PASCAL MASHU
"Amidst the Lantern Night"
Mashu, Somei-Yoshino
Last Season: 1st Place, KiHi-LEAGUE Champions
Stadium: Mashukita Stadium (21,000)
Titles: 20x KiHi-League (2082, 2086, 2091, 2096, 2097, 2102, 2104, 2105, 2110, 2114, 2115, 2120, 2123, 2126, 2127, 2128, 2130, 2131, 2135, 2140), 2x KiHi-League 2 (2043, 2074), 6x Jewel of the Déesses (2045, 2100, 2102, 2110, 2122, 2132)Name Reason: A nod to their rivals' name coming from a holiday. Pascal is close to the word "Páscoa", Portuguese for Easter.
Club Info: The current leader in KiHi-League titles, Pascal Mashu's history spread all the way to the start of the state leagues, where a team organized by the local youth associations joined the Somei-Yoshino State League under the name of Mashu Youth, a name they retained from 2025 to 2028. The Iehasu Zaibatsu group took an interest at the team and chose to support them come the 2028 season, mirroring the efforts of Mashu Telephonics efforts with crosstown rivals South Mashu (the current day Mashu Hellowenia).
Under the Iehasu Zaibatsu name, they managed to claim the title of the Somei-Yoshino State League at 2035, narrowly missing the Trophy of Eden in 2037 that would later serve as the basis of the KiHi-League, being skipped into the professional league by both their cross-town rivals but also that season's Somei-Yoshino State champions Herarte Kyuminato. That said, Iehasu Zaibatsu's support never stopped, as they believed the club would eventually join the league. They'd be proven right at 2042 where the team's Round of 16 elimination at the Trophy of Eden was deemed a passable result for them to join the second tier of the KiHi-League with a myriad of other teams, although the most notable ones of those being Kokohi Skullomania and Hylian Ninfu.
Pascal Mashu's first piece of silverware under their new name came in 2043 when their sponsors decided to blow a severe amount of money to help prop them up. Alas, such fortunes wouldn't last. Despite an also impressive fifth-place finish the following season at the top tier, they would plummet back to the second tier after Iehasu Zaibatsu's bankruptcy. Only in 2074, when both Pascal and Hellowenia chose to work together to turn Mashu into "the City of Sports" did the club's fortune improve sevenfold.
The Rippers have returned to the top tier in 2075, following their second KiHi-League 2 title and never came down again, solidifying themselves as a major team with a total of 20 KiHi-League titles and 6 Jewel of the Déesses.
For this season... Pascal Mashu retains their roster from last season's title win, although they did replace one piece, sending center-back Shimaterin Marikono to the bench to open up space for this window's sole notable acquisition in Nephelcheres Amennakhtitutsi out of Anubwa's Hanon for about 0.3M Hc$. Additionally, they sold notable forward Nina Niikara to the league's new club in Interdimensional Misei for 3M Hc$, therefore making this window, Pascal Mashu's most lucrative so far since the league joined the UICA system.
Just like its' roster, their playing style has not changed. And that's not without reason, Paliv-Xilit Max's efforts upfront not only led Pascal to a solid run to the trophy but also took him to the top striker award last season with a hefty twenty-seven goals. The team's offensive section also retains Cosumarite Attaline Aderdidan and Equestrian Glitterspice on an offensive midfielder role, the idea here being that they should perform just as well as last season. If their offence falters, there's a good chance Norio Purazono returns to the main team, as the manager is still not entirely sold on playing a Pony where he could have someone more capable to go for higher balls.
Unfortunately for Zámor Salamon, despite his stint playing as a loanee at Tentai Astros last season, the team still doesn't trust him with one of the foreigner cap slots, meaning that he can only come into the field if the offensive trio Pascal currently has playing as starters see one of theirs down. As is, the midfield is still pretty good. Kamalani Kanani's expensive move from the Hokuto Senateurs paid itself so far with the girl causing problems to pretty much every other team in the league while the experienced Kunorikato and the solid Han Seong-Hyeon retain their spots thanks to their contributions in the field.
Defensively, Motoko Kusanagi has been settling well since her return from foreign lands, partnering up with the newbie to Hinodejin football Nephelcheres Amennakhitutsi. Yamamoto and Kishimaru remain on the wings, hopefully being phased out by their reserves in due time, although rumours have been floating that the team is looking towards offloading Shinobu Kawaguchi next window. Maki Mitano keeps the gloves, for the time being, a solid goalkeeper that only has option Daichi Oshiro on the bench anyway.
They just won the league and still have a good shot of doing the double. Opponents beware.
MIARE COSMOSTARS
"Fly Me To The Moon"
Miare, Tsutsuji
Last Season: Runners-Up
Stadium: Miare National Stadium (50,000)
Titles: 4x KiHi-League (2080, 2122, 2129, 2138), 2x KiHi-League 2 (2046, 2114), 3x KiHi-League 3 (2045, 2113), 3x Jewel of the Déesses (2052, 2120, 2138)Name Reason: CosmoStar the Needlemouse is the mascot of Miare's Commerce Union.
Club Info: Top position battlers Miare CosmoStars started out at the start of the state leagues, under the name of Commerce Union, breeding a rivalry with the Tsutsuji Electric Company team and Miare University.
Originally a very respectable team, Commerce Union's luck went downhill as the team got relegated together with Izumi FPD (a police department team that quit the competition in 2034), right at the gates of the creation of the Trophy of Eden.
The Union eventually found themselves at the top tier the season after their brief stint, taking the Tsutsuji State League - Division II title in 2033 and spent the following years improving their football team via building up a fanbase at Miare, an easier task now that Miare University departed that league and Tsutsuji Electric Company (now the Miare Clemontéens) struggled through their economic troubles.
Following a Tsutsuji State League title run at the 2044 season (the team's sole title win at the Tsutsuji state level), the team was renamed the Miare CosmoStars as they joined the professional levels as a member of the KiHi-League 3, following a fourth-place finish at the Trophy of Eden, joining the league in the same class as Hinode Supernova.
The CosmoStars went on to experience a meteoric rise that would finally culminate in a KiHi-League title in 2080, but they failed to consolidate and they went down not too long later.
Unlike most Hinodejin teams that part ways with their sponsors, the CosmoStars' luck improved once they parted ways with the Commerce Union, although both team and union of small markets still have an amicable relationship, although not official. The team's improvement was a result of their administration by the late great Senzo Tanaka, a former player of the CosmoStars that had graduated at Miare University for Economy and Administration, making a team that would have great players under a cheap price.
These days, the CosmoStars have a massive following at their home province due to the team's talents and business sense, a sign that hard work does pay.
For this season... The biggest piece of news comes from the team shafting their experienced trio of forwards, replacing them with three younger and slightly more established. Nene Murai is the most notable name among them, what with her being called for the Hinodejin national team already, despite being a utility player for most of her career at the CosmoStars.
Park Ju-Won is another player that might be seeing his final season as a starter for the CosmoStars, what with the more versatile Park Soo-Jin on the bench, just waiting for any mistakes of his to usurp him of his role. Sunrisian-born Sunshine Rayne remains the team's captain from last season while National Team starter Mimi Akazukin continues to be a major option on the left side. Of note, Kornélia Bartos, who was brought in from Azavarok during the transfer window after a quality season with her hometown team Casino Vryepovísze might be used as an improv piece on the midfield as well.
The defence sees Umeki Misawa remain as the other experienced player this line-up retains, although Kita Serizawa might be brought up soon to replace her. Of note, established defender Takashi Ishikawa was benched in favour of foreigners Daniella Rowan and Equestrian Kerstin Sturm. Although there wasn't any news about a move being on the cards for him, it wouldn't be a surprise for this man to be on his way out soon.
Finally, thanks to a timely retirement from former goalie Yoshiba, Momotaro Shinigami gets his chance to be a KiHi-League goalkeeper. At the bench, weirdly enough, the CosmoStars netted former monk Zhao Mui, formerly of Shaolin Saitama, to play second fiddle. An interesting choice.
This team has a good chance of winning the league, what with its' mix of experienced players and promising youth. Certainly on the run for the title.
HINODE SUPERNOVA
"Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger"
Hinode, Somei-Yoshino
Last Season: 3rd Place
Stadium: Hinode National Stadium (40,000)
Titles: 1x The Trophy of Eden (2045), 2x KiHi-League (2053, 2136), 3x KiHi-League 2 (2091, 2125, 2135), 2x KiHi-League 3 (2046, 2124), 2x Jewel of the Déesses (2048, 2131)Name Reason: There are two reasons for the name: the city of Hinode's first slogan was "A flaming supernova, waiting to blow up", additionally, upon their win of the Trophy of Eden, they were called "the Supernova" of Hinodejin football. Whichever way the actual reason, the team picked that name up once they became a professional side.
Club Info: These days, if you think about a football team called Naitogaru Nursery, you'll probably think of the youth football team known as getting Well Soon United Naitogaru Nursery (or for short, Get Well Soon United... or even shorter, The Bloody Nurses), but this team is hardly the first one to be named after the fabled Guild of Nurses that would eventually serve as a syndicate for that class.
Before another three incarnations of teams using the name of the Guild, Naitogaru Nursery's start in football was actually created by the lady herself, Madam Sakura Naitogaru, who took to nursery after a surprise attack by the Shogun (or what the Hinodejin called him at the time, the Daimono) Kizuna of Kiribahara forced the Hinodejin into defensive maneuvers. The football team served as a distraction from the war times, which meant that the Nurses were using the sport as a means to stay fit and prepare for the eventuality of war.
Sakura Naitogaru envisioned that the football team would also help to raise spirits at Hinode, the town named after the Empire that wasn't even considered to be the capital yet. By the time the Somei-Yoshino State League was formed, their club was mostly organized and relied mostly on nurses that were still learning their craft to make up their roster while the actual nurses were busy helping out war efforts. Football-wise, the Nurses of Naitogaru, unsurprisingly when you consider what happened to their current youth team, was well known for playing as dirty as they could, often replying to complaints with "we're nurses, bring the broken folk".
While a regular side at the top tier of the state league, the Nurses would eventually fall prey to the more ambitious clubs of the state, dropping a division after a terrible 2033 season that saw them barely finish above bottom team Musaki Metal, which was followed by five seasons where the team was indeed stuck at the second tier of the Somei-Yoshino State League. Their fortunes only improved when a lucky third-place finish saw them get the additional promotion spot (only two teams went up back at the Somei-Yoshino State Leagues) thanks to Hanada Waterworks (that season's top tier third placer that managed to squeak in a surprise run at the Trophy of Eden) departing the state league to become a professional team.
By now, Hinode had grown to a decent size but remained one of the few notable settlements at the province without a top KiHi-League team, missing out to the likes of Mashu, Hanada and Hokuto. Originally, the team wasn't supposed to participate at 2045 (Nakoruru Grand Hotel had won the state league and the Nurses themselves netted a sixth place at their state league) but the federation had brought back the infamous "host city" vote where the entire tournament was played out of one city and Hinode had been drawn as the host city for that season. The odd rule meant that the Nurses had the opportunity to play against the eleven state league champions at home, which ended up being a big advantage as they dominated the Trophy of Eden, getting their promotion.
Now the Hinode Supernova, the team was introduced at the third division, which they dominated, losing three times (to Bialorti Amatsukominato, Miansichu Shirataki and Ensolarado Ondori; all away matches) while claiming promotion to the second tier. The Cosmostars remained middle of the pack team following their eventual top tier title in 2053 before falling out of the top in 2090 and again in 2120. Recently, the team found themselves back at the top tier after a great run in 2135 before claiming their second KiHi-League title the season after. Despite the ups and downs, they're not a team to be taken lightly.
For this season... A team focused more on experience (to a certain extent, at least), the Supernova still have chunks of the engine that netted them their second and last (so far) KiHi-League title, although by this point they're limited to the defence and some bench members.
Kagomi Kurosawa, their star back then has been since replaced by Allen "Serious Business" Slayback, a Nepharim with no time for shenanigans, expressing the kind of side the Supernova their fans are used to. Allen is accompanied by local striker Taneyoshi Oda.
The midfield retains two stalwarts from the last champion side they fielded, Nobuharu Saotome, who doesn't seem to be feeling the age at all, although the team still has two options for his position: former youth product Hiratomo Nakamikado and Futurnian export Ilya Mikhailov from Kholozarya, and Akimaru Souji who is currently backed up by Thunisian midfielder Moïse Blanc and Hinodejin player Ushiziki Azai.
The Supernova went deep into the Futurnian market, bringing on a new defender, Thomas Fletcher. They were one of the few KiHi-League teams to invest in players with experience from their home leagues: six seasons as a member of Jeane Palace. Shimikage, Hurumi and Hatori are all stalwarts from back in the day and Ishimaki was the bench replacement for Satori Sonma. Notably, they have two talented players in Saint Anne-born Jo Ann Lewis and a colonial player (that could join the Hinodejin national team) Tatuapé Lee out of Kubanakan.
This team isn't a championship favourite but they might do well if they managed to play as they did in the past.
CINÉBUTI MONSU
"Destined for the Screen"
Monsu, Uchina
Last Season: 4th Place
Stadium: Monsu City Stadium (19,000)
Titles: 1x Trophy of Eden (2037), 4x KiHi-League (2085, 2090, 2107, 2124), 1x KiHi-League 2 (2132), 4x Jewel of the Déesses (2063, 2081, 2085, 2121), 1x Traveller's Trophy (2139)Name Reason: Closely tied to the movie industry of the Hinodejin Empire, the team was named after the Cinébuti, the first movie theatre of the Empire at Monsu, Uchina.
Club Info: Football had caught on well at Uchina during the early state league days, eventually bringing up the formation of the Uchina State League in 2027, featuring ten teams... none of which being the predecessors of Cinébuti Monsu.
Monsu Movie Society's football team joined the Uchina State League in 2030, winning the title on their first season and mostly remaining a regular feature on the top tier of Uchina, although critics didn't look fondly towards the team: MMS was a team formed to promote cinema in a league with mostly Social and Athletic Clubs, especially once teams from the Royal Guard and the Police left the league, making them look even more out of their element.
In 2036, however, they would once again win the State League in the fatidical Trophy of Eden that would later form the KiHi-League.
Cinébuti Monsu became one of the fourteen original teams of the KiHi-League, the sole team out of Uchina until Kashikoigai Liberdade from Uchina found themselves on the pyramid as a second-tier team.
Of note, they had an infamous meltdown following a downturn in the movie business, finding their footing again with a new sponsor that eventually brought them some semblance of quality, which is where they currently are at.
For this season... Cinébuti Monsu probably wouldn't be doing well but they managed to luck out in their defence made of players that were, in the past, kicking outside of the Empire: Chomi Tsukimaoho and Shavraputra Tsushikenomo came from Dainer on a free and have since helped the team reach a state of smooth sailing despite not really being in contention for the title.
Upfront, they retain their trusty offence duo of Mamoru Saishi and the lovely Tsuki Nakamura, with solid reserves Hwang Seong-Ho and Mashu Rinemaro just waiting for their chances.
The midfield, laid in a traditional offensive triangle sees Aoi Katahara, Makoto Kagura and Kazumi Kimumura play with a surprisingly well-fit Junko Yamada, the Iron Lady of Monsu. The bench sees Crystal Caves Cosimo Planetaris as a surprise name, hoping to bring in some experience for the team while other names such as Min Tsani and Inaka Gurinarika remain there looking for either playtime or a move to another team. Hwang Seong-Min is also there as an option, should the team need more defensive power.
The defence, as said previously, features Tsukimaoho and Tsushikenomo, two players that were expected to play outside of the country but were soon found back at the Empire defending the Movie team with Monsu native Ichiro Hamasaki completing the back three.
Finally, Yoshi Saito remains as a respectable goalkeeper without any sort of fuss.
Not expected to win the title, but should be battling out for the UICA slots.
NORTH KAZAMA UNITED
"Viva La Revolution"
Kazama, Himawari
Last Season: 5th Place
Stadium: KUJO Field (20,000)
Titles: 1x Trophy of Eden (2127), 1x KiHi-League 2 (2131), 1x KiHi-League 3 (2130), 1x KiHi-League 4 (2129), 1x KiHi-League 5 (2128), 1x Hinodejin Challenge League (2127), 1x Central Hinode League (2125)Name Reason: North Kazama's favourite football team in the whole world was the union of a total of eighteen teams (of all levels, ranging from semi-pro outfits to Sunday League teams) that called North Kazama their home.
Club Info: One of the measures taken by the provincial government of the Territory of Kazama (now the Province of Himawari) when the Hinodejin started to populate that land, was the foundation of a quality football club that could match up to the Hinodejin standards.
The team in question was named Kazama Central FC, playing out of a makeshift stadium during their first season of football, they proceeded to play at the 2051's edition of the Trophy of Eden, serving as the tournament's hosts out of the freshly built Kazama Main Stadium.
The Centrals proceeded to perform surprisingly well at that Trophy of Eden, taking the title home (via some "goddamn terrible refereeing", according to Dokutana Tourism's Satoru Miura after the game where his team let them win from a penalty shot) and soon enough becoming the team that the Territory of Kazama would support.
Said a team is a current-day Kazama Juniver, the team with the silver spoon, as some have since called them. Not a bad team by any regards, they were in the KiHi-League back when teams like Mothra Megoni, Catalle Goshirama, Reiku Wasserantis and Penagrine Mayane were regular faces there.
But they weren't an "organic team". With this in mind, the then Kazama Northern Village spearheaded a merger with a large group of teams from the northern zone of Kazama to form the team that would, indeed, climb the ranks the way they should be climbed: North Kazama United was born in 2064.
NKU's first season was as a member of the Central Hinode League, where they ended up seeing a rather disappointing 10th out of 17 as Bengali Tora were crowned champions and would, eventually, find themselves as KiHi-League 4 members. Legendary, of course, was their infamous 2072 season, where after hiring a "shaman" to manage the team, NKU found themselves as the worst team in all of the Central Hinode League's two tiers, including friendly losses to a Karimarikawa Village Team and the Mashu Elite HS squad that was travelling through Himawari at the time.
The team from North Kazama would, at last, find success and national exposure at the 2126 season, having just won the Central Hinode League's top tier after all that vitriol. This all would culminate in their first appearance at the top tier in 2132, as the team blasted through pretty much all of the other divisions underneath the KiHi-League.
Things would probably have gone downhill after that, once NKU failed to keep their best players, all homegrown talent that moved off to play in the best teams of the Empire instead of keeping things running at NKU, but the team would find solace at new sponsors KUJO, who have since helped the plucky, revolutionary team out of North Kazama to become regulars of the Hinodejin top tier.
For this season... You have not read this wrong. North Kazama just loaned one of their players to their legitimate rivals. If there was any doubt about how far we have come on Hinodejin football, this is the proper answer: the bigger rival got a loanee from a player at the smaller rival that so happens to be on the top tier.
Earth-shattering moments aside, KUJO Express' investments have paid off handsomely as players that were acquired for free have since turned out into solid pieces for NKU. Upfront, Iskandervale-born Sana Asori and local talent Murai Kida remain from the attack that led NKU to CEdC participation while benching arguably quality forward Mashiro Akiba.
Using a diamond formation in the middle, we have a notable player in Eurynomile Kyunishakuga (a former van Caan lister), an Equestrian prospect in Pitter Patter while the other two are complementing players, the experienced Sorai Yoichi and focused Kisho Ichioka. The bench features some interesting players, mostly offensive pieces such as the two highly rated Futurnian midfielders Mihály Juhász (transferred for 1M Hc$ out of Azavarok's Héczi Menecsek) and Massimiliano Nardovino (transferred for 2M Hc$ from his hometown's Viola Calcio) to local talents such as Kim Ji-Min and Seishiro Wada.
Defensively, they're slightly limited: Bryan Heads is still a fairly good defender by all accounts and Sokoryu Hirokawa is a pretty good goalie on his way to retirement, but that's about it. Ishtar Curran might be a pretty good replacement on the net but then the foreign cap would come to rear its' ugly head.
NKU is expected to perform decently but not a title contender. Way better than what they used to get not too long ago, at least.
KANSHIRO LOPUNNIES
"Bounce, Rock, Move to the Side"
Kanshiro, Nishikoku
Last Season: 6th Place
Stadium: Kanshiro Hopper Road (35,000)
Titles: 1x Trophy of Eden (2095), 4x KiHi-League (2117, 2118, 2121, 2132), 2x KiHi-League 2 (2106, 2115), 1x KiHi-League 5 (2096), 4x Jewel of the Déesses (2116, 2117, 2118, 2129), 1x Traveller's Trophy (2140)Name Reason: A granddaughter of one player from the Mardi Lopunnies, the Sunrisian Club of the Century according to UICA, established the club before the court officially moved to Kanshiro, annexing that state into the Empire.
Club Info: When the Hinodejin entered their current realm, there were many nations scattered across the land. The ones more versed on the Hinodejin history might know of a couple of names (such as Rupertland, the Holy State, the Mittwernian Empire, Wallorea, Monajesca...) but the most notorious one of the bunch, for it opened the Hinodejin Empire's doors to an entirely new continent, Hwangjun.
Based out of the Joseon plains, bordered by a myriad of tribal states that often attacked like bands of rogues, the Hwangjun Kingdom was a proud land but one that had been since chipped away by its' neighbours. Luck had it that they were the first state to reach contact with the Hinodejin, who decided to team up with them and help their war efforts.
This friendship would later become marriage between the leaders of both nations and Hwangju finally joined the Hinodejin Empire fully in 2093. As a sign of goodwill, the capital was relocated from the main island to the Joseon plains.
During the process of Hwangju's adaptation to the Hinodejin culture, football clubs sprung up across the plains, including one formed by one Keiko Sanada, a granddaughter of a former Mardi Lopunnies' player. It wasn't surprising that Kanshiro, together with another seven teams joined the Western Hinode League, once the IHFA asked for ways to introduce football from that part of the Empire.
The 'Punnies from the Plains joined the KiHi-League's ranks in 2096, following a Western Hinode League championship in their second season at that level, finally reaching the top tier in the year of 2102.
They would then yo-yo between the top tier and KiHi-League 2, finding themselves on the top of the Empire at the end of the 2110s. Ever since, the Lopunnies have remained on the top tier, winning silverware here and there. Even after the capital moved away, the Lopunnies remained one of the Empire's most popular teams.
For this season... Life without Sang Kyung-Ja officially started for the Lopunnies as their legend retired last season over concussion woes. The team didn't arm itself with any international talent during the UICA Transfer Window but they did manage to bring in some Futurnians that caught their attention.
The major change in this line-up is the presence of Minka Munroe, one of the Munroe twins that were in the fatidical game where Kyung-Ja called it quits. With this change, the Lopunnies lose quite a bit of flair but win a lot in physicality: Minka Munroe is a fighter first and foremost, taking down anyone that tries to stop her, so she should be an interesting player to watch in the flair-based KiHi-League.
Asaj Sotelo, the Cosumarite that had been a feature of the squad will also see less time than usual as the manager believes it to be wiser to replace him as the starter with a slightly younger Pyo Hyun-Su while Taki Musashino officially owns his main position in the starters. Caipirinha, albeit with her usual struggles with drinking, remains the striker and will probably serve as the team's leader.
Overall, the Lopunnies are a bit different, choosing some of their younger options instead of insisting on the old guard, which means their bench itself is full of experience while their starters should do the running part of the job.
I don't see them as champions but they should be better than what one would think a team would be without their best player in ages.
TENTAI ASTROS
"Trash it, Change it, Mail - Upgrade It"
Tentai City, Tentai
Last Season: 7th Place
Stadium: Tentai National Stadium (67,100)
Titles: 1x Trophy of Eden (2131), 1x KiHi-League 2 (2139), 1x KiHi-League 4 (2134), 1x KiHi-League 5 (2133), 1x The Jewel of the Déesses (2140)Name Reason: The name Astros was based after the city's nickname (both under the Miang dynasty and Hinodejin rule) of "the Celestial Capital". Astro is the prefix for words such as Astronomy, all related to the stars, therefore, celestial bodies.
Club Info: The Astros are one of the youngest teams in the top tier, having been formed in 2128 out of the ashes of the Mui Cosmetics amateur football team, with the idea of promoting a strong football team for the Empire's newest capital.
Of course, we need to start things out from the start. Laixiang was the capital of the Miang Dynasty, a large state on the Wuxia Grasslands. On its' glorious days, the Miang had large ports (Makong and Kwantong), massive farms and were well-run by the Celestial Emperor, a mythical figure.
The Miang had a terrible history with the Hinodejin Empire. Originally, neighbours that could become a threat as soon as the Empire advanced through the north of the planet, they supported traitor Tsufumi Hide, a noble that murdered Queen Mai, one of the many Hinodejin leaders that left their mark on the empire.
Once the rebels were done with, Queen Tomoyo, leader of the Sakura Division that was responsible for cleaning the Empire from the rebels, set the Miang as their rivals, a nation that all Queens should aim towards adding to the Empire via either the pen or the sword, although preferably the latter.
What followed, were twenty-four years of near-constant warfare, the Hinodejin doing all sorts of things to their newly found enemies, forcing smaller rebel states to spring from the once glorious Empire and, finally, push the Miang Empire to their capital.
Liaxiang would be under siege for three months, during which the Celestial Emperor was revealed to be mostly a ruse: the current Celestial Emperor was a two-year-old boy. The Celestial Capital was taken over, the boy was sent to the Main Island to be educated into the Hinodejin system and the remains of the city were remodelled into Tentai-shi, before turning into the current capital of the Empire, Tentai.
Under the name of Mui Cosmetics, the Astros were a team that supported the beggars of the town, something that Queen Tomoyo also made sure to take care of, as she believed that the survivors deserved a better life.
The Astros joined the Hinodejin pyramid in 2129, joining the Central Hinode League, which they ended up winning, thus ensuring their entrance to the KiHi-League's tiers.
What followed would be a decade of progress, the Astros often loaning players from bigger teams to find themselves on the top tier as soon as possible, something that would, at last, happen.
Currently, the Astros are looking for the crown of Hinodejin football, the KiHi-League trophy, and will stop at nothing to get it.
For this season... The Astros made good on their promise of being a competitive team once they finally found their way into the top tier of the Empire after years of coming just short of the promotion.
Albeit local talent still feels rather short, only two players in the starters were born in the Tentai region, after all, this team used their budget on pretty interesting ways, snapping up players on frees in the past before blowing up a sizeable bounty on Futurnian hopefuls.
Ruan Huet, a Thunisian international, made the move from his homeland to fit directly as the team's center-midfielder, allowing them not to rely on the ageing Pippi or the... well, unreliable Ludovico.
Their medallions remain a thing, however: Bobby Sauro is the Astros' main striker once again, being helped by Sayaka Niikara of the famous Niikara family while Eleanora Scherer retains her captainship at the team as well.
The bench itself sees some of the people the Astros brought over from Futurnia, including Koyengquahtah Jiang from Kanteshima, Vince Parker from North Wheatley and Étaín Ó Dubhthaigh from Kirkillia while still keeping some of their more useful players.
Remaining a competitive team is a certainty for the Astros, but the title might still elude them for a good while.
REAPER KAMANDU
"Gon' Bite The Dust, Can't Fight With Us"
Kamandu, Ando
Last Season: 8th Place
Stadium: Tenkaichi Peak View Field (20,000)
Titles: 1x The Trophy of Eden (2130), 1x KiHi-League 4 (2132), 1x KiHi-League 5 (2131), 1x Hinodejin Challenge League (2130), 1x Hinodejin Advance League (2129)Name Reason: While Kamandu is a usually peaceful region, the team was named after the Hinodejin cult classic movie Kamandu Reaper following a poll by local fans.
Club Info: Originally known as the Kamandu prefectural football team, one of the many teams that served to create entertainment and opportunities for victims of warfare and also to acclimate locals to Hinodejin culture, Reaper Kamandu's professional start was fairly ambitious.
The Reapers entered the professional level in 2126 when Reaper Kamandu joined the Central Hinode League, together with Aturikai Yuria and Golden Lion Andoyama but only made waves the following season when they barely squeezed through a title win that granted them a ticket to join the seventh tier of Hinodejin football.
They went on to spend two seasons at the Hinodejin Advance League before claiming that league's title, followed by the championship at the Hinodejin Challenge League, the KiHi-League 5 and the KiHi-League 4 on a row.
Growth would proceed slowly, the Reapers only promoting from the third tier as the fourth place at the 2134 season before just recently finding themselves at the top tier, following a second-place finish at the KiHi-League 2, only behind Solavista Nagisa.
A KiHi-League side since 2137, Reaper Kamandu is a key part of Ando culture, just don't ask them about that one time they played wearing a jersey that featured the eponymous Kamandu Reaper movie poster from back in the day.
For this season... Last season, Reaper Kamandu came out with rather respectable participation, finding themselves in international club football at the Traveller's Trophy, a tournament where they almost went all the way, bowing out to The Smiths at the Quarter-Finals.
Without the UICA Transfer Window to go look for players, the team from the hills kept a mostly similar squad to the one they fielded last season with only a few signings from the Emirates of Futurnia to strengthen their team's bench options.
Notably, they now have two players that were born in the outskirts of Kamandu playing as starters, both Tin Kailan and Lam Chung having been promoted up to the main team in spite of both Botan Matsuura and Doi Kusumoto. Some believe those are related to financial reasons, as both midfielders were making some noise regarding their contracts.
They still feature their captain in her usual spot, Miki Homura, a stalwart of the Reapers despite not being born in the area the team calls home, has been handling pretty well the height difference and the oxygen distribution in the area.
Honestly, the team's biggest strength remains in the Tenkaichi Peak View Field, where visitants usually struggle due to its' unusual feature of being above the mountains. Not expected to change much from last season, in all fairness.
MIKA MINAGAMI
"Love's Gonna Get You Down"
Minagami, Tsagominagami
Last Season: 9th Place
Stadium: The White Pearl of Minagami (30,000)
Titles: 1x KiHi-League 3 (2125), 1x KiHi-League 4 (2123), 1x The Jewel of the Déesses (2133), 1x Hinodejin Challenge League (2117), 1x Hinodejin Advance League (2116)Name Reason: Minagami is the home of a lollipop company, responsible for, among other brands of sweets, the Rainbow Mika, a blue and white lollipop.
Club Info: Annexed by the Empire at the year of 2111, Tsagominami's cold weather made for an interesting contrast with the sport of football. The team itself, like many others that were formed not too long after the annexation of a province, was created to give opportunities for locals to find themselves a new career away from their usual jobs.
Mika Minagami was founded in 2113 under the name of the Minagami Football Club, but soon enough found themselves associated with local candy company (founded by a noble from the old Moshiya Kingdom, no less) Mika's Sweets. The team would originally be called the Rainbow Mika Minagami, but the name was shortened to simply Mika Minagami once they joined the Golden Road Football League, one of the official lower regional leagues of the Hinodejin pyramid.
The team turned out to be pretty successful in its' first attempt at clawing into the pyramid, winning the Golden Road title out of the gate.
With repeated investment from the local displaced nobles, Mika Minagami became a force to be reckoned with... up until the point they reached the top tier of the Empire at the end of the year of 2126, following a KiHi-League 2 runner-up finish behind Hwoarang Seidoshi.
They did alternate from having some really good seasons, like an unprecedented fifth place in the top tier at the 2128 season to the bottom slots with maybe three or four midtable finishes.
What they really accomplished, however, was helping the ruins where they were based at becoming the city of Minagami, one of the nicest places in the middle of the snowy plains of Central Hinode, offering jobs for the locals at all sorts of positions, not to mention fielding youth training clubs every year, helping a couple of respectable prospects into the youth leagues, so it can't be all that bad.
For this season... Last season, Mika Minagami clinched the final Traveller's Trophy slot at tenth place, edging out the notable Honeyame Anitas in the process. Outside of the Empire, however, the team struggled and found themselves eliminated to Solar de Mayo champions, Las Heras.
One could say that Mika Minagami was one of the finest beneficiaries from the Futurnian Window when they spent a marginal sum of money to fellow Second Round drop outs Innfødt Maskinen FK from Nyjorkalloid, a newbie to the Futurnian scene, for the rights to field prospect Björk Thorssen as their starter center midfielder.
Despite having a bit of a mean streak (and when we say mean streak, we mean it), Björk was classified as one of the best talents to come out of the Emirates of Futurnia and considering she pushed off Horya Antonyuu from the line-up by sheer presence? She could mean trouble to bigger teams in the league.
Another foreigner remains on the team's focus, Damian Harbour, in a tradition of Hinodejin teams lately, is now the team's captain instead of their perennial goalie Onishi Kaguno. As to whether or not he deserves the role or if it's just the belief that letting a Nepharim do the job is best for business, it's unknown.
Thanks to their new wonderkid, there's a good chance the team from Minagami might amount to more than they did last season. Sure as hell won't lose to Las Heras at the Traveller's Trophy again.
HONEYAME ANITAS
"Don't Know If In The Morning I Will Be Here"
Honeyame, Mido-Hinode
Last Season: 10th Place
Stadium: Mizumaru Peak View Field (15,000)
Titles: 1x The Trophy of Eden (2105), 1x Hindejin Challenge League (2105)Name Reason: The team was named after the Anitas, a sort of girl scout club that saw work during the days of the Midgard Kingdom.
Club Info: Those with a passable knowledge of Hinodejin history are aware that once upon a time, there was a Kingdom called Midgard.
To better integrate Midgard into the sphere of influence of the Hinodejin, the province acquired by the Empire to guarantee safety for their allies in the border of the Kingdom would see the start of the Mido-Hinodejin Football League.
Among the inaugural teams of the Mido-Hinodejin Football League was the team from a Buddhist Temple brought in from the mainland of the Empire, Wu Shu Hi Mii.
While this Buddhist Temple wouldn't last very long in football, as the religion itself never really gained a lot of strength at the western portion of the Empire, their participation at the tournament was a sign that teams without affiliation to the Hinodejin Armed Forces could grow in the League itself, which led to the introduction of, among others, the team based out of members of the Anita Organization.
The Anita Organization was a girl scout club that often recruited at the mainland to help the poor from the Midgard Kingdom and they ended up using the club mostly for conditioning their recruits. Funnily enough, they ended up being good enough to win the 2090's edition of the Mido-Hinodejin Football League.
Once the Empire spread to nearby regions, the Mido-Hinodejin Football League changed names to the Golden Road Football League and teams were now forced to be either professional or move down the pyramid to participate in any amateur leagues nearby. While it'd be fair for the team to go down or just cease operations, the Anitas Organization chose to merge the team with two other clubs that were established nearby (Ka Man Ka and Ya San Tsu), taking the name of Honeyame Anitas as their HQs were located at Honeyame at the time.
The Anitas found themselves at the national level after a 2104 title win in the Golden Road. Their rise wasn't explosive, but they managed to find themselves at the top of the pyramid in 2114, only ten years after they were a national level team and only twelve since professionalization. Ever since, the team has been usually floating between the top tier and the second division, although things have been pretty good for them lately at the top.
For this season... Suffice to say, the Anitas were not happy over their tenth place finish, which saw the team miss out on Futurnian football, something they were almost certain they would get.
Despite finish under their expectations, the lack of participation at the UICA Transfer Window meant that the team had fewer ways to improve themselves at the end of the season, something that would usually mean trouble for teams of lesser standing but the Anitas themselves believe that they do have the team to compete for the top spots.
It's not like they are wrong, Krishnamurta Sogeshita was a Hinodejin national and other players have enough experience at the Hinodejin leagues, not to mention their moments of shine.
Names like Han Ji-Hun and Etishi Karu did see time playing internationally and they still have the likes of Monroe Luque, Le Gall and Sepp Hobson kicking about for that foreigner talent spot, but the only area they really improved was strengthening their bench: they made four signings from the Futurnian clubs, with only Thunisian-born Sydney St-Jean missing the bench.
Maybe it's a matter of luck. Give the Anitas a bit more of luck and they might improve on their finish last season, shame you can't exactly measure luck.
