Rising Impact Season 2

Originally serialized in *Weekly Shonen Jump* from 1998 to 2002, *Rising Impact* follows young golfers discovering their "gifts" (innate talents) at elite academies.

The story famously survived an initial cancellation in 1999, returning three months later due to overwhelming reader support and running for four more years.

The anime adaptation by Lay-duce, directed by Hitoshi Nanba, premiered its first season on Netflix on June 22, 2024, with the second season following shortly after.

Camelot Academy

Camelot Academy is the world's most prestigious golf school, divided into three campuses: the elite UK School, the competitive USA School, and the underdog Japan School.

Students are ranked into A, B, and C classes, with only A-class students allowed in official tournaments, B-class in unofficial ones, and C-class completely barred from external competition.

Dropping below C-class means immediate expulsion, creating intense pressure for the already tiny student body of fewer than 100 golfers worldwide.

Japan School Elementary Division

Gawain Nanaumi is the relentlessly cheerful protagonist from Fukushima, whose dream of becoming a home run king shifts after encountering the incredible distances of golf.

His "Gift," Rising Impact, allows him to see a radiant light at the ball's core upon impact, unleashing drives of 440 yards on average and a supernatural backspin technique called "Explosion Spin."

Awakened after a head injury, his personality shifts into the coldly aggressive "Gawain Phoenix" mode, hinting at the latent power inherited from his legendary father, Wouzel Phoenix.

Voiced by Misaki Kuno.

Lancelot Norman is Gawain's refined best friend and eternal rival, whose delicate features often lead strangers to mistake him for a girl.

His "Gift," Shining Road, illuminates the perfect putting line on the green, giving him a terrifying average of 1.0 putts per hole and the ability to sink shots from up to 70 yards.

Though calm and aloof, his deep devotion to his injured sister Kajury reveals a fiercely protective heart.

Voiced by Yumiri Hanamori.

Liebel Ringvald is a gentle, unassuming 12-year-old from England whose true strength lies in his flawless, all-rounder play style without relying on any special Gift.

Burdened by a past where he concealed a penalty to win a tournament for his grandmother, he spent years deliberately losing until Gawain and his crush, instructor Aria Sayfort, helped him rediscover his love for true competition.

He later marries his classmate Platalissa Bonaire.

Voiced by Yuuto Uemura.

Yumiko Koizumi is a former Junior Champion and an iron specialist whose initial crush on Lancelot fizzles out after a blunt comment from him.

She develops a more flippant, sometimes shallow attitude towards golf and relationships, which contrasts sharply with the earnest devotion shown by characters like Bridget and Platalissa.

Eventually recognizing her own immaturity, she recommits to the sport professionally.

Voiced by Kaede Hondo.

Riser Hopkins is a perennial C-class underachiever and Gawain's first rival at the academy, who rediscovers the joy of golf after a humbling driving contest loss.

His mental fragility is cruelly exploited by later opponents, shattering his confidence and driving him to briefly defect to the rival Grain Kingdom.

Years later, relentless practice transforms him into a pro capable of matching Gawain.

Voiced by Shunsuke Takeuchi.

Wanglian Li seems like a stoic, nature-attuned player who uses a persimmon-wood driver instead of modern materials, but he is secretly a spy for the Grain Kingdom.

He scores an impressive -13 in the Camelot Cup, even outplaying Lancelot, before planting a resignation letter in Liebel’s bag and vanishing back to his true masters.

He eventually returns as a qigong instructor at the unified Avalon Institute.

Voiced by Eiji Takemoto.

Platalissa Bonaire arrives at the Japan School with a cold, arrogant mask, forced into isolation by a parental ultimatum to outperform her older sister, Sfida, or be exiled from her family.

After failing to beat Sfida at the Camelot Cup, the sisters reconcile, allowing her true warm and cheerful nature to return.

She later marries Liebel Ringvald.

Voiced by Yumi Uchiyama.

Japan School Middle Division

Kai Todoin is a hot-blooded, intimidating leader of the Japan School's A-class, whose short temper hides a deeply caring and hardworking spirit.

Using a custom 55-inch—and eventually, a reckless 80-inch—driver, he achieves distances over 400 yards without a Gift, at the cost of permanently snapping the tendons in his arm.

He retires from play, becomes a clubmaker, and marries his childhood crush Mika Kuromine.

Voiced by Katsuyuki Konishi.

Mika Kuromine is a hauntingly beautiful player whose cold, ghost-like aura intimidates rivals, but she is fiercely loyal and sincere.

Her putting Gift originally showed multiple chaotic lines, a reflection of her inner confusion, which evolved into a single clear path after Lancelot challenged her mindset and took her spot in the Camelot Cup.

Voiced by Akane Matsui.

Hershey Epor is a specialist in short approaches with a 70% chip-in rate within 30 yards, though her small frame limits her power.

She bullies the sponsorship-admitted Hidemi Kanazono, leading to a destructive cycle of revenge involving sabotaged clubs and physical confrontations.

Voiced by Hana Satou.

Daichi Arai is a physically large but surprisingly petty player who joins Hershey in tormenting Hidemi Kanazono for his "easy" entry.

When Kanazono retaliates and their bullying is exposed, Kai Todoin delivers a brutal lecture that shames them all.

Voiced by Tetsu Inada.

Hidemi Kanazono is admitted through his father's sponsorship money, lacking the talent to fulfill the pro dreams forced upon him.

Enduring constant bullying, he resorts to cheating with modified clubs and sabotaging his tormentors' equipment, but is eventually caught and begins to reform.

He quits golf years later to become a comedian.

Voiced by Yukitoshi Tokumoto.

Japan School Faculty

Aria Sayfort is a kind, fiercely protective instructor and former pro golfer, whose brief marriage to Camelot founder Rain Grace ended in divorce.

Her past connection to the injury of Lancelot's sister Kajury adds a layer of unspoken tension, but her dedication to her students, especially Liebel, never wavers.

Voiced by Sayaka Oohara.

Dorfa Bentley is a bitter, oafish instructor who blames the Japan school's poor performance on the "reject" students, despite being criticized by other coaches for his own terrible guidance.

His self-serving attitude masks a failure to take any responsibility for the team's struggles.

Voiced by Naoya Uchida.

Hitomi Katase is a unassuming, masculine-named former British Open competitor whose career was ended by a back injury.

He earns the students' respect instantly by demonstrating a seemingly impossible trick shot using only an umbrella, proving his deep insight into a player's weaknesses with a single glance.

Voiced by Nobuo Tobita.

USA School

Quester Phoenix shares the "Rising Impact" Gift with his cousin Gawain, wielding a lightning-type version of the impact flash.

Shaed by a crushing 10-stroke defeat to Liebel in the past, his confidence shatters again when Gawain outdrives him, but his rival's fierce encouragement reignites his fighting spirit.

He ultimately confronts his manipulative father, Arthur, and becomes a pro, marrying Bridget Barlowe.

Voiced by Yuuki Kaji.

Bilford Cooper is the mature, fatherly leader of the USA School team whose powerful iron approaches mark him as one of the academy's top players.

His protective instinct for Quester drives him to personally infiltrate the enemy Grain Kingdom in order to free Bridget from her spy contract.

He later becomes the chairman of the unified Avalon Institute.

Voiced by Fuminori Komatsu.

Bridget Barlowe is a foul-mouthed former slum delinquent who found salvation in Quester's kindness, and her devotion to him is absolute.

Recruited as a Camelot spy by Quester’s father, Arthur, her desperate desire to stay close to Quester traps her in a painful double life until Bilford sacrifices his own position to release her.

She eventually marries Quester.

Voiced by Anna Nagase.

Charles Livingston, nicknamed "Charles the Chubby", witnesses Gawain’s terrifying "Phoenix" awakening firsthand and becomes his most devoted fan.

His loyalty leads him to become Gawain's permanent caddy and confidant later in life.

Voiced by Mitsuaki Kanuka.

UK School

Tristan Liones is the undisputed king of junior golf, whose ice-cold demeanor and superhuman iron play are fueled by the memory of his overworked, deceased father.

His "Gift," Falling Star, allows him to visually perceive the wind's currents, guaranteeing pin-point accuracy from 120 yards.

Encountering Gawain and Lancelot awakens a joy in true competition he'd never felt, softening his lonely ferocity before he eventually quits the sport to raise an orphaned girl.

Voiced by Takuya Eguchi.

Percival Lawrence is a 10-year-old powerhouse who drives 400 yards using a 60-inch driver and a spinning 1.5-turn swing.

Revealed to be a girl—corrected in the tankobon volumes—she accidentally causes the head injury that triggers Gawain's "Phoenix" awakening.

Voiced by Sora Amamiya.

Sfida Bonaire is Platalissa's estranged older sister, whose resentment over perceived parental favoritism explodes before her sister leaves for Japan.

The two reconcile at the Camelot Cup, where she entrusts Platalissa with a precious choker, mending their bond.

Voiced by Marina Inoue.

Guangling Li is Wanglian Li's older sister and fellow silent, expressionless spy for the Grain Kingdom, assessing Camelot's strength from within the UK School.

After the Camelot Cup, she withdraws alongside her brother to return to their true organization.

Voiced by Yukiyo Fujii.

Grain Kingdom

Koyo Sugawara is a one-armed powerhouse capable of wielding a driver with a single hand, and a former Camelot Japan School student who was once Kai Todoin’s respected senior.

His life derailed after a drunken knife attack, and his obsessive, possessive love for Mika Kuromine drives him into a destructive driving contest against Kai.

He ultimately accepts defeat gracefully, letting go of Mika.

He is one of the series' most disliked characters by readers, according to the author.

Ashcroft Sarazen possesses the "Gift" Pride Snatch, allowing him to dissect a player’s form, muscle structure, and grip with a single glance to dismantle their game.

Despite his cold, brutal approach—including punching defeated opponents—he shows kindness to a young girl named Sheria and later becomes the head physician at Avalon Institute.

He is completely outclassed by Tristan Liones in an approach contest.

Arthur Phoenix is Quester's father, Wouzel's twin, and the embittered founder of the Grain Kingdom, driven by a lifelong inferiority complex towards his brother.

Consumed by jealousy after Wouzel won the heart of the woman he loved, he created his organization solely to destroy Camelot, all while secretly suffering from a fatal tumor.

He reveals his tormented past to Quester just before his death.

Other Characters

Kiria Nishino is the pro golfer who discovers Gawain's raw talent during a trip to Fukushima and becomes his devoted mentor.

She later marries Gawain and gives birth to their son, Taiyo.

Voiced by You Taichi.

Kurumi Nishino, Kiria’s 12-years-younger sister, is a hopelessly devoted fangirl whose cheerful delusions about Lancelot are matched only by her genuine, unwavering affection for him.

She eventually wins his heart, marries him, and becomes a manga artist.

Voiced by Atsumi Tanezaki.

Kajury Norman is Lancelot’s older sister and a fellow possessor of the Shining Road Gift, whose career was nearly ended when a ripped shot from Aria Sayfort almost blinded her.

With Lancelot’s encouragement, she undergoes successful surgery and later returns to her brilliant putting form.

Voiced by Houko Kuwashima.

Taizo Nanaumi is Gawain's grandfather and a legendary clubmaker who crafted the mythical Ring 12 (13) clubs for Wouzel and Arthur Phoenix.

After raising the orphaned Gawain single-handedly, he sends him off to Tokyo with Kiria, passing away shortly after the climax of the battle against the Grain Kingdom.

Voiced by Shinya Fukumatsu.