NASA Shuttles

The nihongo|NASA Shuttles|NASAシャトルズ|...Shatoruzu is a fictional American football team from the United States in the manga and anime series "Eyeshield 21" by Riichiro Inagaki and Yusuke Murata. Based out of Houston, Texas, the team (formerly known as the nihongo|NASA Aliens|NASAエイリアンズ|...Eirianzu) is an all-around American team brought to Japan to take on the local high school Deimon Devil Bats in an exhibition match to promote the sport in the country. The team is notable for their precise offense, powerful defense and for a powerful running game, as well as a former history of segregation due to the racism of their coach to prevent African-American athletes on his team.

Overview

* Team Mascot: Alien
* Team colours: blue and yellow (different shades to Taiyō - closer to that of the Swedish flag)
* Helmet logo: an atom with electron paths traced around it
* This is the American team that Deimon plays when they represent Japan. The best player on the team, Panther, only picks up balls and is not allowed to play because of his previous mistake in a game and not following through with the coach's instructions, although it was later found out that this was merely a rationalization.
* The Aliens first play a practice game against Zokugaku University's Frilled Lizards and slaughter them with a score of 73-0.
* There was a bet before the game with Deimon and the terms were that if a team didn't win by more than 10 points, then that team would stay in the opposite country (Japan for NASA, US for Deimon). Deimon lost by one point (32-33), but only because they lacked a kicker and Sena was too exhausted to try the Devil Bat Dive at the end. Neither team succeeded in one-upping each other by 10 points. So Deimon went to America, while NASA stayed. In actuality, this was all according to Hiruma's plans since he wanted the Devil Bats to gain more experience against a veteran team and get some training in the United States.
* The more muscular members of the Nasa Aliens have a habit of getting into a group pose and flexing their muscles, in which they believe show off their physiques to all female spectators, thereby getting them dates and such. So far, it hasn't worked.

Coach

Leonard Apollo

*

(レオナルド・アポロ) Apollo is the coach of the Nasa Aliens team and has an extreme prejudice against those who have innate talents, rather than using skills earned by training. This is the main reason why he does not allow Panther to play during games and had him picking up balls. He's also racist against African Americans, and he dislikes the Japanese as well, thinking that they are weak and submissive as compared to the Americans. Due to this attitude, he cancels the game against the Devil Bats.

In response to this, Hiruma creates an insulting web video. He sends it over the Internet, which directly calls Apollo a chicken for refusing to face Deimon and humiliates the Nasa coach worldwide. Outraged, Apollo reschedules their match, stating that if the Aliens do not crush the Devil Bats by at least 10 points, then the Americans would not return to the United States.

In truth, the coach's real motivation for excluding Panther is jealousy. In his days as an NFL player, Apollo, despite his considerable efforts (such as training three times more than anyone), was never more than a benchwarmer. When it looked like he would finally play, the bigwigs of his team hired Morgan, an extremely talented sprinter and an African American, much like Panther. Apollo was cut from the team, and the flashback he had during the Deimon game showed him asking for one more chance to play, then being denied. Bitter about it all, Apollo went on to find his ideal high school team (Nasa Aliens) that relied solely in perfectly executed and superior strategies without leaning on the performance of talented aces. As coach, he also made up the rule that any team member who made a mistake on the field would immediately be substituted.

When Apollo's strategies during the Deimon game crumbled in front of Hiruma's tricks and Eyeshield's speed, Apollo reluctantly allowed Panther to play, after the whole team begged him to. Panther himself said that he would quit the team if he failed to stop Eyeshield and win the game if he were to be given "one more chance". This caused a flashback for Apollo.

While Panther was playing on defense, Watt and Homer revealed that for a long time, despite how badly Panther was treated, Panther had always admired Apollo, because he was a hard-working man (Panther, like Apollo had, trained three times as hard as a ballboy and secretly with the rest of the team). There was another flashback of Panther when he was little, in which he declared that he had to be on Apollo's team no matter what. Despite the failure to win by ten points, the coach commented with his back turned during the hand-shaking that it was a good game. When the Alien's change their name to the NASA Shuttles and board a bus to leave Japan, Apollo reminded Panther of the deal, which Panther didn't exactly accomplish on his end ("Never call yourself a NASA Alien again"). However, Apollo told him that there would be a number 20 uniform for the Running Back (Panther) of the new "NASA Shuttles" team (#20 was Apollo's uniform number during his NFL days with the San Antonio Armadillos). This loophole allowed the team to go back to America and let Panther play.

One note in the anime, is that Apollo meets up with Morgan during the tournament between the 4 great teams. At this point, Morgan was the coach of the Russian team. Though the Aliens/Shuttles put up a good fight against Morgan's team, the Blizzards, they still lose. Dejected, Apollo considered quitting football altogether, but changes his mind after Hiruma invites him to watch the game with the Devil Bats against the Blizzards. Seeing the Bats work hard to come back from a lopsided first half, (and even cheering for Eyeshield 21), Apollo regains his drive and determination. In the anime, he owns a cat named Hillary.
* Position: Coach

Players

Patrick "Panther" Spencer

*

(パトリック・スペンサー) Panther is a good-natured person who has extraordinary running talents, but has been reduced to being a ballboy, due to Apollo's prejudice. He trains everyday by running across rooftops. Panther's dream is to become a pro NFL player and make money so that his grandmother would no longer have to work. He is also one of the few people who is able to eat his grandmother's horrendous oatmeal recipe.

Initially, he wasn't interested in going to Japan since he really wanted to compete against Shin. Then he saw Eyeshield 21's running ability on Hiruma's web video and wanted to run against him. Eventually, he and Sena became good friends and promised to play on equal terms the next time they met on the field, (Sena was nearly at his limit by the time Panther had entered the game).

In episode 145, during the future scene, he is shown to be playing for Hiruma's team.

* Position: Running Back
* Jersey Number: 20
* 40-Yard Dash: 4.5 seconds
* Bench Press: 70kgs

"TECHNIQUES/STRATEGIES"
* Zero-Gravity Run - Panther's specialty is called the Zero-Gravity Run, which allows him to run at great speeds with extremely light footsteps. Unlike Sena's method of sharp turns and cuts, Panther can run like water, using the minimal amount of movement needed to slide around obstacles. Shin noted that Panther's running is too clean and easy to predict which route he will take.
* Stiff-Arm - Panther also uses one hand to hold onto the ball, while the other is extended to ward off opposing blockers. This is a standard block used commonly by other Running Backs in the NFL. However, this gives his opponent a chance to slap the ball away, causing a fumble. Sena and Shin both show this flaw to him, and this teaches Panther that he needs to get more practice against opposing players.
* Moon Salto Formation - This strategy arranges the linemen in a crescent formation. This allows for maximum frontal protection for the Running Back. This is similar to Deimon's Sweeper tactic, but is done in a straight line rather than diagonally. The Aliens team had been developing this tactic for a long time without Apollo's knowledge.
* Panther Ghost - (Anime) This is Panther's version of the Devil Bat Ghost that he recently learned, when the Devil Bats returned to America for a tournament between 4 great teams. He can do this at the same speed Sena can.

Jeremy Watt

*

(ジェレミー・ワット) Watt is the best Wide Receiver of the Nasa Aliens, and he also serves as team's translator, though he's more of a pseudo-Japan scholar (meaning that he's more of an otaku than a Japan-ophile). As a result, he often gets translations wrong, and has some misconceptions concerning Japanese culture but is shown as well-meaning and would not take offense if corrected. Most of his knowledge and obsession with Japan is pinpointed to an encounter with Shun Kakei when he played for Phoenix Junior High (prior to his return to Kyoushin). He is able to calculate the landing point for Homer's Shuttle Pass with pinpoint accuracy like Mission Control. Being taller and faster than Monta does give him an advantage over the Deimon Receiver, though it's most likely that Monta's new Devil Backfire would compensate.Watt has been seen using computers and upon discovering a humorous though disrespectful webvideo of Coach Apollo, he shares his find with his team mates. Watt is also skilled at video-games.
* Position: Wide Receiver
* Jersey Number: 81
* 40-Yard Dash: 4.8 seconds

Homer Fitzgerald

*

(ホーマー・フィッツジェラルド) Homer is the quarterback of the Nasa Aliens and his specialty is being able to heave a football from over half the length of the field. Along with Watt, he's one of Panther's closest friends, and helped him endure Apollo's racial attitude against African Americans. Homer's biggest problem is throwing control as the ball tends to go off-course. Another thing to note is that due to Homer's upper-body strength, tackling him at the waist is not enough to sack him. However, by going for his passing arm, his ability to throw the ball is stopped. Given his large frame and powerful throwing arm, not to mention his tendency to misfire his passes, Homer could be modeled on New York Jets quarterback, Brett Favre.
* 40-yard dash record: 5.6 seconds
* Bench Press: 130kgs
* Position: Quarterback
* Jersey Number: 5

"TECHNIQUES/STRATEGIES"
* Shuttle Pass - The Shuttle Pass is considered the signature move of the team. Homer starts by counting down from three and throws the ball for his receiver to catch, usually near the goal line of the opposing team. The problem with this tactic is that it requires a longer time to initiate the pass, which leaves the quarterback open to blitzes that result in sacks. The Muscle Barrier, the name given to the line, is crucial in ensuring the success of the pass.

Gonzales (Big Brother)

*

(ニーサン・ゴンザレス "Nīsan Gonzalez") The largest member on the Nasa Aliens, (even bigger than Kurita), he plays center on the line. His massive size and crushing power will reduce any lesser player to pulp. However, his slow speed makes it easy for faster opponents to dodge. His catch-phrase is "Big Useful!" Before going to Japan, he wanted to get a kanji tattoo which meant 'big and useful guy.' He asked Watt about the kanji for 'big' and 'useful.' However, (due to a mis-translation by Watt), when putting those two kanji together, the end result was POOP! In the end, his tattoo means Big Poop Guy.
* Position: Center/Guard
* Jersey Number: 50

Gonzales (Little Brother)

*

(オットー・ゴンザレス "Otto Gonzalez") Though lacking in size and overall strength of his sibling, the younger Gonzales makes up for it in speed and tenacity. He's about the same size as Komusubi. He admires his brother and wanted to be known as the Small Helpful Guy. In a way, he is to his big brother like Komusubi is to Kurita. His catch-phrase is, "Don't look down on me!" Unfortunately, he went to Watt for a kanji tattoo as well and the kanji for 'small' and 'helpful' translates as PEE, and that gives him the title of Little Pee Guy. He is also easily fooled by handoff fakes.
* Position: Linebacker
* Jersey Number: 70

References