Genzo Wakabayashi (若林 源三, kana: わかばやし げんぞう) is the secondary protagonist, and the first rival to Tsubasa in the series and considered Japan's greatest goalkeeper.
He also joins the U-20 Japanese team in the World Youth arc, but injuries on both hands caused by Stefan Levin and Bryan Cruyfford prevent him from playing any matches.
After Japan beats Germany in the Olympic Games, Wakabayashi decides to join Schneider at Bayern Munich so that they can win the UEFA Champions League.
Kojiro Hyuga (日向 小次郎, kana: ひゅうが こじろう) is the secondary protagonist, a forward and the ace striker for the Japanese national team.
Taro Misaki (岬 太郎, kana: みさき たろう) is the secondary protagonist, a midfielder for the Japanese national team, who forms the Golden Combi with Tsubasa.
After winning the national championship, he left with his father to France, not wanting to live with his mother, who had married another man and gave birth to a daughter.
He continues to play for Furano in high school and begins to date Yoshiko Fujisawa (who had left for the United States because of her father's work).
He's absent for most of the quarter-finals match against Sweden because Yoshiko was involved in a car accident, but he returns to replace an injured Akai Tomeya and has a key in helping Japan win.
Coach Kira put a lot of trust in him, Misaki and Misugi, called the "3M" (3 Shooting Stars) of U-22 Japan, allowing them to handle the team's balance.
He overcomes his heart disease by not playing for three years during high school and becomes a valuable player for the Japanese team in the Asian preliminaries and in the World Youth.
Ryo Ishizaki (石崎 了, kana: いしざき りょう) is introduced as the captain of the until then very unsuccessful Nankatsu elementary school team.
Despite not having a special shot or dribble skills, his extra efforts on-field are compared to those Matsuyama's in terms of teamwork and strategy sense gained due to pure training.
During the Madrid Olympics tournament, Ishizaki's overlaps are even more decisive, his individual technique improved to the point he can dodge and outsmart opponents, he helped in scoring important goals, even an assist is credited to him.
Voice: Danilo Diniz (in Brazil) Ken Wakashimazu (若島津 健, kana: わかしまづ けん) is one of the reserve goalkeepers and a forward for Japan.
Shun Nitta (新田 瞬, kana: にった しゅん) is a forward for the Japanese national team known for his Hayabusa Shoot and one of the fastest characters in the series.
These acrobatic techniques proved to be an annoyance for Nankatsu in the elementary and middle school championships, but Tsubasa managed to beat the twins two times.
Hiroshi Jito (次藤 洋, kana: じとう ひろし) is a player who plays as a defender for the Japanese national team due to his large size and build.
Mitsuru Sano (佐野 滿, kana: さの みつる) is a midfielder for Japan and one of the smallest players in the team alongside Nitta and the Tachibana twins.
Kazuki Sorimachi (反町 一樹, kana: そりまち かずき) is a forward for the Japanese national team that plays for Vissel Kobe in the J-League.
At Toho Academy, he formed a two-top combination with Hyuga, but when the latter is unable to play in any matches of the middle school tournament, Sorimachi served as the ace striker for the team.
Mamoru Izawa (井沢 守, kana: いざわ まもる) is a midfielder for the Japanese national team, Nankatsu, Shutetsu and for Yokohama F. Marinos in the J-League.
His team easily beats Italy in the World Cup in France due to their goalkeeper Gino Hernandez being injured, but loses to Japan in the next round.
A child of a rich family, Pierre never felt comfortable about his sheltered lifestyle, and decided to take up football following his belief that everyone is on equal standing in the pitch.
Ramón Victorino (ラモン・ビクトリーノ) is the forward and captain for the Uruguayan national team, known as the Black Panther of South America because of his ability to run 100 meters in 11 seconds, making him one of the fastest characters in the series.
His team defeats Belgium and Spain in the group stages of the world tournament in France, but loses to West Germany in the semi-finals because of Deuter Muller.
In the World Youth, Brazil easily beats Cameroon, Saudi Arabia, France, Argentina and Germany, with Santana scoring hat-tricks in every match, but loses to Japan in the finals.
In the Rising Sun series, Rivaul is named as captain and one of the 3 over-age players in the Brazilian U23 national football team for the Olympics tournament.
In the Asian 2nd round preliminaries, Saudi Arabia defeats Uzbekistan, United Arab Emirates and China, but loses to Japan and South Korea.
In the quarter-finals against Japan, Levin finds himself unable to shake free from Akai Tomeya, who is replacing Hikaru Matsuyama because the latter's girlfriend was injured in a car accident.
Levin eventually realizes the error of his ways once Tsubasa tells him that he would never use the ball to hurt his opponents and that Karen would not have liked the kind of soccer he plays now.