| |
|---|---|
| Rin Hirakoba | |
| Kanji |
平古場凛 |
| Rōmaji |
Hirakoba Rin |
| Nicknames |
Lone Wolf |
| Gender |
Male |
| Age |
14 |
| Height |
172 cm |
| Weight |
54 kg |
| Birthday |
March 3 |
| Horoscope |
Pisces |
| Blood Type |
AB |
| Family |
Grandmother |
| Junior High |
Higa Middle School (3rd Year) |
| Class |
3-2 |
| Seat |
25 |
| Club Position |
Regular |
| Elementary School |
Ryuukyuu Minami Elementary school |
| Japan U-17 Camp |
Court 6 |
| Dominant Arm |
Right |
| Doubles Partner(s) | |
| Manga Debut |
Genius 259 |
| Anime Debut |
Nationals OVA 3 |
| Movies | |
| Voice Actor |
Hiroyuki Yoshino (Japanese) |
Background[]
Rin Hirakoba is the only member of Higa Chuu who likes fair play. He uses Habu, which has the stance of a smash, except that it curves while bouncing, and Giant Habu, which curves immediately after leaving the racket, though it causes his hand to go numb, limiting it to one use per match. He is one of the only players to stand up to Coach Saotome, refusing an order to attack Seigaku's coach, because he felt the match was more interesting.
Appearance[]
Hirakoba naturally has black hair and is dark skinned like most players from Kyushu. Sometime prior to the Nationals/All-Japan tournament he dyed his hair a golde-blond color.
Personality[]
Hirakoba never allows anything to interrupt him in a tennis match he is enjoying.
Hirakoba dislikes eating goya, and will usually obey his captain, Kite, when he threatens to make him eat it.
History[]
One Year Prior To The Storyline[]
Hirakoba 1 year prior to the storyline
Hirakoba is seen with Kite watching a doubles match of Oshitari(Kenya)/Shiraishi against Chitose/Tachibana.
Kyūshū Regionals[]
Hirakoba won the the Kyushu Regional Tournament with Higa comfortably and they became the first team from Okinawa to qualify for the nationals in 26 years.
Nationals[]
Just as what his teammate Kai Yūjirō did to Rokkaku's Oji, Hirakoba, was instructed by his captain Kite Eishirō (In the anime it was his coach Saotome), tried to injure Seigaku's Ryūzaki Sumire during Higa Chuu's Doubles 2 match against Fuji Shūsuke and Kawamura Takashi. Fortunately for Ryūzaki, Kawamura intercepted the ball in the nick of time. When advisor Saotome Harumi signaled for a second attack, Hirakoba gave him the cold shoulder.
Hirakoba enjoys challenges and will not allow anyone to interfere with his fun. Initially, Higa appeared to have the upper hand in the match. Hirakoba's Shukuchihō and Habu sealed Fuji's Higuma Otoshi and Hakugei and Kawamura's Hadoukyū, respectively. However, the tide turned when Fuji unveiled his Fourth Counter and Kawamura found his way around the Habu.
Hirakoba is then present during the Nationals Final between Rikkai Dai and Seigaku as a member of the large audience. Unfortunately, Higa miss their flight back home to Okinawa after the Nationals.
Prior To U-17 Camp[]
Shown in the Another Story OVA series, Unfortunately for the Higa Chuu regulars, after mistreating their horrible and standing up to his ways, it resulted in the coach not caring about them after they missed their flight. This meant that Hirakoba along with Kite Eishirō, Kai Yūjirō, Chinen Hiroshi, Tanishi Kei, Aragaki Koiichi and Shiranui Tomoya were forced to work off the money to buy tickets to fly back. They work their way in the right geographical direction into Osaka while working as cleaners for a temple and bump into Seigaku tennis club who are on a trip to Osaka for their joint training session with Shitenhoji tennis club.
U-17 Camp[]
Hirakoba in his All-Japan Junior Camp Uniform.
Hirakoba recieves an invitation to the U-17 Camp of the All-Japan Juniors along with his Higa teammates and several other middle schoolers shown in the series and meet High Schoolers who already present at the camp. Hirakoba as well as all of the 50 middle schoolers invited the camp is able to retrieve a ball dropped from the helicopter by the entrance are of the Camp on which the conditions were, if a ball is not obtained by a player, that player must go home. He also engages in a match with a High Schooler for the ball he retrieved as do some other Middle Schoolers. Hirakoba crushes his opponent.
The Mental Coach arrives and declares that all middle schoolers must pair up. He then pairs with Higashikata Masami believing the two are to be a doubles pair, however the announcer suddenly states all pairs must play a tie-break game where the loser is to leave the camp (The loser actually is sent to train in the mountains to improve). Hirakoba easily defeats Higashikata and goes on to defeat his next High School opponent and advances to the 6th Court.
Along with many of the middle schoolers, he defeats all his high school opponents making him reach the 6th court and is joined by Yukimura Seiichi, Shūsuke Fuji, Bunta Marui, Eiji Kikumaru, Yūshi Oshitari, Hiroshi Chinen, Hiroshi Yagyū, Akira Kamio, Hikaru Amane and Chōtarō Ōtori.
Team Shuffle[]
Hirakoba looks on as part of the large audience of the Team Shuffle between 5th Court and 3rd Court where the 5th Court became victors and swapped places with the latter. Almost immediately after the end of the Team Shuffle, The Middle School losers reveal they had defeated 2nd Court and replaced them and became the new 2nd Court. The Middle School winners welcome them back. The middle schoolers then get involved in a massive pillow fight.
U-17 Camp Revolution[]
Ootori is present at the main courts awaiting the arrival of the 1st Stringers. He is present when the Top 10 enter the main court and are waiting for No.s 11-20 to arrive from the challenge matches. He then witnesses along with the rest of the camp the shock upset that the No.s 11-19 have been replaced by Middle Schoolers. Due to this, the Top 10 accept the challenge of the Middle Schoolers and agree to take them on in matches. Hirakoba and the rest of the camp await along with the rest of the camp for the matches that involve the players who are set to challenge the Top 10 for their places.
Tennis Record[]
Playing Style and Technique[]
Hirakoba is shown as an able and skilled player. Being able to seal all of Fuji Shusuke's Triple Counters and Kawamura's Hadoukyu.
A martial arts-based technique that gives the impression Hirakoba is able to approach the net or baseline in 1 step.
The ball curves wildly after it bounces. It can be used as a serve, a smash and even a forehand.
Hirakoba performing Giant Habu.
Whereas the Habu only curves after the ball lands, the Giant Habu curves immediately after leaving the racket.
U-17 Camp Stats[]
- Speed: 4
- Technique: 4
- Mental: 3
- Stamina: 3
- Power: 3
Personal Information[]
- Favourite Food: Young oysters (strawberry), Mimi Sarada
- Hobbies: Shopping, Fishing with a harpoon
- Use of Allowance: Clothes, shoes, Beauty parlor
- Favourite Motto: Tomorrow is tomorrow blowing wind
- Father’s Job: Public Service Employee
- Strong Subject/s: National Language, Art
- Worst Subject/s: English
- Committee: Disciplinarian
- Most Frequently Visited Spot at School: Rooftop where can see the beach
- Favourite Movie: Fugitive
- Favourite Book: Okinawa Walker
- Favourite Music: Dance music, Europe Beat
- Favourite Colour: Turquoise
- Type of girl: girl has good taste in fashion
- Date Spot you want to go: beach
- Thing he wants most right now: iPod
- Daily Routine: Grandmother’s head-bashing
- Dislike: Gouya, it bound
- Special skill: Okinawan Martial Arts, Street dancing
Tennis Bag Content[]
- Old style iPod
An iPod full of dance music! He's never without it when he's on the move. He wants to get the newest model soon. - T-shirt for changing
Jumping into the sea with all the clothes on!! Hirakoba runs around a lot like that. He always has a spare change of clothing. - Headphones
Noises disappear at the press of a switch. It's a favourite item that was bought around the same time as the iPod. - Magazine (Men's Non-No)
The so-called stylish Hirakoba's favourite magazine. Recently he's really into urahara-kei fashion.
[urahara-kei = the style of "inner" Harajuku, Shibuya. Think the style, say, Nakagauchi Masataka wears. And brands such as A Bathing Ape, Stussy, X-Girl, etc.] - Fragrance
Fragrance by a certain sunglasses company. It's popular because a famous soccer star has the same fragrance. - Bag for small items
A small bag made by his mother. Although it's old and has stain here and there, he lovingly uses it to store his iPod.
Etymology[]
- The name Rin means "cold; frigid; bracing; dignified" (凛).
- Rin's surname Hirakoba means "flat, broad, level, even, peaceful" (平) (hira), "old, antiquity, ancient time, used, secondhand" (古) (ko) and "field, place" (場) (ba).
Trivia[]
- Some of the Higa regulars dyed their hair so they could be as popular as fellow Kyushu players Tachibana Kippei and Chitose Senri which explains why in his 2nd year, Hirakoba had black hair yet he is now a blondie.[1]