Tezuka

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Tezuka Kunimitsu (手冢)
Alias(es)	Captain Tezuka; Coach Tezuka 94 97
Species/Race	Human
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Seigaku Academy Tennis Club — former captain; Germany’s professional tennis circuit 92 226 227
Occupation/Role	Tennis player; Seigaku captain; temporary Youth Training Camp coach 92 94
Status	Left Seigaku to pursue professional tennis in Germany 226 227
First Appearance	Chapter 4

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Tezuka Zone	96	Uses a court-wide spin vortex to draw returned balls back into his hitting range.
Hundred Refinements Self-Acquired Limit	151	Opens one of the Three Gates; doubles the returned ball’s power, speed, and spin while reducing arm fatigue.
Radiant Talent Limit	209	Awakens a second Gate and uses it alongside Hundred Refinements to overcome Chitose’s prediction.
Heavenly Clothes Seamless	221	Breaks through after confronting his attachment to Seigaku; becomes immune to Horio’s mental tennis and reaches a higher state of play.
Supreme Domain	224	Merges the Tezuka Zone and Tezuka Phantom, simultaneously pulling manageable shots inward and forcing stronger shots out.
Professional refinement	279	Displays an enhanced Tezuka Zone and a new counter-vortex technique after professional training.

Background / History

Tezuka serves as Seigaku’s strict tennis-club captain. He enforces discipline without exception, ordering every rule-breaker to run laps, but Horio’s question—“What do you take tennis for?”—leaves a strong impression on him. 4

His arm injury prevents him from entering Seigaku’s early district and prefectural lineups. During this period, Horio fills the crucial Singles 1 position in Tezuka’s place, while Tezuka continues leading the team and prioritizing the players’ safety over tournament results. 10 16

After treatment begins to show results, Tezuka returns following Seigaku’s Kanto Tournament victory. Though his arm is not fully recovered, he trains with Horio instead of attending the Youth Training Camp, then joins Horio in temporarily coaching Coach Ryuzaki’s group during her hospitalization. 37 92 93 94

Tezuka resumes competitive training by decisively defeating camp challengers with the Tezuka Zone. He later helps select the Japan–USA youth-match representatives, agreeing with Horio that Ryoma requires greater maturity before representing the team. 97 102 103

Before the National Tournament, Tezuka leads Seigaku’s intensified training despite his injured arm. His long-delayed official match against Fuji becomes a defining demonstration of his recovery and growth: he defeats Fuji after unveiling the Tezuka Zone and Hundred Refinements Self-Acquired Limit. 137 148 150 151 152

Against Shitenhoji, Tezuka partners with Horio in Second Doubles and faces Chitose Senri. Chitose initially suppresses him with Radiant Talent’s exact predictions, but Tezuka breaks through by activating Radiant Talent himself and combining it with Hundred Refinements Self-Acquired. 206 208 209

Horio’s later match with Tezuka under a train overpass forces Tezuka to confront the conflict between his duty to Seigaku and his own professional ambitions. He reaches Heavenly Clothes Seamless, develops the Supreme Domain, and ultimately accepts that Seigaku can succeed without being solely dependent on him. 219 221 224

Tezuka resigns from Seigaku to pursue professional tennis in Germany. Before leaving, he arranges for Kaitou to face Sanada as a test of Kaitou’s potential to become Seigaku’s next captain. Seigaku subsequently wins the National Tournament, allowing Tezuka to let go of his remaining concern for the club. 226 227 260

Appearance

Tezuka usually wears Seigaku’s tennis uniform and gold-rimmed glasses. 5 9

• Gold-rimmed glasses. 5
• Usually maintains a stern, composed expression. 9 149
• His left arm emits a white aura while using Hundred Refinements Self-Acquired. 151
• Heavenly Clothes Seamless surrounds him in a brilliant aura. 221 224

Personality

Tezuka is disciplined, serious, and uncompromising about tennis-club standards. His strictness is rooted in responsibility rather than cruelty: he values Seigaku’s players’ safety above even the national championship. 4 16

As captain, he bears Seigaku’s future heavily on his shoulders. This sense of responsibility initially leads him to reject professional offers, believing he must personally remain the team’s pillar. Horio’s challenge eventually makes him acknowledge the strength of his teammates and pursue his own path. 219 221 224 226

He remains calm under pressure and respects capable opponents. He accepts Horio’s guidance, recognizes Chitose’s strength, and entrusts Sanada—despite their rivalry—with testing Kaitou’s leadership potential. 207 209 227

Abilities & Skills

Tezuka Zone

Tezuka applies subtle spin to returns, creating a vortex that pulls balls from his court back toward his ideal hitting position. 96 150

• Redirects returns from across his half of the court toward himself. 96 150
• Can be overwhelmed by shots that exceed the vortex’s power tolerance. 220
• Its effectiveness is strengthened when combined with Hundred Refinements Self-Acquired. 151 220

Hundred Refinements Self-Acquired Limit

One of the Three Gates accessed beyond the State of Selflessness. It concentrates power in Tezuka’s left arm and returns incoming shots with doubled force. 151

• Doubles the opponent’s power, speed, and spin on return. 151
• Reduces fatigue in the arm used to strike the ball. 151
• Weakens other bodily functions if used alone; Tezuka Zone compensates for this drawback. 151
• Can be activated simultaneously with Radiant Talent. 209

Radiant Talent Limit

Tezuka unlocks Radiant Talent while confronting Chitose, allowing him to reach a higher level of prediction than Chitose’s own version. 208 209

• Breaks Chitose’s “absolute prediction” by exceeding its projected possibilities. 208 209
• Can be used together with Hundred Refinements Self-Acquired and Tezuka Zone. 209
• Its predictive function is challenged by tennis’s inherent unpredictability. 208

Heavenly Clothes Seamless

Tezuka enters Heavenly Clothes Seamless after realizing that his love of tennis and trust in his teammates matter more than his obsession with carrying Seigaku alone. 221

• Resists Horio’s Complete Imprisonment and other mental tennis techniques. 221
• Greatly improves his movement, endurance, and basic returns. 221 222
• Restores his condition enough to continue using his techniques at a high level. 224
• Still places physical strain on him during extended rallies. 222 225

Tezuka Phantom and Supreme Domain

Tezuka Phantom uses stronger spin to force the opponent’s shots out of bounds. By merging it with the Tezuka Zone, Tezuka creates the Supreme Domain. 222 224

• Tezuka Phantom — redirects powerful opposing shots out of bounds. 222 223
• Greater incoming power causes Tezuka Phantom to force the ball farther outward. 223
• Tezuka Phantom and Zero-style techniques burden his arm. 223
• Supreme Domain — combines the inward pull of Tezuka Zone with Tezuka Phantom’s outward redirection. 224
• The Supreme Domain has no stated side effects and is difficult to break unless the opponent is substantially stronger. 224

Zero-style Techniques

Tezuka employs extreme spin techniques that keep the ball from bouncing normally. 150 222

• Zero-style Slice Shot — a return that lands and rolls back toward the net. 150
• Zero-style Serve — a nearly unreturnable serve that stays pressed to the court after landing. 222
• Zero Lob Shot — a lob that slides across the ground rather than bouncing. 225
• The Zero-style Serve places severe strain on his arm and cannot be used continuously without risk. 222

Other Techniques

• Divine Concealment — learned and used against Chitose; makes the ball disappear from sight after it bounces. 207
• Cross-court drive — a fast, sharply angled baseline attack. 150
• Counter-vortex technique — a new technique displayed during his professional-era doubles match with Shiraishi. 279

Relationships

• Horio Satoshi — Teammate, training partner, and catalyst for Tezuka’s personal breakthrough. Horio supports Seigaku in Tezuka’s absence, trains with him, and pushes him to accept his professional ambition. 92 93 219 221 224
• Fuji Syusuke — Fellow Seigaku genius and longtime rival. Tezuka once lost badly to Fuji while injured in their first year, then defeats him in their later official match. 148 152
• Oishi Shichirou — Trusted teammate whose expectations helped reinforce Tezuka’s commitment to Seigaku’s national championship. 9 224
• Ryuzaki Sumire — Seigaku’s coach. She supports Tezuka’s leadership, allows him and Horio to coach during her hospitalization, and respects his decision to leave for Germany. 94 226
• Sanada Genichiro — Longstanding rival from elementary school. Tezuka asks Sanada to test Kaitou’s qualifications as Seigaku’s next captain before departing. 219 227
• Chitose Senri — Rival and fellow Three Gates user. Their match drives Tezuka to awaken Radiant Talent. 207 209
• Kaitou Kaoru — Tezuka’s chosen successor as Seigaku captain; Tezuka arranges Kaitou’s match against Sanada to teach him the burden of leadership. 226 248 249
• Shiraishi Kuranosuke — Later doubles partner; Shiraishi witnesses Tezuka’s increased strength after professional training. 279

Notable Quotes

“Go forth with your full concentration.” 97

“Seigaku now, even without my presence, can make history.” 224

“Victory will belong to us.” 279