- For the other version of the character, see Tatsuo Mikami (RoNC) and Tatsuo Mikami (Tecmo).
Tatsuo Mikami (見上 辰夫, Mikami Tatsuo) is a recurrent character, first as Genzo Wakabayashi's mentor in Kids' Dream arc, and then had a more important role as Japan head coach until the first part of Battle of World Youth saga.
Description[]
Mikami was the personal coach of a then young Genzo Wakabayashi during his grade school years and his debut in Hamburger Jr.. He is also known for coaching and leading Japan Jr. in the J Boys' Challenge arc. Later on, he was chosen to be coach of U-19 Japan. In his prime, he was the former goalkeeper of the Japanese national team and was teammates with Munemasa Katagiri and Minato Gamo.
In Memories, it is revealed that he was a member of the Olympic Japan that won the bronze medal in the football tournament at Mexico 68.
History[]
Kids' Dream arc[]
_3.jpg){kind=link}
He was the first to find out who Roberto really is, when he saw his original way of centering in the duel between Tsubasa Ozora and his pupil Genzo Wakabayashi. He made Wakabayashi follow a hellish training before his match against Nankatsu elementary school and Tsubasa. As Wakabayashi felt depressed after taking a goal and was quitting the game, Mikami hit him and told him that he would stop coaching him for abandoning his team when he was needed most. That made Wakabayashi return to the field with more composure. At Wakabayashi's side as he was unable to play during most of the national tournament, he took care of Wakabayashi's injury in order to help him play the final match. Wanting the Japanese soccer to level up at all cost, after the tournament he was sent by the Japanese soccer organization to West Germany. Before leaving, he asked Wakabayashi if he wanted to go with him, and Wakabayashi agreed.
Boys' Fight arc[]
Mikami said in the Captain Tsubasa manga that he was appointed by the JFA association to train as a coach in Germany for two years. In Rising Sun arc, it is mentioned that he trained as a coach in Hamburger Jr. for 1 year. The following year he trained in (West) Germany and six months in Europe, making a total of two and a half years by his arrival for the 16th National middle school tournament in Tokyo. Wakabayashi initially stayed with Mikami in Germany, but was left as a homestay with the Draxler family when Mikami returned to Japan.
_0.jpg){kind=link}
Coach of Japan Jr.
J Boys' Challenge arc[]
After two years in Germany, Mikami returned to Japan alone, in order to attend the 16th National middle school tournament. His objective was to gather the best players to form All Japan Jr. Youth, in order to take part in the International Jr. Youth Tournament in France. At the time of the team's formation, Tsubasa was still injured, and Kojiro Hyuga was elected as captain. Additionally, Jun Misugi, who was going to extensive rehab for his heart condition, would serve as the team's analyst and Mikami's assistant, though Mikami was aware that Misugi was still eager to join the team as a player rather than remain on the bench.
Feeling that the team needed Tsubasa at its helm instead of Hyuga, Mikami would send the team to have their first match against Wakabayashi's team, Hamburger SV Jr. Youth. Wakabayashi was aware of the harsh decisions Mikami needed to make, and agreed to antagonize All Japan Jr. Youth to help bring Tsubasa back and to progress the team. The game against Hamburg would be a one-sided beating as the team, despite their training, were completely dominated, while Karl Heinz Schneider injured Ken Wakashimazu's left hand. Despite Tsubasa arriving after recovering ahead of time, Mikami was startled when both Hyuga and Hikaru Matsuyama insisted on playing without him as they had practiced up until that point without Tsubasa. The score would end in a disastrous 5-1, with Japan's only goal being given away by Wakabayashi. An ashamed Hyuga would relinquish his role as captain following this defeat, passing it to Matsuyama instead.
Believing that he could help the team further, Mikami allowed Genzo to join All Japan as an added member to put extra pressure on the others, especially Wakashimazu, for their training in the next set of practice games. Japan's second game would be against SV Werder Bremen Jr. Youth, where its key players, Franz Schester and Manfred Margus, quickly scored three points in the first half and subsequently dropped out of the game for their upcoming match against Italy. Despite Bremen not using its best players, Japan failed to even tie as they were defeated again 3-2. After seeing Japan's loss, the Italian team would inform Mikami that they no longer wished to play against Japan, seeing no benefit in the practice match.
When Mikami relayed these words, Tsubasa, despite being a non-participating member of the team, took up a ball, dribbled through the entire team, and hit a goal through Gino Hernandez, Europe's number one goal keeper. Tsubasa's outburst would convince Matsuyama and Hyuga to finally allow Tsubasa to join the lineup, as Mikami had hoped. With Tsubasa at the helm and the team more conditioned with the faster playstyle of the Europeans, Japn would go on a winning streak, defeating Hamburger SV Jr. Youth 3-0, Amsterdam Jr. Youth 4-0, and Belgium Jr. Youth 4-1 going into the tournament in France.
In the first game against Italy, Italy's defense under Gino would adapt to every shot that Japan had to offer, even stopping Tsubasa's Drive Shot and Hyuga's Tiger Shot. Italy would score the first point using their Blue Lightning passes, but Mikami would use this opportunity to sub in Taro Misaki to reform Nankatsu's Golden Combi with Tsubasa. The pair would soon tie the score against Gino, and Hyuga would successfully close the game 2-1 with a Neo Tiger Shot at the second half's last seconds.
During their second game against Argentina Jr. Youth, Mikami had Tsubasa focus on neutralizing Argentina's ace, Juan Diaz, while relying on the Misaki and Hyuga to find ways around Argentina's goal. Towards the end of the first half, Mikami allowed the dangerous use of the Skylab Twin Shot to allow Japan to earn a goal with a 2-3 score. The score would eventually come to a tie at 4-4 in the second half, and Mikami would pull Misugi from the bench as a player. This decision would again prove vital as Misugi had managed to thoroughly examine Diaz's playstyle, and successfully used a loose ball from the Diaz's clash with Tsubasa to score the deciding point for Japan's 5-4 victory.
The match against France would be much riskier, however, as the officials frequently made unfavorable decisions for the team throughout the first half, denying three of Japan's goals, and ejecting Makoto Soda with a debatable yellow card. Rain would mire the ground for the second half, but France would receive it's first no-goal after Louis Napoleon pushed through Mamoru Izawa. While the point was not counted, Izawa was injured from Napoleon's attack, and Mikami opted to bring Misugi back into the game. With the game at a 3-3 standstill, but Elle Sid Pierre and Napoleon would finally score in the last five minutes using their Eiffel Attack to score France's 4th goal. Mikami would hastily sub in both the Tachibana twins in the last minutes of the second half, but their Skylab Hurricane would be interrupted by Pierre. Nonetheless, Misaki and Tsubasa are able to tie the game in the second half's final second to drag the game into extra time.
Though Japan had managed to tie, Mikami became concerned as he impulsively used up the team's remaining substitutions just to earn a tie and was aware that Misugi and the Tachibana twins would not be able to play in proper condition for overtime. Japan would successfully hold in over time's first half, with Hyuga getting a goal one second too late to be counted. France would use its remaining substitutes to try and close the game in overtime's second half, but Japan was again able to hold thanks to Hyuga joining the defense. With the tie remaining unbroken, the game would close through a series of penalty kicks from both sides. Wakashimazu would make the critical save by powering through left hand's injury to deny Napoleon's goal.
Due to Wakashimazu's injury, Yuzo Morisaki would be considered as the goalkeeper for the upcoming finals against West Germany, but, to Mikami's relief, Morisaki and the team collectively agreed to have Wakabayashi serve as the goalkeeper for the finals. Wakabayashi's deep knowledge of West Germany's best players would help give Japan the early advantage, but Deuter Muller served as a near impregnable wall that stopped Japan's most powerful attacks with his one-hand catches. Schneider was eventually able to work out that Wakabayashi had gathered data on them, and successfully altered the team's playstyle to confuse the Japan, but Wakabayashi was able to deter Schneider's attacks.
The first half would end with at 1-1 with Hiroshi Jito and Ryo Ishizaki receiving cuts after trying to stop Schneider's Fire Shot, and Wakabayashi receiving a cut to the forehead towards the end of the first half as well. Despite these injuries and challenges, Mikami was proud to see that the team was still united as ever entering the second half. West Germany would start out the second half with hyper aggression, immediately pushing into Japan's side of the field, and forcing Wakabayashi and the defenders to stop multiple attacks. The team finally manage to find a small opportunity to counter when Wakabayashi clears the ball, and Tsubasa would make a back pass to Hyuga's Neo Tiger Shot to earn Japan another goal. In the final five minutes, Germany would rally back to tie score again with Mikami replacing Ishizaki for Izawa after the former received a direct Fire Shot from Schneider. Within the last minute, Tsubasa would finish the game with an Overhead kick that ascended past Muller's hands to claim a 3-2 victory.
Battle of World Youth arc[]
Starting as Japan Youth's coach in the World Youth series, Mikami and Wakashimazu, whose hands were already healed, had a heated debate over the position of regular keeper. Mikami was adamant in keeping the position for Wakabayashi, but Wakashimazu felt snubbed and was being treated purely as Wakabayashi's replacement. The fallout that ensued would result in Wakashimazu's departure to join the J League. At the same time, Mikami's old teammate, Minato Gamo, had arrived with his new team, known as Real Japan 7 to prove their superiority over the members of All Japan in three separate halves. Despite All Japan using its best players in the first half, the score came down to a decisive 2-3, 0-5, and 0-6 losses for the members of All Japan. After the third half concluded, however, Mikami suddenly collapsed and was rushed to the hospital.
Misugi would serve as Mikami's doctor, and explained that the cause was appendicitis that complicated into a peritonitis. Mikami would take this as a sign to pass the mantle of coach to Gamo, though this decision wasn't motivated by his surgery but by Gamo's passion. Mikami would be discharged soon after and personally watched Japan's games through the Asian qualifiers for the World Youth Tournament. Following the match against China Youth, Wakabayashi's right hand was severely injured, but Wakashimazu, whose name had still been registered by Katagiri despite the furious departure, would return to take Wakabayashi's place for the remainder of the qualifiers. Both Mikami and Wakashimazu would apologize to one another for their stubbornness as Mikami would acknowledge from Wakashimazu's performance in securing Japan's final victories for the Asian qualifiers made him for than just Wakabayashi's replacement.
Road to 2002 arc[]
Mikami was U-19 Japan's coach, formed by the next age players and led by Takeshi Sawada. The team broke through the Asian preliminaries after a close match against Korea in the final match.
Golden-23 arc[]
There are a couple of chapters focused on the next match of Mikami's team with U-19 Japan led by Takeshi.
Gallery[]
- Main article: Tatsuo Mikami/Gallery
Trivia[]
- In the Latin Americam dub he is known as "Frankie" or Freddy Marshall, while in the European dub he is only known as Freddy Marshall.