Kaidoh Kaoru

Age: 14
Hair: Black
Eyes: Black
Height: 173 cm (or about 5'8")
Blood Type: B
Birthday: May 11th
Dominant Hand: Right
Favorite Subject: English
Favorite Color: Blue
Hobby: Running marathons (O_o), collecting bandanas
Family: Mother, father, younger brother
Seiyuu: Kiyasu Kohei

Basic: Kaidoh is the first Seigaku regular that Ryoma plays against in a real match during the show. He also happens to be one of the most serious and unapproachable characters in the whole series (most of the time). He doesn't get along very well with people. In fact, because of these antisocial tendencies and some oddly-named tennis moves in his arsenal, he is nicknamed "Mamushi," or "Viper" in Japanese. He's also the only second-year out of the Seigaku regulars, other than Momoshiro, his sworn rival.

At First Glance: Kaidoh is freakin' SCARY. There's no other way to put it. Kaidoh is scary-looking, glares at frightened little freshmen, and walks around hissing like a snake. Yes, he actually does make a "Fsssssshhh" sound at random intervals, like his nickname "Viper" implies. O_o Kaidoh is the type of person, when you first meet him, that you would expect to go slithering around in dark alleys kicking little kittens. And that's all the more ironic, given the side of his personality that isn't as obvious at first glance. (Believe it or not, Kaidoh loves fuzzy kitties. Really. No kidding. =^_^= )

Personality: Well, in reality, Kaidoh can be a frightening person, but there's more to him than that. Without a doubt, Kaidoh's personality is very unfriendly and not the least approachable. He doesn't talk very much, and when he does, it's usually in a gruff voice devoid of any hint of affection, accompanied by some less-than-endearing hisses. Plus, those dagger-like eyes of his make him look like he's always glaring, so it's hard to tell when Kaidoh isn't angry. Still, throughout the series, there are plenty of hints that Kaidoh isn't nearly as scary as he looks. For one thing, he has a soft spot for animals, including Ryoma's cat Karupin. He also appears to have a soft spot for more than a few of his teammates (although you can definitely cross Momo off of that list). It's just that it's more subtle than with most of the other characters. Deep down, apparently, Kaidoh is a caring and sensitive person. He's a very traditional Japanese boy who has a close relationship with his family. But Kaidoh also prefers to conceal that soft side with a gruff exterior in front of his classmates and his opponents. It's unclear whether this is an instinctive effort to protect himself from being vulnerable or if he's embarassed about his not-so-tough side, but either way, it's important to remember that both facets of Kaidoh's personality exist. Sure, he's a tough cookie, but one with a surprisingly sweet and mushy center. :P He's also a very dedicated tennis player and works unusually hard to improve himself physically. (Plus, he likes running MARATHONS. That's borderline insane. Or maybe I just hate running. -_-)

Tennis Ability: Kaidoh is yet another extremely talented player who has earned the distinction of getting to wear that famous Seigaku regular jersey. And he's definitely proved himself worthy of the honor, especially because he qualified as a regular player in his second year of middle school (= U.S. eighth grader) in a tennis club where many of the third-years can never even hope to become regulars. One of the traits that enabled Kaidoh to come so far is his extreme tenacity. Kaidoh is known for being one of the most stubborn players on Seigaku, a team that's known for its overly stubborn characters. His tennis style is one of endurance. To quote the Energizer Bunny, he just "keeps going and going and going." Kaidoh never gets tired in a tennis match, which probably has something to do with the fact that he trains day and night and runs marathons for fun. O_O

But even outside of Kaidoh's everlasting stamina, Kaidoh is an unusually talented player. He has a really good reach for his size, which enables him to pull of a move that Seigaku calls "The Snake." (The real name for the shot, as Ryoma observes, is a "Buggy Whip Shot.") Basically, it's a shot hit with so much sidespin that it curves in the air and spins off to the side, toward the net. I can't even tell you how much spin you need to pull off such a move, which shows that Kaidoh has a lot of skill in addition to his tenacity. But the more Kaidoh develops as a player, the more shocking his moves become.

The best example of a shocking tennis move in Kaidoh's arsenal is definitely the "Boomerang Snake." This is a move that Kaidoh perfects during the series, a shot that enables the ball to travel around the net pole and then curve back into the court. (Yes, that IS technically legal.) This is a type of move that I've only heard of being executed by a volleyer in a doubles match (well, in real life, anyway), because normally you'd have to be at a pretty severe angle to get a shot to actually go AROUND the net. And yet Kaidoh's "Boomerang" move enables him to do the same thing from the middle of the court. I'm not sure if it's really possible to master such a shot, but nevertheless, it's extremely impressive. Especially when you consider the amount of training he had to put into perfecting the shot.

Like Momo, Kaidoh is one of the characters that is the quickest to improve. He continues to get stronger, both mentally and physically, as the series progresses. And even though Kaidoh definitely has more of the mentality of a singles player, he even consents to being a doubles player later in the series and grows as a player because of it. So, as scary an opponent as Kaidoh is already, I'd have to guess that Kaidoh will only become a more intimidating presence on the court as time goes on.

Plot Points: Kaidoh's scary side is established from the very beginning of the series. However, his softer side is the type of thing that you discover only if you really delve into the plot, so that's what I'll mainly be touching on here. Well, that, and his ridiculous amount of tenacity as shown through his various tennis matches. Remember, the first we see of Kaidoh, he's walking around scaring freshmen with his frightening appearance and hissing like an angry rattlesnake.

The next big thing we realize when it comes to Kaidoh is that he is as stubborn as heck. When he goes up against Fudomine's Kamio, he is consistently out-run and out-played until the very end, when Kaidoh's sheer strength of endurance overcomes the lightning-fast player. It's also Kamio that shows us that Kaidoh DOES NOT like to be insulted. When Kamio mentions that the nickname "Viper" seems to suit him, Kaidoh all but takes off his head with his racquet. (Or he would have, were Kamio not blessed with the agility of Speedy Gonzales. Lucky him.) In the same arc, however, we get some indication that Kaidoh has a weakness... He feels he MUST listen to his senpais (= upperclassmen). This is obvious, given the way he reluctantly obeys Inui when the Data Man of Seigaku recommends that Kaidoh should be the one to go retrieve the ever-wandering Ryoma.

Still, despite Kaidoh's not-so-endearing appearance, it doesn't take too long before viewers discover that Kaidoh can be a softy. For one thing, in a random filler episode all about Ryoma's cat (no, really, it IS about the cat!), we find out that Kaidoh has a thing for adorably fuzzy kittens. Yup. Kaidoh actually plays with Karupin and comes out of the club room blushing like a schoolgirl. (Yes, Karupin is in the club room. Don't ask. Please.) Kaidoh's soft spot for animals comes up frequently, most notably in one instance where Kaidoh and Momo were late for the Rikkai match because they were forced to join forces and... save a puppy. Yeah, I kind of wish I was making this up, too. :P The whole "loves animals" thing is probably the most obvious indication that Kaidoh has a warm and fuzzy side.

But there are some other hints that suggest Kaidoh isn't really so tough that actually involve his teammates. For one thing, despite his initial refusal to play doubles with Inui, he later consents and plays a pretty impressive game against the solid Hyoutei pair of Ohtori and Shishido. It's also during this time that we find out that Kaidoh has actually been training with Inui and having semi-normal conversations with him. As it turns out, this is mainly because Kaidoh feels he has an obligation to do whatever his senpai suggests (as is revealed in a very funny yet disturbing filler episode wherein Kaidoh misinterprets Inui's phone call and thinks he is now obliged to go on a date with Inui... O_o). But Kaidoh also seems to have a very strong respect for Inui as a person and a tennis player, which is seen the most clearly during Inui's match with Renji. Kaidoh is actually cheering Inui on (mainly mentally, but still), which is something Kaidoh, well, never does. So I think as far as Kaidoh and friendship goes, Inui is about as close as Kaidoh gets to having a friend.

Nevertheless, Kaidoh seems to have a weak spot for certain other members of the team as well. Despite the sense of rivalry generally felt in his relationship with Ryoma, he still apparently likes Seigaku's star rookie more than he'd ever admit aloud. This is very obvious in a filler episode toward the end of the series, when Kaidoh saves Ryoma from a wayward ball (hit by Momo, which probably could have killed our diminutive hero ^^;). Kaidoh also, like his teammates, seems to have a special kind of admiration for their captain, Tezuka. After all, Kaidoh rushes out onto the court just like the rest of them when Tezuka is injured during the Hyoutei match. And even in the case of Momo, Kaidoh's hated rival, they come to an understanding as the series progresses and become willing to work together if necessary, even playing doubles together. Although I'm still pretty sure they hate each other's guts. In a camaraderie-ish, "I want to beat you up but I still give you credit" sort of way. I think. O_o

Odds and Ends: Well, Kaidoh's such a special character just in general that I'm not sure there's much else to mention about him. Although... I should mention his whole thing with bandanas. Apparently, he collects bandanas. And he always wears them during tennis matches. I'm not exactly sure why. I'd say it's a fashion statement, but that means assuming Kaidoh cares about fashion, which I highly doubt. Nevertheless, he collects bandanas, although you will note that he always seems to wear the same green one with a white pattern during the course of the series. (Well, except for the special orange one he wore in the first few episodes. And he wore a yellow one when he was a first-year. Does that mean he has a semi-annual bandana cycle? ... ^^;) Another thing that's notable about Kaidoh is that he is almost always seen running. That's mainly what he does when he's out training. I'm guessing that, again, this has to do with the fact that his hobby is running marathons. O_O ... That still scares me... Anyway, I'm also not sure where Kaidoh picked up the whole hissing thing, but he's apparently been doing it for awhile. Maybe it started because of his nickname? Or did it inspire the nickname? I guess that's one of those things PoT watchers are left to ponder. And marvel at. I mean... who in their right mind actually hisses when they get angry? Well, Kaidoh, apparently. However, despite his scary appearance, it also turns out that Kaidoh is EXTREMELY afraid of ghost stories, a fact both Momo and Inui take advantage of on one occasion. This surprised me, but it's definitely funny, if nothing else. And another thing that strikes many people as funny... Konomi-sensei and the animators LOVE to torture him. So if someone ends up in an embarassing situation, it will probably be Kaidoh. Or maybe Oishi. Just a warning to potential Kaidoh fans. :P One last note about Kaidoh... In case you were wondering if anyone else could possibly look as scary as he does, let me mention that Kaidoh's younger brother and his father look just as menacing. So I guess our resident Mamushi is just your typical chip off the old block. Lol! ^^

My Take: So I admit it. Kaidoh scared me to begin with. When I first saw him on the pages of the first volume of the manga, I just marveled at how freaky he looked. It's not everyday you see a character design that actually manages to look that scary, since mangakas are confined to pen and ink to make their point. But what's great about Kaidoh is that he doesn't stay scary, even if his appearance really is creepy (which it definitely is).

I love the fact that Kaidoh has such a definite soft side. I think I love this concept so much mainly because that's how it really works in real life. I can't tell you how many times I've disliked a person when I first meet them and then grow to love them because I find out they have another side to them. Since that's exactly what happened to my view on Kaidoh, I have to conclude that Konomi-sensei is a genius for creating a character that is both so unique and yet realistic. Plus, the whole bandana thing and that signature hiss of his really grew on me. I started wishing I was menacing enough to pull off that kind of tough attitude on court. Ah, if only.

So, Kaidoh, believe it or not, I love you! Even if every time I try and glomp you, you hiss at me and give me the evil eye. Eeep! O_O Ah, if only I was Karupin...

Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis. It is copyrighted to its respective owners, including the wonderful Konomi-sensei. This site is intended as an informative site only, to promote awareness of the series. I make no money whatsoever. Please do not repost material on this site without permission. Screenshots provided by Tsubame Gaeshi. Thanks for your understanding!