Eiji Kikumaru
(菊丸 英二) |
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History
Eiji Kikumaru is a third year student at Seishun Academy (Seigaku). He is in the same class as Shusuke Fuji and also happens to be one of his good friends.
He is part of Seigaku's "Golden Pair" along with Shuichiro Oishi. Using his acrobatic play he can return almost any ball, even those that seem out of human reach. Eiji is also known to have the sharpest vision on the team, with an exceptional talent for seeing moving objects. This proves to be both a strength and a weakness, especially when matched against St. Rudolph's team captain Akazawa. Other than his well known style of acrobatic play, he has his own signature smash move called " Kikumaru Beam;" which is essentially a very high behind-the-back smash that is launched either at the corner of the opponent's court, or directly at the opponent.
Though the Golden Pair seldom play without each other, Eiji has been paired with his friend Shusuke Fuji, Seigaku's genius, to form the Dream Pair, as well as forming a makeshift pair with Takeshi Momoshiro. In the Nationals story arc of the manga, Eiji plays singles after Oishi gave his spot to Ryoma Echizen. He says that if Oishi will not be his partner, that he refuses to play doubles anymore. After his first match against Higa Middle School, however, he proclaims that playing singles tennis is "too lonely," and the Golden Pair becomes a team again.
Eiji's main weakness is a lack of stamina, which he overcomes through hard work and training later on in the series. His main rival is Hyotei Gakuen's Gakuto Mukahi, another acrobatic player who is extremely light and surpasses him in acrobatic play.
Although Oishi and Eiji get along very well and the two together form the famous "Golden Pair," they do have their disagreements. When Momoshiro was dropped from the Regulars and stopped attending practice, Eiji was making jokes that Oishi found insensitive. Eiji then made fun of the fact that Oishi's shirt was inside out causing the co-captain to snap and slap Eiji, pushing him across the courts. The Golden Pair stopped talking to each other until Momoshiro returned to team practices.
The Golden Pair met in their first year at Seigaku. In the anime, Eiji was a flashy singles player and found Oishi's play style boring. When he challenged Oishi to a match, he lost and couldn't figure it out. Retreating to the green bins at the park - a place the Golden Pair always go to when they need to think things over after losing a match - he saw Oishi practicing there. Eiji then told Oishi he would play doubles with him until he was able to defeat Oishi at tennis. In the manga, Eiji met Oishi by bumping into him in his first day of school after Shusuke told Eiji that Oishi was a nice person, then developed quickly a strong admiration towards him (he even defended Oishi when he found some teammates spreading ill rumors about him), and finally asked Oishi to be his partner.
During their match against Masaharu Niou and Hiroshi Yagyuu from Rikkaidai Fuzoku, Oishi (who at that time was injured) thinks Kikumaru has already surpassed him and doesn't need to play doubles with him anymore. After Oishi gives up his spot to Ryoma prior to the Nationals and temporarily retires, Eiji is left without a partner; he swears that he'll never play doubles again if not with Oishi, therefore he starts a very rigorous training to overcome his flaws as a player and prove to Oishi that he's not a burden. In Seigaku's first match against Higa Chuu, he plays in the Singles 2 spot against Kai Yuuichirou, and eventually wins 7-6. During the match against Hyoutei, Eiji and Oishi are back as a doubles pair and even play for their last doubles match against Rikkaidai's Marui/Kuwahara pair.
He is a friendly, sweet-tempered and outgoing character and the youngest of a large family. So unlike most of the characters, Eiji is usually referred to by his given name.
Eiji is also shown to be very playful, as proven when he helps Tomo-chan and Sakuno-chan cheer for Ryoma during his match against Reiji Shinjou using a special chant and in Episode 91, when he impresses the neighborhood kids with his acrobatic skills on Rokkaku's playground.
When playing games, most characters' concentration are broken up by attention and pressure. But Eiji loves the attention and actually focuses much more when he's being cheered on.
Partnership
Although it looks as if Eiji is the one who controls the flow of the doubles matches when the audience sees the "Golden Pair" play (due to his flashy style and the fact that Eiji is the one who gets the ball the most), people often mistake him as the game maker. However, Oishi is the game maker. In their game against Yamabuki, Eiji asks Oishi if they can start to attack their opponents; by doing so, it indicates that Oishi is the game maker in their combination (Eiji likes to play at the net while letting Oishi control the flow of the game). Eventually, Eiji matures as a doubles player during his Doubles 2 match with Momoshiro against Hyotei, when Eiji learns that being a game maker is more difficult than he realized and appreciates Oishi's role in their partnership. During the match against Hyotei Gakuen he realizes as Momoshiro's senpai, he must learn to be the game maker and give up his usual net play, in order to defeat Hyotei and help Momoshiro control the flow of the game.
Playing Style - Special Attributes
One of the most vibrant and flashy characters in Prince of Tennis, Kikumaru is renowned for his acrobatic play and his upbeat personality. He is, by nature, a doubles tennis player, but he has shown that he is a more than capable singles player if needed.
Acrobatic Play
Not just for flash, Kikumaru's flexible body allows him to reach balls with a touch of flair that few can replicate. His graceful dives and flips astonish the spectators and often gets grudging praise from his opponents.
Motion Vision
Kikumaru's eyes are so sharp that he can even catch the minute movements of a ball in motion. This is first shown after Inui is off the regulars, and becomes the team's trainer. During the training session, Eiji's vision is commented on by his fellow teammates. Though this ability has been used against him (see the doubles match against Saint Rudolph's Yoshirou Akazawa and Ichirou Kaneda), it is definitely a plus as it allows Kikumaru to react faster and keep up his acrobatic play, and as an observer he can see the ball and mention details such as when Ryoma plays against Jyosei Shonan's Reiji Shinjou. (anime only) Also, it is shown when Ryoma plays against Fuji in a practice match.
Net Play
When Kikumaru's up at the net he usually controls the game. With Oishi at the baseline, this pair can make plays that earns them the title of the "Golden Pair".
Kikumaru Beam
The Kikumaru Beam is a sharp volley that is hit in the air by Kikumaru with his right hand on the backhand side of his body, pinpointing the ball to the place where the opponents are not standing.
Moon Volley
Though this is Oishi's move, Kikumaru uses this to both help Momoshiro and himself to both mature and gain the flow of the match during the game against Hyotei Gakuen Doubles 2.
Kikumaru Bazooka
Kikumaru spins high up in the air and fires off a powerful smash while also shouting out "Kikumaru Bazooka!"
Kikumaru's Seal Step
Kikumaru uses his natural flexibility and speed to move from one location to a new one the moment the opponents eyes leave his first location. This gives the opponent the impression that there are two of him for a doppelganger type effect. The anime exaggerates this more than the manga giving Kikumaru the ability to high five and hug his doppelganger making it slightly supernatural. Where as in the manga it is all about Kikumaru using his speed at the right moments for an illusion. Revealed during the match against Saeki Kojirou and Itsuki Marehiko of Rokkaku.
"Feigned Sleep" Attack
When playing against Kaneda and Akazawa, Eiji ran out of energy and stood still for 2 games, finally scoring a point against his opponents when they thought they had won. In the end, however, Seigaku lost the match because Eiji's 'battery ran out', making him so thoroughly exhausted that Oishi had to help him leave the court, as he could not walk on his own.
Synchronization
When playing in the nationals with Oishi as his doubles 1 partner, they become fully synchronized and moved as if they were one; breathing as one and knowing exactly what they're partner's next move would be. It was said that doubles players could not go pro without 'synchronization'.
