Kyouhei Moriguchi

**Kyouhei Moriguchi** is a second-year at Johnan Public High School and plays the position of **libero** on the volleyball team. His jersey is number 4.

## Appearance

Moriguchi is one of the shortest members of the team, but he is also one of the most muscular. He has a stocky build, and has past-shoulder-length brown hair pulled into a short, messy ponytail, round brown eyes, and thick, dark eyebrows. He is missing a tooth (a result of failing to correctly pass one of Kaidou's spikes) and wears bandages or athletic tape on his fingers. He is one of the only team members who wears both kneepads and elbow pads with his volleyball uniform, which is in contrasting colors to his teammates' uniforms, since he is the libero.

## Personality

Moriguchi's personality is loud, brash, blunt, persistent, and tough, but he also has a soft side. He is proud of his position as the team's libero and is okay with being short. He says, "I was born to play libero! Since I am so short," showing that his height does not bother him. He is very dedicated to the team and is very proud of the "top eight" title, but soon decides to aim higher than just that. Moriguchi is also a very dependable libero and always has his teammates' backs, no matter what. He hates losing and having to give up, and pushes himself to dig hard balls, even to the point of making himself bleed. He is also supportive and friendly (once someone has gained his trust), and seems to carry the whole team, more than even the captain.

## Plot

### Seiryoh Tryouts Arc

Moriguchi appeared briefly at Akira's last junior high game as a scout for Johnan, asking Akira to join their team. Akira brusquely brushed him off and ignored him, making him angry. His request to go to Johnan was not forgotten, though, because Akira recognized the name when Katta mentioned it after they were kicked out of the Seiryoh tryout.

### Johnan Volleyball Team Transformation Arc

Moriguchi was the first member of the Johnan team that Katta and Akira met on their first day. He entered the gym with a prayer to the "god of volleyball" asking for help and strength. Once he realized that two new first-years had been watching him, he became flustered and nervous, but they quickly reassured him and more members arrived. During the practice match against the new members, Moriguchi demonstrated impressive skill in receiving and digging and managed to pass many of Katta's spikes, as was expected of him, as libero. He was determined to prove that the "top eight" title still mattered, and that it truly meant something.

Moriguchi was suspicious of Akira at first, but started to trust him after he began working on his "transformation plan." His suspicion returned when Akira was confronted about watching Johnan's match against Seiryoh, but even after getting angry at the new setter, he remained friendly to him and stated that he understood his feelings perfectly. He continued to work hard and follow Akira's plan, truly believing it would help them rise back to the level they were at when they were in the top eight and possibly go higher. He wrote a goal on a paper that he put on the wall: *get a win.* He said that even if it was just one win, it would end their losing streak and give the team hope.

### Kanto Preliminaries Arc

During Johnan's first match, against Nanyou, Moriguchi did well with passing, as always. There was one pass where Kotaro slammed into him, causing the ball to hit the ground and Nanyou to score, but that was Kotaro's fault, not Moriguchi's. Mori also complimented Katta after they won their first set, saying he was "like Johnan's ace." He made sure to emphasize that he said "*like* an ace," just to make sure the comment did not go to Katta's head. In the second set, Mori continued to give his team consistent passes, allowing them to set up powerful attacks and keep scoring. Johnan won the match, defeating the strong and famous Nanyou and ending Johnan's 34-game losing streak and allowing them to progress to the next round of the preliminaries after winning three more games.

During a practice after that game, Moriguchi dove into a wall while going after a ball, which earned him a reprimand from Akira and some pain in the face. The team members then went running, and Moriguchi revealed that he used to play soccer before joining the volleyball club. When asked if his soccer position used to be goalkeeper, he replied yes, but was surprised. The person who asked said that a goalkeeper was similar to a libero because they both have to protect something - in a goalie's case, the goal, in a libero's case, the ground. Mori also showed his friendship with Matsudaira, telling the story of how his teammate joined the volleyball club from the basketball club. He was one of the main people involved in leading the team's unofficial bonding session, which is consistent with his behavior in the rest of the series, where he acts more like the captain than the team's actual captain.

In Johnan's match against Seiryoh, Mori dealt with some self-doubt of his own. He remembered losing a tooth to one of Kaidou's spikes and was afraid to try and dig another one, but he remembered his promise to give his best in every game and move past the old "top eight" title, which inspired him to keep trying. He kept diving for every spike and giving everything he had, even ripping off his bandages and sliding so hard that the scrape on his hand began to bleed, but never giving up until he finally could keep the ball up and give his teammates an opportunity to attack. Some spectators compared him to a dog, always going after the ball and digging it no matter what, as well as cheering his teammates on from the sidelines ("barking") and Mori took that to heart, calling himself "the team's dog" in addition to the "protector of the court." His dedication to protecting the ground, as well as his encouragement of everyone else on his team, helped give them the strength to pull ahead and beat Seiryoh and shock everyone in the audience.

## Relationships

### Kenshou Matsudaira

Matsudaira is the team's vice-captain, and is always supported by Moriguchi, who calls him by his nickname, "Tono-sama," meaning, "The Emperor." Mori is friends with Matsudaira and knows about his past in the basketball club, and they are both second-years. He is probably the second-year with whom Mori is closest.

### Akira Honda

Moriguchi did not trust Akira at first, but after Akira said that he does not see himself as good enough to play with the Johnan team (which was a lie designed to gain Mori's trust), Mori claimed that he understood him completely and that he could help him. Although this was a lie, as well as was Akira's claim that he had seen Johnan's match against Seiryoh, he was able to gain Mori's full trust once he demonstrated his skill as a setter and his willingness to work with his teammates and not be as self-centered. The two boys got into arguments over whether or not the "top eight" title mattered any more, but that was shoved aside once Mori vowed to work harder than ever and rise higher than that old title. They are now able to successfully work together on the court.

### Johnan Boys' Volleyball Team

Moriguchi has a positive relationship with his entire team, as he is their unofficial leader, and the second-years seem to have more of an influence on the team members than the third-years do. He always encourages them and cheers when he is on the sidelines, and when he is on the court, he always has his teammates' backs. Watching Moriguchi give his all often motivates the others to play harder and better, which helps them win. His influence lead them to abandon the old "top eight" title and move past their failures, showing that they have a good relationship with him and trust him to a high degree.

## Trivia

* Moriguchi used to be a goalkeeper on the soccer team, which is where he got his habit of bandaging his fingers.
* He was a scout at Akira's last junior high tournament and tried to get him to show interest in Johnan.
* He is in second year class G, the lowest class out of all the second-years on the team, inferring that he is not very good at school.