Three Years Prior To The Storyline[]
Tezuka three years ago.
Three years prior to the start of the story, a young Tezuka showed up after the Junior Tennis Tournament and easily beat the tournament's runner-up, Sanada Genichirou. The tournament champion, Yukimura Seiichi, challenged Tezuka to a match, but the winner is not revealed. According to Sanada, they played evenly.
Two Years Prior To The Storyline[]
After entering Seishun Academy, Tezuka was seen as overconfident and arrogant by some of the upperclassmen at Seigaku due to his talents and seriousness. They were especially angered when they discovered that he was left-handed since he had easily beat them playing with his right.
A jealous teammate then injured Tezuka's left arm, leading to chronic problems, and his sealing of Hyaku Ren Jitoku no Kiwami, a technique which required the use of his left arm. Still, because of his skills, he was recognized by captain Yamato Yuudai, who convinced Tezuka, who had decided to leave the club because he did not want to be on the same team as people who hurt others with their racquets, to become Seigaku's "pillar of support".
This, along with the promise he made with teammate Shūichiro Oishi, in which Tezuka promised to lead Seigaku to the Nationals, encouraged him to stay in the tennis club. Shūsuke Fuji later requested a match against Tezuka, and though Tezuka was utterly defeated, Fuji was displeased with the outcome after finding out about Tezuka's injury. The two promise to play each other once again after Tezuka's arm completely heals.
One Year Prior To The Storyline[]
After a while, Tezuka became a team regular despite being a freshman. By his second year, he became the team's vice-captain, and defeated Hyōtei Academy's captain in the Tokyo Prefectural Tournament. He was invited to the Junior Senbatsu tennis training camp, but because his arm problems returned, he declined the invitation without stating his reasons to the organization.
Districts[]
In the Quarter-finals, Tezuka is not needed to play since Seigaku win all their matches. He was the reserve player.
In the finals agaianst Fudomine, Tezuka was also not needed since Seigaku won three matches. He was supposed to play in the singles 1 slot against Fudomine's Captain, Tachibana.
Tokyo Prefecturals[]
Seigaku overwhelm all their opponents, in both Quarter-Finals and Finals, against St. Rudolph and Yamabuki, which prevents Tezuka from needing to play since he is in Singles 1 position. In the Semi-Finals, Seigaku did not need to play, as Ginka withdrew out of fear.
Regionals[]
The first serious official tournament match he plays is against Hyōtei's captain, Keigo Atobe. Though the return of Tezuka's arm injury causes him to collapse in pain, he refuses to give up, and after a long and tedious tie-break, the game ends with Atobe victorious, marking Tezuka's first loss in an official singles match. Tezuka then decides to go to Kyūshu in order to receive medical treatment for his injuries at a health clinic near Seishun University. While Tezuka overcomes his fear of feeling the pain in his shoulder, he continues to support his team, sometimes discussing the team's lineup for upcoming matches over the phone.
In the anime, instead of going to Kyūshu, Tezuka ends up going to Germany instead. Before he leaves, however, he decides to play one last match against Ryoma, with the regulars as the audience, using his right hand for the whole match. Tezuka takes time to adapt his Tezuka Zone for his right hand and gives Ryoma some trouble with it, , challenging Ryoma to adapt to a player who can evolve during the match. Ryoma takes the challenge head-on and eventually finds a way to counter it. It starts to become a close match with Tezuka slightly in the lead until Tezuka finishes the match with a right-handed Zero-Shiki Drop Shot.
Also, in the anime, he decides to return to Japan during his rehabilitation to be the subsitute coach at the Kanto Junior Selection Camp when Ryūzaki Sumire ended up getting ill and going to the hospital. Despite minor opposition at first, he gains the respect of his 'students' and he goes on to train and improve the players under his coaching.
After some time, Tezuka is challenged by Ryoma after Ryoma feels that he could not move on until he played against him again. However Ryoma eventually comes out victorious and Tezuka wishes him luck as he and Seigaku see Ryoma off as the latter travels to play in the Junior US Open.
Prior To Nationals[]
Tezuka in Kyushu while receiving treatment.
Prior to the Nationals, Tezuka travels to Kyushu after Tachibana suggested for him to visit an old hospital he used to go to. When Tezuka reaches Kyushu, he meets Chitose Miyuki, Chitose Senri's younger elementary school sister (Tezuka did not know at that time). She accuses Tezuka of stealing her racket and he learns that she suffered from yips while playing tennis.
They then get into an arguement with tennis players from Shishigaku Middle School, resulting in Tezuka's defeat due to his inability to raise his shoulder. Miyuki, enraged because she realized Tezuka was injured, engages in a match with the person victorious over Tezuka. Right when he was about to hit a smash at her, Tezuka saves her while realizing that the source of his injury was also yips. Tezuka goes on to crush his opponent, while Chitose Senri shows up on the phone with Tachibana, informing his friend that Tezuka healed his injury prior to meeting his doctor.
Nationals[]
Tezuka about to activate Hyakku Ren Jitoku no Kiwami against Kite.
He returns right before the National Tournament. In his first match upon his return, he is overwhelmed at the start, and realizes he needs he must not hold back so he unseals his Hyaku Ren Jitoku no Kiwami, to defeat Higa Middle School's captain, Kite Eishiro and to teach him the valuable lesson that Tennis Rackets are not used to hurt people after witnessing Kite's violent style of play.
Tezuka goes on to defeat Hyōtei's Kabaji Munehiro in the Quarterfinals after a long match due to Kabaji copying all of Tezuka's techniques. Kabaji makes a miraculous comeback however the difference between the copy of Tezuka Kabaji attempts to perform and Tezuka himself comes to light once the rain begins. Due to Kabaji not having the skill to be able to play well in rainy conditions while Tezuka was more than able to, Tezuka wins 7-6.
Tezuka/Inui pair in Doubles 1 in the Semifinals, although the match becomes a Singles match with Inui sitting out for Tezuka.
In the National semi-finals, despite it being a doubles match, Tezuka plays one-on-one against Shitenhōji's Chitose Senri; their partners step aside in order for them to play with their full power. Tezuka realizes that Senri was Miyuki's older brother at the start of the match, seeing the Chitose siblings together. When the match starts, Miyuki watches the match between her older brother and her new friend, Tezuka.
After unveiling his new Zero-Shiki Serve, as well as revealing that he has opened the door to Saiki Kanpatsu no Kiwami, Tezuka wins completely 6-1. Chitose tells Tezuka that his younger sister won her school's tennis tournament and asks him to congratulate her, a request Tezuka refuses even after Chitose begs him.
Before the final match of tournament against Rikkai Junior High School, Tezuka tells Oishi that he plans to go to Germany in order to become a professional tennis player after this tournament. During his match against Sanada Genichirō, Tezuka unveils his Tezuka Phantom, however, this, combined with the continuous use of the Zero-Shiki Serve, damages Tezuka's arm, creating a weakness which Sanada soon uses to his advantage. A cord ball by Tezuka which drops from the net to his side, results in Sanada's victory. However, in the end, after Ryoma's miraculous win against Rikkai's captain Yukimura Seiichi, Tezuka finally achieves his goal of turning Seishun Academy into the National champions, and offers one of his rare smiles.
Prior to U-17 Camp[]
Osaka (OVA Only)[]
After the Nationals, Seigaku's tennis club travels to Osaka to have a joint training session with Shitenhoji's tennis club. Tezuka plays against Kintaro on the first day of practice but their match is interrupted by Shitenhoji's Baka-Pair, who sends Hitōji Yūji flying through the air and crashing into Kintaro.
Later on, Tezuka and the Seigaku regulars bump into Higa's Kite, Rin, Kai, Kei, and Chinen, who are forced to work their way home after they missed their flight back to Okinawa after the National Tournament. Kite claims that they are not from Higa, saying that they are just ascetic monks with the names of "Eishun, Rintou, Kaiyuu, Keigan, and Chinen," a lie the Seigaku regulars see through.
Tezuka with Miyuki in Osaka.
Tezuka is next seen in a bookstore looking at a book in German. Miyuki yells out his name and they talk together under a tree outside where Tezuka tells Miyuki to send a message to her brother, Senri, to attend the training session. Miyuki agrees and asks Tezuka if his shoulder is healed yet, to which he replies yes. When she is leaving, Tezuka congratulates Miyuki for winning her school's tournament causing her to blush.
The five Higa students are seen angry that the Seigaku regulars at night because get to stay in an air conditioned inn while they had to stay in the hot temple where they worked. Kite devises a plan to invade the Seigaku living quarters and challenges them to a pillow fight for the right of the room. Kite aims a pillow at Tezuka's previously injured shoulder, angering the Seigaku captain who retaliates by aiming a pillow at Kite's face. This starts the pillow fight between Seigaku and Higa, only to be stopped when Coach Ryuzaki comes in with a transparent gown on, revealing her undergarments, causing all of the students to drop dead on the floor with defeat.
Tezuka after throwing a pillow at Kite's face.
Tezuka then tells Momoshiro and Kaidoh that the training with Shitenhoji the next day will only for 1st and 2nd years, meaning that the 3rd year regulars will not participate. After Momoshiro and Kaidoh storm off without success, Tezuka tells the 3rd years that they cannot help those two. A few hours later, the 1st and 2nd years asks Tezuka for help in organizing a night training session with Shitenhoji so that they can impress Momoshiro and Kaidoh the next day.
Tezuka contacts everyone through text message and they all gather at Shitenhoji's tennis courts where the 1st and 2nd years practice with Shitenhoji. Tezuka and Shiraishi watches Momoshiro and Kaidoh looking at the courts from the outside, realizing that the two 2nd years finally realized what they needed to realize. The 3rd years Seigaku regulars comment on how ironically, Tezuka was the one who said to not give Momoshiro and Kaidoh help, yet he was the one who helped them at the end because Tezuka himself could not stay away.
At the end, Tezuka and Momoshiro are walking together to the Tokyo-bound train with supplies, talking about the training session. Momoshiro tells Tezuka that it was a great training session and that he thought after the 3rd years graduate, it would be a scary change. Tezuka replies to Momoshiro that no matter how far the 3rd years ago, things would never change. However, the two then realize that the train to Tokyo was leaving without them, with the entire Seigaku tennis club staring at him and Momoshiro as the train moved away. Tezuka drops his bag to the floor as the train is leaving, with Momoshiro screaming that he realized that him missing rides will never change as Tezuka says his catchphrase 'Yudan sezu ni ikou" (Don't let your guard down).
Tokyo[]
Tezuka fishing with his grandfather.
In the second PairPuri volume, on the day prior to the U-17 Camp, Tezuka goes fishing with his grandfather, much to the Sanada's family's dismay. Tezuka's grandfather had a scheduled board game against Sanada's grandfather, but Tezuka's grandfather decided to skip it to go fishing with his grandson. While fishing, both Tezuka and his grandfather receive angry text messages from each other's respective rivals that read "TEZUKAAAAAAA!"
Oishi's birthday present to Tezuka.
While fishing, Tezuka picks out a new hook and notices that one of his hooks was shaped like Oishi. He thinks back and remembers how Oishi had given it to him as a birthday gift and then decides to use it.
(OVA Only) The next time they have practice, Tezuka thanks Oishi for the hook and shows him a picture of himself catching a super large fish after using the Oishi hook, much to Oishi's delight.
Later, Tezuka becomes one of fifty middle school students invited to an elite training camp for the Japanese Under-17 tennis team. Coach Ryuzaki shows Tezuka and Oishi the invitation Seigaku received for the U-17 Camp.
U-17 Camp[]
Tezuka, along with the rest of the Seigaku regulars as well as several other middle schoolers, were invited to the U-17 Training Camp.
Upon arrival, the middle schoolers gather together. A helicopter suddenly drops tennis balls on the floor. The head coach then announces that all players unable to obtain a ball must leave the camp. All 50 middle schoolers are able to obtain a ball.
He, along with his fellow middle schoolers, were placed in a tie-breaker style elimination match against the partners they had thought they would be playing with. Tezuka paired up with his protege, Kaidō Kaoru, and tried to convey him the message of being the next captain of Seigaku, and defeated him 7-0.
Tezuka was able to move on to the 5th court relatively easily along with fellow middle schoolers Atobe Keigo, Tachibana Kippei, Chitose Senri, Ishida Gin, Akutagawa Jiro, Kite Eishiro, Shiraishi Kuranosuke, Akutsu Jin, Kirihara Akaya, Liliadent Krauser and Court Leader Oni Juujiro The Gate Keeper. Some time later, he encountered Yamato Yuudai, his former captain who now occupied the 3rd court, once more. Even though Yamato has changed drastically in looks, Tezuka was able to recognize him. Due to Oni of the 5th court deciding to put forward a Team Shuffle battle the 3rd court in a National-Styled match, Tezuka was selected by Oni for Singles 2, playing against Yamato. Before their match began, Tezuka cryptically stated that Yamato "didn't change at all."
Tezuka and Yamato play a drawn out match, with Tezuka recklessly using Tezuka Phantom again, until Yamato shows him the massive scars on his right arm which was due to playing beyond his arms capabilities. He warns Tezuka of the repercussions of playing recklessly for the sake of your team and conveys his wishes for Tezuka to enjoy playing tennis and to play for his own sake for once, since he has already accomplished everything he wished to do. After seeing this, Tezuka finally smiles during a match thanking his captain for everything he taught him. Tezuka eventually unleashes Muga no Kyouchi Pinnacle of Perfection. Tezuka defeats Yamato.
Tezuka arriving in Germany.
Tezuka leaves the U-17 Camp but not before playing Fuji his promised match. With his new Pinnacle of Perfection, he easily overwhelms Fuji, showing his new incredible level of strength. However, recognizing Fuji's unspoken desire to horribly lose to Tezuka's full strength so that Fuji would no longer have any desire to play tennis ever again, Tezuka soon stops the match before their opening rally has even concluded a point, denying Fuji his wish. From this, coupled with his own understanding of his significance to Fuji in terms of tennis, Tezuka voices that he does not want to play Fuji right now, and leaves Fuji and the camp, an act conveys Tezuka's refusal to remain as Fuji's guidepost in tennis and Tezuka's encouragement for Fuji to become his own guidepost. Concluding all of his business in the All-Japan Junior camp, Tezuka heads to Germany.
Tezuka is then later seen having arrived in Germany outside a school, though his legacy at the U-17 camp is revived when Niou transforms himself into Tezuka to play doubles with Atobe.
Germany U-17[]
In chapter 135, he is seen having a jog with the captain of the German team. Later on, he is having a match with the Germany U-17 captain. The coach is impressed with him and wants to contract him to the team. However, the German captain advises against the idea.
It was revealed that ever since he arrived in Germany, he has been training to become a German U-17 representative.