Sakura Jyousui >> Rival Schools >> Senbatsu Team >> Supporting Characters Originally from Musashi no Mori, a school famous for its talented soccer team, Sho transferred to Sakura Jyosui because they didn't allow him to play soccer since he was short. Even at Musashi no Mori, he worked the hardest out of all the freshen and never gave up. Despite his small body, Sho has great stamina and is known to pull off miraculous plays during games. He is especially good at headbutting the ball. Besides soccer, Sho is an extremely kind and compassionate person. Sho even gets through the cold and stoic people everybody else tends to stay away from, like Fuwa Daichi or Tenjou Ryoichi. > > More? Mizuno is a third year at Sakura Jyosui and the captain of the boys' soccer team. He is probably the most skilled person on the team, and his number 10 jersey is proof of that. (The number 10 jersey is usually reserved for the best person on a team.) He is generally a calm and mature person, but when it comes to matters regarding his father, Mizuno can get pretty angry and fierce. His parents divorced two years ago in the series. His father is the soccer coach at Musashi no Mori, and he wanted to Mizuno to play for him at that school, but Mizuno refused. They are very bitter rivals in soccer. On a side note, Mizuno is an Honor Roll student and a lefty. > > More? Shige is in the same class as Sho, and he's a second year at Sakura Jousui. He's a friendly, playful, and outgoing person. His nickname for Mizuno is Tatsubon, and his nickname for Sho is Pochi, which means puppy in Japanese. Next to Mizuno, Shige is one of the most talented members on the team. He had quit the soccer club earlier because he disliked the arrogant seniors in the club, but he decided to rejoin after watching Sho play soccer and stand up for his seniors, even though the seniors were bullying him earlier. Shige lives at a Buddhist temple with other monks since he ran away from away. > > More? Fuwa is a second year Sakura Jousui, but he's smarter than anyone his age. Nicknamed Crusher by the other students, Fuwa is a blunt talker who unknowingly puts down other students and crushes their pride when he points out their mistakes or faults. His tough image is also frightening to many, including Mizuno who even admitted to Sho he was uncomfortable around Fuwa. Although he's a genius, Fuwa never heard about soccer until he met Sho, who played a practice game with him one day to show Fuwa what soccer is like. Under that tough exterior, Fuwa is an incredible goal keeper who can accurately predict the path of the ball and move to block it. He has trouble learning to work and cooperate with his teammates, but he eventually becomes a very valuable member of the team. As a timid and chubby first year, Noro is often a target of bullying from third years at Sakura Jousui. He experiences true friendship when Sho goes over to talk to him one day. From then on, Sho and Noro became good friends, and the two diligently practiced soccer together nightly under Inochi River Bridge. "You're faster at rolling than running," the third years used to say to Noro. Despite their unrelentless taunting, Noro's love for soccer and faith in Sho drive him to keep on playing and try his hardest. Even when the third years were beating up Noro one day until he said he'd quit the soccer club, Noro still refused to quit. Also, Noro is one of the few people close to Fuwa. Formerly a professional soccer player as a member of the famous Shinkawa Denkou, Matsushita quit playing soccer after a terrifying incident with his teammate, Amamia. Matsushita is the person who watched Sakura Jousui's match against Musashi no Mori and gave them pointers and tactics on winning. Ever since then, Katori-sensei has been trying her hardest to get Matsushita to coach Sakura Jousui, even putting on make-up and bringing him ice cream. In the end, it is Amamia who finally persuades Matsushita to coach. As a coach, Matsushita is a kind, fair, and intelligent man. He can figure out his opponent's strategy and counter with his own. He always encourages his team to work hard and do their best, despite the obstacles. Katori-sensei is a teacher and club advisor for Sakura Jousui's soccer club. She is sometimes called Ane-san (big sister) by Shige or Yuko-chan by Kojima. She is a total amatuer at the sport of soccer, but she is always there cheering for the team at matches and trying to lift up their spirits when they're down. She knows she isn't of much help to the team since she can't give them any good advice or strategies on beating the opponent, so she tries her hardest to persuade Matsushita to coach the team. Katori-sensei may seem like a ditz at first, being so happy-go-lucky and fussing about the type of lipstick she's wearing, but she has a good heart and truly cares about the team. Kojima is a third year and the manager of Sakura Jousui's soccer club. Unlike Katori-sensei, Kojima is very knowledgeable about the sport and quite a skilled player herself. She's a rather blunt talker, and she's often refered to as the "scary manager" by other members of the team, whacking people on the head or throwing soccer balls at them if they're talking out of line or just plain irritating her. She helps out by doing research on opponents and recording the team's data during matches. Kojima eventually cuts her hair shorter so she could substitute for an injured person for a match. Although she was eventually kicked out of the game, she receives encouragement from Sho to start a girls' soccer team. She truly does love soccer. Her idol is Saionji Akira. Miyuki is a first year at Sakura Jousui and a loyal supporter of Sho. She's part of the photography club and carries a little camera that she uses to take pictures of Sho. She attends all of his matches and cheers him on from the sidelines. It's evident that she really cares about Sho from the way she fusses over him and worries about almost every little thing that happens to him. Later on, Miyuki is announced to be the new manager of the club as Kojima was going to be busy with the girls' soccer team. (Kojima still sticks around and shows up for matches, though.) She's an amatuer at soccer like Katori-sensei, but she still helps out with whatever she can and cheers the boys on. So far, Sho is oblivious to Miyuki's feelings for him, but he is still polite and kind to her.