Nine (manga)

Plot summary

Just before entering Seishū High School, track star Katsuya Niimi and judo champion Susumu Karasawa see a girl crying as the school loses a baseball game. The boys decide to join the team and improve it in order to make her smile. The girl turns out to be Yuri Nakao, daughter of the baseball coach, and they learn the baseball team will be shut down if it doesn't start winning. The series follows the three, as well as pitcher Eiji Kurahashi, as Niimi and Karasawa learn about baseball and what it means to be one of nine players on a team, as they work together through high school make it to Kōshien.

Characters

Character voices listed are for the anime releases only.

Katsuya Niimi (新見 克也)

Voiced by: Toru FuruyaCenter fielder on the Seishū High School baseball club, in love with Yuri. In junior high, he held the national records for the 100 meter and 200 m races for his age group. His favorite food is gomokuzushi. He wears the number 8 on his jersey.

Yuri Nakao (中尾 百合)

Voiced by: Mariko Ishihara (TV movie 1), Mariko Kurata (TV movie 2), Narumi Yasuda (TV movie 3)The manager of the Seishū High School baseball club and daughter of the baseball coach. There is a growing romance between Yuri and Katsuya.

Susumu Karasawa (唐沢 進)

Voiced by: Kei TomiyamaRight fielder on the Seishū High School baseball club. In junior high, he was the prefectural champion in judo. He wears the number 9.

Eiji Kurahashi (倉橋 永二)

Voiced by: Kaneto ShiozawaLeft-handed pitching ace on the Seishū High School baseball club, and was one of the top pitchers in all of Japan in middle school. Lives with his father, a truck driver.

Yukimi Yasuda (安田 雪美)

Voiced by: Chika SakamotoStar athlete of the Seishū High School track club, who has a crush on Katsuya since Middle School. After transferring to Seishū at the beginning of the school year, she begins pursuing him, much to the annoyance of Yuri.

Kentarō Yamanaka (山中 健太郎)

Voiced by: Akira KamiyaA childhood friend of Yuri, and ace pitcher at Bunan High School where he has taken his team to victory at Kōshien. After an unexpected reunion with Yuri, he becomes the romantic rival of Katsuya.

Jirō Yamanaka (山中 二郎)

Voiced by: Yoshikazu HiranoKentarō's younger brother and a new member of the Seishū High School baseball club, playing third base. He has a crush on Yukimi. He wears the number 5.

Chimi Yamanaka (山中 智美, ))

Younger sister of the Yamanaka brothers. She tries to mediate the relationship between Yuri and Kentarō, who in turn uses her to interfere with the developing romance between Yuri and Katsuya.

Coach Nakao

Voiced by: Ichirō Nagai (TV movies), Kōichi Kitamura (theatrical movie)The coach of the Seishū High School baseball club. He is in jeopardy of losing his job for not having won a single game, which he does with the addition of Eiji Kurahashi to the team. He formerly coached Kentarō for a short time when he was younger, and they were neighbours.

Kazuya Niimi's father

Voiced by: Tatsuyuki JinnaiA former baseball player who helps Eiji join the baseball team after talking to his father, with whom he formed the winning battery at the invitational Kōshien tournament of 20-odd years prior to the events of the manga.

Kazuya Niimi's mother

Voiced by: Kazuko MakinoAppears in the theatrical movie.

Eiji Kurashashi's father

Voiced by: Takeshi AonoAppears in the theatrical movie.

Yukimi Yasuda's mother

Voiced by: Miyoko AsōAppears in the theatrical movie.

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Nine

The first Nine TV movie aired on May 4, 1983 on Fuji TV's Nissei Family Special program.

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Nine 2: Sweetheart Declaration

The second Nine TV movie, Nine 2: Sweetheart Declaration (ナイン2 恋人宣言, Nain Tsū Koibito Sengen), aired on December 18, 1983 on Fuji TV's Nissei Family Special program.

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Nine 3: Final

The third Nine TV movie, Nine 3: Final (ナイン 完結編, Nain Surī Kanketsuhen), aired on September 5, 1984 on Fuji TV's Nissei Family Special program.

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Theatrical movie

The first Nine TV movie was remade into a theatrical movie titled Nine the Original (ナイン オリジナル版, Nain Orijinaruban), released on September 16, 1983 by Toho. Modifications were made to the original TV movie to fix problems with it, and some of the voice actors and background music were changed as well. When the Nine movies are rebroadcast on TV, this movie is shown in place of the original TV movie.

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TV live action drama

A Nine live action TV drama special aired on January 5, 1987 on Fuji TV's Monday Dramaland (月曜ドラマランド, Getsuyō Doramarando) program.

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