The game for the final of the Interhigh Preliminaries between Seirin and Shutoku was the first time Kuroko faced a member of the Generation of Miracles on an official match. Obviously, the entire game was filled with tension, dramatic comebacks and absolute suspense about the outcome. The last minutes weren’t any less thrilling. Kuroko could do very little in the entire game because of Takao’s court vision and great defense.
In the fourth quarter however, Kuroko’s determination and tenacity turned the match around. With his trump card, the Ignite Pass, and his stealth ability to steal the ball, Seirin got the lead 82-81. With 3 seconds left, Midorima received the ball. His long range accuracy was a death sentence. Kagami managed to jump one last time to block Midorima’s shot but it was in vain. Midorima had pump faked his shot, and there was no one else to stop him now.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a Seirin hand knocked the ball out of Midorima’s hands. Kuroko knew that Midorima had acknowledged Kagami’s strength of will, and that he would fake his shot. Kuroko took this chance to steal the ball and the match from Midorima. Clearly, this was a dramatic victory for Seirin, who wouldn’t have stood a chance if it hadn’t been for Kuroko’s resolve.

The semifinal match of the Winter Cup between Seirin and Kaijo was by far one of the most difficult games for Kuroko. This was probably Seirin’s worst performance in the entire championship. Kise Ryota was a dominating player for Kaijo during the entire game. Neither Kuroko nor Kagami could stop Kise’s ability, Perfect Copy. Luckily for Seirin, Kise spent most of the time on the bench to rest his injured ankle.
In the last 2 minutes of the fourth quarter, Kise managed to turn the game around. With only few seconds left he copied Akashi’s moves to mock Kagami’s defense and score from close distance, giving his team a one point lead. However, this was Seirin’s plan to counter attack and give the ball to Kagami for a fast break.
Kise’s determination allowed him to recover fast enough to get ahead of Kagami and block his Meteor Dunk. While in mid-air and knowing that he would miss his shot, Kagami heard Kuroko behind him. He slammed the ball against the board for Kuroko to catch it and take the last second shot. Kuroko would not miss. He had everyone’s hopes on him. In the end, he sunk the buzzer beater and became a true hero.

Seirin vs Yosen for the semifinals of the Winter Cup is one of my favorite matches in Kuroko no Basket. Kuroko and his teammates had to face a monstrously large and powerful rival on this occasion, Atsushi Murasakibara. Seirin was up against the best defensive High School team. They struggled for four quarters trying to bring down Yosen’s defensive wall, but with Kuroko’s new Phantom Shot and Kagami’s zone Seirin kept up.
The game was everything but predictable. Seirin took the lead on the last minute but Murasakibara got in the zone with 20 seconds left, threatening to take the game. Kagami’s zone proved to be the more powerful, as he Meteor Dunked over Murasakibara for a one point lead with few seconds left. However, there was still time for one last fast break and Murasakibara refused to lose at any cost.
Murasakibara got the ball as he engaged towards the basket. No one was in position to catch him now. When he tried to jump for a last second dunk he couldn’t, his legs were worn out, but he could still make the last second shot. That’s when 5’6 tall Kuroko appeared, rejecting Murasakibara’s shot and securing the game. Kuroko wasn’t really sure if he could block a 6’10 player, but he never lost hope and his determination was stronger than ever before.

By the last episodes of the show, Kuroko Tetsuya has got quite an arsenal of special abilities. He showed us his Misdirection, Ignite Pass (regular and Kai), Invisible Pass, Cyclone Pass, Vanishing Drive, Misdirection Overflow and Phantom Shot. However, when Akashi (in the Zone) was crushing Seirin on the final match of the Winter Cup, Kuroko developed a special skill to stop his fierce rival.
He noticed that the only difference between Akashi’s Zone and Kagami’s Zone was Akashi’s Emperor Eye (his ability to predict). Kuroko realized that he had to eliminate that difference by annulling the Emperor Eye. On the last minutes, Akashi ran a fast break to increase Rakuzan’s lead and sentence the game. Kagami and Kuroko prepared to stop him. Kagami stood in front, blocking Akashi’s sight on Kuroko.
When Akashi passed Kagami, Kuroko was already on him to tap the ball from his hands. This is the Quasi-Emperor Eye that Kuroko can use on his teammates after playing side by side for so long. He could stop Akashi, not by reading his movements, but by reading Kagami’s movements and moving in the opposite direction to cover the hole in his defense. Kuroko blew our minds and Akashi’s as well. That’s why this is one of my favorite Kuroko moments.

This final match against Rakuzan goes on for ages before getting to an outcome. It’s so full of emotions and action that you will cry with excitement when it’s finally over, that is if you didn’t get a heart attack before that. By the end, Seirin was down by one with little over 3 seconds to play and Hyuga intentionally missed a free throw. Seirin put every hope on that rebound.
Kiyoshi Teppei grabbed the rebound and found Kuroko open. Everyone thought the reason he hadn’t taken a single shot so far was to catch Rakuzan off guard on the last second. Akashi made one last effort to block Kuroko, but Kuroko’s intention wasn’t really to shoot. Kuroko made one final statement: “I’m the shadow”, as he threw an alley oop to Kagami, who slammed the ball in for the victory 106-105 over Rakuzan.
I think this is Kuroko’s greatest highlight, not only because it’s the one that gives him the championship, but also because it really shows the kind of player he is. He is the shadow, and the darker the shadow, the brighter the light next to him. Kuroko is that rare selfless player who’s always thinking on what’s best for the team, making his teammates so much better. His humility, sweet character and greatness (overcoming his small size) make Kuroko our Wednesday crush.