Shohoku High School has for two years running been considered of no consequence at the prefecutural level and largely a one-man team because of the presence of team captain Takenori Akagi. It is not until Akagi's third year that things begin to turn around for Shohoku and they start to become a team to be reckoned with. They are the only non-seeded team to make it to the final four of the Kanagawa Interhigh Tournament, their sole loss being against eventual champion Kainan. Despite being the runner-up representative for Kanagawa, they are ranked as a C class team and placed into a tough tournament bracket during the National Championship, facing Toyotama and the reigning champion Sannoh. Shohoku favors a run and gun style of play and have a wide breadth of offensive capabilities. However, their major weakness is their weak bench and as a result must rely completely on their starting lineup.