Chapter Summaries

Shohoku and Ryonan traded fast breaks as Miyagi made a crucial chase-down block on Koshino, then Shohoku slowed the game and began another half-court attack. Shirasawa started a drive against Sendoh with eight seconds left on the shot clock.

• Miyagi intercepted Ikegami's pass intended for Rukawa and led a fast break, but Rukawa blocked his pass attempt.
• Ikegami grabbed the rebound and launched a long pass to Koshino, but Miyagi sprinted back and blocked Koshino's shot at the rim.
• Akagi secured the loose ball and signaled Shohoku to settle down before Shirasawa brought the ball across half court.
• With eight seconds on the shot clock, Sakuragi moved to screen Ikegami and called for the ball as Shirasawa drove right against Sendoh.

Shirasawa’s scoring and playmaking kept Shohoku ahead as Ryonan fought back and brought Kiccho Fukuda off the bench. Fukuda was assigned to guard Sakuragi, and the chapter ended with Shirasawa driving past Sendoh as Sakuragi called for the ball.

• Shirasawa fooled Sendoh, Uozumi, and Sakuragi with a fake behind-the-back pass before dunking, prompting Moichi Taoka to call a timeout.
• Taoka urged Ryonan to score and set Kaede Rukawa and Ikegami to create openings, while Sendoh’s fake-shot pass helped Rukawa score Ryonan’s first basket.
• Both teams traded hard-earned baskets, and Shohoku held a 38-33 lead twelve minutes into the first half.
• Jin told Nobunaga Kiyota and Shinichi Maki that Kiccho Fukuda was his former classmate and warned that Fukuda’s entry could change the game.
• Taoka sent Fukuda onto the court without removing a starter, and Ryonan assigned him to guard Sakuragi.
• As Sakuragi called for the ball against Fukuda, Shirasawa drove inside against Sendoh.

Shirasawa’s precise bounce passes set up a gorilla dunk for Takenori Akagi and a dunk attempt for Hanamichi Sakuragi, while Ryonan answered with Fukuda’s and-one. Fukuda then deliberately fouled Sakuragi as he attacked the paint, sending him to the free-throw line as part of Moichi Taoka’s plan to exploit Sakuragi’s poor shooting.

• Shirasawa used a wrist-only bounce pass to feed Takenori Akagi, who dunked over Uozumi and taunted him.
• Fukuda beat Sakuragi with a feint, switched hands in midair to score through Sakuragi’s foul, and made the free throw.
• Shirasawa sent a bounce pass between Sendoh’s legs to Sakuragi, who caught it and drove toward the basket.
• Fukuda grabbed Sakuragi around the waist during his dunk attempt and was called for a shooting foul.
• Moichi Taoka’s plan was revealed: Fukuda had been instructed to foul Sakuragi deliberately and send him to the free-throw line.

Fukuda exploited Sakuragi’s poor defense to score repeatedly, drawing three fouls and helping Ryonan close the gap against Shohoku. After Fukuda completed another and-one and reveled in the crowd’s cheers, Ryonan stood at 46–43 with a bonus free throw ahead.

• Sakuragi missed both free throws, and Uozumi collected the rebound to start Ryonan’s fast break.
• Fukuda baited Sakuragi into jumping and scored, then drew another foul on a later drive for an and-one.
• Shirasawa scored a left-handed layup, while Fukuda continued attacking Sakuragi and earned a third foul with another and-one.
• Sakuragi grabbed Akagi’s missed shot but had his dunk blocked by Uozumi, and Rukawa led Shohoku’s ensuing fast break.
• Sendoh passed to Fukuda for an alley-oop, and Sakuragi fouled him as he completed the dunk, giving Fukuda ten straight points and leaving the score 46–43.
• Fukuda roared to the cheering crowd as Taoka encouraged him to keep going.

After Fukuda overwhelmed Sakuragi, Coach Anzai and Shirasawa urged him to watch how Shohoku handled its opponents. Ryonan double-teamed Shirasawa, but he used a pass to set up Akagi against Uozumi, leaving Sakuragi to reconsider his own strength.

• Fukuda scored his eleventh point after Sakuragi picked up his third foul, and Coach Anzai replaced Sakuragi with Kogure.
• Shirasawa told Sakuragi to decide whether he would recover from the setback, while Coach Anzai explained that Ryonan had targeted Sakuragi as a major threat.
• Ryonan left Kogure open and sent Kaede Rukawa and Akira Sendoh to double-team Shirasawa.
• Coach Anzai told Sakuragi to watch how Shirasawa dealt with Fukuda, and Shinichi Maki pointed out that Akagi could exploit his matchup against Uozumi.
• Shirasawa escaped the double-team with a skipping-stone pass to Akagi, who slipped past Uozumi and scored a reverse layup.

Shirasawa repeatedly shut down Fukuda, stealing the ball for a fast-break dunk and later blocking Fukuda’s attempted dunk. As the ball flew loose, Shirasawa turned to keep Akagi away from it, leaving the play unresolved.

• Akagi scored against Uozumi, prompting Uozumi to vow he would not give him another chance.
• Shirasawa switched onto Fukuda, provoked him into a one-on-one, and stole the ball before racing upcourt with Sendoh and dunking.
• Shinichi Maki named Shirasawa, himself, Fujima, and Sendoh as Kanagawa’s top players, while telling Kiyota he could join them someday.
• Fukuda cut toward the paint to receive Sendoh’s pass, but Shirasawa anticipated it and blocked Fukuda’s attempted dunk.
• Shirasawa turned to block Akagi off as the ball flew loose.

Shirasawa answered Fukuda’s three fouls on Sakuragi with three consecutive blocks, forcing Fukuda out of the game and helping Shohoku close the gap. With Fukuda on the bench and less than two minutes left in the half, Shirasawa began setting up Akagi to take on Uozumi beneath the basket.

• Fukuda ignored Sendoh and Taoka’s calls to pass, attacked Shirasawa repeatedly, and was blocked three times in a row.
• Sakuragi recognized that Shirasawa’s ruthless defense had taught him to stay composed and asked Coach Anzai to put him back in, but Anzai kept him on the bench because of his three fouls and the short time remaining.
• With the score 50–44 and Fukuda shaken, Taoka sent Koshino in for him; Sendoh helped Fukuda leave the court, and Taoka reassured him that the team still needed him.
• Sanae teased Yayoi Aida about Fukuda’s removal, while Yayoi insisted that Ryonan’s remaining stars could still change the game.
• Shirasawa responded to Ryonan’s double-team by directing Shohoku to play through Akagi and signaling the other four players to move beyond the three-point line, leaving Akagi under the basket.

Akagi won his one-on-one battle with Uozumi by securing a rebound and dunking over him, establishing himself as Kanagawa's number one center. Taoka called a timeout as Ryonan regrouped and Uozumi sat dispirited.

• Shirasawa faked a pass inside and set up Mitsui for a three, but Ikegami grazed the shot and sent it off course.
• Akagi out-jumped Uozumi to claim the rebound and began Shohoku's next attack.
• Akagi drove past Uozumi and dunked over him, drawing a roar from the crowd.
• Taoka called a timeout and took the dejected Uozumi out of the game.
• Shohoku's teammates celebrated Akagi, who bumped fists with Shirasawa, while Haruko cried with happiness in the stands.

Uozumi recovered from his loss to Akagi and rallied Ryonan to focus on winning as a team, while Shirasawa hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer to extend Shohoku’s halftime lead to 57-48. At halftime, Sakuragi met Yoko Shimamura and returned to the bench smiling, ready to face the second half.

• Uozumi told Coach Taoka and his teammates that Akagi’s individual victory would not keep him down, and urged Fukuda to learn from defeat.
• Rukawa made a fadeaway for Ryonan’s last first-half possession, leaving Shohoku with 14 seconds to answer at 54-46.
• Shirasawa evaded Ryonan’s defense and sank a three-pointer at the buzzer, putting Shohoku ahead 57-48.
• Shirasawa bowed to the hostile Ryonan crowd, and Nobunaga Kiyota, Shinichi Maki, and Jin reacted to his bold response.
• At halftime, Ayako pushed Sakuragi to speak with Yoko Shimamura, and he returned to his teammates in high spirits.

Shohoku and Ryonan began the final twenty minutes of the Kanagawa tournament with Shohoku leading 57-48, and Shirasawa and Sendoh traded baskets in an intense duel. Shirasawa broke the stalemate with a steal and a fast-break dunk, while Maki and Jin anticipated a future matchup against another national-level star.

• Akagi rallied Shohoku and Taoka urged Ryonan to draw on its grueling training and show its fighting spirit before the second half began.
• Akagi won the jump ball, and Shirasawa scored Shohoku's first basket after slipping past Sendoh, who answered with a mid-range jumper.
• Shirasawa and Sendoh traded attacks, with Shirasawa driving to the basket and Sendoh repeatedly answering with accurate jump shots.
• Shirasawa stole the ball from Sendoh, got past Ikegami by sending the ball around one side and himself around the other, and finished with a one-handed tomahawk dunk.
• Maki said Shirasawa was stronger than Sendoh on offense, and Jin and Maki discussed the national-level player who might challenge him while Kiyota asked who they meant.

As Shohoku extended its lead, Ryonan tried to wear down Mitsui and relied on Rukawa to challenge Shirasawa. Shirasawa set up a Sakuragi dunk, and Rukawa surprised everyone by passing the ball when Shirasawa shut down his shot.

• Maki told Kiyota that Kainan needed to look beyond Kanagawa and planned to take him to see other teams.
• Ryonan called timeout while trailing 72–60, and Taoka continued his plan to exhaust Mitsui.
• Rukawa scored through Akagi’s foul and made the free throw, cutting Shohoku’s lead to 72–63.
• Shirasawa faked a drive and passed to Sakuragi, who caught the ball and dunked.
• Shirasawa quickly blocked Rukawa’s shot, and Rukawa passed toward the baseline instead of forcing the attempt.

With Shohoku leading by fourteen, Ryonan launched a late comeback by targeting Mitsui’s fatigue and trapping Shirasawa. As Ryonan broke into a three-man fast break, Mitsui’s remaining stamina and Shohoku’s response were still uncertain.

• Sakuragi blocked Fukuda’s shot, secured the rebound, and passed the ball safely to Shirasawa after avoiding Sendoh’s passing-lane trap.
• With eight minutes left and Shohoku ahead 84–70, Taoka sent Koshino in, and Ryonan’s Three Muskets began exploiting Mitsui’s exhaustion to score.
• Taoka reinserted Ikegami and had him join Sendoh and Rukawa in trapping Shirasawa, forcing a turnover that Rukawa converted into a layup to cut the lead to ten.
• Anzai refused Kogure’s request to replace Mitsui, while Kogure realized Mitsui might have conserved strength for the closing minutes.
• Shirasawa passed to Miyagi to avoid Ryonan’s trap, but Miyagi’s floater missed; Uozumi knocked the rebound out, and Fukuda gathered it as Ryonan’s three attackers raced downcourt.

Shirasawa stopped Ryonan’s three-on-one fast break by blocking Kaede Rukawa’s dunk, then Shohoku settled into a half-court offense with Hisashi Mitsui still appearing exhausted. After a fan’s shout inspired him, Mitsui revealed he had been conserving his strength and hit a three-pointer, leaving Taoka to realize he had been fooled.

• Shirasawa defended Fukuda, Sendoh, and Kaede Rukawa alone, then blocked Rukawa’s dunk and ended Ryonan’s fast break.
• Taoka urged Ryonan to recover as Miyagi led Shohoku into a counterattack, but Sendoh got back in time to force a half-court offense.
• A girl in the stands defended Mitsui and raised the rain-damaged poster he had once given her, shouting that he would lead Shohoku to victory.
• Mitsui heard the girl, sprang past Fukuda, and caught Shirasawa’s cross-court pass before sinking a three-pointer with five minutes left.
• Taoka realized Mitsui had feigned exhaustion to save his strength for the final minutes and grew convinced Ryonan was in trouble.

Shohoku dominated Ryonan in the final minutes and stood on the verge of winning the Kanagawa championship, with the crowd counting down the last seconds. Coach Taoka comforted Hikoichi and began rethinking how he prepared his team as the game neared its end.

• Mitsui returned to defending Kaede Rukawa, freeing Shirasawa to face Ryonan's Twin Stars while Sakuragi and Akagi fought hard for rebounds and position.
• Mitsui made another three-pointer, and Kogure shouted encouragement as Shohoku's lead grew to 104–85 with eighteen seconds left.
• Shirasawa controlled the ball and let the final seconds run down while the arena cheered Shohoku's imminent championship.
• Maki and Jin discussed Shohoku's victory, while Taoka comforted the tearful Hikoichi and advised him to study tactics as well as gather data.
• The Shohoku crowd began counting down the final ten seconds, and Uozumi gave Akagi a cold snort.

Shohoku defeated Ryonan to win the Kanagawa championship, with Shirasawa acclaimed as MVP. As the teams prepared for the awards ceremony, Maki accepted Kainan’s defeat and Fujima weighed his next move after Sanae Nakagawa approached him about representation.

• Akagi and Uozumi exchanged a high five, and Uozumi vowed to make one last impression on his old rival.
• Shirasawa and Rukawa acknowledged their rivalry, while Rukawa accepted the loss and looked forward to competing again.
• The final whistle confirmed Shohoku’s victory, and the team and its supporters celebrated their first Kanagawa championship as Shirasawa received the MVP chants.
• Maki prepared to leave Kainan after the ceremony and planned to hand the team over to Kiyota, while Jin lamented that the spotlight had gone to Shirasawa.
• Fujima reconsidered whether to play in the winter qualifiers after Sanae Nakagawa gave him her business card and discussed representing him.
• Yayoi Aida said Sendoh would have owned the season without Shirasawa, and Sanae countered that the same argument could have been made for Fujima without Maki.

Shohoku celebrated its Kanagawa tournament championship, while Ryonan accepted second place and the teams awaited the best-five selections. Akira Sendoh was named a forward, leaving the final selection unresolved.

• Akagi and Uozumi shook hands after Shohoku defeated Ryonan, and Coach Taoka acknowledged the lessons he had learned from Coach Anzai.
• Akagi nervously accepted the championship trophy, raised it for the crowd, and passed it to Shirasawa and Kogure; Uozumi's awkward walk prompted Hanamichi Sakuragi to mock him.
• The organizers named Takenori Akagi, Shirasawa, and Shinichi Maki to the best five, then selected Akira Sendoh as a forward.
• Ryonan's players cheered when Sendoh's selection gave their team representation, while the final best-five spot remained to be announced.

The Kanagawa tournament awards were announced, with Mitsui earning a place on the all-tournament team and Sakuragi winning the rebound title. Shirasawa swept the remaining individual honors, becoming the tournament’s undisputed MVP as Shohoku shared in the team’s historic haul.

• Sendoh was named to the all-tournament team, and Mitsui anxiously waited before being announced as its final forward.
• Sakuragi won the rebound title with an average of 16.5 rebounds per game and celebrated his first trophy.
• The organizer announced that Shirasawa had won the scoring, steals, assists, and blocks titles.
• Shirasawa was also named best newcomer and tournament MVP, completing a seven-trophy haul.
• Shirasawa called his Shohoku teammates up to share the awards, as the team celebrated its sweep of nearly every honor.

After Shohoku won the Kanagawa championship, Shinichi Maki left Kainan and Kenji Fujima agreed to join Sanae’s venture. Sanae offered Yayoi Aida a chance to start a magazine together, and Yayoi began considering the proposal.

• Shohoku received the championship trophy as the Kanagawa tournament ended, while the teams prepared for the national tournament.
• Shinichi Maki told Nobunaga Kiyota to pack and accompany him to Aichi Prefecture, having stepped down as Kainan’s captain.
• Kenji Fujima approached Sanae and accepted her offer to join her team, then went with her and Yayoi Aida to a café.
• Kaede Rukawa overheard Hikoichi say that Yayoi had left with Sanae and Fujima, and he reacted sharply to Fujima’s name.
• Sanae offered Yayoi the chance to start a magazine together with Yayoi as president, prompting Yayoi to reconsider leaving Basketball Weekly.

Sanae recruited Yayoi Aida to run an agency-backed basketball magazine, then secured Fujima’s signature as the agency’s sixth player. Fujima accepted his new role as the team’s strategist and vice-captain, while preparing to say goodbye to Shoyo and leave its winter qualifying campaign behind.

• Sanae offered Yayoi Aida control of a new agency-backed sports magazine, and Yayoi negotiated for editorial authority and a stake before agreeing to sign the next morning.
• After Yayoi left, Sanae presented Fujima with a player representation contract and answered his questions about autonomy, plans, and team staffing.
• Fujima signed the contract, becoming the agency’s sixth player and the team’s strategist and vice-captain.
• Sanae gave Fujima a key to the Base Camp gym and agreed to look for opportunities for Hanagata and his other Shoyo teammates, without promising results.
• Fujima said he would return to Shoyo the next day to say goodbye and confirmed he would not play in the winter qualifiers.

After Shohoku celebrated its prefectural championship, Takenori Akagi reminded the team that their real challenge was the national tournament. The next day, Shinichi Maki and Nobunaga Kiyota watched Aichi’s final and were stunned by the size and strength of rookie center Hiroshi Morishige.

• Takenori Akagi thanked Shohoku for winning the prefectural tournament and urged the team to prepare to conquer the nation.
• Coach Anzai gave Shohoku the next day off and scheduled training to resume the day after.
• Shirasawa treated Shohoku to a team meal at Uozumi’s family restaurant, and Hanamichi Sakuragi asked to bring Yoko.
• Shinichi Maki and Nobunaga Kiyota attended the Aiwa Academy–Meihou Industrial final to see the highly praised Hiroshi Morishige.
• Hiroshi Morishige appeared on the court, and Maki and Kiyota were astonished by the rookie center’s imposing build.