Kirihara, Akaya
Summary
Kirihara Akaya is a second-year student at Rikkaidai Fuzoku Junior High, residing in Class 2-D with the student number 6. Born on September 25, he stands 168 cm tall and weighs 61 kg, with type O blood and a dominant right hand. He plays as an aggressive baseliner, utilizing DT PRINCE shoes with DYNOSPHERE Technology and a PRO STAFF 5.5 PRINCE STRETCH racket. His repertoire includes special moves such as the Knuckle Serve, Speed Play, and Phantom Ball, alongside the intense Red-eye Mode, Devil Mode, and Angel Mode. He enjoys roasted meat and sushi. As the youngest and sole second-year player in the Rikkai Dai lineup, he holds the title of "Second Year Ace," also referred to as the "Junior Ace." He entered the prestigious school with the ambition of becoming Japan's number one player, inspired by its powerful tennis team. However, his aspirations were quickly dampened by the overwhelming strength of Rikkai's Three Monsters: Yukimura, Sanada, and Renji. When faced with intense pressure or when his pride is wounded, Kirihara becomes enraged and enters a "devilish" state, characterized by blood-red eyes. In this condition, he launches brutal physical assaults against his opponents, a tactic he employed against Tachibana and later against Fuji Shūsuke. This aggressive approach proved entirely ineffective against his vice-captain, Sanada Genichirō, due to the latter's exceptional reflexes. Sanada noted that even if Kirihara trained for another ten years, he might only then have a chance to defeat him.
