i struggle to find anything to say, and not because i don't like him. on the contrary. i love him. he's my son, my blorbo. and my love for him is so intense that it can hardly be put into words. i will try to express it, but i apologise in advance if it ends up messy and disorganised.
i often see Tenma being criticised for being too similar to Endou, as well as reduced to "idiot who can only think about football", and therefore a boring protagonist, and i couldn't disagree more. yes, he's obsessed with football because he's autistic, sometimes to a silly degree. but he's so much more than that.
Tenma is all about wanting freedom. freedom to play, to live his dreams of playing at Raimon. he's the wind of change, he flies through the pitch and dodges any obstacle thrown at him. because nothing can stop the wind.
nothing, except the wind itself, when its will wavers.
Tenma's struggle is about his own lack of confidence. outside of football, he's shy and stutters when he talks to his upperclassmen. he revolts against fifth sector only for his desire to play for real. so, when his teammates start looking up to him and regarding him as a beacon they must follow, it doesn't feel right. that's where Tenma's doubts regarding his role as captain come from: he doesn't believe he's cut out for it, even when he's proven time and again that he's good at leading everyone forward. Tenma believes in everyone, even his enemies, but he can't believe in himself.
i feel like there's another symbolism in the fact that he represents the wind, that isn't talked about that much. Endou, as a protagonist, is the earth, strong and steady. he's the goalkeeper, a wall that will never waver even in fear. wind, however, is the opposite. Tenma dodges everything: obstacles and problems alike. he puts on a smile and pretends they don't exist. this is especially apparent in galaxy, where Tenma has the responsibility of a team of newbies on his shoulder, and then of the entire galaxy. in front of others, he keeps smiling and acting as usual. but, as Matatagi notices in the final match, he didn't truly enjoy a single match since the tournament started. by trying to push away his worries and ignore them, Tenma forgot how to have fun in football. even his catchphrase, "things will work out somehow", while encouraging, also reflects his inability to face the harsh reality, and instead only look on the bright side. it's a double-edged sword that puts his teammates at ease but hurts Tenma himself, because when positivity ends up not being enough, he's not prepared to face it, as is shown in the Dragon Link match.
another smaller aspects of Tenma's personality is that he's actually quite clever. during his duel against Tsurugi, Ichino comments on how he moves so that the shots won't cause him any big injuries. and, in the match against Gassan, he's the one who figures out how to use the tornados. this is something i wish was a bit more expanded on, though, to be fair, the writers probably didn't want Tenma to outshine Shindou in that regard. i do think they have different kinds of intelligence, Tenma's being better at thinking outside the box.
Tenma can also be a bit of a tease. again, this isn't shown much, and the only example i have is when he asks Kariya to name their new tactic, Double Wings, when he knows Kariya gives shitty names. this boy is much more mischevious than you think.
my one regret about his character is that we didn't get to see him interact with Tsunami and Kogure much. even Aki, past the first arcs, doesn't do much for him. it never really made sense that Tenma is said to have only ever trained alone. we know from the games that Tenma knows Tsunami well, and Kogure and Aki literally lives in Kogarashi manor with him, so they would've been the perfect training partners for young Tenma. not to mention Aoi. i know level 5 hates women, but come on, she can't have only ever been watching him. it would also explain why Tenma is so versatile: Aki and Aoi, as goalies, helped him practice his shoots, and Tsunami and Kogure both taught him how to block and helped him perfect his dribbles.
i absolutely love Tenma as a protagonist. he's my favourite character, my blorbo, my son, i want to pat him and hug him and give him forehead kisses. i hope this answer makes sense lmao. i gotta say it feels good to finally put my love for him into words, even if i feel like i could never do justice to how much he means to me.
my cutie pie. you're doing great son.
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