Higa Chuu, is a school introduced in the later parts of the original series. It is the first team from the Okinawa Prefecture to make it past the Kyūshū tournament in twenty-six years. All its players are Okinawan martial artists, and incorporate their experience in their tennis style, such as with the "Shukuchihou" method of movement. They have a rather bad attitude, and are not afraid to use nasty methods in order to win. During the series, the team makes the Nationals for the first time, and defeat Rokkaku in the first round. However, they are defeated in straight sets by Seigaku in the second round.
Information[]
- Established: 1966
- Student body: 545 (372 boys, 173 girls).
- Coach:Harumi Saotome
- Captain: Eishirou Kite
- Vice-Captain: Yuujirou Kai
History[]
For the past 26 years, no team from Okinawa has made it past the Kyūshū Tournament. The run of misfortune finally ended this year with the surge of a new powerhouse, Higa. Under the leadership of Eishirou Kite, Higa dominated its regional tournament, dethroning Shishigaku, last year's National semifinalist.
The Higa players are experts in Okinawan martial arts, which is incorporated into their tennis. Their trademark technique is the Shukuchihō, developed by martial artists to sneak up on the enemies. By running without kicking the ground and using the Earth's gravity, the martial artists use faster steps instead of letting their steps fall naturally. Thus, it would seem to be just one step. In Higa's case, during the initial movements, the position of the player's head would appear to remain completely unchanged, creating a false impression that they can reach the net from the service line in an instant.
Considered to be the dark horse at the Nationals, Higa overwhelmed Rokkaku in the first round with the Shukuchihō, but came up short against the freshly-crowned Kantō Champion Seishun Gakuen. Higa's 8 regulars were assembled during a day of "Survival of the Fittest" training on the beach. Contrary to their martial arts background, the Higa players are very violent and do not practice self-restraint or honor. On several occasions, under orders from Kite or advisor Harumi Saotome, Higa players attempted to injure their opponent's advisor.
Higa's invitation to the U-17 Camp.
After the Nationals, the Higa regulars missed their flight back to Okinawa and had to work their way back home. After bumping into Seigaku while they were having a joint training camp at Shitenhōji in Osaka, Higa's coach finally sent them money for tickets home. However, the moment they arrived to shore through a wooden log boat, their coach informs them that they have been invited to the U-17 Training Camp and had to leave immediately, much to Kite, Kai, Chinen, Tanishi, and Hirakoba's dismay.
Tennis Team Members[]
Coach[]
3rd Years[]
- Eishirou Kite (Captain)
- Yuujirou Kai (Vice Captain)
- Hiroshi Chinen
- Kei Tanishi
- Rin Hirakoba
- Tomoya Shiranui
2nd Years[]
Gallery[]
