| Yoichi Hiruma | |
|---|---|
| Eyeshield 21 character | |
 Yoichi Hiruma | |
| First appearance | Eyeshield 21 manga chapter 1 |
| Voiced by | Japanese Atsushi Tamura Shin-ichiro Miki (Jump Festa) English Derek Stephen Prince |
| In-universe information | |
| Relatives | Yuya Hiruma (father) |
| Position | Quarterback |
| Team | Deimon Devil Bats Saikyoudai Wizards |
Yoichi Hiruma (Japanese: 蛭魔 妖一, Hepburn: Hiruma Yōichi), commonly referred to just as Hiruma (ヒル魔),[1][2][3] is a fictional character in the anime and manga series Eyeshield 21, created by Riichiro Inagaki and Yusuke Murata. In the series, he is the captain of the Deimon Devil Bats, a high school American football club founded by him and two other students. Due to the lack of interest in the sport, Hiruma uses blackmail and threats to recruit players to Devil Bats. Hiruma witnesses Sena Kobayakawa's running abilities and forces the boy to join the team as the running back as soon as he can. Hiruma has appeared in other media from the series, including video games, original video animations (OVAs), and light novels.
According to Inagaki, Hiruma was created to be a "devil-hero", or a kind of anti-hero. Due to this, Murata, the manga's illustrator, tried to give Hiruma a demonic appearance. In the OVA, released before the anime's start, he is voiced by Shin-ichiro Miki. However, in the 2005 Japanese anime television series, he was replaced by Atsushi Tamura, who was chosen by the manga series creators due to his voice, which they believed was perfect for the role. His voice actor in the English adaptation is Derek Stephen Prince. Hiruma has been well received by publications for manga and anime. Numerous pieces of merchandise in Hiruma's likeness have also been released, including decals and statues of ceramic and resin.