His only remarkable physical abilities are his running speed, dodging techniques, and intense agility (perfect for football), the result of a school life spent complying with the demands of bullies (later on it is revealed that he went through training with a classmate in elementary school for running), quickly catch the eye of the high school's American football team captain Yoichi Hiruma who then forces Sena to join the team ( Deimon Devil Bats) as the running back. The plot of Eyeshield 21 revolves around a physically unassuming and non-assertive boy named Sena Kobayakawa who enters the high school of his choice, Deimon Private Senior High School, where his childhood friend Mamori Anezaki, one year older than Sena, already attends.
It is also aired in Taiwan and Hong Kong. The English dub "aired" on the free on-demand Toonami Jetstream as a joint effort with NFL Rush December 17, 2007, Japan's Top Anime Series Eyeshield 21 Brings a New Concept, Sports Anime, to the Forefront of the Cartoon World with Its Global Debut on Toonami Jetstream however it is currently on hiatus, likely waiting dubbing production. The anime version, produced by Nihon Ad Systems, or NAS, and animated by Artland, premiered across Japan on TV Tokyo from April 6, 2005, and ended March 19, 2008, with episode 145. Mainichi: American Football Popularity on the Rise The manga is published in English by VIZ Media. The thirty-seven volumes have collectively sold over 16 million copies in Japan, and the number of children playing American football has almost quadrupled and still grows after it was over. The manga is serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump. It has been adapted into an anime movie in 2004 (shown at Jump Festa), an anime television series in 2005, several video games and a trading card game from Konami. Eyeshield 21 is a manga about American football written by Riichiro Inagaki and illustrated by Yusuke Murata.