Munemasa Katagiri is a former Japanese international footballer who transitioned into a talent scout and representative for the Japan Football Association. Hailing from a wealthy family, his decision to pursue professional football over joining the family enterprise caused a prolonged estrangement. He dedicated years to football administration and talent development while estranged. His primary JFA role involves identifying and recruiting promising players for Japan's national youth teams. He spotted Tsubasa Ozora's brilliance early and played a crucial role in assembling competitive squads, facilitating the inclusion of overseas-based talents like Germany's Genzo Wakabayashi and France's Taro Misaki into the Japan Junior team. Katagiri also spearheaded intelligence-gathering on international opponents like George Cardinal and analyzed broader tournament contexts, such as the reasoning for hosting a major event in the United States. Katagiri actively supported Japan's youth teams across U-13, U-14, and Jr. World Cup levels, serving as an assistant coach during international tournaments. His influence extended into the World Youth narrative, where he orchestrated the creation of the "shadow team" Real Japan 7 to strengthen the primary U-20 squad for the Asian preliminaries. Demonstrating significant logistical capability, he arranged for Japan to host the U-20 International World Youth Cup on short notice. This required approaching his estranged father, a prominent businessman, who demanded Katagiri abandon football as a condition for financial help. Katagiri refused this ultimatum, leading his father to relent and offer support unconditionally, requesting only that his son visit his mother. Beyond administration, Katagiri provided ongoing mentorship and operational support for Japan's "Golden Generation" players, including Tsubasa Ozora, Kojiro Hyuga, and Shingo Aoi, throughout their progression to senior levels and into Olympic team arcs, consistently facilitating opportunities for the national program. His passion for football and developing Japanese talent remained constant, described as "tenacity smouldering in his heart." He appears in the "New Hero" story mode of the "Rise of New Champions" video game, maintaining his established role as a JFA scout focused on identifying and nurturing emerging football talent for Japan.