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One of the more elusive rival teams in Konomi Takeshi's Tennis no Oujisama, Higa Chuugaku's tennis team makes its first appearance in volume 29, chapter 248 in the manga and in the Nationals OVAs in the anime verse. Even before their matches began, Higa managed to turn up on a few radars largely due to their aggressive playstyle and take-no-prisoners attitude. Before their victory at the Kyuushuu Regional Tournament, it had been twenty-six years since an Okinawan team had taken a win. 
Higa’s eight regulars were chosen through rigorous try-outs. During an all day training exercise at the beach – ‘Survival of the Fittest’ – they assembled the eight regulars that would, ultimately, comprise the line-up to go on to Nationals. Five matches with Seigaku, however, saw the end of their winning streak when Kite finally lost to Tezuka in singles one.
Kite Eishirou – 3rd Year Captain
of Higa’s tennis team, Kite Eishirou is responsible for putting together
the group of martial arts prodigies that comprise his team. His tennis is a
step above that of his teammates and it is Kite who taught them to incorporate
the Shukuchihou into their game. It is only Kite, however, who can use this
technique in any direction he chooses; his teammates are only able to utilize
it to step forward/backward. Kite is aggressive, even more so than his teammates, and uses his skill in both tennis and martial arts to efficiently and systematically target his opponents' weaknesses. His incredible ability and drive allowed him to shut down each school's ace in the Kyuushuu Regional Tournament – thereby earning him the nickname 'Hitman'. His reputation was such that Rikkai's Sanada Genichirou knew him on sight and was both able and willing to recognize his formidable talent. That talent enabled Kite to jump ahead to a 4-0 lead (2-0 in the anime verse) during his match with Tezuka Kunimitsu – Tezuka's first official match since his return – and though Tezuka eventually overcame Kite's Shukuchihou with the debut of his Hyaku Ren Jitoku no Kiwami, Kite did not accept defeat easily. Desperate for victory, he used his racket to swipe sand into Tezuka's eyes, who was able to avoid it by imitating Kite's Shukuchihou. Tezuka took the match, thus ending Higa's bid for the Championship. Despite his underhanded tactics and seeming propensity for violence, Kite is actually a rather polite, calm boy and his team seems to trust him implicitly. He maintains order and obedience within the group by threatening to make his team eat goya if they misbehave or otherwise step out of line. While he does not actively advocate the violent tendencies displayed by their manager, he does not forbid them and will – if a situation warrants it – employ them, himself. When their manager, Saotome Harumi, threatens to abandon the team for their unacceptable losses, Kite knocks him down by slamming a tennis ball into his midsection. Special Shots/Abilities: Big Bang – An incredible serve that takes an amazing amount of stamina and strength to utilize. Most players are unable to return this powerful serve. Habu – While assuming a typical smash stance, this smash curves randomly during execution, making it difficult to return. Shukuchihou – Technique developed by Martial Artists and utilized to sneak up on enemies. This technique gives the impression that the executor is able to approach the net or baseline in a single step. Chinen Hiroshi – 3rd Year  The tallest member of the team, Chinen is versatile enough to play both singles and doubles, but allows his impatience to hinder his game. During his first match in the National Tournament, Chinen took the Singles 3 slot opposite Rokkaku's Aoi Kentarou. Easily dominating Aoi, Chinen used the Shukuchihou to end the match with a love set. When playing doubles, Chinen partners with Hirakoba Rin. During the second round doubles match against Seigaku's Kawamura/Fuji pair, Chinen's tendency to rush his shots make him very nearly superfluous. Though he seeks to finish his matches quickly, he seems to handle a loss rather well. True to Higa form, however, he can be inflammatory and uses his scary appearance and calm fearlessness to mock and taunt his opponent. Special Shots/Abilities: Shukuchihou – Technique developed by Martial Artists and utilized to sneak up on enemies. This technique gives the impression that the player is able to approach the net or baseline in a single step.
Cocky, snarky and unbearably cute, Kai is quite possibly the most unrepentantly outspoken member of the team. Easily recognized by his trademark red cap, Kai doesn't mind going out on a limb to taunt his opponents even when he knows Kite will rein him back in by threatening him with goya. At the Nationals lottery, Kai tells Sanada that Rikkaidai are losers – thus prompting the threat of goya from his captain. In
his first match, Kai faces Rokkaku's Saeki Kojirou. During the match, Saeki's
coach offers a bit of insight regarding Higa's trademark technique and –
in retaliation – Kai sends the old man to the hospital by hitting him
in the face with the ball. While this new information proved valuable by making
Saeki more of a challenge than his teammates, Kai eventually emerged victorious. In his second match, he meets Seigaku's Kikumaru Eiji. While Kikumaru modified his strategy by watching Kai's match with Saeki and was able to seal off the Shukuchihou, Kikumaru wasn't counting on Kai's ability to read Kikumaru's movements by delaying the timing of his own shots. He reveals to Kikumaru that he is actually left-handed and that he can play using a reverse grip. This reverse grip increases his advantage dramatically as he can then utilize his special technique 'Viking Horn'. In the end, Kikumaru used his 'Seal Step' to take the match with a very close 7-6 win.
Shukuchihou – Technique developed by Martial Artists and utilized to sneak up on enemies. This technique gives the impression that the executor is able to approach the net or baseline in a single step. Viking Horn – A backwards grip technique that allows the executor to delay making contact with the ball. When using this shot, the ball can appear to go either left or right before then going in the opposite direction.
While every bit as cocky as his teammate Kai Yuujiroh, Hirakoba seems to be the only member of the team who actively seeks a fair game. During his doubles match with Seigaku's Kawamura and Fuji, Hirakoba tries to injure Ryuuzaki with the ball at Kite's insistence. Fortunately for Ryuuzaku, Kawamura intercepts and blocks the shot with his racket. When Higa's coach signals Hirakoba for a second attack, Hirakoba ignores him, uninterested in resorting to violence and underhanded tactics to secure a win. Above all, Hirakoba enjoys a good time and a fun game and when Saotome signals him again, Hirakoba yells at his coach, insisting that the match is interesting and that he wants to play his own style. Initially, Chinen and Hirakoba appear to have the upper hand in the match – Hirakoba's playstyle and outgoing, vocal manner steal the spotlight and clearly indicate that he is the superior player between himself and Chinen – but the appearance of Fuji's fourth counter cost them the match.  Of all the team members, Hirakoba seems to be the most susceptible to Kite's threat of goya. He truly, truly hates it. :D
Shukuchihou – Technique developed by Martial Artists and utilized to sneak up on enemies. This technique gives the impression that the executor is able to approach the net or baseline in a single step. Habu – While assuming a typical smash stance, this smash curves randomly during execution, making it difficult to return. Giant Habu – Whereas the Habu merely curves after the ball lands, the Giant Habu curves immediately upon contact with the racket. The downside of Giant Habu is that it can only be used once per match. The execution of this shot leaves the player's hand numb.
If
Chinen is the tallest member of Higa, Tanishi is the biggest. He possesses monstrous
strength and while the Shukuchihou may have been ineffective against Echizen
Ryoma, Tanishi's Big Bang was not. Violent and impulsive, Tanishi is quick to anger and threatens to pound Echizen when they meet at the net. For all his bulk, Tanishi's brute strength is almost enough to overwhelm Echizen during their match, but – ultimately – Echizen was able to seal Tanishi's Shukuchihou and sap his stamina in order to secure a win. Special Shots/Abilities: Shukuchihou – Technique developed by Martial Artists and utilized to sneak up on enemies. This technique gives the impression that the player is able to approach the net or baseline in a single step. Carioca Step – Step that allows Tanishi to move sideways at a constant speed. Big Bang – An incredibly strong serve that requires great stamina and power to utilize. Executed by jumping and using both gravity and the player's body weight to maximize speed and power.
Shiranui Tomoya With the greatest lung capacity and endurance on the team, Shiranui holds out the longest during Higa's underwater stamina exercises during the 'Survival of the Fittest' selection. In spite of this, his stamina could not hold up during his match against Seigaku's Inui/Kaidoh pair. Unlike the rest of the team, Shiranui is unable to use the Shukuchihou technique and he his doubles partner Aragaki lose their match to Inui and Kaidoh 3-6. Aragaki Not much is known about Aragaki. What we do know is that he grew up with Shiranui and – like his friend and doubles partner – cannot use the Shukuchihou technique. It is Aragaki who faints during his match due to heat stroke. Saotome Harumi – Advisor/Coach – 41 yrs old Violent and underhanded, Saotome pushes his team to win at any cost. After instructing Hirakoba to injure Ryuuzaki Sumire and being subsequently ignored, he seemed ready to attack her himself when she confronts him for his dangerous, irresponsible behavior. Fortunately, Seigaku's Echizen and Momoshiro intervene by warning him off with twin serves in his direction. After Higa lost the fourth straight set to Seigaku, Saotome threatened to abandon his team until Kite Eishirou knocked him back to the bench with a serve to the midsection. In truth, Saotome has absolutely no control over his team who seem to harbor no respect for him. |
