Summary
Tatsuhiko Aota serves as the captain of the Shohoku judo team and is a childhood friend of the Akagi siblings. His rivalry with Takenori Akagi has persisted since their youth, beginning with arguments over whether judo or basketball is superior and evolving into a competition to see which team will secure the National Championship title first. Aota once attempted to recruit Sakuragi into the judo squad, impressed by his combat prowess, and even resorted to bribing him with childhood photos of Haruko. Sakuragi declined, claiming he is strictly a basketball player, though this was largely a ruse to remain closer to Haruko within the basketball team. Despite the rejection, Aota occasionally tries to persuade him again. He demonstrates strong loyalty to Takenori, offering support when the latter is pressured during the second match against Ryonan. Although he failed to physically force Sakuragi into judo, Aota has proven his own athletic capability by becoming the only member of his team to qualify for the National Championships. Additionally, he has harbored a crush on Haruko since they were young, and her habit of calling him "Ta-chan" rather than by his surname greatly irritates Sakuragi.
