoT community will need to know this, as both Ryoma and Tezuka can be sometimes referred to as "Seigaku's pillar."
Golden Pair	A very frequently used nickname for the doubles partnership that exists between the Seigaku regulars Oishi Shuichiroh and Kikumaru Eiji. They are considered famous because they were good enough to make it to Nationals the year before the series begins, despite the fact that Seigaku as a team did not.
Inui Juice	The horribly bad-tasting vegetable juice that the Seigaku regular player Inui Sadaharu frequently makes for the other Seigaku regulars. It's usually included in Seigaku's practice sessions as the penalty for failing to complete some training exercise. It is horrifically disgusting, apparently, as it always sends the usually-composed Regulars running for either water from the water fountation or the restroom to throw up, depending on your favorite interpretation. XD In some filler episodes, it has been known to make some of the Regulars pass out on the spot.
Viper/Mamushi	The nickname for the Seigaku regular named Kaidoh Kaoru. This particularly gruff teammate of Ryoma's has a habit of making a kind of hissing noise when he's irritated, and also vaguely resembles a snake in appearance; hence the nickname. His favorite shot also happens to be nicknamed "the Snake," even though the tennis community more commonly calls it the "Buggy Whip Shot." 'Mamushi' is the Japanese word for Viper.
Burning Mode	The strange personality switch that the normally-shy Seigaku regular Kawamura Takashi experiences when he picks up a racket. He becomes a fierce, screaming character who yells nonsensical phrases in barely-recognizable English like "Burning!" and "Great-o!" It's usually used for humor purposes in the show, but it also serves to emphasize the character's powerful strength... I guess. XD;
"Nya."	The quirky noise that the Seigaku regular Kikumaru Eiji has a tendency to tack on to the end of some of his sentences. It's the Japanese noise for a cat's meow, which probably originated from when some of the first-year students compared the acrobatic player to a cat (i.e. he always lands on his feet). This character has a habit of saying all kinds of nonsensical phrases, most of which have no direct English translation.
Ponta	The drink of protagonist Echizen Ryoma's choice, which he can often be seen sipping in the shade when he's supposed to be watching his teammates play. Originally in the manga, he was guzzling the well-known soft drink Fanta, but due to the trademark status of the brand, it was changed for the anime series.
Mother of Seigaku	A lesser-known nickname of the Seigaku regular named Oishi Shuichiroh, which was first coined in a New Year's Special in the anime series. Oishi is the vice captain at Seigaku, and he is known for his nurturing, caring personality (which is also used as the opposite to the captain Tezuka's stricter, fatherlike role).
Ore-sama	Frequently referenced by fans, this is the character Atobe Keigo's way of referring to himself. As the exceptionally narcissistic captain of the elitist Hyoutei Gakuen, he uses an appropriately self-absorbed way of talking. This personal pronoun uses the Japanese word 'ore,' a way of saying 'I' that is so self-assured that only boys are allowed to use it (and then only if they're being particularly cocky). As for 'sama,' this is an honorific that Japanese people tack onto a name to indicate a great deal of respect or high status. (It's the kind of thing you would use when addressing a prince... Hence the series title, which includes the word 'ohjisama' or 'prince.') Basically, Atobe is using something as self-exalting as the royal 'we' to talk about himself, to use an English equivalent.
Kantou	This is the region of Japan in which Seishun Gakuen is located. (It includes, to give you some idea, the metropolitan Tokyo area, and is often referenced in anime.) Thus, the 'Kantou Regional Tournament' is the one that Seigaku must compete in, in order to advance to the National Tournament, which is their ultimate goal.
Buchou/Fukubuchou	The Japanese words for "captain" and "vice-captain," respectively. For example, Tezuka Kunimitsu is the captain or 'buchou' of Seigaku's tennis club. Ryoma, in fact, only refers to him as 'Buchou' or sometimes 'Tezuka-buchou,' rather than by just his name. Therefore, it's important to know this term, as it's frequently used among fans. Also, it's important to note that the Japanese word actually translates more closely to the English word 'president' (since Tezuka is basically the president of the tennis club). In more literal fan translations, it may therefore be translated as 'president' instead.
tensai	This Japanese word roughly translates to the English word 'genius.' It is most commonly used to refer to the Seigaku regular Fuji Shusuke, who is known for his outstanding tennis abilities. It is occasionally used to refer to other characters as well. Again, this is a word that is often used in the fandom online, as well as in general.