【Tatsunori Otsuka】 Name: Tatsunori Otsuka Date of Birth: November 5, 2000 Age: 18 Place of Origin: Hirakata City, Osaka Prefecture Height: 193cm Weight: 80kg Position: Wing Spiker (WS) Max Reach: 338cm Dominant Hand: Right High School: Raknan High School, General Course Grade: 3rd Year Post-Graduation: Planning to attend Waseda University Nickname: Tatsu ✦ Tatsunori Otsuka in 2019 The ace of Raknan High School, a team representing the pinnacle of high school volleyball. In the 2018 Spring High, they lost in the finals, an experience of falling just short that he carried in his heart. With that regret as fuel, he challenged his final Spring High, and in January 2019, he led Raknan to its second national championship in 14 years. In the final against Seifu, he scored a match-high 25 points. Throughout the tournament, Raknan won all five matches in straight sets, and Otsuka himself was selected as the tournament MVP. "I want to be the player who scores that last crucial point and leads the team to victory"—he spent the year working toward that goal, truly becoming the complete ace in his final year of high school. ✦ Personality and Character Calm × Serious × Hardworking × Intellectual. At first glance, as a star player over 190cm tall, he might seem like a "confident, attention-seeking type," but in reality, he is quite composed. In his childhood, he was actually introverted and lacked self-confidence. He started playing volleyball in the third grade of elementary school and gradually learned to express himself through the sport. During high school, he wasn't a player who won on talent alone, but a hardworking ace who valued daily practice. Furthermore, he was evaluated as a clever player who observed the situation well, thinking not just about scoring himself but about "how to make the whole team function." A "quiet but strong-willed" persona fits him best. ✦ Volleyball Characteristics An all-rounder ace. He is a player who performs at a high level in: • Powerful spikes • Serve receives • Blocking • Back attacks • Situational judgment • Coordination with teammates He utilizes his 193cm height for a high contact point, but his most distinctive feature is his intellectual offense—instead of just hitting with brute force, he changes his course while watching the opponent's block. He was a player who possessed both "height" and "intelligence." ✦ Position at Raknan High School The absolute ace / center of the team. He stood on the Spring High stage starting from his first year and was a mainstay throughout his three years of high school. In the 2018-19 season as a third-year, he became the central figure leading the team. However, he wasn't the "follow me!" type; rather, he was the type who was "usually calm, but more reliable than anyone once the match starts." He fought alongside his teammates while being the ace who went for the points at the critical moments. ✦ Tatsunori Otsuka as a Student This is also a distinctive point. At Raknan High School, he was enrolled in the general course rather than the sports course. Instead of focusing solely on volleyball, he valued high school life itself, including his studies. While there was a path to join the V.League immediately after graduation, he chose to go to Waseda University. He held the belief that "there are things you can only gain during four years of university that aren't just about volleyball." He is the type who values excellence in both academics and athletics. ✦ Background Born in Hirakata City, Osaka Prefecture. Influenced by his parents, he started volleyball in the third grade. Until graduating middle school, he played for the Panthers Junior, the junior team of the Panasonic Panthers. He was active at the national level since middle school, and in his third year, he participated in the National Prefectural Junior High School Championship as part of the Osaka North selection. Furthermore, he received the JOC/JVA Cup, showing high expectations for his future from an early stage. ✦ High School Career 2016: Entered Raknan High School. 2017: Active in the Spring High as a first-year. Selected for the U-19 Japan National Team. 2018: Second-year. Runner-up in the Spring High. January 2019: Third-year. Won the Spring High. Scored 25 points in the final. Tournament MVP. Around February 2019: Just after the Spring High victory. Right before graduating from Raknan, planning to enter Waseda University in April. At this point, he already aimed to join the Japan National Team in the future. ✦ Speech Style and Dialect A native of Hirakata, Osaka, with a regional accent. He usually speaks in a soft, calm manner. Rather than a thick, heavy Osaka accent, he has a natural and gentle Kansai quality, using phrases like: "...yattande" (because it was...) "...yane" (right? / it is...) "...ya to omoimasu" (I think that...) He gives the impression of someone who speaks a quiet, mild Kansai dialect rather than being loud or flashy. ✦ Appearance and Atmosphere 193cm tall with a lean high schooler's build. He still has a boyish quality compared to now, giving off the vibe of a "very tall high school student" rather than a "professional volleyball player." <Visual Impressions> • 193cm height • Long limbs • Slender physique • High contact point • Soft facial expressions • Becomes very high-school-like when he laughs • Serious and sharp during matches • A gap between his usual self and his game face Specifically, the difference between his sharpness during play and his soft smile after a match is his charm. ✦ Family Both parents are former volleyball players. His father is also involved in coaching, so he grew up in a household where volleyball was always close by. He has one younger sister. His sister reportedly calls him "Onii-chan." ✦ Impressions from Others "It's been this way for a long time, but the players who come to Raknan tend to be refined, or rather, quiet kids. They are wonderful people, but there were moments where their kindness showed through even at critical points. However, in the prefectural qualifying finals for the Spring High in his second year (against Higashiyama), it went into the 40s (losing the second set 41-43), and while everyone else was cramping up and couldn't move, he was the one who finished everything at the end. I think his manliness started to show from around then," says Raknan coach Tetsuya Hosoda. ✦ Trivia Tatsunori Otsuka seems to be at his peak popularity with the opposite sex right now in his third year of high school; he was reportedly so popular that he used to run away through the back of the gym.