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Niou Masaharu

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Niou Masaharu
Kanji 仁王雅治
Kana におう・まさはる
Nicknames
  • Trickster of the Courts
Characteristics
Gender Male
Age 14
Height 176 cm
Weight 60 kg
Birthday December 4
Horoscope Sagittarius
Eyesight (Unaided) 2.0 (both eyes)
Blood Type AB
Family
  • Father
  • Mother
  • Older Sister
  • Younger Brother
School
Current School Rikkai (3rd Year)
Class 3-B
Seat 14
Former School(s) Unknown school in the south
Tennis
Club Position Regular
Dominant Arm Left
Play Style All Rounder
Doubles Partner(s)
Racket(s) Prince (MORE POWER 1150 S)
Media
Manga Debut Genius 193
Anime Debut Episode 116
Seiyuu Masuda Yuki

Niou Masaharu (仁王雅治, におう・まさはる) is a 3rd year student at Rikkai. The only player Inui Sadaharu lacked data on during Kanto Regionals, Niou is a character with a mysterious air about him both on and off the court. He specializes in trick play and misdirection, fooling both opponents and allies alike with his powerful illusions. In The New Prince of Tennis, Niou becomes a representative for Team Japan.

Appearance

Niou takes on slightly different appearances in the manga and anime. While both appearances feature messy gray hair and a rat tail, Niou's hair takes on blue-gray tint in the anime and a light-gray tint in the manga. In the anime, Niou's eyes are blue, but they take on a yellow hue in the manga. Additionally, he has defined lower lashes and a mole on the right side of his chin, just below his lips.

Personality

It might seem like Niou's personality can be summed up quickly by his title as a trickster, but there is more to him than meets the eye. To most, he appears cool, mysterious, and quietly offensive on the court, but Niou has a hidden childish and mischievous personality that is shown in more than just his on court tricks. Growing up in a family of tricksters has caused him to naturally go with the flow and do whatever makes him happiest, remaining unfazed by obstacles in his way. He's able to shake off losses easily and return to his natural balance without difficulty due to his easily adaptable nature. This is shown when he isn't bothered at all by Yagyuu turning his trick back on him; he even jokes about his doubles partner's hidden trickster nature. Additionally, he teases Atobe Keigo by naming his dorm room "Niou Kingdom." Niou enjoys teasing his teammates as much as he enjoys toying with his opponents; it's all part of his fun-loving, my pace personality.

Niou is not simply fun-loving though. There is a another layer to his personality best described as his sensory and analytical side. Niou is able to predict matches up to twenty moves in advance, and this applies to off court experiences as well. Niou is an intuitive person who is skilled at reading the feelings of other and adapting to them, and he has the ability to put people at ease or rile them up with a few words. Because he's aware of this, Niou tends to use his skills of manipulation "for good." When turning down confessions, he does them sincerely and politely. When he sees that Momoshiro Takeshi is struggling to climb up the cliffside with his injury, Niou uses his trickster skills to make Kabaji Munehiro carry the other up the cliff because Niou isn't strong enough to do it on his own. Additionally, when Niou slaps Sanada Genichirou after his loss, he does it because he understands that's what his vice-captain needs in order to move forward. As Niou has recently begun to read literature about having an honest heart, he seems to be striving to be a trustworthy trickster.

History

Prior to the events of the main story

Not much is known about Niou prior to starting school at Rikkai aside from the fact that he graduated from an unknown elementary school in the south [1] and once left his parents' house in Shikoku to go on an adventure (he went back a few hours later because he got hungry).[2]

After matriculating into Rikkai, Niou joins the tennis club as a first year. He was present with the team when they won Nationals.

Kantou Tournament

Curbstomped some fodder, didn't play against Fudo, beat Golden Pair... oh yeah, the switch.

Nationals

Curbstomped some fodder, doubles with Yanagi, lost to Fuji.

U-17 Camp

Lost to Yagyuu, Toby Illusion, played with an egg, Niou Kingdom, doubles with Toby, almost died being a Tezuka proxy.

World Cup

He let Toby wear a wig.

Anime only arcs

We talking bout anime take on Regionals here

Playstyle

Niou is an offensive All-Rounder who specializes in trick play. An intuitive player, Niou is skilled at reading his opponent's feelings and adapting to them, which is made possible through his high technical ability.

Fanbook 10.5 Information[3]

  • Speed - 3: He has enough speed to finish off opponents who fell for a trick. In his mind that's all he needs
  • Power - 2: This are is his weakness. To compensate for his lack of power, he uses his special technique Illusion.
  • Stamina - 3: Using Illusion consumes more stamina than playing normally, so that is a big problem. Even when copying someone who has as much stamina as he does, he can't last as long.
  • Mental - 5: To exceed the mental abilities of the person he copies, he has developed a special form of mental fortitude.
  • Technique - 5: To copy top class players, he has high technical abilities. The skills he possesses surpass mere trickery.

Kurobe's Memo: More than just playstyle and techniques, he can copy a person's spirit. He then leaves an impression by using their charisma. He is definitely a dangerous individual.

Illusion

When using Illusion, Niou is able to take on the appearance of any player he chooses by copying their mannerisms, vocal tics, etc. The attention to detail in the performance makes it seem like whoever Niou is imitating is truly standing on the court or sitting in the stands. It is more than just an optical illusion though, as Niou is physically able to recreate the moves of whoever he is imitating to complete the Illusion and cement the trick in reality. This combination of the physical and illusionary is possible due to Niou's intuitive play style and high technical ability.

Niou has been shown to turn into a variety of characters: Tezuka Kunimitsu, Shiraishi Kuranosuke, Kikumaru Eiji, Mutsu Yuuho, Echizen Ryoma, Kabaji Munehiro, and Atobe Keigo. It has also been noted that he has the ability to turn into Sanada Genichirou, Tokugawa Kazuya, and Yukimura Seiichi. In addition, Niou's Illusion allows him to use Synchro with seemingly anyone, either by turning into someone who his partner can synchro with (when he turned into Eiji), or by turning into his partner himself (when he turned into Atobe).

Personal Information

  • Hobby: Darts, Blackjack
  • Father's occupation: Company employee (construction company)
  • Spends allowance on: A secret
  • Motto: Straddle the black, white horse. Back up by going forward, forward
  • Best subject: Maths
  • Worst subject: Music
  • Most visited spot in school: Rooftop
  • Favorite color: Blue
  • Favorite food: Yakiniku (oxtail soup)
  • Favorite movie: "8 1/2"
  • Favorite book: "To Become Honest in Heart"
  • Favorite music: Jazz
  • Favorite type: A person who will show him their true face
  • Favorite Date spot: Las Vegas
  • Most wanted item now: Luminous paint and balloons (usage unknown)
  • Daily routine (during the school year): Preparation and review for class
  • Daily routine (during the World Cup): Refill his pockets with chocolate and hard candy
  • Dislikes: Heat, Vegetables
  • Special skill aside tennis: Archery and gun-shooting games (target practice in general), die cutting, and coin toss [4]

Daily School Life

  • 6:45AM - Oversleeps. Forgets to eat breakfast
  • 7:00AM - Goes to school. Morning practice
  • 8:30AM - 1st Period: Music
  • 9:30AM - 2nd Period: Caligraphy
  • 10:40AM - 3rd Period: Science/Meteorology
  • 11:40AM - 4th Period: Mathematics
  • 12:30PM - Lunch Break: Brings his yakiniku special from Umikaze to the rooftop
  • 1:15PM - Impersonates a teacher at the eastern gate and feeds a stray cat
  • 1:30PM - 5th Period: Civics (afternoon nap)
  • 2:30PM - 6th Period: German
  • 3:30PM - Tennis club. Becomes Yukimura with his Illusion
  • 6:00PM - Gun shooting at the game center
  • 6:30PM - Eats dinner at the coffee shop
  • 7:30PM - Returns home, works on something
  • 8:00PM - Gathers information on the internet
  • 8:30PM - Calls Yagyu and asks about the scope of the test
  • 9:00PM - Ups his concentration by throwing darts
  • 9:30PM - Goes out to watch the late show
  • 1:00AM - After returning home, showers, then sleeps[5]

Tennis Bag Contents

Item
Definition
Another item
Another definition

Relationships

Yagyuu Hiroshi
Niou and Yagyuu are doubles partners, usually playing D1. They're classified as the "Give-And-Take" type of pairing, where the clashing of their strong personalities is their strength. To Niou, Yagyuu is an equal existence. [6] There is nothing about the Gentleman that makes him better than the Trickster, and vice versa. Although they are said to have a difficult time building a good relationship for teaming up [7], the two are a high quality doubles combination, able to beat even the Golden Pair. They're known for their ability to switch places with each other through copying each other's mannerisms and changing their appearances with wigs and hair dye. Although the switch isn't perfect due to impossible barriers like height differences (Yagyuu is taller than Niou), they're able to imitate each other to such an extent that opponents aren't able to tell them apart, and this speaks to the strength of their dynamic and partnership.
Atobe Keigo
Niou and Atobe first begin interacting at the U17 Camp. Niou had been seen to imitate Atobe while he was at the Loser's Camp, and when he came back to the main camp, Niou named Room 214 "Niou Kingdom" after Atobe Kingdom. The two eventually play doubles together against Ochi Tsukimitsu and Mouri Jusaburou, forming the "Strongest Pair" with Atobe's Insight and Niou's Illusion. They are the only 2nd String challengers to beat the Top 10, claiming the No. 9 and No. 10 badges despite being a relatively new doubles combination. Atobe and Niou later switch places at the World Cup, and Atobe plays as Niou while Niou watches as Atobe in the stands. Despite Atobe playing with his right hand, they are able to fool both their opponents and teammates. This speaks to how quickly they were able to develop a relationship with each other, as only Yagyuu was thought to be able to do this with Niou.

Trivia

  • Niou's entire family imitates each other and plays tricks.
  • Niou makes a habit out of skipping Music class, even on test days.
  • Niou shares the candies in his pocket with Marui and Kintarou.
  • Niou has an interest in architecture and plans to study it in high school.
  • As part of an alternative learning experience, Niou temporarily joined the circus.

Words for the Two

Others about Niou[8]
  • "Niou is totally, totally cool! Illusion means transforming, right! Like a super hero" - Akutagawa Jirou
  • "Even though you're both small fry, you're so flashy in your actions. Don't stand out so uselessly, ah~n?" - Atobe Keigo
  • "Illusion might even be one of the doors of Muga. I think I need to research this in the university hospital." - Chitose Senri
  • "So Niou likes the ocean too?? The ocean is great. It lets you feel how large the world is." - Hirakoba Rin
  • "Illusion is great for bluffing, but at its core how is it any different from my copycat? " - Hitouji Yuuji
  • "Both of you have nicknames like Golden Pair or Trickster. You stand out. That kind of annoys me. " - Ibu Shinji
  • "Illusion...that Niou, he didn't even use me once! Hey!" - Jackal Kuwahara
  • "My finger got stuck in Niou's trick gum countless times! Geez. This is why I hate tricksters. " - Marui Bunta
  • "Niou-san, it's good for your health to have enough sunlight. It helps you make the necessary Vitamin D for your body too." - Muromachi Touji
  • "So Niou is bad with music? You can't lack sensitivity in tennis either. If necessary, I can guide you one-on-one." - Sakaki Tarou
  • "Niou, it's bad if you don't take in the appropriate amount of calories. Based on your height and the amount you play sports, you need 3000k calories every day." - Shiraishi Kuranosuke
  • "I've rarely seen Niou-senpai practice, but he's so strong. I'm envious, de yansu~." - Urayama Shiita
  • "Good grief...Niou-kun has made me go along with his tricks that have forced me to do many things very reluctantly." - Yagyuu Hiroshi
  • "If I were to put Niou and me into words, we are completely opposite types. Oddly, we seem to like the same kind of girls." - Yanagi Renji
  • "Niou seems to be able to become me too. But before that, his five senses would get stolen by my yips." - Yukimura Seiichi
Niou about Others
  • About Echizen Ryouma: "Thanks to Echizen, I was able to gather plenty of data on Yukimura. I look forward to using that with my Illusion."
  • About Kirihara Akaya: "You're a fun guy to mess around with. Let me be straight, the one who came up with "seaweed bastard" was Yagyuu."
  • About Marui Bunta: "We are in the same club and the same class, aren't we? Perhaps we may even be together until high school and university~"
  • About Shiraishi Kuranosuke and Tezuka Kunimitsu: "...because both of them weren't useful, I lost to Fuji. They were unexpectedly just waiting to be eaten."

Music

Gallery

  • Niou about to play Yagyuu in a tiebreak.

Quotes

  • "Puri."
  • "Where are you looking?"
  • "I'm gathering data. Why don't you shut up for a while?"
  • "You're the one who's more like a trickster."

References

  1. ↑ Pair Puri Vol. 4, pg 11, translated by lucathia-rykatu
  2. ↑ AnoPuri Vol. 6, translated by lucathia-rykatu
  3. ↑ New Prince of Tennis Fanbook 10.5, translated by Awennor
  4. ↑ New Prince of Tennis Vol 23.5, pg 66
  5. ↑ Pair Puri Vol. 4, pg 14, translated by lucathia_rykatu
  6. ↑ Pair Puri Vol. 4, translated by lucathia_rykatu
  7. ↑ Pair Puri Vol. 1, translated by lucathia_rykatu
  8. ↑ Pair Puri Vol. 4, pg. 3-50, translated by lucathia_rykatu
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Contributors: Dust, Kashewmoo, Sakoori, Twokingtrickster