The first-year recruits soon fully assembled.
Coach Shirogane Kozo solemnly explained Teiko's basketball philosophy:
"Win Every Game!"
Bullet comments immediately flowed across the screen:
『Looks super intense!』
『Wow, such a huge club—there must be dozens of players, right?』
『This isn't the typical underdog story at all; they're an elite club from the start.』
『Poor Gori—he'd cry seeing such wealth.』
FanGeGe, noticing the comments, chimed in:
"Indeed, this differs significantly from the classic underdog stories we've seen. Take Slam Dunk—Shohoku High, Sakuragi's team, started as perpetual underdogs."
"This kind of narrative, rising from zero to hero, is mainstream. Starting from nothing and climbing upwards tends to resonate strongly with audiences."
Why resonate?
Because, in reality, only a small minority actually succeeds.
Many anime, especially sports series, intentionally depict the protagonist's team as weak at first. Through sheer effort and determination, they eventually achieve greatness.
This approach inspires viewers by amplifying relatability.
Ironically, such portrayals are somewhat self-deceptive. In reality, even Shohoku's core lineup in Slam Dunk was stacked—Akagi, Kanagawa's top center; Rukawa, a star rookie; and Mitsui, an MVP-level guard. The same was true for Seigaku in Prince of Tennis, filled with prodigies.
In that sense, this anime seemed quite unorthodox—at least it openly told viewers from the start: "We're strong."
But what's the selling point, then?
Pondering this, FanGeGe continued watching.
The plot first displayed the immense strength of Teiko's second-string squad.
Most freshmen teams were brutally demolished by their senior opponents.
Then came Kuroko's debut game. FanGeGe and viewers immediately perked up.
Everyone assumed they'd see Kuroko singlehandedly lead a comeback.
That would be standard fare. The only real curiosity was how exactly Kuroko would play.
But the plot immediately took an unexpected turn:
"You seem pretty nervous," said Tendou, warming up his legs casually. "We're about to go in—shouldn't you be excited?"
"Sorry, Tendou-kun. The seniors are just too strong... Aren't you nervous at all?"
"Of course not." Tendou looked up at Kuroko, his confident blue eyes visible beneath the sunglasses. "Because I'm the strongest!"
The comments erupted instantly:
『Omae wa saikyou da!』
『As expected of someone named Tendou—he doesn't even warm up before flexing!』
『Only 13 minutes in, and he's already revealed his arrogance.』
『And here it comes—he's started!』
『You're shamelessly cool!』
Even without mentioning a grandmother, his "I'm the strongest!" line was on par with Tendou Souji's classic boastfulness.
FanGeGe was genuinely amused by Tendou's overconfidence.
But more interestingly, the storyline wasn't unfolding as viewers expected.
Everyone thought Kuroko would use his unique abilities to turn things around. Instead, Tendou completely stole the spotlight.
Next, Tendou's sunglasses got confiscated by Nijimura Shuuzo, amusing everyone before the game officially began.
At long last, the match started.
FanGeGe unconsciously leaned forward.
Barely five seconds in—
"Bang!"
As the basketball hit the court, viewers' eyes widened in shock.
What did they just see?
Yamanaka Yuta, the supposed ace of the second-string, who'd dominated the first ten minutes, was immediately stripped of the ball by Tendou.
And—because this was anime—the studio added flashy effects.
The viewers couldn't clearly see what had occurred. Just as Yamanaka began his move, the screen abruptly blackened. Accompanied by the sharp sound of a sword being drawn, a white slash pierced through the darkness.
When the screen returned to normal, Yamanaka stood paralyzed, the ball vanished from his hand.
Just like the stunned background characters, the audience watched with mouths wide open.
A narrator began explaining:
"Tendou Kageyoshi. Age: 12. First-year student at Teiko Middle School Basketball Club."
"Unlike Kuroko Tetsuya, Tendou isn't purely passionate about basketball."
"Two years ago, at age ten, Tendou Kageyoshi watched the legendary swordsman Yagyuu Juudai achieve his 100th consecutive victory. Deeply inspired, he became obsessed with Kendo."
"A few days later, he joined a local dojo near his home, quickly displaying frightening talent."
"Within a month, he mastered foundational Kendo skills that would normally take years to learn."
"After three months, he'd fully grasped his master's sword techniques."
"After half a year, having learned all the dojo master had to offer, Tendou began independently studying Yagyuu Juudai's extraordinary sword techniques."
"A year later, Tendou left the dojo, traveling alone to Hokkaido to challenge Yagyuu Juudai directly."
"He was utterly defeated."
"This defeat taught Tendou a crucial lesson: no matter how precisely you imitate others, their techniques can never become truly yours."
"Afterward, Tendou devoted himself to developing his own swordsmanship style, and half a year later, he again challenged Yagyuu Juudai."
"He lost again—but..."
"When Tendou left the Yagyuu dojo, he wore a satisfied smile. He knew clearly the only reason he'd lost was because his young body restricted his potential."
"Years later, Yagyuu Juudai recalled that duel, remarking: 'It felt like my swordsmanship had been dissected and reassembled by Tendou.'"
"He declared Tendou Kageyoshi to be an absolute genius whose talent far surpassed his own."
The narration concluded, leaving the viewers stunned.
Comments flooded the screen:
『Holy crap, he's overpowered!』
『Good lord, he challenged a sword master at just 11 years old?』
『Wait—he started Kendo at 10, challenged the master at 11…so when exactly did he start playing basketball?』
『Dammit, the anime world is way too OP!』
...
Meanwhile, Tendou Kageyoshi himself—currently acting as eye candy at a café, attracting female customers—blinked in surprise.
He too could read the bullet comments in real-time.
"Since when do I have this kind of backstory?"
The short-tailed cat (his system) replied lazily from the counter, licking its paw nonchalantly, "It's part of your newbie package. Did you forget already?"
"That Sukuna-style slash?"
But there had been no explanation provided whatsoever.
"Are you seriously saying that 'Cleave' also added extra background details to me?"
"Is that unreasonable?" The cat tilted its head innocently.
"...What nonsense!" Tendou groaned.