Reiji Maruko (Marco)

The Dinosaurs' quarterback and captain, Marco is a suave-appearing man who ambitiously dreams of winning the Christmas Bowl, yet when encountered by a strong opponent he acts panicked and frightened. He calls himself "Marco" because he feels his real name sounds like a girl's name, and also wears an Italian suit to match his Italian nickname. In his first year in middle school, he joined the American football team, and also courted Maruko Himuro, who is two years older than him. To impress her, he vowed to win the Christmas Bowl, to show her the "morning sunshine after a victory." He led Hakushu to the SIC District Championship later that year, and then began studying the great teams at the high school level. His teammates encouraged him to give up on his dream of winning the Christmas Bowl because of the strength of the undefeated Teikoku Alexanders, and after witnessing the team play, Marco despaired, realizing that the chances of defeating Teikoku were slim. He became determined to defeat Teikoku using strength, and recruited Gao to accomplish this. He even used Gao's tremendous power to injure opposing players, a strategy that Himuro came to dislike him for.

Marco's skill as a throwing quarterback is never established, as Hakushu's offense is based entirely on him taking the snap and following Gao's block as the large lineman plows through the defense using the "North-South Game". On defense, Marco's skill comes from his ability to follow ball movements and react to them. He can see through a runner's feints, and given the smallest opportunity can steal an unsecured ball using his signature "Screw Bite" technique. He is also able to act as a "Quarterback Spy", precisely following the opposing quarterback's movements and reacting to them. While his strategies are simple and brutal, Marco is effective at determining how to direct his team's defense to stop their opponents, whether by deliberately injuring the quarterback or by sending a defender to mark a player.