Takeshi Yamamoto
Encyclopedia
is a fictional character
in the Reborn!
manga
and anime
series created by Akira Amano
. Portrayed as one of the protagonist's first friends, Takeshi Yamamoto is introduced as a 14-year-old starting pitcher
for his school's baseball team. After the protagonist Tsuna Sawada
prevents him from committing suicide
, he joins Tsuna's Vongola Mafia family. Apart from the manga and anime, Yamamoto has also appeared in other media from the Reborn! franchise including video games.
Yamamoto's character has been well-received by readers since his introduction, ranking as one of the most popular characters in every official Shonen Jump
poll of the series. Publications for manga, anime and other media have commented on his character. Merchandise based on his appearance has also been released including key chains and action figures.
Yamamoto remains calm during life-or-death struggles. In addition, he is a fast learner and understands a situation better than anyone. This leads Reborn to claim he is a "born hitman". However, Yamamoto is oblivious to the fact that he and his friends are mafioso, believing that they are playing a big cops-and-robbers game and that Reborn's weapons are just toys made with advanced technology. He is also optimistic to the point of naïvetè; although many of the opponents he meets during the series attempt to kill him, Yamamoto searches for a way to defeat them without mortal injury, such as using the back of his blade or not dealing a killing blow, and attempts to save his opponents as they are about to die. Even after accepting his role as Tsuna's Rain Guardian and the Vongola's swordsman, he continues to balance his life between baseball and swordsmanship, only devoting himself to swordsmanship when he needs to protect his friends.
. After training under his father, Yamamoto receives , a shinai
that changes into a katana while using the . His training in the series' alternate future allows him to create an affinity between the Shigure Kintoki and his Rain Flame, something his adult self could not accomplish. Yamamoto then learns to fuse his swallow
box weapon, called or the "Rondine di Pioggia" (Italian
: Swallow of the Rain), with the Shigure Kintoki. This, along with the three short swords his Akita Inu Vongola box weapon carries on its back, creates the quadruple irregular blade . The three short swords can be used for aerial combat, ranged attacks, flying or propulsion. Kojirō is also capable of creating heavy rainfall.
Yamamoto utilizes the Shigure Soen Ryu (style) he learned from his father. Because the style will be passed on to only the worthy students, the forms are taught once and the student is expected to memorize. The students are then able to create a form in addition to those they learned, signifying the student's true worthiness to succeed the style. Because of the nature of the Shigure Soen Ryu, weaker branches deteriorate and other branches disappear because there is no worthy successor. This leads Yamamoto to believe the style is flawless and invincible. Yamamoto was taught eight forms: four defensive and four offensive. He then creates another four: two offensive, one involving his Kojirō box weapon and one that combines all the forms. He also uses Squalo's attack "Attacco di Squalo" (Italian
: Attack of the Shark), which causes a moment of paralysis after a strong sword swing. When combined with a Rain Flame's attribute of tranquility, the attack causes full body paralysis. He later gains the Vongola Gear Rain Necklace, which in its Cambio Form gives him two swords, utilising his both his box weapons to create a 12th Shigure Soen Ryu technique designed to counter illusions.
Shortly after his introduction, Yamamoto breaks his arm during baseball practice. Because he can no longer play baseball, he is driven to commit suicide
. However, he is stopped by Tsuna. He is subsequently recruited into the Vongola Mafia family by Reborn, but he believes Reborn is playing a game. After Mukuro Rokudo
and his subordinates begin attacking Namimori Middle School students, Yamamoto accompanies Tsuna to defeat Mukuro, but is defeated during a battle with Mukuro's stand-in Lancia.
Later, Yamamoto is defeated by the Varia Superbi Squalo who tries to steal the Vongola Rings. Yamamoto is then named the holder of the Rain Ring, signifying his role as Tsuna's Rain Guardian, and thus battles Squalo again in the Vongola Tournament. To avoid another defeat, he trains under his father and learns the Shigure Soen Ryu. He becomes the official successor of the style after defeating Squalo with a new form of his own.
After Tsuna and Hayato Gokudera
are transported to the story's alternate future
(nearly ten years later), they are taken to the Vongola's secret hideout by an adult Yamamoto. However, the adult Yamamoto is replaced by his younger self soon after. After he is defeated by Gamma, a commander of the rival Millefiore Mafia family, and is saved by an adult Kyoya Hibari
, Yamamoto undergoes training with Reborn, after which he creates two new Sigure Soen Ryu forms and learns the secrets of the Arcobaleno. After Yamamoto is defeated by Genkishi during the attack on a Millefiore base, an older Squalo returns from Italy to train Yamamoto and convince him to devote himself to swordsmanship. He is chosen to be one of the combatants in the Choice game, easily defeating a disguised Genkishi and failing to defeat the target in time to win the game.After the Vongola escape from the Millefiore, they are attacked shortly after, and Squalo fights one of the Six Funeral Wreaths in order to give the Vongola enough time to flee. Yamamoto leaves the group to help Squalo, and he later rejoins the Vongola to assist them in the fight against the Funeral Wreaths.
After defeating Byakuran and returning to the past, the guardians are soon told of Tsuna's inheritance ceremony and are introduced to the Shimon family. Whilst initially getting along with Shimon member Kaoru Mizuno, he was greviously injured by Kaoru, who thought that Yamamoto had discovered the Shimon Family's secret. However, he is seemingly visited by Byakuran and mysteriously manages to recover just in time to assist Tsuna and the others fight against Daemon Spade on Shimon Island.
and Jump Ultimate Stars
.
On January 23, 2008, Pony Canyon
released a character CD entitled , which features both Yamamoto and Gokudera. It contains duets and individual songs sung by both voice actors: Suguru Inoue and Hidekazu Ichinose
.
poll of the series, losing to Hayato and Tsuna, who took first and second respectively. He ranked as the sixth most popular hero in the second poll of the series, which was divided into heroes and villains. In the third poll of the series, Yamamoto ranked as the fifth most popular male character. Yamamoto then placed in both popularity polls the fourth time around, which was divided into current characters, where he placed eighth, and as characters who fans would most like to see in their future forms, where he placed twentieth. A plethora of merchandise has been released in Yamamoto's likeness including key chains and action figures.
In a review of volume one, Yamamoto was viewed by manganews.com to be just as "crazy" as Reborn, Gokudera or Lambo. However, manga-santuary.com saw his rivalry with Gokudera and his belief that the mafia is a game as repetitious. Manganews.com also notes that the limited use of the Dying Will Bullet in the fifth volume allows the author to develop Yamamoto's character and that the introduction of antagonists in the eighth volume proves he is "worthy" to be a shōnen manga character. The training of Tsuna's companions in the tenth volume is praised because Yamamoto is able to adopt a specific fighting style. In review of volume 12, he is noted to have "class and charisma" he did not have in previous volumes. However, he is still perceived to be naïve in the following volume. Despite this, Yamamoto's fight with Squalo was noted to be "monumental" by Emmanuel Bahu-Leyser of animeland.com.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in the Reborn!
Reborn!
Reborn!, known in Japan as , is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Akira Amano. The plot revolves around the life of a young boy named Tsunayoshi Sawada, who finds out that he is next in line to become the boss of the most powerful Mafia organization called Vongola, the Vongola Family...
manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
and anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
series created by Akira Amano
Akira Amano
is a female Japanese manga artist known for the shōnen manga series Reborn!.Early versions of Reborn! were published in seinen manga magazines. In late 2003, the series, a stand-alone short story at the time, was published in the Weekly Shōnen Jump. After the success of the short story, the series...
. Portrayed as one of the protagonist's first friends, Takeshi Yamamoto is introduced as a 14-year-old starting pitcher
Starting pitcher
In baseball or softball, a starting pitcher is the pitcher who delivers the first pitch to the first batter of a game. A pitcher who enters the game after the first pitch of the game is a relief pitcher....
for his school's baseball team. After the protagonist Tsuna Sawada
Tsuna Sawada
, commonly nicknamed , is a fictional character in the anime and manga series Reborn! created by Akira Amano. In the story, Tsuna is one of the long lines of descendants from the Vongola family, a mafia that exists in Italy. He is the one who is to be the next leader of the Vongola, the tenth...
prevents him from committing suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
, he joins Tsuna's Vongola Mafia family. Apart from the manga and anime, Yamamoto has also appeared in other media from the Reborn! franchise including video games.
Yamamoto's character has been well-received by readers since his introduction, ranking as one of the most popular characters in every official Shonen Jump
Weekly Shonen Jump
is a weekly shōnen manga anthology published in Japan by Shueisha under the Jump line of magazines. The first issue was released with a cover date of July 2, 1968, and it is still circulating. One of the longest-running manga magazines in Japan, it has a circulation of 2.8 million copies...
poll of the series. Publications for manga, anime and other media have commented on his character. Merchandise based on his appearance has also been released including key chains and action figures.
Personality
Rarely seen angry, Yamamoto has a warm and friendly personality and is a peacemaker that occurs between his comrades. He is popular among his classmates, especially girls and loves to play baseball (In the manga) to the point of attempting suicide when he is unable to play. Because of baseball, Yamamoto focuses on protecting his energy and his body in baseball and battle. However, as the series progresses, he decides not to focus on protecting his body so he can protect his friends and family using all of his strength. He does not like to lose and is ridden with guilt and regret upon defeat.Yamamoto remains calm during life-or-death struggles. In addition, he is a fast learner and understands a situation better than anyone. This leads Reborn to claim he is a "born hitman". However, Yamamoto is oblivious to the fact that he and his friends are mafioso, believing that they are playing a big cops-and-robbers game and that Reborn's weapons are just toys made with advanced technology. He is also optimistic to the point of naïvetè; although many of the opponents he meets during the series attempt to kill him, Yamamoto searches for a way to defeat them without mortal injury, such as using the back of his blade or not dealing a killing blow, and attempts to save his opponents as they are about to die. Even after accepting his role as Tsuna's Rain Guardian and the Vongola's swordsman, he continues to balance his life between baseball and swordsmanship, only devoting himself to swordsmanship when he needs to protect his friends.
Weapons and abilities
Due to his baseball training, Yamamoto possesses a strong body and the best reflexes and stamina of all the Vongola, giving him a natural advantage. Reborn also said that among all the guardians, he has one of the highest chances of being a great mafioso, aside from Hibari Kyouya. He is able to dodge bullets shot at close-range and from a far distance. Yamamoto originally uses a bat that he received from Reborn. When swung over, 300 kilometre per hour, the bat changes into a katanaKatana
A Japanese sword, or , is one of the traditional bladed weapons of Japan. There are several types of Japanese swords, according to size, field of application and method of manufacture.-Description:...
. After training under his father, Yamamoto receives , a shinai
Shinai
is a weapon used for practice and competition in kendo representing a Japanese sword. Shinai are also used in other martial arts, but may be styled differently from kendo shinai, and represented with different characters....
that changes into a katana while using the . His training in the series' alternate future allows him to create an affinity between the Shigure Kintoki and his Rain Flame, something his adult self could not accomplish. Yamamoto then learns to fuse his swallow
Swallow
The swallows and martins are a group of passerine birds in the family Hirundinidae which are characterised by their adaptation to aerial feeding...
box weapon, called or the "Rondine di Pioggia" (Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
: Swallow of the Rain), with the Shigure Kintoki. This, along with the three short swords his Akita Inu Vongola box weapon carries on its back, creates the quadruple irregular blade . The three short swords can be used for aerial combat, ranged attacks, flying or propulsion. Kojirō is also capable of creating heavy rainfall.
Yamamoto utilizes the Shigure Soen Ryu (style) he learned from his father. Because the style will be passed on to only the worthy students, the forms are taught once and the student is expected to memorize. The students are then able to create a form in addition to those they learned, signifying the student's true worthiness to succeed the style. Because of the nature of the Shigure Soen Ryu, weaker branches deteriorate and other branches disappear because there is no worthy successor. This leads Yamamoto to believe the style is flawless and invincible. Yamamoto was taught eight forms: four defensive and four offensive. He then creates another four: two offensive, one involving his Kojirō box weapon and one that combines all the forms. He also uses Squalo's attack "Attacco di Squalo" (Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
: Attack of the Shark), which causes a moment of paralysis after a strong sword swing. When combined with a Rain Flame's attribute of tranquility, the attack causes full body paralysis. He later gains the Vongola Gear Rain Necklace, which in its Cambio Form gives him two swords, utilising his both his box weapons to create a 12th Shigure Soen Ryu technique designed to counter illusions.
Plot overview
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
. However, he is stopped by Tsuna. He is subsequently recruited into the Vongola Mafia family by Reborn, but he believes Reborn is playing a game. After Mukuro Rokudo
Mukuro Rokudo
is a fictional character in the Reborn! manga and anime series created by Akira Amano. Portrayed as the series' first primary antagonist, Mukuro Rokudo is introduced as a 15-year-old Mafia criminal who is the leader of the Kokuyo Gang, which consists of heinous criminals who have recently escaped...
and his subordinates begin attacking Namimori Middle School students, Yamamoto accompanies Tsuna to defeat Mukuro, but is defeated during a battle with Mukuro's stand-in Lancia.
Later, Yamamoto is defeated by the Varia Superbi Squalo who tries to steal the Vongola Rings. Yamamoto is then named the holder of the Rain Ring, signifying his role as Tsuna's Rain Guardian, and thus battles Squalo again in the Vongola Tournament. To avoid another defeat, he trains under his father and learns the Shigure Soen Ryu. He becomes the official successor of the style after defeating Squalo with a new form of his own.
After Tsuna and Hayato Gokudera
Hayato Gokudera
is a fictional character in the anime and manga series Reborn! created by Akira Amano. Portrayed as one of the protagonist's first friends, Hayato Gokudera is introduced as a 14-year-old bad boy born in Italy. After the protagonist Tsuna Sawada prevents him from dying due to his own explosives, he...
are transported to the story's alternate future
Alternate future
In science fiction stories involving time travel, an alternative future or alternate future is a possible future which never comes to pass, typically because someone travels back into the past and alters it so that the events of the alternative future cannot occur.An alternative future differs from...
(nearly ten years later), they are taken to the Vongola's secret hideout by an adult Yamamoto. However, the adult Yamamoto is replaced by his younger self soon after. After he is defeated by Gamma, a commander of the rival Millefiore Mafia family, and is saved by an adult Kyoya Hibari
Kyoya Hibari
is a fictional character in the anime and manga series Reborn! created by Akira Amano. For the most part of the series, Hibari is portrayed as an anti-hero, taking little to no interest in the events that surround the main protagonist, Tsuna Sawada. He is introduced as the leader of the...
, Yamamoto undergoes training with Reborn, after which he creates two new Sigure Soen Ryu forms and learns the secrets of the Arcobaleno. After Yamamoto is defeated by Genkishi during the attack on a Millefiore base, an older Squalo returns from Italy to train Yamamoto and convince him to devote himself to swordsmanship. He is chosen to be one of the combatants in the Choice game, easily defeating a disguised Genkishi and failing to defeat the target in time to win the game.After the Vongola escape from the Millefiore, they are attacked shortly after, and Squalo fights one of the Six Funeral Wreaths in order to give the Vongola enough time to flee. Yamamoto leaves the group to help Squalo, and he later rejoins the Vongola to assist them in the fight against the Funeral Wreaths.
After defeating Byakuran and returning to the past, the guardians are soon told of Tsuna's inheritance ceremony and are introduced to the Shimon family. Whilst initially getting along with Shimon member Kaoru Mizuno, he was greviously injured by Kaoru, who thought that Yamamoto had discovered the Shimon Family's secret. However, he is seemingly visited by Byakuran and mysteriously manages to recover just in time to assist Tsuna and the others fight against Daemon Spade on Shimon Island.
Appearances in other media
Besides his appearance in the original manga series and its anime adaptation, Yamamoto has appeared in other Reborn! works, including all of the series' video games. He also appears as a supportive character in two crossover video games which feature Tsuna and Reborn fighting against several characters from other manga, including Jump Super StarsJump Super Stars
is a 2D fighting game for the Nintendo DS. It was developed by Ganbarion and published by Nintendo. The game was released on August 8, 2005 in Japan and accompanied the release of a red Nintendo DS...
and Jump Ultimate Stars
Jump Ultimate Stars
is a fighting video game developed by Ganbarion and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. It is the sequel to Jump Super Stars, also released for the DS. The game was released in Japan on November 23, 2006...
.
On January 23, 2008, Pony Canyon
Pony Canyon
is a Japanese company, established on October 1, 1966 , which publishes music, DVD and VHS videos, movies and video games. It is a subsidiary of Japanese Media Group, Fujisankei Communications Group.-History:...
released a character CD entitled , which features both Yamamoto and Gokudera. It contains duets and individual songs sung by both voice actors: Suguru Inoue and Hidekazu Ichinose
Hidekazu Ichinose
is a Japanese voice actor.- Anime :* Eyeshield 21 , Taiga Kamiya* Bokura ga Ita , Kagawa * Katekyo Hitman Reborn! , Hayato Gokudera- External links :...
.
Reception
Yamamoto has been popular with the Reborn! reader base, having ranked as the third most popular character in the first official Shonen JumpWeekly Shonen Jump
is a weekly shōnen manga anthology published in Japan by Shueisha under the Jump line of magazines. The first issue was released with a cover date of July 2, 1968, and it is still circulating. One of the longest-running manga magazines in Japan, it has a circulation of 2.8 million copies...
poll of the series, losing to Hayato and Tsuna, who took first and second respectively. He ranked as the sixth most popular hero in the second poll of the series, which was divided into heroes and villains. In the third poll of the series, Yamamoto ranked as the fifth most popular male character. Yamamoto then placed in both popularity polls the fourth time around, which was divided into current characters, where he placed eighth, and as characters who fans would most like to see in their future forms, where he placed twentieth. A plethora of merchandise has been released in Yamamoto's likeness including key chains and action figures.
In a review of volume one, Yamamoto was viewed by manganews.com to be just as "crazy" as Reborn, Gokudera or Lambo. However, manga-santuary.com saw his rivalry with Gokudera and his belief that the mafia is a game as repetitious. Manganews.com also notes that the limited use of the Dying Will Bullet in the fifth volume allows the author to develop Yamamoto's character and that the introduction of antagonists in the eighth volume proves he is "worthy" to be a shōnen manga character. The training of Tsuna's companions in the tenth volume is praised because Yamamoto is able to adopt a specific fighting style. In review of volume 12, he is noted to have "class and charisma" he did not have in previous volumes. However, he is still perceived to be naïve in the following volume. Despite this, Yamamoto's fight with Squalo was noted to be "monumental" by Emmanuel Bahu-Leyser of animeland.com.