Michael^^

he's the captain of Raimon, which makes him the cornerstone of the team, the one player everyone knows they can rely on. he's shown and treated as a strong character from the very moment he's introduced, and that's never rolled back

and he cries. very often. and it's never played for laughs or framed as a bad thing.

Shindou doesn't cry because he's weak.

he's everything but weak, really. i mean, he played a whole match even with a half broken ankle

he cries because that's his way to process strong feelings. it's just who he is! instead of lashing out or pushing it down, he tears up, and that's fine!

crying isn't some childish habit that you have to rid yourself of, it's not something you stop doing once you're 'mature', it's a healthy coping mechanism to vent emotion, and it does not make someone weak!

to have a character be strong and sensitive at the same time, with said strength never being there in spite of the softness, is such a rare find. especially since he's a male main character of a shonen series