50 Fun Facts About Kuroko's Basketball

In Kuroko's Basketball, Tetsuya Kuroko was known as the phantom what of the Generation of Miracles?

Sixth man was the role that made Kuroko a rumour: so few people noticed him on court that his existence stayed unconfirmed. His talent was first spotted by captain Seijuro Akashi.

Tetsuya Kuroko describes himself as what to Taiga Kagami's light in Kuroko's Basketball?

A shadow is how Kuroko sees his role, an assist player whose goal is to help a star teammate shine. Daiki Aomine was his light in middle school before Kagami.

Which animals terrify Taiga Kagami in Kuroko's Basketball, despite the Seirin ace's tough appearance?

Dogs frighten Kagami, which is awkward once Seirin adopts a stray as its mascot. The team names it Tetsuya #2 because its eyes look like Kuroko's.

What job does Ryota Kise hold outside school and basketball in Kuroko's Basketball?

Model is Kise's side job, and his looks have won him a large female fanbase within the story. He only took up basketball in his second year of middle school.

Kuroko's Basketball star Taiga Kagami was raised mostly in which country before returning to Japan?

The USA is where Kagami learned his basketball, so Japan's level disappointed him when he came back. Hearing about the Generation of Miracles gave him rivals worth chasing.

Yosen's towering center Atsushi Murasakibara is lazy about nearly everything except what in Kuroko's Basketball?

Snacks are Murasakibara's great love, especially a puffed stick based on the real Japanese treat Umaibo. Kuroko says he does not even like basketball, yet plays to win.

Kuroko's Basketball is often compared to which earlier basketball manga from the same weekly magazine?

Slam Dunk is the usual comparison, though one critic noted it was very realistic while the newer series is rooted in fiction, with a special move for each character.

What name does Kuroko's Basketball give the state of peak focus that Daiki Aomine can enter at will?

The Zone pushes a player's focus and reaction speed to the maximum. Aomine was the first to master a trigger for it, and Kagami later matches him by entering it too.

Why does Seirin High have no seniors on campus when Kuroko and Kagami join its basketball club?

It is only a year old, so its oldest pupils are second-years. That includes the team's coach, who is a student herself.

Which Seirin student coach can read a player's physical abilities at a glance in Kuroko's Basketball?

Riko Aida picked up the knack from her sports-trainer father, studying athletes' muscles and their data. Her cooking is another matter: it almost always makes people sick.

Which technique does Tetsuya Kuroko combine with his lack of presence to stay unguarded on court?

Misdirection steers opponents' attention away from Kuroko, leaving him free for passes and steals. The effect wears off the longer he plays, so Seirin often rests him.

Shintaro Midorima follows the Oha Asa horoscope religiously in Kuroko's Basketball; which zodiac sign is his?

Cancer is Midorima's sign, and he carries whatever lucky item the forecast names for it that day. He believes the predictions directly affect how he plays.

Which board game do Seijuro Akashi and Shintaro Midorima often play between classes in Kuroko's Basketball?

Shogi, the Japanese cousin of chess, suits Akashi's analytical mind, and he keeps playing it in his spare time. Midorima was his vice captain in middle school.

Which school, captained by Seijuro Akashi, does Seirin beat by one point in the Winter Cup final?

Rakuzan falls 106–105 when Kagami scores in the final three seconds. It is the first defeat Akashi has ever suffered, and he congratulates Kuroko with tears in his eyes.

At which middle school did the Generation of Miracles win three straight national titles in Kuroko's Basketball?

Teiko dominated so completely that its five stars became famous nationwide, then scattered to separate high schools. Kuroko left disillusioned with its win-at-all-costs attitude.

Which school does Ryota Kise play for when Seirin beats him 100–98 in an early practice match?

Kaijo's loss that day is the first defeat of Kise's life, sealed by a last-second alley-oop from Kuroko and Kagami. Its coach had set aside only half a court, expecting an easy win.

Where must Seirin's first-years shout their basketball goals to the whole school in Kuroko's Basketball?

The rooftop is where the coach holds her entrance exam, during Monday morning assembly. A teacher stops it before Kuroko's turn, so he writes his pledge in chalk in the courtyard.

Which injured joint kept Seirin founder Teppei Kiyoshi in hospital during the Interhigh in Kuroko's Basketball?

Knee damage sidelines Kiyoshi for a year, and he returns knowing it has not fully healed. After the Winter Cup he flies overseas for surgery.

What does Seirin's Shun Izuki love making, to his teammates' chagrin, in Kuroko's Basketball?

Puns are Izuki's running gag, and almost nobody finds them funny. The exception is Kotaro Hayama, the only character who laughs at them.

What does former team manager Satsuki Momoi proclaim herself to be to Tetsuya Kuroko?

His girlfriend is Momoi's own label; she hugs Kuroko whenever they meet, and he kindly turns her down. He is also the one player her scouting cannot predict.

Which wide-vision skill lets Shutoku's Kazunari Takao see through Tetsuya Kuroko's disappearing act?

Hawk Eye lets Takao take in the whole court without focusing on any one thing, so tricks that divert a defender's gaze fail on him. It outranges the similar skill of Seirin's Shun Izuki.

What does Seijuro Akashi borrow from Shintaro Midorima and thrust at Taiga Kagami's face before the Winter Cup?

Scissors, borrowed mid-conversation, nearly cut Kagami's cheek at his first meeting with Akashi. Kagami had just interrupted a reunion of the Generation of Miracles.

Which new move lets Tetsuya Kuroko slip past defenders with the ball during the Winter Cup games?

Vanishing Drive was Kuroko's answer to a heavy summer defeat, adding a dribble to his passing game. It helps Seirin hand Daiki Aomine his first-ever loss.

Which nickname is Seirin center Teppei Kiyoshi known by in Kuroko's Basketball?

Iron Heart places Kiyoshi among five prodigies overshadowed by the Generation of Miracles. He co-founded Seirin's team but trusted a classmate with the captaincy.

Which Kirisaki Daiichi captain, nicknamed Bad Boy, had his team deliberately injure a Seirin player?

Makoto Hanamiya also coaches his team and says he enjoys watching hard-working players suffer. Beating his side is what sends Seirin to the Winter Cup.

Which Seirin player is never shown speaking in the Kuroko's Basketball anime, communicating only through gestures?

Rinnosuke Mitobe stays silent, yet teammate Shinji Koganei reads his gestures and expressions perfectly. At home he makes breakfast for a very large family.

Which Seirin captain turns heated and rude during clutch time in Kuroko's Basketball?

Junpei Hyuga is calm until a game gets tight, then his shooting sharpens along with his tongue. He is Seirin's best shooter and almost never leaves the court.

What does Taiga Kagami break with the first basket of Seirin's practice match against Ryota Kise's school?

The hoop gives way on Kagami's opening score, forcing the hosts to switch to the full court and bring their star off the bench.

What matching items do Taiga Kagami and Tatsuya Himuro wear as a sign of their brotherhood?

Rings seal the bond between the two, who called each other brothers as boys. After a falling-out, Himuro staked his own on the result of their next game.

Which manga artist wrote and illustrated Kuroko's Basketball, and later created the series Kill Blue?

Tadatoshi Fujimaki launched the series in December 2008 and drew it for nearly six years. A crossover chapter later paired it with Hinomaru Sumo, created by his former assistant.

Which dish does Taiga Kagami teach Seirin's coach to cook properly before the team's summer training camps?

Curry is the lesson, since the coach's own cooking tends to make her players ill. The camp itself has the team practising on beach sand to build leg strength.

In which professional league did Alex Garcia, the childhood basketball teacher of Taiga Kagami, once play?

WNBA experience makes Alex a formidable teacher, and she now coaches neighbourhood kids. She greets people with a kiss, which startles everyone except her two former pupils.

Why does Taiga Kagami miss the Winter Cup opening ceremony after training overseas in Kuroko's Basketball?

He forgot the time difference with Japan after leaving his teammates to train abroad on his own. The coach was not worried when he first went missing.

How does the Winter Cup preliminary league game between Seirin and Shutoku end in Kuroko's Basketball?

In a draw: the buzzer sounds with Kagami and Midorima still fighting over a last shot, and the rules allow no overtime. Seirin then has to beat Kirisaki Daiichi to qualify.

Which offensive style was central to Seirin's play before Kuroko and Kagami joined the team?

Run and gun suited the old Seirin: the captain would catch balls scooped up near the net and fire three-pointers. The team still falls back on it in tight games.

How is Tetsuya Kuroko's position often listed in Kuroko's Basketball because of his unusual playing style?

A question mark stands in for his position, since he offers little beyond passing. Captain Akashi honed that one skill and deliberately taught him nothing else, to keep him unnoticed.

Which animation studio produced all three seasons of the Kuroko's Basketball anime and its 2017 film?

Production I.G made 75 episodes across three seasons from 2012 to 2015, directed by Shunsuke Tada. The show won the 2013 Tokyo Anime Award in the television category.

Which rock band performed most opening themes for the Kuroko's Basketball anime, starting with Can Do?

Granrodeo is fronted by Kisho Taniyama, who also voices Yosen's Tatsuya Himuro in the show. The band returned to sing the ending theme of the 2017 film.

Which publisher serialized Kuroko's Basketball in its weekly boys' manga magazine from 2008 to 2014?

Shueisha ran all 275 chapters in Weekly Shonen Jump and collected them in 30 volumes. By late 2020 the series had over 31 million copies in circulation.

Which streaming service released the first English dub of the Kuroko's Basketball anime in 2021?

Netflix added the dubbed first season in January 2021, nearly nine years after the Japanese premiere. The other two seasons and the film followed within the year.

Which visiting American streetball team mocks Japanese basketball in Kuroko's Basketball The Movie: Last Game?

Jabberwock humiliates a Japanese side called Strky, then sneers at the country's players. In reply the Seirin coach's father unites the Generation of Miracles with Kuroko and Kagami for a revenge match.

Which voice actor plays Tetsuya Kuroko in Japanese and also sang an opening theme for Kuroko's Basketball?

Kensho Ono sang Zero, the second opening of the final season, and an ending theme the season before. He even played the character again in the live stage shows.

Which fan-comics convention banned Kuroko's Basketball works after a string of threatening letters?

Comiket barred fan comics based on the series while the threats continued; a suspect was arrested in December 2013. In 2015 its organisers staged a special make-up event for those creators.

Which player did Seijuro Akashi train as an upgraded version of Tetsuya Kuroko for his high school team?

Chihiro Mayuzumi shares Kuroko's knack for going unnoticed but has sounder fundamentals, so he can also score. He insists that he passes only for himself.

Which childhood friend of Tetsuya Kuroko quit basketball after a crushing loss to the Generation of Miracles?

Shigehiro Ogiwara still urged Kuroko to keep playing, and his shout from the stands turns the Winter Cup final. By then he has found his love of the game again.

Which player for Fukuda Sogo faces Ryota Kise in the last Winter Cup quarterfinal of Kuroko's Basketball?

Shogo Haizaki grabs Kagami's mentor by the throat before the game, then loses 75–72 once Kise unveils his Perfect Copy. Akashi had wanted him off their middle-school team for skipping practice.

Which sport gave Seirin's Shinji Koganei the cat-like reflexes he shows in Kuroko's Basketball?

Tennis is where Koganei built his reactions, since he only took up basketball in his first year of high school. Rivals liken his wild reflexes to a feral cat's.

Which fruit does Shutoku's Kiyoshi Miyaji often ask for when Shintaro Midorima makes an outlandish demand?

A pineapple, or sometimes a durian, is what Miyaji wants to hurl at the team's pampered star. Fellow senior Shinsuke Kimura usually offers to fetch the fruit for him.

What startling thing does Seijuro Akashi do to refocus his players as Shutoku rallies in the Winter Cup semifinal?

Scores for the other team: Akashi sinks the ball in his own net, telling teammates that if they only focus when the lead is small, he will shrink it. They recover and win 86–70.

Which North American publisher licensed the Kuroko's Basketball manga and released it in 2-in-1 editions?

Viz Media announced the licence at a New York Comic Con panel and began publishing in 2016, more than a year after the series ended in Japan.