Nankatsu FC may not be a name that will be very familiar to Italians. In fact, all those born between the 80’s and 90’s who have followed the story of these very young but talented footballers are used to the name Newppi or New Team depending on the saga. Actually, the team of Holly and Benji is called exactly Nankatsu FC.
The name derives from the middle school they attend Captain Tsubasa and his teammates during certain story arcs. Located in Shizuoka Prefecture, so much further west of Tokyo, this school will welcome the boys and show off various trophies thanks to them. But did you know that Nankatsu really exists??
In 1983, two years after the creation of the Holly and Benji manga, a team was founded in Tokyo that joined the Tokiwa school and therefore adopted the name Tokiwa Club, which after a few years also managed to join the second reach level of football Japanese, but never in the first due to lack of solidity in performance, changed its name again in 2012, renaming itself to Katsushika Vitoard. But it was not until the following year that the eponymous change to today’s team took place.
In 2013 a new President came: Yoichi Takahashi, or the mangaka who created Captain Tsubasa and is still working on spin-offs and sequels today. This is exactly why the team was renamed Nankatsu SC, in honor of Holly and Benji’s team. The team currently plays in the Kanto Soccer League, Tokyo’s regional league. Takahashi is still President with 65.5% of the shares. Will he be able to produce new talent on the level of Oliver Hutton and Benjamin Price?
Do you know what the real names of Captain Tsubasa’s protagonists are? And what are the original names of Holly and Benji’s teams?
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