Inazuma Eleven

         Inazuma Eleven (イナズマイレブン, Inazuma Irebun, "Lightning Eleven") is a role-playing and sports video game for the Nintendo DS developed and published by Level-5. It was released on August 22, 2008 in Japan. An European release was confirmed by Nintendo, the game will be released on January 29th, 2011, two years after the Japanese release.

       Since the game's launch, it has received two sequels for the Nintendo DS as well as a spin-off for the Wii. A manga based on the game began serialization in CoroCoro Comic on May 15, 2008, while an anime based on the game produced by OLM started airing on August 22, 2008. Mitsui has also created a Collectible card game tie-in. The game served as the debut of a pop Idol group Twe'lv.

Plot

         The main character, Mamoru Endou, is a very talented goalkeeper and the grandson of one of the strongest goalkeepers in Japan, who supposedly died before he was born. Even though his skills and enthusiasm are incredibl,e his school lacks a real soccer club, as the six other members don't appear very interested even in training. One day, when a mysterious forward named Gouenji moves to Endou's town, the young goalkeeper sets out to find and recruit members for his soccer team. There are nearly 1000 playable characters with varying skills that will determine the success of the team. As you play through the story, Endou can recruit various characters on the team and help achieve his ultimate goal of competing in the Football Frontier tournament!

List of Inazuma Eleven characters

Characters

• Endō Mamoru (円堂 守) (Mark Evans) (Captain, Goal Keeper, Libero) - Often seen wearing his trademark headband, Mamoru Endou is as a soccer loving, cheerful goalkeeper and captain of the Raimon Junior High Soccer club, the "Raimon Eleven". He never gives up and always thinks of others before himself. Since he was young, he's held great admiration toward his grandfather, Daisuke Endou, and studies the technique-filled notebooks that his grandfather wrote years ago. Because of his positive personality, he manages to bring out the best in other Soccer players, whether they're an ally or foe. His teammates benefit from his mental strength and encouragement and respect him despite his carefree attitude. Endou constantly trains himself in order to face new opponents and increases his stamina by catching a gigantic car tire tied to a tree. Many girls like Aki and Natsumi show some romantic interest with him but he is too naive to understand their feelings. His special techniques include God Hand, Nekketsu Punch (Fireball Knuckle ), Bakuretsu Punch (Blazing Knuckle), Inazuma Ichi-Go Otoshi (Lightning No.1 Drop), Inazuma Break, Tri-Pegasus, The Phoenix, Majin the Hand, Seigi no Tekken (Fist of Justice), Megaton Head G3, Death Zone 2, The Earth, Ikari no Tetsui V2 (Hammer of Wrath V2), ljigen the Hand (Outer Dimension The Hand which evolves into ljigen the Hand Kai (Remastered) which later evolves into True ljigen The Hand) . He is voiced by Junko Takeuchi.                                                                                   

Gōenji Shūya

• Gōenji Shūya (豪炎寺 修也) (Axel Blaze) (Forward) - Gouenji is the quiet, collected ace striker of the team with spikey hair and a cool disposition. At his previous Junior High, Gouenji was the top Soccer player of his club and took place in the Football Frontier. His little sister, Yūka, was unfortunately in a car accident while on the way to his big match and was hospitalized soon after. Feeling responsible, he keeps an amulet made by his sister and makes a promise to stop playing soccer until she wakes up. However, when he realizes that his passion for the game still beats in his heart, he changes that promise to becoming the champion of the Soccer Frontier and joins the Raimon Eleven thanks to some persistence by Endou. He becomes close friends with Endou and the team as the story progresses. His special techniques are the Fire Tornado, Bakunetsu Storm (Fireball Storm), and then Bakunetsu Screw (Exploding Heat Screw). He also forms a combo technique with Kabeyama called Inazuma Otoshi (lightning Drop), one with Endou called Inazuma Ichigo (Lightning NO.1) and a combination of the two called the Inazuma Ichigo Otoshi (Lightning NO.1 Drop). Additionally, he performs a combination technique with Toramaru called Tiger Storm, another technique with Fubuki Shirou called Cross Fire, and and has a 3-man technique with Toramaru and Hiroto called Grand Fire G2.He also does a combination technique with Someoka called Dragon Screw He is voiced by Hirofumi Nojima.

Kidō Yūto

• Kidō Yūto (鬼道 有人) (Jude Sharp) (Midfielder) - A genius Soccer strategist who wears goggles and a red cape, originally from Teikoku (Royal) Academy Junior High School. As the protege of Reiji Kageyama, he was forced to win 3 consecutive soccer championships in order to be with his sister again and until then, cuts off all contact with her for 6 years. After a match with the Raimon Eleven to see who will compete in the Footbal Frontier and seeing Kageyama's wrongdoings, he and the rest of the Teikoku Soccer Team quit. Kidou later joins Endou's team, switching to a new blue cape and becomes the team's valuable strategist. His special technique is the Illusion Ball (later evolved into True Illusion Ball). His Combination techniques are the Inazuma Bureiku (Lightning Break) with Endou and Gouenji, Koutei Penquin Nee-Go (Emperor Penguin No.2), Death Zone (with Endou and Domon, which later evolved to Death Zone 2), Killer Fields with Fudou and Koutei Penguin San-Go (Emperor Penguin No.3) with Sakuma and Fudou. He is voiced by Hiroyuki Yoshino.

Fubuki Shirō

• Fubuki Shirō (吹雪 士郎) (Shawn Frost) (Defender, Forward) - Fubuki Shirou is the captain of Hakuren Junior High School's Soccer club in Hokkaido. He is both an excellent defender as well as the team's ace striker. He joins the Raimon Eleven during their visit to Hokkaido in order to defeat Aliea Academy. Due to a terrible accident with an avalanche as a child, Fubuki is morbidly afraid of the sound of falling snow. His parents and little brother Atsuya (Aidan) were unfortunately killed in the avalanche, but saved Fubuki at the last moment by pushing him out of the car. Since the accident, Fubuki developed a split personality of his brother whenever he plays offense during Soccer matches. He wanted to become a perfect Soccer player and believed that he could only do so if he "became" his brother (his father's comments right before the avalanche accident led him to believe this). With Gouenji and the others' help, he realized that what his father meant was that he could be perfect only if he played alongside his teammates. Soon, he broke free from both his trauma and his twin brother's personality, merging himself and his brother's spirit as one thus growing stronger as well. His special techniques include the Eternal Blizzard, Wolf Legend, Ice Ground, and Snow Angel. He can also do combination techniques such as Crossfire with Gouenji, Thunder Beast with Hijikata and The Hurricane with Kazemaru. Later Fubuki becomes a member of Inazuma Japan for the FFI. However his leg is badly injured in a match with Korea's Fire Dragon during the Asia finals. Due to this injury, he is taken off the team. He eventually returns after his injuries are healed to replace the then injured Kurimatsu. He does a new combination technique with Hiroto called The Birth against Brazil's team the Kingdom. He is voiced by Mamoru Miyano.

Ichirōta Kazemaru

• Ichirōta Kazemaru (風丸 一郎太) (Nathan Swift) (Defender, Midfielder) - Kazemaru is the fastest player on the Raimon Eleven soccer team and has brown eyes and blue hair held back by a ponytail. He also acts as the team's side captain outside the game. Originally a member of the track club team, Kazemaru is convinced by Endou to play on the soccer team for their match against Teikoku. Kazemaru is finally convinced by the promise of fighting a lot of stronger players, as well as Endou's fighting spirit when he bares witness to the goalkeeper's intense training. From their on, Kazemaru becomes a close friend to Endou and a key player for the Raimon soccer team. Later on, during the constant battles against Aliea Academy, Kazemaru begins to doubt himself and gains a thirst for power to defeat Raimon's strongest opponents. For a brief while, he leaves the team but later resurfaces in a way Endou and the others never would have expected. His special techniques are the Shippu Dash (Hurricane Dash), Bushin Defense (Clone Defense), Dark Phoenix, Banana Shoot, Fuujin no Mai (Dance of the Wind God), Honoo no Kazamidori (Fire Anemoscope) in combination with Goenji, Tatsumaki Otoshi (Tornado drop) with Kabeyama and The Hurricane with Fubuki. He is voiced by Yuka Nishigaki.

Heigorō Kabeyama

• Heigorō Kabeyama (壁山 塀吾郎) (Jack Wallside) (Defender) - The large, sheepish Defender of the Raimon Eleven and one of the original members of the Soccer club. Despite his shy nature and constantly having to go to the bathroom at crucial moments, Kabeyama cares very much about the Raimon team and strives to become a powerful defender. In tough times, Endou helps Kabeyama overcome his fears, causing him to hold great respect for his captain. In the match against Nosei (Wild) Junior High he and Gouenji perform a move called the Inazuma Otoshi (Lightning Drop) and later he masters a defensive technique on his own, The Wall. Later on, during a match with Fire Dragon from Korea he creates an upgraded defensive technique called The Mountain. He is voiced by Megumi Tano.
• Ryūgo Someoka (染岡 竜吾) (Kevin Dragonfly) (Forward) - Someoka is the grumpy self-proclaimed "original" ace striker of the team Raimon Soccer club. Because of this pride he holds, Someoka has trouble getting along with the likes of Gouenji and Fubuki, who later both join the Raimon Eleven as his fellow ace strikers. Thanks to Endou's words of support, Someoka eventually learns to accept the other newcomers to the team and even develops some combination techniques with him. His special techniques are the Dragon Crash, Wyvern Crash and the Dragon Slayer, and his combination techniques are Dragon Tornado with Gouenji and Wyvern Blizzard with Fubuki, which he suffers an injury from while developing and is forced to leave the team behind for a short while. He is voiced by Yasuyuki Kase.

Asuka Domon

• Asuka Domon (土門 飛鳥) (Bobby Shearer) (Defender) - A tall, lanky Defensive player who grew up in America as a child with his friends Aki and Ichinose. He stopped playing Soccer early on due to a car accident with Ichinose, but picked up the game again after moving to Japan as a teenager. Originally, Domon works as a spy for Teikoku Academy under orders from Kageyama to keep tabs on the up and coming Raimon Eleven soccer team. After an incident with the team's first coach being revealed as a spy, Domon comes clean and is quick to leave, but Endou defends him and keeps Domon on the Raimon Eleven from there on out. Eventually, Domon takes his leave and comes home to America where he joins the national soccer team "The Unicorn" alongside Ichinose. His special techniques are the Killer Slide and Volcano Cut, while his combination techniques are Death Zone 2 with Endou and Kidou, The Phoenix with Endou and Ichinose and The Icarus with Dylan in the FFI arc. He is voiced by Jun Konno.



Kazuya Ichinose

•  Kazuya Ichinose (一之瀬 一哉) (Erick Eagle) (Midfielder) - Ichinose a Japanese-American who grew up in the US with his childhood friends Domon and Aki. As an Elementary schooler Ichinose was already a well-known soccer player until the day of a horrible car accident that hospitalized him for several years. Aki and Domon later moved to Japan under the impression that Ichinose had died, but through rehabilitation treatment, he was healed and went to Japan to visit his old friends. On his first day there, he plays against the Raimon Eleven and is soon invited by Endou to join their team for the Football Frontier matches. Later on, after the defeat of Aliea Academy, Ichinose moves back to America and joins the national team "The Unicorn" alongside Domon. He enters the Football Frontier International and finally gets to play his desired match against Endou and his team. However, during the match, Endou, Domon, and Aki learn that Ichinose must soon receive another surgery procedure because of his injuries from the car accident years ago still affecting his body. Afterward, Ichinose is forced to fly back to America and get treatment. His special techniques include the Spinning Shoot, Spiral Shot and Flame Dance. His combination techniques are the Tri-Pegasus with Endou and Domon which later evolves into The Phoenix Pegasus Shot and later shares the move Gran Fenrir with Dylan and Mark. He is voiced by Yūki Kaji.
• Jin Kageno (影野 仁) (Jim Wraith) (Defender) - Kageno is a tall, dark and soft-spoken boy who joins the Raimon Eleven when Endou is out looking for new players. His reasons for joining were to "prove his existence" to people through joining an after-school activity. He has a strange aura surrounding him and a deep, echoing voice that disturbs even his teammates. Kageno turns out to be a valuable asset to the team, especially when developing special techniques, including his help lent to Kazemaru and Gouenji while mastering the Honoo no Kazamidori (Fire Anemoscope). His individual techniques include Coil Turn and he does a technique with Sugimori from Brainwashing Academy called Dual Smash. He is voiced by Yuichi Nakamura.
• Ayumu "Shōrin" Shōrinji (少林寺 歩) (Timmy Sanders) (Defender) - One of Endou's teammates from the original Raimon Eleven and one of the shortest out of the team. He practices Shaolin Kung-Fu and incorporates his martial arts and agility into his soccer moves. His special technique is Kung Fu Head. He is voiced by Masako Jō.
• Shin'ichi Handa (半田 真一) (Steve Grim) (Midfielder) - Another of Endou's teammates from the members of the soccer club, acting as both a Defender and a Midfielder depending on what the situation calls for. He is the most "plain" of the group, usually having the least to say during the story, but is always ready for a match. His special technique is Rolling Kick. He is voiced by Hiro Shimono.
• Sakichi Shishido (宍戸 佐吉) (Sam Kincaid) (Midfielder) - Shishido is another one of Endou's teammates from the original Raimon soccer club. He has a large, red afro and lots of spirit. Shishido is versatile when it comes to playing soccer and often does little of everything. His special technique is called Grenade Shot. He is voiced by Tōru Nara.
• Kūsuke "Max" Matsuno (松野 空介) (Maxwell "Max" Carson) (Midfielder) - Max is a boy who attends Raimon Junior High and meets Endou while looking for new members to join the soccer club. He claims to join the team at first merely as a way to "cure his boredom" but turns out to enjoy the sport and stays with the team all the way to the Football Frontier. He's never seen without his trademark striped plush hat with cat ears. He is voiced by Yūki Kodaira.
• Teppei Kurimatsu (栗松 鉄平) (Tod Ironside) (Defender) - Kurimatsu is another one of the original members of the Raimon soccer club, a short, buck-toothed boy with a speech quirk, often saying "deyansu" ("actually") in every sentence. Though often one with a negative attitude and a shaky disposition, Kurimatsu is a skilled soccer player and has remained with the Raimon Eleven for quite a while. His special techniques are Dash Accel and Maboroshi Dribble (Phantom Dribble). He is voiced by Miho Hino.
• Kakeru Megane (目金 欠流) (William "Willy" Glass) (Forward, Manager) - Megane is a bespectacled pretentious boy who attends Raimon Junior High, who offers to join the soccer club by Endou's request, but only in the event of them needing one last member, so he feels he can be the "hero" that saves the day at the last second. During the match against Teikoku Academy, he shows his true colors and runs off in the middle of the game and abandons his uniform, but allows for Gouenji to take his place and pull Raimon out of the fire. With Gouenji officially on board, Megane joins the team permanently and plays alongside Raimon for quite a while. His running joke throughout the series becomes the self-appointed name-giver of the Raimon Eleven, giving cool titles to all of the player's special techniques. Later, during the Football Frontier International, he becomes a manager alongside Aki, Haruna and Fuyuka. Funnily enough, he also has a younger, sportier twin brother named Kazuto who, while better at sports than him, is very emotional. He is voiced by Nanae Katō.
• Keita Kakuma (角馬 圭太) (Chester Hobbes Jr.) (Commentator) - A student at Raimon Junior High originally from the Shogi Club who became the commentator for the Soccer Club ever since the exhibition match between Teikoku and Raimon. Kakuma also has a habit of appearing randomly anywhere before a match starts, claiming he is such a big fan of the Raimon Eleven that he go anywhere to commentate on their matches. His father is a commentator for the Football Frontier and the Football Frontier International Asian Preliminaries. He is voiced by Kiyotaka Furushima.
• Aki Kino (木野 秋 ) (Silvia Woods) (Manager) - Aki is a young girl from America who moves to Japan and attends Raimon Junior High, where she becomes good friends with the soccer club captain, Mamoru Endou. Since the beginning of the soccer club, Aki acts as the team manager and keeps the boys in order. She's a big supporter of Endou's spirit and even shows a hint of interest in the captain. It's later revealed that she played soccer a little girl in the US, but gave up the game after her childhood friend Ichinose was in a horrible car accident. When Ichinose appears in Japan and joins the Raimon Eleven team, she sees remarkable similarities in both him and Endou. She also have a crush on Endou. She is voiced by Fumiko Orikasa.
• Haruna Otonashi (音無 春奈) (Celia Hills) (Manager) - Haruna is a peppy girl with red-framed glasses who works for the Raimon Junior High newspaper. After interviewing Endou and Aki for their first big match against Teikoku Academy, Haruna becomes such a big fan that she enlists herself as a second manager alongside Aki. It's later revealed she is the sister of Teikoku soccer team's captain, Yuuto Kido, but hasn't had any contact with him for 6 years until he resurfaces as Raimon's biggest rival. After the rematch between Raimon and Teikoku, Kidou is freed from Kageyama's influence and Haruna is reunited with her brother. Later on, she also acts as a motherly figure towards Kogure, relating to his absence of parents from a very young age. She is voiced by Hinako Sasaki.
• Natsumi Raimon (雷門 夏未) (Nelly Raimon) (Manager) - Natsumi is a beautiful red-haired upper-class girl and the school president of Raimon Junior High. She is the daughter of the School Chairman, Yuuichiro Raimon and will often "speak for him" while dealing with the principal and vice principal of Raimon Junior High. At first, she seems very much against the Raimon soccer club and is dead-set on disbanding it, often setting challenges for them to overcome with the threat of being shut down if they fail. After a few matches, Natsumi sees major potential in their team and becomes the third manager after Aki and Haruna. She is voiced by Sanae Kobayashi.
• Fuyuka "Fuyuppe" Kudou (久遠 冬花) (Camelia) (Manager) - A young girl who transfers to Raimon Junior High after the defeat of Aliea Academy, by way of her adoptive father, Michiya Kudou. After Natsumi travels overseas, claiming to be studying abroad, Aki and Haruna had brought Fuyuka into the fold and taught her the ropes of being a manager for the Raimon soccer team. As a little girl, Fuyuka was close friend of Endou's in Elementary school. But her parents were killed in a car accident, leaving Fuyuka as the only survivor and put into a tremendous state of shock. Eventually, the hospital put her under hypno-therapy to wipe her memories clean and place Kudou as her new father. Knowing Endou was a childhood friend of hers, Kudou becomes the new coach of the Inazuma Japan national team and hopes that Endou will bring out the secrets of Fuyuka's past. She is voiced by Haruka Tomatsu.
• Seigō Hibiki (響木 正剛) (Seymour Hillman) (Coach, Goalkeeper) - Hibiki is an old noodle-cooker who runs a ramen shop in Inazuma Town. Previously, he was the goalkeeper of the original Inazuma Eleven and a close friend of Mamoru Endou's grandfather, Daisuke Endou. After the Raimon Eleven's previous coach, Suguru Fuyukai was revealed to be a spy working for Kageyama to sabotage their rival team, Natsumi fires the fraud and the team becomes in need of a coach for the Football Frontier. Through some persistence by Endou, Hibiki eventually gives in and becomes the Raimon Eleven's go-to coach. Later on, Hibiki hands over the reigns to Hitomiko Kira and then Michiya Kudou as his replacements, partially due to his old age, but more so to present new challenges for the Raimon team and better prepare them for fiercer competitions, including the Football Frontier International. He is voiced by Kinryū Arimoto.