| Introduction |
| Kazuma Takasago | |
|---|---|
| |
| Name | |
| Characteristics | |
| Gender |  Male
|
| Birthday | August 24 |
| Height | 191 cm (6'3) |
| Weight | 80 kg (176lbs) |
| Professional Status | |
| Team | 
|
| Year | 3rd year |
| Position | Center |
| Jersey Number | #5 |
| Personal Status | |
| First Appearance | |
| Voices | |
| Japanese Voice | Yasuhiko Kawazu |
| [v · t · e] | |
Kazuma Takasago (高砂 一馬, Takasago Kazuma) is a 3rd year center for Kainan University Affiliated High School.
Appearance[]
Takasago is very tall but rather thin, and is tan with big lips and a crew cut. These features make him look very similar to Akagi, and once in the final seconds of the Shohoku-Kainan game a desperate Sakuragi Hanamichi confused him for Akagi and passed him the ball, effectively sealing Kainan's win.
Personality[]
Takasago is quiet and doesn't speak so much, he is very dedicated to his team and to making it to the Nationals. However, he is also realistic and knows when he can't beat rival centers such as Takenori Akagi who he deems too strong. He decides to pass the ball in these moments which irritates his coach Takato who deems it cowardly.
Plot[]
Takasago was one of the starters who were rested against Takezono High.
Takasago started against Shohoku High. He was mostly nullified due to Akagi's presence throughout the match, but still managed to make various impact including full-court press and offensive putbacks. He held the last possession of the ball thanks to Sakuragi's mistake of passing to him thinking that he was Akagi. Kainan won 90-88.
Takasago started against Ryonan High. Takasago enticed Jun Uozumi to foul out of the game which was crucial in Kainan's win.
Takasago rested toward the end of the match against Takezato where Kainan comfortably won 98-51 to secure their 17th consecutive first place finish in the Kanagawa Regional Tournament. Takasago then watched Shohoku defeat Ryonan in the final match prior to the award ceremony. During the aforementioned match, Takasago mentioned that Akagi was not fluid in the first half after Uozumi's first foul which Maki agreed with.
Takasago watched both of Shohoku's matches at the National Inter High Tournament. Takasago was absolutely flabbergasted along with the rest of his teammates when Sakuragi scored his first official midrange jumper during Shohoku's match against Toyotama High. He also witnessed Shohoku's historic victory against Sannoh High and saw Sannoh's consecutive championship run come to an end.
Takasago and Kainan finished 2nd at the National Tournament.
Abilities[]
Takasago is a strong center befitting of a Kainan starter, and he is rated highly even by the elite coaching staff from the prestigious Shintai University. Though his basketball prowess is overshadowed by Akagi in the Slam Dunk series (like most other centers are), he is on par with the likes of Uozumi and Toru Hanagata.
Since much of his opponents' attention is often diverted toward Kainan's 2 star guards Shinichi Maki and Soichiro Jin (especially Jin who stretches the floor), this allows more room inside the paint for Takasago to operate and finish around the rim (as evident against both Shohoku and Ryonan). He is also shown to be a strong rebounder, even preventing Sakuragi from getting a rebound against Shohoku prior to being stripped by Ryota Miyagi which led to Sakuragi's last free throw attempt. Takasago is also cunning as shown against Ryonan when he lured Uozumi to foul out of the match which ultimately turned the tide in Kainan's favor.
Per Kainan's standards, Takasago is very fit and always plays unless there's a blowout victory or other starters are also rested (i.e. against Takezono High School).
Maki noted that Takasago wouldn't be able to handle Hiroshi Morishige alone if they faced each other at the nationals. As such, he likely would struggle against other national level stars like Masashi Kawata as well (considering Akagi struggled against him). Nevertheless, Takasago is capable of being a starter for a prestigious basketball team like Kainan High that finishes 2nd in the nation.
| Physical Ability | 9/10 | |
|---|---|---|
| Technique | 8/10 | |
| Stamina | 10/10 | |
| Mental Strength | 8/10 | |
| Special Ability | 8/10 | |
Etymology[]
- The name Kazuma means "one" (一) (kazu) and "horse" (馬) (ma).
- Kazuma's surname Takasago means "tall, high" (高) (taka) and "sand, grit" (砂) (sago).