Matsuno Kusuke, also widely known by the nickname Max, is a student at Raimon Junior High and one of the early members of the school's soccer club. He first encounters the team captain while the captain is recruiting new members and decides to join primarily out of boredom, as he has a quick-to-lose-interest personality and has tried many different sports and clubs before. Kusuke is a natural all-rounder with a strong sense for sports, able to pick up new skills rapidly and perform them competently. His appearance is distinctive, marked by a striped knit hat that resembles cat ears, which he wears constantly, even while sleeping. Beneath his somewhat frivolous and easily distracted exterior, he genuinely grows to enjoy soccer and remains a committed member of Raimon throughout the Football Frontier tournaments. While he is technically skilled and versatile, he often fades into the background relative to more prominent teammates, and his contributions can be overlooked despite his reliability. Kusuke is named a candidate for the national team, Inazuma Japan, but does not ultimately make the final cut. Later, he is forcibly recruited into the Dark Emperors, an opposing team created to test Raimon, where he plays as a midfielder. Among his notable football techniques is the individual shot Cross Drive, and he also participates in combination moves such as Revolution V with Handa and Dark Phoenix with Kazemaru and Someoka, both of which are powered by the influence of an Aliea meteorite. Kusuke maintains friendly relationships with his teammates, though his laid-back and slightly detached personality means he does not form especially deep bonds with any single character. His development is subtle: he starts as a casual participant seeking entertainment and ends as a dependable player who takes the sport seriously enough to be considered for national selection.