Seibu Wild Gunmen

The nihongo|Seibu Wild Gunmen|西部ワイルドガンマンズ|Seibu Wairudo Ganmanzu|literally "Wild West Gunmen" is a football team from the Kantō region of Japan in the manga/anime series "Eyeshield 21" by Riichiro Inagaki and Yusuke Murata. They are considered to be one of the main rivals of the Deimon Devil Bats, notable for their quick-gun offensive strategies.

Overview

* Team Logo/Mascot: A cactus wearing a cowboy suit
* Team colours: Brown, Gold and Dark Blue - Close match to the now defunct AFL team, Iowa Barnstormers
* Helmet logo: cross-section of a six-shooter's bullet chamber. Helmets are copper-coloured.
* The Engrish name of Wild Gunmans has been corrected to "Wild Gunmen" in the Viz Com translation.
* Like Deimon, Seibu is highly focused on offense, with passing being the major component, (though the run with Riku has been recently added).
*Although bizarre by Japanese standards due to their American appearance, the Wild Gunmen are considered the strongest offensive team in Tokyo and one of the strongest teams in Kantō. Complete with cheerleaders dressed in sexy cowgirl outfits with real guns and a coach who sports a ten-gallon hat on top of his short body, the team is obsessed with creating an American image for an American game such as football.
*The training location of the Gunmen is the Ben Ranch, a dude ranch in Houston, Texas (the city also notable as the home of the American NASA Aliens (Shuttles)) owned by coach Billy Horide. Primarily a cattle ranch, it is also notable for holding a stable of horses that look like various players in the Kantō tournament.
*Although a rival of the Deimon Devil Bats, the Wild Gunmen are one of the few teams that respects the players on the team. The best of the two even came together during a beach football tournament, where they temporarily became the "Devil Gunmen".
*The teams chant is "Wild and Tough!" although their coach yells "Gun, Gun Go!" from the sidelines occasionally.

Players

hien Mushanokoji (The Kid)

*

(キッド/武者小路紫苑) Although he goes by an enigmatic cowboy name, Shien (or "The Kid") is actually from a line of nobles. His father is particularly known as a three-time Olympic gold medalist in pistol shooting, where his son gains his marksmanship both with a gun and with a football. He is a quarterback, and has one of the fastest pass speeds in Japan, possibly in the world. Kid and Tetsuma make up one of the strongest quarterback-wide receiver combinations in Japan (by high school standards), like the legendary Joe Montana-Jerry Rice combination, although to a lesser extent. Kid specializes in quick-draw shooting, where he throws the ball as soon as he receives it from the center to Tetsuma, Seibu's wide receiver (this kind of quick release is more akin to Miami's Hall of Fame passer Dan Marino). His personality is very laid-back. However, whenever he gets the feeling that things go too well, he always predicts that something bad will happen, (which usually does, such as in the Spring tournament when they were ahead of the Oujou White Knights during the first half, Tetsuma drank too much water and could not participate in the second half). His quote is "Something bad has to happen after something so good." He's also known Tetsuma since they were kids, accounting for how "in sync" they appear to be. Originally Kid couldn't throw and Tetsuma couldn't catch, but they practiced all the time as kids and got better.

So far, he's the only quarterback Hiruma hasn't been able to fool or defeat. All of Hiruma's schemes against him (17 in all) fail due to Kid's sharp-mind and quick reflexes.

In chapter 242, after Hiruma shows Kid video of Rikiya Gaō's tactics on the field (with Kid correctly guessing that Hiruma's intentions were to use Seibu as "human sacrifices" against the Dinosaurs) in preparation for the Seibu-Hakushū game, Kid reveals that he has a plan to seal away Gaō. It seems as if his plan is working for now, as during the first play of the game, he managed to completed a 4-yard pass to Riku by deliberately allowing Gaō to break through the line, while he made his super fast pass at the last moment. He assumes that as long as he rids himself of the ball, Gaō would follow the rules and not crush him. However, as the game continues, Kid realizes that with each play, Gaō gets even faster and in one instance, manages to bruise Kid's arm with just a pinky. Eventually, as Seibu continues with their offensive, Kid realizes how everything he, Tetsuma and the Gunmen have done has brought them so close to the Christmas Bowl, and does the one thing that he swore he would never do - "dare to dream". At this moment of weakness, Gaō flies up from behind and crushes him from behind, throwing him away and breaking his arm. Seconds later, realizing how close he was to his dream, Kid collapses on the field, taking Seibu's Christmas Bowl dreams with him. Later he is seen in the crowd during the Deimon vs Hakshuu game. It is here that he comments to the quarterback of the Alexanders ,Karin, that Hiruma will play in the Teikoru game no matter what injury.

He participates in Deimon's special training team as the QB for Monta and Ikkyu. He comments during Yukimitsu's training, that he especially grateful as quarterback if his receiver can keep his track on his pass route, even if he got hard pressed or having significantly low physical stats.

* 40-yard-dash: 5.0 seconds
* Pass Response Time: 0.15 seconds
* Bench Press: 70 kg
* Height: 177 cm (5'9+3/4")
* Weight: 66 kg (145 lbs)
* Position: Quarterback
* Jersey Number: 7
* 2nd Year Student (Grade 11)
* A great sharpshooter, he's half-American and half-Japanese. The name 'Kid' is derived from the name of a famous cowboy and outlaw, Billy the Kid.
* In America, he once teamed up with Hiruma in the beach football match and used a special technique named Super Quarterback Tag. Their tosses were so fast that everyone assumed that they were using the Too Tattoos' Dancing Flea technique.

"TECHNIQUES/STRATEGIES"
* Quick-Draw Pass - Kid is a specialist with short fast passes as soon as he gets the ball. The time it takes for him to raise and pass the ball is 0.15 seconds, as opposed to a normal quarterback's speed of 0.5 seconds. Catching him in a blitz is near-impossible. His throwing technique is odd as well - as opposed to releasing the ball from over his throwing shoulder, Kid throws the ball from in front on himself using "both hands" to generate an incredibly fast spiral, in a similar fashion to pass training machines that wide receivers use.
* Route Calling - So in-synch are Kid and Tetsuma, that even once he's taken the snap, Kid can call the route for his ace receiver to run on the fly.
* Shotgun - A strategy that relies totally on passing. Instead of having one or two receivers ready to catch passes, the number is increased to four or more. The receivers spread out like buckshot pellets once the ball is snapped. This increases the number of directions in which the Kid can pass the ball. Even linebackers like Shin find it difficult to cover so many receivers at once.
* Play Action (Fake TFP Kick) - While holding the ball for TFP kick, when the kicker goes in, instead holding the ball, he pass it toward Tetsuma for 2 point conversion. He done this when realizes that the kicker (Saba) got too nervous for kicking.

Jo Tetsuma

*

(鉄馬丈 "Tetsuma Jō") A fast and quiet guy, he has a habit of following orders to the letter, and that can lead to disaster. It is very important to give him specific instructions and to watch him carefully. Otherwise, he will follow any general directions to the extreme. For example, the coach once said to him, "Go run a bit!!" so he kept running for 3 days and 3 nights, until he collapsed from hunger. During another incident, Tetsuma was told to wake Kid in five hours while on a flight to the United States, yet ends up bursting out of the back window of a bus to go look for Kid 3 hours later after arriving in Houston! (In this way he is like a golem.) Whenever Kid calls a pass route, he dashes and uses it as followed, no questions asked. This makes him perfect for his position as a Wide Receiver, since the Kid doesn't even have to look for him in order to pass. In spite of his seemingly robotic demeanor, Tetsuma is a nice person, who has been friends with Kid since they were kids.

One important note is that after the game with Deimon, Tetsuma invokes a penalty, by striking Monta when he was about to attack the referee for ruling in favor of Seibu. This was actually done to save Monta from destroying the Devil Bats' chances of playing for third place in the tournament. As a result, Tetsuma was banned from playing in the finals of the Fall Tournament against Oujou. Without him, the Gunmen lost out to the White Knights again, but Monta vows to meet up with Tetsuma again during the Kantou Elimination Tournament. However, this was not to be as the Kid is seriously injured against the Dinosaurs' monstrous lineman Gao. With him gone, Tetsuma loses control of himself and lunges against Gao while providing cover for Riku, proving no match for the massive lineman.

In the last chapter he became one of Deimon's trainers for special training for the Christmas Bowl. He trains Yukimitsu, dragging him behind to increase his speed as well as his stamina. It also serves as physical training for Yukimitsu so he can keeping his pass route tracks in spite of his low physical stats and under hard pressure.

* Position: Wide Receiver/ Fullback
* Jersey Number: 15
* 40-yard-dash: 4.9 seconds
* Bench-press: 115 kg
* 2nd Year Student (Grade 11)
* His name also means Iron Horse. In America they used this nickname for the steam-engine train in the old west. This gives meaning to the pass routes he is ordered to follow, which likens him to a train that cannot be altered from the track it runs. He will bowl over anyone who gets in the way on the tracks, even anyone try to stop him in illegal way will found it's near impossible to stop him. In the game against Deimon however, Monta does manage to upset his route and cause him to fumble, by aiming to his fingers, he manages to intercept the pass meant for him. Monta also manages to rip of a ball from his catches by aiming for the seams during Deimon's last Onside Kick, but it was ruled as Seibu's ball due to Tetsuma managing to touch the ground first while keeping his ball.
* In a match against the Ojo White Knights, he was the cause of a huge lead 20-7. But because he drank too much water during half-time, he cannot continue as he has to go to the toilet the entire time, causing his team to lose 20-21.
* Tetsuma senior, his father, is known for his straight driving habit (that might be inherited by Tetsuma). He will follow every sign, and ensures that his car won't be off less than 10 cm from the street border. If he found a car that parking carelessly in the street, blocking his way, he simply run over the car... and used it as a shield.

"TECHNIQUES/STRATEGIES"
* Pass Routes - Tetsuma has drilled all known pass routes into his head and can run them like a conditioned reflex. All he needs is to hear the route called out by the Kid and he'll perfectly execute the movement. Nothing can disrupt him when he runs his routes, although Monta has made him fumble once.

Riku Kaitani

*

(甲斐谷陸) Sena's childhood friend. An extremely fast boy who happens to be the one who taught Sena how to run. When Riku was in elementary school, he saw Sena being bullied and he used his speed to save him. Riku told Sena that he shouldn't have to deal with the bullies and he should stand up to them. Sena pointed out that unlike Riku he had never fought before and he was weak so Riku told Sena he was going to teach him speed as a way to fight the bullies because with speed you have an advantage in avoiding attacks. So Riku taught Sena how to run as a way of building up his speed. After days of practicing Sena finally learned how to dash and run fast. Sadly, Sena used his speed to be a gopher, (though it's ironic that being a gopher is what helped build up his speed). Riku soon left Sena's school because his family needed to move. In the anime, he and Sena made two promises. One was that Sena would always run. The second was that Sena would protect Mamori. Before he left, Mamori gave him a cat charm she made (Sena and Riku thought it was either a pig or a horse), which he wears around his neck in a pouch. It was shown that Mamori made one for herself and Sena, which Mamori keeps in her schoolbag, and Sena hangs on his lamp at home.

He and Sena meet again, six years later in chapter 127. Like Shin, he was able to quickly deduce Sena's identity as Eyeshield 21 (he was furious when he heard that Sena stayed being a gopher though. As he said "I taught you that explosive dash to teach those guys a lesson!"). When his team went up against the White Knights, Riku proved to be no match against Shin and was unable to get by him once.

During the Kanto Tournament, Riku faced off against Gaō when he was about to beat up, possibly kill a fan who had insulted Banba, (and anyone else who was in the way). Fortunately, the incident ended without any bloodshed. After the Seibu Gunmen devastate the Misaki Wolves with a score of 82-14, they now prepare to face off against the Hakushū Dinosaurs in the semi-finals.

Before the match between the Strong Golems and the White Knights, Shin approached Riku and asked him for the secret of the Rodeo Drive. Initially he refused, thinking that Shin had already defeated him during the Tokyo Fall Tournament and that he didn't need such a technique. However, after learning that Shin is actually acknowledged him for his technique ("You had the ultimate technique in running"), and that he will shows no hesitation if Riku or Sena asked him about his technique otherwise, Riku admitting his own hypocrisy ("Stupid... that's what I am") and agreed to show him, thinking that Eyeshield 21 might be the one to beat him. His prediction proved true as Sena gets past Shin in the final second of that game to win. Afterwards, he and Sena meet up with the Dinosaurs' manager who urges both teams to surrender during half-time as she does not want to see any more people hurt. Riku is not intimidated and is determined to face off against Sena in the Kantou Final. However, as the Dinosaurs begin increase their pressure on the Kid, that goal became more difficult to realize. With the loss of both the Kid and Tetsuma, the dream becomes impossible as the Gunman lose out in the semi-finals.

Now he shows up in Deimon's base, sporting a new haircut, steals the ball from Taki before he realizes it... and become Deimon's trainer for their special training for Christmas Bowl. He is training Ishimaru, draging him along with ropes to increase his speed as well as stamina.

Riku seems to regard Kid as an almost idol, often referring to him as the "best quarterback" and standing up for his talents when Kid himself won't. Kid usually shuts him up by putting his hat on Riku's head.
* 40-yard dash record: 4.5 seconds
* Bench Press: 60 kg
* Position: Running Back/Safety
* Jersey Number: 29
* 1st Year Student (Grade 10)
* Sena's top speed for a 40-yard-dash is 4.2 seconds, while Riku's is 4.5. However, Riku can run at his top speed for long periods of time, while Sena's normal speed during a match is 4.5 seconds, making them roughly the same in terms of speed in a real game.

"TECHNIQUES/STRATEGIES"
* Rodeo Drive - Riku's signature technique, which he employs by using a "stiff-leg" running style while leaning his upper body forward in quick spurts, giving him explosive acceleration for seconds, therefore, making it difficult for the defense to read his step pace. He uses this technique to make an immediate statement at the start of game against the Devil Bats by returning the opening kickoff for a touchdown. He also uses this technique to stop opposing runners, by using the acceleration power he gained to push his enemies down. However, it is not effective against Shin's Spear Tackle nor Sena's Devil Bat Tornado.

* Roping Rodeo Drive - After discovering Gaō's tactic of scaring the quarterback into submission, Riku begins developing a new version of the Rodeo Drive, which allows him to weave and turn without stopping, much like Sena's Devil Bat Ghost. Marco explains that the technique is merely a combination of the Rodeo Drive with swerving, stepping in circular form (thus the name "Roping"), similar to the maneuver of rugby players to get down the field without being tackled. However, this was prove useless, as Gao didn't even care about his target makes feints or not, he'll just go forward crush him with all his might.

* Rodeo Drive Stampede (anime only) - During the Misaki Wolves vs Seibu Wild Gunmen game, Riku shows an advance Rodeo Drive, with immense speed, called Rodeo Drive Stampede. Riku creates the 7 illusions of himself creating an unpredictable stampede.

"Buffalo" Ushijima

*

(バッファロー牛島 "Baffarō Ushijima") A dreadlocked, large lineman for Seibu, he is one of the few defense-oriented players on the mostly offensive team. Using the training period at the team ranch in the United States, he chooses to master a more gripping style to destroy the offense of other teams by means of the "Duel Bison Horn". However, as delinquent as his style appears to be, the Hah Brothers (particularly Jumonji) use their own delinquent defensive abilities to block him and allow for their offense to break through him.

* Position : Line Defense/ Team Captain
* 3rd Year students (Grade 12)
* His real name is supposed to be Baharou Ushijima....

"TECHNIQUES/STRATEGIES"

*Twin Horns - Ushijima uses both of his arms to defeat linemen using a western lariat technique. First, he punches the opponents side with his right arm. Then, he crushes the opponents chest with an upward left punch. Using both of his arms earns the technique the nickname "Twin Horns."

Tenichi Saba

Kicker of Seibu Wild Gunmen. Despite being a decent kicker, when the team got pressed down, he became nervous that Kid decides to do a 2 point conversion with Tetsuma instead at one instance, and had Riku putting his helmet in another instance.
*Position: Kicker
*Jersey Number: 13

Other Teammates

Coaches & Other Assistants

"Doc" Billy Horide

*

(ドク堀出 "Doku Horide") The coach of the Wild Gunmen, his appearance is like a stereotypical cowboy complete with two pistols he uses to fire with. (showing off similar gunmenship skills to both Kid and Hiruma) His main philosophy revolves around a fast-shooting offense that crushes the opponent. Unfortunately, his management of the team leads to bad luck for his side, particularly in Tetsuma following his advice to the point of hurting his team as opposed to helping it.

Like the cowboy he is, he owns a massive ranch near Houston, Texas which also doubles as Seibu's American training grounds for the Kanto Tournament. His ranch is filled with cattle for rodeos and milk production, including a massive bull won in a teamup between Deimon and Seibu for a beach football tournament. Likewise, he also has a horse ranch filled with many who appear similar to many of the players taking part in the football tournament in Japan.

*Position: Coach/Trainer
*His name is the Japanese approximation of Doc Holiday

Hina Aiuchi

(相内比奈) The blond head of the "Wild Fanning" cheerleader corp for Seibu, leading the chants for the team.