Oshitari Yuushi

Age: 14, turning 15 in the fall
Hair: Dark blue
Eyes: Gold/brown
Height: 178 cm (or about 5'11")
Blood Type: A
Birthday: October 15th
Dominant Hand: Right
Favorite Subject: Math, Chemistry, Design and Tech (?)
Favorite Color: Olive green
Hobby: Watching romance movies (O_O)
Family: Mother, father, older sister
Seiyuu: Kiuchi Hidenobu

Basic: Oshitari Yuushi is one of the third-year Hyoutei regulars. He almost exclusively plays doubles, and his usual partner is Mukahi Gakuto. In the first Hyoutei arc, the two of them play against Momoshiro and Eiji in the Doubles 2 slot. Oshitari also happens to be considered the "tensai" of Hyoutei, much like Fuji is the "tensai" (= prodigy) of Seigaku.

At First Glance: Probably the first thing you will notice about Oshitari, at least if you're a girl, is that he is GORGEOUS. Once you get past the fact that he's got some incredible good looks and a very sexy, seductive voice... Well, it's hard to say exactly how Oshitari appears at first glance, especially because he's one of those more mysterious PoT characters.

Personality: Oshitari seems to be just as arrogant as any Hyoutei member, and just as confident in his own skills. However, he seems surprisingly more laid-back than most of the Hyoutei regulars. He has something of a "devil-may-care" attitude, as one site described it. Therefore, he is capable of being careless on the court due to his casual attitude. I'm guessing this characteristic has a lot to do with the fact that Oshitari would rather not wear his heart on his sleeve. By appearing apathetic, he can keep his own thoughts and motives a secret. I would imagine Oshitari prefers it that way. Oshitari also seems to be a quite cunning character. Atobe once referred to him as "Hyoutei's most troublesome guy," and coming from Atobe, that says a lot. Oshitari is also considered a prodigy, so I'm guessing he must be extremely intelligent. (Although the glasses kind of gave that away, lol... Just kidding. I wear glasses, so I'm allowed to stereotype. :D)

Tennis Ability: Since Oshitari is considered to be Hyoutei's prodigy, there's no doubting that he's got some skills on the tennis court. However, since he plays with Mukahi Gakuto, whose acrobatic moves make Eiji look normal, he spends a lot of time just covering up the holes left by his partner's style of play. Still, it's obvious that Oshitari has a gift for analyzing different situations while on court, almost like Oishi's role in the Golden Pair.

But even more than that, Oshitari's got some serious moves. He is the only one other than Fuji to be able to pull off the Higuma Otoshi, a counter that can return a smash flawlessly every single time. (This includes Momoshiro's powerful dunk smash, by the way.) However, since Oshitari only plays in a total of three matches in all 178 anime episodes, it's difficult to say much about the full extent of his abilities. It is highly likely, especially given Oshitari's personality, that we have never seen this character at his best.

Plot Points: The plot doesn't reveal much about Oshitari, but that's typical of the more enigmatic PoT characters. It does reveal that he seems to have more of a taste for doubles when it comes to tennis. First of all, he seems to play only doubles in tournaments (and, as far as we know, only with Mukahi). He also seems to know a lot about doubles strategy, as is revealed in his match against Momo and Eiji. He even comments on how Momoshiro's doubles skills have improved, which shows that he knows a great deal about that aspect of the game.

Oshitari also seems to be capable of being somewhat careless on court. When he and Mukahi lose that match, they both almost shrug it off as though it simply "got away from them." Of course, since this is Hyoutei, both Shishido and Atobe use this as a chance to critique them for being careless. Their coach Sakaki also reprimands them, and for a moment, Oshitari seems to want to talk back to him. This is interesting, mainly because all the Hyoutei regulars seem to be completely under Sakaki's thumb, as a general rule. So I'm guessing this shows that Oshitari strongly dislikes being criticized, which is probably a reflection of his own arrogance. But, hey, this is Hyoutei we're talking about, after all, so that comes as no surprise.

One other interesting, if random, observation on Oshitari... He definitely has a taste for the finer things in life. This is proven when he is clearly less than impressed by Seigaku's accomodations in the second Hyoutei arc. (Seigaku's at a training camp and they end up playing against the Hyoutei regulars for practice.) Of course, I don't know who WOULDN'T prefer living in Atobe's mansion to living in a shack, but maybe that's just me. :P

Odds and Ends: I read somewhere, on Minus Zero, I believe, that Oshitari doesn't actually have poor eyesight. He just wears glasses for the look. I find this VERY interesting, if it's true. I mean, there aren't too many guys who would wear glasses just as a fashion accessory. Is he trying to convey his own intelligence, or maybe hide his eyes, perhaps? Well, who can say? But I do find it interesting. The other thing I find interesting about Oshitari is his hobby. He watches romance movies. ROMANCE MOVIES. I don't know if that just seems out of character to me or what, but I do a double-take every time I read that. Maybe it's because Oshitari seems more like the type of guy who would watch romance movies just to make snide remarks about how schmaltzy they are. But who knows? I could be wrong. Maybe he has a hidden romantic streak. At least, that's what all the fangirls want you to believe. :P By the way, Oshitari's closest relationship in the series does seem to be with Mukahi, whom he addresses using his first name with no honorific. (Shows a fairly close relationship.)

My Take: Oshitari is... well, GORGEOUS. And for that, I've got to love him. I find it hard to really pin down his character, so it's difficult for me to say I love everything about Oshitari. I really don't know for sure. I will say he is intriguing, and that it's no wonder that he is one of the most popular PoT rival characters. Plus, that voice of his makes fangirls melt into swooning puddles of goo. He makes every single thing he says sound like the most seductive and sexy thing I've ever heard. O_O Even when he's just saying something like, "Oh, that guy's losing 5-0." No, really. If you don't believe me, watch the anime.

Well, all of this is as much to say, I adore you, Oshitari. As far as bishounen go, you even give Fuji and Tezuka a run for their money. Yum. :3

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!