Akira Midōsuji is a first-year student and the ace racer of the Kyoto Fushimi High School cycling team, known for his overwhelming talent and his singular, unwavering pursuit of victory above all else. Physically, he is remarkably tall with exceptionally long limbs, a thin, lanky frame, large dark eyes, and uniquely square teeth that he frequently displays. He also has a long tongue, and his hairstyle changes over time, ranging from medium length to a dyed mohawk to straight bangs. His unusual posture on the bike, often contorting forward until his head nearly nears the handlebars, and his unsettling facial expressions have earned him a fearsome reputation. He is classified as an all-rounder, possessing not just high speed but also exceptional strategic and psychological skill. Midōsuji has a sadistic and eccentric personality, willing to do virtually anything to secure victory. He frequently describes things and people as gross, a verbal tic that has become characteristic of him. His desire to show his teeth stems from his mother telling him they were beautiful when he was a child. As a child, he lived with relatives while his mother was hospitalized for an extended period; he would ride his bicycle to visit her, eventually covering a 20 kilometer trip daily during one summer. After winning a race, he excitedly told his mother about his success, but her health declined rapidly in that moment, and she passed away before she could see him race. Following her death, he vowed to become a professional cyclist and to keep winning, a promise that became the foundation of his cycling career. He rules his team like a dictator, treating his teammates as disposable tools for his own success, yet he maintains this control without officially being the captain. In competition, he conducts extensive research on opponents, using their past traumas and fears against them to gain psychological advantages. He shares a heated rivalry with Imaizumi Shunsuke, dating back to a cruel incident in a middle school race. He also develops unexpected intrigue toward Onoda Sakamichi, whose incredible cadence and unrelenting mentality remind him of another rival, Manami Sangaku. After a disappointing finish in the Inter-High, Midōsuji announced he was resigning from the team, but after an encounter with Onoda he changed his mind, cutting off his hair in the middle of the night and returning to compete with renewed determination. His combination of high mental acuity and physical talent, including exceptional 20/10 vision, makes him a formidable opponent, and his preferred bicycle manufacturer is De Rosa.