Recaps

Kawamoto Kazuki defeated Ryota Miyagi in a one-on-one by making three consecutive three-pointers, including one from well beyond the arc. He left Miyagi stunned after explaining that even his worst practice session had only seven misses in a hundred shots and that he still needed to practice hard.

• Kawamoto Kazuki scored a three-pointer over Ryota Miyagi, leaving Shohoku's players astonished by his shooting height and accuracy.
• Kawamoto made a second three-pointer despite Miyagi guarding him closely, putting the score at 6-0.
• Miyagi gave Kawamoto room to shoot, but Kawamoto immediately sank another three from two steps beyond the arc to win 9-0.
• Hanamichi Sakuragi celebrated Kawamoto's victory while Takenori Akagi, Kiminobu Kogure, and Kaede Rukawa marveled at his abilities.
• Kawamoto told the defeated Miyagi that he missed only seven shots in his worst practice session of a hundred and still needed to keep practicing.

Takenori Akagi tried to restore Ryota Miyagi’s confidence after Kawamoto Kazuki’s three-pointers had shaken him, claiming that Kawamoto’s limited skills could not replace Miyagi’s role as point guard. Miyagi regained his swagger and decided to coach Kawamoto, so Akagi ordered him to keep his distance and focus on building chemistry with Kaede Rukawa and Sakuragi.

• Akagi noticed Miyagi was still dispirited after Kawamoto had beaten him with three-pointers in their one-on-one.
• Akagi comforted Miyagi by criticizing Kawamoto’s weaknesses and emphasizing Miyagi’s importance as Shohoku’s point guard.
• Miyagi regained his confidence and dismissed Kawamoto as a limited player who could not match his all-around abilities.
• Miyagi decided to teach Kawamoto how to dribble, run the offense, and defend during practice.
• Akagi panicked and ordered Miyagi not to teach or challenge Kawamoto, telling him to focus on coordinating with Rukawa and Sakuragi.

Hisashi Mitsui agreed to target the Shohoku Basketball Team with Tetsuo and his gang. They spotted Kawamoto Kazuki walking alone and decided to confront him first.

• Ryota Miyagi noticed Kawamoto Kazuki was absent from Shohoku's gym practice but focused on his own training.
• Hisashi Mitsui hesitated as Noriyuki Hotta and the others warned him that Shohoku's basketball players were formidable.
• Tetsuo arrived and offered to join Mitsui in confronting the basketball team, prompting Mitsui to accept.
• Tetsuo and the others spotted Kawamoto Kazuki walking alone and chose him as their first target.

Kawamoto Kazuki confronted Tetsuo’s group after Hisashi Mitsui warned them not to go too far, then swiftly defeated three attackers. Tetsuo challenged him to fight, but Kawamoto checked the time and worried that Boss Kobayashi was waiting for him at the fish market.

• Hisashi Mitsui urged Tetsuo not to go too far, but Tetsuo led the group in blocking Kawamoto Kazuki’s path.
• Noriyuki Hotta attacked Kawamoto, who seized his wrist and forced him to stumble to the ground in pain.
• Takashima and a tall, skinny boy attacked together, but Kawamoto knocked Takashima unconscious and broke the other boy’s shin with a kick.
• Tetsuo laughed at Kawamoto’s skill and stepped forward to challenge him to a fight.
• Kawamoto checked his watch and frowned because he still had to get to work at the fish market, where Boss Kobayashi was waiting.

Kawamoto Kazuki effortlessly subdued Tetsuo and challenged him and his friends to reconsider their delinquency and take responsibility for their lives. Noriyuki Hotta, Hisashi Mitsui, and Tetsuo were left shaken and ashamed as Kawamoto walked on to his part-time job.

• Kawamoto Kazuki grabbed Tetsuo by the throat, lifted him off the ground, and withstood his kicks without moving.
• Kawamoto rebuked Tetsuo, Noriyuki Hotta, and Hisashi Mitsui for mistaking violence and blind loyalty for brotherhood.
• Kawamoto released Tetsuo and urged the three to study, work hard, support their parents, and become responsible adults.
• Noriyuki lowered his head in shame, Hisashi Mitsui recalled his parents' care and felt anguish, and Tetsuo looked at Kawamoto with fear and dejection.
• Kawamoto turned away from the three and continued toward his part-time job.

Kawamoto Kazuki accepted Boss Kobayashi’s offer to join a two-day fishing trip, where he would earn a hundred thousand yen and meet an NBA coach. Later, the long-haired guy who had confronted him blocked his path and said he wanted to play basketball, leaving Kawamoto to tell him to find a pickup game.

• Kawamoto Kazuki arrived late at Kobayashi Fisheries, where Boss Kobayashi asked about Hanamichi Sakuragi and heard that basketball training had kept him away.
• Kawamoto Kazuki told Boss Kobayashi that Shohoku was aiming to conquer the nationals, while Boss Kobayashi warned him that basketball offered poor career prospects in Japan.
• Boss Kobayashi invited Kawamoto Kazuki to join Mr. Matsusaka’s two-day fishing trip and promised a hundred thousand yen; Kawamoto accepted.
• Boss Kobayashi told Kawamoto Kazuki that a famous NBA coach would be aboard, and Kawamoto was excited by the chance to meet him.
• After work, the long-haired guy stopped Kawamoto Kazuki and said he wanted to play basketball, but Kawamoto told him to find a pickup court.

Hisashi Mitsui recalled how Mitsuyoshi Anzai’s words inspired him to choose Shohoku, and how Anzai’s later indifference after Mitsui’s injury drove him away from basketball. Years later, Mitsui spoke to Shohoku first-year Kawamoto about the pain of still loving the place he no longer felt able to approach.

• At the junior high prefectural tournament final, Mitsuyoshi Anzai urged Mitsui not to give up, and Mitsui scored a last-second winning shot for Takeishi Junior High.
• Inspired by Anzai, Mitsui rejected offers from Kainan and Shoyo and joined Shohoku, where he trained obsessively in hopes of earning the coach’s approval.
• Mitsui shattered his knee through excessive training and waited in the hospital for Anzai to contact him, but only Kiminobu Kogure visited.
• After recovering, Mitsui waited outside Shohoku’s gym for Anzai to welcome him back, but Anzai walked past him without recognition, so Mitsui abandoned basketball.
• Mitsui recalled his anger and loneliness as he spoke to Kawamoto, admitting that his love for Shohoku had never truly died.

Hisashi Mitsui begged Kawamoto Kazuki to help him return to Shohoku, but Kawamoto refused to intervene and challenged Mitsui to consider what basketball truly meant to him. Mitsui was left facing the question as Kawamoto went to work.

• Mitsui erupted at Kawamoto's suggestion that he play at an outdoor court and declared that he wanted to join Shohoku and return to competitive basketball.
• Mitsui told Kawamoto about his past as Takeishi Junior High's MVP, his regret over leaving basketball, and his hope for another chance with Akagi and Coach Anzai.
• Mitsui asked Kawamoto to sound out Akagi or Coach Anzai, but Kawamoto pointed out that Mitsui had brought people to fight him and had repeatedly given up on basketball.
• Kawamoto recalled the Shohoku players' persistence and asked Mitsui what basketball meant to him.

Hisashi Mitsui returned to Kawamoto Kazuki at the convenience store and insisted that he wanted to play basketball for himself and his dream. Kawamoto ignored his confession by serving him as a customer, leaving Mitsui frustrated as he tried to provoke a reaction.

• Kawamoto started his night shift at a 7-Eleven, where Mitsui came in and declared that he wanted to play basketball for himself, not for glory or revenge.
• Kawamoto responded with sales pitches for food and magazines, treating Mitsui like an ordinary customer.
• Mitsui ordered large teriyaki chicken cup noodles, and Kawamoto prepared them with unfailing courtesy.
• While eating, Mitsui reflected on Kawamoto's contrasting behavior and repeated that he wanted to play for himself.
• Mitsui returned to the counter and ordered freshly fried chicken bites, a large iced cola, and a heated mentaiko rice ball to test Kawamoto's patience.
• Kawamoto fulfilled the order efficiently and cheerfully, leaving Mitsui more convinced that he could not provoke him.

Kawamoto Kazuki helped bring news of Hisashi Mitsui’s possible return to Shohoku and joined Boss Kobayashi on a fishing trip, where he met Houston Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich. The chapter ended as Kawamoto and the others struggled to haul in a net that felt unusually heavy.

• Kawamoto stopped Mitsui from ordering more food, and Mitsui asked him to tell Akagi or Coach Anzai that he wanted to return to Shohoku.
• Akagi welcomed the news and planned to find Mitsui, while Kawamoto privately hoped Sakuragi would still get playing time.
• Kawamoto told his mother, Kazuko, that he would go fishing with Boss Kobayashi, and she packed clothes and rice balls while urging him to stay safe.
• Kawamoto and Kobayashi traveled to the Izu Peninsula and boarded the Matsusaka Maru, where they met basketball coach Rudy Tomjanovich.
• Kobayashi invited Rudy to watch Kawamoto play in the prefectural tournament, and Rudy said he would consider it.
• When Kawamoto helped haul in a net, he felt an unusually strong pull, and Boss Matsusaka warned that something was wrong.

Kawamoto Kazuki hauled a net holding more than three hundred kilos of skipjack tuna onto the boat, astonishing Rudy Tomjanovich with his strength. Afterward, Rudy learned Kawamoto played high school basketball and decided to visit his game in Yokohama, though he only said he would try to attend.

• Matsusaka and Kobayashi struggled to lift the heavy net, so Rudy joined them, but they still could not raise it onto the boat.
• Kawamoto took over and hauled the netful of skipjack tuna onto the deck by himself, leaving the others stunned.
• Rudy was impressed by Kawamoto's strength and decided he had to see the boy play basketball at the prefectural gymnasium in Yokohama.
• At lunch, Matsusaka thanked Kawamoto and offered to pay him whenever he joined the fishing trips.
• Rudy asked about Kawamoto's next game, learned it was on May nineteenth at nine in the morning, and said he would try to attend.

After returning from a successful fishing trip, Kawamoto Kazuki delivered seafood to people who had helped him and visited Hanamichi Sakuragi. Learning that Sakuragi lived alone, Kazuko offered to make him a nutritious boxed lunch each morning.

• Rudy Tomjanovich grew to respect Kawamoto Kazuki's steady diligence during two days at sea.
• Boss Matsusaka paid Kawamoto extra wages and gave him three boxes of fresh seafood, which Kawamoto and Kazuko sorted into gifts for their friends and employers.
• Kawamoto brought seafood to Sakuragi and learned that Sakuragi's father had died and his mother had been absent since he was little.
• Kawamoto told Kazuko about Sakuragi's circumstances, and she offered to prepare an extra nutritious boxed lunch for him every morning.

Shohoku prepared to face Miuradai in the first round of the prefectural tournament, but Coach Anzai surprised everyone by starting Kawamoto Kazuki alongside four reserves and leaving the team’s stars on the bench. Kawamoto promised to try to end the game in the first half as the opening tip-off approached.

• Kawamoto praised Mitsui’s practice shot, then declined Mitsui’s invitation to play before warming up.
• Akagi warned Shohoku that Miuradai had reached the quarterfinals the previous year, while Sakuragi misunderstood Shohoku’s past finish as a respectable result.
• Kawamoto gave Sakuragi a homemade bento, and Sakuragi loved it so much that he asked to be treated like Kawamoto’s little brother.
• At the tournament gym, Miuradai’s Murasame mocked Shohoku, while Ryonan’s players and the spectators questioned Shohoku’s unusual lineup.
• Coach Anzai named Kogure, Yasuda, Shiozaki, Kakuta, and Kawamoto as starters, told them to pass to Kawamoto whenever possible, and gave him permission to shoot freely.
• Kawamoto remained calm as Shohoku and Miuradai took the court for the opening tip, with the crowd expecting Miuradai to dominate.

Kawamoto Kazuki dominated the opening of Shohoku’s game against Miuradai, scoring three consecutive three-pointers in the first thirty seconds. After Miuradai fell behind 9-0, Kengo Murasame angrily announced that he would guard Kawamoto himself.

• Kawamoto Kazuki won the tip-in sequence, caught Kiminobu Kogure’s pass, and scored a three-pointer five seconds into the game.
• Kawamoto stole Kazuo Araki’s dribble and made another three-pointer to give Shohoku a 6-0 lead.
• Kawamoto stopped Araki’s drive, blocked his jump shot, chased down the ball, and scored his third three-pointer for a 9-0 lead.
• Ryota Miyagi, Takenori Akagi, Hisashi Mitsui, and Ryonan’s players reacted in disbelief to Kawamoto’s explosive start.
• Kengo Murasame shouted at Miuradai to switch defenders and declared that he would guard Kawamoto himself.

Kawamoto dominated Miuradai with steals, blocks, a rebound, and three-pointers as Shohoku raced to a 15-0 lead. Murasame tried to rally his team and defend Kawamoto, but Kawamoto fooled him into jumping again.

• Kawamoto stole Murasame’s pass and scored his fourth three-pointer, putting Shohoku ahead 12-0.
• Kawamoto blocked Kawasaki’s shot, then used a Shammgod move to get Murasame airborne and hit another three for a 15-0 lead.
• Murasame switched defensive assignments with Araki, then called for Miyamoto’s screen and missed a midrange shot.
• Kawamoto grabbed the rebound over Kawasaki and Kakuta, started a fast break with Yasuda, and received the ball back.
• Kawamoto repeated his shooting fake, and Murasame jumped desperately to block him.

Kawamoto Kazuki scored his sixth three-pointer to give Shohoku an 18-0 lead over Miuradai, prompting a timeout. As his teammates reckoned with his skill, Kawamoto encouraged the upperclassmen to take open shots if Miuradai began double-teaming him, and play resumed.

• Kawamoto pump-faked Murasame into the air again and sank a three, making the score 18-0 and forcing Miuradai to call a timeout.
• The Ryonan players criticized Murasame's defense while Akira Sendoh wondered whether Miuradai was truly as weak as the game suggested.
• Ryota Miyagi, Takenori Akagi, Hisashi Mitsui, and Kaede Rukawa each considered how Kawamoto's defense, rebounding, and scoring compared with their own abilities.
• Hanamichi Sakuragi celebrated Kawamoto's performance, and Kawamoto accepted Ayako's towel and checked in with Coach Anzai.
• Kawamoto warned Kogure, Yasuda, Shiozaki, and Kakuta that Miuradai might double- or triple-team him, and urged them to shoot immediately when he passed to them.
• Kogure, Yasuda, Shiozaki, and Kakuta agreed to trust Kawamoto's passes and help with shooting and rebounding as play resumed.

Kawamoto Kazuki dismantled Miuradai’s defense and offense, helping Shohoku build a 26-0 lead in less than five minutes. Miuradai’s players lost their composure, and their coach called his final first-half timeout with over thirty-five minutes still on the clock.

• Miuradai’s Murasame, Miyamoto, and Takatsu trapped Kawamoto, but he passed between Miyamoto’s legs to Shiozaki, then battled for rebounds after Shiozaki and Kogure missed shots.
• Kogure made his third open attempt after Kawamoto secured two offensive rebounds, putting Shohoku ahead 20-0.
• Kawamoto stole the ball from Araki and scored his seventh three-pointer, extending the lead to 23-0.
• Takatsu stopped running, and Murasame and Araki panicked while passing the ball between them until Kogure stole it and passed ahead to Kawamoto.
• Kawamoto caught Kogure’s pass and scored his eighth three-pointer, making it 26-0; Miuradai’s coach called a timeout as his players lost their fighting spirit.

Miuradai's coach gave up on the game and warned his players to face the realities awaiting them after graduation, leaving them too distracted to resist Shohoku's starters. Coach Anzai then asked Kawamoto about his future, and Kawamoto chose to stay in Japan for his mother's sake while pursuing his dream; Anzai promised to help him become Japan's number one.

• Miuradai's coach told Murasame and his teammates they could not beat the leading teams and urged them to prepare for life after graduation.
• Kawamoto asked Coach Anzai to substitute him, and Shohoku sent Akagi, Rukawa, Miyagi, Mitsui, and Sakuragi onto the court.
• Miuradai's players barely defended and shared stories of their families' struggles, while Mitsui scored an uncontested three-pointer.
• Coach Anzai told Kawamoto that Kanagawa's league was no longer enough for his ability and asked whether he dreamed of going to the United States.
• Kawamoto said he would remain in Japan to care for his recovering mother, improve his skills, and save money before seeking an opportunity abroad.
• Coach Anzai promised to help Kawamoto become Japan's number one, and Kawamoto vowed to give it everything he had.

Kawamoto Kazuki led Shohoku to a crushing victory over Miuradai, while Rudy Tomjanovich arrived too late to see his remarkable performance. After the game, Kawamoto's respectful words helped Miuradai captain Kengo Murasame regain some resolve, beginning an unexpected friendship.

• Rudy Tomjanovich arrived late, saw Shohoku leading Miuradai 68-0, and left without seeing Kawamoto Kazuki play.
• Shohoku finished the game with an even more lopsided score, and the teams lined up to exchange acknowledgments.
• Kengo Murasame angrily accused Kawamoto of mocking Miuradai when Kawamoto offered him a handshake.
• Kawamoto praised Miuradai's early confidence and determination, explaining that he respected their desire to win.
• Murasame accepted Kawamoto's handshake and found some relief from the humiliation of the loss.

After Shohoku’s lopsided win over Miuradai, Kawamoto Kazuki demonstrated his shot fake to Hisashi Mitsui and challenged the starters to prove themselves against Kakuno. Shohoku won 180-16, and Kawamoto began assessing the team’s weaknesses, starting with Takenori Akagi’s limited scoring range.

• Shinichi Maki told Nobunaga Kiyota and Soichiro Jin that Miuradai had treated its game against Shohoku like a joke, so the 102-0 result revealed little about Shohoku’s strength.
• Hisashi Mitsui asked Kawamoto Kazuki how he had fooled Murasame with a shot fake, and Kawamoto demonstrated the technique until Mitsui understood its key movements and went off to practice.
• Kawamoto told Akagi, Miyagi, Mitsui, Rukawa, and Sakuragi to show their full ability against Kakuno so he could identify weaknesses in their play.
• Three days later, Shohoku’s starters dominated Kakuno, with Mitsui using the new fake to create three-point shots, and won 180-16.
• Toru Hanagata watched Shohoku’s victory with Jun Uozumi and claimed Shoyo would beat Shohoku by at least twenty points.
• Kawamoto praised Shohoku’s offense but told Takenori Akagi to expand his scoring range and try bank shots, noting that his current offense relied on a small area beneath the basket.

Kawamoto advised Shohoku’s players on improving their games before the match against Takahata High. On the way to school, Mitsui tried to enlist Kawamoto’s help after seeing Tetsuo chased by bikers, but Kawamoto took his appeal literally and left Mitsui to save him alone.

• Kawamoto recommended bank shots to Akagi, jump shots and floaters to Miyagi, better passing decisions to Rukawa, and fearlessness in trying new skills to Sakuragi.
• Three days before Shohoku’s game against Takahata High, Kawamoto met Mitsui on the way to the station and explained that convincing fakes depended on a threatening three-point shot.
• Mitsui and Kawamoto saw several bikers chasing Tetsuo, and Mitsui decided he could not leave his brother in trouble.
• Mitsui gave Kawamoto an emotional speech meant to persuade him to help rescue Tetsuo, but Kawamoto agreed only to pass on Mitsui’s message.
• Kawamoto urged Mitsui to go save Tetsuo while he explained the situation to the team, leaving Mitsui stunned.

Kawamoto Kazuki reconsidered his refusal to help Mitsui and arrived in the alley just as Ryu threatened to cripple Mitsui’s hands. Kawamoto rescued Mitsui and confronted Ryu, ending with a chilling threat to hunt him down and beat him until he left Hiratsuka.

• Mitsui ran toward the alley to save Tetsuo after Kawamoto refused to help, and Kawamoto followed because he feared Mitsui’s basketball future would be ruined.
• Kawamoto found Tetsuo unconscious and bloodied while two thugs pinned Mitsui down and Ryu threatened him with a steel pipe.
• Kawamoto knocked out the two thugs, bent Ryu’s steel pipe, and punched a helmeted attacker unconscious.
• Ryu threatened to report Kawamoto to Shohoku, but Kawamoto dismissed the threat and warned that he would pursue and beat Ryu until he left Hiratsuka.

Kawamoto drove Ryu and his gang out of the alley, then helped Tetsuo consider a way to find work without relying on Mitsui’s family. As Mitsui and Kawamoto headed for the basketball game, Mitsui proposed taking a taxi and joked that he was a rich kid.

• Kawamoto threatened Ryu until he fled the alley, leaving his unconscious companions behind.
• Tetsuo told Mitsui he had struggled to find work and refused Mitsui’s offer to ask his father for help.
• Tetsuo thanked Kawamoto and said goodbye to Mitsui as he prepared to leave.
• Kawamoto suggested Tetsuo explore connecting skilled temporary workers with clients in Hiratsuka.
• Tetsuo thanked Kawamoto again, then rode away on his motorcycle with renewed hope.
• Mitsui suggested taking a taxi to the prefectural gymnasium, and Kawamoto called him a simple, down-to-earth rich kid.

Shohoku overwhelmed Takahata while Shoyo’s Kenji Fujima and Toru Hanagata watched and planned how to counter them. On the bench, Kawamoto Kazuki analyzed Shoyo and proposed that he start at point guard to exploit their guards’ disadvantages in size and strength.

• Coach Anzai told Kawamoto Kazuki to rest his injured hand during Shohoku’s game against Takahata and invited him to watch from the bench.
• Shohoku surged to a 15-2 lead, while Kenji Fujima and Toru Hanagata watched from the stands and assessed Shohoku’s players and weaknesses.
• Kawamoto reviewed Shoyo’s roster with Ayako and concluded that Shoyo relied chiefly on Kenji Fujima and Toru Hanagata.
• Kawamoto recommended that Takenori Akagi focus on defense and rebounding, while Shohoku used its other scorers to attack Shoyo.
• Kawamoto proposed starting at point guard against Shoyo, arguing that his height and strength would let him overwhelm Kenji Fujima or Taku Ito.

After Shohoku’s commanding win over Takahata, the team practiced with renewed intensity ahead of its game against Shoyo. Watching Kawamoto bring his teammates together made Akagi reflect on their bond and the limited time he had left with them before he rallied everyone to keep practicing.

• Shohoku defeated Takahata High School 128-36 and advanced to the final sixteen of the prefectural tournament.
• Kawamoto’s teammates were already practicing before the scheduled morning session, with Mitsui challenging Kogure, Sakuragi facing Akagi, and Miyagi seeking Rukawa’s advice.
• Mitsui challenged Kawamoto to defend him, but Kawamoto blocked his shot and Mitsui returned to practicing against Kogure.
• Kakuta, Shiozaki, Yasuda, Sasaoka, Ishii, and Kuwata asked Kawamoto for help, and he gave each of them specific advice.
• Akagi watched Kawamoto guide the team and reflected on their closeness, his dream of winning the national championship, and his regret that he had only a few months left with them.
• Akagi pushed aside his emotion, returned to the court, and urged everyone to make the most of practice before the Shoyo game.