Hiroko Oukubo

Hiroko is cheerful, humble and exceptionally hardworking. She accepts routine jobs such as cleaning baseballs, doing laundry and looking after equipment without complaint, even when the work technically belongs to someone else.

Insults about her weight generally fail to provoke her. She remains friendly and helpful, making her temperament almost the exact opposite of first-string manager Risa Shidou.

Hiroko also refuses to exploit her family connection. Although her grandfather occupies one of the most powerful positions at Seishuu, she participates in school life as an ordinary student and manager.

Hiroko's strengths are organizational rather than athletic. She performs the practical work required of a baseball manager, maintaining equipment and handling everyday tasks that allow players and coaches to concentrate on training.

Her work ethic is especially noticeable because she sometimes assists Daimon's varsity even when she is officially assigned to the prefab squad. She does the work because it needs doing rather than because it offers recognition.

Hiroko manages the prefab team during the period when Seishuu's baseball club is divided. Her commitment gives Maeno's marginalized players practical support while the favored varsity receives greater resources and institutional attention.

Her hidden family connection eventually becomes important because her grandfather is the school-board chairman. When the decisive prefab-versus-varsity rematch exposes the problems in Daimon's program, the chairman intervenes in the school's administration.

After the teams are unified under Maeno, Hiroko becomes manager of Seishuu's regular varsity and continues supporting the club through its pursuit of Koshien.

Yokomichi Oukubo is Hiroko's grandfather and chairman of Seishuu's school board. Hiroko refuses to use Yokomichi Oukubo's position for personal advantage.

Risa Shidou is Hiroko's managerial counterpart on the first-string team. Their attitudes toward the job sharply contrast, with Hiroko Oukubo performing even unpleasant tasks willingly while Risa Shidou avoids routine work.

Sentarou Maeno coaches the prefab squad Hiroko manages and later leads the unified Seishuu team.

Kou Kitamura, Osamu Akaishi, Daiki Nakanishi and Keiichirou Senda are among the players Hiroko supports as team manager.