Chapter Summaries

Kawamoto recalled a fierce fight with a biker who had vowed to claim Shonan, then watched Kainan overwhelm Takezono at the prefectural gymnasium. As Takezono’s cheer squad mourned the loss, the Sakuragi Gang pretended to be Kawamoto to impress the girls and promised Shohoku would defeat Kainan.

• Kawamoto remembered the biker he had fought on Route 134 and suspected the boy had failed to establish control over Shonan.
• Kawamoto joined Akagi, the Sakuragi Gang, and Shohoku players to watch Kainan face Takezono at the prefectural gymnasium.
• Muto, Jin, and Kiyota led Kainan in crushing Takezono during the first half without using all of Kainan’s starters.
• Takamiya, Okusu, and Noma approached the distressed Takezono cheer squad and falsely claimed that each of them was Kawamoto.
• The Sakuragi Gang promised the girls that Shohoku would beat Kainan and avenge Takezono, then Takamiya asked for their contact details.

After Kainan defeated Takezono, Kawamoto Kazuki and Shinichi Maki met briefly, with both looking ahead to facing each other on the court. Two days later, Maki saw Kawamoto working at Toyomi Fish Market and was shocked to discover the life he led outside basketball.

• Takamiya, Okusu, and Noma accepted the Takezono girls’ phone numbers, then worried the girls would come cheer for them as the Kawamoto brothers against Kainan.
• Takamiya returned to Shohoku’s stands and impressed Kawamoto Kazuki with his vivid descriptions of the Takezono girls.
• Kainan defeated Takezono and advanced, then Shinichi Maki shook hands with Kawamoto in the passage as their teams crossed paths.
• Two days later, Riki Takato brought Maki to Toyomi Fish Market, where Maki watched Kawamoto tirelessly unload heavy bonito alongside the fishermen.

Riki Takato showed Shinichi Maki the hardships Kawamoto Kazuki endured while balancing basketball with work and survival, prompting Maki to apologize for his earlier remarks. Takato offered Kawamoto a place at Kainan with a full tuition waiver and a possible three-million-yen annual stipend, and Kawamoto left the choice open as he weighed it against his own plans.

• Riki Takato explained to Shinichi Maki how Kawamoto Kazuki worked at a fish market and convenience store to support his family while still training for basketball.
• Maki watched Kawamoto work and realized their different circumstances had shaped their paths, then apologized to Kawamoto for his earlier comments.
• Riki Takato offered Kawamoto admission to Kainan with tuition and fees waived and said he would seek a special stipend of three million yen a year.
• Kawamoto calculated the offer against his own savings and plans, deciding that Kainan was a safe fallback but that waiting five years would be too long.
• Kawamoto said he would consider the offer and give Takato an answer before the next school year began.

As Shohoku prepared to face Kainan, Kawamoto weighed the different gambles everyone was making and resolved to win his own. On game day, Kainan and Shohoku faced off as Kainan’s players entered the court.

• Sakuragi noticed Kawamoto seemed distracted, and Kawamoto reflected on how his Shohoku teammates accepted him without judging his family or work.
• Akagi reminded Kawamoto that the game against Kainan was his chance to conquer Kanagawa, and Kawamoto agreed to focus on winning.
• During his night shift, Kawamoto compared Kainan’s scholarship offer with his risky summer vacation plan, then chose to gamble on his own future.
• Kawamoto thought about the ambitions and sacrifices of the biker, Kainan’s players, and Shohoku’s teammates, and concluded that he had to win his own gamble.
• Kawamoto went to bed early after work and translating Ode to Gallantry, then Kainan and Shohoku gathered for their game the next day.
• Shinichi Maki led Soichiro Jin, Nobunaga Kiyota, Kazuma Takasago, and Tadashi Muto onto the court as Kainan’s supporters called out, “Ever victorious!”

Shohoku prepared to face Kainan as the stands filled with supporters, defeated rivals, and people placing their hopes on Kawamoto Kazuki. Coach Anzai named the starting lineup and ordered Kawamoto to suppress Shinichi Maki on offense and defense.

• Takamiya, Okusu, and Noma pretended to be Kawamoto Kazuki’s older brothers and told Takezono’s girls that he was their weakest brother playing in red number 15.
• Hotta’s group, the Shoyo team, and Murasame’s Miuradai companions arrived to cheer for or watch Kawamoto, while Ryonan players basked in praise for their recent 51-point victory.
• Coach Anzai announced Miyagi, Rukawa, Mitsui, Akagi, and Kawamoto as Shohoku’s starters against Kainan.
• Coach Anzai told Kawamoto to break Maki’s defensive confidence and prevent him from directing Kainan’s offense and transition game.

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.