15 Straightforward Steps to Walk on as a Member of the Yamabuki Tennis Team

While most educational institutions in the Prince of Tennis universe seem to have some sort of a gimmick, Yamabuki isn't nearly as eccentric as any of these other schools.

They're actually focused on tennis in a respectable way. The school was founded in 1934, and has a student body of around 653. There are 323 female students and 330 male students according to the latest enrollment statistics.

Since the series is usually so ridiculously over the top, cosplayers are often attracted to the Yamabuki student body as they're relatively normal by comparison.

That being said, if you want to give them a try you will probably still have to get a few eccentricities down.

1) The school uniform is made up of a fairly common white jacket with blue piping and a high collar. The pants shouldn't be too hard to get a hold of, and you might already have a pair of white pants in your collection.

2) Older or adventurous cosplayers might want to try playing as the coach. Other players often refer to Mikiya Banda by the nickname Banjii, and he is notable for his gray hair and kind appearance. It certainly seems like the Yamabuki tennis club looks up to him like a grandfather.

3) Minami Kentaro is the team Captain, and he is one half of the duo referred to by fans as the Jimmies. This is a play on the Japanese phrase for plain. As such, he's quite normal, though you might want to spike out your hair if you were trying to play as him.

4) Green and yellow are apparently the team colors, and it shouldn't be too hard to find a polo that matches the way that Yamabuki students prefer to dress. That being said, it seems that Minami Kentaro prefers to wear his uniform slightly loosely.

5) Higashikata Masami is the other half of the Jimmies duo. He has an intense look, and his uniform features an oversized collar that could be recreated by wearing another white shirt underneath the regular tennis polo.

6) If you feel comfortable with hair gel, it should be easy to slick your hair back and look pretty close to Masami. It might be a bit more difficult to achieve that look with a wig, but some people have actually gelled wigs in the past.

7) Like many of the members of the Yamabuki team, Nishikiori Tsubasa is rather normal looking. His hair is worn closely cropped, and could easily be replicated with a decent haircut. If you feel comfortable with that, it's the easiest way to go.

8) Unlike some of the other players, it seems as though Tsubasa actually prefers to wear high tops as opposed to regular tennis shoes. Sadly, this could be the most expensive part of cosplaying as him.

9) Since he's seldom seen outside of his tennis outfit or school uniform, it could be assumed he's fairly straight laced. Keep this is mind if you end up playing as him in regular street clothes. It's hard to imagine that a Yamabuki student would dress extravagantly.

10) Dan Taichi is a popular character, since he's a cute first year. He picked up the fact that height doesn't matter by watching Echizen play, so he could be a good choice if you're a height-conscious cosplayer.

11) As with many characters, Dan Taichi is known for his unique catchphrase. You might want to pepper your speech with surprisingly polite cries of "-dadadadan!"

12) Unlike many Prince of Tennis characters, he's rather kind. After strapping on a green headband, you might want to tone down the arrogance that seems to be a characteristic of every other team.

13) His navy blue hair could easily be replicated by way of a wig. Blue hair is relatively common in the world of anime and manga, thus such wigs shouldn't be too hard to find at all.

14) Like many other anime characters, Dan Taichi is notable for his wide-eyed look that he displays any time he shows interest in something. With a little practice, anyone should be able to master this unique expression. It would certainly be useful for playing as other characters as well.

15) Anime and manga covers are always a great place to look for some additional inspiration. Checking out the artwork from the source material is a great way to find comparison images for your up and coming cosplay.

You now know how to cosplay as a Prince of Tennis character. Now it's time to dress the part of the Seigaku Tennis Team: