| Nagao Akira | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Sakurazawa High - No. 1 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
| Kanji | 長緒 アキラ |
| Characteristics | |
| Gender | Male |
| Age | 18 (debut) |
| Date of birth | July 9 |
| Bloodtype | A |
| Height | 177 cm (5' 10.5") |
| Weight | 65 kg (143 lbs) |
| Status | |
| Education | 3rd Year High School (debut) Sakurazawa High Alumni |
| Style | Knuckleball |
| First Appearance | |
| Manga | Act I - Chapter 134 |
| Anime | S1 - Episode 45 |
| Cast | |
| Voice Actor | Takashi Kondou |
| “ | I want to go there...I want to stand on the mound at Nationals. | ” |
— Nagao in Pitching of Despair
| ||
Nagao Akira was a student of Sakurazawa High and the ace of Sakurazawa High's baseball team. He is a minor character in the series, and is the only known pitcher that specializes in throwing the knuckleball pitch.
Character[]
He is an optimist, but is often calm and steady on the mound.
History[]
In Junior High, Nagao was a benchwarmer together with Hidokoro Yoshimi. One day in class, he read an article that featured Tim Wakefield and a special pitch called 'knuckleball'. He diligently practiced this pitch together with his friends (Hidokoro and Inamoto) and eventually masters it.
Plot[]
West Tokyo Tournament[]
Semi-finals[]
Nagao is introduced in the semifinals match against Inashiro Industrial. His knuckleball pitch gives Inashiro's batters a hard time until the fourth inning when Narumiya's pitching takes its toll on Sakurazawa's defense. The fielders gather on the mound and Nagao cheers his teammates, telling them not to worry about the results since no one in the stadium expects them to win. At the back of his mind however, he desires to go to Koshien. This strong feeling of making his dream a reality affects the tempo of his knuckleball which his coach notice, and with Harada at-bat, the clean-up hits a homerun. The rest of Inashiro's batters follow suit and Sakurazawa High ultimately loses the game.
After the match, Narumiya tells him and his team to go home with their heads held high for their team only lost to the best team in the country that summer. This surprises Nagao, but smiles understanding why their team lost. He walks away with no regrets but cries as he thinks about giving up on his dream of going to Nationals.
Finals[]
Nagao together with Hidokoro and Inamoto, watch the finals match between Seidou High and Inashiro Industrial from the stands.
Summer Koshien[]
Nagao is shown to be studying at the library, with Hidokoro and Inamoto who muses about Narumiya striking out Seihou High's monster batter, Sano Shuzo. Nagao comments that it's not a surprise, thinking of what Narumiya had said to them after their semi-finals match.[1][2]
Skills[]
| “ | He acknowledges the pitch for all it's pros and cons and has made it his own. | ” |
— Mine Fujio on Nagao's pitching
| ||
Pitching: Having spent his three years of high school baseball life learning the knuckle ball pitch which he has honed to a very high level, it has become Nagao's sole weapon. He doesn't throw fastballs or any other breaking ball but nonetheless, his knuckle ball is good enough to fluster opponents and even defeat a seeded team during the 89th National High School Baseball Championship West Tokyo Qualifier.
Pitcher’s Data[]
| Speed | 1/5 | ||
| Control | 2/5 | ||
| Stamina | 3/5 | ||
| Knuckleball | 5/5 |
Player Statistics[]
| Defense | 3/5 | ||
♦Shoulder
|
3/5 | ||
| Running | 3/5 | ||
| Physical Strength | 3/5 | ||
| Mental Strength | 4/5 | ||
| Batting | 2/5 | ||
♦Contact
|
3/5 | ||
♦Power
|
2/5 |
Trivia[]
- Favorite food : Yakiniku [3]
- The person he respects: Tim Wakefield
- He likes mystery novels
Quotes[]
- "Always be calm and steady as a rock, never excited. This is the secret to a great knuckleball. The Zen state of mind." - Coach Kikukawa Sanae [4]
Gallery[]
