TEIKO MIDDLE SCHOOL
The Teiko Middle School basketball team.
In its brilliant history, there were five once-in-a-decade prodigies in one year...
...the "Generation of Miracles."
Ryota Kise. Shintaro Midorima. Daiki Aomine.
Atsushi Murasakibara. Seijuro Akashi.
And the menace standing against them was Seirin High School...
With its shadow... and light.
And it's in! Alley-oop!
Kise is unstoppable!
No matter what you do, it's useless. Nobody can stop me right now.
So strong!
Predict who he'll be copying?
Perhaps it's better to say "induce" than "predict."
That's the only way for Seirin to stop Ryota in his current state.
I'm not sure if it's possible, but I think that the potential is there.
In any case, we have to stop Kise to win!
That means we have to entrust that role to Kuroko.
All of you, don't give up till the end!
Seirin... fight!
Yeah!
I got a good grasp of how Kise-kun tends to play.
Seriously? So if everything goes well...
It's still incomplete. To narrow down his next play...
...I need to watch Kise-kun even more closely. So I have one request.
KAIJO SEIRIN
Such determination... I guess they found their resolve?
62Q. HE IS THE BEST PLAYER
Run-and-gun?
What's this about? With this score and time, they should be more cautious!
What's needed now isn't spirit or momentum... This looks like they're being reckless.
A three?
No good!
Because of that thing earlier, I don't have the power!
Aomine's superspeed help...
Damn, I can't get by this... He'll get it!
Kuroko!
All right!
- All right! - Yeah!
Whoa!
We did it! We flipped the game around!
Calm down! We still have time! Use up the clock! If we get one shot, we win!
Yeah!
With that, I have the answer.
It's like I said at the time out. I'm leaving you with the rest.
Sure!
This is it, Kise-kun...
Bring it!
Man-to-man defense this late in the game? To think you'd use such an old tactic in the last minutes...
In the end, I know you'll just pair up to attack me, and yet...
I want you to not disappoint me too much.
This is our last chance! Play like your life depends on it!
Yeah!
Wow, what defense!
Everyone in Seirin has so much spirit!
Don't panic! Focus! Stay calm! We'll deliver the final blow!
Yeah!
De-fense! De-fense! De-fense!
No... That can't possibly be the case.
Kuroko-cchi is always going full throttle... Always struggling to win...
For me, someone who always looked down on others as shabby...
...he was the first shabby guy I ever respected.
I was really happy when he called me his rival.
So...
I want to win! I absolutely do!
No way!
A steal?
But it's impossible! No matter how strange he moves, his speed is trivial in comparison!
Kise!
So that's what you went for after all... Then I'll dodge you here and end it all!
He held on!
Two cutbacks? Dammit...
Not letting you!
This is the end!
- This is... - Murasakibara's... Thor's Hammer!
Go!
No... that's what we wanted! Everything up till now!
Kise-kun has two quirks.
One is when he's on the spot, copying Aomine-kun, which he does best, is extremely likely.
The other is that he subconsciously avoids using the same copy in succession.
I don't have enough data to say for sure...
...but from those two quirks, we could induce a certain play.
First, I'll do something to put him on the spot to draw out a copy of Aomine-kun.
And by making him penetrate inside, we negate a copy of Midorima-kun.
Then if Kagami-kun immediately helps...
...he'll dodge by copying Akashi-kun and end up under the basket for sure.
Of the copies left...
...the move with the highest firepower from there can only be Murasakibara-kun's Thor's Hammer.
This is strange. Didn't this go too smoothly?
If I make the basket now, putting Kuroko-cchi on me would've had no meaning.
Then was it on purpose?
Eagle Spear!
All right!
Not yet! The ball's still alive!
But even if I grab it, I don't have any shots.
So should I pass?
No good... Relying on my teammates now...
What's most important on a team is to think about what you should be doing.
That's my job as captain. The ace player only needs to look forward.
No! There's no teammate I shouldn't rely on!
The job of the ace is to guide the team to victory!
A flashback to when they lost to us wouldn't have been a surprise...
Yet he still doesn't hesitate to pass now?
Man, this does me in...
If I don't sink this, I can't call myself a man!
All right!
KAIJO SEIRIN
- Looks like it's over. - Guess we're playing Kaijo in the finals.
The game's likely over and done with now. But something doesn't sit right with me.
There's less than four seconds left... What can they do from here...
No... They have four seconds...
The bench looks serious, but they aren't exactly panicking.
So it was all intentional till now?
You're amazing! It's still incomplete? It doesn't sound like it at all!
You got to where you can determine Kise's moves, so if we aim for that moment...
We might be able to stop them, but this is only...
...if he was back to his middle-school self where he did everything himself.
Kise-kun isn't like that now. When passing is an option...
...I can't narrow down the play no matter what I do. I'm really sorry...
I did use to tell him that I wanted him to become a player that could fight for the team.
But I honestly didn't think he'd get so out of hand.
So the one request I have is to not stop Kise-kun.
Not yet!
- I told you... - Kagami!
This is exactly what we planned for!
Go!
So fast!
A perfect formation! Can it be?
Yes. This is what Seirin truly had planned.
Creating several seconds for the counterattack, then luring Ryota underneath to give Kagami a head start.
Everything since the run-and-gun possession leads to this very moment.
After all, you truly aren't the type to give up a challenge, Tetsuya.
So fast! Even if I could catch up, I'm nowhere near tall enough to stop Kagami.
What should we...
Kagami!
- Impossible... - You serious? He's too fast!
What now? No time to dribble past him... So I've gotta gamble!
Meteor Jam!
Kise!
No good, the jump isn't far enough! This shot will fail!
Kagami-kun!
Kuroko-cchi! But you're one step too late.
The ball's going to leave Kagami-cchi's hand. He can't stop the dunk!
Not yet!
We did it!
KAIJO SEIRIN
All right!
Yeah!
We did it!
All right!
Kise-kun...
It was a total loss...
Kise...
Honestly... You won twice against me... I can't even think of anything to say as a parting shot.
But my head feels clear too.
It feels like I gave it my all, so I've got no regrets losing.
Kise-kun.
You really were strong.
We may have won the game, but we weren't able to stop you.
You know... It's useless if I'm the only one who wins.
In the past, I'd totally brag about it after hearing that...
But now I can only think you're being sarcastic.
I'm sorry.
Next time, we'll win. We'll have another match next year.
Right!
Looks like next time, it's gonna be even rougher.
Yes.
He is the best player... Kise-kun of Kaijo.
Might as well go all the way and win it all! Win for our sake too!
Yeah!
With a score of 81-80, Seirin High School wins! Bow!
Thank you very much!
And now my foot...
But it's all okay. It's over... Everything...
Senpai.
If you're holding it in that obviously...
...you'd be okay as a model but not as an actor.
I wanted to win...
Yeah.
I... I wanted to win with everyone...
Right.
- Let's go, Satsuki. - Hey, hold on, Dai-chan!
The next game is the last.
And now it's been decided. It's finally time.
Let's go.
WINTER CUP BOYS' FINALS RAKUZAN HIGH SCHOOL (KYOTO) VS SEIRIN HIGH SCHOOL (TOKYO)
Whoa! We won!
I honestly can't believe it! We made it to the finals at last!
What's wrong, Kuroko?
Well, I've focused on passing till now, and I've never made the deciding shot...
Let alone a buzzer beater. It's a first for me.
Now that you mention it...
How to put it... right now...
I could die happy.
Man, I've never seen his face look so relaxed! Hey, don't die!
You have a right to be happy of course.
Your presence is usually hardly felt, but you're today's hero.
Come on, guys, it's good to be happy, but keep it modest.
Our battle isn't over yet... you know!
Captain, your face is all relaxed too! And creepy!
You guys are slackers! Sheesh! One more till we're national champs.
We've gotta win for the sake of all the teams we beat, including Kaijo of course!
- All right, let's go home! - Yeah!
Huh? Wait... Huh? It's gone!
What's wrong?
I lost my ring!
- H-Hold up... I'll go look for it! - Hey, Kagami!
It's gone... Where is it?
Is this what you're looking for?
Yeah! That!
Where did you...
Midorima?
Looks like you won against Kise.
Oh, yeah.
What?
To think you'd make it to Akashi... My compliments in fact...
Why do you sound so patronizing?
Or rather, why're you hanging around?
No reason... Just in a very pensive mood in fact.
What's with that? Your match for third is tomorrow, right?
Doesn't matter. A bit against my will, I can already see the result.
In fact, I'll watch your game afterwards before I leave.
Gonna cheer for Akashi?
Like I would, idiot.
I have no intention to, nor does he need cheering on.
Akashi is a strong one.
I know that. But you never know until you try.
- Hey, what are you doing out here? - Takao-kun.
Huh? Is that Kagami over there with Shin-chan?
Right, something like this happened in the summer too.
But today, I don't feel like laughing as I watch.
I'm out. Good luck tomorrow!
Right.
Hey, Shin-chan, come on! Every time! We're going home!
Kagami. I will in fact tell you something...
About Seijuro Akashi... There are two of him.
What are you saying? What does that mean!
You can ask Kuroko over there the rest. See you.
Do your best in fact, at the very least...
You were listening to that conversation, right? What was the meaning of all that?
- I'll tell you later. - Hey! Don't dodge the question!
No... I just want to tell the story in front of everyone.
It's not that I've been hiding it, including what he said...
...but I want everyone to know before we fight Akashi-kun.
About our past...
Well, Kuroko, tell us.
Why in my room!
You want us to hear the story under the mid-winter sky?
But why here?
Hold on! This story's connected to tomorrow's final as well! Let's be serious and hear it.
- Did you start playing in middle school? - No, I started basketball in fifth grade.
I saw a game on TV and thought it would be fun. A perfectly normal reason for starting, I'd say.
I didn't have any mini-basketball clubs close, so I just played basketball in a park that had a court.
One day, a boy talked to me on the court.
We became friends very quickly.
He was better than me, so he taught me all sorts of things.
But he moved out of town in sixth grade, and we made one promise at that time.
That we'd both join our middle schools' teams and someday face off in a game...
You had someone like that?
So what happened? He's still playing basketball, right?
No... He quit. Because of me.
I'm sure he'll never forgive me for what I did.
Why? What in the world...
Let's see... I guess I should tell this from here in chronological order.
After making that promise, the new year came, and I started attending Teiko Middle School in April.
TEIKO MIDDLE SCHOOL
It was a day with blue skies... Skies so clear it was hard to believe it was spring.
NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW
A blue, perfectly clear sky. Teiko Middle School basketball team.
Hopes and worries for a new life.
63Q. A DAY WITH BLUE SKIES And that was when I met them...