The prince of tennis characters

Main article: List of The Prince of Tennis characters

Ryoma Echizen (越前 リョーマ, Echizen Ryōma^?)

The protagonist of the series, Ryoma is a first year student at Seishun Academy and the son of Nanjiro Echizen, who was formerly known as "Samurai Nanjiro" during his days as a professional tennis player. He makes his first appearance when he criticizes a high school student about his tennis knowledge in a subway. He often says "mada mada dane" to his opponents, which is directly translated as "You still have lots of to work on." in the Japanese manga. One of his nicknames is The Prince of Tennis.

Kunimitsu Tezuka (手塚 国光, Tezuka Kunimitsu^?)

Tezuka is the captain of the tennis club and a third year student at Seishun Academy. A National-caliber player and vice-captain the year before the series took place, Tezuka is serious about everything — one of his trademark phrases is "Don't let your guard down." Tezuka puts his captaincy of the team and its performance before anything else, including his own pursuits.

Shuichiro Oishi (大石 秀一郎, Ōishi Shūichirō^?)

Oishi is a third year student at Seishun Academy and the vice-captain of the tennis club. Along with Eiji Kikumaru, he is part of Seigaku's "Golden Pair," a doubles team that made it to Nationals the year before the series takes place. The two are called the "Golden Pair" because of Kikumaru's athletic skills and flexibility, and Oishi's strategical mind. Oishi is known to care for the team very much, and was even said to care for the team twice as much as anyone on the tennis team.

Shusuke Fuji (不二 周助, Fuji Shūsuke^?)

Fuji is a third year student at Seishun Academy who is given the title "genius" due to his tactical skill on the tennis court. Fuji is often seen with a calm and content expression on his face, with his eyes seemingly closed from lightly smiling. However, when he is excited, provoked, or when playing seriously, Fuji reveals his sharp blue eyes. Fuji's tennis is counter-style, in which he uses elements of opponents' shots to send usually nonreturnable counter return shots.

Eiji Kikumaru (菊丸 英二, Kikumaru Eiji^?)

Eiji Kikumaru is a third year student at Seishun Academy and is part of the "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 fast moving objects. He is almost always seen with an energetic and cheerful disposition, even during his matches.

Takashi Kawamura (河村 隆, Kawamura Takashi^?)

Takashi is a third year student at Seishun Academy and, according to the manga series, this is his first year as a regular. He is a shy and a soft-spoken person off the court, though still outspoken and stubborn when he makes a decision. However, he becomes extremely aggressive and loud once he grabs a racket. This change in his personality is marked by him shouting "Burning!!!". He relies mostly on his power and aims to become the National's number one power player.

Sadaharu Inui (乾 貞治, Inui Sadaharu^?)

Inui is a third year student at Seishun Academy. As a highly intelligent player, he plays what is called "Data Tennis," which involves collecting and analyzing data for a player in order to determine their weaknesses to the extent that he can determine the exact probability of certain shots being successful. Inui often manages the team training regimens, which usually involves contests or races of some kind, with many being forced to drink one of Inui's many infamous and poisonous juice concoctions.

Takeshi Momoshiro (桃城 武, Momoshiro Takeshi^?)

Momoshiro is a second year student at Seishun Academy, known as Seigaku's number one rascal. He is an aggressive power player who uses the court and environmental conditions to his advantage. As the player who is the most open and friendly with everyone, Momoshiro is connected to everyone on the team on some level.

Kaoru Kaido (海堂 薫, Kaidō Kaoru^?)

Kaido is a second year student at Seishun Academy whose nickname is "Viper," which fits him well as his signature move is the "Snake Shot," a curving forehand that drains an opponent's stamina by forcing them to chase the return. He wears a bandanna and often exhales, making a sound similar to a snake. He is often remarked as the hardest trainer of the team.