Rukawa, Kaede

流川楓

Kaede Rukawa serves as Sakuragi's rival and is nearly his opposite; he attracts girls, excels at basketball, and remains very cold and unfeeling. The only traits they share are a lack of academic inclination and proficiency in fighting. He views Sakuragi as an idiot, and they typically fight. In reality, he recognizes that Sakuragi could utilize his talents more effectively, but he is ashamed by the immaturity with which Sakuragi handles matters. His hobby is sleeping, and he is usually found asleep whenever he is not on the court; he can even ride his bike while asleep, often crashing into objects in the process. Waking Rukawa from a nap is considered unforgivable, as he will almost automatically beat up the culprit. Unsurprisingly, he has also participated in his fair share of off-court fights, but he can hold his own. Rukawa's goal is to become the best high school player in Japan, and he considers Sendoh of Ryonan to be his greatest rival. It is a fact that he is often nicknamed the "super-rookie", or even the "ace of Shohoku".
Rukawa is extremely skilled at basketball, possessing a wide range of abilities that complement his height, athleticism, and drive to win. Despite being merely a first-year high school player, he is the undisputed ace of Shohoku's team. In the Kanagawa Interhigh Tournament, he was named one of the top five players, the only first-year player to receive such an honor. He has managed to change the course of many games, such as when he single-handedly brought Shohoku back from a double-digit deficit against Kainan (Rukawa scored 15 straight points for Shohoku in 2 minutes and 5 seconds just before the end of the first half). However, his style was criticized as being too selfish, and he sometimes comes into conflict with his teammates for various reasons; this was one of the reasons why Coach Anzai refused to give him his blessing when Rukawa told him that he intended to go to the USA, and told him to become the best in Japan before he even thought of it. When he was outplayed by Sawakita during the match against Sannoh Technical, though, he realized what Sendoh had reminded him of as a challenge: To defeat Sendoh, Rukawa had to change his style and pass the ball. It was his pass that led to Hanamichi's buzzer-beating shot, winning the match. Rukawa is subsequently named a member of the All-Japan basketball team.