About Sakuraba Haruto

(桜庭　春人 Sakuraba Haruto) A typical, good-looking pop idol (he has a CD single due to recording technology, despite the fact that he can't sing), he works in an advertising company called Jari Productions. When he was young, he used to watch sports all the time and dreamed of becoming a professional athlete. In high school, he managed to enter the team as a Wide Receiver after drawing much attention from the seniors due to his height; however, the coach, Shoji, was more interested in Shin. Shin soon surpassed Sakuraba, becoming the ace of the team. Sakuraba felt a little envious of Shin's success and achievements, and was disappointed with himself for not being able to soar to greater heights. He eventually became less interested in training and sports in general.

One day, Miracle Ito of Jari Productions noticed him and decided that he would be a good model. Feeling wanted and pleased to be in the spotlight for once, Sakaruba agreed to work for him. Now, he is constantly misunderstood; because of his popularity, people mistake him for the genius of the Oujou team, and disregard the true ace, Shin. In fact, his football skills are mediocre at best, especially his catching ability. Sakuraba always felt pressured to do well and to live up to assumptions people made about him. An accident in the Ojo vs. Deimon game changed it all, though: Sena, as Eyeshield 21, accidentally tackled Sakuraba while running, injuring him. The reason that Sakuraba was hit, even though he was not playing at that time, was that he ran onto the field to grab a card that Miracle Ito told him to wear as advertisement. In the hospital, after meeting Sena, Monta and his die-hard fan Torakichi, who admires Sakuraba for his catch in the game against Deimon the year before, he finally decides to stop being pessimistic and to succeed just as Shin has done.

Just before the Fall tournament started, he decided to quit working with Jari Productions and focus on American football with the help of his friends after he heard Takami complimenting him and how he had waited for a friend like Sakuraba, someone like him who understood his predicaments. Before the opening ceremony, he cut his hair in a crew-cut style and started growing a goatee to show his renewed vigor in pursuing success in American football, much to the dismay of Miracle Ito, who had depended on Sakuraba's good looks to make money (although later he accept this, saying that his persona as sportsman actually gave the company more benefit than his persona as an idol, and that he must keep his good performance because of this). He also carries a wristband with the names of his teammates and Torakichi's signed on it, as a promise to carry it into the Christmas Bowl.

His skills as a wide receiver have rapidly improved and Sakuraba can now be considered a real ace. He was also complimented by Shouji as the player with "the strongest heart" in Ojo, and by Unsui as one of the big four in the wide-receiver battle (along with Ikkyuu, Monta, and Tetsuma). As of now, Sakuruba joins Shin on defense to challenge Monta of the Devil Bats. He does manage to stop Monta from receiving the ball and on Ojo's first drive, scored for the White Knights, making it 6-3. It is interesting to note that the high-school league that is featured in Eyeshield 21 only requires one foot to land in-bounds for a caught pass to count, instead of both feet in the pros. Sakuraba was way over the touchline (though not on the ground) when he caught Takami's pass, a deliberate ploy by the Ojo passer as he knew nobody could reach that far but his intended target - and Sakuraba still managed to get a foot in bounds once he caught the pass.

However, with the start of the second half, Sakuraba now has something more formidable to deal with. Monta knocks the ball out of his hands, preventing another touchdown pass, then displays a new talent: catching passes from BEHIND his head, newly dubbed as the Devil Backfire. With this skill, Monta doesn't even have to look for the ball after Hiruma launches it. With this new tactic, the Devil Bats march down the field and tie the score at 13-13.

By chapter 228, in order to counter the Devil Backfire, Shin and Sakuraba now combine into a new tactic called the Sagittarius, which allows them to retake the lead at 20-13. But Deimon responds by a tactic that stops them at their source, sacking Takami into a safety. Throughout the remainder of the game, Sakuraba remains determined to defeat Deimon and reach the Christmas Bowl, but the Devil Bats win in the final second of the game. He tries to give his wristband to Monta, (whom he recognizes as the better receiver), asking him to carry it to the Christmas Bowl. Monta tosses it back to Sakuraba (but due to his abysmal throwing "skills", ends up throwing it behind him to land on Onihei's head!), saying that it should be Torakichi who should carry it once his legs recover.

TECHNIQUES/STRATEGIES

Everest Pass - Sakuraba's height plays to his advantage as a receiver, especially since Ojo's quarterback Ichiro Takami is also tall. He launches the ball at a high angle over the field, in which Sakaurba leaps up to catch it. The pass is at such a great height that the opposing team can do little about it, even if they know where it will land. It's simply too high to intercept. However, this technique has a weakness since Sakuruba still relies on SEEING the incoming ball in order to catch it. Blocking his field of vision will stop him from properly receiving the pass. This weakness is evident as he is now unable to intercept passes meant for Monta, since the Deimon receiver can catch balls from behind his head, without even looking. Sakuraba cannot keep his eyes on the ball with Monta charging straight at him without turning around. His own attempt to copy the Devil Backfire is thwarted as Monta displayed his ability to catch a football with one hand.

Sagittarius: A combination of Sakuraba's Everest Pass and Shin's Trident Tackle, the duo take a formation where Shin blocks any opponents approaching them (such as Sena and Monta) while Sakuraba reaches for Takami's pass. Unlike the Everest pass, Takami throws a short pass to prevent Monta from using the Devil Backfire to intercept. This strategy has its own weakness by dividing Shin's attention away from Sakaruba, causing Takami to change strategies, and making the quarterback vulnerable to sacks. à

informations take from wikipedia.

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