TV-Series
Description
Handa Shinichi is one of the original founding members of the Raimon Junior High soccer club, joining alongside his friend Someoka Ryuugo when the team was first reopened by the protagonist Endou Mamoru. His position on the field is midfielder, and he wears the number 6 jersey. In terms of physical appearance, Handa has short, messy brown hair with dark brown eyes and an average height and build. Later in life, during the Inazuma Eleven GO series, he appears as an adult with slightly longer, more styled brown hair and dresses in a white collared shirt with a blue striped tie and dark grey pants.
Handa is defined by his notable lack of any single outstanding feature, a trait that is central to his character. He is described as a jack-of-all-trades or a well-balanced player, capable in all areas but master of none. This ordinariness is something he is acutely aware of and frustrated by, as he dislikes being called average and feels a sense of insecurity about not having any special skills or appealing points. Despite this internal frustration, his outward personality is kind, caring, and generally optimistic, though he can also be a little lazy and is often found reading in the background rather than participating in vigorous activity. He is known to be easily frightened by the silent presence of his teammate Jin Kageno, despite being close friends with him.
As one of the first members to join the revitalized club, Handa is deeply invested in the team and its identity. He initially shows resistance to change, becoming angered when the strategist Kidou Yuuto joins the team and implements a new formation, arguing that it does not represent their brand of soccer. However, he is able to overcome this when he sees that the changes are for the good of the team, demonstrating his ability to put the team's success above his own preferences. His central motivation throughout the series is a desire to become stronger and more useful to his team, a feeling that is directly tied to his complex about being ordinary.
This personal struggle reaches a peak in the second season following the attack by the alien Aliea Academy. After being badly injured and hospitalized, Handa's feelings of inadequacy are magnified. This leads him to make a pivotal choice: he accepts the power of the Aliea Meteorite and joins the antagonistic team, the Dark Emperors, alongside other former teammates. In this corrupted form, his hair becomes longer and spikes up, and his eyes take on a sharper appearance. Empowered by the meteorite, he gains a significant boost in ability, using a new combined hissatsu technique, Revolution V, to overwhelm his friends. Ultimately, he is brought back to his senses by Endou, who reminds him of the true spirit of soccer, and he rejoins the Raimon team after the meteorite's influence is shattered.
His role in the story changes in the third season, as he is not selected to be a member of the national team, Inazuma Japan. Instead, he remains with the Raimon club, training and serving as a supportive figure who passionately cheers for his former teammates during the international tournament. A key moment of growth occurs during the graduation match, where he is seen to have improved significantly, even managing to steal the ball from the talented Ichinose Kazuya.
Looking at his key relationships, Handa is frequently seen in the company of the other less prominent original members, such as Kabeyama Heigorou and Shishido Sakichi, and maintains a consistent friendship with Someoka. He shares a close bond with Max Matsuno, with whom he develops a combination hissatsu technique. In the Inazuma Eleven GO series, set ten years later, his development sees him becoming the coach of a youth team called Inazuma KFC, where he is described as being popular with the children for his easy-to-understand teaching methods.
Regarding his notable abilities, Handa's foundational hissatsu technique is the Rolling Kick, which he developed early on during practice. His most prominent special move, however, is the combination technique Revolution V, which he performs with Max Matsuno, particularly during his time with the Dark Emperors. Even in his adult years as a coach, his fundamental skill set remains a point of reference, as his stats in the games consistently reflect his nature as a balanced, average player, with later titles explicitly ranking his luck stat as the lowest while giving him the highest freedom for development, underscoring his potential for growth despite his ordinary starting point.
Handa is defined by his notable lack of any single outstanding feature, a trait that is central to his character. He is described as a jack-of-all-trades or a well-balanced player, capable in all areas but master of none. This ordinariness is something he is acutely aware of and frustrated by, as he dislikes being called average and feels a sense of insecurity about not having any special skills or appealing points. Despite this internal frustration, his outward personality is kind, caring, and generally optimistic, though he can also be a little lazy and is often found reading in the background rather than participating in vigorous activity. He is known to be easily frightened by the silent presence of his teammate Jin Kageno, despite being close friends with him.
As one of the first members to join the revitalized club, Handa is deeply invested in the team and its identity. He initially shows resistance to change, becoming angered when the strategist Kidou Yuuto joins the team and implements a new formation, arguing that it does not represent their brand of soccer. However, he is able to overcome this when he sees that the changes are for the good of the team, demonstrating his ability to put the team's success above his own preferences. His central motivation throughout the series is a desire to become stronger and more useful to his team, a feeling that is directly tied to his complex about being ordinary.
This personal struggle reaches a peak in the second season following the attack by the alien Aliea Academy. After being badly injured and hospitalized, Handa's feelings of inadequacy are magnified. This leads him to make a pivotal choice: he accepts the power of the Aliea Meteorite and joins the antagonistic team, the Dark Emperors, alongside other former teammates. In this corrupted form, his hair becomes longer and spikes up, and his eyes take on a sharper appearance. Empowered by the meteorite, he gains a significant boost in ability, using a new combined hissatsu technique, Revolution V, to overwhelm his friends. Ultimately, he is brought back to his senses by Endou, who reminds him of the true spirit of soccer, and he rejoins the Raimon team after the meteorite's influence is shattered.
His role in the story changes in the third season, as he is not selected to be a member of the national team, Inazuma Japan. Instead, he remains with the Raimon club, training and serving as a supportive figure who passionately cheers for his former teammates during the international tournament. A key moment of growth occurs during the graduation match, where he is seen to have improved significantly, even managing to steal the ball from the talented Ichinose Kazuya.
Looking at his key relationships, Handa is frequently seen in the company of the other less prominent original members, such as Kabeyama Heigorou and Shishido Sakichi, and maintains a consistent friendship with Someoka. He shares a close bond with Max Matsuno, with whom he develops a combination hissatsu technique. In the Inazuma Eleven GO series, set ten years later, his development sees him becoming the coach of a youth team called Inazuma KFC, where he is described as being popular with the children for his easy-to-understand teaching methods.
Regarding his notable abilities, Handa's foundational hissatsu technique is the Rolling Kick, which he developed early on during practice. His most prominent special move, however, is the combination technique Revolution V, which he performs with Max Matsuno, particularly during his time with the Dark Emperors. Even in his adult years as a coach, his fundamental skill set remains a point of reference, as his stats in the games consistently reflect his nature as a balanced, average player, with later titles explicitly ranking his luck stat as the lowest while giving him the highest freedom for development, underscoring his potential for growth despite his ordinary starting point.