Riki Takato coaches Kainan and runs one of the most brutal training camps in the series. He and Ryonan's Moichi Taoka go way back—they've known each other since high school, where Takato earned the nickname "Rookie from Hell" during his first year. Over the past 17 years, he's been the driving force behind Kainan's stranglehold on the Kanagawa Inter High Tournament.
His training is notoriously harsh. About half the new recruits don't make it through the first week, and by the end of the first month, even more have quit. After a full year, only around one in five players remain. Last season, he brought the team to the national championship semifinals before they fell to Sannoh.
What sets Takato apart is his tactical shrewdness. Against Shohoku, he quickly identifies Sakuragi's biggest vulnerability and exploits it mercilessly—subbing Miyamasu in for Jin throws Sakuragi completely off his game, and Kainan runs up the score.
His personality shifts depending on how his team's performing. When Kainan's clearly winning, he's calm and composed. But the moment things get tight, he becomes visibly agitated, yelling at his players and losing that cool demeanor.
Content compiled by AnimeList.moe from publicly available sources.
