Recaps

Kainan opened the game by assigning Nobunaga Kiyota to shadow Kawamoto Kazuki, freeing Shinichi Maki to steal the ball from Ryota Miyagi and score. Shohoku answered with a quick passing move that let Kawamoto burst past Kiyota and race toward the basket.

• Coach Anzai assigned Akagi to protect the basket, Mitsui to attack with threes, Rukawa as a second scoring option, and Miyagi to control the tempo and support Kawamoto.
• Coach Takato ordered Kiyota to stick to Kawamoto so Maki could conserve his energy and attack Shohoku’s weaker players.
• Akagi won the opening jump ball, but Maki stole Miyagi’s dribble and scored a layup after Kiyota delayed Kawamoto’s pursuit.
• Miyagi passed to Kawamoto, who immediately returned the ball and accelerated past Kiyota as Kainan’s defense struggled to recover.

Kawamoto Kazuki and Kainan traded baskets as Kainan’s disciplined team play answered his explosive scoring. Kawamoto then carved through Kainan’s defense for a difficult layup, leaving the crowd and reporters stunned by the breadth of his skill.

• Kawamoto Kazuki dunked off Miyagi’s pass to tie the score at 2-2.
• Maki coordinated Kainan’s attack, drawing Shohoku’s zone toward the strong side before passing to Jin for an open corner three that made the score 5-2.
• Kawamoto beat Kiyota with a behind-the-back dribble and drove at Maki, using fakes and a crossover to get past him.
• Muto swiped at the ball and Takasago challenged Kawamoto at the rim, but Kawamoto switched hands in midair and scored off the glass to make it 5-4.
• The crowd and Sanae Nakagawa watched in disbelief as Kawamoto’s polished footwork and composure revealed skills he had not shown against Shoyo.

Kawamoto surprised Kainan by using refined driving skills to score, then shifted to a team-oriented approach while Shohoku attacked inside and Kainan relied on its perimeter shooting. With Kainan leading 19-16 less than five minutes into the game, Maki beat Miyagi off the dribble and drew Mitsui over to help.

• Kawamoto used fakes, changes of direction, and a composed finish to break through Kainan's defense and score.
• Kainan's players and Shohoku's bench reacted with shock as they recognized the depth of Kawamoto's offensive skills.
• After scoring twice, Kawamoto chose to support Shohoku's team play rather than continue attacking on his own.
• Shohoku focused on Akagi's advantage inside while Kainan leaned on Maki and Jin's scoring, taking a 19-16 lead.
• Maki drove past Miyagi, and Mitsui moved over to help defend him.

Maki answered Shohoku's pressure with a basket and a foul shot, but Kawamoto then sparked a three-pointer run that gave Shohoku the lead. Kainan called timeout and adjusted its matchups, putting Maki on Kawamoto and shifting its offense toward perimeter shooting.

• Maki evaded Mitsui and Rukawa, scored a floater through contact, and made the extra free throw to give Kainan a 22-16 lead.
• Akagi urged Kawamoto to take charge, and Kawamoto answered with a three-pointer that cut the gap to three.
• After a Kainan miss, Kawamoto hit another three to tie the score at 22-22.
• Kawamoto made a third three on Shohoku's fast break, putting Shohoku ahead 25-22 and prompting Takato to call timeout.
• Takato sent Muto out and Miyamasu in, assigned Maki to guard Kawamoto, and told Kainan to rely on perimeter shooters on offense.

Yoshinori Miyamasu punished Ryota Miyagi’s defense with deep three-pointers, while Kawamoto Kazuki used a convincing fake to score over Maki. Kainan tied the game again through Soichiro Jin, and Maki prepared for Kawamoto’s next move without jumping at the same fake.

• Riki Takato sent Yoshinori Miyamasu onto the court, and Miyamasu surprised Ryota Miyagi by making a deep three-pointer to tie the score at 25-25.
• Miyamasu made another three-pointer, bringing Kainan level at 31-31 and frustrating Miyagi.
• Kawamoto Kazuki used a shooting fake to make Maki jump, then scored a three-pointer to put Shohoku ahead 34-31.
• Soichiro Jin escaped Mitsui with the help of screens from Takasago and Kiyota, then made a corner three-pointer to tie the score at 34-34.
• Kawamoto tried the same Shammgod fake against Maki, but Maki stayed grounded.

Maki touched Kawamoto's three-point shot, and Rukawa's follow-up jumper put Shohoku ahead 36–34. Kainan drew confidence from the stop, but Kawamoto's next jump revealed a far greater height, leaving Maki and the team stunned.

• Maki anticipated Kawamoto's shot and grazed the ball, sending it off the back rim.
• Akagi grabbed the rebound and passed to Rukawa, who scored a midrange jumper to give Shohoku a 36–34 lead.
• Kainan celebrated Maki's successful contest, and Coach Riki Takato urged the team to believe Kawamoto's threes could be stopped.
• Kawamoto showed no frustration, and his cold, focused gaze unsettled Maki.
• After Rukawa stole Kainan's pass and gave Kawamoto the ball, Maki prepared to contest him again.
• Kawamoto jumped with a height unlike his previous shots, stunning Maki, Takato, and Kainan's bench.

Kawamoto overwhelmed Maki with his height and defense, and Shohoku turned Kainan’s stalled offense into a decisive run. Kaede Rukawa caught fire, extending Shohoku’s lead to 16 points by the end of the chapter.

• Kawamoto hit a three-pointer over Maki, then stole the ball and dunked to put Shohoku ahead 41-34.
• After Maki answered with a basket, Kawamoto assisted Kaede Rukawa on a layup, and Rukawa later stole the ball and scored on a fast break.
• Rukawa sank a midrange jumper, and Kawamoto’s defense forced Kainan into a missed shot before he set up Rukawa for an alley-oop dunk.
• Kainan called a timeout as Shohoku’s lead reached 13 points, but Kawamoto continued disrupting Maki and Kainan’s passing lanes.
• Kawamoto stole another pass and found Rukawa on the wing, where Rukawa made a three-pointer to give Shohoku a 52-36 lead.

Shohoku built a 62-40 halftime lead over Kainan as Kawamoto and Rukawa overwhelmed their opponents. In the locker room, Coach Takato explained that Kawamoto surpassed Maki in nearly every aspect, while Shohoku’s advantage remained formidable.

• Rukawa scored repeatedly with Kawamoto’s help as Shohoku turned a 34-34 tie into a 62-40 lead.
• Ryonan’s players watched Shohoku’s run in stunned silence, and Sendoh said he could try guarding Maki but would not attempt to stop Kawamoto.
• Miyagi missed Shohoku’s last shot of the half, and the halftime whistle ended Kainan’s ordeal on the court.
• Maki asked Coach Takato to let him challenge Kawamoto one-on-one and assign Kiyota to guard Kawamoto.
• Takato told Maki that Kiyota could not contain Kawamoto and described how Kawamoto exceeded Maki in offense, defense, playmaking, and stamina.

Riki Takato concluded that Shohoku was not stronger than Sannoh as a team, but Kawamoto Kazuki was a wild card beyond the limits of high school basketball. As the second half began, Kainan fought Shohoku with everything it had despite falling further behind.

• Riki Takato compared Shohoku’s players with Sannoh’s and said Kawamoto could outmatch any opponent, whatever position he played.
• Riki Takato urged Kainan to learn from facing Kawamoto and keep fighting until the final moment.
• Maki attacked Shohoku’s paint repeatedly, while Kiyota pursued Rukawa and Takasago battled Akagi for rebounds.
• Kainan’s players kept running, contesting possessions, and diving for loose balls as the score gap widened.
• The crowd cheered Kainan’s defiance, and Shohoku answered their opponents’ effort with its own full commitment.

Shohoku defeated Kainan 138–94, with Kawamoto Kazuki leading the rout with 52 points and a dominant all-around performance. Ryonan renewed its resolve to claim the remaining nationals berth, while Kainan accepted the loss and vowed to challenge Shohoku again.

• Hanamichi Sakuragi entered in the second half and grabbed rebounds and scored midrange shots as Mitsui and Jin traded three-pointers.
• Kawamoto Kazuki controlled the game with scoring and assists, and Shohoku beat Kainan 138–94 as Kawamoto finished with 52 points, 11 assists, 5 steals, 3 blocks, and 8 rebounds.
• Moichi Taoka told Ryonan that they could not beat Shohoku but urged them to win their remaining games and defeat Kainan for a nationals berth, rekindling the team's fighting spirit.
• Spectators from Takezono, Murasame's group, and Shoyo reacted to Shohoku's victory, with Fujima and his teammates accepting their earlier loss to Shohoku.
• Shinichi Maki congratulated Kawamoto and promised Kainan would return stronger, while Nobunaga Kiyota accepted Kawamoto as a friend despite losing the top rookie title.

At Shohoku’s intrasquad game, Kawamoto sits out because his skill would make the result one-sided and tells Ayako he simply wants to keep playing basketball. He then asks Haruko about her feelings for Rukawa, but explains that he believes Sakuragi would choose her over basketball.

• Sakuragi and Nango protest when Miyagi moves Kawamoto to the upperclassmen’s side, but Akagi rules that Kawamoto will not play in the intrasquad game.
• Ayako asks Kawamoto whether he has a girlfriend and what his dream is, and he says he is single and only wants to keep playing basketball.
• Ayako tells Kawamoto she hopes to become a professional basketball agent and asks him to hire her if he becomes a professional player; he agrees.
• Kawamoto asks Haruko whether she has feelings for Rukawa, leaving her flustered and expecting a confession.
• Kawamoto says Rukawa’s world centers on basketball, but he believes Sakuragi would choose Haruko over basketball if forced to choose.

Kawamoto’s words made Haruko reconsider her feelings for Sakuragi, while Shohoku’s intrasquad scrimmage and blowout win over Takezato showed the team’s growing strength. With the prefectural tournament nearing its end, attention shifted to the decisive Kainan-Ryonan match for a place at nationals.

• Kawamoto told Haruko that Sakuragi would grow into someone she could rely on, and Haruko began seeing Sakuragi’s attention to her in a new light.
• Shohoku’s upperclassmen narrowly beat the underclassmen 48-46 in a scrimmage, with Mitsui hitting the winning three-pointer.
• Coach Anzai rejected Kawamoto’s request to sit out against Takezato and told him to play half the game to protect his scoring-title lead.
• Kawamoto recorded thirty-five assists against Takezato, helping Mitsui score forty first-half points as Shohoku won 158-21.
• After Shohoku’s victory, Kainan and Ryonan prepared to face each other in a match that would decide who advanced to nationals.

Kainan defeated Ryonan 84-82 in a deciding game after Maki led Kainan and Sendoh spearheaded a late Ryonan comeback. After the final buzzer, the chapter shifted to a dispute at Basketball Weekly over Sanae Nakagawa’s report on Kawamoto and Yayoi Aida’s praise of him.

• Sendoh, Fukuda, Uozumi, and Ikegami helped Ryonan trade baskets with Maki, Jin, Kiyota, and Takasago, and Kainan led 47-42 at halftime.
• Maki scored and created chances after halftime, while Takasago drew fouls on Uozumi until Uozumi fouled out with his fifth; Kainan built its advantage.
• Sendoh answered with a three-pointer, a fast-break score, and an alley-oop assist to Fukuda, but Maki set up Jin for a late three to put Kainan ahead by five.
• Sendoh cut the deficit to two with a long-range three, then missed a contested fadeaway as the buzzer sounded, giving Kainan an 84-82 win.
• Maki and Sendoh praised each other after the game, while Uozumi, Fukuda, and Ikegami reacted to the loss; Jin called Ikegami the strongest defender he had faced.
• At Basketball Weekly, Ichiro Yoshida questioned Sanae Nakagawa’s report on Kawamoto, Yayoi Aida defended it, and Aida and Nakagawa traded barbs about Aida’s age and interest in Kawamoto.

Shohoku and Ryonan began their game, with Taoka assigning Koshino to provoke Kawamoto into a one-on-one matchup. Kawamoto dominated their early exchanges, while Akagi blocked Fukuda at the rim, leaving Fukuda determined to challenge him again.

• Taoka put Sendoh in charge and instructed Koshino to draw Kawamoto into a one-on-one matchup.
• Koshino challenged Kawamoto, then drove into him and lost the ball as Rukawa grabbed it and dunked to give Shohoku a 2-0 lead.
• Koshino collided with Kawamoto again while passing to Sendoh, who scored a midrange jumper to tie the game at 2-2.
• Rukawa set up Kawamoto for a three-pointer, and Kawamoto later stole the ball from Koshino and made another three, putting Shohoku ahead 8-2.
• Fukuda attacked the basket, but Akagi blocked his dunk; Fukuda grew angry and attacked Akagi again on the next play.

Shohoku dominated Ryonan as Kawamoto’s three-point shooting overwhelmed Sendoh, but the game ended with Jun Uozumi and Takenori Akagi facing off in a final one-on-one duel. Uozumi scored over Akagi, and both teams applauded their three-year rivals as the final whistle ended the game.

• Kawamoto scored repeatedly, including three consecutive threes over Sendoh, while Shohoku extended its lead over Ryonan.
• With seventeen seconds left and Shohoku leading 89-56, Ryonan’s players cleared space so Fukuda could pass the ball to Uozumi in the paint.
• Uozumi and Akagi battled for position, and Uozumi used his Giant Whale Tail Swing to get past Akagi and score.
• Akagi applauded Uozumi, and Shohoku’s players and the crowd joined in honoring their duel.
• The referee ended the game with Shohoku ahead 89-58, and Uozumi and Akagi silently acknowledged each other’s effort.

Shohoku celebrated its 89-58 victory over Ryonan and received the Kanagawa tournament championship trophy. Kawamoto Kazuki won the MVP award, while he, Takenori Akagi, Kaede Rukawa, and Hanamichi Sakuragi made the All-Tournament Five, leaving Shohoku with four of the five spots.

• Shohoku defeated Ryonan by 31 points, and both teams celebrated or reflected on the result as the court was cleared for the ceremony.
• Kainan received the runner-up trophy, then Takenori Akagi accepted the championship trophy for Shohoku.
• Kawamoto Kazuki received the tournament MVP award.
• Shinichi Maki, Takenori Akagi, Kaede Rukawa, Hanamichi Sakuragi, and Kawamoto Kazuki were named to the All-Tournament Five.
• Hanamichi Sakuragi celebrated his selection, while Haruko Akagi watched him and reconsidered her feelings as she remembered Kawamoto's words about Sakuragi.

Kawamoto Kazuki asked Dr. Kitakura about the best American hospitals for treating heart disease, seeking options for his mother's care. He learned that the Cleveland Clinic was Dr. Kitakura's top recommendation and was left considering the distant possibility of taking his mother there.

• Kawamoto Kazuki met Dr. Kitakura while working at the convenience store, and they discussed Shohoku's championship and Kawamoto's MVP award.
• Kawamoto asked Dr. Kitakura which United States hospital was best for heart disease, and Dr. Kitakura recommended the Cleveland Clinic for complex congenital heart conditions.
• Dr. Kitakura gave Kawamoto his business card and explained that he had left Kanagawa General Hospital for Kitamura Private Clinic to practice with fewer institutional constraints.
• Dr. Kitakura offered to help Kawamoto with hospital contacts, specialists, costs, and procedures, and reminded him to care for his health and his mother's follow-up visits.
• After Dr. Kitakura left, Kawamoto studied the business card and gazed into the night, thinking of Cleveland.

Kawamoto gave Nozomi Takamiya a translated manuscript and urged him to adapt its ideas into a story of his own. Inspired by the manuscript, Takamiya began writing Naruto, opening with the Nine-Tails attack on the Hidden Leaf Village and Naruto's birth.

• Kawamoto gave Takamiya the translated manuscript and asked him to read it before meeting again.
• After reading through the night, Takamiya demanded to know what happened next, and Kawamoto challenged him to write the continuation himself.
• Kawamoto explained how Takamiya could adapt the story's ideas into a ninja setting, and Takamiya agreed to try.
• Takamiya went home, skipped the pachinko parlor, and began writing a story titled Naruto.
• Takamiya's opening depicted Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki during the Nine-Tails attack, Naruto's birth, and a masked figure discussing Madara Uchiha's plan.

Akagi announced that players who failed four subjects and their makeup exams would lose their eligibility for club activities and nationals, sending the Shohoku team into a panic. Kawamoto offered to take Sakuragi’s exams, and the chapter ended as Sakuragi wrote Kawamoto Kazuki’s name on his exam paper.

• Akagi told the team that final exams began in two days and warned that failing four subjects and the makeup exams would cost them their eligibility.
• Sakuragi begged Kawamoto to tutor him in all his subjects, but Kawamoto said he would take Sakuragi’s exams and have Sakuragi practice copying his handwriting.
• The day before the exams, Sakuragi swaggered around campus and taunted Rukawa, Nango, Miyagi, and Mitsui about his supposed academic confidence.
• On exam day, Sakuragi carefully wrote Kawamoto Kazuki’s name on his paper.

Kawamoto Kazuki joined Yoko Minamino on a three-day fishing trip, where their strength contest turned into a life-saving partnership during a sudden storm. After the boat returned, Kawamoto headed toward Heike with Boss Kobayashi and encountered Koichiro Nango and several motorcycles blocking the road.

• Boss Matsusaka introduced Kawamoto Kazuki to Yoko Minamino before the Matsusaka Maru sailed offshore.
• Kawamoto and Yoko Minamino competed to carry heavy fishing gear and baskets of fish, earning each other's attention.
• A sudden storm battered the boat, and Kawamoto kicked a sliding toolbox away from Boss Kobayashi.
• Kawamoto grabbed a snapped steel cable while Yoko Minamino secured it with spare rope, preventing further damage to the boat.
• After the storm, Yoko Minamino acknowledged Kawamoto's strength and became his friend; they exchanged phone numbers at the harbor.
• Kawamoto traveled toward Heike with Boss Kobayashi and saw Koichiro Nango and several motorcycles blocking the road.

Kawamoto Kazuki reunited with Kyosuke Masaki and persuaded the Racing Angels to start a daytime delivery business while keeping their nighttime rides. Two days later, exam results revealed that Kawamoto had scored zero in all seven subjects.

• Kawamoto recognized Kyosuke Masaki, and Kyosuke agreed to lend him bikes and invited him to join the Racing Angels.
• Kawamoto proposed that the Racing Angels earn money and pursue speed by making daytime deliveries under a separate business name.
• Kyosuke and the Racing Angels accepted Kawamoto’s plan, and Kyosuke put him in charge of their daytime operations.
• Kawamoto agreed to join the Racing Angels, while Kyosuke insisted that he also take part in nighttime gang activities.
• Two days later, exam results showed Kawamoto had scored zero in modern Japanese, mathematics, English, history, geography, biology, and physics.

Shohoku’s teachers discovered that Kawamoto Kazuki had scored zeros on every final exam, but assumed his papers were invalid and eagerly tried to protect his chance to play at nationals. When Akagi and the other basketball players asked for makeup exams, the teachers refused until Kawamoto spoke up for them, leaving the team stunned by his influence.

• Shohoku’s teachers discussed Kawamoto Kazuki’s seven zeroes and planned to replace his scores with perfect marks, believing he was an exceptional student who had been exhausted by work and basketball.
• Takenori Akagi, Kiminobu Kogure, Hisashi Mitsui, Ryota Miyagi, Kaede Rukawa, and Koichiro Nango asked the teachers for makeup exams after failing, while the teachers warmly fussed over Kawamoto and dismissed the others’ appeal.
• Mr. Matsumoto refused to grant the players makeup exams and told them to ask Principal Takeo Tanaka for an exception.
• Kawamoto asked the teachers to give his teammates another chance, and they promptly agreed to makeup exams with somewhat easier questions.
• The teachers discussed how to explain Kawamoto’s exam results to the principal, while the basketball players left the office stunned.

After the Shohoku Basketball Team passed their makeup exams, Kawamoto helped Nozomi Takamiya finish the first two volumes of Naruto and submitted them to Sanae Nakagawa for consideration. Nakagawa praised its potential and planned to recommend it for serialization, while Kawamoto then headed to Kyosuke Masaki's motorcycle warehouse to meet Kengo Murasame and the others.

• Takenori Akagi and Kiminobu Kogure's crash tutoring helped every Shohoku player pass the makeup exams, and summer vacation began.
• Nozomi Takamiya brought Kawamoto the first drafts of Naruto volumes one and two, and they spent the day revising the manuscripts together.
• Kawamoto submitted the Naruto manuscripts to Sanae Nakagawa, who read them and praised the story's potential for serialization in Weekly Shonen Sunday.
• Sanae Nakagawa agreed to discuss the manuscript with her editor-in-chief and recommend it to the Sunday editorial department.
• Kawamoto went to Kyosuke Masaki's motorcycle warehouse, where Kengo Murasame, Senichiro Nango, and the others had gathered.

Kawamoto introduced Flash Wind Express as a real delivery business that would sell speed and convenience to customers across Shonan. He laid out its target markets and explained how the group could turn people’s urgent needs and reluctance to spend time running errands into repeat business.

• Kawamoto warned the assembled bikers and former basketball players that the venture could fail, but nobody chose to leave.
• Kawamoto named the business Flash Wind Express and described its product as time, certainty, and reliable delivery rather than delivery itself.
• Kawamoto identified students, small business owners, tourists and residents, and office workers living alone as the service’s main customer groups.
• Kawamoto focused on office workers’ last-minute needs, proposing errands such as buying discounted beef or coffee, obtaining medicine through legal channels, and retrieving forgotten documents.
• Kawamoto argued that serving neighborhoods with predictable routines and urgent small needs would create repeat customers who paid to avoid the time and effort of running errands.

Kawamoto organized the preparations for Flash Wind Express, explaining how the group could serve customers who wanted everyday errands handled quickly. The group committed to opening within a week, though the business’s prospects remained uncertain.

• Kawamoto identified people living in studio apartments as a fourth customer category and told Kyosuke Masaki and Kengo Murasame how to serve tired office workers.
• Kawamoto laid out three preparation steps: secure a storefront, install a phone line, and distribute flyers.
• Kyosuke Masaki offered to arrange the phone installation through his contact at the telephone bureau, while Kawamoto agreed to answer calls at first.
• Kengo Murasame volunteered to have his brother’s printing shop design and print the flyers.
• Kawamoto assigned Nango and the other bikers to service the bikes and add Flash Wind Express decals and its phone number.
• Kawamoto set a one-week deadline for the storefront, phone, flyers, and bikes, and Kyosuke Masaki rallied the group to begin work.