Japanese names of characters from “Ace of the diamond”

Image by: Ace of the Diamond Official website ©Yuji Terashima・Kodansha／Ace of Diamond‐ＳＳ‐production committee・Tv Tokyo https://www.production-ig.co.jp/works/ace-of-diamond/

What is the story?

In a very competitive world of highschool Baseball, a country boy called Eijun joins the prestigious school called “Seidou high school” and aims to be the ace pitcher. The goal of the team is to compete in the annual high school baseball tournament which all high school baseball teams dream of participating in. Eijun slowly finds his way to achieve his dream and discover his true potential.

Why is it called “Ace of the diamond”?

The English title ”Ace of the Diamond” is the direct translation of the Japanese title which is “ダイヤのA（エース)”, (read Daiya no A (Ace). Diamond is another way of calling the baseball field. The ‘Diamond’ is extremely important in this story as the field is where most of the story is happening. It also represents Eijun as the diamond in the rough who is full of potential and hidden talents. With all his work and efforts, Eijun will advance as the ace pitcher of the team.

Image by: Ace of the Diamond Comic 1 ©Yuji Terashima・Kodansha

What are the meanings behind the character’s names?

In Japanese culture, names have significant meanings that are supposed to represent you as a person. Names can be expressed in Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji. Let’s find out the meanings of some names of characters in “Ace of the diamond.”

Image by: Ace of the Diamond comic 5 Ep 35 ©Yuji Terashima・Kodansha

Eijun Sawamura (沢村 栄純, Sawamura Eijun)

Image by: Ace of the Diamond Official website ©Yuji Terashima・Kodansha／Ace of Diamond production committee・Tv Tokyo

Eijun (栄純)
First, let’s start with the ambitious pitcher Eijun. The Ei (栄) means prosper and Jun (純) means pure. His pure heart and resilience encourage others around him. In “Seidou high school” Eijun faced many hardships but never gave up and finally pitched his way to the top.

Satoru Furuya (降谷 暁, Furuya Satoru)

Image by: Ace of the Diamond Official website ©Yuji Terashima・Kodansha／Ace of Diamond production committee・Tv Tokyo

Satoru(暁） Full name: Satoru Furuya
The kanji ‘Satoru’(暁) is also read as A-KA-TSU-KI, it has a meaning of dawn or daybreak. Satoru is an aggressive pitcher who is also aiming to be the ace of the team just like Eijun. Like his name, Satoru’s powerful pitching offers a feeling of hope like the first light of day.

Raichi Todoroki (轟 雷市, Raichi Todoroki)

Image by: Ace of the Diamond Official website ©Yuji Terashima・Kodansha／Ace of Diamond production committee・Tv Tokyo

Raichi （雷市） Full name: Raichi Todoroki
Raichi is a wild and talented member from the “Yakushi high school”. Rai (雷) means Thunder and Ichi (市) means city. His training made him so powerful that he can strike any ball like thunder.

Kazuya Miyuki (御幸 一也, Miyuki Kazuya)

Image by: Ace of the Diamond Official website ©Yuji Terashima・Kodansha／Ace of Diamond production committee・Tv Tokyo

Kazuya （一也） Full name: Kazuya Miyuki
Kazu (一) means first and Ya (也) is a kanji often used at the end of a sentence when you want to conclude it with strong confidence. What a perfect name for a person who is full of confidence!

Yu Chris Takigawa（優・クリス・滝川, Yu Kurisu Takigawa)

Image by: Ace of the Diamond Official website ©Yuji Terashima・Kodansha／Ace of Diamond production committee・Tv Tokyo

Yu（優) This is a popular kanji that is used in both boys’ and girls’ names. Kind and excellent are the two meanings that make this kanji special. Yu is a caring and wise person just like his name suggests.

Interesting lines and phrases – Learning Japanese!

Here are some useful phrases from “Ace of the Diamond” which will help you along with your Japanese studies!

Image by: Ace of the Diamond comic 2 Ep 7 ©Yuji Terashima・Kodansha

EN/ ‘We did it…’
JP/ 「やったYatta」

If you are feeling proud of yourself don’t be afraid to shout out “Yatta!” This phrase is used for expressing feelings of joy and excitement. You can also use it to ask a question which is “Did You do it?”

Image by: Ace of the Diamond comic 1 Ep 4 ©Yuji Terashima・Kodansha

EN/ ‘Work hard!’
JP/ 「頑張ってねGanbatte ne」

Ganbatte ne and Ganbare（頑張れ) are both common ways of cheering.
These phrases are very encouraging and can also be used to wish someone luck.

Image by: Ace of the Diamond comic 3 Ep 17 ©Yuji Terashima・Kodansha

EN/ ‘Welcome back!’
JP/「お帰りなさいokaeri na sai」

The first thing you hear when you come back home. And what do you say in return? ただいま！(Tadaima) which means I’m back!