Character..

Endo Kenji is the protagonist of Rookies- the beginning-. At the beginning, Kenji is a slacker, good for nothing other than fighting. Kenji was always trying to ask girls out, but was rejected constantly, the 50th rejection occurring at the start of the story. He then met Yagi Touko, a lovely basketball fan girl, whom he fell in love with immediately. This and Touko's encouragement led to him to join the Nikogaku basketball team. However, as a complete beginner, he was not able to keep up with the rest of the team at first despite his height, athleticism, stamina, speed and leaping ability. He regards himself as a genius though, with self-confidence that borders on arrogance. Kenji's most recognizable trait is his red hair, though he shaves his head as reparation for an error that led to a loss in the Interhigh Tournament against Megurugawa. He has a habit of making fun of other players by giving them various nicknames, such as calling Shinjo "gorilla". At first, Kenji was known for his poor basketball skills as a beginner and in his first official matches, fouled out every game. However, his basketball skills advanced by hard training. First he developed his basic skills, such as dribbling and layups. Then, trained by Shinjo, he became a formidable rebounder, with his rebounding becoming his claim to fame throughout the latter half of the series. His jump shooting was then developed by Coach Kawato, who had him make 20,000 shots in a week. However, he also injured his back during the match against Housen when saving the ball from going off the court, and underwent rehabilitation after Nikogaku's subsequent loss to Aiwa Academy. While considered by most to be an amateur's instinctual tactic, the tactic itself, coupled with Kenji's formidable athleticism actually goes well with his somewhat unorthodox playing style. This allows Kenji to be in the right place at the right time to intercept more experienced players. In spite of the setbacks he has had to face, Kenji displays a great deal of tenacity and determination that carry him through and help reciprocate for his other failings, both on and off the court. Although his love for Touko and rivalry with Shinichi are the main driving forces motivating him to succeed in basketball, his injury during the Housen match makes him realize that he has actually come to love the game, leading him to give his all for his team and bring them victory.