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It's Better if I Can't Win (勝てねェぐらいがちょうどいい, Kate ne e guraigachōdoī) is the third episode of the Kuroko no Basuke anime. It adapts Chapters 4, 5, and 6 of the manga, He Might Not Be Normal, It's Not Just for Show, and Unbeatable is Just Right.

Synopsis[]

Seirin High vs Kaijo High anime

Seirin High vs Kaijō High

The Seirin High basketball team has a practice game against Kaijō High, a school nationally recognized for its strength and star newcomer, Ryōta Kise. Even if he can't secure a win, Taiga Kagami is so excited to play against a strong opponent that he stays up all night thinking about it. The game seems to be going in Kaijō's favor, but Kagami stays confident that the game isn't over until it's over and boldly declares that he's figured out the prodigy's weakness: Misdirection.

Plot Summary[]

Introduction[]

Kise with Kuroko and Kagami anime

Talking to Seirin

Ryōta Kise meets up with the Seirin High basketball team on their way to a practice match with Kaijō High, wanting to help guide them to the gym. He ignores both Riko Aida and Taiga Kagami's attempts at greeting him in favor of speaking directly with Tetsuya Kuroko and expressing disappointment at his rejection of Kise's offer. The model only turns his attention to Kagami after being told to stop being sarcastic, curious about the person leading Kuroko to say those kinds of things. He says that while he doesn't particularly care about the Generation of Miracles label, he can't ignore such an obvious challenge and intends to crush Kagami with everything he has.

Seirin High vs Kaijō High[]

Genta stops Kise anime

Stopping Kise

Seirin is brought to the gym only to find that it has been split in half, with only a half-court being reserved for their practice game while the other side is used for Kaijō's regular practice. The team's coach, Genta Takeuchi, explains that only simple arrangements have been made since the players sitting out wouldn't have enough to learn from watching, but that they will still be playing against the team's regulars. Kise attempts to join them and is told to sit out by the coach, who says that it won't even be a match with him playing. He then turns to Seirin, telling them that if they give the other team a beating, the coach will be forced to put him in. He warns Kagami that he shouldn't go around claiming to beat the Generation of Miracles if he can't even do that much.

Kaijo High anime

The Kaijō High basketball team

The two teams line up and the referee asks for Seirin to have all five players, not noticing Kuroko's presence. Both Kaijō's regulars and the players practicing on the other side of the gym are surprised by his introduction and the coach calls it ridiculous, saying that he expected the team to have decent players after all their boasting. Kise agrees and corrects the statement's meaning by saying that Seirin isn't "just" decent. When the game starts, Riko is able to observe Kaijō's players from through their clothes and finds that all of their numbers are way higher than average. She thinks to herself that their players' numbers are far behind and wonders how far Kagami and Kuroko's abilities will be able to carry the team.

Misdirection steal anime

Stealing the ball

The game starts with Kaijō getting the tip off. Yukio Kasamatsu tries to organize the team's offense, but Kuroko steals the ball and goes on a fast break before they can do anything. Kasamatsu is easily able to catch up to Kuroko's slow speed, but he quickly passes the ball to Kagami who dunks the ball so hard that he breaks the hoop. He tears it off of the wooden backboard due in part to a rusted bolt and brings the game to a halt. Much to Takeuchi's annoyance, the match is forced to continue on the gym's full court.

Kasamatsu scoldes Kise anime

Disciplinary action

Kise is finally put on the court, much to the delight of the fangirls watching the match, and stops to wave to them before being kicked and scolded by Kasamatsu. He asks Kise who Seirin's number 10 is and is simply told his name, Kagami, before Kise excitedly talks about Kuroko's talents instead. Kasamatsu hits him again for being too happy and says that it would be rude not to "return the favor". Kise follows and dunks the ball with substantially more force than Kagami, though fails to break the hoop and is subsequently kicked another time.

Kise dunks vs Seirin anime

Returning the favor

The game continues with Kuroko successfully passing and stealing the ball, leading Kasamatsu to wonder just who he is. Kagami attempts a fadeaway shot and is blocked by Kise, who immediately turns around to successfully score with the very same move. Shinji Koganei, along with the other players on the bench, is confused as to why the game is already so high paced after only three minutes of play. Kuroko tells Junpei Hyūga on the court that the pace is taking a toll on his body and requests a time out both so he can rest and Kagami can calm down. Riko Aida has already seen the same things and calls a timeout on her own. The score is currently 22-25 in Kaijō's favor.

Kise explains Misdirection

Explaining Misdirection

Takeuchi harshly scolds Kaijō for letting Seirin score so many points and Kasamatsu takes the opportunity to ask about Kuroko. Kise assures him that he won't be a problem for much longer and, at the same time as Kuroko, says that the other team has a weakness. Before explaining this, Kuroko admits that the unexpectedly high toll of the match has quickly lessened his effectiveness. Kise is already aware and explains to his team that Kuroko's lack of presence has to do with him directing peoples' lines of sight via Misdirection, and that it's easier to get used to the more he uses it. Riko hits Kuroko for not telling them his weakness sooner.

Moriyama ep3

Intercepting Kuroko

The game resumes with Seirin changing from a man-to-man defense to a box-and-one zone defense to focus on stopping Kise. A three-pointer from Kasamatsu widens the score gap to 22-28. Kagami attempts to pass to Kuroko, but the ball is intercepted by Yoshitaka Moriyama as Kaijō gets more used to his presence. The gap continues to widen until the score is 25-33. During an out of bounds call, Kise admits that Kagami has potential, but he doesn't stand a chance against the Generation of Miracles and the gap in strength between their teams is simply too great to win. Kise reminds him that he can copy and improve on anything they use against him, to which Kagami only laughs and enjoys the challenge. He says the match is too early to be called now and that Kuroko is Kise's weakness since he can't copy what he can't see.

Characters in order of appearance[]

Characters in italic are only seen briefly and have yet to make a proper appearance.

Manga and Anime Differences[]

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