Taka Honjou

Taka is quiet, detached and exceptionally confident in his natural ability. He can appear almost uninterested in challenges that would demand complete concentration from other players.

That composure is demonstrated when he catches a football one-handed while continuing to read a book. For Taka, extraordinary catches are sufficiently routine that he does not always treat them as extraordinary events.

His enormous natural talent has also left him with relatively little experience of being pushed by an equal receiver. Competition becomes more meaningful when someone can threaten his assumption that his ability places him beyond comparison.

Taka is an elite receiver whose greatest weapon is jumping ability. His 8.25-metre long jump allows him to cover enormous horizontal distance and translates into exceptional aerial reach.

His catching technique is equally refined. He can secure difficult passes with one hand and control the ball without needing ideal body positioning. Combined with first-string Teikoku speed, this makes him extremely difficult to cover.

His receiving style creates an enormous catch radius. A pass that appears too high or too far away for an ordinary receiver can remain playable for Taka.

Taka is introduced as a benchmark beyond the receivers Monta has previously faced. His effortless one-handed catch immediately demonstrates the gulf between an accomplished high-school receiver and Teikoku's best.

His connection to Honjou gives his eventual encounter with Monta additional importance. Monta built his childhood dream around the elder Honjou's catching, while Taka inherited both exceptional athletic ability and a direct connection to that legacy.

Taka becomes Monta's principal positional opponent during the Christmas Bowl. Their contest forces Monta to confront a receiver whose natural jumping and catching ability surpasses his own in several measurable respects.

Masaru Honjou is Taka's father and a celebrated former baseball outfielder whose catching ability made him famous.

Tarou Raimon grows up idolizing Masaru Honjou before eventually encountering his son. [Tarou Raimon becomes Taka Honjou's principal receiving rival during the Christmas Bowl.](#spoiler)

Takeru Yamato is another first-string Teikoku star who, like Taka, earns immediate recognition within the country's strongest high-school program.