generation-of-kuroko-and-kagami

[generation-of-kuroko-and-kagami]

What do you think would happen if Kirisaki Dai Ichi played against Fukuda Sogo? Practically a clash between Hanamiya and Haizaki

Haizaki isn't stupid, is he? I mean, I wouldn't say he's got the same level of game sense as characters like Kuroko, Hanamiya, or Akashi, but Haizaki's good at agitating players, right? So, I kind of think that Hanamiya would try to spin his web to catch Haizaki in, but Haizaki would just bust through it by disturbing the moves of everyone else on Kirisaki Daiichi to give him an opening to drive through. Maybe not, though. Maybe Hanamiya would bug Haizaki enough with his mind games to force Haizaki out of the game with fouls or something. Of course, this all depends on whether each of them has reformed since their games with Seirin. If they haven't, it's entirely possible that they'd just get into a fistfight and get thrown out of the tournament all together.

Thanks for the ask!

#kirisaki daiichi #fukuda sogo #haizaki shougo #makoto hanamiya

[generation-of-kuroko-and-kagami]

you have babies ???

I do not?

[generation-of-kuroko-and-kagami]

Can I ask about some mental, emotional or psychological aspects of Kuroko no Basket? I read a post before about how it touches on things on the surface, like about Akashi's DID, but Fujimaki-sensei said that it was a bball anime so he didn't try to focus on that. But I think the mangaka really did a good job portraying these issues even though they weren't the focus.

Yeah, I mean, that's definitely an interesting aspect of Kuroko no Basket. With Akashi alone, there's a wealth of meaning you could read into his disorder. I would consider it a demonstration of how all-encompassing sports are to some athletes, but it could just as easily be about Akashi's childhood and how that fostered a.) a secondary personality and b.) a narcissistic personality. I think it'd be pretty easy to read into a lot of the character traits in Kuroko because it was such a surrealist take on basketball. I mean, obviously, there were elements of mundanity in it--like Kiyoshi's injury or how athletes relate to the sport--but it also took an almost mythical take when it came to the characters' abilities and talents.

So, for example, you could look at Aomine's attitude toward basketball in the beginning of the series and know it as a defense mechanism to protect himself against the possibility that he'd never be able to enjoy basketball anymore if he kept improving. You could make the argument that the reason Kise became as good as is in basketball is because he enjoyed the fact that he had to work at it to be good. He knew he wasn't the best there was, but more than that, it was the one area of his life where being the best didn't come naturally to him, which probably prompted him to practice more and love it more and then he became a GoM member.

As far as touching things on the surface goes, I think those instances are more difficult to find, but still present. Kagami may have gotten so upset about his brief falling out with Tatsuya--to the point where he was willing to denounce their friendship--because Tatsuya was a large part of the reason Kagami decided to become the best in Japan. Since America was what solidified Kagami's love for basketball, it must have felt disorienting to have another large piece of that discovery--Tatsuya--taken away. However, the story didn't really touch on the feelings Kagami must have felt being uprooted from his culture, placed in another one, and then having a friend that most likely made Kagami's stay in America more comfortable decide to not be friends with him anymore.

So, yeah, there's a lot that could be gone into, and a lot that could be read into. There are probably various explanations out there for why exactly Kuroko came to Seirin and started on his path to beating the GoM. Akashi--you could write a decertation on Akashi. Please let me know what you think about these and other points, because the topic fascinates me. Next time I watch Kuroko, I'll probably be looking at stuff like this more.

#knb asks

[generation-of-kuroko-and-kagami]

have you ever considered making any posts about ships that you think could be possible or something like that? i would personally love to see that

So, I did talk about my favorite duos, which is kind of the same. I did talk about whether I shipped the characters or not, so that'll more-or-less tell you which ones I think were possible. I think the only ship that I really thought had any support for it being real was Kuroko and Kagami. I do see some merit in saying that Aomine or Kise felt something for Kuroko at some point, but Kuroko's relationship with Kagami was the only one I was convinced was romantic at certain points. Though, I typically imagine them as platonic friends--soulmates, perhaps, but not romantically. Thanks for the ask, and sorry my answer was so short!

#knb asks

[generation-of-kuroko-and-kagami]

Can you make something about the uncrowned kings

I posted about who the strongest one is, and when I get time this weekend, I'll probably be posting a few other things about them, like what their Zones would be like or something.

#knb asks

[generation-of-kuroko-and-kagami]

Hello! Just wanna say I enjoy your posts discussing players' strength and it really makes me think of the KurokosBasketball subreddit. I wonder if you're on there as well?

I'm not, actually, because I've never been good at using reddit lol. I've always wanted to participate on there because that's way more used than Tumblr, at this point, but I guess since I've already built a following on here, I just stay here. Maybe I'll look into reddit again, though.

#knb asks

[generation-of-kuroko-and-kagami]

after the movie, do you think the gom can open the gate to the second zone?

So, since the Direct Drive Zone is about teamplay, I think it probably would've been possible for certain GoM members before the Last Game Movie. For instance, Kise could probably have entered the Direct Drive Zone has he been able to achieve the Zone during the series instead of the movie. Midorima, too--if he could get into the Zone in the first place--could've reached the secondary Zone by the end of the series. I think, now that Akashi is whole, he should be able to reach the Direct Drive Zone since he's highly dependent on team play as a point guard anyway.

Murasakibara and Aomine are tough sells, for me. Murasakibara has learned to use team play when he has to, but even after the Last Game movie, he wasn't anywhere near the level Kagami was when he went into the Direct Drive Zone. During the movie, you still had Murasakibara having a hard time depending on his teammates. Aomine can partner with other players really well--like Kise, Kagami, and Kuroko--but with his own team, he was just beginning to consider playing as a part of the team. I imagine that if Touou keeps using him as an ace in the same way they have been (the "get Aomine the ball and step back" philosophy), Aomine won't even have the opportunity to go into the secondary Zone. However, I do think that after the series he had the potential to go deeper under certain conditions. For all intents and purposes, had the Jabberwock game been super high stakes, both Aomine and Kagami could have gone into the Direct Drive Zone because of Kuroko. I'm still not sure Murasakibara has the personality to let him into the Direct Drive Zone at any point, so I'm gonna say "no" for him and "yes" for everyone else.

#knb asks #kuroko's basketball #kuroko no basket #kuroko tetsuya #midorima shintarou #kise ryōta #aomine daiki #murasakibara atsushi #akashi seijuro #kagami taiga

[generation-of-kuroko-and-kagami]

can you make a post explaining why uncrowned kings can't enter the zone?

Just answered this a few days ago after seeing this ask!

Edit: Oops, no I didn’t! I was thinking of my Midorima post. I was saving this for a small Uncrowned Kings post in the future, so check back in a couple days and I will answer this for you!

#knb asks

[generation-of-kuroko-and-kagami]

If you had a season 4 one day, what would you like to happen?

I feel like the Last Game movie kind of annihilated any possibility of a season 4 because: no Kagami, but if we got a season 4, I think it'd be fun to see how Seirin does against the GoM schools without Kagami. Actually, I'm not really sure when in Kagami's second year he left for America, so maybe we could even see some games with him in them, as long as the season was set before he left. Like maybe the InterHigh or something. But anyway, seeing how Seirin would fare against Touou or Kaijo would be super cool to see. Especially since Akashi is "whole" now, for lack of a better word. Though, that'd probably feel like a repeat of the actual series.

Of course, you could always go to a way different place in their lives and look at them in the NBA, but I feel like writing a story around professional basketball would be tricky. Like, can you mention actual teams and players from the U.S. or not? Probably not, right? So, then that storyline wouldn't be feasible. I think the only way you could do a season 4 is to look at Kuroko's last years in high school. Maybe Kagami comes back and postpones America, maybe Kiyoshi heals faster than expected, maybe brand new players show up that are better than the GoM. I don't think it'd ever be as impactful as the initial story, but it could still be cool.

What do you think? Thanks for the ask!

#kuroko no basket #kuroko's basketball #knb #knb asks

[generation-of-kuroko-and-kagami]

Which Uncrowned King is the strongest?

I thought my KnB blogging days were over, but I have been summoned back by the question, “Which Uncrowned King is the strongest?” 

I’m not gonna lie to you; I don’t think this post will be quite as epic as my post on the GoM members, but I will do my best to explain my opinions on this topic. We’re looking at which Uncrowned King (UK, if you will) is the strongest in a one-on-one competition; however, just like with my GoM post, I’ll be considering who the strongest UK is when a part of a team. I may end up with more than one answer to this question by the end, but team play is just as important to consider as individual ability is. Let’s see what we can find out.

TL;DR in bold

Kiyoshi Teppei

Just so we’re clear on this, we’re looking at the Kiyoshi that we saw in KnB. Not Kiyoshi as he would’ve been if he hadn’t gotten injured, and not Kiyoshi as he is by the end of series when his knee had completely given out. We’re talking about his prime here. Or, at least, the best we ever saw him in KnB. Still injured, but also still badass. 

Oddly enough, Kiyoshi is the only protagonistic Uncrowned King in the series. Of course, plenty of people love the guys from Rakuzan, but there’s no denying they were set up as antagonists to begin with. Anyway, Kiyoshi has been described as a confusing mix between a point guard and a center. He’s got the height and the power to guard under the net, but he’s also got the game sense to make informed passes. That’s why Kiyoshi has his Right of Postponement: so he could pass like a point guard while remaining under the net. The Right of Postponement is a skill where Kiyoshi will use his hand to palm the ball and redirect it into a pass. Vice Claw is a similar skill that uses Kiyoshi’s large hands and allows Kiyoshi to rebound the ball with one hand, potentially dunking it right away. Beyond these skills, Kiyoshi has also been described as the strongest center behind Murasakibara.

Could Kiyoshi be the strongest player out of the Uncrowned Kings? It’s certainly not impossible. Nebuya is a direct comparison you could make to Kiyoshi, as they both fill the same position, but really, since the UK members don’t have as many notable skills as the GoM members, it becomes harder to decide who outranks who in terms of individual skill. If I were to choose a center, it would definitely be Kiyoshi for the benefit of his Right of Postponement, and his versatility would create a balance within any team that isn’t present in most other cases. His physical capabilities were already impressive when he was injured, so as he heals and improves, they’ll only get better. As of now, Kiyoshi’s still in the running.

Makoto Hanamiya

It’s always hard to be unbiased when talking about the strength of an antagonistic character, and especially when that character is as antagonistic as Hanamiya. Unfortunately, if I’m being objective, I wanna put Hanamiya near the top of my list, instinctively. A lot of that has to do with his intelligence, since that’s got a lot of potential behind it, but the skills he was able to develop because of that intelligence are also pretty convincing.

As far as abilities with names attached to them, Hanamiya only has two: the Spider’s Web and the teardrop shot. His teardrop is a sort of jump shot/fadeaway where he’ll flick the ball toward the net with one hand, as opposed to a layup where you’d lift the ball to the net. These shots are super hard to block, which is why such a big deal was made about it when it was revealed. Hanamiya’s Spider Web is a skill that’s always really impressed me-- despite me hating him as a person--because Hanamiya is able to control for nearly every possibility of another team’s passing courses and choices. Of course, Seirin was able to overcome this with Kuroko, but Hanamiya’s observational skills, intelligence, and physical abilities allow him to predict where the ball will be so he can steal it, and without an invisible man, it would be pretty damn difficult to stop. To be completely accurate, he does need the help of Seto, but his accuracy is still insane without him.

Hanamiya is best known for his ability to steal the ball, but impressively, he’s also known as a player that can score whenever he wants to. This accolade has only been granted to one other player in the series: Aomine Daiki. Beyond that, Hanamiya’s general physical abilities are described as elite; everything from his speed to his passing sense to his offensive capabilities are top notch.

Will Hanamiya be a top contender for the strongest UK? Probably, yeah. It’s not just the nature of his abilities, but the range, as well. I’ll talk about the cruel and petty tricks he ordains a bit later, but even without those, Hanamiya has the ability to piss his opponents off. His greatest weapon is his intelligence, but he has a talent for upsetting his opponents’ focus and motivation, as well. The fact that he chose to specialize in steals resulted in him having such an interesting playstyle. And because his playstyle is based on taking opportunities away from his opponents, he can also cause hiccups in their playstyle while showcasing his own. Overall, Hanamiya’s got the potential to be the best. Even if he is an asshole and a half.

Mibuchi Reo

As much as Nebuya annoys me, I think Mibuchi is probably my least favorite Uncrowned King. That’s got to do with his personality, though, not his abilities, because I think his abilities are pretty cool. Honestly, they read as a little bit too similar to Tatsuya’s Mirage Shot to me, but hey, how different can elite shooting guard abilities be?

Essentially, Mibuchi has just got his three shooting forms: Heaven, Earth, and Oblivion/Void (we’ll go with Void). Heaven is a fadeaway that allows Mibuchi to shoot a virtually unblockable shot, and Earth is a shooting form that draws a foul from the opponent by making them jump before Mibuchi has; when Mibuchi does jump, he’ll knock into the defender and draw a foul. Typically, Mibuchi will only use Heaven and Earth during the course of a game, but if he acknowledges his opponent, he’ll use Void. When Void is used, it prevents the opposing player from jumping for the block. This is possible because Mibuchi crouches lower than normal when preparing to jump for the shot, and the opposing player won’t match that depth. Because of that, their legs will straighten out before Mibuchi jumps, and they won’t have the momentum left to jump for the block.

Could Mibuchi be the strongest Uncrowned King? Personally, I don’t think so. While it’s probably safe to assume that his physical abilities are greater than the average player, we really don’t know much about Mibuchi beyond his shooting forms. Compared to players that have either been seen in loads of games, like Kiyoshi, and players that were the stars in the games they were in, like Hanamiya, Mibuchi doesn’t seem as impressive. If you’re going for a good shooting guard, having someone with Mibuchi’s shooting forms may be beneficial, but the rest of his specs don’t quite match up to the other UKs.

Nebuya Eikichi

I know I just got done ragging on Mibuchi, but Mibuchi does have signature skills where Nebuya doesn’t. Nebuya does, more or less, name his skills by adding “muscle” onto the beginning of normal plays, but really, his power is the main weapon in his arsenal.

I’d describe Nebuya as Murasakibara-adjacent. He can almost bring down the backboard like Murasakibara, for instance. Where Murasakibara simply has power behind his frame, though, Nebuya intentionally uses the muscle he has to overpower his opponents. A good example of this would be how he handles himself in the post. Nebuya lowers his hips and engages his arms a lot when defending or blocking out under the net, and this makes him, essentially, immoveable. Because of his strength, his defenders often end up exhausted when playing against him, as well. Any normal player isn’t going to be able to force a basket against him. Hell, even Kiyoshi had problems.

Is Nebuya the strongest Uncrowned King? Physically, I think that’s a resounding “yes.” However, as a general player, I think it depends on who he’s playing. Nebuya isn’t a completely mindless player--I’ve seen him make good choices on the court that have resulted in points for his team--but his main objective is to force his way through to the basket. If he’s playing a regular team, that’s probably going to be enough. If he’s playing another UK, though, the answer isn’t as clear. I think there are avenues Nebuya could take that would make success a bit more assured for him and his team, but I can also easily imagine him getting outplayed. The jury’s out on this one for now.

Hayama Kotarou

We’ve reached our final Uncrowned King: the adorable Hayama Kotarou. The “animal instinct” thing was kind of solidified by having Hayama as a part of the character list. Before, with Kagami and Aomine, it was this abstract concept that basically meant “super beast basketball player,” but Hayama sort of honed its definition. Now, I’d say players with the animal instinct are both intimidating to face and naturally skilled players, especially when considering agility and game sense. Anyway, Hayama doesn’t embody this as well as Kagami, Aomine, and Silver do, but he’s still got a static around him that says, “Beware.”

Hayama only has one signature skill, which is his lightning dribble, but there are various levels to it. Above average players aren’t able to stop Hayama’s three-fingered dribble, and his five-fingered dribble has only been shown to be stopped by Kagami, who is as strong as the GoM (maybe even stronger). On top of his dribbling, Hayama has impressive physical abilities that make him a good all-rounder. His agility, his speed, his defense, and his reflexes are all impressive enough to be acknowledged by, both Kagami, and Alex.

Is all that enough to make Hayama the strongest Uncrowned King? I gotta say, it’s looking pretty convincing. For Hayama to, not only be a specialist player because of his dribbling, but to also be an all-rounder is extremely impressive. I think Hayama has a lot more by way of basic skills than the other Uncrowned Kings do, maybe barring Kiyoshi. Maybe barring Hanamiya, but we’ll talk about that in a little bit. I don’t think I came to this conclusion in my Ultimate Team post, but Hayama may actually be the one to beat when only considering the other UKs.

Weaknesses

I had this section in my GoM post because I thought it was important to juxtapose the GoM members’ weaknesses with their strengths since their all so strong. With the UK members, though, I don’t know that it’s as necessary. If the GoM members are the model for perfection then, obviously, anything less than will come with weaknesses attached. I don’t know that every UK member has a significant weakness, but I’ll try to base this off of what I remember of KnB. As an umbrella weakness, I’ll say that none of the UK members, now or ever, can enter the Zone, unless they get to GoM level. Also, when it comes to the GoM members, they have a natural physical weakness because their bodies can’t sustain the talent they have, so they’re prone to injury. I don’t know if this is true for the Uncrowned Kings, but as they possess more talent than above average players, I would say it’s a definite possibility.

If I wanted to be absolutely honest, I would call Kiyoshi’s knee a weakness, because it was for the entirety of Kuroko. However, I’m not rude, so if I’m looking for something else, it might be that Kiyoshi gets discouraged fairly easily when it comes to his own failures. As the series went one, this got mitigated, but Kiyoshi is definitely better at remaining calm and optimistic when its his teammates that need the pick-me-ups. When its himself, he isn’t the best at doing it.

Hanamiya…I mean, would you call his bad attitude a weakness? I would say it is in the sense that his attitude can sometimes set him up for failure. If he has a plan that doesn’t work, he can try to go in again and rework it, but if he feels like he’s been insulted in any way, his playstyle will suffer. I guess his personality would be the weakness, more than his attitude, but you get what I’m saying. It’s when Hanamiya makes himself synonymous with his abilities that he gets in trouble. It happened at the end of the Seirin game where his Spider’s Web being shattered ended up impacting how well he played as an individual. Basically, what I’m trying to say is: don’t take it so personal, Hanamiya.

Mibuchi’s weaknesses are pretty straightforward, as they are with the remaining two Uncrowned Kings: his temper. It almost felt like Mibuchi got hysterical when he was being bested in Rakuzan’s game with Seirin. He really couldn’t fathom the idea of losing so much that he lost all of his edge. That’s a common trait he has with Nebuya and Hayama, as well.

I don’t actually remember much about what Nebuya was like when he was upset they were losing, but I feel like he was angry? Like, really angry. Sort of how Murasakibara got when he began losing. Playstyle like that leaves you open to attacks and mistakes, and if I remember correctly, that’s exactly what happened with Nebuya.

As far as Hayama’s temper goes, Hayama gets careless. In the Seirin game, he tried to do too much and ended up being fooled into losing the ball during a drive and having his weapon broken. He got remorseful because of that, and Akashi got pissed. With Hayama, as with all of Rakuzan’s UKs (and Hanamiya, too, I guess), he underestimates his opponents too much and takes the brunt of it when he’s wrong.

Team Play

Team play is essential to how proficient these guys are at basketball. In a one-on-one fight, they may be unstoppable, but if their abilities aren’t transferable to a team--any team--then they’re useless if they want to play professionally.

I think it’s pretty obvious that Kiyoshi has the best sense of team play in the Uncrowned Kings. Unlike with the GoM members, though, it isn’t as though the UKs have any members that are terrible at team play. However, where Kiyoshi wins out against them is where he takes care of his team. It’s not just that Kiyoshi plays nice with them and participates in plays--he goes out of his way to care for everyone on the court to make sure they’re all performing at their best. Even the point guard in this group doesn’t do that.

Hanamiya, as the aforementioned point guard, has “team play” built into his role. Unlike Haizaki, Hanamiya is actually a pretty decent team player. As far as I can remember, he isn’t cruel to his teammates, and he’s good at leading them. Granted, he leads them into underhanded plays that harm the people they’re playing against, but his twisted team is actually very functional. He doesn’t go out of his way for his teammates like Kiyoshi does, but I’d make the argument that Hanamiya is the second best member of the Uncrowned Kings when it comes to team play.

Mibuchi, Nebuya, and Hayama can probably all be talked about under one umbrella since they were always sort of glommed together when they were brought up in KnB. The themes they had were all pretty similar. They’re extremely accustomed to team play because of Akashi. Clearly, otherwise they wouldn’t have been so shocked when Akashi dropped them to win on his own. These three do argue sometimes, but they don’t usually have any conflict on the court. I’m inclined to say that Nebuya has the worst team play and Hayama has the best, but that may just be me assuming that based on their personalities. So, I’d say the Rakuzan UKs have basic team play standards.

Conclusion

So, at the end of this post, who is the strongest Uncrowned King? Let’s break it down into three possibilities, just like I did in my GoM post.

Based on potential: Hanamiya

With Hanamiya’s intelligence, I really do think that he has incredible potential to use the abilities he already has in new ways and develop new ones with even more capabilities. If he’s already able to read passing patterns, he could train himself to recognize the micromovements people make when they’re getting ready to drive or shoot or jump; he could anticipate entire plays to be made by the opposing team; he could think up plays for his own team that step outside the traditional patterns. Imagine what a non-sadistic Hanamiya could do after a few years of practice.

Individually: Hayama

It’s really just Hayama’s specs that do it for me. He’s just an incredibly capable basketball player. If he’s already got the physicality to do well, on top of his Uncrowned King talent and ability, he’s probably gonna outplay most other non-GoM players. Genuinely, in terms of “he’s extremely difficult to beat,” Hayama reminds me Aomine. No, he doesn’t quite have the same offensive power, but he does have the animal instinct, and I think it makes a lot of difference in an individual match-up.

As part of a team: Kiyoshi

This was, more than likely, obvious to you. I hate to put down Kiyoshi’s abilities and game sense, but Kiyoshi shines best when he’s part of a team. I know he can throw down in a one-on-one game, but I don’t think Kiyoshi’s talent really lends itself to that sort of thing. He’s a great support, and that’s what he’s always going to be best at.

As with this post’s sister post, let’s talk about why Nebuya and Mibuchi aren’t in this line-up.

Why not Mibuchi?

I kind of explained it above, but Mibuchi just doesn’t have the same all-round talent that the other UKs do. Like I said, it’s a given that he’s more physically capable than your average player, but without anything to back that up, Mibuchi just looks like a dude that can shoot in different forms. That’s useful, mind you, but it can’t beat the three guys I mentioned above.

Why not Nebuya?

Nebuya isn’t a contender for the same reasons Mibuchi isn’t. He does have more all-round capability, but it isn’t exceptional capability. Most of his notable moments are because of his strength, not because of his talent for the game. At the end of the day, barreling your way through a game isn’t refined enough to be called the best of the UKs.

So, who wins? In my GoM post, I valued potential over anything else, but that had a lot to do with the abilities that came with the potential. In this case, I think my winner for the strongest Uncrowned King is: Hayama Kotarou.

How can this guy, who didn’t even win a small forward battle against Haizaki in my Ultimate Team post, end up as the winner? How did he beat out Hanamiya and Kiyoshi? If I’m being honest, Hayama partially beat Hanamiya because Hanamiya is a sadist. Like, I can’t call you the best of the best if you like breaking kneecaps. But, beyond that, Hayama’s physicality just beats of Hanamiya’s, for me. Yes, Hanamiya has incredible offensive power if he wants to, but Hayama’s instincts outweigh that just a touch. It’s sort of like how Aomine could beat Kise’s ass in a one-on-one, but Kise’s got better abilities. It’s just, Hayama’s slick, you know? Anyway, onto Kiyoshi. I mean, Hayama beat Kiyoshi because Hayama is the better all-rounder. “But how can you say that when Kiyoshi is a center and a point guard?” Well, because game sense doesn’t outweigh physicality as an individual player. I guess the bottom line is: Hayama is better than Hanamiya in terms of conduct and instinct-to-action capabilities, and he’s better than Kiyoshi as an individual player. At least, to me.

If you want to my ranking from strongest to weakest, they are:

Hayama

Hanamiya

Kiyoshi

Nebuya

Mibuchi

Now based on team play:

Kiyoshi

Hanamiya

Hayama

Mibuchi

Nebuya

Finally, based on passion for the game, which I don’t think is accurate, but the only one we can really be sure of is Kiyoshi:

Kiyoshi

Hanamiya

Hayama

Mibuchi

Nebuya

Okay, well, I’ve finally made this post, so hopefully you guys enjoyed reading it. I feel like a lot of you will think picking Hayama was kind of dumb because I made it sound like Hanamiya was cooler or because Kiyoshi is the best character out of all of them or something. But that’s the beauty of discussion. Let me know who you think is the strongest and if any of my assessments could be supplemented by something I forgot about from KnB. Because I probably forgot a lot. I’ll be making another mini Uncrowned Kings post soon to answer some more asks in my inbox, so keep an eye out. Thanks for reading!

#kuroko no basket #Kuroko's Basketball #KNB #Uncrowned Kings #Kiyoshi Teppei #makoto hanamiya #Reo Mibuchi #Nebuya Eikichi #hayama kotarou #seirin high school #rakuzan high school #kirasaki daichi high #Murasakibara Atsushi #Aomine Daiki #tatsuya himuro #kagami taiga #alexandra garcia #haizaki shougo

[generation-of-kuroko-and-kagami]

Can you make a post explaining your theory about why midorima cannot activate the zone? And also say what it would be like if he could

Just posted about this after seeing your ask. Hope you like it!

[generation-of-kuroko-and-kagami]

Midorima Shintarō: How Strong Is He?

So, I’m making this post in response to a couple asks I got (one by @taigaakagami and another anonymous one) asking some questions about Midorima:

Do I think Midorima is underrated in the GoM? This question includes Midorima being unable to go into the Zone/analysis on if he even needs the Zone.

What would it would be like if Midorima did enter the Zone? I’ll also talk about why Midorima hasn’t entered the Zone/if he even can enter the Zone.

Do I think Midorima is the best shooting guard in the series, despite the fact that characters like Hyuuga, Tatsuya, and Mibuchi are also strong shooting guards?

I don’t know that this post will be super long, but I’m going to try and answer these questions thoroughly. I’ll say upfront that I do think Midorima is the weakest of all the GoM members, excluding Kuroko. I’ve said this before in my posts, and the reasoning goes beyond the fact that Midorima is the only member of the GoM starters that hasn’t gone into the Zone. Let’s break down Midorima’s skills first, and then we can get into the comparisons.

TL;DR in bold

P.S. For the sake of argument, just know that when I say “GoM members” in this specific post, I never mean to include Kuroko. No offense to Kuroko, but on his own, he isn’t in the same league as the GoM starters.

Midorima’s Abilities & Weaknesses

Midorima’s basic abilities include his shooting accuracy, his defense, his intelligence, and his physical strength. He also improved his endurance over the course of the series to enhance his ability to shoot physically draining shots for longer periods of time. Of course, Kuroko no Basket is famous for naming every advanced ability a player has, so Midorima also has a few of those. His Super Three Point Shot allows him to shoot accurate three-pointers from the half-court and full-court lines, and the Sky-Direct Three Point Shot is a combination shot with Takao where Takao will pass the ball to Midorima’s hands--as he’s already in a shooting form--and Midorima makes the shot. This prevents any opponents from blocking the shot as Midorima can throw it off before the opposing team realizes what’s happened. Unless it’s Akashi, but we don’t need to get into that.

Though Midorima’s endurance isn’t a weakness for him anymore, like it was at the beginning of the series, he is still weak when it comes to the physicality of his GoM skills. Yes, he can make incredible shots that no one else can make, but it will definitely tear up his body in the process. If he’s able to make it to adulthood without seriously injuring his joints and muscles, he’ll be unstoppable, but until then, Midorima has to put limiters on his ability to remain healthy. Additionally, he can’t enter the Zone. Whether he needs to enter it or not is something we’re about to get into, but for now, it’s considered a weakness.

Is Midorima Underrated?

Asking if Midorima is underrated is kind of a subjective question, so really, this answer is up to whoever is reading this, but if I’m trying to be as objective as possible, I’m going to look at the comparisons between him and the other GoM members. How do fans of KnB react to Midorima in comparison to the other members? Do they generally think his abilities are weaker? Are his abilities weaker?

Here’s the thing: from what I know of the fandom surrounding KnB, it seems that people simply find Midorima’s abilities boring. Yes, everyone loves the Sky-Direct Three, but that’s because it’s a Midorima/Takao thing. It’s an awesome skill because it needs both of them. I think the mystique that comes with Akashi, the overwhelming awe that comes with Murasakibara, the amazement that comes with Aomine, and the surprises that come with Kise are too difficult to compete with. Midorima doesn’t have the same wow factor that they do. So, to that end, I don’t think Midorima is underrated because he is what he is. Some people really love him as a character and a player, and some people probably dislike him. But I don’t think people are underestimating his abilities. I think it’s perfectly clear to most people that his abilities are the most vanilla, if you will, despite potentially being the most useful. Plus, there’s the fact that he can’t enter the Zone. So, you’d be forgiven if you thought Midorima was the weakest based on that since the other members have all gone into the Zone.

Does Midorima Need the Zone?

Is Midorima underrated on the grounds that people think he’s weak for not being able to go into the Zone, despite him not even needing the Zone to being with? That is a possibility, yeah. I’ll talk about what a Midorima-in-the-Zone playstyle would look like in a minute, but I’ll agree with the notion that Midorima probably doesn’t need the Zone at all.

When players enter the Zone, you’re basically looking at the enhancement of all basic abilities. You’re faster, your more accurate, you’ve got more power. The downside to the Zone is that it drains the stamina of the player significantly. The requirements for entering are vast amounts of talent and passion for basketball.

The way I see it is that Midorima may actually be hindered by going into the Zone. The endurance training he completed to be able to use his abilities for an entire game would be wasted by draining his stamina in the Zone. Also, Midorima isn’t a very mobile player. He can be swift, and he does use power on defense, but his position as a shooting guard means constant movement isn’t necessary. Aomine, for example, needs to be able to drive and jump and dodge and pivot, so an increase in his physical abilities would only make those things more precise. Akashi needs to outmaneuver his opponents at the top of the key and make the correct passes to get the ball through, so being more agile benefits him. For Midorima, though, those improvements would go to waste.

What if Midorima did enter the Zone?

What would it look like for Midorima to be in the Zone? Why can’t he enter it already? Let’s answer that second question first. If Midorima meets both of the requirements for being in the Zone, why hasn’t he entered the Zone? Is it because he doesn’t have the talent? Well, no, because he’s a GoM member. And we know he loves basketball. So, what is it that keeps him away? I don’t think there’s a clear answer to this, but if I had to reach for one, it would be that Midorima doesn’t go one-on-one with people enough for him to focus in the way you need to if you’re gonna get into the Zone. I know that Midorima did go one-on-one with Kagami, but that showdown never had the same high-energy, high-movement feel that the Kagami/Aomine showdown did, or the Kagami/Kise one did.

As a shooting guard, Midorima is basically getting the ball to throw it off right away. He’s not in a position that favors one-on-one moments. I mean, of course, there’s always going to be some moments like that because shooting guards still have defenders, but it’s nothing like a power forward trying to make it past a center or a point guard trying to shake his defender so he can drive. It’s mostly just a.) the shooting guard gets the ball and b.) the defender tries to block it or knock it out of their opponent’s hands. Without the sense of rivalry being enhanced with one-on-one play, Midorima never really focuses hard enough to enter the Zone.

There is also the possibility that he can’t enter the Zone because he relies on his team more than the other GoM members. Which would also explain why Kuroko can’t go into the Zone. All of the GoM members rely on their teammates--well, Aomine is a work in progress, but he’s open to it, so we’ll leave that there--but Midorima is dependent on his team to perform at his best. Before meeting Takao, this wasn’t the case, but his skills elevated with the Sky-Direct Three, so his best now includes that. Meaning, he needs someone else to achieve it. Maybe that’s a stretch, but nonetheless. Look at it this way: Midorima is the only GoM member that hasn’t done the whole, “No offense to my team, but this moment is just about me” thing. Like, even Kise, who is super pro-teamwork, expressed his immaturity during his match with Seirin because he wanted to carry the burden of winning on his own. Midorima doesn’t do that, though, so maybe his lack of selfishness is why he can’t enter the Zone.

But what if he did?

I honestly don’t know that I can imagine a Midorima-in-the-Zone playstyle. It’s not like his accuracy can increase in the Zone if his accuracy is always 100%, right? I really think the only thing that would be different about Midorima in the Zone would be his speed. Which would, essentially, equate to him being able to throw shots off faster. I guess, potentially, he may step out of his traditional role as a shooting guard if he were in the Zone. Like, maybe he’d steal the ball back after a turnover or something. Takao definitely wouldn’t be able to keep up with him in the Zone, though, so I’m sure a game with Midorima in the Zone would end up like any other GoM-in-the-Zone game: Midorima running the whole thing by himself. I really don’t think it would look much different than the games we’ve already seen with Midorima, though. He’d just be sharper. I guess that’s why he was never written to go into the Zone because his abilities don’t really lend themselves to superhuman improvement. Probably because they’re already pretty superhuman.

Is Midorima the Best Shooting Guard in KnB?

Can I answer this with a short answer? Yes, he is. I’m not gonna front and say that the other incredible shooting guards in the series wouldn’t give Midorima a good fight. Tatsuya and Mibuchi, especially, but Hyuuga has also proven that he’s a worthy opponent for him. But it really comes down to accuracy. Midorima could be tricked by Tatsuya shots or foul off of Mibuchi’s, but they can miss. Midorima can’t. Actually, if it came down to a battle of accuracy, Hyuuga is probably the one I’d pick to go up against Midorima. And we’re talking individual abilities here, okay, not a team verses Midorima. One-on-one, Midorima’s basic abilities as a shooting guard outweigh anything else. That’s what they were designed to do when Midorima was written as a character, so I think it’s accurate to say that Midorima would win against any other shooting guard in the series 9 times out of 10. Now, that tenth time may be an interesting discussion to have, but that’s another post for another time.

Well, sorry this took so long to post. I meant to post it about a month ago, but hectic lives don’t leave room for KnB blogs. Anyway, please let me know your thoughts on this topic as I’m sure there are some of you reading that think Midorima is the strongest GoM player or that he’s so weak, any other shooting guard could beat him. I will try to make time for the pile of asks in my inbox in the future, so please bear with me and keep an eye out for what’s to come!

#kuroko no basket #Kuroko's Basketball #knb #Midorima Shintarou #Generation of Miracles #Hyuuga Junpei #tatsuya himuro #Reo Mibuchi #Kuroko Tetsuya #Kise Ryouta #Aomine Daiki #akashi seijuro #Murasakibara Atsushi

[generation-of-kuroko-and-kagami]

BLOG UPDATE: Asks and Answers

So, I’ve gotten quite a few asks that will take a few long posts to answer, and I haven’t gotten around to writing them yet. However, I wanted to make this post to let you guys know that I will be writing these posts on Sunday (Aug. 1) and queuing them to come out over the next week.

The posts are gonna be:

One about Midorima as I’ve gotten two questions about him, so I’ll streamline it by answering both questions together as they’re kind of related.

One about the Uncrowned Kings--specifically, which one is the strongest (I’ve also had two questions about this one).

One about a Touou vs. Rakuzan game (this one will probably be shorter as I already went into it a bit in my Games I Wanted to See post).

One about who I think the strongest team in KnB is.

I want to thank the people that gave me these ideas because I’ve needed things to talk about within this series for a long time. I’m gonna reignite my interest in this show and hopefully makes some really good posts for my followers. Please look forward to it!

#kuroko no basket #Kuroko's Basketball #Midorima Shintarou #Uncrowned Kings #blog update #ask me anything

[generation-of-kuroko-and-kagami]

I found the post you made very interesting about which member of gom is the strongest. could you make a post, about which uncrowned king is the strongest? even though the anime doesn't really focus on them, I think they're really interesting and cool. I just love your long posts lol <3

I've actually had another request to do this post that I haven't gotten around to yet, but I'm going to sit down an make this post in a couple of days so it isn't too thrown together and bad to read. Keep an eye on the blog over the next week, and I'll answer this question then! Thanks for the interest!

[generation-of-kuroko-and-kagami]

for you which is the strongest team in the entire anime? I would love to see your review and your opinion! I know this question is difficult since you practically have to analyze all the teams in the anime, but I would love to see a post from you talking about

This is an interesting question! I talked about individual members in my Ultimate Team post, but it'll be fun to talk about each team as they are, especially considering the GoM teams. I'll probably release the post within the next week, so keep an eye out!

[generation-of-kuroko-and-kagami]

Who do you think would win if Touou played against Rakuzan? In other words: Aomine x Akashi. Without a doubt, it's a confrontation that everyone wanted to see. I would love you to blog about it!

I'll put it on the to-do list! I did discuss it a little bit in my Games I Wanted to See post, but I can try to go into it in a bit more detail soon. Keep an eye on my blog because I'll probably be coming out with several posts over the next week or so.

[generation-of-kuroko-and-kagami]

do you really think midorima is the best anime pitcher? we have great pitchers too, like sakurai, reo mibuchi and hyuga (if i forgot anyone else, sorry) i would like you to blog about it <3

The short answer is: yes. However, I will add it to my list of things to post about so I can talk about it in detail. I haven't had the time to sit down and write out long posts lately, but with all the asks I've had lately, I'll definitely be making time to post some stuff to answer questions. Thanks for the post idea!