Kuroko’s Basketball is among the popular anime within the sports genre. The show is iconic, serving as a beacon for sports-based anime due to its thrilling plot and characters with terrifying skills. Kuroko’s Basketball centers on Seirin High competing against prodigious characters, The Generation of Miracles.
As the show's storyline unfurls, Kuroko's Basketball reveals amazing characters, ranging from exceptional three-point shooters to players with incredible attack power and unbelievable skills. Some of these characters can be classified as the best players due to the notable skills they showed on the court. Excluding members of Jabberwock from Kuroko’s Basketball: The Last Game, these are the best players in Kuroko’s Basketball.
Updated August 22, 2022, by Emedo Destiny: Kuroko’s Basketball is one of the greatest sports anime that defined the genre. One of the best things about the anime is the diverse cast of player characters, each bringing something unique to the court. Although Kuroko’s Basketball veers a bit too far from a realistic adaptation of real-world basketball, the show is undeniably satisfying to watch. The players in Kuroko’s basketball are formidable on the basketball court, with feats and abilities to show for it. Even more, some players, including the Generation of Miracles, spice up matches with unique plays that surprise viewers. These characters have proven in several circumstances that they deserve to be the best and nothing less.
15 Yukio Kasamatsu
Yukio Kasamatsu is the captain of Kaijo’s High and is one of the best captains in the series. Although Yukio has no specific, spectacular skill in basketball, he has one characteristic that makes him stand out from most players: resilience. No matter how difficult it is to win a match, Yukio strives forward, putting all his efforts into making quick rebounds and steals from opposition teams.
This trait, coupled with his skills as a leader and a point guard, makes him a force to be reckoned with in Kuroko’s basketball. He was able to push Kise, his teammate, into bringing out in several heated matches, proof of his exemplary leadership.
14 Nebuya Eikichi
As one of the uncrowned Kings, Nebuya Eikichi is a formidable player, closely comparable to Yosen’s Murasakibara. As the center of Rakuzan High, Nebuya uses a power-centered play, besting players in his path with brute strength. Even Kiyoshi Teppei, renowned for his defense, could not stop Nebuya in the Rakuzan-Seirin match.
However, despite his awesome play style, Nebuya isn’t as diverse as other players in the series, which is understandable, considering how balanced Rakuzan High is regarding team composition. Regardless, Nebuya’s plays are still an important aspect of Rakuzan successes.
13 Kotaro Hayama
Kotaro Hayama, Rakuzan’s small forward, is one of the best players on the Rakuzan team. Also, being a member of the Uncrowned Kings, Hayama’s play style is unique and hard for players to follow. It’s easy to get fooled by his excitable personality, but those who have played against him know better. Kotaro puts a lot of power into his dribbling technique, which increases the speed of the ball to an almost imperceptible level.
Kotaro is a free-spirited player. Consequently, most of his moves on the basketball court are unconventional and a bit hard to figure out. Regardless, they follow a trend, and once a player figures it out, it’s possible for them to counter Kotaro’s playing style.
12 Reo Mibuchi
Next to Midorima, Reo Mibuchi is one of the best shooting guards in Kuroko’s Basketball. His shooting style is smooth, ingenious, and tasking to predict. Mibuchi uses three main shooting styles: Heaven, Earth, and Void. Heaven is basically a fadeaway shot Mibuchi executes to prevent any form of blocking while sinking in a perfect 3-pointer.
On the other hand, Earth is a nasty style that allows Mibuchi to make a shot while drawing a foul for the opposition team. This way, he gets a free throw, allowing him to secure as many as 4 points. Finally, the void technique messes with a player’s balance, forcing them to freeze in one spot, allowing Mibuchi to make a free shot without any opposition.
11 Kuroko Tetsuya
Despite being the protagonist of Kuroko’s Basketball, it can be surprising to discover that Kuroko is not among the top five best players in the anime. The reason Kuroko is ranked lower than most exceptional players is because he is more of a support-type player. As the Phantom Sixth Man of the Generation of Miracles, Kuroko was a skilled player.
However, Kuroko sharpened his unique basketball skills as a member of Seirin High. Using his misdirection and absence of strong court presence to his advantage, Kuroko became an invaluable gem that led Seirin High to victory.
10 Makoto Hanamiya
Undoubtedly, Makoto Hanamiya is one of the craftiest and dirtiest players in Kuroko’s Basketball. Leading Kirisaki Daiichi High as its coach and captain, his team mainly relies on underhanded tricks and strategies to conquer their opposition. However, Hanamiya’s dirty moves are a stepping stone for his true basketball strategies.
Hanamiya is one of the smartest characters in the show, with an IQ of 160; even Imayoshi, the captain of Touou’s basketball team, revered him as a genius. His understanding of basketball is exceptional, and this almost led to the defeat of Seirin High. Regardless of his shitty tactics, Hanamiya’s basketball skill is also top-tier, which is why he is regarded as a member of the Uncrowned Kings.
9 Kiyoshi Teppei
Kiyoshi Teppei embodies the word "resilience." Popularly known as the "Iron Heart" of the "Uncrowned Kings," his unyielding will while playing basketball is almost scary. More importantly, Kiyoshi isn't a player that has great skill in one area of basketball, but his skills are evenly developed.
Kiyoshi is a well-rounded player with excellent defense skills and remarkable offense abilities. However, what makes him challenging as a center is his large hands. His "Vice-Claw" skill allows him to grab balls in mid-air, a very useful ability when playing defense. Kiyoshi could have grown more as a player if not for the crippling injuries he sustained.
8 Himuro Tatsuya
Himuro Tatsuya is the childhood friend of Kagami Taiga; they grew up in the United States and were mentored by Alex, a genius basketball coach. After years of separation, Himuro shows up on the court with basketball skills close to the level of the Generation of Miracles. Even though he cannot enter "The Zone," Himuro is revered as the best an ordinary man can be.
In short, Himuro is a remarkable player without considering the Generation of Miracles standards. Tatsuya is the shooting guard for Yosen High, with moves and shots that can easily trick surrounding players. His apex skill, “Mirage Shot,” confused even Kagami, one of the best players in the show.
7 Haizaki Shogi
If Hanamiya is the dirtiest player, Haizaki is the most violent. Initially, he played for Teiko Junior High before he was replaced by a promising player, Kise Ryota. Currently, Haizaki plays as the ace of Fukuda Sogo High. As someone who was a team member of the Generation of Miracles, Haizaki’s basketball skills are well-above average.
However, what sets him apart from other players is his “Pillage” ability. Haizaki can steal the skills of other basketball players, which damages their mental fortitude and makes them unable to use their signature moves again. However, his ability has one fatal flaw; Haizaki can’t copy the moves of the Generation of Miracles, so his potential is limited compared to Kise.
6 Midorima Shintaro
Midorima is one of the first members of the Generation of Miracles introduced at an early point in Kuroko's Basketball. His shooting form and skills set him apart from any other player in the series. However, what makes Midorima terrifying is his ability to shoot from any part of the basketball court, so conventional defense is useless against Shintaro.
Despite his exceptional skill Midorima still relies on horoscopes to determine his winning possibility for each match. Apart from his shooting skill, Midorima’s height and build allow him to defend against other players with ease; this was seen when he stopped Kagami Taiga repeatedly in their matches.
5 Murasakibara Atsushi
Murasakibara, the "Shield of Aegis," is another member of the extraordinary "Generation of Miracles” and is the current ace of Yosen High. Despite his bored facial expression, Muraskibara is an incredibly tall monster that brings despair to the basketball court. True to his nickname, Muraskibara Yosen’s insurmountable defense shield, especially against average players.
Even though his defense is terrifying, leaving almost no area to score, his true form lies in his attack power. Murasakibara’s skills as an offensive player are unbelievable. In a game against Seirin High, his dunk power caused the basketball loop to crash. Also, Atsushi is one of the few characters that entered "The Zone," proving his worth as an exceptional player.
4 Kagami Taiga
Kagami Taiga is among the leading characters of Kuroko’s Basketball and is the ace of Seirin High. His jumping power sets him above any characters in the show. Kagami's athletic abilities, speed, agility, and incredible reflexes make him a force to be reckoned with.
Despite not being a member of the Generation of Miracles, his capability easily rivals the best of them. In Kuroko's Basketball, Kagami was among the first players to enter, 'The Zone." While he is "The Zone", Kagami gains unbelievable reflexes and speed, putting him above most players. This was the major contributing factor to his triumph over the Generation of Miracles.
3 Kise Ryota
Kise Ryota is the ace for Kaijo High and was a member of Teiko Junior High. Similar to Haizaki, Kise Ryota can perfectly copy other players' skills. At first, he could only copy the skills of regular players; however, before the anime ended, Kise unlocked his final form, which allowed him to copy even the skills of members of the Generation of Miracles. Perfect Copy placed Kise on the same level with Aomine temporarily and almost crippled Seirin High.
Kise Ryota has the potential to be the best player in the series based on hypothesis. However, despite his feats and terrific skills, he has one fatal flaw: stamina. His "Perfect Copy" ability sucks his stamina quickly, placing him at a disadvantage in long, high-paced matches.
2 Aomine Daiki
Aomine Daiki is one of the best players in Kuroko's Basketball, even among the Generation of Miracles. From childhood, Aomine has always displayed an incredible talent for basketball. His incredible agility and speed make him a difficult opponent to face. Aomine is a self-made basketball player, so most of his skills are unconventional, making him unpredictable.
However, Aomine's apex skill is the ability to score from unbelievable positions on the court; his unrefined from makes him an unstoppable scorer. Aomine is also one of the few players in Kuroko's Basketball to enter "The Zone." Aomine's only weakness is his selfish play – the main reason he was defeated by Seirin High.
1 Akashi Seijuro
Akashi is the former captain of the Generation of Miracles and the present captain of Rakuzan High. Undoubtedly, Akashi is the best player in the series for several reasons. He plays as a point guard, using his incredible dribble skills against opponents. However, Akashi's primary weapon is the "Emperor Eyes."
For some reason, Akashi possesses special eyes that allow him to predict the movements of his opponents, allowing him to make counter-moves ahead of time. In short, every possible move is useless against Akashi. His leadership skills, high basketball IQ, and Emperor Eye even out his offense and defense abilities, placing him above most players. In addition to his tremendous skills, Akashi can also enter "The Zone" at will, which boosts his abilities to an even higher level. Summarily, in Kuroko’s Basketball, Akashi sits at the top, uncontested.