Momoshiro Takeshi

Age: 13 (turns 14 during the series, before Nationals)
Hair: Black
Eyes: Violet (no, really!)
Height: 170 cm (or about 5'8")
Blood Type: O
Birthday: July 23rd
Dominant Hand: Right
Favorite Subject: Math
Favorite Color: Red
Hobby: Music, games
Family: Mother, father, younger brother, younger sister
Seiyuu: Onosaka Masaya

Basic: Momoshiro, or "Momo-chan" as he likes to be called, is the first Seigaku regular we actually meet in the show. (Of course, this is before Ryoma becomes a regular player.) However, we don't find this out until an episode later, even though he casually challenges Ryoma to a brief match before that time. As it turns out, Momoshiro is one of the youngest Seigaku regulars, only a year older than Ryoma and a second year in junior high (= U.S. eighth grader). And he's definitely one of the more talented, and by far the most friendly, of the Seigaku tennis club members. He becomes Ryoma's close friend fairly quickly within the course of the series.

At First Glance: Momo's probably the most normal (err... all things considered, anyway) of the Seigaku regulars. Unlike most of his teammates, he's not socially dysfunctional and is actually known for being friendly. That's very obvious early on in the series. Right away, he encourages the Freshman Trio to call him "Momo-chan," instead of "Momoshiro-senpai," which would probably be more appropriate. He likes to be on friendly terms with everyone. He also is friendly enough to actually get along with the rather-aloof Ryoma. This accomplishment is probably the most remarkable of his acheivements early in the series. Other than that, all that you notice about Momo at first is that he's cheerful, eats a lot, and can really smash a tennis ball. And, actually, he's pretty much instantly likable. Interestingly enough, Momo only gets more likable with every episode, which is refreshing in a series of "special" people. :P

Personality: Momo has a very open and friendly personality, which turns out to be an unusual trait in this series. He's genuine and says exactly what he thinks, but he's so cheerful about it that no one could possibly take offense. (The big exception to this rule is, of course, Kaidoh, Momo's sworn rival. They do not get along AT ALL, and Momo almost always offends Kaidoh on purpose, who he usually just calls "Mamushi," or "Viper" in Japanese.) I think Momo's pretty much the big brother type, and he actually enjoys filling the role. He's certainly more of a happy kind of big brother, though, as opposed to the protective attitude of characters like Fuji. Plus, Momo's probably the happiest character in the series, and he would rather laugh at things that other people might find offensive. (Example: Ryoma's tendency to just get up and leave in the middle of a tense match just strikes him as amusing.) Given this fact, he can also be pretty hyperactive at times, especially when he teams up with the ever-energetic Eiji to smother Ryoma with their collective affection via a glomp-style tackle. (Seeing as how they're both way bigger than our beloved cocky rookie, I sometimes wonder how Ryoma's still alive. O_o) Momo's also very capable of being intense, even though he's generally pretty happy-go-lucky. This is especially true when he plays tennis. Given his powerhouse style, he often gets very fired up during tennis matches, and from what I've seen, he's just as ambitious as any Seigaku regular when it comes to his sport of choice. He gets disappointed when he loses, just like any other player. But, unlike many characters in the series, he also has the ability not to take himself too seriously even as he learns to overcome his own weaknesses.

Tennis Ability: Momo's tennis ability is nothing to scoff at. This is obvious from the very beginning, especially considering he's become a regular as a second-year. In a tennis club where many of the third-year players never so much as touch a Seigaku regular jersey, this is a remarkable acheivement. And, being one of the three youngest players in the regular lineup, he's one of the players that improves the most rapidly. This is noted by many of the characters throughout the series, as more than once Momo has surprised them with a new move or more powerful shots than he had previously. And, after all, the more powerful Momo gets, the more dangerous he is.

This is because, in a word, Momo plays "power tennis," and his strength in hitting the ball is probably only second to Kawamura's. Not only does he hit remarkably hard shots, but Momo can also jump like a grasshopper. His most famous move is the intimidating "Dunk Smash," during which he leaps up off the ground and comes down on a high shot to slam it into the opponent's side of the court. Basically, once Momo has hit his smash shot, it's pretty much impossible to return. (Okay, it has been returned before, but that's one of those !Shock! and !Awe! moments that don't really count.) And even though Momo is fairly tall for his age, it's not because of his height that he can pull this move off. It's because when Momo jumps, it looks like he's taking off like a 747 jet. If you think I'm kidding, watch an episode. You'll swear he's ten or fifteen feet high in the air. Yeah. Scary. The only other person on the Seigaku team who can fly like that is Eiji and, later, possibly Ryoma. And they don't play power tennis, which makes Momo that much scarier.

But even beyond his infamous smashing, Momo's a pretty scary tennis player. Not only is he always improving when it comes to power, but he's constantly adding new moves to his arsenal, including the "Jack Knife." The "Jack Knife" is a sharp two-handed backhand, which is a great passing shot, especially against showy net players. Momo also learns to be more observant during the course of the series, and he even adopts an Inui-style analyzing ability where he becomes familiar with an opponent's moves and reads the opponent accordingly. He takes very well to any instruction he receives, and he essentially masters doubles and all the intricate strategy that goes with it in the course of one match he plays with Eiji. Innovative, adaptable, and with the combined assests of feet like Michael Jordan's and power like a freight train's, Momo's one of the best players in the Seigaku tennis club, and he's only going to get better.

Plot Points: As far as the plot goes, Momo remains a happy, likable character pretty much at all times. However, certain events during the course of the series add a considerable level of depth to a character that plays a big part in the story overall. Almost immediately, Momo establishes himself as an acquaintance of the normally-distant Ryoma. From the point when the two accidentally meet up at a fast food restaurant and end up having to play doubles together on the street tennis courts, they become friends and often hang out together. To me, that says a lot about Momo's ability to make friends, especially given that it's Ryoma we're talking about here. His generally disarming attitude makes Ryoma loosen up a little, and Ryoma can often be seen riding on the back of Momo's bike on the way to school or even walking home with him. Still, they don't make good doubles partners despite this friendship, as was proven even before the Fudomine arc with the "A-Un" fiasco... But this probably has more to do with the fact that putting Ryoma down as anything other than a singles player is just stupid than with any incompetence on Momo's part. :P

Momo gets some pretty big victories for Seigaku early on in the series. For one thing, further terrifying any players who may have to face him on court, he Dunk Smashes the unfortunate Yanagisawa during the St. Rudolph arc, forcing a forfeit on St. Rudolph's side. O_o That's just scary. And then shortly after that, Momo pulls off a pretty impressive win against Yamabuki's Sengoku, which is when he first attempts his "Jack Knife" move. Frankly, watching Momo's progress during these few arcs, I thought he was starting to become about as unstoppable as Ryoma. Unfortunately for Momo, fate/destiny/Konomi-sensei had something else in mind for him.

During the second round of matches at Seigaku to determine the regulars (these matches happen about every 50 eps or so), Momo is forced to play in the same block as Inui... and Tezuka. Now, let's be honest here. Whichever block during the intramural matches has three of the established regulars is probably going to be the block that eliminates one of the nine super-talented players at Seigaku. In the first round, this meant Inui got eliminated. In the second round, especially given Inui's newfound determination to win back his regular spot, this meant Momo was left without a spot on the team. Frankly, it's one of the most frustrating points in the series, in my humble opinion, even if Momo's not your favorite character, because he's just so likable and it's annoying that somebody had to go. But oddly enough, I think this point in the plot reveals a ton of things about both Momo and about Seigaku as a team, so, in a way, I guess it's worth the frustration. As it turns out, when Momo takes the disappointment pretty hard and doesn't show up at practice for a few days, it really affects the regulars, although they all show it in different ways. Ryoma in particular only seems unconcerned... In reality, he is worried about Momo and goes looking for him during lunch period, a moment that reveals both how important Momo is to Ryoma and how important Momo is to Seigaku.

It's moments like this, actually, that have given some people cause to dub Momo "the glue that holds Seigaku together" (profile page @ penal-tea.net). And I think there is definitely a basis for that assertion. As the player who seems the most open and friendly with everyone, Momo is connected to everyone on the team on some level. And as such, he's one of the few on the team that everyone seems to care about, which is why his disappearance affected all the regulars in some way. (Heck, it was a big enough deal to break up the Golden Pair, and if that isn't impressive, I don't know what is.) Similarly, when Momo returns, all pretty much seems right with the world again. Momo is clearly a very important part of the team at Seigaku. I think this is why a lot of people theorize that he'll be the captain next year, since he actually is well-liked by everyone and knows how to work with people. (Unlike some snake-like second years I could mention... :P) This is also the point where we see that Momo doesn't worry about taking himself too seriously, since he shows up at the first round of Regionals completely into the idea of cheering for his teammates. (He even made headbands. O_o)

And yet Momo ends up having to play a serious part again almost instantly when Oishi gets injured and doesn't show up for the first round. Momo's at his best here, in my opinion. He shows a lot of courage by first attempting to go get Oishi as quickly as possible and then by being the one to take Oishi's place as Eiji's partner. I can't imagine how big a burden that probably was for Momo. I mean, can you think of anything involving more pressure than trying to take the place of the more analytical half of the Golden Pair? And up until this point, Momo doesn't know how to play doubles. But in one of Momo's finest moments, he both helps Eiji win the game against Hyoutei and masters doubles with Oishi's quickly-given advice. Momo is not only one of the most adaptable people in Seigaku, but he's also a player and a friend who always gives 100% and comes through for his teammates. I think that speaks volumes about Momo's strength of character, which is why even on a deeper level, he remains such a likable guy.

All this said, the plot does occasionally reveal that Momo can get a tad too worked up at times. In one instance, this put Seigaku's victory over Jyousei at risk when it caused Momo to start making unforced errors. So Momo can be too passionate in some cases, even though his enthusiasm is normally a nice change from the huge supply of stoic characters in the show. (Of course, Momo also learns from his mistakes, as was proven during this match... but before he could really correct the problem, there was a freak incident with Inui Juice that was... errr... unfortunate. Not to mention just sad.) Momo also occasionally gets overly worked up in his personal life. Some prime examples would be various filler episodes, including the time when he stole Kamio's bike to chase a purse snatcher, the street tennis court duel with Atobe, and, of course, the "date" with An Tachibana. So as friendly and approachable as Momo is, he does have the capability to overdo it. :P

Odds and Ends: Well, for one thing, Momo's chosen nickname is a little odd. The fact that he would rather be called "Momo-chan" by the freshmen he meets, instead of "Momoshiro" or "Momoshiro-senpai," is unusually casual for an upperclassman. I think it mainly proves that Momo isn't too into himself and isn't overly serious about everything either. (In a cute cross between what Momo prefers and what's more appropriate for an underclassman, Ryoma choses to call him "Momo-senpai" instead. Which I find adorable. :3) Momo's definitely got his quirks, just like all the other Seigaku regulars. One of the most humorous ones in the context of the series is his obvious love for food, which creates some funny situations in which Ryoma and Momo actually compete to see, for example, who can eat the most hamburgers. O_o I find this hilarious, actually, especially given that Ryoma is all but half Momo's size and, for reasons unknown, can keep up with him in an eating contest. Momo also apparently eats in class, which gets him into trouble with his teachers on occasion. (And makes me laugh.) Another quirk of Momo's is his tendency to complete his Dunk Smash move by saying "Do-o-onn!" which is something like "Bang!" in English. Sometimes I get this feeling Momo wishes he could be a superhero or something. O_o He even yells "Momoshiro Lariat!" before attempting to clock a purse snatcher on the head. I suppose this reveals his overall fun-loving personality, even if it's a little weird. The only time Momo isn't a fun-loving person, though, would have to be in any and all interactions with the other second year on the Seigaku regulars. Momo and Kaidoh are sworn rivals and fight just about every time they see each other. This is an interesting exception to Momo's standard friendliness, and I guess reveals Momo's more intense side. I'm not sure exactly why they hate each other, although I'm betting Kaidoh's general aura of !GetAwayFromMe,YouBleeeeeep! probably has something to do with the friendly Momo's complete dislike of "Mamushi," as he calls Kaidoh. Y'know, just a guess there. :P

My Take: Given that it's the lovable Momo we're talking about here, there's no way that he could be an exception to my generally universal love for the PoT cast. But the interesting thing about my love for Momo is that he actually had my normal tastes in anime guys working against him. In design especially, Momo is a very typical shonen manga-looking character, and I have more of a shojo bent myself. (Y'know, the girly bishounen like Fuji.... yeah. :P) I mean, that spikey hairdo Momo's got going on just makes me wonder what in the heck he uses for hair-styling products.

But Momo is just plain endearing, and so of course I had to love him. The fact that he actually became good friends with the atypically aloof protagonist especially sparked my interest. I mean, if Momo could get Ryoma to open up, he must have super powers in the way of people skills. And I began to see exactly why Momo is so disarming as I watched more and more of the series. Above all, Momo is a genuine person, and a good guy. And, moreover, he's a very impressive tennis player. His strength and his willingness to overcome obstacles really touched me as a lover of the sport. So, Momo is one of my surprise favorites in the series. And his chances certainly weren't hurt by the fact that, despite his shonen-style looks, Momo does in fact have PURPLE eyes. And with a girl like me, that's just bonus points. :P

Well, Momo-chan, I definitely love you, so rock on and don't change. Because SOMEONE in this series needs to be free of socially dysfunctional tendencies. -_-

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!