Features: Ryoma Echizen (Prince of Tennis)

Ryoma is a first year student at Seishun Academy, where he begins attending immediately after his arrival in Japan after residing in the United States. Although only a first year in middle school, Ryoma had already earned notoriety through winning four consecutive titles in the American Junior Tennis tournaments – all in a little over a year. Due to his nearly invincible tennis play, Ryoma has earned the label 'prodigy' by the age of twelve. His looks and confidence make him highly popular with girls, although he seems not to notice, having his focus exclusively on tennis.
He is an all-court tennis player with many special shots and abilities. One of Ryoma's greatest talents is his ability to learn new techniques after only seeing them performed a few times.
Although he is left-handed, his famous Twist Serve is only effective when delivered from the dominant hand of his opponents (i.e. he uses his right hand when serving against right handed players). He occasionally plays tennis with his right hand as either a handicap for weaker opponents or a way to test his opponent's abilities. When the need for returning at a difficult angle or distance arises, Ryoma also incorporates the use of "nitoryū" or ambidexterity.
His catchphrase in the Japanese anime is "mada mada dane," literally meaning "no, not yet." In Prince of Tennis's English dub, this is translated as "You still have a ways to go." Having been brought up in the United States, Ryoma is fluent in English, and in the manga and the match with Sanada in the anime, he says "You still have lots more to work on."
Ryoma can be quite cocky and arrogant at times, but is always able to back up his statements with his tennis skills. Often before a match, Ryoma will provoke his opponent. In the beginning of the series, Ryoma was not taken seriously by the other students at his school, and especially at Seigaku tennis club. It was only after he had beaten two of Seigaku's regulars that he gained respect with fellow club members.
Ryoma is quiet by nature, but always stands up for himself and others, even if it involves confronting an upperclassman. He is unafraid almost to the point of recklessness, but rarely gets angry or out of control. Much of the time, he is serious, quiet, and untalkative.
Sakuno Ryuzaki, Ryoma's friend and coach Sumire Ryuzaki's granddaughter, has a crush on him, but because he is so aloof and she is so shy, he does not recognize her feelings for him and treats her much the same as he treats the other freshmen students. The manga hints that this may change, as Ryoma shows signs of jealousy after Sakuno befriends Shitenhouji's Kintarou Tooyama.
At the beginning of the series, all of Ryoma's tennis skills were a copy of his father's. With the help of his team captain, Kunimitsu Tezuka, Ryoma realizes his need to develop his own style of tennis if he intends to reach his goal and defeat his father.
With each match, it becomes apparent that Ryoma not only brings his potential to the front, but that he is constantly reaching a new point in the state of self-actualization – especially so during crucial points in a match. Although he views each opponent as a stepping stone of advancement, Tezuka soon becomes the wall that Ryoma has set up for himself in order to achieve actual greatness.
Although Ryoma has a rather tunneled vision as to whom he considers a rival (Tezuka and his father), there are many that view the first year as just that. One of the more notable examples of this in the anime is Kevin Smith, the son of the tennis coach George Smith, who was defeated by Nanjiro Echizen in defense of George's pupil Rinko Takeuchi, who'd later become Ryoma's mother, fifteen years ago. Kevin appeared later in the series in the "friendly" match between the U.S. and Japan; Kevin became obsessed with wanting to play Ryoma because of their pasts, whereas in the beginning Ryoma regarded Kevin's threats with a rather unconcerned attitude until he saw him play against Yamabuki's Jin Akutsu in the streets. Tezuka was unimpressed with Ryoma's attitude toward the matches, and as a result, Ryoma was forced to earn his place as a reserve player.