Shūzō Nijimura

Shūzō Nijimura
Name	Shūzō Nijimura
Kanji	虹村 修造
Vital Statistics
Gender	Male
Age	17
Height	179 cm (5' 10½")
Weight	67 kg (148 lbs)
Birthday	July 10th, Cancer
Blood type	A
Professional Statistics
Team	Teikō (former)
Position	Small Forward / Power Forward
Job	Captain (former)
Talent	Drive
First Appearance
Manga	Chapter 205
Anime	Episode 63
Seiyū
Anime	Ryōtarō Okiayu
Image Gallery

Shūzō Nijimura (虹村 修造 Nijimura Shūzō) was the captain of Teikō Junior High, leading the Generation of Miracles when they were in their first year.

Appearance

Nijimura has short black hair with his bangs combed to the left side. He is of average height and wears a black armband on his left forearm. Being the captain, he played with the jersey number 4, but after he recommended Akashi as captain, he played with the jersey number 9.

Personality

Nijimura beats up Haizaki

Nijimura is a calm and collected individual, but a severe upperclassman who is not afraid to speak his mind. He didn't hesitate to beat up Haizaki when he suspected the latter to skip matches. He also possesses a sharp mind: he could tell the changing atmosphere due to the arrival of Kuroko or that one day, Nijimura himself will be surpassed by the Generation of Miracles. Being the former captain of the Teikō first string, Nijimura is a leader and is easily listened too.

However, he criticized himself about his hotheadedness that can impinge with his judgement as a captain. Nijimura has also a caring side, as he claimed that he would stop playing basketball right away to visit his hospitalized father if something happened to him.

History

Nijimura and Sanada witnessed Kuroko's misdirection for the first time

Nijimura attended Teikō Junior High and as a talented basketball player, became part of the first string and was even appointed captain sometime in his first two years on the team. During his second year of junior high, Nijimura led the first string containing the Generation of Miracles-to-be (except Kise who hadn't joined then). When Kuroko found the answer to his playing style, Akashi requested a match between the second and third strings in order to show Kuroko's strength to the coach and to Nijimura. The club set it up and Nijimura was surprised and amazed at Kuroko's Misdirection style and invisible passes.

Nijimura made his entrance

Before Kuroko's first debut match was about to commence, Akashi received a call from Haizaki claiming he had a cold and cannot make it. Nijimura took the phone from him and scolded Haizaki. Once the match begins, Kuroko was substituted immediately after the start of the match. Nijimura enters the match and Teikō won against Nambara Junior High. During the time they had before their second match of the day began, Nijimura met with Sanada outside of the stadium to discuss Kuroko's usefulness to the team. They concluded that Kuroko was a player of no value and decided to demote him from the team. However, Aomine heard their conversation and interrupted stating that he will quit the club as well if they demoted Kuroko. Sanada and Nijimura decided to give Kuroko a second chance during their match against Haranishi Junior High, in which Kuroko finally succeeded at his passes, leading Teikō to victory.

Nijimura gave the captain position to Akashi

After observing the changes in the team after Kuroko had joined the first string, Nijimura thought that the atmosphere had changed drastically and that because of Kuroko, the team fights most of the time, but this means they talked to each other more. Realising the current status of the team, he felt that Akashi is more deserving to be the team captain and eventually recommended him for the position to Sanada. One of Nijimura's reasons for giving up his position was due to his ill-father but he also felt that Akashi would be a much better choice then himself. Sanada agreed with his recommendation and appointed Akashi as the new captain of the team.

At the the time of his departure, nothing seems to be wrong with the team after they became champions once again.

Skill

Physical Ability		8/10
Technique		8/10
Stamina		10/10
Mental Strength		9/10
Special Ability		5/10

Nijimura drives inside

Back in junior high school, Nijimura had the reputation of the strongest power forward in the league. Being the captain of Teikō Junior High, he had certainly proven himself to be an excellent player all-round. As the power forward, Nijimura has a very fast and strong drive. Reaching all the way inside to the basket, he is also seen switching to a pass lightning fast and swinging it to the free man. However, his skills are eventually overshadowed by the Generation of Miracles' dominance.

Quotes

• "I'll lecture you guys afterwards. First, let's win."

• "Kuroko Tetsuya, huh... Akashi seriously managed to find a strange one. Before, I couldn't have imagined the first string having such an outstanding guy. But when he's in a match, he changes drastically and makes plays that manage to surprise all of us. The atmosphere during practice has also changed a bit. The members fight because of Kuroko... But on the flip side, that also means they talk to each other more. I'm not gonna say it's thanks to him, but... it seems like this'll become an interesting team."

• "I gave it a lot of thought, but in the end, I think this is the best way to do things. For both the club, and for me. Please make Akashi Seijūrō the captain." (to Sanada)

• "I'm counting on you, captain Akashi." (to Seijūrō Akashi)

• "Man, how long are you gonna be soft-hearted? We're not a buddy-buddy kinda club. We're teammates, but at the same time, we're rivals. Even you joined the bench by shoving someone else aside. If you look at it another way, it also means that if your level of play isn't up to scratch, someone else will take your place." (to Tetsuya Kuroko)

Trivia

• The kanji 虹 (Niji) in his name means rainbow, further following the color theme of the Generation of Miracles and Teikō Junior High.
• Nijimura has a father that was ill during his second year at Teikō. It is unknown if he is still alive. In Replace V, his father is revealed to be treated in America. It is also known that Nijimura has a younger sister and brother who moved to America to visit their father.
• According to the CHARACTERS BIBLE PLUS:
  • His favourite food is Fried rice.
  • His hobby is Table tennis.
  • His specialty is Karate.
  • His motto is: "Don’t forget your first resolution."
• According to KUROFES:
  • His best subject is math.
  • He is a member of the physical education committee.
  • He he has a father, a mother, a younger brother and a younger sister.
  • He dislikes holding back (as in going easy on anything).
  • His best basketball skill is Drive -> Pass.
  • The type of girl he likes is someone good at cooking.
  • He spends his free days by visiting his father in hospital.
  • He started playing basketball because Shirogane invited him.
  • The player he has his eyes on is Akashi.
• Fujimaki's commented that Nijimura went through a rough, hot-blooded phase, which would be why he’s so strong at fighting.
• Fujimaki has changed Nijimura’s birthday since the Jump Festa, where his birthday was stated to be in June 12th (Gemini).
• During his time as the Teikō captain, Nijimura's position was PF, but when Akashi took over as captain, his position changed to SF.

Navigation

v - e - t	Teikō Junior High
Generation of Miracles	Ryōta Kise • Shintarō Midorima • Daiki Aomine • Atsushi Murasakibara • Seijūrō Akashi
Other players	Tetsuya Kuroko • Shōgo Haizaki • Shūzō Nijimura • Masaya Kubota • Tōru Sekiguchi
Staff	Naoto Sanada (head coach) • Kōzō Shirogane (former head coach) • Daigo Matsuoka (3rd string coach) • Satsuki Momoi (manager)