Genichiro Sanada

Infobox animanga character
name = Genichiro Sanada
series = The Prince of Tennis


caption = Genichiro Sanada
first =
last =
creator = Takeshi Konomi
voiced by = Taiten Kusunoki (Japanese)
age =
born = May 21
class = 3rd year
relatives =
aux1 name = School
aux1 = Rikkai Junior High School
aux2 name = Style
aux2 = All Rounder, right-handed

nihongo|Genichiro Sanada|真田 弦一郎|Sanada Gen'ichirō is a fictional character in the anime and manga "The Prince of Tennis".

Personality

Sanada is a third year at Rikkai Junior High School, where he is the vice-captain. Prior to the Nationals, he was also the temporary captain for Seiichi Yukimura, who was hospitalized because of a disease similar to Guillain-Barré syndrome. Sanada comes from a very traditional family, is stern and noble, plays with honor, and expects the best from himself and his teammates. In fact, he insists that people on his team are not supposed to lose.

Sanada has a famous powerful slap, which he uses when a member on his team loses (like Renji Yanagi, even though Sanada is stopped by Akaya Kirihara) or grossly steps out of line (like Kirihara himself). The slap is seen as something akin to Tezuka's laps, a punishment that is generally accepted as a part of Rikkai's rules.

Sanada practices kendo (although he is portrayed in the manga as practicing something more similar to iaido at one point) and combines it with tennis with a great result. During the ball machine training, Sanada uses a technique that makes it look like he has six arms, like the Hindu demon Asura. Sanada is known in Kantō as one of the best Junior tennis players in Japan, and he can be seen in a lot of newspapers.

Even though Sanada seems to be a lonely wolf, he often hangs out with his friend and captain, Yukimura, and he holds great respect for him. He is characterized as being unquestionably loyal to Yukimura and often visits him at the hospital.

Sanada holds a three-way rivalry with Seishun Academy's Kunimitsu Tezuka and Hyotei Academy's Keigo Atobe. So far in the manga, Sanada has defeated Atobe once and Atobe was about to win a match that was stopped by Yukimura. Atobe has defeated Tezuka (although Tezuka was injured at the time). Tezuka and Sanada have faced each other when they were younger (around the time they were first-years, but presumably before either joined their respective junior high schools), with Tezuka destroying him 6-0 and 6-1, but they did not play each other again until the Nationals in their third year, where Sanada won 7-5. Sanada has also gained a new, unexpected rival: young Ryoma Echizen of Seigaku.

In the anime, Ryoma meets Sanada at first when Sanada is targeting water droplets as training. Ryoma challenges Sanada after a little showing off, but Sanada easily defeats Ryoma. Ryoma then returns later and challenges Sanada again. Ryoma fires off a super fast serve that is similar to Sanada's Invisible Serve. Sanada is impressed and tells Ryoma that he is in Singles 1. Ryoma then ends the match and leaves the court. In both the anime and manga, they then face off one last time in the Kantō finals.

Notable matches

Ryoma Echizen

The match differs greatly in the anime and manga.

In the manga Sanada's techniques are called "FuuRinKaZan". He only uses Fuu and Ka though. In the anime, he has the extraordinary ability to swing his racket at an incredibly high speed so that his swings and serves become "invisible" called "the Invisible Swing". This renders the opponent unable to predict where the ball will land.

In the anime Sanada's Invisible shots are too much for Ryoma, and Sanada takes the lead. In the manga Ryoma wins the first game by using his "Muga no Kyōchi". Sanada then uses his Fuu and takes it up to 4 games to 1. In the anime Ryoma then uses his new invented technique the "Cyclone Smash". In order to take it back Sanada starts to put so much spin on his Invisible Swings that they start to blur, making it difficult for Ryoma to return the ball. The blurring starts to irritate Ryoma's eyes. He then gets an idea. He uses one of his father's techniques "Samurai Ear": he shuts his eyes and hears where the ball is coming, and then he returns them back at an astonished Sanada. Due to his eyes being closed he doesn't get confused since he can hear where the ball is. Ryoma even uses a Cyclone Smash. Due to Sanada's speed and reflexes, he manages to catch up to it, but his racket gets knocked out of his hands.

In the manga Ryoma makes a comeback with the "Muga no Kyōchi" first making the score 5-2, 5-4 then 5-5.

In the anime Sanada then remembers his promise to Yukimura and that awakens the true warrior in him, or, more correctly, the true samurai. He uses his Invisible Serve. Ryoma open his eyes in shock; he couldn't tell where the ball was going. Sanada swings his racket like a katana, and the ball speed increases far more than the "Invisible Shot". Ryoma tries the Cyclone Smash but Sanada returns it with no problem. Ryoma doesn't know what to do, and he becomes paralyzed in shock. Sanada makes serve aces up to match point without Ryoma even trying to reach them.

Suddenly, Atobe starts to encourage Ryoma, followed by several other players. Ryoma reawakens as the true samurai and returns Sanada's Invisible serve once again. Ryoma then makes a comeback easily winning back all the lost points. Ryoma then says his trademark phrase, "mada mada dane" in English.

But Sanada isn't out yet, fighting back using movements inspired by his kendo/iaido training. The ending of the match differs hugely between the manga and anime. In the manga Ryoma has already entered "Muga no Kyōchi" and rushes towards the net. Sanada is still able to return his Twist Shots. Sanada then fires a high lob, but Ryoma jumps up high after it and uses his new technique the "COOL Drive" the ball smashes to the ground and just like Tsubame Gashi, doesn't bounce. Sanada can't return it and Ryoma wins. In the anime they use the ending sequence between Ryoma and Akaya Kirihara from the manga: Ryoma activates "Samurai's Eye" (in the manga he uses his "Muga no Kyōchi"), then uses the special moves of all the people he's ever faced. Ryoma uses Shinji Ibu's "Spot", Shinjou's "Deep Impulse", Jin Akutsu's special smash, Yuuta Fuji's "Twist Spin Shot", and Wakashi Hiyoshi's "Enbu Tennis".

Ryoma finally wins, and Seigaku wins the Kantō Championship. A good sportsman, Sanada first congratulates Seigaku's vice-captain, Shuichiro Oishi, before he congratulates Ryoma.

Keigo Atobe (anime)

Atobe fights bitterly against Sanada, Rikkai's vice-captain, to settle which of them will first get to challenge their mutual "eternal rival", Tezuka (as the three of them hold a three-way rivalry). However, he is overwhelmed by Sanada's Invisible Swing. Just as observers decide that Atobe will lose, however, he shows off his swanky new Tannhauser serve. The match is then ended by Sakaki, who announces that both boys have now earned their positions on the team. More notable is his doubles pairing with Sanada. While initially not getting along at all and playing as two separate units, the need quickly arises for teamwork. However, since they are both probably among the top five players in the entire series, they argue about their combination, specifically Atobe's petulance over missing balls. An almost accidental act of coordination, however, compels Atobe to remember a tango concert he saw with Sanada, and they finally get in coordination, executing the Hametsu e no tango and generally exhibiting decent teamwork. At the end of their victorious match, Atobe chooses to double his catch phrase - "Oresama-TACHI no bigi ni yoi na", translating more or less to "Be Awed At The Sight Of Our Prowess!".

Keigo Atobe (manga)

Atobe and Sanada have played twice in the manga continuity. The first time, in a match played prior to the start of the series, Sanada crushed Atobe using the Zan (Mountain) technique of his FuuRinKaZan. Although the time period of this match has never been said, the most logical time for it to have taken place would be at the previous years Kantō Tournament, where Sanada defeated Atobe's Hyotei team in the finals.

The second time they faced was rather different. After the current year's Kantō Tournament, but prior to the Nationals, Atobe arrived at Rikkai, and challenged Sanada to a match. Sanada got up to a 4-0 lead using his Zan shot, however when Atobe perfected his new technique, World of Ice, Sanada couldn't cope with it. Sanada's captain, Seiichi Yukimura, stopped the match and told Atobe to leave their campus. When Sanada asked why, Yukimura told him he would have lost the match.

Kunimitsu Tezuka

Sanada and Tezuka play against each other in Singles 3 of the National finals -- Rikkai vs Seigaku. At first, it seemed like Sanada's Fuu Rin Ka Zan was not working against the Tezuka Zone, but everyone soon noticed that the Zone's hitting area was widening; Sanada was slowly breaking the unbeatable Tezuka Zone. In attempt to stop his attacks, Tezuka activates Hyaku Ren, but Sanada counters with a special move, Lightning, the Rai in his Fuu Rin Ka In Zan Rai. Yukimura reveals that, just like Tezuka sealed off Hyaku Ren 2 years ago, Sanada had sealed off his two ultimate techniques: In and Rai. With Rai, he is able to get a point against Tezuka. In a ditch effort to predict his movements, Tezuka activates Saiki Kanpatsu, but is surprised to find out that Sanada is hiding his presence with In, Shadow, thus Tezuka is unable to predict his movements.

Things continue to go Sanada's way, but Tezuka keeps his calm and tries to counter with the Zero-Shiki Drop Shot. Although, due to Rai, Sanada is able to instantly "teleport" to the ball and return the drop shot. Tezuka uses his Zone to make the ball enter his hit zone, but though he succeeds, his racket was blown away by Rai. People begin to chant the Emperor's (Sanada) name, as not only did Sanada defeat two of Tezuka's signature moves in one play, he has also won four straight games against Tezuka. While Sanada goes on to win the next four points (40-0), Tezuka has a flashback of when Ryoma asked if the Tezuka Zone can be used to make every opponent's shot go out, but Tezuka explains why that would be impossible. In present time, however, Tezuka succeeds in using his Tezuka Zone in the opposite way, making Sanada's returns go out of bounds. Inui names this technique "Tezuka Phantom". Unfortunately, this technique may possibly result in him injuring his shoulder again, to the point that he may never play tennis again. Despite this, Tezuka continues to show his determination, and even starts to use his Zero Shiki Serve. As he gets more exhausted, the match finally turns in his favor at 4 games all.

After Sanada loses 4 straight games, Rikkai's captain, Yukimura, comes over to tell Sanada to abandon his "Head-on Challenge." After a couple of points, Sanada finally takes his captain's advice, and decides to show his technique "Quiet like the Forest" (Rin). Sanada performed this technique randomly while attacking Tezuka Phantom with Rai, so that Tezuka would lose energy worthlessly using his arm-stressing move replying to a lob. In desperation, Tezuka continued to fire Zero-shiki serves after Yukimura yells out to Sanada, to warn him. Sanada then combines 3 of his techniques (Fire, Forest, and Lightning) into 1 deadly attack. Sanada's KaRinRai scrapes the ground and the Zero-shiki serve was defeated. Tezuka tries to return the attack, but his racquet was blown away. Because of the generated force of the KaRinRai, the ball was popped back into the air, upon impact with Tezuka's racquet, heading to Sanada's side of the court. It was shown that Tezuka somehow added some spin to the ball, and it lands on the net.

In the end, Sanada defeats Tezuka by a score of 7-5 when the ball drops from the net onto Tezuka's side.

pecial techniques

Invisible Swing (anime only)

Sanada's "Invisible Swing" has a very simple concept behind it, despite the destructive power and speed it has. Basically, Sanada has mastered an incredibly fast swing, making it near invisible for the normal naked eye to see the exact swing, hit, and spin of the ball he handles. His swing doesn't work for people like Ryoma Echizen or Eiji Kikumaru, though, because of their extraordinary ability to see moving things more clearly with their inborn enhanced eyesight.

Invisible Serve (anime only)

The "Invisible Serve" is essentially the same thing as the Invisible Swing, except in this case, it is a serve swing and not a return swing. It has the same concept and does the same thing. Despite the simple concept, though, it does a lot to hinder the opponent from making a successful return, since there is no sure way of seeing the speed, direction, and spin of the ball.

Fuu Rin Ka In Zan Rai

This is the name of Sanada's techniques in the manga. None of them are used in the anime. When performing the "Fuu Rin Ka Zan" Sanada usually says a phrase for each of the moves.

It was initially believed to only contain four moves, but Sanada reveals its true form during his battle with Kunimitsu Tezuka in the National Finals. Its true form is "Fuu Rin Ka In Zan Rai". Yukimura reveals that Sanada had previously sealed off his two ultimate techniques in order to prepare for his battle with Tezuka one day.

;Fuu (Wind):Fuu is an extremely fast swing that is based on a sword-drawing technique. The fast swing means that the opponent can neither see the racket or ball after it is hit, making the ball seem 'invisible' to the eye. This shot often returns the ball before the opponent has even recovered from the previous shot. This is the move on which the "Invisible Swing" was most likely based in the anime. Fuu can be used to counter the Ka technique. When using Fuu, Sanada says "Swift like the Wind".

;Rin (Forest):This shot is first revealed in the Sanada vs. Tezuka match, where Sanada uses it to combat the "Tezuka Phantom". This shot a defensive swing that neutralizes the spin on the ball, although it is stated that it doesn't completely cancel out "Tezuka Phantom". Rikkai's Renji Yanagi is also powerless against this shot. When using this shot Sanada says "Quiet Like The Forest".

;Ka (Fire):Another special move that only exists in the manga. Ka is an extremely powerful shot that can be hit as a smash, forehand, or backhand. When Sanada uses this shot, his opponents are overwhelmed by his power. When Sanada uses Ka as a smash, his stance suggests that it's the move Cyclone Smash is based on. Rikkai's Akaya Kirihara was totally defeated when Sanada used this shot. When using it, Sanada says "Invade like Fire".

;In (Shadow):This move was revealed in Sanada's battle with Tezuka in the National Finals. This technique hides the users weaknesses and gives off multiple behavioral patterns, thus Saiki Kanpatsu no Kiwami (Pinnacle of Great Wisdom) is useless against it. "In" is one of the two ultimate techniques that Sanada previously sealed off, in order for him to beat Tezuka one day. When using it, Sanada says "Formless, like the Shadows".

;Zan (Mountain):This move hasn't been shown in the manga; however, it is known that it was with this technique that Sanada defeated Keigo Atobe during their first meeting. When used, Sanada says "Immovable like a Mountain". This technique was later defeated by Atobe's "World of Ice" technique he obtained when versing Sanada the second time. Its stance as shown in Chapter 300 sees from the position of Sanada's arm suggests it's a drop shot.

;Rai (Lightning):This move was first used in Rikkai's Semi-Final against Nagoya Seitoku, and Sanada won 6-0. However it was first seen in Sanada's battle with Tezuka in the National Finals. Rai grants the user inhuman speed, which allows them to 'strike from anywhere on the court'. When Rai hits the ground, it bounces at a right angle to its direction, making it nearly impossible for the opponent to return. "Rai" is one of the two ultimate techniques that Sanada previously sealed off, in order for him to beat Tezuka one day. When using this technique, Sanada says "Strike, like Lightning". It is assumed by some fans that Ryoma Echizen may have overcome Rai (which Tezuka could not) since he copied it in his match against Yukimura Seiichi with the Muga No Kyōchi, however that is debatable, as Ryoma also copies Shiraishi's Entaku Shot and has never even played against him. Only Yukimura has been stated to successfully return this shot.

;KaRinRai (Fire, Forest, Lightning):This move was first used against Tezuka in singles 3 of the the National Tournament Finals. It was Sanada's technique that was made during the match, to defeat Tezuka's "Zero-shiki serve." Sanada combines Fire, Forest and Lightning, into 1 extremely powerful serve return. One can admit that "Rin" nullified the spin on the ball, "Rai" gave the swing (and dash toward the landing spot)the necessary speed and "Ka" gave the return the explosive power that knocked Tezuka's racket from his hand, rather than making it weak Rising that Tezuka could easily hit back (which would certainly result in him winning the point, given the condition of Sanada's legs).

Muga no Kyōchi (State of Self Actualization)

(無我の境地)

A state in which the user naturally intakes all techniques he sees and can perfectly copy them. Sanada uses this in the Kantō finals against Ryoma, but ends up losing anyway.

Trivia

*Sanada's name comes from Sanada Yukimura, the legendary leader ninja of the Ten Braves Sanada, which is also where Yukimura got his name.

*The seiyū Taiten Kusunoki auditioned (and was rejected) for the roles of Kunimitsu Tezuka, Kippei Tachibana and Tarou Sakaki (coach of Hyotei) prior to getting the role of Sanada.

* Sanada is the first non-Hyotei player to sing the character song "Valentine Kiss" in 2007.

* Consequently, in the 2007 Valentine Chocolate poll, Sanada comes in 2nd spot, after Atobe.

* A running gag in the series is that both Sanada and Tezuka look significantly older than their real age (questions such as "are they really junior high students?" are often raised). This is particularly true for Sanada: in all the non-manga official works, such as radio, character songs, mini drama, games, etc. he is sometimes referred to as the person who "can not possibly be a junior high student!"

* According to the 40.5 fanbook, Sanada carries around a 12kg (26lbs) rock--The Sanada Family Stone, handed down through the generations from the Meiji period, in his bag.