Tennis no Oujisama is one of the most popular manga series of Japan, written and illustrated by Konomi Takeshi, and ran in Weekly Shounen Jump for nine years while being published in 42 separate volumes. However, Tenipuri, as nicknamed by creator and fans alike, has spawned more than just a manga, including a four year run of an anime series, a striving musical series (Tenimyu), numerous video games, fandrawn doujinshi, piles upon piles of CD's and tens of thousands of dollars worth of merchandise found in stores across Japan.

The Golden Pair are the top doubles pairing of Seigaku (the main school), and nationally ranked in the fictional Kantou region along with other doubles combinations from rival schools, such as Rikkaidai's Niou and Yagyuu, Yamabuki's Minami and Higashikata and Hyoutei's Shishido and Ootori. While the Golden Pair are by far not the strongest in the tennis league for their skills alone, their combination is simply unmatched - they are often described as two halves to a whole. Whether through victories or losses, the Golden Pair are constantly evolving, working together to improve their game and forming a stronger partnership.

The bond between the Golden Pair runs much deeper than that of typical best friends. Kikumaru will refer to Oishi as "aibou," a term loosely translated as "partner," but with stronger connocations than other Japanese words with a similar meaning. Their partnership is one of a kind, and not easy to come across; only those who have spent an exponentially long time together could ever hope to achieve the level of trust as seen between the Golden Pair.


First, there’s Oishi Syuichirou. Oishi is the type of man who many girls pine after – vice-captain of a strong sports team, smart, handsome, cares for those close to him (often referred to as Seigaku’s mother hen), is prone to worrying unnecessarily, but has proven that when time calls, he will step forward into a leadership role, even if his personality is more suited to that of second in command. There would be no team without Oishi – he is the glue that keeps the team close, and prevents those who clash (namely Momoshiro and Kaidou) from strangling one another. However, while Oishi is generally an upbeat and cheerful teenager, his temper is a force to be reckoned with – push him too far and he will snap.

By nature, Oishi is a supporter. He can hold his own in a singles match qute easily, but has specialized in doubles since he joined the tennis club with Tezuka as first years. He often played with an upperclassman before he met and became partners with Kikumaru, and as far as canon suggests, he has never played in an official match without Kikumaru by his side.
Of course, with Oishi comes Kikumaru Eiji. While Oishi is the more reserved half of the Golden Pair, Kikumaru is the cheerful, spunky redhead who is the type of character that is designed to like. Kikumaru is full of good spirit - he is often the one who creates silly cheers and chants to urge his team to do their very best. He's friendly and lively; Kikumaru rarely holds still unless he's feeling particularly serious. While many see Kikumaru as one who lacks a brain and is far too hyperactive for his own good, there is actually more to him beyond speech softly accented with 'nya's and his habit of constantly clinging to whoever is in his general vicinity. Kikumaru is prone to random bouts of insecurity and often becomes frustrated when he is unable to achieve what's in sight. He often speaks without first thinking, and can behave in a brat-like manner.

At first, Kikumaru was not a doubles player. When introduced to his character, he proclaims that he would one day be a top singles player wearing the famed Seigaku regular's jersey, and it appears as though Kikumaru would never be even an ounce interested in playing doubles. However, that all changed when he lost a match against Oishi and later witnessed him practicing against a large green garbage bin. Kikumaru came to realize that he had underestimated Oishi - despite his first impression, Oishi was actually a very a dedicated and passionate player, and Kikumaru made the decision that he wanted to be Oishi's doubles partner until the day came when Kikumaru could beat him in a match. Some speculate that Kikumaru will never beat Oishi on purpose so as to always be his doubles partner. This is a fair assumption considering Kikumaru made that decision when he was younger and much less experienced than what he is during the canon school year, and he never would have known how close he and Oishi were going to become throughout their middle school tennis careers.