Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-28224025-20161226165516/@comment-32646513-20170731070910

I really like what you're saying. I really do. I think that, perhaps with Tenma, Level-5 wanted to experiment with a dynamic of Good vs. Evil that they really hadn't done before with Inazuma Eleven. Throughout the entire GO series there is this them played with a little, but I don't feel that Level-5 did enough with it to justify Tenma's character. I also feel that some of it is this idea of how to live up to the standard set by Endou, and how to surpass that for the sequel.

But, while we're on the topic of Tenma, I was wondering: Is he related to Kino Aki? In the anime, he refers to her as "one of his relatives". I'm not that good with Japanese, so it may just be some translation thing that I'm not fully understanding, but if anyone knows the answer, I'd love to have this one cleared up.

If he is related to her, then that adds another important link to the original Inazuma Eleven series that defines his character. If there is one role that has the characteristic of endless encouragement, it would be the role of a Manager like Kino Aki from Endou's days. If this is so, then it would explain the flawless attribute that Tenma shares with her. This "light" that they speak of in the anime. It is his link to the manager position that provides a solid reason for his lack of character flaws, and another influence for him to become the soccer nut that he is.