Chapter Summaries

As Takezato’s exhausted starters rested, Yo Aoki slowed the game, scored consecutive shots, and helped build a lead over Kainan. The chapter ended with Yo Aoki injured when Takasago fell into his right hand, forcing him to leave the court.

• Kainan double-teamed Yo Aoki, forcing Takezato into turnovers as Shinichi Maki tied the score with a layup and earned a free throw.
• Coach Akai replaced Mizuki, Hojo, and Imamura to give them rest, while Yo Aoki agreed to lead the team until the last five minutes.
• After Shinichi Maki made his free throw to tie the game at 53-53, Yo Aoki hit Takezato’s first three-pointer to put his team ahead.
• Yo Aoki added a pull-up jumper as Takezato slowed the pace, widening the lead to 55-59.
• Yo Aoki passed to an open Kawai, then Takasago slipped and crashed into his right hand as he went for a rebound.
• The referee called a charging foul on Takasago, and Yo Aoki left the court in pain while Takezato’s players and Ryoko Aoki worried about his injury.

Yo Aoki returned to Takezato’s game against Kainan despite injuring his ring finger, but his shooting was affected as he tried to spark a comeback. With just over three minutes left, Takezato had narrowed the deficit to ten points but still struggled to stop Kainan’s offense.

• Coach Akai discovered that Yo Aoki’s ring finger was deformed and sent him to the hospital, but Yo insisted on returning to play for Mizuki’s final game.
• While Yo was away, Kainan took advantage of his absence and built a 73-61 lead over Takezato.
• Yo returned with five minutes left, rejoined Takezato, and reassured his teammates that they could keep running.
• Yo missed a shot because of pain in his injured finger, then intercepted a pass and set up Mizuki’s layup with a clever pass.
• Shinichi Maki scored against Takezato, but Yo and his teammates created an opening for Imamura to dunk and cut Kainan’s lead to 75-65.

Yo Aoki led Takezato's desperate comeback against Kainan, helping cut the lead to two points with seventeen seconds remaining. After Takezato planned a last-second foul strategy, the chapter ended with Kiyota stepping up to shoot free throws while Yo Aoki tried to rattle him.

• Yo Aoki stopped Shinichi Maki with a charge, and Hojo set up Imamura for a three-pointer that brought Takezato within seven.
• Kainan extended its lead to nine, but Yo Aoki assisted Shindo and later helped Takezato force a turnover and score through Imamura.
• Yo Aoki stole a loose inbound pass and fed Mizuki, whose three-pointer cut Kainan's lead to two with seventeen seconds left.
• Yo Aoki mistakenly explained an NBA foul rule, then Takezato realized it could foul Kainan's inbound receiver under the rules they were playing by.
• Takasago inbounded to Soichiro Jin, but Takezato fouled Kiyota, sending him to the line as Yo Aoki tried to unsettle him.

Yo Aoki led Takezato to a 76–75 upset over Kainan, then became captain after the summer qualifiers ended. With three senior players leaving to prepare for college entrance exams, he took charge of a team set on reaching the national tournament.

• Yo Aoki grabbed Kiyota’s missed free throw, then scored a last-second three-pointer to give Takezato a 76–75 win over Kainan.
• Takezato celebrated its victory, and Coach Takato explained that Yo Aoki’s unexpected shot had beaten Kainan’s defensive plan.
• Shohoku defeated Ryonan, and the final standings placed Kainan first, Shohoku second, Ryonan third, and Takezato fourth; Yo Aoki was named one of Kanagawa’s top five players.
• Yo Aoki learned that Asatani had quit her convenience-store job to pursue her mission of upholding justice.
• Coach Akai named Yo Aoki the new captain as Mizuki, Shindo, and Sanada left the team to prepare for entrance exams.
• Mizuki gave Hojo, Imamura, Shirota, and Yo Aoki final advice, then departed with the other seniors as Takezato thanked them.

Yo Aoki agreed to help the Fire Phoenix prepare for a challenge from the undefeated Gunma streetball team, the Emperor. After scouting them with Shirota, he identified their blue-tracksuit player as their core and warned that the Fire Phoenix would struggle to win.

• Shirota asked Yo Aoki to help his sister Mika's Fire Phoenix team face the Emperor, a streetball team from Gunma.
• Yo Aoki agreed to travel with Shirota to Gunma to investigate the Emperor before their challenge the following Sunday.
• After their ride failed to meet them, Yo Aoki spent hours searching for the Fujiwara Tofu Shop before meeting Matsumoto Ryo, who took them to watch the Emperor play.
• Matsumoto introduced Emperor captain Hiraide Shuichi and bandanna-wearing Yamakawa Mitsuhiro, whose signature moves Yo Aoki mocked.
• Shirota took notes as Yo Aoki assessed the Emperor's players and identified the blue-tracksuit player as the team's core and strongest defender.
• Yo Aoki warned that the Emperor was stronger than the Fire Phoenix, but Shirota remained confident with him on their side.

Yo Aoki decided to coach Fire Phoenix and prepared the team to counter Emperor with double-team defense. After Fire Phoenix struggled through the first half, trailing 9:19, Aoki ordered them to switch tactics for the second half.

• Aoki told Shirota he would help Fire Phoenix as a coach, then returned to Kanagawa with him and agreed to meet the team the next evening.
• Aoki assessed Takezato’s weakened roster and decided he needed to discuss the team’s prospects with Coach Akai.
• Aoki studied Emperor with Fire Phoenix, identified their players’ tendency to play one-on-one, and taught the team how to double-team them.
• Emperor arrived at the packed court, and Iwai arranged a game under official rules with one of Fire Phoenix’s players serving as referee.
• Emperor took an early lead as Hiraide scored inside and Yamakawa added a basket, while Terashima’s defense repeatedly disrupted Fire Phoenix.
• At halftime, Fire Phoenix trailed 9:19, and Aoki told the exhausted players to begin double-teaming in the second half.

Fire Phoenix defeated the Emperor Team after double-teaming Yamakawa and Hiraide, whose selfish play and fouls disrupted their offense. Matsumoto Ryo provoked Yamakawa into challenging Yo Aoki one-on-one, and Aoki shut down his first attempt as their duel continued.

• Yo Aoki advised Fire Phoenix to double-team Yamakawa and keep Hiraide away from the basket, and the team forced Yamakawa into a charging foul.
• Terashima stole the ball from Yamada’s opponent, then fed Hiraide, whose possession ended in a steal and a fast-break score for Fire Phoenix.
• Yamakawa kept demanding the ball, fouled out, and watched Fire Phoenix take the lead and defeat the Emperor Team 31-29.
• Matsumoto Ryo whispered to Yamakawa, who stormed over and challenged Yo Aoki to a one-on-one game.
• Yo Aoki let Yamakawa attack first, knocked the ball away, and pressured him until he could only dribble cautiously.

Yo Aoki dominated a one-on-one duel with Yamakawa, then invited Terashima to consider transferring to Takezato High School. After Sakuragi called for help improving against Rukawa, Aoki joined him for special training while Shohoku traveled to Shizuoka for joint practice.

• Yo Aoki easily beat Yamakawa with a quick drive and a powerful dunk, leaving Yamakawa in tears, so the teams called the duel a draw.
• Yo Aoki asked Terashima about his upcoming move to Kanagawa and invited him to join Takezato High School; Terashima agreed to consider it seriously.
• Terashima told Yo Aoki that Matsumoto Ryo had recommended Fire Phoenix as the Emperor Team's first stop, and Yo Aoki wondered what Ryo was after.
• Sakuragi called Yo Aoki after Rukawa had badly beaten him in a one-on-one, and Yo Aoki arranged to help him in three days.
• Coach Anzai kept Sakuragi in Kanagawa for special training with Yo Aoki while the rest of Shohoku traveled to Jousei High School in Shizuoka.
• Miyagi wondered why Yo Aoki was joining Sakuragi's training when Coach Anzai would be coaching him personally.

Yo Aoki helped Sakuragi train his shooting and core strength, then returned to Takezato and oversaw a week of intensive practice and evaluations for eight new recruits. Coach Akai approved Aoki’s team-play plan, while Aoki identified Terashima Ya and Akio Wakamoto as promising additions.

• Coach Anzai assigned Sakuragi twenty thousand shots, and Aoki began teaching him core-strength exercises during a week of training.
• Anzai told Aoki that he might represent Kanagawa at the Autumn National Sports Festival, then asked why Aoki had not chosen Kainan or Ryonan.
• Coach Akai reprimanded Aoki for missing a week, put him in charge of evaluating eight newcomers, and urged the team to prepare for the Winter Selection Tournament.
• Aoki resumed Takezato’s demanding training, emphasized fundamentals and passing drills, and led the team through shuttle runs and frog jumps.
• Aoki and Shirota tested the newcomers over two days; Terashima Ya excelled in several areas, while Akio Wakamoto stood out for his speed.
• Coach Akai approved Aoki’s Seven-Nine-Zero style-of-play plan, and Aoki argued that the team could develop the shooting and passing it required through practice.

Yo Aoki announced the newcomers’ assessments and arranged a first-years-versus-second-years game, intending to make the first-years feel pressure by ensuring they lost. The second-years led comfortably as the first-years tired, but Akio Wakamoto entered late and immediately showed off his speed.

• Yo Aoki announced that Terashima Ya and Akio Wakamoto had earned regular spots, then assigned the first-years and second-years to play a game with the losers running five thousand meters.
• Terashima Ya encouraged his first-year teammates to move without the ball and delivered clever passes that helped them score against the second-years.
• Imamura and Hojo used their pick-and-roll and other plays to build a second-year lead, while Yo Aoki told Shirota he had deliberately set the first-years up to lose so they would feel urgency.
• The second-years led 22-14 at halftime, and the first-years’ stamina faded until Nakamura could barely walk.
• Yo Aoki sent Akio Wakamoto in for Nakamura, and Wakamoto immediately darted past Kawai after Terashima Ya passed him the ball.

After Aoki coached Shohoku through a scrimmage and training, Sannoh studied footage of Shohoku and identified Akagi’s limited offense and Aoki’s exceptional defense. The chapter ended with Anzai recalling Aoki’s advice on how Shohoku could use screens to counter Sannoh’s full-court press.

• Aoki reviewed the scrimmage, pointed out weaknesses in both years’ teams, and taught the first-years the triple-threat position before assigning them conditioning and shooting drills.
• Domoto arranged for Sannoh to study edited footage of Shohoku, while Sawakita said he hoped to face stronger players before going abroad.
• Sannoh watched Akagi and Aoki in game footage, and Sawakita noted Akagi’s limited offensive options and Aoki’s ability to defend players across positions.
• Domoto and Sannoh watched Takezato’s game against Shohoku, and Sawakita regretted that Aoki had not qualified for the national tournament.
• Anzai reviewed Sannoh’s roster and recalled how Aoki had warned him about Sannoh’s full-court press and demonstrated how Shohoku could use screens to help Miyagi advance the ball.

Aoki watched Shohoku defeat Sannoh in a dramatic finish, with Sakuragi scoring the game-winner despite being injured. In September, Takato and Taoka began assembling a mixed Kanagawa team for the National Sports Festival, but they left its coach undecided.

• Aoki advised Coach Anzai on breaking Sannoh's full-court press before traveling to Hiroshima to watch Shohoku play.
• Sakuragi stopped Mikio Kawata in the paint, and Shohoku later broke Sannoh's press with screens that freed Miyagi to pass to Rukawa for a dunk.
• Sannoh's Sawakita widened the lead, but Rukawa began passing to help Shohoku catch up before Sakuragi was injured.
• Rukawa passed to Sakuragi in the closing seconds, and Sakuragi made the game-winning shot as Shohoku beat Sannoh 79-78.
• Takato and Taoka discussed a mixed Kanagawa roster, including Aoki, Sakuragi, Akagi, and Uozumi, and proposed different starting lineups.
• Takato asked Taoka who would coach the National Sports Festival team, leaving the question unresolved.

Coach Akai told Yo Aoki that Kainan and Shoyo wanted to recruit him, but Aoki reaffirmed his commitment to Takezato and accepted Kanagawa’s National Sports Festival invitation. At Kainan’s training camp, the prefecture’s top players gathered and Aoki joined them, ready to compete alongside former rivals.

• Principal told Coach Akai that Kainan and Shoyo had asked to recruit Aoki, but Aoki promised he would stay at Takezato until he led the team to national supremacy.
• Aoki received an invitation to represent Kanagawa at the National Sports Festival and asked Akai to oversee Takezato’s training while he was away.
• Coach Anzai announced that five Shohoku players, including Sakuragi and Rukawa, had been selected for the training camp at Kainan.
• Kiyota confronted Sakuragi when Shohoku arrived at Kainan, while Akagi and Maki welcomed each other as teammates.
• Uozumi, Sendoh, Fukuda, Fujima, and Hanagata arrived with Coach Taoka, and Aoki joined the gathered players just before roll call.

Takato and Taoka formed rival teams for a training-camp scrimmage to assess the players and their leadership. The game began with Sendoh setting up Aoki for a powerful alley-oop dunk, and Maki’s team started its first attack.

• Takato named Maki the team’s core, and he and Taoka took turns drafting players for their scrimmage teams.
• Taoka named Fujima, Mitsui, Sendoh, Yo Aoki, and Uozumi as his starters, while Sendoh and others calmed Sakuragi after he protested being benched.
• Akagi and Uozumi tied the opening tip, and Aoki grabbed the loose ball before Fujima launched the white team’s attack.
• Sendoh asked Aoki to show how he ran the offense, then threw a high alley-oop that Aoki caught and slammed through the hoop.
• Maki brought the yellow team upcourt against Fujima, drove at him, then passed to Kiyota, who sent the ball toward the baseline.

The Kanagawa teams traded baskets in a high-level scrimmage, with Aoki, Fujima, Sendoh, and Uozumi showing strong coordination for the white team. Aida and Nakamura arrived to watch as the game continued, and Coach Takato called a break to adjust the lineup.

• Rukawa drew Sendoh and Uozumi before passing to Akagi, who fed Jin for a three-pointer that put the white team ahead 3-2.
• Aoki screened for Fujima, then cut to receive his pass and set up Uozumi for a dunk; Maki answered with a disguised pass to Akagi, whose hook shot made the score 5-4.
• Aida scolded the late-arriving Nakamura, then drove with him to Kainan High School to watch the internal scrimmage.
• With the yellow team leading 26-23, Aoki screened for Sendoh and cut to the basket to receive a pass and score, extending the white team's lead.
• Maki passed to Rukawa after Fujima covered Akagi, but Sendoh contested Rukawa's shot; Aoki won the rebound and started a fast break that ended with Sendoh catching Aoki's lob and dunking.
• Coach Takato called for a break and said he would adjust the lineup.

Yo Aoki proposed a 1-2-2 zone defense built around Fujima and Shoyo’s tall lineup, and the white team used it to disrupt Kainan’s offense. Aida also revealed that Eiji Sawakita would play for Sannoh at the National Sports Festival, while the scrimmage ended with Fujima stripping Jin.

• Yayoi Aida interviewed Coach Takato, who said Kanagawa would focus on team chemistry and that he was the team’s core.
• Yo Aoki proposed a 1-2-2 zone and suggested putting Sakuragi in; Taoka approved the plan after Aoki pointed out that Fujima and former Shoyo players could lead the defense.
• Aida told Aoki that Eiji Sawakita had stayed at Sannoh and would attend the National Sports Festival, prompting Rukawa to vow to defeat him.
• Takato substituted Takasago for Akagi, urged the yellow team to tighten its defense, and sent the teams back onto the court.
• The white team trapped Kainan’s players with its zone, and Fujima knocked the ball away from Jin as the sideline reacted to the defense.

Fujima led the white team against Maki and the yellow team, scoring and organizing an effective 1-2-2 zone defense that exposed the yellow team’s lack of cohesion. After a timeout, Taoka brought in Fukuda and asked Aoki for tactical advice, while Takato began to suspect Aoki was behind Taoka’s strategies.

• Fujima used a sharp change of direction to get past Maki and score, then urged the white team to hold steady and stop the next attack.
• Maki beat Fujima and scored through Sakuragi’s foul, but the white team’s zone defense later forced him to pass to Rukawa, whose contested shot went out of bounds.
• Fujima faked a pass to Sakuragi, drew Kiyota away, and set up Hanagata for a dunk as Aoki convinced Sakuragi that he had helped the play.
• Takato called a timeout after Rukawa’s attack failed, and he noticed that Fujima was leading a more cohesive white team while his own players lacked chemistry.
• Taoka substituted Fukuda for Aoki and asked Aoki for advice; Aoki recommended Ryonan-style offense for the white team and several possible lineup changes for the yellow team.
• The game resumed without a yellow-team substitution, as Takato kept his lineup on the court to reveal more of its weaknesses.

After the Kanagawa team’s scrimmage, Yo Aoki discussed possible lineups, gave Yayoi Aida an interview, and joined the others at Kainan High School. The chapter left Aoki in class after he provoked Kiyota into demanding a one-on-one basketball game.

• Yo Aoki advised Coach Taoka on possible lineups, and the white team beat the yellow team 70–68 in the scrimmage.
• Yayoi Aida interviewed Yo Aoki, who said his goal was to win the Autumn National Sports Festival championship.
• Yo Aoki arrived at Kainan High School, where Sakuragi and Kiyota competed to see who could eat more.
• During afternoon class, Yo Aoki helped the teacher wake Kiyota, while Sakuragi and Kaede Rukawa kept sleeping.
• Yo Aoki teased Kiyota about being better at studying than basketball, and Kiyota challenged him to a one-on-one game.

Aoki delivered a love letter to Sakuragi, who hesitated to accept it because he felt loyal to Haruko, while the girl’s embarrassment drew Kiyota’s teasing. At the gym, Takato began the combined teams’ intensive tactical training, and afterward he and Taoka discussed the players’ abilities and possible starting lineup.

• A girl asked Aoki to deliver her love letter to Sakuragi, and Sakuragi eventually opened it but said he could not betray Haruko.
• Aoki recognized the girl at the gym and pointed her out to Sakuragi; Kiyota laughed when he learned Sakuragi had been rejected fifty times, embarrassing the girl and Sakuragi.
• Coach Takato cleared the gym for closed practice and announced that he would lead tactical training while Taoka handled physical conditioning.
• Takato split the fifteen players into three teams for demanding defensive drills, praising team one’s execution and identifying weaknesses in team three.
• After practice, Mitsui worried about keeping up with the training, while Akagi encouraged him to go to dinner.
• Takato and Taoka reviewed the players’ abilities, with Taoka praising Aoki; when Taoka asked about the starting lineup, Takato smiled without answering.

Coach Taoka put the joint-practice players through an exhausting endurance run, after which they stayed to challenge one another in one-on-one games. As the matches continued, Akagi told Sakuragi that the Autumn National Sports Festival would be his last competition and Miyagi would become Shohoku’s next captain.

• Coach Takato told Akagi to guide Sakuragi through the basics and asked Uozumi to work on Fukuda’s defense.
• Taoka made the players run for nearly an hour and warned them that tougher stamina training would start the next day.
• Aoki stayed to practice, prompting the players to remain and start several one-on-one matches.
• Akagi stopped Sakuragi and Kiyota from arguing instead of playing, then directed Sakuragi to watch the other matches.
• Akagi told Sakuragi he needed to carry Shohoku inside in the Winter Selection Tournament and revealed that Miyagi would take over as captain after Akagi’s final competition at the Autumn National Sports Festival.