Sakuragi

Biodata

Power Progression

Sakuragi’s documented development consists of basketball skills and athletic benchmarks, rather than personal system levels.

Background / History

Sakuragi comes from Wako Junior High School and belongs to a five-boy delinquent group. The group has a fearsome reputation, but does not casually bully ordinary people or associate with gangs outside school. Sakuragi and his friends have little money and take odd jobs to cover living expenses, sometimes being cheated by employers. He owns so few clothes that he continues wearing his junior-high uniform after graduation 1 8.

His introduction to basketball follows Yoko’s rejection of his confession: she tells him that she likes Oda from the basketball club. Shortly afterward, Shirasawa challenges Sakuragi to a fight under a wager requiring the loser to follow the winner. Shirasawa defeats him decisively, intending to recruit him for Shohoku 6 7.

Although initially hostile to basketball, Sakuragi honors the wager and visits Shirasawa. The promise of defeating Oda gets him onto the riverside court, where Shirasawa supplies him with a tracksuit and begins teaching the fundamentals. Watching Shirasawa’s dunks gradually turns reluctant participation into genuine enthusiasm 8 9 10.

Sakuragi’s father is deceased. When Anzai is hospitalized following a car accident, seeing the coach in a hospital room brings back memories of his father’s death. Despite finding Anzai awake, Sakuragi runs out in tears 105.

His initial desire to impress Yoko eventually develops alongside an independent attachment to basketball. During the celebration of his record-breaking rebounding performance against Tsukubu, he realizes that he has already fallen in love with the sport 61.

Appearance

• Bright red hair: His most conspicuous feature, drawing attention whenever he walks with his friends 6 10.
• Tall, powerful build: Stands 188 cm tall, with the strength and explosiveness to dominate Shohoku’s fitness tests alongside Shirasawa 15.
• Clothing: Initially trains in his Wako uniform before receiving a tracksuit from Shirasawa; later wears Shohoku’s number 10 jersey 8 22.
• Shaved hairstyle: Shaves his head during Anzai’s intensive training period. Yoko enthusiastically approves of the change, and his red buzz cut remains conspicuous at the national final 157 218.
• Representative uniform: Is announced as Kanagawa’s number 18 power forward for the warm-up game against Chiba 343.

Personality

Sakuragi is boastful, impulsive, and eager to perform before an audience. He repeatedly calls himself a genius, announces that he will rule Shohoku’s basketball team, and treats his confrontation with Akagi as a chance for a schoolwide debut. Praise and challenges aimed at his pride are especially effective ways to motivate him 9 12 21.

His confidence is fragile when results repeatedly contradict it. Failed dunks briefly discourage him, while his inability to make close-range shots leaves him worrying that Yoko will be disappointed. Nevertheless, he sustains more than a month of demanding practice and takes real satisfaction in seeing himself improve 9 20 48.

He also shows loyalty and a developing capacity for restraint. He keeps his wager with Shirasawa despite his reluctance, suppresses the urge to punch Oda so that he can face him on the court, and intervenes when Oda strikes Yoko 8 23 25.

Public recognition affects him differently from his usual self-promotion. After dunking over a Takahata defender, he is briefly quiet and surprised that the crowd is cheering specifically for him. The arena’s later “Rebound King” chant similarly leaves him dazed before he openly embraces the title 53 61.

His work ethic becomes increasingly dependable. Anzai trusts him to complete daily shooting assignments without merely pretending to practice, while his willingness to accept a week of punishing individual training contrasts with his earlier impatience toward fundamentals. Against Hoshino, he accepts praise without losing focus, surprising his teammates 116 157 197.

His competitive pride also acquires a more realistic basis. He continues boasting, but recognizes that many opponents are genuinely strong and that further improvement is necessary. His rivalry with Rukawa includes an unwillingness to see anyone else defeat him: although Sakuragi insults him from the sideline, he privately wants Rukawa to resist Sawakita rather than lose 208 247.

His stubbornness can become dangerous. During the national final, he conceals severe lower-back pain, continues fighting for rebounds, and insists that he is fine even after collapsing 236.

Abilities & Skills

Athleticism

Sakuragi’s physical gifts substantially exceed his basketball experience.

• Jumping: Records a 99 cm standing vertical, exceeding Shirasawa’s 96 cm result 15.
• Strength: Bench-presses 120 kg and can withstand heavy midair contact with Akagi 13 15.
• Speed and recovery: Recovers rapidly after being beaten off the dribble and can separate from Oda through changes of direction 13 26.
• Stamina: Maintains fundamentals training during the day and extra rebounding work at night, although the combined workload exhausts even him 20.
• Limit: Physical superiority is not universal; Naito proves stronger in direct contests 45.
• Sustained high-intensity movement: Repeatedly runs and battles Hoshino until the latter suffers a thigh cramp and leaves the court. Anzai identifies this stamina as another result of training camp 197.
• Explosiveness against taller players: Uses rapid takeoffs and body adjustment to erase height disadvantages against Chariot Country’s interior players 255.
• Physical development: A month of special training before nationals brings his body to a much higher level, complementing his natural rebounding instincts 255.

Rebounding and Interior Positioning

Akagi identifies rebounding as Sakuragi’s route to becoming a useful inside player.

• Possesses an innate sense for rebounds that Akagi considers better than his own 20.
• Uses repeated jumps to collect four or five consecutive offensive rebounds over Kakuta 48.
• Learns to seal opponents behind his body and deny entry passes 24 42.
• Remains vulnerable to experienced opponents’ leverage and concealed physical tactics; Oda prevents him from jumping during an early rebound contest 24.
• Holds Nango behind him with a firm box-out to secure his record-breaking 22nd rebound against Tsukubu. He finishes with 25 rebounds, establishing a new Kanagawa Prefecture tournament single-game record 61.
• Outjumps Takano and Nagano after Akagi blocks Hanagata, then immediately throws an outlet pass that starts a fast break 70.
• Combines rebounding with transition awareness, beating Kiyota to a loose ball and sending it upcourt to Shirasawa against Kainan 95.
• Eventually surpasses Akagi as a rebounder. His anticipation of both short and long rebounds lets him reach landing points that players relying primarily on strength and boxing out cannot consistently cover 255.
• Finishes second on the national tournament rebounding leaderboard behind Hiroshi Morishige, whose overwhelming power gives him the advantage in their first direct matchup 255.
• Anticipates misses from shooting form, immediately calling for a rebound and securing position during an internal Shohoku scrimmage 286.

Dunking and Alley-Oops

Dunking becomes Sakuragi’s most dependable scoring method.

• Executes a self alley-oop off the backboard to score over Akagi 13.
• Times backdoor cuts with Shirasawa’s passes, trusting the ball to reach him after he jumps 16.
• Finishes a no-look alley-oop over Oda and later converts Shirasawa’s elbow pass against Kakuno 24 25 50.
• Depends heavily on positioning and service from teammates; ordinary layups and short shots remain much less reliable 16 26.
• Learns to make dunks through contact a standard offensive option rather than an occasional spectacular play. Shirasawa instructs him to attack the rim immediately when receiving the ball on the move within jumping range 52.
• Scores all 14 of his points against Takahata through dunks, taking eight shots and adding 11 rebounds. His unsuccessful attempt from too far out also earns a foul, illustrating the limits of indiscriminate aggression 53 54.
• Adjusts after Hanagata stops a one-handed attempt, using a stronger two-handed dunk on their next confrontation 77.
• Maintains complete trust in Shirasawa’s lob placement, jumping before the ball arrives against Kainan and finishing another powerful alley-oop 99.
• Performs a gliding one-handed dunk from one step inside the free-throw line during the pregame confrontation with Sannoh 218 219.
• Converts a baseline alley-oop against Changwon; the inside-outside combination is identified as a signature Shohoku play for the following season 245.
• Uses Aoki’s tomahawk dunk as a model when stabilizing himself in midair for a later one-handed alley-oop 352.

Defense

His size and agility make him dangerous when focused, but his understanding remains inconsistent.

• Uses a rapid, improvised defensive movement to steal the ball from Akagi 13.
• Holds his position against Kakuta’s attempts to back him down 16.
• Blocks Oda’s fadeaway and attempted dunk 24 26.
• Falls for Sendoh’s shot fake and struggles against Miyagi’s speed 20 33.
• Can lose concentration when an opponent offers little action, as Sendoh demonstrates early in the Ryonan game 31 32.
• Guards Maki in the paint while recognizing Kiyota’s baseline cut and warning Kogure, helping Shohoku disrupt the possession during Akagi’s absence 95.
• Remains susceptible to feints and foul trouble against skilled interior scorers. Fukuda repeatedly draws him into the air and scores through fouls during the later Ryonan game 123 124.
• Anticipates Hoshino’s pick-and-roll route and cuts off his drive, forcing a pass that Mitsui intercepts. He subsequently stays with Hoshino through another screen, allowing Akagi to block the shot 196 197.
• Cooperates with Akagi against Morishige: Akagi prevents a full-power dunk, and Sakuragi rises to block the resulting hook shot 204.
• Endures Mikio Kawata’s repeated post-ups despite the size disadvantage. After initially conceding baskets, he discreetly tugs Mikio’s jersey during a turn and blocks his hook 226.
• Earns selection to the national all-defensive team, with his performance against the Kawata brothers identified as his signature achievement 251.
• Still struggles against Hoffmann’s high-release perimeter shooting. Akagi tells him to judge shots before jumping and recall Robinson’s defensive example 253.
• Develops enough defensive presence and basketball understanding that Sota Miyagi initially assumes he has several years of organized experience 267.

Shooting Limitations

Shooting is his clearest technical weakness, although dedicated training eventually gives him a usable mid-range option 196 197 268.

• Makes only about 30 percent of uncontested shots beneath the basket during early training 9.
• Misses a layup and repeated putbacks despite securing his own rebounds 16.
• Struggles to relax his wrist and fingers even after asking Mitsui for instruction 48.
• Overcorrects when attempting a “soft touch” against Kakuno, producing an air ball and a shot into the underside of the rim 50.
• Is deliberately fouled by Fukuda under Taoka’s orders, then misses both free throws. His poor foul shooting allows Ryonan to disrupt his dunk-based offense 123 124.
• Receives a mandatory assignment of 300 shots every day, without exceptions for weather or game days 116.
• Passes his first shooting test with 101 makes in 300 attempts. Although he briefly reaches a better percentage before the final stretch, he makes only one of his last 27 shots after becoming excited by his teammates’ praise 155.
• Initially forgets to use his newly practiced shooting during a national-tournament game, finishing with ten points and sixteen rebounds but regretting the missed opportunity to demonstrate his training 176.
• Struggles to adjust to a shooting-game stall’s lighter ball and lower hoop, missing his first eight attempts. Shirasawa’s advice helps him calm down and make the last two 180.
• Makes his first competitive mid-range shot against Hakata Shodai Affiliated and follows it with another jumper 196 197.
• Continues to rely on dunking first. His new mid-range shot mainly creates additional space, and his form can still collapse under pressure during one-on-one play 268.
• Learns bank-shot aiming points from Aoki: the upper-left corner of the backboard square from the left, the upper-right corner from the right, and the midpoint of its upper edge from the center. Aoki also emphasizes controlling power and releasing gently 285.
• Later makes a bank shot against Takezato using improved support-hand placement and wrist action, drawing Aoki’s approval 310.

Fighting

• Has extensive delinquent fighting experience and physical abilities far beyond an ordinary person’s 8.
• Frequently uses headbutts, including against his friends and Shohoku players 8 12.
• Is decisively defeated by Shirasawa in their recruitment wager 6.
• Fights alongside Shohoku when Mitsui’s group invades the gym 36 37.

Team Play and Off-Ball Movement

• Develops from a largely athletic finisher into a player capable of executing coordinated screening assignments. In the national final, he slips away from Nobe and screens Ichinokura to free Mitsui for the opening three-pointer 220.
• Supports transition offense through quick outlet passes after rebounds and disrupted possessions 70 95.
• Learns by observing opponents, attempting to copy Aoki’s drive-and-pass idea during their close game 313.
• Is expected to inherit responsibility for Shohoku’s interior after Akagi’s departure. Akagi explicitly tells him that he must carry the team inside during the Winter Selection Tournament 246 340.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Joining Shohoku

• Challenge to Akagi: Declares that he will take over the team, then struggles against the captain’s superior fundamentals. Under Akagi’s revised rules, he needs to steal the ball and score; Shirasawa’s hint enables his decisive self alley-oop 12 13.
• First team practices: His fitness results attract Anzai’s attention, while his alley-oop connection with Shirasawa helps the first-years defeat the upperclassmen 15 16 17.
• Special coaching: Anzai entrusts his interior development to Akagi, calling a mature Sakuragi indispensable to Shohoku’s national ambitions 17 19.

Practice Games

Gym Invasion and Tournament Debut

Sakuragi confronts Mitsui during the invasion of Shohoku’s gym and joins the ensuing fight. After Mitsui returns to basketball, Sakuragi initially struggles to regard him as a teammate rather than an enemy. Anzai subsequently removes Sakuragi, Shirasawa, Miyagi, and Mitsui from the starting lineup against Miuradai as punishment for fighting 36 37 39 40.

• Miuradai: After entering the game, he is provoked by Murasame’s hidden fouls and nearly earns a technical for arguing with the referee. His later clashes with Naito provide useful experience in physical play; Shohoku wins 117–54 42 45 46.
• Kakuno: Attempts to demonstrate Mitsui’s shooting advice fail, but Shirasawa restores his scoring opportunities through alley-oops. Sakuragi gets several dunks before the starters leave with Shohoku ahead 147–12 and five minutes remaining 49 50.

Prefectural Breakthrough and Rebound King

• Takahata: Motivated by concern over Yoko’s opinion, Sakuragi trains with unusual intensity. Shirasawa teaches him to make forceful dunks his regular scoring method, and he applies the lesson immediately, finishing with 14 points and 11 rebounds 52 53 54.
• Tsukubu: Battles Nango for position and breaks the prefectural tournament’s single-game rebounding record. Anzai calls a timeout after his 22nd rebound so he can experience the crowd’s recognition; he ultimately collects 25 as Shohoku wins 142–69 and advances to the quarterfinals 60 61.
• Shoyo: Helps Akagi regain control of the paint by collecting a contested rebound and starting a fast break. Later, Hanagata stops one of his dunks at the cost of injuring his hand, but Sakuragi responds with a two-handed finish on their next confrontation 70 77.
• Kainan: Helps protect Akagi’s position against Maki and coordinates with Kogure to disrupt a pass toward Kiyota. His performance contributes to his recognition as “King Kong’s Little Brother” and one of Kanagawa’s leading power forwards 95 101.
• Takezato: Continues replacing Akagi at center, wins the opening tip, and scores Shohoku’s first four points through Shirasawa-assisted dunks. He has eight points from four dunks within the opening five minutes 109.
• Ryonan: Taoka targets his poor free throws, while Fukuda repeatedly exploits his defensive mistakes and draws fouls. Sakuragi later regains his confidence, resolves not to let the team down, and resumes relentless movement and rebounding during Shohoku’s championship-clinching stretch 123 124 129 134 135.

Anzai’s Accident and Pre-Nationals Training

After learning that Anzai and his wife have been in a car accident, Sakuragi goes to the hospital with Miyagi, Shirasawa, and Sanae. His relief at finding the coach conscious is overwhelmed by memories of his father’s death, and he flees the room crying 105.

• Daily shooting assignment: Anzai orders him to attempt 300 shots every day, establishing a structured program to add shooting to his rim attacks 116.
• Academic eligibility: Passes his examinations alongside Mitsui, Miyagi, and Aota 155.
• First shooting test: Records 101 makes in 300 attempts, passing the first target by one basket 155.
• Individual training: Remains behind while the team travels to Shizuoka for seven days of practice games against Jousei. Shirasawa also stays behind, and Sakuragi accepts Anzai’s week of punishing special training after learning about the coach’s past as a top guard 155 157.
• Change of appearance: Shaves his head during this period and receives Yoko’s enthusiastic approval 157.

National Tournament

• Early shooting hesitation: Finishes one game with ten points and sixteen rebounds, then laments forgetting to use the shooting he practiced at training camp 176.
• Encounter with Hakata Shodai’s stars: Meets Hoshino and Chiba during a shooting-stall challenge. Although his first eight attempts miss, Shirasawa helps him adjust and make the final two 180.
• Hakata Shodai Affiliated: Makes his first mid-range shot in competition, adds another jumper, and helps disrupt Hoshino’s pick-and-roll offense. His sustained running and physical pressure exhaust Hoshino until a thigh cramp forces him off the court 196 197.
• Morishige matchup: Reacts angrily when Akagi’s nose is bloodied, but obeys the captain’s order to withdraw. He later blocks Morishige’s hook after Akagi prevents the stronger player from completing a dunk 203 204.
• National-final preparation: Is unable to settle easily on the eve of Shohoku’s first national final. Before the game, he answers Sannoh’s intimidation by intercepting a warm-up pass and completing a gliding dunk from one step inside the free-throw line 217 218 219.
• Sannoh final: Screens Ichinokura to help create Mitsui’s opening three-pointer, then battles Mikio Kawata’s size in the paint. He eventually blocks Mikio’s hook and earns Anzai’s praise for exceeding expectations 220 226 232.
• Lower-back injury: Plays through severe lower-back pain, catches a high inbound pass despite contact with Masashi Kawata, and continues contesting rebounds. After securing another rebound, he is called for traveling and collapses; Akagi helps him leave the court while he insists that he is fine 236.
• Recognition afterward: Returns to school with the national championship-winning team. His national-final defense earns him a place on the national all-defensive team, while his tournament rebounding total places him second behind Morishige 241 251 255.

International Competition and Continued Development

• Changwon: Finishes a baseline alley-oop from Shirasawa before being substituted out 245.
• Chariot Country: Struggles initially against Hoffmann’s height and outside shooting. Akagi urges him to stop jumping indiscriminately and study his opponent’s release; Sakuragi subsequently uses anticipation and explosive rebounding to compete among Chariot Country’s much taller interior players 253 255.
• Sota Miyagi one-on-one: Loses the ball twice before settling into serious defense. Although Sota respects his defensive presence and understanding, Sakuragi’s ball security, shot selection, and shooting form remain exploitable 267 268.

Aoki, Takezato, and Representative Training

• Meeting Yo Aoki: Befriends Aoki after a shoe-shop encounter and a one-on-one challenge. Aoki exposes his poor shooting, then teaches him bank-shot angles and power control; they exchange contact information and agree to train together 285.
• Seeking defensive advice: Swallows his pride enough to ask Aoki how to avoid fouling out 294.
• Haruko’s encouragement: After becoming ashamed of a mistake, initially runs from Haruko. Her reassurance that even geniuses make mistakes and her invitation to return to the gym help draw him back toward practice 305.
• Takezato preparation: Anzai assigns him to guard Takezato’s center while Akagi handles Aoki near the basket 305.
• Close game against Takezato: Demonstrates improved bank-shot form and later retrieves the ball after Aoki blocks Akagi. His dunk puts Shohoku ahead 70–68; Aoki’s last-second dunk is ruled too late, and Sakuragi helps him up before they promise to defeat each other next time 310 313.
• Joint training: Participates in Taoka’s exhausting endurance session. Akagi tells him that the Autumn National Sports Festival will be his final competition, Miyagi will become captain, and Sakuragi must carry Shohoku’s interior in the Winter Selection Tournament 340.
• Kanagawa warm-up selection: Takato names him the starting power forward, number 18, alongside Maki, Akagi, Rukawa, and Kiyota for the game against Chiba’s representatives 343.
• Later alley-oop: Completes a forceful one-handed finish after recalling Aoki’s tomahawk technique, earning cheers from spectators 352.

Relationships

• Shirasawa — Recruiter, first basketball instructor, friend, and principal alley-oop partner. Sakuragi calls him “Xiao Bai” and develops complete trust in his passing 6 8 10 16 25. Shirasawa later teaches him to make dunks through contact his standard scoring method, helps him adjust to unfamiliar shooting equipment, and remains the teammate whose lobs he trusts without hesitation 52 99 180.
• Takenori Akagi — Captain, initial opponent, and interior-play mentor. Sakuragi calls him “Gorilla,” while Akagi combines strict discipline with extra rebounding instruction 12 17 19 20. Akagi publicly acknowledges him as Shohoku’s Rebound King, trusts him with interior defensive responsibility, and eventually prepares him to inherit the team’s paint after his retirement 61 226 246 340.
• Yohei Mito and the Sakuragi Gang — Longtime friends who support his training. Yohei welcomes the constructive direction basketball gives him, and the group helps defend Shohoku during the gym fight 9 37. Yohei also recognizes the depth of Sakuragi’s determination during his struggle with Mikio Kawata and is identified as his closest brother 226.
• Yoko Shimamura — Initially the romantic interest whose rejection fuels his rivalry with Oda. She thanks Sakuragi after he intervenes on her behalf 6 25 49. After Shohoku’s prefectural championship, she accompanies him to the celebratory dinner and tacitly confirms that they are dating. She waits for him after late practices at least four days a week, supports his shaved hairstyle, and cheers for him at nationals; her affection is explicitly independent of his basketball skill 154 157 166 180 181.
• Tatsumasa Oda — Basketball and romantic rival. Sakuragi’s desire to surpass him becomes outright contempt after Oda strikes Yoko 8 25 26.
• Ryota Miyagi — Teammate with whom he initially trades insults. Miyagi repeatedly beats him off the dribble during a scrimmage 20. Akagi later tells Sakuragi that Miyagi will succeed him as Shohoku’s captain 340.
• Hisashi Mitsui — Former antagonist turned teammate and brief shooting instructor, nicknamed “Mitchy” by Sakuragi 39 48 49 50. Mitsui congratulates him after his Takahata dunk and encourages him to enjoy the crowd’s acclaim; the two later cooperate through off-ball screening in the national final 53 220.
• Coach Anzai — Coach who recognizes his long-term value and arranges specialized instruction. Sakuragi addresses him irreverently and plays with his chin and belly 15 17. Anzai’s hospitalization exposes Sakuragi’s grief over his father, while the coach’s daily shooting assignments and intensive training help turn him into a national-level contributor 105 116 155 157 229.
• Hikoichi Aida — Ryonan scout who mistakes his spectacular dunking and extravagant boasts for evidence of an established ace. Continues defending Sakuragi’s supposed hidden ability despite contrary evidence 21 30 33 35.
• Sendoh — Opponent whose inactivity, fakes, and defensive timing expose Sakuragi’s inexperience 31 32 33.
• Kiminobu Kogure — Teammate who helps support his development, counts his shooting attempts, and praises his defense while Akagi is absent. Sakuragi calls him “Four-Eyes” 38 95 116.
• Haruko Akagi — Supporter who recognizes his exceptional athletic potential from his first confrontation with Akagi. She celebrates his later performances and reassures him after a mistake, telling him that even geniuses sometimes fail 13 14 53 305.
• Kaede Rukawa — Competitive rival whom Sakuragi insults as a “fox.” Despite his hostility, he does not want Sawakita to defeat Rukawa, believing that Rukawa’s defeat should be reserved for himself. They later appear together in Kanagawa’s starting warm-up lineup 208 343.
• Koichiro Nango — Interior opponent during the Tsukubu game. Sakuragi boxes him out for his record-breaking rebound, and Nango privately accepts his rebounding superiority despite continuing to taunt him 61.
• Fukuda — Opponent who exploits his defensive inexperience and poor free throws during the Ryonan game. In a later encounter, Fukuda sees a shared sense of frustration in him, though neither approaches the other 123 124 305.
• Ken Hoshino — Hakata Shodai Affiliated star encountered first at a shooting stall and later on court. Sakuragi answers the earlier doubts about his shooting with his first competitive mid-range baskets, while his relentless movement wears Hoshino down 180 196 197.
• Hiroshi Morishige — Powerful national-level interior opponent. Sakuragi confronts him after Akagi is bloodied and later blocks his hook through coordinated defense. Morishige remains ahead of him on the national tournament rebounding leaderboard 203 204 255.
• Mikio Kawata — National-final opponent whose overwhelming bulk initially breaks through Sakuragi’s defense. Sakuragi persists until he produces a crucial block 226.
• Sota Miyagi — Skilled one-on-one opponent who repeatedly strips the ball from him but respects his defensive presence. Sakuragi compares the pressure of guarding him to guarding Shirasawa 267 268.
• Yo Aoki — Friend, shooting tutor, training partner, and Takezato rival. Aoki teaches him bank shots, becomes someone he asks for defensive advice, and later exchanges promises of victory with him after Shohoku’s narrow win 285 294 313.
• Reika — Acquaintance who reconnects with him during representative-team preparations, asks why he missed their meeting, and promises to cheer at the warm-up game. No romantic relationship is established in the encounter 343.

Notable Quotes

“I, Hanamichi Sakuragi, keep my word.” 8

“You piece of trash. As much as I want to beat you up right now, I’m going to take you down at the basketball you’re so proud of!” 23

“I, Hanamichi Sakuragi, am going to be a violent power forward, no matter what!” 53

“Under the basket is my territory!!” 61

“I’m Hanamichi Sakuragi, the Rebound King!!” 61

“With me, Hanamichi Sakuragi, here, you don’t get to throw your weight around over Shohoku!” 219

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