The fact that he ran so much out of fear has made him the star player of the team, and he’s just as determined to reach national leagues with his team beside him. Now he’s part of the Deimon Devil Bats Football Team, and surrounded by people who like and respect him. Sena has been a pushover all his life, forced to run back and forth to buy snacks for the bullies who torment him. Take the protagonist, Sena, for instance. The characters are super likable and passionate about the game.

Sena’s desire to become faster and improve is admirable, the strong assortment of rivals makes the football games so much more intense and seeing new techniques and plays applied as new abilities and powerups work surprisingly well.

What immediately sticks out about Eyeshield 21 is that it uses the shonen battle formula super effectively in its storytelling, which makes it easy to latch onto even for those unfamiliar with football. Hiruma then “politely suggests” Sena joins the team, but to hide his secret running talent so he won’t be scouted by other clubs, Hiruma makes Sena wear an eyeshield over his helmet and gives him the number 21 on his jersey, referring to him only as Eyeshield 21 during practice and games.

While running for his life from some delinquent bullies, Sena catches the attention of the demonic quarterback of the high school football team, Yoichi Hiruma, who believes his incredible speed and quick reflexes would make him an excellent running back for the team. The story of Eyeshield 21 follows Sena Kobayakawa, a freshman student at Deimon High School who's been picked on his whole life and wants to make real friends. RELATED: The Disastrous Life of Saiki K Is the One-Punch Man of Slice-of-Life Anime It received an anime adaption by Studio Gallop, known for the Yu-Gi-Ohanime and its various spinoffs. Stone) and illustrated by Yusuke Marata ( One Punch Man) and originally ran in Weekly Shonen Jump from 2002 to 2009. The series was written by Riichiro Inagaki ( Dr. Even so, sports anime skeptics might change their minds about the genre after giving Eyeshield 21 a chance.Įyeshield 21 is a shonen sports anime/manga centered around the game of American Football. Getting into sports can be a challenge for some, and those already disinterested in sports might be similarly disinterested in sports anime.

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