Recaps

Shirasawa and Sanae officially launched their agency, with Sanae taking charge of Shohoku’s publicity and shutting Basketball Weekly out of team interviews. The press coverage of Shohoku’s overwhelming win over Kakuno swept Kanagawa, while Hanamichi Sakuragi was enraged that reports barely mentioned him.

• Sanae presented her publicity plan to Coach Anzai, Takenori Akagi, and Ayako, who approved it and agreed to work with her.
• Sanae announced that she would manage Shohoku’s media operations and opened her agency with Shirasawa.
• At the locker room entrance, Sanae told Yayoi Aida that Shohoku would not grant interviews to Basketball Weekly, then arranged interviews selectively for other reporters.
• Reporters focused on Shirasawa’s record-setting 30 points and 30 assists in Shohoku’s 146-point victory over Kakuno.
• The next day, headlines across Kanagawa hailed Shohoku and Shirasawa as potential challengers to Kainan, highlighting the team’s strong roster.
• Hanamichi Sakuragi saw that reports had barely mentioned him, tore up more than a dozen newspapers, and remained furious.

Hanamichi Sakuragi trained harder because he wanted to impress Yoko, so Shirasawa taught him to make aggressive dunks his main scoring move. On the day Shohoku faced Takahata, Haruko went to watch, while Tetsuo Hotta arrived with Yohei Mito and the others for reasons Yohei asked him to explain.

• Hanamichi Sakuragi threw himself into practice, and Shirasawa realized he was worried that Yoko would think he was not good enough.
• Shirasawa showed Sakuragi how to dunk through a defender and told him to make forceful dunks a regular part of his offense while continuing to practice shooting.
• Takenori Akagi let Haruko attend Shohoku's game against Takahata after she pleaded to watch, and he arranged for Sanae to save her a seat.
• Sanae secured seats for Haruko, Yohei Mito, and his friends as Shohoku's game drew a large crowd.
• Tetsuo Hotta joined Yohei Mito's group after paying for tickets, and Yohei asked him why he had suddenly decided to come watch.

Shohoku overwhelmed Takahata and built a 64-point halftime lead, with Hanamichi Sakuragi’s dunks and Hisashi Mitsui’s shooting leading the rout. In the second half, Shirasawa beat several defenders and rose toward the basket as Takahata’s last defender began to fall.

• Yayoi Aida stayed away from the game after her earlier embarrassment, while spectators and rival players gathered to watch Shohoku face Takahata.
• Hanamichi Sakuragi opened the game by dunking over a defender, then added two more dunks as Shirasawa set him up with passes.
• Shohoku went on a 25-4 run, and Takenori Akagi stopped a Takahata layup before launching a counterattack.
• Shohoku led 73-9 at halftime, and Hikoichi Aida reported that Toru Hanagata had come to watch them.
• Hisashi Mitsui made four consecutive three-pointers after halftime as Shirasawa repeatedly passed him the ball.
• Shirasawa beat three defenders, faked out another, and leaped toward the basket while Takahata’s center began to fall.

Shohoku crushed Takahata 155-21, with Shirasawa and Sakuragi delivering standout performances. After the game, Tetsuo Hotta told Mitsui that Tetsuo had returned and was in danger from Ryu, leaving Mitsui furious and facing a choice about whether to get involved.

• Shirasawa dazzled the crowd with a one-against-five play, and Shohoku defeated Takahata 155-21.
• Sakuragi scored 14 points entirely on dunks, while Shirasawa posted 36 points, 33 assists, six rebounds, six steals, and five blocks.
• Tetsuo Hotta met Mitsui outside the locker room and told him that Ryu had seized control of Tetsuo's group while Tetsuo was hospitalized and detained.
• Tetsuo Hotta explained that Tetsuo had recently reappeared and was trying to reclaim his territory, but Ryu had located him and planned to attack him that afternoon.
• Mitsui clenched his fists and angrily condemned Ryu for turning against Tetsuo.

Hisashi Mitsui, Shirasawa, Ryota Miyagi, Hanamichi Sakuragi, and Yohei Mito rushed to an abandoned warehouse to rescue Tetsuo Hotta from Ryu and his gang. After they defeated the gang, Shirasawa quietly told Tetsuo something that left him thinking as the others departed.

• Tetsuo Hotta told Mitsui that Ryu and Kito were threatening him, and Yohei Mito offered to help.
• Shirasawa and Ryota Miyagi joined Mitsui, while Sakuragi slipped away from the team bus to meet them.
• At the warehouse, Tetsuo fought Ryu's nearly twenty men alone until Kito struck him with an iron rod and Ryu threatened Mitsui.
• Mitsui and the others burst into the warehouse, overwhelmed Ryu's gang, and helped Tetsuo defeat Kito.
• Tetsuo thanked Mitsui with a joke and challenged Shirasawa to another one-on-one fight before Shirasawa whispered to him and left.

Shirasawa’s rising fame led Sanae to secure his first commercial engagement, while Shohoku prepared to face Tsukubu in the round of sixteen. As Akagi reunited with his former junior-high teammate Tomokazu Godai, the chapter revealed the rivalry and diverging paths that had shaped them.

• Matsui teased Haruko about watching Shirasawa’s empty seat, and Haruko blushed before insisting she would wipe the dust off it for him.
• Sanae managed Shirasawa’s growing media and brand offers, establishing herself as his agent and arranging his first commercial engagement.
• Tsukubu’s Koichiro Nango resented Shohoku and Shirasawa for taking the spotlight, while coach Kazumi Kawasaki prepared his team for their round-of-sixteen game.
• Akagi and Kogure arrived early at the gym and encountered Tsukubu captain Tomokazu Godai, their former teammate from Kitamura Junior High School.
• The chapter recalled that Godai had left for a school without Akagi so he could grow strong enough to defeat him, and that Kawasaki later helped him develop into Tsukubu’s core player.

Shohoku faced Tsukubu in a highly anticipated round-of-sixteen game, rekindling the rivalry between Takenori Akagi and Tomokazu Godai. Tsukubu took the opening tip and scored first, and Shirasawa began attacking their zone defense as Shohoku prepared to respond.

• Kogure tried to ease the tension between Akagi and Godai, but the two former teammates traded insults and vowed to settle things on the court.
• A packed crowd gathered to watch Shohoku and Tsukubu, with prominent Kanagawa players including Jun Uozumi, Akira Sendoh, Shinichi Maki, and Kenji Fujima in attendance.
• Kazumi Kawasaki greeted his former coach, Coach Anzai, while Koichiro Nango declared that he would give Shohoku his all.
• Nango outleaped Akagi at tip-off and tipped the ball to Tsukubu, securing the first possession.
• Tsukubu used coordinated movement and screens to free Godai in the corner, where he made a three-pointer to open the scoring.
• Shirasawa brought the ball up against Tsukubu's zone defense, spun past Hiroshi Natsume, and drove as the defenders collapsed toward him.

Shirasawa sparked Shohoku's comeback with sharp passing and a windmill dunk, while Miyagi's steal helped put the team ahead of Tsukubu. Tsukubu kept the game close through Koichiro Nango's quick moves, but Shohoku later built an 11-point lead as Akagi struggled to contain him.

• Shirasawa found Hisashi Mitsui for a three-pointer, but Tomokazu Godai answered with a three to put Tsukubu ahead 6-3.
• Shirasawa slipped past Koichiro Nango and set up Takenori Akagi for an alley-oop dunk that brought Shohoku back within one point.
• Ryota Miyagi stole the ball from Hiroshi Natsume, and Shirasawa finished the fast break with a windmill dunk to give Shohoku a 7-6 lead.
• Kazumi Kawasaki called a timeout to cool Shohoku's momentum, and Tsukubu resumed play with the crowd quieter.
• Koichiro Nango beat Takenori Akagi with a spin and reverse layup, then kept scoring as Shohoku widened its lead to 25-14.
• Nango received the ball again, while Akagi struggled to stop his quick turns and movements.

Shohoku overwhelmed Tsukubu in the first half, while Hanamichi Sakuragi and Koichiro Nango became consumed by their rivalry. At halftime, Kazumi Kawasaki reminded Tomokazu Godai of the faith that had kept him playing, and Godai regained his resolve.

• Koichiro Nango scored on Takenori Akagi and taunted Shohoku, prompting Shirasawa to answer with a fast-paced attack and Hanamichi Sakuragi to dunk over Tsukubu.
• Sakuragi and Nango traded insults, received technical fouls, and then fought fiercely for rebounds while Shoyo's Kenji Fujima and Toru Hanagata discussed their upcoming matchup with Shohoku.
• Shirasawa and Miyagi led Shohoku's offense as Mitsui contained Tomokazu Godai, and Shohoku carried a 64-31 lead into halftime.
• Kazumi Kawasaki urged Godai not to give up, reminding him of how his encouragement had inspired Godai to practice three-pointers after he nearly quit basketball.

Tomokazu Godai rallied Tsukubu in the second half, but Shohoku continued to dominate as Hanamichi Sakuragi neared the prefectural rebound record. Godai was ejected after striking Sakuragi during a fierce fight for the ball, while Sakuragi held onto the rebound despite his injury.

• Tomokazu Godai encouraged Tsukubu to forget the score and keep fighting, and the team returned to the court with renewed energy.
• Shohoku opened the second half with a scoring surge, while Godai made his first three-pointer and kept battling Hisashi Mitsui.
• Shirasawa orchestrated Shohoku's attack as Akagi, Sakuragi, and Mitsui scored, and Sakuragi grabbed his twentieth rebound.
• Godai blocked Mitsui's shot, then collided with Sakuragi while they fought over Sakuragi's rebound; Godai struck Sakuragi in the eye and was ejected.
• Sakuragi kept the ball despite bleeding, declared that the rebound was his, and drew a relieved response from Akagi.

Hanamichi Sakuragi broke the Kanagawa tournament rebounding record as Shohoku defeated Tsukubu and advanced to the quarterfinals. After the game, Tomokazu Godai reconciled with Takenori Akagi and urged Shohoku to bring home the national championship for him.

• Tomokazu Godai fouled out after injuring Sakuragi, apologized to him, and encouraged Tsukubu to keep fighting.
• Sakuragi secured his twenty-second rebound, setting a new tournament record as the crowd cheered him as the Rebound King.
• Shohoku beat Tsukubu 142-69, with Sakuragi finishing with 25 rebounds and Shirasawa recording 35 points and 32 assists.
• Kazumi Kawasaki asked Coach Anzai if Shirasawa could transfer to Tsukubu, but Anzai declined and walked away.
• Godai and Akagi put aside their old tension, and Godai asked Akagi and Kogure to win the national championship for him.

Shohoku prepared to face Shoyo in the prefectural quarterfinals as the media anticipated the matchup and Rukawa trained obsessively to catch up to Shirasawa. After Shohoku’s game, Yoko admitted she had been watching Sakuragi play, leaving him delighted the next morning.

• Godai accepted Kawasaki’s praise as Tsukubu’s players departed, while Maki and Fujima argued over Shohoku and Shoyo’s upcoming game.
• Rukawa continued training at Ryonan, driven by his growing desire to defeat Shirasawa.
• Sanae arranged media interviews after Shohoku advanced to the quarterfinals, where Shirasawa declared that Shohoku would beat Shoyo.
• Anzai dismissed the team to rest before training resumed, while Sanae and Ayako invited Shirasawa to work out with them.
• Yoko approached Sakuragi after the game and admitted she had been attending his games; Sakuragi was overjoyed by her attention.
• Sakuragi’s friends teased him the next morning as he happily remembered Yoko’s promise to keep cheering for him.

Kaede Rukawa visited Shohoku to challenge Shirasawa to a one-on-one after seeing a headline calling Shirasawa the strongest high school player in the nation. The chapter ended with the Shohoku team stunned by Rukawa’s unexpected challenge.

• Akagi told Kogure that Shohoku needed to focus and work hard to beat Shoyo, then pushed the players through intense defensive practice.
• Kuwata rushed into the gym and warned everyone that Kaede Rukawa from Ryonan was coming, prompting Miyagi and Mitsui to speculate about his purpose.
• Rukawa arrived at Shohoku, exchanged tense looks with Miyagi, and said he was there to find Shirasawa.
• Shirasawa reflected on his improved abilities and recent success before Kogure called him over to meet Rukawa.
• Rukawa explained through his thoughts that a headline naming Shirasawa the strongest high school player had driven him to come challenge him.
• Rukawa asked Shirasawa to play one-on-one, surprising the Shohoku team.

Kaede Rukawa challenged Shirasawa to a one-on-one game, and Shirasawa took an early lead before Rukawa tied the score. As the game continued, Shirasawa proposed a wager, but Rukawa insisted he would win.

• Takenori Akagi objected to Rukawa's challenge, but Shirasawa accepted the one-on-one game.
• Hisashi Mitsui set the rules, and Rukawa began by attacking Shirasawa before stopping his shot to avoid being blocked.
• Shirasawa copied Rukawa's dribbling move, fooled him with a fake shot, and scored a layup to take a 2-0 lead.
• Rukawa adjusted his attack and scored to tie the game at 2-2.
• Shirasawa praised Rukawa's improvement and offered a wager, but Rukawa said he would definitely win.

Shirasawa decisively defeated Rukawa in a one-on-one, ending the game 13-2 and earning Rukawa’s respect. As Shirasawa saw him out, he hinted that his agent could offer Rukawa interesting arrangements.

• Miyagi failed to hear what Sakuragi wanted him to listen for and teased him about talking too loudly.
• Shirasawa scored repeatedly against Rukawa, then blocked Rukawa’s dunk by pinning the ball against the backboard.
• Shirasawa overwhelmed Rukawa on both ends of the court, and Rukawa’s missed jumper left Shirasawa with match point.
• Shirasawa sank a long-range shot to win 13-2, joking that he had given Rukawa an extra two points as a good host.
• Kogure offered Rukawa water and said Shohoku would keep the game private, while Rukawa accepted the gesture.
• As Shirasawa escorted Rukawa to the gym entrance, he brought up his player agent and suggested Rukawa would be interested in future arrangements.

Kaede Rukawa joined Sanae’s agency after Shirasawa persuaded him, then scored 46 points in Ryonan’s quarterfinal victory. As Shohoku prepared to face Shoyo, its fans rallied against Shoyo’s supporters, while Ryonan and Kainan’s rivalry sharpened ahead of the semifinals.

• Shirasawa convinced Kaede Rukawa to join Sanae’s agency, and Rukawa agreed to sign the next day.
• Takezato advanced to the semifinals, while Ryonan beat its quarterfinal opponent as Sendoh scored 28 points and Rukawa scored 46.
• Yohei Mito and Shohoku’s supporters faced Shoyo’s loud fans until Tetsuo Hotta used a megaphone to lead a Shohoku chant.
• Uozumi told Shinichi Maki he would not let Kainan have its way this year, and Maki dismissed Uozumi’s challenge.
• Nobunaga Aota taunted Rukawa about meeting in the semifinals, and Rukawa called him a nobody.
• Yayoi Aida covered Ryonan and Rukawa, unaware her reporting was helping her rival Sanae, while Rukawa privately resented being Sanae’s second player with an agent.

Shohoku faced Shoyo in the quarterfinals, with Shoyo’s coach and star Kenji Fujima unexpectedly starting on the bench to unsettle the inexperienced team. Shoyo won the opening tip, while Shirasawa expected Fujima to enter within two minutes.

• Takenori Akagi and his Shohoku teammates prepared nervously for Shoyo, while Hanamichi Sakuragi worried that Yoko might have gone to Takezono’s game.
• Yoko arrived to cheer for Sakuragi, and both teams entered the arena to loud support from their fans.
• Coach Anzai told Shohoku to use its mobility, control rebounds, and rely on Shirasawa to direct the team; Mitsui appeared nervous before play began.
• Shoyo surprised the crowd by starting Hanagata, Hasegawa, Nagano, Takano, and Ito while Fujima stayed on the bench to pressure Shohoku.
• Hanagata beat Akagi to the opening tip, and Ito caught the ball in Shoyo’s backcourt.

Shirasawa repeatedly stole the ball from Shoyo’s point guard Ken Ito and scored three dunks, giving Shohoku an early 6–0 lead. Kenji Fujima called the game’s first timeout, encouraged his shaken team, and prepared to take the court himself as Shoyo finally began to regroup.

• Shirasawa stole the ball from Ito and opened the scoring with a tomahawk dunk.
• Shirasawa stole Ito’s high pass and scored again with a windmill dunk.
• Shirasawa joined Miyagi and Mitsui in pressing Shoyo, then ripped the ball from Hasegawa and dunked for Shohoku’s third straight steal and score.
• Kenji Fujima called a timeout after Shoyo’s mistakes left the team reeling.
• Fujima reassured his players, took responsibility for misjudging Shohoku, and said he would enter the game.
• Fujima returned to the court in uniform as the game resumed and Shoyo’s mood improved.

Fujima brought Shoyo back into the game, while Hanagata repeatedly scored over Akagi and gave Shoyo the lead in their center matchup. Shirasawa continued scoring against Shoyo’s defense, leaving Fujima’s plan to isolate him untested as Shohoku tried to rally.

• Fujima beat Shirasawa’s full-court press and helped Shoyo advance, then Hanagata scored a fadeaway over Akagi to end Shoyo’s scoring drought.
• Shirasawa drove past Fujima and scored a high floater despite Shoyo’s help defense.
• Hanagata hit a turnaround fadeaway through Akagi’s foul, converted the free throw, and put Akagi on the back foot.
• Sakuragi taunted Hanagata at the free-throw line, while Ayako and Kogure urged the Shohoku players to trust Akagi.
• Fujima spread Shoyo’s defense to cut off Shirasawa’s passing options, but Shirasawa drove inside and scored another running floater.

Shohoku relied on Shirasawa’s scoring until Akagi regained his confidence, blocked Hanagata, and helped Sakuragi secure a rebound that sparked a fast-break dunk. With the team now trusting one another, Shohoku faced a newly unsettled Fujima as Shirasawa lunged for the ball.

• Nagano scored off Hanagata’s pass after Akagi was fooled into jumping, while Taoka explained Shoyo’s strategy of isolating Shirasawa and conserving energy.
• Shirasawa scored all 22 of Shohoku’s points as Shoyo attacked the paint and Hanagata continued to trouble Akagi.
• Akagi found his resolve, blocked Hanagata’s jumper, and called on Sakuragi to rebound.
• Sakuragi outjumped Takano and Nagano for the rebound, then threw the ball upcourt to Shirasawa, who passed to Miyagi and finished the fast break with a dunk.
• Akagi praised Sakuragi and challenged Shoyo, while Kogure and Coach Anzai recognized that Shohoku had begun playing as a team.
• Fujima grew uneasy as Shirasawa reached 24 points, then Shirasawa lunged for the ball and sent it rolling away.

Shohoku and Shoyo traded key plays as Fujima’s timeout revived Shoyo and he took charge of its offense. The chapter ended with Akagi dunking after Shirasawa’s fast break, as Jin explained how the teams were swapping styles.

• Akagi blocked Nagano’s dunk attempt, and Sakuragi blocked Hanagata’s follow-up shot before Miyagi stole the ball and Shirasawa set up Mitsui’s three-pointer to give Shohoku a 27-18 lead.
• Fujima called a timeout, rallied Shoyo, and launched a three-pointer after using Shoyo’s screens to shake Shirasawa.
• Shirasawa beat Fujima and passed to Sakuragi, who scored a baseline dunk; Fujima answered with a floater over Sakuragi.
• Shirasawa pushed Shohoku’s fast break, passed to Akagi, and Akagi finished with a two-handed dunk.
• Jin told Kiyota that Shohoku and Shoyo were swapping styles.

Shohoku led Shoyo 57-44 at halftime after Shirasawa disrupted Fujima’s final possession and assisted Mitsui’s buzzer-beating three. In the locker rooms, Fujima vowed to lead Shoyo’s comeback, while Shohoku took confidence from its strong first half and Kogure worried about Mitsui’s quiet performance.

• Fujima and Shirasawa led their teams back into their familiar styles, with Fujima scoring and Shirasawa creating assists while attacking Shoyo’s defense.
• With twenty-seven seconds left in the half, Shirasawa stole Fujima’s shot, raced upcourt, and passed behind him to Mitsui.
• Mitsui’s three-point attempt bounced off the rim twice before dropping in at the buzzer, giving Shohoku a 57-44 lead.
• Fujima accepted responsibility for Shoyo’s first-half struggles and urged his teammates to give everything in pursuit of a comeback.
• Shirasawa reassured Kogure that his stamina was fine, while Kogure noticed that Mitsui had contributed little beyond the final shot.

Mitsui struggled with his poor first-half performance and discovered that Hasegawa had been guarding him because of a humiliating middle-school encounter. Shirasawa opened the second half with a spinning layup, but Hasegawa scored over Mitsui and renewed their rivalry.

• Mitsui hid in the lobby, exhausted and frustrated that he had scored only nine points in the first half.
• Mitsui overheard two people discuss how he had humiliated Hasegawa in middle school, then returned to the court before the second half.
• Shoyo used a box-and-one defense to pressure Shirasawa and keep Hasegawa close to Mitsui.
• Shirasawa drove past Shoyo's defenders and scored with a 360-degree spinning layup, extending Shohoku's lead to 59:44.
• Mitsui confronted Hasegawa about their middle-school game, and Hasegawa vowed to hold him to nine points.
• Hasegawa backed Mitsui down and made a one-on-one jump shot.

Mitsui struggled against Hasegawa’s relentless defense and taunts while Shirasawa continued to score against Shoyo’s defense. The chapter ended with Mitsui exhausted and down on the court after a foul, as Coach Anzai insisted that the team wait and trust him.

• Hasegawa hounded Mitsui, knocked him off balance during a corner-ball chase, and was called for an unsportsmanlike foul.
• Kogure asked Coach Anzai to let Mitsui rest, but Anzai said Mitsui needed to overcome the challenge and urged the team to believe in him.
• Hasegawa remembered seeing Mitsui as a delinquent the previous year and explained why his disappointment had turned into resentment.
• Shirasawa beat three Shoyo defenders with a double-clutch layup, drawing cheers from the crowd and uncertainty from Fujima.
• Shirasawa added four points and assisted Akagi’s dunk as Shohoku maintained a thirteen-point lead over Shoyo.
• Mitsui attempted a three-pointer, but Hasegawa blocked him and fouled him; Mitsui stayed facedown on the court while Anzai told the team to wait.

Mitsui rediscovered his confidence and made consecutive three-pointers as Shohoku used Shirasawa and Akagi to create fast-break chances for him. His second shot went in cleanly, leaving Shohoku further ahead of Shoyo.

• Akagi offered to let Mitsui rest, but Mitsui rejected his pity and declared that he was at his best.
• Mitsui made both free throws, then Shirasawa disrupted Fujima's offense and stole the ball from Hasegawa.
• Mitsui caught Shirasawa's long pass and scored a fast-break three-pointer, extending Shohoku's lead to 73–57.
• Hasegawa drove past the exhausted Mitsui, but Sakuragi challenged his shot and Akagi secured the rebound.
• Akagi launched a fast break through Shirasawa, and Mitsui caught the pass and made another three-pointer over Hasegawa's late contest.