Ohtori Choutarou

Age: 13
Hair: Light gray
Eyes: Gold/brown
Height: 185 cm (or about 6'2"! O_o)
Blood Type: O
Birthday: February 14th
Dominant Hand: Right
Favorite Subject: Art, Music
Favorite Color: Off-white
Hobby: Playing the piano and violin
Family: Mother, father, grandmother, older sister, cat
Seiyuu: Namikawa Daisuke

Basic: Ohtori Choutarou is a regular at Hyoutei Gakuen, and he's also Shishido Ryoh's doubles partner. His most distinctive trait is his considerable height, which gives him the ability to hit what is apparently the fastest serve in the Kantou tournament.

At First Glance: Ohtori is kind of an anomaly in Hyoutei, at least at the start of the series. In a school of divas and narcissists, Ohtori is just a genuinely nice guy. Especially since he first comes into the spotlight during a remarkably unselfish act, Ohtori has the reputation of being the one player on Hyoutei who isn't ridiculously into himself.

Personality: Ohtori really is a nice guy. He's extremely polite, which can be proven by the way he diligently refers to all his friends with very formal honorifics (i.e. he specifically calls people "_-san," which is very respectful). He is also extremely close with his doubles partner and shows a very selfless kind of dedication to their teamwork. He is the type of guy who always tries his best in tennis, no matter what, and he works very hard to improve. In fact, on occasion, he even puts too much pressure on himself. (This usually happens during his service game, which is no surprise, given his impressive gift for serving!) So I think it's clear that he is a very sincere and dedicated person, and that applies to both his tennis game and his friendships. Beyond that, however, it's a bit difficult to say too much about Ohtori's personality, since he is the vanilla ice cream in a whole school of divas and drama queens. XD

Tennis Ability: Obviously, Ohtori is a talented tennis player. This is especially obvious during his service game, in which he hammers his opponents with his infamous Scud Serve. This super fast serve reaches a speed of over 200 km/hr, which is ridiculously fast for a junior high player. This serve is made possible by Ohtori's considerable height (he's over six feet tall at 13!). Similarly, he has good reaction time (though not as good as his partner's), and can also return high speed serves.

Beyond that, we don't know too much about Ohtori's style of tennis, but it's obvious that he is a very talented player. For one thing, he's a Hyoutei regular, and for another, he and Shishido are Hyoutei's best doubles pair. For those reasons and for his scary Scud Serve, you can bet that Ohtori is one of the more intimidating players in the show, even though he appears somewhat infrequently and always shares the spotlight with his doubles partner Shishido. :)

Plot Points: Of course, as with all minor characters in PoT, most assumptions about Ohtori are made based on the plot. As I mentioned before, Ohtori first comes into the spotlight during a remarkable moment of selflessness. Back when Shishido was still off the Hyoutei regulars and trying to regain his spot, Ohtori begged their coach, Sakaki, to let Shishido become a regular again. In response, Sakaki asked if Ohtori would give up his spot for Shishido, and Ohtori said that he would. While Atobe stepped in to vouch for Shishido, rendering Ohtori's sacrifice unnecessary, it still shows what he was willing to do for his friend if he had to.

It's also clear through the course of the plot that Ohtori really respects Shishido and would do just about anything that he asks of him. For example, it is revealed during the Hyoutei arc that Shishido was able to become a better player, thanks to many long nights of training with Ohtori. Ohtori was willing to hit his Scud Serve over and over, even without understanding why, until Shishido was able to speed up his reaction time and catch that lightning fast serve in his hand. Obviously, Ohtori and Shishido are close, and it's no wonder why Oishi points out that the two have a certain kind of "dependence" on each other, much like the famous Seigaku Golden Pair. Similarly, Shishido repays Ohtori the favor later, and it's obvious that their relationship is very close.

Another thing that becomes obvious about Ohtori is that he has a keen sense of responsibility and dedication, especially when it comes to tennis. He often overthinks his service game, probably because he wants to make sure that he can win it. From what I can see, this stems from both his status as an individual player and also as a doubles partner, since someone else is relying on him. He also works very hard to perfect his serve with Shishido later. I think this shows his dedication to their partnership more than anything else. He doesn't want to drag Shishido down, but instead make sure that his service game is flawless. Again, though, it's difficult to say exactly what motivates Ohtori, since it's never revealed directly in the course of the series.

Odds and Ends: Ohtori is a very interesting character in a couple of ways. For one thing, he is over six feet tall at 13, and yet he has a very polite and respectful manner. In that way, he's almost a character of contradictions, much like how he is a Hyoutei regular and yet also seems to be a really humble guy. Several of his stats are pretty interesting as well, and serve to solidify his reputation as a sweet, friendly boy who just happens to be insanely tall. :D For example, his hobbies are playing the piano and the violin, which is just... ridiculously cute. :3 Much like how his birthday is on Valentine's Day. I mean, really, how adorable is that? Another point of interest is that, while Shishido is very familiar with Ohtori and calls him by his first name "Choutarou," with no honorific, Ohtori prefers to call his partner "Shishido-senpai." I think this continues to show that Ohtori is a very polite and respectful person, whatever else he may be.

My Take: I have to say, I love Ohtori, and I pretty much always did. Of course, I love Hyoutei as a whole, but it is nice to have at least one character in that school that isn't completely self-absorbed! :D I also really appreciated the way he was so unselfish toward his doubles partner. His willingness to help his senpai impressed me, back when I couldn't even remember his name.

But more than that, Ohtori is one half of the beloved Hyoutei first doubles partnership (sometimes called the "Silver Pair" in PoT fandom), and for that I simply must love him. He and Shishido have such a beautifully close relationship, and it is very interesting to watch them develop as a team. Also, I have to say, I find certain traits about Ohtori to be adorable beyond expression. Like that he's born on Valentine's Day. XD So cute! While there is certainly more to Ohtori's character than cuteness, it is definitely a bonus in my world. :3

So, Ohtori, I love you and you know it! <3 And I would give you a good old-fashioned fangirl glomp, but you're so tall that I'd probably just injure myself. O_O

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!