New Prince of Tennis Review: The Tennis Players Get Sent to a Training Camp Where Normal Physics Stop Applying
by Takeshi Konomi
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Quick Take
- The Prince of Tennis sequel that commits fully to the series' escalating departure from realistic tennis — where the original had tennis players doing improbable things, New Prince of Tennis has players doing things that require completely abandoning the physical model
- For readers who loved the original's absurd energy and want more; disappointing if you wanted a return to realistic sports
- Ongoing; the escalation premise has been running for 25+ volumes
Who Is This Manga For?
- Readers who finished The Prince of Tennis and want to continue
- Anyone who loves maximally absurd sports manga where the "sport" is barely recognizable
- Fans of Konomi's character designs and dramatic tennis presentation
- Readers who enjoy sports power fantasy at its most unrestrained
Content Warnings & Age Rating
Age Rating: T (Teen) Content Warnings: Increasingly supernatural sports violence; the tennis escalates to physically impossible territory by design; competitive drama at maximum intensity
The T rating is accurate.
Yu's Rating
| Category | Score |
|---|---|
| Story Depth | ★★★☆☆ |
| Art Style | ★★★★☆ |
| Character Development | ★★★☆☆ |
| Accessibility for Non-Japanese Readers | ★★★★☆ |
| Reread Value | ★★★☆☆ |
Story Overview
Japan's top middle school tennis players are invited to a U-17 national training camp, where they discover that the high school players operate at a level they had no way to anticipate. The middle schoolers — including Ryoma — must prove themselves worthy of training with players whose tennis has moved beyond anything they've encountered.
The camp setting allows Konomi to introduce increasingly powerful opponents, escalate the tennis physics past any remaining connection to the real sport, and develop a new ensemble while maintaining the old one.
Characters
Ryoma Echizen — His quality in the sequel is his specific relationship to the extreme escalation — he is not intimidated by power he hasn't yet encountered, which is both comedy and character.
New high school characters — The U-17 camp introduces players whose abilities make the original's supernatural tennis look restrained. The escalation is the point.
Art Style
Konomi's art maintains the visual energy of the original — the dramatic movement lines, the exaggerated impact effects, the dynamic character designs — while escalating the visual excess to match the narrative escalation.
Cultural Context
New Prince of Tennis is a product of the Jump SQ demographic — older readers who grew up with the original in Weekly Shonen Jump, now ready for a more extreme version. The escalation reflects the sequel's understanding that returning audiences want more, not less, of what they loved.
What I Love About It
The matches where Ryoma encounters someone clearly above his current level and his response — not adaptation yet, just a specific refusal to be impressed — are the series' most consistent character expression. His equanimity about extreme power gaps is funny and characterful.
What English-Speaking Fans Say
Western readers divide clearly: fans of the original who loved the absurdity find New Prince of Tennis fully satisfying. Readers who hoped for a return to more realistic sports find the escalation disconcerting. The series knows which audience it's for.
Memorable Scene ⚠️ Spoiler Warning
The first match where Ryoma encounters a high school player and the gap between their current capabilities is made fully visible — and what Ryoma does with that information — is the sequel's most complete establishing sequence.
Similar Manga
- The Prince of Tennis — The original series; read this first
- Captain Tsubasa — Soccer escalation to similarly supernatural levels
- Eyeshield 21 — American football with similar sports escalation
- Kuroko's Basketball — Basketball with supernatural abilities
Reading Order / Where to Start
Read The Prince of Tennis first. Volume 1 of New Prince of Tennis follows from the original's conclusion.
Official English Translation Status
VIZ Media publishes the English edition. Ongoing.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Full commitment to the escalation premise satisfies original series fans
- Konomi's art remains energetic and distinct
- New character ensemble adds variety
- The absurdity is consistent rather than accidental
Cons
- Requires reading The Prince of Tennis first
- Ongoing — no complete ending
- The escalation alienates readers who wanted realistic tennis
- Character development is secondary to power escalation
Format Comparison
| Format | Notes |
|---|---|
| Individual Volumes | VIZ Media; ongoing |
| Digital | Available |
Where to Buy
Get New Prince of Tennis Vol. 1 on Amazon →
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Written by
Yu
Manga Enthusiast from Japan
I grew up in Japan and manga literally saved me during a tough time in elementary school. My English isn't perfect, but my love for manga is real — and I want to share it with you.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.