He Is The Best Player (最高の選手です, Saikō no senshu desu) is the sixty-second episode and the twelfth episode of the 3rd season of the Kuroko no Basuke anime.
Synopsis[]
Kaijo is leading by a point. Seirin begins the counterattack in run-and-gun method, surprising Kaijo and the audience. During the counterattack, Izuki passes the ball to Kiyoshi, who uses the Right of Postponement to pass the ball to Hyuga. When Hyuga fakes a three pointer and dribbles through, Kise copies Aomine and tries to steal the ball. Before he can however, 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 a win. Kuroko tries to steal the ball from Kise, who copies Aomine to evade and subsequently runs into Kagami. Kagami is evaded by two cutbacks using Akashi's Emperor Eye.
Kise is cornered
Now under the hoop, Kise tries to score using Murasakibara's Thor's 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 his team, that he 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 the same copies consecutively. Kise refusing to give up passes the ball to his 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 counterattacks using Kagami.
Kaijō loses
Akashi explains to Rakuzan teammates that Kuroko induced this play beginning from Seirin's run-and-gun counterattack to Kise being drawn in, to provide Kagami head start to counterattack in the remaining 4 seconds. Kise miraculously runs up fast enough to stop Kagami, who tries to score by using Meteor Jam. Realizing that he is unable to score, Kagami passes the ball to onrushing Kuroko via backboard, who scores a buzzer beater. Kise congratulates Kuroko and Kagami for reaching finals, with Kuroko acknowledging with Kagami that Kise is the best player.
Kuroko remembers his childhood
While leaving from locker room, Kuroko expresses his happiness at scoring his first buzzer beater. Kagami then realizes he lost his ring and goes back to check in the basketball court, with Kuroko following him. Midorima gives him the ring and two talk about the results of their games. Midorima warns Kagami that there are actually two Akashi's and asks him to give his best, at least to make it count against Akashi, before leaving with Takao. When Kagami asks Kuroko about what Midorima meant, Kuroko replies that he wants to relay the story to the 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 a boy, who taught him how to play. When they reached sixth grade, they went to different middle schools, and promised that they would play against each other. Kuroko then reveals that the boy later quit the game because of him.
Characters in order of appearance[]
Manga and Anime Differences[]
- Kuroko watching the television about basketball is from another angle.
- A part of the cooking scene in the manga is omitted in the anime.