Gaou Rikiya

Although a rookie to American football, Gaōu is one of the two most powerful linemen in Japanese high school, purely because of his tremendous strength. He is two meters tall and has a monstrous, caveman-like appearance, with long wild black hair, red marks on his cheeks, and a large scar on his forehead. He holds the Japanese bench press record with over two hundred kilograms and is capable of destroying furniture, tearing metal guardrails, and breaking normal people's bones with his bare hands; he wears a titanium alloy mouthpiece because his powerful jaw tears apart ordinary ones. Gaōu claims to have searched for someone who can match his power for his entire life, and joined the football team because Marco promised him that the most powerful teams in the country possess such individuals. He has little respect for those not willing to face him directly and tremendous respect for those who do even if they are crushed, including Banba, the aces of Seibu, and Hiruma. He also honors the rules of American football and will not tackle a player who does not have the ball. Gaōu becomes interested in Kurita just prior to the Kantō Tournament finals, believing like many that Kurita is capable of matching or even surpassing his strength. However, once the match begins, even though Kurita succeeds in holding back Gaōu temporarily, Gaōu states that Kurita lacks "killing intent," and is thus unable to match his strength. Gaōu crushes Hiruma, breaking Hiruma's right throwing arm and temporarily knocking him out of the game. Although Gaōu first believes this will unleash Kurita's inner strength, it at first traumatizes him, severely weakening him. Kurita eventually unleashes his inner strength, not out of anger as Gaōu predicts but for the sake of protecting his friends, and for the remainder of the game the two compete fiercely. On the final play of the game, Kurita defeats Gaōu and knocks him onto his back, allowing the Devil Bats to score the winning two-point conversion.