Tezuka

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Tezuka Kunimitsu (手冢)
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Seigaku Tennis Club (former captain); Germany representative team 409 777
Occupation/Role	Competitive tennis player; former Seigaku captain; Germany representative player 26 777
Status	Active
First Appearance	Chapter 8

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
State of Selflessness / Tezuka Zone	8	Reveals the State of Selflessness—Hundred Refinements and Tezuka Zone while overwhelming Sanada 6–1, 6–0.
Zero-Shiki Slice	13	Combines Tezuka Zone with a slice that lands without bouncing and rolls back toward the net.
Pinnacle of a Thousand Forgings	14	Uses the State of Selflessness to amplify his returns and withstand Muneyoshi's mental interference.
Zero Style Serve	116	Secures Seigaku's victory over Makino Fuji with four consecutive non-bouncing serves.
Dual Gates of Selflessness	285	Opens the Pinnacle of a Thousand Forgings and Talent Limit simultaneously against Atobe.
Cloudbreak Limit	469 606	Breaks through during the deciding match against Shapoka Golfer; later strengthens it enough to suppress Yukimura's spirit.
Tezuka Phantom	457 575	Deploys an opposing spin technique that repels the ball from its expected course.
Supreme Domain	608 621	Integrates Tezuka Phantom and Tezuka Zone, including a reverse application that sends opponents' shots out of bounds.
Dual Cloudbreak Lights	620 622	Restores his disrupted Cloudbreak connection and manifests two distinct Lights of Restraint that begin to merge.
Radiant Brilliance	779	Unleashes his full radiant power against Akutsu.
True Supreme Domain	782	Uses two opposing spins in one Domain to neutralize Akutsu's attacks and seize the deciding set.

Background

Tezuka spent time in Germany on an exchange with a tennis club before entering junior high. After returning to Japan, repeated interruptions—including being taken fishing by his grandfather—caused him to miss several tournaments. He cared less about awards than finding strong opponents capable of improving his tennis. 8

After arriving too late for the Tokyo Metropolis Junior Tournament, Tezuka challenged its champion, Yukimura Seiichi. Sanada Genichirou accepted in Yukimura's place, only to be decisively beaten 6–1, 6–0. The match established Tezuka as Sanada's foremost rival and made Yukimura recognize his strength. 8

Saeki Muneyoshi later invited Tezuka to a private match. Tezuka recognized Muneyoshi's mental-pressure-based tennis as a powerful system unlike his own and accepted eagerly; he ultimately won 6–4. 12 16

At Seigaku, Tezuka rejected the club's seniority-based order. He defeated Takei Kenshi 6–0, led the first-years through ranking matches, and received the captaincy from Yamato Yūdai after the older players were largely defeated. 26 38

Appearance

Tezuka has tea-colored hair and typically wears glasses. He is frequently depicted in Seigaku's blue-and-white training uniform and plays left-handed with a silver-rimmed racket. 8 24 469

• Calm, stern expression that rarely changes during a match. 8 116
• Rimless glasses, often adjusted before confronting an opponent. 8
• Left-handed player, though he later trains his right hand for two-handed spin applications. 26 611

Personality

Tezuka is composed, direct, and intensely competitive. He seeks difficult opponents rather than easy recognition, treating strong matches as the fastest route to improvement. Even as a young player, he approached Yukimura and Sanada without hesitation after missing the Tokyo tournament. 8

His ambition is centered on becoming a professional tennis player. This goal drives his self-discipline, willingness to revise his methods, and refusal to become dependent on a single technique or system. 283 621

As captain, Tezuka is demanding but protective. He believes defeat can be necessary nourishment for growth, as shown by his expectations for Echizen Ryoma, and he pushes Akutsu through severe practice matches to develop his potential. 569 627

Tezuka is exceptionally resilient under pressure. He continued fighting Muneyoshi despite severe injuries and later regained his Cloudbreak after its connection was severed. 329 620 622

Abilities & Skills

State of Selflessness

Tezuka's primary tennis path is the State of Selflessness, which enhances his physical performance and enables advanced “doors” or limits.

• Pinnacle of a Thousand Forgings / Hundred Refinements — amplifies the spin, power, and speed of his returns. 8 14
• Talent Limit — grants heightened prediction and allows him to anticipate an opponent's movements. 285 324
• Can open the Pinnacle and Talent Limit simultaneously. 285
• His early Five Dimensions total was 20.5; the State of Selflessness raised his effective total to 22.5. 16

Tezuka Zone and Supreme Domain

Tezuka manipulates the ball through precise spin, drawing returns toward his ideal position and reducing unnecessary movement.

• Tezuka Zone — curves incoming balls back toward him for controlled counterattacks. 13 323
• Tezuka Phantom — applies an opposing spin that forces the ball away from the opponent's intended path. 457 608
• Supreme Domain — combines both spin principles; its reverse application can double spin and induce forced outs. 621
• True Supreme Domain — employs two different, opposing spins at once. 782
• Tanegashima Shūji can nullify Tezuka's spin-based techniques, making him a natural counter to this system. 457 458

Zero Style Techniques

Tezuka's Zero Style techniques use extreme spin to prevent the ball from bouncing normally.

• Zero Style Serve — a non-bouncing serve that skids and rolls toward the net; it is especially difficult to return on hard courts. 116 469 782
• Zero-Shiki Slice — a short, non-bouncing slice that rolls back after landing. 13
• Zero-Shiki Drop Shot — a disguised low slice used to force a short-ball response. 325 781
• Zero Style Lob — a lob that lands without rebounding. 325
• Later refines the serve until its motion is nearly indistinguishable from a normal flat serve. 777

Cloudbreak Limit and Radiant Brilliance

Cloudbreak is Tezuka's advanced manifestation of the State of Selflessness and the Light of Restraint.

• Enhances his speed and senses while projecting a suppressive radiance against an opponent's spirit. 469 606 608
• Can be resisted by Yukimura's Zero-Sense Tennis and temporarily severed by Muneyoshi's Darkness. 606 620
• Restores and evolves it into two simultaneous Lights of Restraint. 622
• Radiant Brilliance represents Tezuka fighting at full power. 779

Fundamentals and Adaptability

Tezuka pairs his special techniques with elite fundamentals and fast tactical adjustment.

• Uses the Sweet Spot to absorb and weaken heavy impacts. 619
• Learned not to rely exclusively on Tezuka Zone after Akutsu repeatedly broke through it. 283
• Trained his right hand to support a two-handed Tezuka Zone. 611
• Improved his stamina through German training, overcoming a previous weakness in prolonged matches. 777

Relationships

• Saeki Muneyoshi — Rival and one of Tezuka's most important benchmarks. Muneyoshi initially viewed Tezuka as a lifelong inspiration; their matches repeatedly force both players to evolve. 12 16 623
• Sanada Genichirou — Childhood acquaintance and long-standing rival. Tezuka's 6–1, 6–0 victory became a defining motivation for Sanada. 8 409
• Fuji Shusuke — Close friend and Seigaku teammate. Fuji's reminder of Tezuka's professional goal helps reignite his resolve against Muneyoshi. 574 621
• Akutsu Jin — Seigaku teammate, training partner, and fierce rival. Akutsu's ability to break Tezuka Zone pushed Tezuka to broaden his tennis, while Tezuka later trains Akutsu intensely. 283 627 783
• Yamato Yūdai — Former Seigaku captain who supported the ranking reform and handed the captaincy to Tezuka. 26
• Atobe Keigo — Rival captain whose Weakness Insight Tezuka breaks during their first major confrontation. 283 285
• Yukimura Seiichi — Elite rival Tezuka originally sought out at the Tokyo tournament; their later singles match becomes a clash of Cloudbreak and Zero-Sense Tennis. 8 605 606
• Polk — German mentor and supporter whose guidance advances Tezuka toward professional tennis. 775 777

Story Role / Major Arcs

Seigaku Revolution

Tezuka overturns Seigaku's seniority-driven club structure, becomes captain, and establishes ability-based ranking matches. His leadership enables Seigaku's first-years to become the club's core. 26 38

Rise on the National Stage

In Seigaku's match against Makino Fuji, Tezuka defeats captain Fuwa the Iron Man after a tense battle against Fuwa's Mirror ability. His victory makes Seigaku—and Tezuka himself—known throughout the junior-high tennis scene. 115 116

Kanto Captain Battles

Tezuka defeats Atobe by combining improved fundamentals with Tezuka Zone, Zero-Shiki Slice, and dual State of Selflessness gates. 283 285

He later faces Muneyoshi in the Kanto final, where Muneyoshi suppresses his techniques and ultimately defeats him as Fudomine claims the championship. 327 329

Training Camp and International Play

At the U-17 training camp, Tezuka confronts Tanegashima, whose effortless spin nullification challenges the foundation of Tezuka's tennis. Tezuka adapts by relying on the Zero Style Serve rather than spin-dependent control alone. 457 458

Tezuka represents Japan in the deciding singles match against South African captain Shapoka Golfer. He activates Cloudbreak and wins 2–6, 7–5, 6–3. 468 469

Germany and the Akutsu Match

After Germany recruits and trains him, Tezuka's stamina, Zero Style Serve, and professional-level control improve significantly. 440 777

In Germany's semifinal against Japan, Tezuka defeats Akutsu in the crucial third singles match by unveiling the True Supreme Domain, securing Germany's victory. 782 783

Notable Quotes

“I will never fall until I defeat you!”

— Tezuka to Saeki Muneyoshi 621

“I will become a true professional player, Ani, you can't stop me!”

— Tezuka to Akutsu 781