Junkei Yamazaki

Fifth dan. A towering figure with a shaved head and no eyebrows. Stuck at fifth dan, he won the rookie tournament four times, and is mockingly referred to by those around him as potentially becoming the "Eternal Rookie King" with just one more victory. As he begins to feel the limits of his own chess skills, he harbors jealousy and envy towards Rei and Nikaido, and vows to make a comeback after playing them in the rookie tournament. He wins a match against Nikaido by inducing a stalemate that worsens Nikaido's physical condition, but after the match, Nikaido ends up in the hospital, and he secretly delivers hydrangea flowers to his room. Nikaido was aware of who the sender was.

His hobby, taught by his grandfather along with shogi, is raising racing pigeons. He became deeply involved as he realized the more effort he put in, the better the results.