Kenshou Matsudaira

The Emperor

**Kenshou Matsudaira** is a second-year at Johnan Public High School and plays the position of **middle blocker/hitter** on the volleyball team. His jersey is number 1.

## Appearance

Matsudaira is the tallest member of the team and has a broad and sturdy build, but when he is not playing volleyball, he slouches and doesn't hold his back straight. He has blue eyes, freckles on his arms, short, brown hair, and a little bit of hair on his chin. His arms and legs are strong, which are definitely helpful in his position, as he is a middle blocker and middle hitter.

## Personality

Matsudaira's personality is that of a "gentle giant" type of person. He is shy, awkward, and normally quite gentle, but when he is the only one left to be in charge of the team, he puts his intimidating size to use and raises his voice, which surprises his teammates. He also has a presence reminiscent of a noble emperor or other ruler, which commands respect from his teammates. He appreciates old-fashioned, traditional, and calming things like green tea and traditional Japanese fans, which matches his personality.

## Plot

### Johnan Volleyball Team Transformation Arc

Matsudaira looked at some of Akira's notes on his "transformation plan" and said that the new setter was "wilder than he imagined." He did not get involved in the argument with Akira, preferring to stand aside, fan himself, and observe. During the next practice, he demonstrated his ability to use strong spikes, prompting Katta to exclaim, "Nice fatty spike!" which annoyed Matsudaira a little, but he did not get angry.

### Kanto Preliminaries Arc

In the first match, against Nanyou, Matsudaira was very practical, asking Akira for his plan for how to deal with Nanyou's powerful servers. He also worked with Yagibashi to try to block Nanyou's spikers, and he joined in encouraging Katta. His spikes and blocks scored points, too, and Moriguchi commented on that during a time-out that was called by Nanyou. During a later time-out, called by Johnan's coach, he reassures Katta that Nanyou's points are not his fault and that he is doing well. Later, he is able to score a point with a quick attack from the center and reminds everyone not to get relaxed and let their guard down when they are doing well, because that is when their opponents can exploit their weaknesses best.

At practice, later, it is Matsudaira's suggestion that the team goes running to cool their heads off and bond with each other instead of getting into another argument. When some of his teammates argue with this, he reminds them that he is the vice captain and that he is allowed to give orders, too. Everyone immediately listens, and Matsudaira leads them on a run. He also tells them, while running, that he used to play on the basketball team, but he switched to volleyball with Moriguchi.

In the next round of the preliminaries, a week later, Johnan played against Seiryoh. Matsudaira played as an effective decoy, to distract from Katta's and Yagibashi's attacks, but his own attacks were all blocked once Seiryoh's blockers started using the chain block technique. In the third set, he overcame all his self-consciousness and doubt, and decided that he couldn't be worthy to be called the "Emperor" if he couldn't beat the "King," Kaidou. He didn't want to have a title he didn't deserve, and he didn't want to be useless and not be able to do anything for his team. He told his team that he would not let all their hard work go to waste. This new motivation helped him block one of Kaidou's spikes, earning Johnan a point. Working together with Yagibashi, Matsudaira was able to block him again, helping Johnan reach set point.

The year later, Matsudaira became the captain of the team, since the third-years left.

## Relationships

### Suguru Yagibashi

Matsudaira and Yagibashi are the tallest players on Johnan's boys' volleyball team, so they are the team's main blockers and often work together to set up effective and strong blocks. They are also both second-years, although Yagibashi is in a higher class than Matsudaira. When Matsudaira became the captain, he made Yagibashi his vice-captain, showing that he trusts him and can rely on him to help and get things done.

### Kyouhei Moriguchi

As they are both second-years, Matsudaira and Moriguchi are friendly towards each other, and Moriguchi knows about Matsudaira's past on the basketball team and how he came to join the volleyball club, implying that they trust each other and are quite close. They also support each other on the court and are able to work together well.

### Katta Oosawa

Katta and Kenshou do not interact often in the manga, but Matsudaira has been shown ruffling Katta's hair as a sign of encouragement, and they both cheer for each other when the other scores, showing that they care for and support each other as teammates.

### Johnan Boys' Volleyball Team

Matsudaira gets along well with his whole team, and they all respect him because he is the vice-captain. He is friendly towards all of them, too, so they have a positive relationship.

## Trivia

* He likes having a cup of hot green tea after a game.
* He always carries a Japanese fan with him everywhere, and is often seen fanning himself with it.
* He used to play on the basketball team, and was one of their best players, partly because of his height.
* His nickname, "The Emperor," comes from his real name: Kenshou Matsudaira is similar to Ken Matsudaira, an actor who played a Japanese emperor in a movie. Moriguchi explains this when introducing him.