Shohoku

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Shohoku (湘北)
Affiliation	Shohoku High School Basketball Club
Occupation/Role	Kanagawa high-school basketball team
Status	Active; competing in the Kanagawa Prefectural Qualifiers 41 42
First Appearance	Chapter 1

History

Shohoku begins the year with a group of notable first-years—Kaede Rukawa, Hanamichi Sakuragi, and transfer student Lin Bei—joining captain Takenori Akagi's basketball club. Coach Anzai identifies the newcomers as potential pieces of an unusually interesting Shohoku team despite their disruptive personalities. 1 3

In its practice match at Ryonan, Shohoku falls behind 21–0 before Lin Bei's deceptive passing and Sakuragi's entry help change the game's momentum. The team ultimately defeats last year's Final Four side 90–89, its first victory over Ryonan. 9 17

Following a conflict with Hisashi Mitsui and his gang, Mitsui returns to basketball and joins the club. The core players spend the night cleaning the gym after the brawl, an event framed as the first true gathering of Shohoku's “Five Tigers.” 30

During the Kanagawa Prefectural Qualifiers, Shohoku initially benches several key players against Miuradai as punishment for the earlier fight. Once its regular problem-child lineup enters, Shohoku reverses the game and wins 135–50; Lin Bei alone scores 129 points before being substituted out. 32 34 38 39

Shohoku later reaches Shoyo, last year's prefectural second seed, in the match that determines the Final Four. Shoyo's height-based defense initially suppresses Shohoku, but the team adapts through low passing, fast breaks, and Mitsui's perimeter shooting. 41 44 49 50

Appearance

Shohoku wears red jerseys during the Ryonan practice match and red-and-white uniforms in the Kanagawa qualifiers. 6 32

• Its principal lineup is widely known for containing several former delinquents and “problem children.” 32 34
• Lin Bei wears jersey number 16. 9 10
• The team is often visually identified by Sakuragi's red hair, Akagi's imposing build, and the contrasting smaller frame of point guard Ryota Miyagi. 42 47

Team Composition

Player	Position / Function	Notes
Takenori Akagi	Center; captain	Shohoku's interior pillar and a leading prefectural center. 31 50
Hanamichi Sakuragi	Power forward	Rebounding-focused “secret weapon” with exceptional athleticism. 31 35
Kaede Rukawa	Small forward	Rookie scorer and breakthrough specialist capable of dismantling defensive pressure. 35 46 47
Hisashi Mitsui	Shooting guard	Former middle-school MVP and high-range three-point shooter. 35 49 50
Ryota Miyagi	Point guard	Fast-paced ball-handler whose speed drives Shohoku's transition offense. 31 47 48
Lin Bei	Multi-position player; secret weapon	A flexible player with deceptive passing, scoring ability, and tactical insight; normally deployed selectively due to stamina limits. 35 42 44
Kiminobu Kogure	Vice-captain	Part of Shohoku's early and supporting rotation. 32 50
Yasuharu Yasuda, Tetsushi Shiozaki, Satoru Kakuta	Rotation players	Started alongside Akagi and Kogure against Miuradai before the main lineup entered. 32

Team Strengths

Interior Presence

Akagi anchors Shohoku's paint on both ends, while Sakuragi supplies rebounding, physicality, and vertical athleticism. 31 35

• Akagi can finish powerful interior plays and protect the rim. 44 46
• Sakuragi is assigned to control rebounds and defend the restricted area. 9 12 42
• The team can field both players together to contest larger frontcourts. 42 43

Perimeter and Transition Offense

Shohoku combines Miyagi's pace, Rukawa's self-created scoring, and Mitsui's shooting range. 47 49 50

• Miyagi turns steals and turnovers into immediate fast breaks. 47 48
• Rukawa can break through tightly packed defenses individually. 46
• Mitsui punishes collapsed defenses with three-pointers. 49 50

Lin Bei's Tactical Impact

Lin Bei functions outside a fixed position, using unusual passing angles, court awareness, and scoring bursts to disrupt opponents. 35

• His low-presence movement and passing helped Shohoku erase much of its early deficit against Ryonan. 9 10
• He devised the low-pass approach that allowed Shohoku to score against Shoyo's height-based defense. 44
• Coach Anzai preserves him as a secret weapon because high-consumption play quickly drains his stamina. 42

Relationships

• Ryonan High School — Practice-match rival. Shohoku defeated Ryonan 90–89 after trailing heavily early in the game. 7 9 17
• Miuradai High School — First-round Kanagawa Qualifier opponent; Shohoku won 135–50. 32 39
• Shoyo High School — Major qualifier opponent and last year's prefectural second seed; its “Green Wall” height advantage forces Shohoku to adjust its tactics. 41 42 44
• Kainan Affiliated High School — A leading Kanagawa team observing Shohoku's tournament run and viewed as a potential finals-week opponent. 42
• Ryonan and Kainan spectators — Their players increasingly recognize Shohoku as a dangerous, unusually deep team rather than Akagi's former one-man squad. 34 38 50

Major Arcs

Arc / Event	Outcome
Club entrance practice	The first-year side, including Rukawa, Sakuragi, and Lin Bei, is formed for an evaluation game against upperclassmen. 1
Ryonan practice match	Shohoku recovers from a 21–0 deficit and defeats Ryonan 90–89. 9 17
Mitsui incident	The club survives a gym brawl; Mitsui recommits to basketball, and the core players clean the gym together. 30
Miuradai qualifier	Shohoku's main lineup overturns an early deficit and wins 135–50. 32 34 39
Shoyo qualifier	Shohoku confronts Shoyo's height advantage, responds with low passes and transition play, and takes an 11–13 lead after Mitsui's three-pointer. 44 48 49

Trivia

• Shohoku is repeatedly described by outsiders as a team of delinquents or “problem children.” 32 34 41
• Its Miuradai victory is portrayed as a major shock to Kanagawa basketball, particularly because of Lin Bei's 129-point performance. 38 39
• Coach Anzai's strategy treats Lin Bei as a limited-use secret weapon rather than a full-game starter. 42