VITAL STATS
OVERVIEW
Sanada Naoto is Teikō Middle School's first-string coach, then head coach after illness takes Shirogane Kōzō off the bench. Twenty-nine, glasses, 179 cm — he is already running practice while Shirogane still holds the title, and he inherits the clipboard just as the Generation of Miracles stop needing one.
After Nijimura leaves and Akashi changes, Sanada lets the first-string play as five separate weapons because they keep winning. Shirogane wanted them treated as a team; the school board wanted them treated as advertising. Sanada sat between those two orders and chose results.
NAME ETYMOLOGY
Sanada (真田): The kanji 真 (Sana) means "true" or "genuine," and 田 (Da) means "rice field."
Naoto (直人): The kanji 直 (Nao) means "straight" or "direct," and 人 (To) means "person" — a name that fits a coach who keeps the line simple: win.