Kicchou Fukuda

Fukuda is the other ace Ryonan has up their sleeve. His offensive power rivals many of the best players in the Kanagawa prefecture and is seen throughout the series doing alley oops with Sendoh as the passer but his defensive ability is weak and can be easily exploited. He has something of a special rivalry going on with Hanamichi from the first time they knew of each other, when the latter was depressed over the loss to Kainan and was near a basketball court where Fukuda was practicing. Fukuda had previously heard about Hanamichi from Sendoh and had wanted to play him, but the latter refused. They do not actually meet each other until the last match of the Interhigh Tournament, when Fukuda outplays Sakuragi for the first half and lights the fire within him, with the words "I won, Sakuragi". Unwilling to accept the loss, Hanamichi strengthens his marking over Fukuda in the second half. Ryonan coach Moichi Taoka saw potential in both Fukuda and Sendoh starting from when they joined the team together. However, as Fukuda still seemed green and thick-skinned, Taoka would frequently criticize him while praising Sendoh. Fukuda however, turned out to be quite sensitive. As a result, in a