KAGAMI TAIGA

Character Appreciation Post (7/15)

Kagami Taiga is half of the freshman duo at Seiren. As one of the main characters, he is known as “the Miracle who did not become one of the Miracles,” meaning that he has the strength of the Generation of Miracles, but isn’t one of them due to him not being in Japan at the time. 

He has the intensity of a wild tiger, which is given because of his name, but also points to his rivalry with his “brother” Himuro. Himuro means white dragon and refers to an old Japanese myth about the rivalry between a white dragon and a tiger. 

He grew up in America and met Himuro through basketball and the rings around their necks symbolize their proof that they are brothers (but not by blood). 

The two asked Alex Garcia if she could train them, and the rest is history. They both became extremely talented under Alex’s teaching.

His relationship with Himuro becomes strained when the two bet their rings and brotherhood on the series of games they played against each other. Himuro said he didn’t want to be Kagami’s so-called brother any more because he wanted to be considered the stronger one.

Kagami doesn’t care about being the weaker or stronger. He doesn’t want to lose the friendship he’s had for years, and that’s really evident when Kagami’s flashbacks come on before the Yosen game. He cares about the emotion and history behind his basketball rather than simply winning, and that’s really admirable.

However, Kagami is often known to be a comic relief. From referring to “Japanese lunch time rush” to failing his classes to having a huge appetite, Kagami often makes the series quite funny.

We first meet Kagami when he signs up for tryouts at Seiren. We quickly see that he stands out and that he’s talented, even if he has no regard for Kuroko. The two have their first real conversation afterwards when Kagami doesn’t see Kuroko at Maji Burger.

The two play a quick one-on-one as Kagami spills his goals to be the best player in Japan. Kuroko quickly crushes his dream, saying he’s not strong enough, before showing his lack of normal basketball skills.

It’s not until a scrimmage during tryouts that Kagami sees Kuroko’s real talent. Amazed, he then questions Kuroko’s motive and why a legendary player joined Seiren instead one of the main basketball schools. The two officially join Seiren’s basketball team on top of the rooftop.

The series follows the two, along with the Seiren team, taking on the Generation of Miracles and other strong teams on their path to the top. There’s heartbreak, sweat, and tears, but the Seiren freshman duo continue to persevere to meet their goal.

Kagami plays against Kise twice throughout the whole series. First, Seiren plays against Kaijo in a practice match, and then in the Winter Cup. Kagami motivates Kise to play seriously, partially because Kise wants to show Kuroko that he should have gone to Kaijo.

But the rivalry goes the other way as well. Kise is the first Generation of Miracles member that Kagami plays against, giving him a taste of some of the most powerful basketball players in the league. Going against Kise taught him patience and strategy, especially because he knew his best moves would be copied after he made them. 

During the Winter Cup game, Kagami got a taste of playing against Akashi when he took on Kise. The ankle-breaking and atmosphere gave him a hint of what he’d be up against.

Midorima plays an extremely large role in Kagami’s development. They play against each other twice: once in the Interhigh and once in the Winter Cup. Going against Shutoku shows him the importance of teamwork, as he initially begins to become self-reliant against Midorima during the Interhigh preliminaries. Kuroko is the one who brings him back to show the importance of working as a team.

Additionally, Midorima teaches Kagami what he lacked against Aomine. Without being able to compete against Aomine in the air, Kagami had to come up with a new strategy. Of course, our favorite tsundere denied advising him, saying that Kagami was stupid.

During the Winter Cup, going against Midorima was a struggle. Shutoku was now out for vengeance from their loss during the Interhigh preliminaries. Ultimately, the two teams end the game in a tie, showing the power of Shutoku. But that time around, Kagami gets the satisfaction of team play. 

The first two times that Kagami faced off against the ace of the Generation of Miracles, he lost miserably. When Aomine showed up at a street court and played a bit of one-on-one, he was almost taunting Kagami and saying that he wasn’t good enough. Also, he didn’t bother to show up until half-way until the game was over against Seiren, and then proceeded to thrash Kagami and Seiren to bits.

Kagami was obviously devastated, but Aomine taught him to enter the zone. Aomine and Kagami have the most similar playing styles out of the characters in KnB, which made Kagami’s loss worse. Kagami bounces back to beat Touou with the Seiren team during the Winter Cup, which makes Aomine become motivated to being practicing again. 

Kagami and Aomine are central to each other’s character development, partially because they are so similar. Kagami’s drive and motivation to beat the ace of the Generation of Miracles is what makes Aomine realize what he was missing.

Going against Yosen was especially hard for Kagami. Not only does Yosen have the best defense out of the existing teams, but Yosen also has both Murasakibara and Himuro. When those two function as a unit, the Yosen team is seriously powerful.

Once again, Kagami is reminded of the importance of teamwork as he and Kuroko struggle for each point during the game. After the end, Kagami reaffirms his friendship with Himuro and helps reveal Murasakibara’s love for basketball.

Kagami doesn’t appear to like Akashi. Their first meeting nearly ended with him being stabbed in the face, and the next time Akashi pushed him to the ground. Nevertheless, Akashi is the last obstacle that Kagami has to clear on his path to the top. I won’t give any spoilers, but Kagami going against Akashi is one of my favorite parts.

The best part about Kagami is that he doesn’t understand how important he is to piecing the Generation of Miracles back together. Kagami motivates them to try seriously again and to take other teams seriously again. Kagami shocks them all by willingly going up against them. The whole time, he’s humble about it. There are moments that he starts to get self-absorbed, and the Kuroko kicks him back into the right mindset. And because of that, he wants to win as a team with Kuroko and Seiren, and not because of his own power.

In a way, Kagami is a really remarkable character. His strength doesn’t go to his head but rather to his heart. With each victory, he’s more excited about getting to the top.

He grows to love Seiren and his partnership with Kuroko. He advances from not wanting to be seen near Kuroko, to always being with him. From his comic relief with Nigou to his philosophical and motivational talks with Kuroko, the two end up making a great pair. They rely on each other on the court with their natural complimentary playing styles and for emotional support as they both work towards their goals.

Let’s not forget that Kagami is seriously powerful too. His Meteor Jam, jumping ability, physique, and tactical battle are all A+

His ability to enter the zone centers around his will to win for his teammates. It’s not frustration, or anger, or even losing. All he wants to do is win with Seiren. Maybe people consider Kagami naive, but he really has the best in his heart.

And that’s why we love Kagami so much. He’s pure-hearted and plays a central role in the development of each Generation of Miracles member. He’s the reason that everything happens in the series, and his weaknesses and emotions make him likeable.

Without Kagami, we would never see the world of KnB, and that’s why we love him.

But let’s not forget…

that nothing would have happened without Alex.