Yowamushi Pedal

Yowamushi Pedal (弱虫ペダル, Yowamushi Pedaru, lit. "Weakling Pedal") is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Wataru Watanabe. It is published by Akita Shoten and began its serialization in 2008's 12th issue of the Weekly Shōnen Champion magazine. As of February 6, 2015, there have been 38 compiled volumes published. An anime DVD was released bundled with the 29th volume, released on August 8, 2013, and anime television series adaptation began airing on October 7, 2013. Both seasons of the TV anime have been licensed by Discotek Media.

Plot

Sakamichi Onoda is an otaku, an anime obsessive, who has just entered high school and plans to join the anime club. In middle school, Onoda did not have any friends with whom he could talk about anime, games, Akihabara, and other otaku things and is hoping he can make such friends in the anime club, but he finds out it has been disbanded. In order to reestablish the club, he tries to find 4 other people who would like to join.

Since he was a little boy, Onoda has ridden his mamachari ("City Bike" AKA "Mommy Bike" in the anime) â€" a bulky bicycle with a step-through frame mainly used for short rides- for casual fun, to pick up groceries, or to go to Akihabara every week to check out or buy otaku things. His fellow freshman, Shunsuke Imaizumi, a cyclist, while training, notices Onoda riding his mamachari up a steep road.

Naruko, visits Akihabara to get some Gundam plastic models for his younger brothers and he meets Onoda, who caught his attention because of the his cycling skill on the mamachari and later finds out they go to the same school. Later on, both Naruko and Imaizumi try to convince him to join the bicycle racing club.

Sohoku is a hard-working team that acts as the main school in the story. Even when members face internal conflicts, they are all determined to win. Its team members want to improve in their own ways. Their training is often brutal, and may seem like survival of the fittest, but it dramatically boosts their skills. Some events they do are team traditions, such as the first year welcome race and the 1000km training camp used to determine the Inter-High members.

Hakone Academy is a well built team that claims to be made up of six aces, with many more in reserve. Hakone Academy's cycling club is the largest in the country. As a result, the team has an incredibly difficult selection process. All the club members race against each other for the honor of wearing the team zekken at the Inter-High. Only the winners of each group (A through F) go on to participate. The groups are often divided so they will take up to 3 all arounders, up to 2 sprinters, and 2 climbers.

Kyoto Fushimi, or Kyofushi, acts as the third squad in this series and is the wild card of the group. The team was built mostly by all-arounders and has never been an exceptional team. Its training practices are never shown, but other teams say they were a lot nicer in previous years.

Characters

Sohoku High School

Sakamichi Onoda (小野ç"° 坂é", Onoda Sakamichi)

Voiced by: Daiki Yamashita

Onoda is the protagonist of the series and a high school freshman. He is a member of the Sohoku High Bicycle Club and a climbing specialist. He is also evidently an anime otaku. He is quite shy and has a hard time speaking up for himself, but ever since meeting Shunsuke Imaizumi, his courage has been growing and has stepped into the world of bicycles. Although he does not have a lot of stamina, he is capable of riding with extremely high cadences even when climbing uphill. He is a natural climber and a fast learner who was able to learn the dancing technique in a very short period of time. To help him in his climbing, the team captain Kinjou assigns Makishima to mentor him in climbing who tells him to follow his own style when learning cycling. During the training camp, Kinjou switches his tires with an older pair to build his stamina and figure out how to use his gearshift. He also did not tell him he gave him this handicap ostensibly in order to test him and see if he could figure out his bike on his own. In the inter-high competition, Onoda shows amazing feats in order to help support his team in ways such as passing 100 cyclists after a crash and drafting Tadokoro from the back of the pack to where their team is. His best performances come out when he's chasing someone in the lead, often causing him to smile and perform at his best.

Shunsuke Imaizumi (今泉 ä¿Šè¼", Imaizumi Shunsuke)

Voiced by: Kōsuke Toriumi

Imaizumi is a high school freshman and a member of the Sohoku High Bicycle Club. He is an all-rounder and a logical thinker, also adored by many girls due to his good looks. His dream is to become the fastest cyclist in the world. He has a fierce rivalry with Naruko, because of his sprinting abilities and his overall attitude, and sets his goal on Kinjou, who he currently sees as his biggest obstacle as Kinjou uses this as his mentor to push Imaizumi. He treats Onoda friendlier than his other teammates as he sees his potential, and wants to see where Onoda's cycling career takes him. In the training camp, Kinjou takes away his gearshift, so he would have to rely more on his physical abilities than his technical skills and understanding.

Shoukichi Naruko (鳴子 章吉, Naruko Shōkichi)

Voiced by: Jun Fukushima

Naruko is a high school freshman and a member of the Souhoku High Bicycle Club. He is a sprinter cyclist from Osaka. Naruko is seen most commonly with bright red hair, along with a biking outfit. He has sharp, red eyes; not only that, he has a red, black and white jacket. He is also often seen in a tiger T-shirt. As a sprinter, he has a competitive nature, which always gets him upset when Imaizumi and him are locked in a race and he sees that Imaizumi beats him. He also gets this way with his mentor, Tadokoro, who he often tries to beat in sprinting. On campus, Naruko has been akin to a brother-figure to Onoda ever since he saw Onoda's skills improve as a cyclist. In the training camp, Kinjou replaces his handles with the standard horizontal bar to limit his sprinting.

Shingo Kinjou (é‡'城 真護, Kinjō Shingo)

Voiced by: Hiroki Yasumoto

Kinjou is the captain of the Bicycle Club, and always wearing Sunglasses. Kinjou is a 3rd year and an all-rounder, as well as the ace of Sohoku. While he appears to have a cold outlook on cycling, Kinjou always thinks of his team and their potential first. He always seeks to challenge his team in order to bring out their best. He especially wants to bring out Imaizumi's potential and skill as his mentor, he especially pushes Imaizumi to defeat him knowing his competitive personality would motivate him more than he would himself. He himself possesses an iron will, allowing him to break past his limits and achieve amazing physical feats.

Yuusuke Makishima (巻島 裕介, Makishima Yūsuke)

Voiced by: Showtaro Morikubo

Makishima is a 3rd Year student of the Souhoku High Bicycle Club. Makishima has long, green hair with red highlights. He has two moles on his face; one is under his left eye and the other is by his lower lip. He also carries around a comb he often uses for his long hair. Toudou thinks that when Makishima smiles, it is creepy and scary. He is also known as the Peak Spider due to his unusual dancing technique on the bike. When Onoda, who he is mentoring in climbing, tries to copy this, he tells him that following your own style is much more important than to imitate a style that is uncomfortable. Though he considers himself a bad talker, he quickly befriends Onoda when the latter expresses his admiration for Makishima's dancing technique.

Jin Tadokoro (ç"°æ‰€ è¿…, Tadokoro Jin)

Voiced by: Kentarō Itō

Tadokoro is a 3rd Year student of the Souhoku High Bicycle Club. A rather large man with a hearty appetite. Despite his size, his is the Sohoku teams' ace sprinter. He is affectionately called Old Man by Naruko, who he is mentoring. He had also mentored Teshima and Aoyagi after seeing how much they had to struggle during their first year. His family own a bakery which provides food for the team during the 1000km training camp. Using his large bulk, he leads a special team riding style known as the Human Bullet Train, breaking the wind for his fellow teammates.

Junta Teshima (手島 ç´"太, Teshima Junta)

Voiced by: Daisuke Kishio

Teshima is a 2nd year student of the Souhoku High Bicycle Club and an All-Rounder. Teshima has black hair with perms and is an all-rounder cyclist. He is an outgoing cheerful guy and he is good at blocking. Despite being talent-less cyclist, he works extremely hard with fellow second-year Aoyagi to try to get to the inter-high race using their teamwork. He is also somehow able to read Aoyagi's mind, even through text messaging. In the training camp, he blew out his legs during the end of the third day in attempting to defeat Naruko, Imaizumi, and Onoda and was unable to complete the 1000 km requirement. Later on, he lends Onoda his riding gear to further improve himself.

Hajime Aoyagi (é'八木 一, Aoyagi Hajime)

Voiced by: Yoshitsugu Matsuoka

Aoyagi is a 2nd year student of the Souhoko High Bicycle Club and an All-Rounder. Aoyagi has brown hair which drops down his left eye sometimes. A quiet individual who has a good fast pace. While he considers himself talent-less, he works with Teshima and devises a plan to make it to the inter-high race together. In a sprint to defeat Naruko, Imaizumi, and Onoda, he blows out his leg, forcing him to retire from completing the 1000 km requirement in the training camp.

Terufumi Sugimoto (杉元 照文, Sugimoto Terufumi)

Voiced by: Kōki Miyata

Sugimoto is a first-year student of Souhoku High Bicycle Club. He has a heavily parted black hair and a self assured smile and a self-proclaimed experienced cyclist of three years, often giving advice to the other 1st years, his actual skills on a bicycle compared to the others are questionable at best though as he does not seem to have the pure talent that Naruko and Imaizumi have or the motivation to overcome challenges like Onoda has. He does have decent pace as a cyclist though. He fails to complete the 1000 km requirement of the training camp because he did not want to cycle in the rain.

Hakone Academy

Sangaku Manami (真波 山岳, Manami Sangaku)

Voiced by: Tsubasa Yonaga

Manami is a first-year student of the Hakone Academy Bicycle Club and has dark blue hair coloured with yellow highlights in the manga. He is mostly seen in his school uniform or biking outfit. He is an easy-going and laidback. Manami also has a habit of being late and easily distracted by mountains. As a climber, he pulls nature to his side by using the wind, to surpass his competitors. People often see wings form on his back at his top speeds, which he revels in the feeling of freedom.

Jinpachi Toudou (東堂 尽八, Tōdō Jinpachi)

Voiced by: Tetsuya Kakihara

Toudou is a 3rd year student of Hakone Academy Bicycle Club. He has dark black hair, along with a head band. His signature pose is pointing his finger at others. He has a lot of female fans, which tend to give him a large head. At his first meeting with Makishima, he was told that wearing a head band is ugly. He calls Makishima "Maki-chan". He has a cheerful personality, but can also become serious when climbing the peak. He is a climber and is a mentor of Manami. Due to his riding ability to accelerate silently, he's known to many as the Ninja of the Forest.

Juichi Fukutomi (福富 寿一, Fukutomi Juichi)

Voiced by: Tomoaki Maeno

Juichi is a 3rd year student at the Hakone Academy Bicycle Club. He is the captain of the Hakone team. He has short, spiky blond hair and very thick dark eyebrows. He usually wears a serious expression, earning him the "Iron Mask" nickname. He has sharp, dark eyes, and a thin nose. He is the tallest member of his team. In the past, his cheating led to the injury of himself and fellow rider Kinjou, leading him to redouble his efforts and will power. His catchphrase is, "I'm strong."

Hayato Shinkai (新開 隼人, Shinkai Hayato)

Voiced by: Satoshi Hino

Shinkai is a 3rd year student at the Hakone Academy Bicycle Club. He is the club's #4 ace sprinter. His hair is a solid, reddish color in the anime and is reddish brown with blue streaks in the manga. His heavily-lidded eyes give him a generally relaxed look. His eyes along with his thick lips are his defining facial features. He is often depicted with a power bar in his mouth or striking his signature "bakyun" pose. He describes himself as having a monster inside of him, caging his true strength, but unlocking incredible power when released in a sprint against Midousuji. In a past riding accident, he ran over a mother rabbit during a race. After finding the orphaned bunny, he declined riding with his school's team to care for it in atonement. Due to this guilt, he became unable to pass riders on the left side, though he manages to overcome this in a time of need.

Yasutomo Arakita (è'北 靖友, Arakita Yasutomo)

Voiced by: Hiroyuki Yoshino

Arakita is a 3rd year student at the Hakone Academy Bicycle Club. Arakita is a former baseball player with a bright future, but he is unable to continue down that path due to an elbow injury. Feeling jaded, he decides to go to Hakone Academy, a school without a baseball club. He was disappointed and angry at the world and ended up lashing out at Fukutomi when they happened to meet. Fukutomi introduced Arakita to the world of cycling, and after a rough start, Arakita found his passion. He became a skilled, though quite reckless, cyclist who works well with Fukutomi. During the first Inter High, he works as an assist to Fukutomi. After graduating, he begins attending Yonan University, where he joins the bicycle club along with Sohoku's Kinjou. He is often described as being a wolf.

Touichirou Izumida (泉ç"° å¡"一郎, Izumida Tōichirō)

Voiced by: Atsushi Abe

Izumida is a 2nd year student at the Hakone Academy Bicycle Club. He is the club's ace sprinter. He uses his abs to propel himself forward. His pecs are named Andy & Frank, and they react to dangerous situations as a warning/reflex as demonstrated when Frank tensed up in reaction to the falling cones and Andy seemingly allows him to brake a bit to narrowly avoid them. Izumida is known for his long eyelashes as well as his extremely toned body, which is the result of vigorous weight training in preparation for the Inter-High. He sacrifices his performance in other road races to create the "perfect body" specifically for this competition. He begins the series with his head shaved. Due to habit, he often rides without touching the handlebars. When he becomes serious about sprinting, he zips up his jacket.

Yukinari Kuroda (é»'ç"° 雪成, Kuroda Yukinari)

Voiced by: Kenji Nojima

Kuroda is a 2nd year at the Hakone Academy Bicycle Club. He is a climber. During his second year, he is challeneged by Manami for the club's final spot for the Inter-High roster.

Kyoto Fushimi High School

Akira Midousuji (御堂筋 ç¿", Midōsuji Akira)

Voiced by: Kōji Yusa

1st year student at Kyoto Fushimi High School. He is the club's ace and is the only individual to have defeated Imaizumi. He is unusually tall and has exceptionally long limbs. He first appears with medium length hair. He has large, dark eyes and uniquely square teeth. He likes to bare his perfectly straight teeth and call things "gross." Midousuji has a somewhat sadistic personality, as he constantly attempts to cause others emotional distress in order to achieve his goals. He appears to particularly enjoy harassing Imaizumi, but anyone he races against becomes a target of his mind games. Despite his evil persona, his drive for riding comes from a tragic past due to visiting his sickly mother at great distances. After hearing about the similar long-distance trips taken daily by Onoda, he comes to feel a kindred spirit inside him.

Koutarou Ishigaki (石垣 光太郎, Ishigaki Kōtarō)

Voiced by: Hirofumi Nojima

3rd year student at Kyoto Fushimi High School. He is the club's captain and was the original ace before Midousuji's arrival. He has the attitude of a true sportsman. Though he initially dislikes the presence of Midousuji on the team, Ishigaki comes to accept the strength brought by Midousuji, and becomes his puller in the race.

Nobuyuki Mizuta (æ°´ç"° ä¿¡è¡Œ, Mizuta Nobuyuki)

Voiced by: Chihiro Suzuki

2nd year student at Kyoto Fushimi High School. He has light brown hair and dark blue eyes. He is recognizable from his braces. Nobuyuki is first seen when Midousuji sends him to Chiba to find out which school will represent Chiba at the Inter-Highs.

Tomoya Ihara (井原 友矢, Ihara Tomoya)

Voiced by: Yukitoshi Kikuchi

3rd year student at Kyoto Fushimi High School. In previous years he has been known as being a sprinter. He questions if Midousuji's means are the best means for Kyoto Fushimi and gets beat up because of it.

Yamaguchi (山口, Yamaguchi)

Voiced by: Yuta Odagaki

2nd year student at Kyoto Fushimi High School. He is the only freckled individual in the series. He is often quiet and listens to instructions, but when he speaks it's usually to say yes to Midousuji's commands.

Tsuji (è¾», Tsuji)

Voiced by: Katsuhiro Tokuishi

3rd year student at Kyoto Fushimi High School. He tries to step in and stop Midousuji from beating on Tomoya until Ishigaki stops him from doing so.

Hiroshima Kureminami Technical High School

Machimiya Eikichi (待宮　栄吉, Eikichi Machimiya)

Voiced by: Tomokazu Seki

The ace of Hiroshima Kureminami Technical High School. He has the nickname "the Fighting Dog of Kure." After finishing the previous year in third place, he has developed an ambition to do anything possible to stop Hakone's dominance in road racing. He debuts in Day 3 of the Inter-High, or season 2 of Yowamushi Pedal's anime.

Supporting Characters

Touji Kanzaki (å¯'å'² 通司, Kanzaki Toji)

Voiced by: Junichi Suwabe

Older brother of Miki and the former captain of Sohoku's racing club. He was a sprinter. He runs his families bicycle shop and helps support Sohoku by providing their emergency vehicle and emergency bikes.

Miki Kanzaki (å¯'å'² å¹¹, Kanzaki Miki)

Voiced by: Ayaka Suwa

1st year at Sohoku and a the manager of the bicycle club. Given that her family owns and manages a bicycle shop, she has been exposed to the world of bicycles and road races since she was very young. She is very passionate about anything that has to do with the sport. She has brown hair and brown eyes. She has a slender frame and is of average height. Her straight hair reaches down to her waist, and she has bangs. She usually does not sport any hair accessories. She often wears Souhoku High's uniform which consists of a white blouse concealed within a buttoned up green jacket, a white and red striped ribbon tied around her collar, red and yellow plaid skirt, and black socks paired with brown school loafers.

Aya Tachibana (橘 綾, Tachibana Aya)

Voiced by: Megumi Han

1st year at Sohoku and Miki's best friend. She is a member of the tennis club and always questions Onoda on his bicycling skills.

Mr. Pierre (Mr.ãƒ"エール, Mr. Pierre)

Voiced by: Kenyuu Horiuchi

A staff member at Sohoku and coach of the bicycle club. He is first seen during the first year race and later gives Onoda tips on how to gain additional endurance.

Miyahara (宮原, Miyahara)

Voiced by: China Kitahara

1st year at Hakone and class president of Manami's class. Miyahara is childhood friends with Manami, and often chases him for cutting class and not doing his homework. She has a crush on him but doesn't understand why he is always cycling or road races in general.

Kotori Himeno (姫野湖鳥, Himeno Kotori)

Voiced by: Yukari Tamura

The main character of Onoda's favorite anime/ manga series, Love Hime. Whenever he needs to find a cadence to go faster by, Onoda typically begins singing the opening song.

Music

Kan Sawada uses electric guitar in his compositions.

Opening Theme

• Reclimb (リクライム) (episodes 1-12) by ROOKiEZ is PUNK'D
• Yowamushi na Honoo (弱虫な炎) (episodes 13-25) by DIRTY OLD MEN
• Be as One (episodes 26-38) by Team Sohoku
• Determination (Grande Road episodes 1 - 12) by LASTGASP
• Remind (リマインド) (Grande Road episodes 13 - 24) by ROOKiEZ is PUNK'D

Ending Theme

• Kaze wo Yobe (風ã‚'å'¼ã¹) (episodes 1-12) by Under Graph
• I'm Ready (episodes 13-25) by AUTRIBE feat.DIRTY OLD MEN
• Glory Road (episodes 26-38) by Team Hakone Academy
• Top of Tops! (Yowamushi Pedal OVA) by Miki Kanzaki (Ayaka Suwa)
• Realize (リアライズ) (Grande Road episodes 1 - 12) by ROOKiEZ is PUNK'D
• Eikō e no Ichibyō (栄光への一ç§'; One Second to Glory) (Grande Road episodes 13 - 24) by MAGIC OF LiFE

Insert Song

• Koi no Hime Hime Pettanko (恋のãƒ'メãƒ'メぺったã‚"ã") (episodes 3, 5, 11, and 26) by Kotori Himeno (Yukari Tamura)

References

External links

• Official anime website <span class="languageicon" style="font-size:0.95em; font-weight:bold; color:#555;">(Japanese)</span>
• Yowamushi Pedal (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia