is a fictional character in the manga and anime series The Prince of Tennis; He was created by Takeshi Konomi, who described Tezuka as the character with whom he has the least in common. In the story, he is introduced as the strict and serious captain of Seishun Academy's ("Seigaku" for short) tennis team who enforces order within his team, often forcing its members to run laps. With his all-around tennis style and advanced techniques, Tezuka is considered to be a national-level tennis player by many of the other characters. Description Tezuka encourages the series protagonist, Ryoma Echizen, to develop his own style of tennis, leading the latter to consider him as both a mentor and rival. Throughout the series, Tezuka continues to struggle with consistent pain in his left arm, which was inflicted on him two years prior to the main storyline by an upperclassman. However, he often sacrifices the use of his arm to defeat opponents and lead his team to the National Tennis Tournament. In addition to appearing in the series' other media, including musicals, films, and soundtracks, different types of merchandise have been released in his likeness, including figurines and jewelry. Tezuka's character has been well received by readers since his introduction, having ranked in the top five most popular characters in every Shonen Jump character popularity poll of series. He has also remained in the top 10 annual Valentine Chocolate Recipient rankings that Takeshi Konomi releases in the manga, in which readers mail in who they want to send chocolate. However, in publications on manga and anime, his character has received mixed reviews. Reviewers comment on his lack of originality and that the impossibility of one of his techniques is part of why the story seems idiotic. Though one reviewer questions his likability as a protagonist, his personality is praised, with one praising his devotion as one of the highlights of the series, and another commenting that he is a good captain who properly motivates the main character. Character outline Background Parts of Tezuka's history are revealed throughout several flashbacks in the story. Three years prior, when he was still a relatively unknown tennis player, Tezuka easily defeated the Junior Tennis Tournament's runner-up, Genichiro Sanada, and played evenly against the champion, Seiichi Yukimura. Upon his entrance into Seishun Academy nearly a year later, Tezuka was already a better tennis player than most of his upperclassman.