Chapter Summaries

Shohoku’s second-string lineup fell far behind Miuradai as Kengo Murasame’s rough tactics rattled them, but Takenori Akagi’s powerful dunk helped restore their confidence. With five minutes left in the first half, Shirasawa and three substitutes entered, and Shirasawa immediately stunned everyone by scoring a three-pointer.

• Yasuda lost the ball under pressure, and Miuradai used fast breaks and physical defense to build an 8-0 lead over Shohoku.
• Kengo Murasame struck Akagi in the neck during a drive, and Miuradai’s rough play made Shohoku’s players hesitate and struggle.
• Akagi fought through a triple-team to dunk while drawing a foul, helping Shohoku regain its composure despite trailing 20-35.
• Coach Anzai sent Shirasawa, Hanamichi Sakuragi, Miyagi, and Hisashi Mitsui into the game with five minutes left in the half.
• Shirasawa beat Kazuo Araki off the dribble and made a three-pointer on his first possession, surprising both Shohoku and Ryonan.

Shirasawa sparked Shohoku’s comeback with a steal, a dunk, and sharp passing as the team cut Miuradai’s lead. After Miuradai’s Kengo Murasame exploited Sakuragi’s temper to score, Shirasawa drove through the defense and set up Akagi for a dunk.

• Shirasawa stole the ball from Kazuo Araki and powered in a one-handed tomahawk dunk, helping Shohoku narrow the score to 25-35.
• Miyagi intercepted Miuradai’s next pass, and Shirasawa delivered the ball to Hisashi Mitsui for a three-pointer that made it 28-35.
• Kaede Rukawa watched Shirasawa’s scoring display and seethed as he realized Shirasawa’s offense matched his own.
• Kengo Murasame provoked Sakuragi into a foul, then used another concealed dirty move to shake him and score a jumper; Akagi warned Sakuragi not to take the bait.
• Shirasawa drove past Miuradai’s defenders and tossed the ball to Akagi, who caught it beneath the basket and slammed it in.

Shohoku erased Miuradai’s fifteen-point lead with a 23-2 run, then Shirasawa hit a buzzer-beating three to give Shohoku a 46-37 halftime lead. In Miuradai’s locker room, Murasame brought out their secret weapon, Tetsuya Naito, hoping to turn the game around.

• Mitsui revealed himself as a former middle school MVP by hitting a three-pointer after Miyagi and Mitsui forced a turnover.
• Shohoku’s defense and fast breaks overwhelmed Miuradai, and Shohoku outscored them 23-2 in the final five minutes of the half.
• Shirasawa dropped Kazuo Araki and made a buzzer-beating three, sending Shohoku into halftime up 46-37.
• Shohoku celebrated its lead while Murasame fumed in Miuradai’s locker room over his team’s sudden collapse.
• Tetsuya Naito emerged from the showers, and Murasame revealed that Miuradai had been saving him as a secret weapon.

Shohoku took control of the second half as Shirasawa exposed Miuradai’s reckless new player, Tetsuya Naito. After Shirasawa scored through Naito and set up Miyagi’s layup, Taoka concluded the game was moving at Shohoku’s pace, while Sendoh and Kaede Rukawa were absent from the stands.

• Naito entered the game boasting, then charged into Akagi and Sakuragi while chasing a rebound and was called for a charging foul.
• Shirasawa drove at Naito, scored a floater through the contact, and sank the free throw for a three-point play.
• Naito charged blindly with the ball, and Shirasawa stole it before passing to Miyagi for an easy layup.
• Taoka told Hikoichi that Shirasawa had exposed Miuradai’s trump card, then noticed Sendoh and Kaede Rukawa had left their seats.

Shohoku routed Miuradai as Shirasawa shifted from scoring to setting up his teammates, while Sendoh and Maki watched the growing blowout. In the final minutes, Shirasawa stopped Murasame from deliberately placing his foot under Mitsui as Mitsui came down from a shot.

• Taoka told Uozumi to discipline Ryonan’s two undisciplined players, while Sendoh watched the game from the lobby and spoke with Maki.
• Maki returned to the gym and saw Shohoku leading Miuradai 89–49 with five minutes left.
• Shirasawa orchestrated Shohoku’s offense with precise passes, helping Akagi, Mitsui, and Sakuragi score as the lead grew to forty-seven points.
• Shirasawa and Mitsui used a handoff to leave Mitsui open for a shot, but Murasame deliberately slid his foot into Mitsui’s landing spot.
• Shirasawa charged into Murasame and knocked him away before Mitsui landed, thwarting Murasame’s attempt to injure a Shohoku player.

Shohoku defeated Miuradai 117-54 after Shirasawa protected Hisashi Mitsui from Kengo Murasame's dangerous foul and delivered an exceptional performance. As Shohoku celebrated its victory, Sanae Nakagawa arranged publicity for Shirasawa and asked Eiichi Harada to photograph the team at every game.

• Shirasawa stopped Kengo Murasame from hurting Hisashi Mitsui, and the referee called Murasame for a flagrant foul; Mitsui made the extra free throw.
• Shohoku let the final seconds run out, then beat Miuradai 117-54 as Takenori Akagi, Kiminobu Kogure, and the crowd celebrated.
• Moichi Taoka left with the Ryonan players, while Jun Uozumi looked forward to facing Akagi and Sendoh anticipated a future meeting with Maki.
• During postgame greetings, Murasame apologized to Mitsui, who warned him to remember Shirasawa's threat.
• Shirasawa finished with 18 points, 19 assists, 5 rebounds, 6 steals, and 2 blocks, while Mitsui led the scoring with 35 points.
• Sanae Nakagawa paid photographer Eiichi Harada for photos of Shohoku, especially Shirasawa, and asked him to cover the team's future games.

Sanae Nakagawa resigned from Basketball Weekly and spread news and photos of Shirasawa to other media outlets, making Shohoku the focus after its crushing win over Miuradai. As the press competed for coverage and Mitsui learned his knee had healed, the story left Shohoku receiving newfound attention and encouragement at school.

• Eiichi Harada saw Sanae leave with Shirasawa and realized she was moving quickly to cover him.
• Sanae used her media contacts to circulate her game report, photos, and Shirasawa's profile after resigning from Basketball Weekly.
• Mitsui learned that his knee had fully recovered, then encountered Tetsuo, who congratulated him on returning to basketball.
• Newspapers and magazines published stories about Shirasawa and Shohoku, while Basketball Weekly's president ordered Yayoi Aida to secure an exclusive interview with Shirasawa.
• Akagi and Kogure were surrounded by excited schoolmates praising Shohoku's victory and urging the team to win the championship.

Shohoku’s first win brought the team attention, while Hanamichi Sakuragi struggled to score and asked Hisashi Mitsui to teach him shooting technique. Before Shohoku’s second-round game against Jino, Kainan newcomers Soichiro Jin and Nobunaga Aota arrived to watch Shirasawa, whom Aota resented for drawing more attention.

• Takenori Akagi ordered Hanamichi Sakuragi to stop celebrating his newspaper appearances and focus on training, then welcomed Shirasawa as the crowd cheered him.
• Hanamichi Sakuragi worried that he could not score near the basket and asked Hisashi Mitsui to teach him; Mitsui explained the importance of a relaxed wrist and fingers, but Sakuragi still shot stiffly.
• Shohoku’s second-round match against Jino drew a large crowd eager to see Shirasawa, the newcomer being compared with Ryonan’s Sendoh.
• Soichiro Jin and Nobunaga Aota came from Kainan to watch the game after Shinichi Maki told them to pay particular attention to Shirasawa.
• Nobunaga Aota bristled at the attention Shirasawa received and at reports comparing him with Shinichi Maki.

Shohoku overwhelmed Kakuno High School with a dominant performance, led by Shirasawa’s scoring and passing. As Shohoku surged to a 43-2 lead, Jin recognized Shirasawa as an exceptional rookie while Nobunaga Aota insisted he was better.

• Nobunaga Aota complained that Shinichi Maki wanted to watch Shohoku, while Jin argued that they should scout potential opponents and see Shirasawa play.
• Takenori Akagi led Shohoku onto the court with its full starting lineup, and Hanamichi Sakuragi searched the stands for Yoko Shimamura before Shirasawa urged him to focus.
• Ryota Miyagi tipped the opening ball forward, and Shirasawa finished their quick connection with a thunderous alley-oop dunk five seconds into the game.
• Kakuno committed a five-second inbound violation, then Shirasawa passed to Takenori Akagi for another alley-oop dunk.
• Shohoku dominated Kakuno, building a 43-2 lead in ten minutes as Shirasawa directed the offense and the team scored with drives, dunks, and three-pointers.
• Soichiro Jin praised Shohoku’s organized play and Shirasawa’s ability, but Nobunaga Aota dismissed them and claimed he was better than Shirasawa.

Shohoku crushed Kakuno 162-16, while Shirasawa helped Hanamichi Sakuragi enjoy a run of dunks. After the game, Sanae Nakagawa appeared at the locker room as Shirasawa’s agent, surprising the reporters and signaling the start of her new career.

• Shirasawa intercepted Kakuno’s last shot of the first half, and the teams went into halftime with Shohoku ahead 89-8.
• Shirasawa set up Hanamichi Sakuragi for an alley-oop and fed him more passes so he could dunk repeatedly.
• Coach Anzai replaced Shohoku’s starters, and Kiminobu Kogure’s lineup helped finish the 162-16 victory over Kakuno.
• Toru Hanagata taunted Jun Uozumi about Shohoku’s momentum and the coming final four, leaving Uozumi furious.
• Reporters crowded Shohoku’s locker room after the record-setting win, but Sanae Nakagawa emerged behind Ayako and surprised Yayoi Aida.
• The chapter revealed that Sanae had met Shohoku’s coach and leaders the day before to introduce herself as Shirasawa’s agent, following a plan Shirasawa had devised.

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.