Kojiro Saeki

In the original manga, Kojiro has brown hair, but in the anime adaptation, his hair is a distinctive two-toned silver and black.

He is famously described as "uselessly handsome," a running gag in the series that has even become a beloved nickname among fans.

Kojiro is a kind-hearted and calm young man, always showing consideration for others.

He has a cheerful and gentle nature, making him a reliable figure on his team.

Despite his modesty, he seems to be aware of his good looks.

When Yushi Oshitari called him "truly uselessly handsome," Kojiro retorted, "The 'useless' part is unnecessary."

Kojiro is a third-year student and the vice-captain of the Rokkaku tennis team.

He is also a childhood friend of the Fuji brothers, Shusuke and Yuta.

In a flashback in *The New Prince of Tennis*, it's revealed that he once guided Hōō Byōdōin to meet Ojī.

Kojiro is a skilled left-handed player who originally played as a Serve & Volleyer.

He later evolves his style to become an Aggressive Baseliner.

His primary weapon is his outstanding dynamic vision, which he combines with his "Man-to-man Play" to perfectly mark and shut down opponents at the net.

In the anime, he secretly took up kendo to sharpen his senses.

This allowed him to read an opponent's subtle muscle movements, predict their next move, and hit the ball where they least expect it.

As the vice-captain of Rokkaku, Kojiro is a respected figure, often called "Sae" or "Sae-san" by his teammates.

He usually plays singles but sometimes forms a doubles pair with Marehiko Itsuki.

He is childhood friends with Shusuke and Yuta Fuji and cares for them deeply.

During the Junior Selection Camp, he teamed up with Shusuke to secure a victory in a doubles match.

Profile

• School: Rokkaku Junior High, 3rd Year, Class C, No. 9
• Club: Tennis Club (Vice-Captain)
• Committee: Student Council Vice President
• Height: 174cm
• Weight: 61kg
• Blood Type: O
• Birthday: October 1
• Zodiac Sign: Libra
• Foot Size: 27.5cm
• Vision: 2.5 (both eyes)
• Dominant Hand: Left
• Playstyle: Serve & Volleyer
• Specialty: Marking opponents, dynamic vision
• Favorite Gear: NIKE Air Court Implosion MID shoes, Custom wood racket made by "Ojī"
• Family: Father, Mother, Older Sister, Dog
• Father's Occupation: Engineer
• Hobbies: Playing at the beach, collecting seashells
• Favorite Subjects: Social Studies, Japanese Language
• Least Favorite Subject: Math
• Favorite Foods: Okara, lightly grilled sea urchin, sea urchin cream pasta
• Favorite Colors: White, beige
• Favorite Movie: *Titanic*
• Favorite Books: *King Lear*, later *The Little Mermaid*
• Favorite Music: Chanson
• Motto: "One Chance One Shoot One Kill"
• Elementary School: Rokkaku Third Elementary School
• Favorite Spot on Campus: A bench on the school grounds overlooking the sea
• How He Spends His Allowance: On clothes
• Ideal Partner: Someone possessive (because "you can't leave me free"), later changed to someone who messages frequently
• Ideal Date Spot: A resort, later changed to a place where they can be alone together
• Current Wish: Wanted a dog, later changed to a photo album full of memories
• Daily Routine: Walking along the beach
• Dislikes: Confined spaces, rough play
• Non-Tennis Skill: Building artistic sandcastles
• Faintest Star He Can See: 8th magnitude
• Tournament Routine: Going on food crawls with the Rokkaku members
• Favorite Anniversaries: January 20, February 14, April 8, June 19, August 8, September 1, November 28, December 25
• Dream Destination: Santorini, Greece
• Gift for a Loved One: A handmade friendship bracelet

Other Facts

Kojiro has the unique ability to distinguish between different types of sea urchin.

His fan nickname is "Muda-sama" (Lord Uselessly Handsome), a playful jab at his official "uselessly handsome" description.

He is often seen as the "uselessly handsome" counterpart to the "flawlessly handsome" Kuranosuke Shiraishi.

"Damn, you shouldn't have left me free."

"There's just one thing I left unfinished."

Before the Kanto Tournament

During a practice match against St. Rudolph, Kojiro played against his childhood friend, Yuta Fuji.

Concerned that Yuta was straining himself by using the "Twist Spin Shot," Kojiro intentionally lost the match.

Kanto Tournament

In the semifinals, he and Marehiko Itsuki faced the Seigaku pair of Eiji Kikumaru and Shusuke Fuji in Doubles 1.

Kojiro's "Man-to-man Play" successfully contained Kikumaru's acrobatics for a time, but they were eventually defeated by Kikumaru's "Kikumaru Step."

In the third-place playoff match, he lost to Kippei Tachibana in Singles 1.

National Tournament

In the first round of the Nationals, Kojiro faced Yujiro Kai of Higa Middle School in Singles 1.

During the match, Ojī was intentionally injured by one of Kai's shots.

While the rest of the Rokkaku team accompanied Ojī to the hospital, Kojiro stayed behind to finish the match alone.

Though he ultimately lost, he entrusted Seigaku with the key to defeating Higa's "Shukuchiho" (Rapid Movement) technique.

Junior Selection Camp (Anime)

In the anime-exclusive Junior Selection Camp arc, Kojiro teamed up with Shusuke Fuji.

They competed against Sadaharu Inui and Renji Yanagi in a doubles match.

After struggling to read Yanagi's movements, he and Fuji found their rhythm and achieved victory through strong combination play.

The New Prince of Tennis

Kojiro did not participate in the U-17 training camp.

He appeared in a flashback during Hōō Byōdōin's match, where it was shown that he guided Hōō to Ojī in the past.

Voice Actor & Stage Actors

• Voice Actor: Yusei Oda
• Musical Actors:
• 1st Season: Kanata Irei
• 2nd Season: Daisuke Utsumi
• 3rd Season: Kaname Futaba
• 4th Season: Arihiro Matsunaga

Character Tags

• Group Tags: Rokkaku, KS (with Kiyosumi Sengoku and Kuranosuke Shiraishi), Shiraishi-hime and the Romeo of Chiba (with Kuranosuke Shiraishi).
• BL Shipping Tags: SaeItsu (with Marehiko Itsuki), SaeRyo (with Ryo Kisarazu), SaeFuji (with Shusuke Fuji), SaeYuta (with Yuta Fuji), KaiSae (with Yujiro Kai), KuraSae (with Kuranosuke Shiraishi).