List of Kuroko's Basketball episodes
Box art of the first Blu-ray compilation released on July 27, 2012
Kuroko's Basketball is an anime series adapted from the manga series of the same name by Tadatoshi Fujimaki. It is produced by Production I.G[1] and directed by Shunsuke Tada, it began broadcasting on Mainichi Broadcasting System on April 7, 2012 with Tokyo Metropolitan Television, Nippon BS Broadcasting, and Animax beginning broadcast in the weeks following.[2] The final episode of season 1 aired on September 22, 2012 and it was announced in the seasonally published Jump NEXT! winter issue that a second season has been green-lit,[3] and aired on October 5, 2013.[4] The series was also simulcast on Crunchyroll as part of their spring lineup of anime titles.[5] Kuroko no Basuke centres on the "Generation of Miracles", the regulars of the Teikō Middle School basketball team who rose to distinction by demolishing all competition. After graduating from middle school, these five stars went to different high schools with top basketball teams. However, a fact few know is that there was another player of the "Generation of Miracles", the phantom sixth player. This mysterious player is now a freshman at Seirin High, a new school with a powerful, if little-known, team. Now, Tetsuya Kuroko, the phantom sixth member of the "Generation of Miracles", and Taiga Kagami, a naturally talented player who spent most of middle school in America, are aiming to bring Seirin to the top of Japan, taking on Kuroko's old team-mates one by one.
The series first DVD and Blu-ray compilation was released on July 27, 2012[6][7] with a new DVD/Blu-ray compilation being released monthly. As of December 2012, seven DVD/Blu-ray compilations have been released.[8][9] The first season uses four different pieces of theme music; two opening themes and two ending themes. The first opening theme is "Can Do" by GRANRODEO, while the second theme is "RIMFIRE" by the same band. The first ending theme is "Start it right away" by Hyadain and the second is "Catal Rhythm" (カタルリズム Katarurizumu) by OLDCODEX.
For the second season, GRANRODEO also sang both opening themes: the first one is "The Other self", and the second is "Ever-changing Magical Star" (変幻自在のマジカルスター Hengen Jizai no Majikarusutā),[10] thus meaning all opening themes of the anime have been sung solely by the band as of date. Its ending theme is "WALK" by the band OLDCODEX, which also sang the second ending theme of the first season. The second ending to the second season is "FANTASTIC TUNE" by Kenshō Ono, the voice actor for the series' main protagonist, Tetsuya Kuroko.
Episode list
Season 1
| No. | Title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | "I am Kuroko" "Kuroko wa boku desu" (黒子はボクです) | April 7, 2012 |
| On clubs day at Seirin Private Highschool (which only formed a year prior, thus having no 3rd years), first-years Taiga Kagami and Tetsuya Kuroko join the basketball club. The club's coach, Riko Aida, sees no limit to the potential of Kagami (who happens to have lived and played basketball in America), while Kuroko appears to be below average, despite previously being a regular of the Teiko Basketball team, famously known as "The Generation of Miracles". Kuroko challenges Kagami to a one-on-one match and fails to impress Kagami until the first-years go up against the 2nd years in a practice match and Kuroko ends up impressing everybody with his skill of using his lack of presence and misdirection to specialize in passing. Kagami declares he'll become Japan's best player. Kuroko states it is impossible for him to do it alone, but that he has decided to be the shadow to Kagami's light. | ||
| 02 | "I am Serious" "Honki desu" (本気です) | April 14, 2012 |
| The coach sets an "entrance exam" for the first-years, to shout their commitment to win the national championships from the school roof-tops during Monday morning assembly. A teacher interrupts before Kuroko's turn, but he later writes his in chalk in the courtyard. Kuroko explains his reason for joining the Seirin team was his disagreement with Teiko's motto of "winning is everything", and their no-team-play style. The coach sets up a practice match with Kaijou, a strong team, with one of the members of the Generation of Miracles, Ryota Kise. Kise visits Seirin, and Kagami challenges him to a one-one. Kise beats him, by using his specialty: "Perfect copy". | ||
| 03 | "It's Better If I Can't Win" "Katenee gurai ga Chōdo Ii" (勝てねェぐらいがちょうどいい) | April 21, 2012 |
| Seirin visit Kaijou for the match, and are insulted that the coach, Takeuchi, underestimating them, has only allocated half the court for the match and tells Kise to sit out. Kagami scores the first goal and breaks the goal ring, forcing them to play on the full court. Kise joins the game, and he and Kagami alternate scoring goals. Seirin calls for a time-out and Kuroko reveals that his misdirection wears off the more he plays. Kagami is pleased at the challenge Kaijou presents, and tells Kise that Kuroko is his weakness, due to his invisible play style. | ||
| 04 | "Take Care of the Counterattack!" "Gyakushū Yoroshiku!" (逆襲よろしく！) | April 28, 2012 |
| The first quarter finishes with Kaijou in the lead, 27-35. Kagami starts coordinating with Kuroko, and the flow of the game switches in Seirin's favor until Kise accidentally hits Kuroko, who has to sit out. Play continues, with Kagami focusing on defense and leaving offence to the 2nd years. By fourth quarter, the team still hasn't caught up to Kaijo, and Kuroko re-enters the match. The pace picks up and the score is tied. In the last few seconds, Kuroko and Kagami score with an alley-oop, beating Kaijou, 100-98. | ||
| 05 | "Your Basketball" "Omae no Basuke" (おまえのバスケ) | May 5, 2012 |
| Kise is shocked by his first ever loss. Midorima, the Generation of Miracles' number one shooter, shows up and chastises Kise for losing. Seirin celebrates their victory by visiting a steakhouse. Kise asks Kuroko why he left basketball in middle school; Kuroko tells him he hated basketball at the time. Kise predicts that Kagami will eventually grow apart from his team due to his strength. Kuroko intervenes between some thugs harassing street basketballers. Kise, Kagami and Kuroko team up to beat the bullies at basketball. | ||
| 06 | "Let Me Tell You Two Things" "Futatsu Itte oku ze" (２つ言っておくぜ) | May 12, 2012 |
| The second years task the first years with getting some highly sought after "special bread" from the cafeteria. Seirin learns that they will face Shutoku, who hold one of the members of the Generation of Miracles, in the finals of the Inter High preliminaries. However, their first match is against Shinkyo Academy, who have brought in a foreign player, Papa Mbaye Siki, who is even taller than Kagami. To prepare, Kagami undergoes man-to-man defensive training with Mitobe, while Kuroko undergoes endurance training. The match with Shinkyo begins, and as the game progresses, Kagami promises Papa to block one of his shots and that Kuroko will give him a hard time for calling him a child. | ||
| 07 | "You'll See Something Amazing" "Sugoi mon Mireru wa yo" (すごいもん見れるわよ) | May 19, 2012 |
| First quarter finishes with Seirin in the lead, 8-23. Kuroko is subbed out to conserve his energy, leaving Kagami to deal with Papa alone. With five minutes left of the last quarter, Seirin is in the lead by a close margin (51-60). Kuroko is subbed back in. Kagami finally manages to block Papa's shot, and Seirin win the match 67-79. Seirin go on to crush their next few opponents. Realizing too much confidence is brewing, the team is taken to watch a Shutoku match (the team of Midorima Shintaro). Shutoku wins, 153-21. Seirin realise they will face two of the "three emperor teams" on the same day, with Seiho in the semifinal and Shutoku in the grand final. | ||
| 08 | "Now That I Think About It" "Aratamete Omoi mashita" (改めて思いました) | May 26, 2012 |
| Seirin's next match is against Seiho, who are known for their defense, and defeated Seirin the previous year, leading them to the brink of quitting basketball. Kuroko, is determined to win the match for the seniors. Elsewhere, Kise checks the "Oha Asa" horoscope (which tends to foretell how well Midorima will play). Midorima has the top fortune while Kuroko has the worst. Seiho's Tsugawa Tomoki, who managed to stop Kise in middle school, is up against Kagami. After first quarter, Riko tells Seirin that Seiho use old martial arts movement techniques. Kagami manages to beat Kasuga with speed, and scores the first goal. | ||
| 09 | "To Win" "Katsu tame ni" (勝つために) | June 2, 2012 |
| In Shutoku's game, Midorima subs out after only 5 minutes to conserve strength for the Grand final match. Kagami gets his 3rd foul, Seiho's Tsugawa speaks carelessly again, which only fires up Kuroko and third quarter is tied 19-19. Together, Kuroko and Kagami again manage to penetrate Seiho's defense but rapidly are running out of energy. Kagami makes his fourth foul, and he are Kuroko are subbed out, to also conserve their energy for their next game. The seniors hold their own, using their specialties such as Izuki's "Eagle Eye". With less than five minutes left in the game, and Seiho in the lead, 58-64, Koganei gets a light concussion, and Kuroko subs back in to pay back Kagami's grudge against Tsugawa. | ||
| 10 | "I Can't Have That" "Komari masu" (困ります) | June 9, 2012 |
| Kuroko immediately passes Tsugawa's defense, and the seniors infiltrate Seiho's defense by predicting their habitual movements. Kagami is impressed, having never seen Kuroko's passing from the sidelines. In the last 30 seconds, Seirin is in the lead by one point until Seiho score a dunk, and tighten their defense. Kuroko narrowly avoids an intercept and passes to Hyuga who scores the final goal, Seirin defeating Seiho, 73-71. Meanwhile Shutoku win their match, 113-38. Forebodingly, Kuroko's presence is noted by one of the Shutoku members in the bathrooms. The game begins, with Midorima blocking Kagami's attempt at an alley-oop. Midorima scores the first goal with a three, but Kuroko makes a surprise retaliation by passing across the whole court to Kagami, who scores with a dunk. | ||
| 11 | "It's Not Like That" "Sonna mon ja nee daro" (そんなもんじゃねえだろ) | June 16, 2012 |
| With Midorima shut down, the rest of Shutoku pick up the pace. Takao, who noticed Kuroko in the bathroom, is sent to cover Kuroko. He intercepts Kuroko using his "Hawk Eye" which is akin to Izuki's "Eagle Eye" but with a larger field of vision. Seirin calls a time out and decides to keep Kuroko in the game as he tries to think of a plan. Hyuga makes important shots due to his training under pressure. Midorima makes a shot from the centre line and Kagami responds with a "one man alley-oop". But Midorima retaliates again, shooting from the end of the court, showing his shots have no range limit, and finishing the first quarter with Shutoku in the lead, 13-19. Midorima gets permission to take every shot during the entire second quarter, pushing Shutoku's lead to 15-27. Kagami laughs, as he is getting fired up by Midorima's strength. | ||
| 12 | "What Is "Victory"" ""Shōri" tte nan desu ka" (『勝利』ってなんですか) | June 23, 2012 |
| The second quarter ends with Shutoku still in the lead, 27:45. Kuroko watches a tape of Takao during the first half. The third quarter starts with Kuroko on the bench, and Kagami manages to barely tap one of Midorima's shots. The next time, He manages to pass Takao's screen, and touch the ball again as Midorima goes for a long shot. The shot misses, but Shutoku's Otsubo Taisuke dunks the rebound. Kagami blocks Midorima's next shot, and makes several goals, using his astounding jumping power. However, he overexherts himself and is unable to jump any longer, but he is determined to win without relying on Kuroko. 3rd quarter ends 47-61, and Kuroko punches Kagami for saying they don't need team play right now, and Kagami calms down. Kuroko tells the team he has a plan. | ||
| 13 | "I Believed in You" "Shinjite mashita" (信じてました) | June 30, 2012 |
| The 4th quarter begins. Riko told Kagami he only has two more jumps left in him, and he uses the first to block Midorima as a bluff. Kuroko uses his misdirection on Takao to draw his attention to himself, then refocus Takao's sight and slip away. Kuroko then uses his fast pass that only Kagami can catch, and Kagami uses up another of his jumps to dunk past Midorima. With less than 3 minutes left in the game and Shutoku barely in the lead, 76-78, Shutoku calls a time-out and their coach tells them to let Midorima take the shots since Kagami is worn out. However, Seirin predicted this and the score is locked until Midorima scores a 3 with 30 seconds remaining and Hyuga counters with a 3. The ball is knocked out of court and Hyuga scores another 3 with 3 seconds remaining. Seirin think they have won, but Shutoku passes to Midorima. Kagami manages to squeeze out one more jump, but it was a fake, and Midorima goes to retake the shot. Kuroko, also believing Kagami would jump, knocks the ball out of Midorima's hands as he lowers it. Seirin win, 82-81. Later, standing out in the rain, Midorima gets a call from another Member of the Generation of Miracles, Aomine, and warns him to be careful in the Championship game. | ||
| 14 | "You Look Just Like Him" "Sokkuri da ne" (そっくりだね) | July 7, 2012 |
| At a nearby restaurant, Seirin encounter Kise, Kasamatsu, Midorima and Takao. Kuroko, Midorima, Kise and Kagami are left at the same table. Midorima warns Kagami about Aomine Daiki. As they leave the restaurant, Kuroko finds a stray dog which the team adopt and name "Tetsuya #2" due to his similarly coloured eyes. Kagami (who is coincidentally afraid of dogs) has to sit out at practice until his legs heal. The Generation of Miracles' old manager, Momoi, visits Seirin while they are training at the pool and recounts the story of when Kuroko gave her an icypole. Momoi, whose specialty is information gathering, recognizes each of Seirin's starting players. She also goes to the same school as Aomine. Kagami is approached by Aomine who challenges him, and is not impressed, saying he is not strong enough to be Kuroko's "light". | ||
| 15 | "Don't Make Me Laugh" "Warawasenna yo" (笑わせんなよ) | July 14, 2012 |
| Since he played basketball while recovering from his injury, Kagami is again suspended from practice until Seirin's first match in The Inter-High Championships which is against Touou; Aomine and Momoi's school. Kuroko tells Kagami about how Aomine was the first one of the Generation of Miracles to bloom and, having no rival, became bored of basketball and stopped coming to practices. Now, having overslept at school, Aomine promises Touou's captain that he'll make it to the game by the second half. Seirin decides to go all out early on and get a big lead so that Aomine can't catch up. However, despite calling themselves "the opening act", Touou start strong and quickly take the first goal. | ||
| 16 | "Let's Go" "Yarō ka" (やろーか) | July 21, 2012 |
| Even without Aomine, Touou takes an early lead using Momoi's scouting information and predictions. Seirin only manage to break through using Kuroko and Kagami, both of whom Momoi can't predict. The first quarter finishes with Touou still in the lead, 25-21. The second quarter begins and Riko realises that Kagami is still injured. She subs him off the court and tapes his legs, apologising for having to use him while he's injured. As Kagami is about to re-enter the game, with 51 seconds left in the 2nd Quarter and Touou 10 points in the lead, Aomine arrives –ready to play. | ||
| 17 | "You're All Ridiculous" "Fuzaketa Yatsu bakkari Da" (ふざけた奴ばっかりだ) | July 28, 2012 |
| Aomine goes one-on-one against Kagami– each blocking the other's shot at the goal. During half time, Kuroko asks to stay in for the third quarter, determined to beat Aomine. Kagami reminds him to have faith in the team, and Seirin decides to bench Kuroko so he can regain some strength. Aomine returns to the court warmed up and serious, having promised his coach that he will score all of his shots in the third quarter. Although Aomine is impressed by Kagami's determination and his jump height, Aomine himself displays amazing speed and agility and he starts to use street-ball techniques that easily bypass Seirin's defense. | ||
| 18 | "No!!" "Iya da!!" (嫌だ!!) | August 4, 2012 |
| Aomine's skills and erratic pace force Seirin to fall behind by 20 points. Kuroko is subbed back in and Seirin cuts the lead down to 15 points, but Aomine intercepts Kuroko's Ignite Pass and taunts Kuroko about not having changed or improved since middle school. Fourth quarter begins with Touou 31 points in the lead, 82-51. Having avoided using his injured leg, Kagami's other leg begins to act up from the extra stress put on it and as a result Kagami is benched for the remaining 2 days of the tournament. With Seirin down by 40, Kuroko's determination encourages his team mates, and they fight until the very end. However Touou is simply too strong and Seirin loses with a scoreline of 112-55. | ||
| 19 | "On to a New Challenge" "Atarashii Chōsen e" (新しい挑戦へ) | August 11, 2012 |
| Back in the locker rooms, Aomine is angered by a Touou bench member badmouthing Kuroko. Kagami tells Kuroko that he doesn't think that they can win by just working together anymore, and Kuroko hits a slump, his passes in the next two games becoming inaccurate. Seirin loses both games, and therefore the Inter High tournament. Seirin's last chance for the year is the Winter Cup, to be held in Tokyo. With his legs finally healed, Kagami returns to practice but seems to have reverted back to not relying on the team. Kuroko and he don't seem to be speaking either. Kiyoshi Teppei, the former ace and founder of the Seirin basketball team, returns from having been in hospital, and gives some words of encouragement to Kuroko and challenges Kagami to a one-on-one match to see who will play starting power forward ("ace") for Seirin in the Winter Cup. | ||
| 20 | "I Don't Want To Be" "Naritai ja nē yo" (なりたいじゃねーよ) | August 18, 2012 |
| Kiyoshi and Kagami appear to be evenly matched despite Kiyoshi being out of practice and wearing the wrong shoes, however, Kagami wins. The next day, Seirin begins the first of 3 consecutive days of practice matches so that each player can be evaluated and placed on a specific training regimen during the summer. Teppei has asked that the first game only use the first-years. Kagami has told Kuroko that he doesn't need to pass to him any more, and the game is won by Kagami's strength. After the match, Kiyoshi admits he was trying to help Kuroko realise his self-imposed limits. After talking to Hyuga, Kuroko realises that Kagami isn't trying to leave him behind; Kagami only felt like he was relying on Kuroko too much. Kuroko resolves to become stronger during the summer so that he and Kagami can form an unbreakable team during the Winter Cup. | ||
| 21 | "Let's Get Started" "Hajimeru wa yo" (始めるわよ) | August 25, 2012 |
| Riko announces two summer training camps; to the beach and the mountains, to prepare for the Winter Cup qualifiers which start right after summer vacation. Kagami teaches Riko how to make good curry. Riko gets the team to practice on the beach in the sand, meaning that they must rely on passing, and the sand will help build their leg strength. Kuroko and Kagami run into Midorima and Takao at the inn, and discover that Shutoku are also there to train. Riko changes plans so they will play practice matches against Shutoku in the evenings. To build Kagami's core strength, Riko sends him to get drinks for the team, one at a time, running on the beach instead of practising with the others. Kuroko is attempting to develop a new technique of which Midorima is skeptical. Midorima later explains to Takao that Kuroko can't use Misdirection while holding the ball due to the ball's presence on the court. Takao suggests that Kuroko using Misdirection while he makes a break- an invisible dribble- would be unstoppable. Kagami returns from running, having gone beyond Riko's request, and gotten drinks for Shutoku as well. | ||
| 22 | "I'll Win Even If It Kills Me" "Shindemo Katsu ssu kedo" (死んでも勝つっスけど) | September 1, 2012 |
| Shutoku wins all 3 practice matches against Seirin, but all the games were played without Kagami and the scores differ by less than ten points. Kagami learns his jumping power has dramatically improved. Midorima tells him this is only half the answer, and challenges him to a one-on-one match. Midorima wins by forcing Kagami to jump off his right foot, where he only has the ability to dunk. Kagami realises that he must improve his ball handling in his left hand and learn to win aerial battles in order to beat the Generation of Miracles. Kuroko comes up with the idea to master his drive in addition to passes. The rest of the team also train hard. When the camp finishes, before heading to the station, Seirin make a detour to watch the Inter-high quarterfinal match between Touou Academy and Kaijo. Kise is determined to defeat Aomine despite never having won against him in a one-on-one game. | ||
| 23 | "Not An Adult!" "Otona ja nē yo!" (大人じゃねーよ!) | September 8, 2012 |
| The match between Touou and Kaijo begins with Kaijo getting the ball. Kise manages to pass Aomine, but Aomine steals the ball. Touou's Sakurai scores the first 3 points. Kise copies Sakurai's 3 point shot, but is easily blocked by Aomine. Kasamatsu regains the ball for Kaijo and scores a 3 pointer, and Kaijo tighten their defence. Kise then manages to stop Aomine's quick dribble and drive, and his Formless Shot. The 1st quarter ends with Kaijo leading 18-13. From the sidelines, Kuroko mentions that Aomine tends to improve as the game goes on. Touou immediately catch up in the 2nd quarter. Kaijo calls a time out, and Kise asks his coach permission to use an unknown trump card. | ||
| 24 | "Don't Get The Wrong Idea" "Kanchigai shitenja nē yo" (カン違いしてんじゃねーよ) | September 15, 2012 |
| Kise plans to copy Aomine's style, acknowledging that his admiration of Aomine has been preventing him from copying him. While Kise perfects his copy, Touou is able to widen their lead; The second quarter ending with the score 34-43. In the 3rd quarter, Kise completes his copy, and passes Aomine's defence. Aomine attempts to block Kise's goal but instead earns his fourth foul. However, Touou still leads by 10 points. Despite Aomine's teammates' and coach's worry about his foul trouble, he successfully blocks Kise's dunk at the end of the quarter. | ||
| 25 | "Our Basketball" "Ore to Omae no Basuke" (オレとおまえのバスケ) | September 23, 2012 |
| Aomine asks for all the balls in the last quarter, and he and Kise alternate goaling. Kise starts to get fatigued, and the strain in his legs makes him almost miss a shot. With one minute remaining, Touou is still in the lead, 98-106. With Kaijo needing a score to turn things around, Kise fakes a formless shot and attempts to pass to Kasamatsu. However, Aomine anticipates this and deflects the ball out-of-bounds. Though their final chance was lost, Kise remains determined for the sake of his team. Aomine dunks past Kise as the game ends and Touou wins by a score of 98-110. Back in the locker rooms, Touou's Shōichi Imayoshi remarks that Aomine has not shown his full capabilities yet. Kagami and Kuroko are determined more than ever to work hard to develop their style of basketball. | ||
Season 1 BD/DVD Bonus & Special Feature Content
| No. | Title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 22.5 | "Kuroko's Basketball: Tip Off" "Kuroko no Basuke: Tip Off" (黒子のバスケ 第22.5Q 「Tip off」) | Feb 22, 2013 |
| An unaired, full-length, bonus episode of the series numbered Episode 22.5, bundled with BD/DVD volume 8. The episode covers Kise and his entry to the first team of Teiko Middle School, which features the Generation of Miracles as all members are revealed. He teams up with Kuroko and some second team members in an exhibition game. Kise realizes Kuroko's true abilities as they beat their opponents 83-81. After the game, Kise begins to respect Kuroko (calling him Kurokocchi for the first time) and further develops a love for basketball. | ||
| N/A | "Kuroko's Basketball: Let's Chat!" "Kuroko no Basuke: Oshaberi Shiyokka" (黒子のバスケ お喋りしよっか) | Dec 21, 2012 |
| Comedic recap of the first season of Kuroko's Basketball, included on the official DVD fandisc. | ||
| N/A | "Kuroko's Basketball: NG-shuu" "Kuroko no Basuke: NG-shuu" (黒子のバスケNG集) | Jul 27, 2012 to Mar 22, 2013 |
| "Bloopers" from the first season of Kuroko's Basketball. There are 9 episodes in total, each one approximately 2 minutes in length each. | ||
Season 2
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | 1 | "I've Never Thought We'd Meet Here" "Konna Tokorode Au towa na" (こんな所で会うとはな) | October 6, 2013 |
| The first years participate in a street basketball tournament, with Kiyoshi subbing in for Kawahara. They run into Seiho and learn that only the top eight teams from the Inter-High can participate in the Winter Cup heats. Seiho loses to a team with a member from Yosen, Himuro Tatsuya, whom Kagami knows from America. Tatsuya introduced Kagami to basketball, and they became close friends to the point of calling each other brothers and wearing matching rings. However their rivalry led to a misunderstanding between them, and Tatsuya bet his ring on their next game. Meanwhile, Riko tells the 2nd years the results of the Inter High: First Rakuzan, Second Touou, Third Yosen. With the members of the Generation of Miracles benched during semi-finals and finals. As the tip-off begins between Tatsuya's team and Seirin, Murasakibara Atsushi, another member of the Generation of Miracles, from Yosen High, shows up. | |||
| 27 | 2 | "At The Winter Cup" "Uintā Kappu de" (ウインターカップで) | October 13, 2013 |
| Murasakibara mentions he didn't play in the finals because Akashi Seijuro, the former captain of the generation of miracles, told him not to. Kagami baits Murasakibara into joining the street ball match. Tatsuya asks Murasakibara to play defence while he handles offence, but the game is soon called off due to heavy rain. Kuroko explains that Murasakibara does not like basketball but plays to win and is good at it. Meanwhile, Momoi shows up at Seirin, where the second years are practicing. The first years and Kiyoshi return to Seirin, where Momoi explains that Aomine didn't play in the Interhigh finals due to injuries sustained during the Kaijo-Touou game. She also explains why Akashi and Murasakibara did not play. Later, Kuroko shows Momoi his new technique, an "unstoppable drive". | |||
| 28 | 3 | "Start!!!" "Shidō!!!" (始動!!!) | October 20, 2013 |
| The Winter Cup preliminaries begin with Seirin versing Josei High. A member of Josei recognises Kiyoshi as "The Iron Heart", one of 5 players who would have been considered prodigies of their time if not for the Generation of Miracles. Kagami is suppressed by a double team defense, but Kiyoshi's "Right of postponement" and rebounds have improved Seirin's offense and defense and Seirin takes control of the whole match. Using his pent up energy, Kagami breaks past his defenders and scores the final goal with an impressive jump that cracks open the "door" to such prodigies as the Generation of Miracles. Seirin win, 108-61. | |||
| 29 | 4 | "There's Only One Answer" "Kotae wa Hitotsu ni Kimatte iru" (答えは一つに決まっている) | October 27, 2013 |
| Three other teams advance to the championship league along with Seirin; Shutoku High, Senshinkan High and Kirisaki Dai Ichi High. Seirin's first opponent is Senshinkan who are known as the "King of the West". Seirin easily win, 78-61. Meanwhile, Kirisaki Dai Ichi have thrown their match against Shutoku so that their first-string players can watch the Seirin game. Shutoku win 123-51. Kiyoshi greets a member of Kirisaki Dai Ichi: Makoto Hanamiya, who is an "Uncrowned King" like Kiyoshi and known as a dishonest player. Seirin's next match is against Shutoku. Riko predicts there is a limit to the number of super-long three-pointers Midorima can shoot, however, Midorima has undergone endurance training and plans to outlast Kagami's jumps. | |||
| 30 | 5 | "I've Been Waiting For This" "Matteta ze" (待ってたぜ) | November 3, 2013 |
| Seirin keeps a lead against Shutoku to the second quarter, 23-16. But Kagami grows ever more tired, and Takao's hawk eye is a formidable weapon against Kuroko's Misdirection. Midorima starts faking and passing meaning that Kagami exherts more energy per shot that Midorima takes. Kiyoshi and Kagami double team against Midorima, leaving the inside wide open. Kuroko is subbed out for Mitobe. The game proceeds with Seirin's fast run-and-gun gameplay but the second quarter ends with Seirin barely in the lead, 45-43. Shutoku pull ahead in the third quarter, 68-76, with 1 minute to go. And Kagami's legs are at their limit. Kuroko asks to be subbed back in, ready to use his new drive. | |||
| 31 | 6 | "I Surpassed You Long Ago" "Tō no Mukashi ni Koeteiru" (とうの昔に超えている) | November 10, 2013 |
| Kuroko re-enters the game and takes on Midorima, easily passing him with his Vanishing Drive, and Seirin catch up to Shutoku with the third quarter ending in a tie. In fourth quarter, Midorima states that he passed his limits long ago, and Seirin and Shutoku exchange goals. With less than 30 seconds left, Otsubo's shot puts Shutoku up 104-103. With his legs already at their limits, Kiyoshi attempts a dunk, but is disrupted by Midorima, who earns a foul. With two seconds left, Kiyoshi makes the first free throw, bringing the scores to a tie. He misses the second shot, and Kagami catches the rebound. Kagami goes for a final dunk which Midorima attempts to block. The buzzer sounds. | |||
| 32 | 7 | "Give Up" "Akiramero" (あきらめろ) | November 17, 2013 |
| Startled by the buzzer, Kagami and Midorima fumble the ball which misses the hoop. The tournament regulations prohibit overtime, so the match ends in a tie. Meanwhile Kirisaki Daiichi wins against Senshinkan, 108-70. Hyuga has realised that Kiyoshi is still injured and asks him to sit out the Kirisaki Daiichi match. Kiyoshi is determined to play even if it wrecks his knees. Kagami overhears and later asks Hyuga about it. Last summer, Kiyoshi created the basketball team. However, Hyuga was jaded from his losses in middle school and claimed he had quit basketball. Izuki, Koga and Mitobi joined the team and they sought out Riko Aida to be their manager. But Riko refused, saying she hated that everyone who played in the same league as the Teiko team had given up on winning, and they would need to convince her that they're serious. Kiyoshi challenged Hyuga to a one-on-one which Hyuga lost. | |||
| 33 | 8 | "We're the Seirin High School Basketball Team!" "Seirin Koukou Basuke-bu da!" (誠凜高校バスケ部だ!) | November 24, 2013 |
| The next morning, the newly-formed basketball team shout from the rooftops before morning assembly that they will participate in the national tournament to become the best team in japan. Hyuga shows up and adds that if they don't he'll confess his feelings buck naked. Riko is impressed and agrees to coach them. Although Kiyoshi was the founder, he trusts Hyuga to be captain. Seirin get to the finals of the preliminaries and face Kirisaki Dai Ichi. With less than 4 minutes left in the game, Kiyoshi's leg starts acting up. Hanamiya Makoto enters the game, and as punishment for Seirin's imminent win, he maneuvers his team to injure Kiyoshi while making it look like an accident. Seirin win 84-83. and the team visit Kiyoshi in hospital. He lies and claims it is just a sprain, but Hyuga confronts him later and Kiyoshi admits that with rehabilitation and surgery his knee will heal by the time he finishes high-school. Even if he skips the surgery it will still be a year before he returns, and he will keep accumulating damage as he plays basketball and will only be able to play for a year at most. Hyuga vows that they will become the best team in Japan next year. Without Kiyoshi, Seirin were eliminated from the championship league by the three kings. | |||
| 34 | 9 | "I'll Defeat You!!" "Kanarazu Taosu!" (必ず倒す!) | December 1, 2013 |
| The match between Seirin and Kirisaki Daiichi begins. Having heard Kiyoshi's story, the first years are determined to support their seniors. Kuroko uses his vanashing drive early in the game and Kiyoshi scores the first goal. Kirisaki Dai Ichi get away with rough and dirty moves in the referee's blind spots. Kuroko prevents Kagami from punching one of the players in anger. Hanamiya taunts Kiyoshi, and later seeing the injuries of his team mates, Kiyoshi decides to take the brunt of the rough play by handling the offence and defence of the inside of the court. He tells Riko that if she subs him out now, he'll hate her for the rest of his life. Hyuga is determined to take some of the pressure off Kiyoshi by scoring from the outside, but keeps missing. Kagami also attempts to score but gets a foul. Kiyoshi pep talks the team, and they calm down a bit. Hanamiya again taunts Kiyoshi who doesn't react. This angers Hanamiya, who signals his team to injure Kiyoshi and Kiyoshi gets an elbow to the face, but manages to get up again, saying that he has vowed to protect Seirin. | |||
| 35 | 10 | "It's Trust" "Shinrai Da" (信頼だ) | December 8, 2013 |
| Second quarter ends with Seirin in the lead, 45-40. Kuroko asks Hanamiya why he plays in such an underhanded way and Hanamiya responds that he enjoys seeing the pain and frustration of hardworking players. Aomine confronts Hanamiya in the bathroom and says he's going to lose the game because he's angered Kuroko. A member of Kirisaki Dai Ichi believes the secret of Kuroko's vanashing drive is blinking, intentionally blinks out of time at the start of the third quarter, however Kuroko still passes him and Kagami scores. Soon after this, Kuroko is subbed out to conserve his energy and Hanamiya subs in Kentaro Seto. Izuki's eagle eye is thwarted by Hanamiya and Seto, and Seirin make no further goals, the third quarter ending with Kirisaki Dai Ichi leading, 47-58. Kuroko suggests they can break ahead if Kuroko stops playing with the team. Fourth quarter begins and Kuroko intercepts his own team's passes before Hanamiya can. With Kirisaki Dai Ichi still in the lead, 54-60, and less than 6 minutes left in the game, Riko sees Kiyoshi get further injured and calls a time out, subbing Kiyoshi out of the game. The rest of the team are determined to win for Kiyoshi. | |||
| 36 | 11 | "Don't be Ridiculous" "Fuzakeruna" (ふざけるな) | December 15, 2013 |
| Hyuga continues to miss his shots, until the ball goes out of court and Kiyoshi retrieves it. Hyuga remembers his promise to Kiyoshi to become the best in Japan, and realises they have never hi-fived. Hyuga calms down and shoots a three, Izuki also calms down and scores. Hanamiya attempts to elbow Kuroko, who dodges. Hanamiya shows that dirty tactics is not all he can do by passing Kuroko, and scoring with a "teardrop" shot. With 45 seconds left, Kirisaki Dai Ichi is barely in the lead, 69-70. Kuroko uses his ignite pass to Kagami who scores with a dunk. Seirin maintain control of the ball, and Hyuga scores the final three before the buzzer sounds. Seirin win, 76-70, qualifying for the Winter Cup. Hyuga gives Kiyoshi a hi-five. Hanamiya vows vengeance, but Kiyoshi is unfazed. Meanwhile Shutoku wins against Senshinkan, 112-81, also qualifying for the Winter Cup. This means that all members of the Generation of Miracles will be participating. | |||
| 37 | 12 | "Thanks" "Yoroshuu Tanomu wa" (よろしゅうたのむわ) | December 22, 2013 |
| After winning against Kirisaki Daiichi and confirming their spot in the Winter Cup, the Seirin team head to a hot spring to regenerate their energy. They are surprised when the Touou Academy team joins them at the resort. The Touou team explains that they have defeated Josei High, who Seirin had also played in the Winter Cup preliminaries, by a score of 170-39. Also, Touou revealed that they will be Seirin's opponent in the first round of the Winter Cup. Kagami goes missing next morning, but Riko is not worried. Seirin's training camp starts immediately and without Kagami. Riko's father, Kagetora, promises to develop the team's individual skills and get themselves prepared for the Winter Cup. Meanwhile, it is shown that Kagami is returning to America for his training. With less than a month to Winter Cup, will Seirin get themselves on level with their first opponent of Winter Cup, Touou Academy? | |||
| 38 | 13 | "Definitely This Time" "Kondo wa Mou Zettai ni" (今度はもう絶対に) | January 5, 2014 |
| Kagetora claims that the second years of Seirin can improve their individual skills in less than a month, but when asked about Kuroko, he doesn't know what to teach him. Kagetora even said that Kuroko might face a wall. Kagami did not appear in the opening of the Winter Cup, as apparently he had forgotten about the time difference between California and Japan. Kuroko was summoned by Akashi Seijuro, the captain of the Generation of Miracles. Kagami interrupts a seemingly normal conversation of the Generation of Miracles and meets Akashi for the first time. Things took a sinister turn when Akashi borrows a pair of scissors from Midorima and almost stabs Kagami in the cheek. The Seirin-Touou matchup commences with an intense competition for the first point. Will Kuroko's improved Ignite Pass set the pace for this exciting rematch? | |||
| 39 | 14 | "Useless Effort" "Mudana Doryokuda" (ムダな努力だ) | January 12, 2014 |
| Seirin gets their first points through Kuroko's Ignite Pass Kai, an improved version of his Ignite Pass, powerful that it even goes past Aomine's hand, followed by Kiyoshi's Right Of Postponement to provide a lob for Kagami to slam. As Touou gets more points and are not affected by the Ignite Pass Kai, Hyuga volunteers to start his attack on the outside. The freshmen are confused as to why Hyuga is so relaxed, and the seniors reveal that it is because he is confident, shown by him cracking his neck. After Sakurai experiences Hyuga's 3-pointers, he begins to pout and it turns into a 3-pointer shoot-out between Sakurai and Hyuga. The last 5 seconds of the first quarter finishes with Kuroko doing a Vanishing Drive through Suso, then passes to Hyuga to tie the game at 22 apiece. Touou, by then, expected how the Vanishing Drive works. At the start of the second quarter, Kuroko attempts to break past Aomine with Vanishing Drive, but Aomine closes his eyes and relies on his past relationship with Kuroko to quickly stop Kuroko from passing him. Kuroko tries another Ignite Pass Kai through Aomine, but the latter stops it with one hand. Upon seeing this bad situation, Kuroko gets subbed out. How will Kagami show Kuroko that there is no such thing as "useless effort"? | |||
| 40 | 15 | "I Think He's Extremely Happy" "Ureshikute Shoganai to Omoimasu" (嬉しくてしょうがないと思います) | January 19, 2014 |
| Timeout is over, and Kagami has gotten serious to try and raise Kuroko's spirits. Kagami's awakening of his real potential, due to him forgetting about his reliance on Kuroko, has enabled him to block Aomine from behind the back. Aomine gets to play a little bit faster, countering with a self alley-oop shot behind his back. Kagami, being able to keep up with Aomine's fast pace change, also managed to block Aomine's signature Formless Shot, which shocks the entire Generation of Miracles. He followed up with an attempt of his own Formless Shot, which missed because of Aomine disrupting it. Aomine is surprised to see that the force of his shoot bruised his finger. The first half ends with Seirin down by just 2 points, 46-48. Aomine goes off by himself to celebrate him having finally found an opponent where he can go all out on. Kuroko wants Kagami to give Aomine a chance to play with a smile again, with the feeling of loving basketball. The second half begins, and Kuroko enters the court, surprising many in the crowd. Aomine got faster again and managed to pass Kagami. However, Aomine got a foul for charging Kuroko. Kuroko used his past relationship with Aomine to predict his course. Kuroko then uses his Ignite Pass to Hyuga, who manages to catch it and throw a 3-pointer, which by doing so taking the lead. However, Imayoshi fakes to pass for Wakamatsu to score. In the next possession, a change that leads to the surprise of many has been done: Imayoshi taking over to mark Kuroko by direction of Momoi. How will this change make an impact on Seirin, and how will Seirin and Kuroko handle this situation? | |||
| 41 | 16 | "We Win Now!" "Ima Katsunnda!" (今勝つんだ！) | January 26, 2014 |
| Imayoshi is able to immobilise Kuroko, and Sakurai manages to stop Hyuga's Barrier Jumper, both actions being instructed by Momoi. Aomine goes past Kagami and makes a 360 spin dunk at the same time. All 5 Touou players are now able to see Kuroko. However, this actually leads to a trap set by Kuroko, when Izuki goes past Imayoshi with a Vanishing Drive, something the crowd thought only Kuroko can pull off, and scores. Hyuga also managed to bypass Sakurai with a Vanishing Drive too, and scored. The revelation of Misdirection Overflow has pulled Seirin to within single digit difference. However, Imayoshi scores a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to put Touou's lead to 11, ending the 3rd quarter. Before timeout expires, Aomine did not pay attention as the rest of the players return to the court. 4th quarter starts, and Seirin starts off with Hyuga combining his Barrier Jumper and Kuroko's Misdirection Overflow to avoid Sakurai's quick defense and scores a 3-pointer, putting the difference back to 8. The real Aomine will reveal himself soon, so how will Seirin cope with the Aomine even more stronger than they have faced in the first half? | |||
| 42 | 17 | "I Believe in Him" "Shinjitemasukara" (信じてますから) | February 2, 2014 |
| Still behind by 10, and Kagami has been unable to stop the faster Aomine, therefore Hyuga suggests to go 3 points at a time. Hyuga hits a 3 with confidence, even with Sakurai's tight defense on the former. Touou goes to inbound, but are pressed by Seirin, and eventually Wakamatsu's inbound pass to Suso has been stolen by Kuroko and Hyuga tries to hit another 3, but Sakurai fouls Hyuga and gets 3 free throws. All 3 are converted and Seirin are now only down by 3 points. In the next possession for Touou, Aomine swiftly goes past Kagami and the latter cannot even react at all. Aomine has entered the Zone, therefore his speed has doubled, and now Seirin are unable to stop Aomine. In the timeout, Kagami wants to go for a one-on-one against Aomine, which is virtually impossible with the latter in the Zone. Kagami has 2 minutes as Seirin's ace, and for the next few Touou possessions, Aomine still manages to pass Kagami and score. Down by 13, and not bearing to see Seirin lose and cry again, Kagami finally manages to react to Aomine's drive, hitting the ball out of bounds. It is then shown that Kagami has also entered the Zone. Who will win this battle of the Aces, Aomine vs Kagami, now that both are in the Zone, and who will advance to the next round of the Winter Cup? | |||
| 43 | 18 | "Like I'd Lose" "Makerukayo" (負けるかよ) | February 9, 2014 |
| An intense battle between the Aces, Aomine and Kagami, begins. Each refuses to give in to the other and manages to block the other's shot attempts. The audience, as well as the other players, are amazed at the battle of the Aces in the Zone, which brings their focus and reaction speed to the maximum. Kagami finally manages to drive past Aomine and scores, cutting Touou's lead to just 3, 95-98, with 41.5 seconds left. In the next possession for Touou, Aomine finds it difficult to drive past Kagami, but he quickly jumps for a Formless Shot. However, Kagami is determined not to let down his teammates, and the knowledge that his team is there to support him gives him the strength to make an incredible leap and block Aomine's shot, right as the time limits for them being in the Zone expire. Hyuga scores a layup on the return to cut the lead to just 1, and Touou's coach prepares to call a timeout, but upon seeing his players' intense focus, decides against making the call, fearing a timeout would disrupt the flow of the game and unfocus his players. Absolutely determined to win, Aomine scores an impossibly difficult Formless Shot from behind the backboard to bring the score to 97-100 in Touou's favor, with only 15 seconds left. With time running out, Kagami attempts a dunk, but Aomine jumps and gets a hand on the ball, stopping the dunk. However, Kagami suddenly recalls his summer training goal of achieving mobility in mid-air and improving his left-handed ball-handling, and finally succeeds, by using his left hand to force the ball away from Aomine's block and pass it to Kiyoshi, who makes the shot while drawing a foul from Wakamatsu. Both teams realize Seirin's only chance to win is to miss the free throw and grab the rebound for a final shot, as Seirin's players are at their limit and lack the strength and stamina to win in overtime. Kiyoshi intentionally misses the free throw, and Kagami manages to get the rebound and go for the putback dunk, but Aomine appears and swats the ball from his hands. Imayoshi chases after the loose ball, but Kuroko suddenly appears in front of him. Imayoshi is shocked, wondering if Kuroko had believed in Aomine instead of Kagami, but Kuroko reveals that he had actually believed in both of them. However, Kuroko knows that only Kagami can win this battle, and fires an Ignite Pass, to which both Aomine and Kagami react by jumping for the ball. Kagami catches the pass and ferociously slams the ball in over Aomine's outstretched arm right as time expires, giving Seirin the 101-100 victory. Aomine realizes in a daze that he lost for the first time, and finally gives Kuroko his long-overdue fist bump, which he had rejected years before, when they had first begun to drift apart. At the end of the match, the third-year players of Touou retire, and Wakamatsu is made the new team captain. Aomine, outside of the stadium, regains his desire to practice and train again, and asks Momoi to go shopping for new basketball shoes with him, to which she reacts with surprise and happiness, agreeing to his request and returning to calling him "Dai-chan", as she had done in their middle school days. | |||
| 44 | 19 | "Tell Me" "Oshietekudasai" (教えてください) | February 16, 2014 |
| After the tough and close win over Touou, the Seirin team decides to find a place to rest and rejuvenate. With no places to go due to various reasons, Kagami offers the team an invitation to his house. After a restful night for the team, they find Alexandra (Alex) Garcia, Kagami's master in basketball, sleeping in Kagami's house. The Seirin team, along with Alex, went to watch the Winter Cup match between Onita and Shutoku, with the latter taking the win easily, and Midorima caught Alex's attention. After the match, the Seirin team goes to review their next opponent, Nakamiya South, while Alex brings Kagami to teach him something she didn't teach, and Kuroko meets Aomine to get the latter to teach him how to shoot. The match between Seirin and Nakamiya South is about to begin, and Seirin decides to bench Kuroko and Kagami, with the starting line-up entirely made of 2nd year players. Will Seirin take the game and proceed further in the Winter Cup? | |||
| 45 | 20 | "Of Course It's Not Easy" "Karui mono na Hazunaidarō" (軽いものなはずないだろう) | February 23, 2014 |
| While the match between Seirin and Nakamiya South progresses, at Touou Academy's library, Imayoshi and Susa discussed about Seirin's possibility of winning the match while studying. Seirin indeed are in a difficult situation of beating Nakamiya South. Imayoshi said that Seirin have not given their 120% like what the players did against Touou, and they may have gotten a little overconfident as they have defeated Touou. After getting themselves awake, still without the help of Kuroko and Kagami, Seirin manages to take the game 83-77. At the same time, Kaijo, Shutoku and Rakuzan won their respective matches. In Seirin's 3rd round of Winter Cup, they found themselves in another difficult situation. In the last 10 minutes, Kuroko and Kagami are subbed in, and win the game against Morizono North 87-82. In another court, Yosen, with Murasakibara and Himuro, comepletely crushed their opponent 81-0, not conceding a single basket. The most anticipated top 8 match will be Seirin VS Yosen, and both teams have analysed each other, awed by their respective basketball strategies. The match then begins, with Murasakibara winning the tip off for Yosen, but due to the jumper violation made by him, too, Seirin gets to start the ball. Hyuga finds himself open for a 3-pointer, but gets quickly blocked by Murasakibara. Trying to attack again, Kuroko changes the intended pass course to an open Kagami, who attempts to shoot, but gets blocked by the quick Murasakibara. With Seirin still not being able to score over the tall and quick Murasakibara, will this just be a one-sided game for Yosen? | |||
| 46 | 21 | "First Score!!" "Hatsutokuten!!" (初得点！！) | March 2, 2014 |
| Yosen takes an 18-0 lead going towards the end of the 1st quarter. As Fukui goes to score the last basket of the quarter, Kagami touched the ball, hence it missed. Start of 2nd quarter, and Kiyoshi tries for a post play against Murasakibara, then Kiyoshi throws up a lob for Kagami to slam, attempting for the first points for Seirin. However, Murasakibara has great reflexes that he reacted in time to block Kagami's dunk. Match progresses on, and Kagami is having difficulties defending Okamura. How will the match progress, now that Himuro has started to play his ball? | |||
| 47 | 22 | "No Question" "Kimatterā" (決まってらぁ) | March 9, 2014 |
| Himuro executes a superb fake on Kagami, then smoothly transitions to take a jump shot, to which Kagami and Hyuga cannot react. He then makes a Mirage Shot that Kagami still is not able to block. Down 20-35, Seirin decides to replace Kagami with Tsuchida, reason being Kagami can't separate his emotions from the game, and that he is being too kind. Kiyoshi engages a post battle with Murasakibara, but gets blocked even though it is a double clutch layup. However, Izuki grabs the rebound and passes to Kiyoshi, who is outside the 3-point line. With no one going to stop him, Kiyoshi manages to make a 3-pointer, even though it is not his specialty. Following another of Himuro's jump shot, Seirin decides to play Kiyoshi as point guard. This forces Murasakibara to jump in order to stop Kiyoshi from making mid and long ranged shots. It worked out well, as Seirin were down 28-37, after Hyuga made a 3-pointer. Yosen calls for timeout, and Kagami asks Kuroko to throw the ring away, then returns to the court. Timeout over, and it's Himuro VS Kagami again. The former got an advantage as he makes a drive and fake at the same time and is far enough away from Kagami for a shot. However, Kagami actually blocks it, then he makes a 1-vs-1 against Murasakibara, and goes for a new type of dunk, but gets blocked by the latter. Kiyoshi then gets triple-teamed, and now Himuro attempts a Mirage Shot, but Kagami slips on sweat, which could cause Kagami to unable to block it as he jumped late. However, his fingers somehow grazed the ball and the shot is missed. Kagami realised about how to stop the Mirage Shot. Again, Kiyoshi gets triple teamed, so he passes to Izuki, and the latter is open for a 3-pointer, which he takes but missed. Murasakibara certified himself that the rebound is his, but Kiyoshi grabs the ball with one hand and makes the putback dunk over Murasakibara. Kiyoshi then stumbles, but he said that he is fine and so he continues to play the match. The score is now 37-30, with Seirin down by only 7. Hyuga makes a steal and the ball finds Kiyoshi, who again is triple teamed. Kiyoshi passes to Izuki and it becomes a 3-vs-1 attack, with Kagami, Izuki and Mitobe against Murasakibara. Izuki passes back to Kiyoshi, who goes for a shot, but the form is off, hence it missed. Mitobe boxes out Murasakibara with his all, and that worked well as Kagami goes for the putback dunk. Now Seirin are only down by 5. Murasakibara cannot take Kiyoshi particularly, and decides to go to the other side of the court to join in Yosen's offense. This made the whole of Seirin shocked as they don't know how to stop Murasakibara. With Murasakibara now on offense mode, how would this affect the flow of the game? | |||
| 48 | 23 | "I Don't Want to Lose!" "Maketakunai!" (負けたくない！) | March 16, 2014 |
| With Murasakibara finally appearing on the offensive side, Seirin is slowly losing hope of having the chance to win against Yosen. With the help of the Fukui, Murasakibara catches the ball and dunks it, causing the hoop to break and collide with the ground, further diminishing the hopes of Seirin. Back to the game, Kuroko marks Murasakibara, thus causing Murasakibara to foul for charging at Kuroko, effectively angering Murasakibara. During the break, at Seirin's bench, Kiyoshi says he is glad to be with Seirin, making the rest of the team pissed because he hadn't noticed this earlier. Kiyoshi believes in the saying that "We don't support each other because we are a team. We are a team because we support each other". With the final quarter starting, how will the game go, now that Kiyoshi is finally benched? And what is the favor Kiyoshi wants from Riko? | |||
| 49 | 24 | "Enough" "Mō ī ya" (もういいや) | March 23, 2014 |
| As the match continues in the fourth quarter, Yosen keeps on maintaining its lead and with Kiyoshi out, the Seirin players face tough times scoring any points. Seirin starts to use the same full court 2-3 man-to-man defense like what Yosen uses, but Himuro and Murasakibara are easily able to overcome it. Kagami wants his Zone to activate like he did against Touou, but isn't able to do so. Aomine explains that it is difficult to enter the Zone a second time. Meanwhile, the Kaijo team comes to watch the match and Kise notices what Kagami was trying to do, so when the ball went out of court, he returned the ball back and taunted Kagami by saying that he had faced a much fierce player in their practice match who never relied on anything. This indirect advise makes Kagami realise his mistake and he starts to give his all into the match and finally his struggle leads him to enter the Zone. Seirin manages to get back in the game with Kagami scoring the points with the help of Kuroko and others. Kagami is able to stop Himuro's Mirage Shot and Murasakibara's Thor Hammer, shocking everybody in Yosen. Aomine tells that Murasakibara was the most talented among the Generation of Miracles, but he was the person who loved basketball the least and because of that, he cannot enter the Zone. The score becomes 64-60, with Seirin still down by 4. During the time out, Murasakibara said that he does not want to play even though they are still 4 points ahead, but Himuro is able to convince him back into playing. Now with just 3 minutes remaining, both teams are fired up to face each other in the final stage of the battle, plus Kiyoshi is planning to enter the court within the last two minutes. How would the match end up? | |||
| 50 | 25 | "Win!" "Katsu!" (勝つ!) | March 30, 2014 |
| Back to the match after the timeout, Okamura provides a screen for Himuro, as the latter passes Kuroko easily with his perfect fake, and goes on for a Mirage Shot when the Zone-possessed Kagami tries to block it again. However, Himuro passes to Murasakibara, who quickly turns and goes for a dunk, but Kagami moves very fast that he is able to try to block Murasakibara. However, Murasakibara passes to Himuro, allowing the latter to score, which surprised the Seirin team, Aomine and Kise as Murasakibara doesn't pass when having the ball. Next possession for Seirin, and Kagami becomes the point guard instead. He went past Fukui easily, and tries to shoot when Murasakibara tries to block, but Kagami passes to Kuroko and then the ball is deflected by Kuroko for an alley-oop converted by Kagami. Next, Kagami passes to Izuki, and the latter tries to lay up when Murasakibara is behind to block, but with Izuki's Eagle Eye, he lobs the ball high about and Kagami slams the ball as Murasakibara quickly tries to block the dunk. After Seirin and Yosen trade baskets, the score is now 72-68, with Yosen still leading by 4. After that, Kiyoshi returns to the court with 1 minute left. With Kiyoshi back on the team, Seirin uses the Triangle-And-Two defense, the same defense formation as in the first half. Yosen's ball, and Murasakibara attacks the rim again when Kagami had already quickly returned to try and block the former, and he decides to pass back to Himuro, who now gets quickly defended by Kiyoshi. Thinking that only Kagami can stop the Mirage Shot, Himuro goes to take one, but he got surprised as Kiyoshi did not jump to block him, but faked Himuro due to the latter's Right Of Postponement being used. Although Himuro tried to shoot as Kiyoshi did not block his second attempt, the low release point from the first release meant that even shorter players can block it, which Hyuga did block. Fast break for Seirin, and Kagami missed a jump shot, but Kiyoshi grabs the offensive rebound with his Vice Claw, then he passes to Hyuga for an open 3-pointer, putting Seirin to within just 1 point, with 20 seconds left. Now it is Yosen's possession, Okamura makes a long pass to Himuro, then the latter perfectly fakes Hyuga, and goes to shoot past Kagami, but changed to pass to Murasakibara. Then Murasakibara goes to jam the rim when Kagami again tried to block the dunk, but the dunk attempt got more powerful. Kagami almost lost, but Kiyoshi backs Kagami and the duo managed to overpower Murasakibara to stop the dunk. Seirin's counterattack, and the team got surprised as Murasakibara is already at the post defending, when Kagami, Kise and Aomine then realised that Murasakibara entered the Zone. Kise and Aomine thought that Kagami cannot win the battle if him and Murasakibara are in the zone. Knowing that he is at his limits, Kagami exceeds them and attempts a lane up, but he does not have enough space to jump from that angle, and would not reach the hoop. Kagami then made his new move, Meteor Jam, over Murasakibara, and it goes in. Seirin finally took the lead with 4 seconds left, and Himuro quickly inbounded the ball to Murasakibara, who already ran to the other side at fast speed. Kagami did not go back to defense as his energy is drained, and Murasakibara is open for an easy dunk to secure the win for Yosen, but his knees limited his attempt as the Point Guard play by Kiyoshi made him jump many times, putting burden to the knees. Murasakibara thinks that he won't miss even if he just tosses it in, but Kuroko returns and quickly blocks the shot and that's it, Seirin wins Yosen 73-72. Seirin advances to the top 4 of the Winter Cup, and they will face the winner of the next match, in which one of the teams is Kaijo, and the other team has one player, who is not revealed, walking. In the final scene, Kagami realised what was wrong when he asked Kuroko to throw away the ring that represents his friendship with Himuro, after Kuroko tells him that it is possible to stay as brothers and enemies at the same time, and Kagami grabs the ring and finds Himuro. How would Seirin's Winter Cup story progress? | |||
Season 3
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 51 | 1 | "I'm Just Going at Full Strength" "Zen ryoku de yatteru dakenande" (全カでやってるだけなんで) | January 10, 2015 |
| After defeating Yōsen High, Seirin is interviewed for Basketball Monthly. After the interview Kagami heads outside to visit with his old friend, Tatsuya Himuro, and Alex, but instead of being able to resolve their differences he runs into one Shogo Haizaki of Fukuda Sogo Gakuen. When Kagami arrives, he sees Haizaki gripping Alex from the throat, and stops him. Then Haizaki tries to punch Kagami, and Kagami tries hitting him back, but Himuro stops him. Haizaki was about to strike again, but before he can act Kise arrives on the scene and reveals that Haizaki was a starter on the Generation of Miracles team before he arrived. Kagami heads back in to ask Kuroko about this news only to find out the final quarterfinal will feature a showdown between Kise and Haizaki, with the winner moving on to face Seirin in the semifinals. | |||
| 52 | 2 | "This Is Mine" "Ore no Mon Da" (オレのもんだ) | January 17, 2015 |
| Kise and Haizaki face each other head-to-head for the right to advance to face Seirin. At first it seems that Kise and Haizaki have the same copy ability as Haizaki is able to start duplicating Kise's teammates moves. However once Haizaki has duplicated a move, the original user seems to be unable to use it. Kuroko reveals that Haizaki uses psychological warfare against his opponents. While he copies the moves of the individual, he also alters the timing of the move. When the original user tries to do the move again, they try to do so with the new timing and ultimately fail. Kise and his teammates fall further behind as the second half begins. Can Kise find a move that Haizaki can't use and somehow manage to turn things around, or is his team headed for certain defeat? | |||
| 53 | 3 | "Don't You Get In My Way" "Jama Sunja Nee yo" (ジャマすんじゃねーよ) | January 24, 2015 |
| Kise and Haizaki continue their face off, and Kise's pain from his injury increases. Kise realizes he is unable to defeat Haizaki using his normal way of copying and goes into a numb state of mind. As Haizaki taunts Kise about the past, Kise's teammates and friends become worried. Suddenly, Kuroko yells out to Kise that he believes in him and Kise returns back from his numb state, claiming that he will win. Kise decides to resort to using his final copies, known as the Perfect Copy. The copies are the best moves of the Generation of Miracles, but there is a limit to around 5 minutes Kise can remain in this state. Haizaki becomes increasingly aware of how much Kise has improved through time. Desperate, Haizaki uses a dirty trick near the end of the game, but nonetheless, Kise is adamant about winning despite how much pain his foot is in and defeats Haizaki. Kaijo wins against Fukuda Sogo Gakuen 75-72. After the match Haizaki stands outside waiting for Kise to hurt him in a last attempt to put down Kise. However Aomine arrives and warns Haizaki not to interfere. Haizaki mocks his words and is about to punch him, but Aomine manages to punch him in the face first, temporarily knocking Haizaki out. In the end a flashback is shown their time during Teiko where Haizaki and Kuroko had conversed with one another about whether basketball was fun or not before Hazaki threw his shoes into a furnace. Haizaki, now uncertain about his resolve walks away without throwing his shoes in for the first time. | |||
| 54 | 4 | "I'll Take This For Now" "Morattokuwa" (もらっとくわ) | January 31, 2015 |
| The second semi-finals for the Winter Cup is about to start with Rakuzan, Shūtoku, Seirin, and Kaijo vying for the semi-finalist position. Kagami realized that his shoes are broken and needs to buy new ones but couldn't find anything his size. Kuroko contacted Momo for help and she brought Daiki's basketball shoes, the same brand that Kagami favors. Daiki told Kagami that in order for him to get the shoes, he should first defeat him in a one-on-one battle in which Kagami quickly lost. Daiki told Taiga that he can take the shoes to which Kagami grudgingly accepts, saying that he'll take it for now and that their competition isn't finished yet. Kagami and Kuroko rushed to the venue of the Winter Cup to watch the first semi-finals game: Rakuzan Vs. Shūtoku. | |||
| 55 | 5 | "I Know None of That" "Watashi wa sore o mattaku shirimasen" (私はそれを全く知りません) | February 7, 2015 |
| As the second half of the match between Shutoku and Rakuzan starts, Akashi uses his eye, it is revealed that Akashi was the one who found Kuroko's talent by using his eye on him, which meant that the eye can see potential of people, but it is said that in matches the eye is completely different, it predicts the future movement of the other players, thus nullifying both offence and defense of the other team | |||
| 56 | 6 | "I Will Offer Them" "Watashi wa sorera o teikyō shimasu" (私はそれらを提供します) | February 14, 2015 |
| Takao and Midorima's team play, makes a comeback with support from the rest of the team. Kuroko, Kise and Murasakibara explain that it is the first time that the players from Generation of Miracles never played at their full potential, since it would be not only tax their bodies, but also no one would be able to play against them if they did. Seeing the Shutoku make threes one after the other, Akashi throws the ball in their own basket, and tells his team that if they can only concentrate if the lead is small, then it is better if he brings down their lead. He also promises them that if they lose, he will take all the blame and gouge out his eyes as atonement. Hearing this, Rakuzan team recovers. Akashi also announces to Midorima that he'll not be able to shoot again. Akashi stops the next pass between Takao and Midorima which becomes a turning point in the game. | |||
| 57 | 7 | "It Makes Me Laugh" "Sore wa watashi ni warai o tsukurimasu" (それは私に笑いを作ります) | February 21, 2015 |
| Rakuzan win the game 86-70. Akashi refuses to shake hands with Midorima, since he wishes to remain a foe to all for them to win. Its Seirin vs Kaijo. Kuroko tells Kise that he saw him as a rival, since he passed him quickly after he (Kuroko) became his (Kise's) mentor in middle school. Though Seirin manage to make the first score by using Kuroko's Vanishing Drive and Phantom Shot, but Kise makes an immediate come back. It is revealed that Kise is already using his Perfect Copy and is even able to use Akashi's Emperor Eye very closely. Kise also stops Kuroko's Phantom Shot, which only makes Kuroko more excited. | |||
| 58 | 8 | "True Light" | February 28, 2015 |
| Kise continues to play his Perfect Copy till the score reaches 13-2, and stops it thereafter, believing he has given the game momentum. Seirin becomes too eager to close the gap and starts making misses. Riko sends Furihata and subs out Izuki. Even though Furihata seems nervous at first, Riko mentions that since he's a coward, he'll be cautious, which in turn will clam down the entire team and Seirin begins to score. Izuki is subbed in and set against Kasamatsu. As Kasamatsu is unable to shoot, it becomes a showdown between the aces. | |||
| 59 | 9 | "Don't Belittle Us!!" | March 7, 2015 |
| Kise is subbed out as the coach spots his leg injury worsening. As Kagami gets double teamed, Kuroko scores using his Phantom Shot, Kasamatsu figures out the trick and stops Kuroko's Phantom Shot, exposing the trick, just before he is subbed out. Kagami brings the score to a tie. As Kise continues to heal his leg, Kasamatsu's incredible play brings scored for Kaijo. | |||
| 60 | 10 | "In Order to Win" | March 14, 2015 |
| Kise's injury becomes worse. His coach orders him to step down the court for a while and rest until the last two minutes of the last quarter wherein he could use his Perfect Copy. Kagami's talents give way to Seirin having a 15-point gap in the lead with four minutes left in the game. Kise's frustration leads him to recover fast, determined to win the cup. Rico is surprised and realizes that Kise's Perfect Copy can now last until the end of the competition. | |||
| 61 | 11 | "This Time, For Sure" | March 21, 2015 |
| Kise recovers and manages to fill the 15-point gap. Kaijo becomes the lead with a score of 78-77. Seirin becomes restless and their moves become stiff as Kise's fast recovery and Kaijo's persistence to win makes the crowds cheer, putting Seirin under pressure. Kuroko devises a plan that requires time for observation in order to overcome Kise's Perfect Copy. | |||
| 62 | 12 | "He is the Best Player" | March 28, 2015 |
|
The episode starts with Kaijo leading by a point. Seirin begins the counter attack in run-and-gun method, surprising the Kaijo and audience. During the counterattack, Izuki passes the ball to Kiyoshi, who using the Right of Postponement passes the ball to Hyuga. When Hguya fakes a three pointer and dribbles through, Kise copying Aomine tries to steal the ball. Kuroko cuts in to pass it to Kagami, who scores in spite of resistance from Kise. Kaijo thinks of using the full 30 seconds rule to score and turn around the score, which directly results in win. Kuroko tries to steal from Kise, who copying Aomine evades and runs into Kagami. Kagami is evaded by two cutbacks using Akashi's Emperor Eye. Now under the hoop, Kise tries to score using Murasakibara's Thor Hammer, but somehow feels he is being tricked by Seirin, which becomes true when Izuki tips the ball using Eagle Spear. In flashback, Kuroko explains to team, that we found two quirks in Kise's play. Firstly, he copies Aomine instantaneously when in fix, whom he copies best and second one is that he subconsciously avoids using same copies consecutively. Kise refusing to give up passes the ball to teammate who scores. Everyone feels that Kaijo secured the victory but Himuro feels strange that Seirin's bench is still not anxious despite the score. His belief turns into reality when Seirin counter attacks using Kagami. Akashi explains to Rakuzan teammates that Kuroko induced this play beginning from Seirin's run-and-gun counter attack to Kise being drawn in, to provide Kagami head start to counter attack in the remaining 4 sec. Kise miraculously runs fast to stop Kagami, who tries to score by Meteor Jam. Realizing that he is unable to score, Kagami passes the ball to onrushing Kuroko via backboard, who scores a buzzer beater. Kise contragulates Kuroko and Kagami for reaching finals, with Kuroko acknowledging with Kagami that Kise is the best player. While leaving from locker room, Kagami realizes he lost his ring and goes to check in the basketball court. Midorima gives him the ring and two talk about the results of their games. Midorima warns Kagami that there are two Akashi's in fact and asks him to give his best at least to make it count against Akashi, before leaving. When Kagami asks Kuroko about what Midorima meant, he dodges saying that he wants to tell about it to entire team. So Seirin gathers in Kagami's flat and Kuroko begins to tell his past chronologically beginning with how he wanted to play basketball and became friend's with Ogiwara , who taught him how to play. He reveals that Ogiwara quit the game because of him. | |||
| 63 | 13 | "A Day with Blue Skies" | April 4, 2015 |
| Kuroko is first placed into Teiko's third string basketball team. However, after practicing everyday after school with Aomine, Akashi realised Kuroko talent as the "Phantom 6th Man." During a game between the third and second string, Kuroko proved himself and was upgraded to first string. But when he plays in a friendly game as starting player, he is so nervous he is subbed out immediately. The coaches are unsure if they should keep him on first string, but with Aomine's encouragement, they keep him on for one day. Now that Kuroko's nerves are under control, his help in the team is obvious and he is permanently placed on the first string bench. | |||
| 64 | 14 | "....Sorry" | April 11, 2015 |
| Nijimura gives the captain position to Akashi because his father is sick. Akashi now becomes captain. The Teiko coach comes back. Midorima and Murasakibara gets into a fight, and Kuroko challenges them into a practice game. Then, Aomine and Kise get into a fight, but not a serious one. Akashi wants to get rid of Haizaki because he keeps skipping practices. Aomine plays a game, but he doesn't have fun and loses interest in basketball because he crushed the other team. Teiko goes to the National qualifiers, and Aomine meets his friend, while the face of Kuroko's friend is also revealed. Aomine ends up crushing his friend's team, and gets called a monster by his friend. Also, Kuroko's friend loses, and calls Kuroko, crying. The episode ends with Aomine sitting by the pool, a blank expression on his face. | |||
| 65 | 15 | "We No Longer" | April 18, 2015 |
| The head coach advises Aomine to keep playing basketball until he can find a worthy opponent. Teiko wins the National finals. One day, the head coach collapses, and the assistant coach is forced to take over the program. The individual members of the team begin to undergo rapid growth in strength and ability. Aomine leaves in the middle of practice one day, and the coach reluctantly gives him permission to skip practices so long as he shows up to games, leaving Aomine in even more despair, conflicted over the lack of strong competition and his passion for basketball. After Murasakibara demands to also be allowed to skip practices, openly defying Akashi, the latter decides to challenge him one-on-one. The other members of the Generation of Miracles are shocked as Murasakibara seemingly overwhelms Akashi, but just as Akashi is about to lose, he switches personalities and crushes Murasakibara. Akashi, now in his alternate persona, gives the rest of the team permission to skip practice so long as they win matches. He later tells Kuroko (who failed to convince Aomine to return to practice) that there are actually two of him. | |||
| 66 | 16 | "What is Victory?" "Shōritte nan desu ka?" (勝利ってなんですか？) | April 25, 2015 |
| Kuroko gets knocked unconscious in the game before the grand final, in which Teiko is set to play against Kuroko's friend, Shige's team. Kuroko regains consciousness, and since he cannot play in the game, asks Akashi to make Teiko play their best. Teiko, bored by scoring quotas, decide to play a new game. Kuroko gets to the match in time to see the conclusion of the game, with Murasakibara scoring the final goal for the opposite team in order to make the score read "111, 11". Devastated, Kuroko decides to quit basketball and visits Shige's school, where he finds out Shige has transferred and is going to quit basketball. Shige's friend tells him not to quit basketball, because he thinks Kuroko can melt the Generation of Miracles' hearts. | |||
| 67 | 17 | "Final Tip-off!!" "Fainaru tippu ofu" (決勝戦試合開始!! (ファイナル ティップ オフ)) | May 2, 2015 |
| Seirin prepare mentally for the grand final match of the Winter Cup. Kagami and Tatsuya finally properly reconcile. The teams from previous matches, including the teams of the Generation of Miracles come to watch the grand final. During the decider for 3rd place, Kise sits out of the match and Shutoku wins against Kaijo, 96 to 54, taking 3rd place. Rakuzan and Seirin warm up, and Akashi declares the winner will be Rakuzan. Furihata gives Kuroko a wristband filled with the team's thoughts. The game starts with Kagami taking the tip off. Kuroko fumbles a pass but Kagami manages to score the first goal with an impossible jump. And enters "the zone". | |||
| 68 | 18 | "Isn't it the Best?" "Saikō ja ne no?" (最高じゃねーの？) | May 9, 2015 |
| Kagami dangerously continues using up his stamina in the zone, Riko swaps Kuroko for Mitobe so that Kagami can focus on offence. Akashi pairs up against Kagami and Akashi takes control of the game until Mitobe's defense breaks the flow. Kagami exits the zone, and Kuroko re-enters the game. Kuroko is more visible than usual, which Akashi claims is due to his learning how to dribble and shoot. Disheartened, Kuroko is taken out of the match for one side pass, then put back in for the remainder of the first quarter. The first quarter is finished with a tie, 21-21. Kuroko is set to sit out the 2nd quarter to think of a solution. Meanwhile Rakuzan's Chihiro Mayuzumi reveals his ability to misdirect just like Kuroko, but with better base attributes. | |||
| 69 | 19 | "A miracle will not happen" "Kiseki wa okinai" (奇跡は起きない) | May 16, 2015 |
| Kuroko observes Mayuzumi's play from the sidelines. Seirin subs in first-year Furihata to lure Rakuzan, but he quickly gets fatigued after facing Akashi. Fukuda, a first-year, takes his place. Hyuga goes up against Rakuzan's Reo Mibuchi (who Hyuga admired in middle school) in a "Battle of the shooting guards", but loses. The same happens to Kiyoshi against Eikichi Nebuya. Another first-year takes Fukuda's place. One-by-one, Rakuzan crushes Seirin's players. Akashi demonstrates that he can also make alley-oops, finishing the second quarter with Rakuzan in the lead, 62-37. | |||
| 70 | 20 | "Weight of Resolve" "Kakugo no omo-sa" (覚悟の重さ) | May 23, 2015 |
| The third quarter starts with Kuroko remaining on the sidelines; the rest of the team persisting despite the setbacks of the previous quarter and the rest of the generation of miracles believing they will lose. The team entrusts their hopes with Hyuga and Kagami. Reo goads Hyuga into making his third and fourth fouls, forcing him to be benched. With Seirin's hearts broken, Kuroko re-enters the game, declaring he wants to win. Kuroko goes up against Mayuzumi, and allows him to make some shoots in order for Kuroko to regain his lack of presence. Kagami re-enters the zone. Instead of subbing Mayuzumi out, Akashi uses him as a tool of misdirection. | |||
| 71 | 21 | "In my own way, I'm desperate" "Kore demo hisshida yo" (これでも必死だよ) | May 30, 2015 |
| Izuki manages to interfere with Rakuzan's Kitari Hayama's five-finger-dribble offense, by predicting future moves and coordinating with Kuroko and Kagami. Kagami remains in the zone. Koganei faces Reo, and although Koganei doesn't manage to defeat him, Hyuga comes to understand how to beat Reo's three specialty shots (Heaven, Earth, Void). | |||
| 72 | 22 | "A Warning" "Chūkokuda" (忠告だ) | June 6, 2015 |
| Hyuga rejoins the match in fourth quarter and scores the first three, flourishing under the pressure and having worked out how to tell the difference between Mibuchi Reo's three shots, and the secret of "Void". Despite Kiyoshi's knee injury bothering him, he pushes back against his opponent Eikichi Nebuya. Akashi relieves control of the ball against Kagami who is going even deeper in the zone. However, Akashi has learnt how to enter the zone at will, reserving it for when Rakuzan is in trouble. His trigger being when he decides to abandon the rest of the team and use his own strength to win. Akashi enters the zone and scores on his own. Seirin calls a timeout with Rakuzan in the lead, 90-78. Seirin puts their faith in Kagami. In the audience, Aomine mentions that he suspects there is a greater zone within the zone. And that Kagami may need to open this second "door" to be able to beat Akashi. | |||
| 73 | 23 | "Why don't we give up" "Akiramemasen ka" (諦めませんか) | June 13, 2015 |
| Faced by Akashi's huge zone of defence, Kagami despairs, having reached the bottom of the zone, but seeing no way to open the "door". Kuroko suggests they give up relying solely on Kagami for now, and offers to take some of the burden. By watching and predicting Kagami's movement, Kuroko becomes Kagami's "eye" and is able to intercept Akashi. Although stunned, Akashi catches up and attempts to stop Kagami, but is intercepted again by Kuroko. One last time, Akashi attempts to intercept Kagami's dunk, but Kagami, with his teammates supporting him, manages to crack open the "door" within the zone and scores. Akashi misses a goal, and has fallen out of the Zone. A voice inside Akashi starts telling him to give-up. Rakuzan calls a time out with 5 minutes left in the game, and the score 92-90. Just as Rakuzan's coach is about to sub Akashi out, Mayuzumi chastises Akashi, asking rhetorically "Who are you?", which triggers an internal dialogue with his other self. Akashi strove for victory in order to keep his team together and in his weakness he created his other self. But then he started playing for victory itself, forgetting why. Now, his two selves appear to merge, or perhaps switch places, and, echoing his words to Kuroko in middle school, aloud he declares himself "Akashi Seijuro". | |||
| 74 | 24 | "So It Was You" "Omaedattan janē ka" (お前だったんじゃねーか) | June 20, 2015 |
| Akashi starts supporting the team by setting up perfect opportunities which also boosts their morale. The watching members of the Generation of Miracles recognise Akashi's old self. Seirin still manage to score, but Akashi enters the zone again and Akashi's support draws out his team members' potentials, making them enter an imperfect version of the zone, possible because they are members of the "Uncrowned Kings". Kagami is the only one who can stand against them, but reaches his physical limits, and exits the zone. The rest of Seirin are also exhausted and Seirin has no more time outs left. Suddenly, Kuroko's friend, Ogiwara, cheers from the audience, bringing Kuroko to tears. Aomine, Kise, Midorima and other past opponents adds their cheers, and the crowd starts to chant for Seirin. With the Rakuzan in the lead, 103-96 and 2 minutes left in the game, Kagami talks with the team, and manages to fully open the "door within the zone", unveiling the "True Zone", which is team play at the speed of the zone (possible because of the bond between the team members). Aomine realises that the person in front of the "door" is not a gatekeeper, but Kuroko, leading the way to team play. Seirin manage to score a two-pointer, but Akashi counters with a two pointer, and is not going to allow Seirin to win that easily. | |||
| 75 | 25 | "Many Times Over" "Nandodemo" (何度でも) | June 30, 2015 |
| With 40 seconds left in the game, Rakuzan is in the lead, 105-98. Kagami scores with 27 seconds left. With 17 seconds left, Izuki is the only one not fired up, deliberately trying to keep calm and use his head to catch Rakuzan off-guard. He predicts that Rakuzan will take a shot and steals the ball, making a perfect pass to Hyuga. Hyuga forces a foul as he scores a three and is allowed a free throw. Hyuga's shot rebounds and Kiyoshi uses his last strength to take it. With three seconds left the ball is passed to Kuroko, who goes to shoot. Akashi defends but Kuroko states "I am the shadow", and Kagami does one of his impossible jumps to dunk and Seirin win, 105-106, winning the Winter Cup. Akashi experiences his first ever loss, but is thankful to Kuroko and congratulates him with tears in his eyes. Some days later, Seirin see Kiyoshi off at the airport, as he is going overseas to get a surgery for his knee. Meanwhile 3rd years from Seirin's opponent teams are studying for college, while their teams appoint new captains and prepare for the next season of Basketball. Seirin return to school to practice but Kuroko is late. Kagami is sent to find him, and Kuroko explains that he was getting a photo from Momoi. As Kuroko and Kagami head back to practice, Kuroko's locker opens to reveal the photo- a team photo of the Generation of Miracles reunited. | |||
References
- ↑ "Kuroko's Basketball Manga Gets TV Anime Produced by I.G". Anime News Network. 2011-09-28. Retrieved 2011-09-28.
- ↑ "Kuroko's Basketball Schedule" (in Japanese). Retrieved 2012-12-03.
- ↑ "Kuroko's Basketball Anime Gets 2nd Season". Anime News Network. 2012-12-26. Retrieved 2013-01-13.
- ↑ "2nd Kuroko's Basketball Season Slated for October 5". Anime News Network. 2013-08-28. Retrieved 2013-05-29.
- ↑ "Crunchyroll Adds Kuroko's Basketball/Kuroko no Basuke TV Anime". Anime News Network. 2012-04-05. Retrieved 2012-12-03.
- ↑ "黒子のバスケ 1 [Blu-ray]" [Kuroko Basketball 1 [Blu-ray]] (in Japanese). Retrieved 2012-12-03.
- ↑ "黒子のバスケ 1 [DVD]" [Kuroko Basketball 1 [DVD]] (in Japanese). Retrieved 2012-12-03.
- ↑ "黒子のバスケ 7 [Blu-ray]" [Kuroko Basketball 7 [Blu-ray]] (in Japanese). Retrieved 2012-12-03.
- ↑ "黒子のバスケ 7 [DVD]" [Kuroko Basketball 7 [DVD]] (in Japanese). Retrieved 2012-12-03.
- ↑ "GRANRODEO「黒子のバスケ」第2期2クール目もOP続投" (in Japanese). Retrieved 2013-11-26.
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