Which GoM member is strongest?
I’ve been fascinated with this concept for a long time. So, I’m finally going to sit down and compare every member’s abilities to try and figure out who is the strongest member of the Generation of Miracles. I already have my own opinion, but I’ll save that for later. Be prepared here, there’s gonna be spoilers because I’ve seen the entire anime and the movie twice, and that’s just how it’s gonna go.
So, it was said in the beginning of Kuroko no Basket that Kise was the weakest member of the GoM, and it was said that Aomine bloomed faster and more so than the rest of the members. Is that the answer? They’ve all been called monsters, so is one really stronger than another, or are they all equally strong in their own ways? Just as an aside, I am including Kuroko in the lineup of the Generation of Miracles as he is the Phantom Sixth Man. I’m not including Haizaki because, to be honest, if he was of the caliber that the GoM is, then they would’ve been called the Generation of Miracles a lot sooner. Momoi won’t be in here either because she doesn’t actually play, although her mentality is said to be that of an athlete. Let’s get started and talk about this in order of appearance.
So, as we know, Kuroko’s talents come from his use of misdirection, which he painstakingly developed in Teiko under Akashi’s tutelage. Kuroko’s high intelligence allows him to observe his opponents and misdirect their line of sight to suit the ability he’s using. His abilities include: misdirection, invisible pass, Cyclone Pass, Ignite Pass, Ignite Pass Kai, Vanishing Drive, Misdirection Overflow, Phantom Shot, and Quasi-Emperor Eye. Not all of these tricks involve shifting his opponents line of sight, but they have all proven useful against the other five members of the Generation of Miracles.
Kuroko’s passes use his lack of presence to pass the ball around to his teammates without the other team noticing. His Ignite Pass and Ignite Pass Kai (pictured above) simply speed the ball up to a point where the opposing team cannot block or steal them. His Cyclone Pass is useful for cutting the ball across the court in a matter of seconds, and his Phantom Shot is a shot that can’t be seen. In addition to these, his Misdirection Overflow can only be used when his invisibility runs out. This allows him to transfer his Vanishing Drive–an ability that lets him drive past his opponents without being seen–to his teammates. His Quasi-Emperor Eye also allows him to see the future of his teammates’ movements so he can act accordingly to help them.
So, is Kuroko potentially the strongest member? No, most likely not. At least, not on his own. However, the reason I’m bringing Kuroko up at all is because he is still deserving of the GoM title. Physically, he is clearly inferior to the other five members. The same goes for ability. However, his mentality is, hands down, the strongest in the group. His game-sense rivals that of Akashi, and in my opinion, exceeds Akashi’s. Kuroko’s abilities are awesome to watch, but his real strength is his will, his intelligence, and his observational skills. With those, he can easily find his opponents weaknesses and use them to help his team win.
It’s true that Kuroko is stronger if he’s coupled with a stronger opponent and works better when he’s a part of a team, however, what he contributes individually is something that not even the Generation of Miracles starters could replicate.
Kise is, personally, my favorite member of the GoM starters. However, I wasn’t all that impressed by his abilities the first time I saw them, and it wasn’t that far of a stretch for me to imagine that the other four members were stronger than he was. However, this was before I fully understood the merit of Kise’s abilities. They include: copying, Perfect Copy, and the Zone. It isn’t nearly as long as Kuroko’s list, but Kise’s use of these abilities aren’t something to overlook.
Kise can copy any player’s move or style and use it in his play. The reason I wasn’t that impressed with Kise in the beginning was because, to me, it just looked like Kise saw a move that he couldn’t beat and used it because he doesn’t have his own great ability. That’s extremely misguided, though. It isn’t that Kise can’t do his own plays, he just frequently uses things he sees other people do. Personally, I think it serves the double purpose of throwing off the opponents’ focus and reliving Kise of the task of trying to get around a barrier that he wouldn’t know how to get around otherwise. Also, I think Kise copying a player’s moves is a sign that he respects and admires that person’s abilities because he deems them good enough to use.
Perfect Copy (pictured above) is a step up from his normal copying ability because he copies the Generation of Miracles’ moves, something he couldn’t do until the Winter Cup during his first year in high school. The issue with this ability is that he has to compensate for the imperfections with another element, which takes a huge toll on his body. For example, to replicate Midorima’s shots, he has to use his entire body’s strength at once because otherwise he wouldn’t have the power and accuracy that Midorima naturally has. This ability can only last for five minutes (unless Kise pushes it when he’s desperate), and it can be taxing for his injured foot as well as his stamina.
The final ability listed for Kise is the Zone. This is not something that is exclusive to Kise as Aomine, Murasakibara, Akashi, and Kagami have all been in the Zone. The overhanging benefit for all people in the Zone is that their strength and speed increase. The difference for Kise, however, is that he used Perfect Copy in conjunction with the Zone. So, essentially, he could replicate the GoM members’ Zones. However, both the Zone and Perfect Copy use up an excessive amount of stamina, which is a negative side-effect for Kise’s injured body. The longest amount of time clocked for Kise using Perfect Copy and the Zone in conjunction is three minutes, but there is also no proof that he couldn’t hold both for the full five minutes he gets for Perfect Copy. Midorima stated that while Kise was in this state, he was the strongest player on the court.
So, is Kise the strongest member of the GoM? Well, he’s certainly up there. The simple fact that he can use something like Perfect Copy that is nearly unstoppable on its own at the same time as he’s in the Zone makes it evident that he must be one of the strongest members, if not the strongest. Not many other players could maintain both states at the same time for the period of time that Kise did, all while being injured. On top of that, Perfect Copy essentially means that Kise can be all six members at once. This was also stated by Kagami during their game at the Winter Cup. It is this fact that makes him probably the strongest contender to be the best member of the GoM.
Midorima is the third member of the GoM to be introduced. Honestly, his abilities are pretty simply as they all have to with shooting, although Midorima is also said to have good strength and speed as well as being good on defense. The abilities that allowed him to be a part of the group known as the Generation of Miracles as well as the abilities he developed in high school include: a high projectile three-pointer, limitless range, sky direct three-pointer, and his perfect accuracy.
Thankfully, his abilities are the easiest to explain. His high projectile three-pointers take a higher arc than normal, allowing him a hard-to-block shot that also never misses. Midorima is able to accurately calculate the distance between himself and the hoop, which lets him sink shots from any place on the court. However, the farther away he is, the longer he takes to get into his shooting form, and the bigger the toll is on his body as he has to use more strength for far shots, though he has been shown to exceed his endurance limit by quite a bit. Actually, Midorima takes a while to enter his shooting form compared to normal regardless. The sky direct three-pointer (pictured above) is a shot that can only be taken when Midorima cooperates with his teammate Takao, although he has been able to do it with Akashi as well. Midorima will enter his shooting form without the ball and then have the ball tossed to him by Takao. While this requires a lot of trust on Midorima’s part, and while sinking the shot requires great skill as well, Takao’s abilities contribute quite a lot to this technique as he has to accurately toss the ball into Midorima’s hands. So, this ability can’t be completely credited to Midorima’s ability.
Could Midorima possibly be the strongest member of the GoM? Aside from the fact that Midorima’s skills are slightly underwhelming, it doesn’t take away from the fact that he’s one of the best bets for scoring points during a game. However, when it comes to the other aspects of basketball, Midorima could potentially fall short. While he can defend, block, and use his speed effectively, he isn’t much of a match for players like Aomine, and Akashi. Then again, in a shootout, Midorima would overtake players like Murasakibara and Kise pretty easily. My opinions are mixed on Midorima’s eligibility to be called the strongest member of the GoM. Let’s keep digging.
Aomine is… something else. I’m not even sure I can sum up his abilities, but I’m going to try. Aomine’s abilities are: his speed and agility, his knowledge of streetball, his ability to change the pace of his play, his animal instincts, and his formless shots. Aomine can also enter into the Zone.
His speed and agility are often combined with his knowledge of streetball to confuse and bypass his opponents. The unconventional movements are useful in a sport like basketball which has been reduced down to predictable plays and movements. Additionally, he can slow down his play while dribbling to fool his opponents into slowing their pace as well, only for Aomine to quickly drive past them. His animal instincts are similar to Kagami’s in that they both have extremely good senses when it comes to what move to make next, and they both do those things with surprising ferocity. Aomine’s real weapons, though, are his formless shots (pictured above). Aomine is able to shoot from any position, and has even made shots while his body was nearly parallel to the ground. They are extremely difficult to predict and block.
The Zone is something else that is available to Aomine, and pretty much what it does for him is increase all of his abilities. So, his already inhuman speed and agility increase even more as well as his accuracy and reflexes. Aomine’s abilities are difficult to judge because he’s simply just an extraordinary player. Kagami has been the only player to beat Aomine, and that also came in conjunction with help from Kuroko and the other members of Seirin.
Is Aomine the strongest player in the GoM? Instinct says there’s no way anyone else could be stronger. His natural talent has proven enough to beat the abilities of nearly every other opponent. In other words, he doesn’t seem to need a niche or ability that he specializes in (like Midorima’s shooting) because he’s pretty phenomenal at it all. Let’s just say the other five would have to do something unheard of to beat Aomine. Either that, or somehow become stronger than he is through their abilities. Who knows, though?
Murasakibara’s name is gonna get real annoying to have to type over and over, let me tell you. Murasakibara towers over every other GoM member when it comes to height. He also has quick reflexes, which is useful considering the abilities he has. They include: a strong defense, a strong offense–including Thor’s Hammer, Vice Claw, and the Zone.
Due to his long limbs and quick reaction time, Murasakibara can easily knock away an opponent’s shot or dunk the ball himself. Thor’s Hammer (pictured above) is a powerful dunk that only Murasakibara can pull off (unless Kise is using Perfect Copy) by using both of his hands and spinning in the air to achieve momentum and power that can knock three players down easily. Because of his huge hands, he can also use Vice Claw to rebound with one hand, making him a difficult opponent to face on defense as well as offense. Murasakibara has also briefly entered the Zone, which increases his power and speed.
Will Murasakibara win the contest of the strongest GoM member? Possibly. He doesn’t have the agility of Aomine or the outside shooting strength of Midorima, but Murasakibara could potentially overpower all of those things with his strength and build. Aomine has even stated that it’s difficult for him to score against Murasakibara. Personally, I’d say Murasakibara’s overwhelming power could possibly trump the other five’s abilities in the same way that Aomine’s talent could. We’ll have to see.
We finally come to the captain of the GoM. Seeing as how there are two Akashi’s, this may be a little bit difficult to explain, but I’m going to give it my best shot (no pun intended). Akashi has his Emperor Eye, the Complete Emperor Eye, Ankle Break, streetball handles, perfect-rhythmed plays, and the Zone. He’s also very physically adept and high intelligent, which makes his game-sense a dangerous tool as he can analyze the environment at a high level.
Akashi’s Emperor Eye, in short, allows him to predict the future of his opponents’ movements. He does this using his analytical prowess, picking up on the slightest hint of motion, which then allows him to accurately predict what his opponent is most likely to do so that he can stop it or get around it. The Ankle Break (pictured above) is an extension of this ability, as he uses his streetball handling ability to dribble and knock an opponent off balance by shifting their center of gravity once they step on their pivot foot. The Complete Emperor Eye, which was uncovered in the match with the Jabberwock, only appeared after Akashi’s other personality vanished and transferred his abilities to the real Akashi so that he could be stronger. Akashi’s ability to preform perfect plays, complete with perfect passes, was then combined with the other Akashi’s Emperor Eye to give the real Akashi the ability to predict the future while also being able to sense the entire court. He can also enter the Zone when he is the other Akashi, which increases his speed, defense, reaction time, and accuracy. When Akashi is himself, he can bring his teammates close to being in the Zone without actually being in it. This has similar effect for all of the players as being in the Zone without being completely in. This helps Akashi execute perfect-rhythmed plays. Basically, Akashi is just really good at being an exceptional point guard.
Okay, was that enough of an explanation to figure out if he’s the strongest? It sure seems like he would be the strongest considering all of those talents. He doesn’t have quite as many seperate moves as Kuroko, but he has more abilities combined together than any other member of the GoM. He can certainly lead better than any of them, but, as an individual, can he really beat out the other five? It’s time to deliberate.
I’ve already discussed weaknesses for many of the members, but I’m going to summarize here so we can really compare each of their abilities. The overhanging weakness for all GoM members other than Kuroko is that their bodies are still too underdeveloped for the amount of talent they have, which makes them susceptible to injury if they exploit their power too much. Also, it should be noted that, of the members that can enter the Zone, none can enter the Zone Beyond the Zone.
Kuroko’s main weakness is that he’s an average player when it comes to conventional means of playing basketball (blocking, defense, speed, shooting, etc.). He also can’t really stand on his own without a team because then his abilities are next to useless. Also, his abilities don’t last very long, especially if he’s using flashy ones. He also can’t enter the Zone, though the Zone probably isn’t needed for Kuroko’s abilities.
Kise’s ability Perfect Copy, as stated, takes a big toll on his body. Because of this, his best ability can only be used for five minutes at a time. Kise also doesn’t appear to have much game-sense as he mostly just attacks rather than thinking out a play.
Midorima’s only exceptional strength is that he never misses his shots. That leaves him open for easy attacks and even blocks by the opponent. Additionally, he cannot enter the Zone at all, although, it is debated whether or not he would need to given his shooting range and accuracy.
Aomine’s weakness is hard to pick out as he generally leave no holes. If I had to nail one down, it would be that his overwhelming strength prompted him to not practice for a while, which meant he took a while to reacquire his fast reflexes and agility in his second battle with Kagami. Also, Aomine doesn’t use team play at all, and that has proven to be really damaging. Moreover, Kagami has been shown to push the limits of his Zone while Aomine has not.
Murasakibara has issues maintaining his abilities throughout an entire, high-paced game because jumping to block, dunk, whatever takes a toll on his knees since his frame is so big. Additionally, it takes quite a while for Murasakibara to resort to team play, which can be a hindrance if he gets blocked when he could have passed.
Akashi’s weaknesses, honestly, would involve his split personality. For starters, his Emperor Eye has been incomplete for the majority of its use because the other Akashi is the only one that can use it. Also, the perfectly-rhythmed plays can only happen when Akashi is himself. This separation causes Akashi’s plays to inevitably have holes. For example, his Incomplete Emperor Eye can only predict one player’s movements at a time, and since he doesn’t have the court sense that the original Akashi does, it left him open to Kuroko using his Quasi-Emperor Eye to predict Kagami’s movements and assist in his play.
Again, I mentioned this for a few people above, but extending on it will also help to decide who is the overall strongest, not only individually, but when a part of a team.
Kuroko, hands down, has the best use of team play. Not only do his abilities depend on it, but his personality fosters it more than the other five. However, is that enough to bridge the gap in ability between him and the others?
Kise started off in middle school with no sense of team play at all, but pretty soon after he joined Kaijo, he started coordinating with his teammates. This has been helpful for him as he doesn’t have to carry the game on his own, which would put more strain on his body. Trusting in his teammates prevents damage and allows Kise to preform in top conditions.
Midorima also had issues initially with team play, and it took him longer to acclimate to it than it did Kise, but he eventually started believing in his teammates and their hard work. The best example of this would, obviously, be his sky direct three-pointer with Takao. Kise remarked that Midorima had to really trust his teammates to make that shot because the accuracy would always be lower than a shot he could take by himself. So, clearly, Midorima has learned to trust Takao’s passes as well as his senpai’s rebounds should he miss. Midorima and Takao’s partnership has also been compared to Kuroko and Kagami’s, which is very high praise for Midorima’s team play.
Aomine, as I mentioned, doesn’t have team play at all. That has been cited as the reason he cannot enter the Zone Beyond the Zone. I don’t know if it’s necessarily because he doesn’t trust his teammates, as he’s left games to them before, but rather that Aomine loves basketball so much that he wants to do everything himself. Nevertheless, this is a serious markdown for Aomine.
Murasakibara doesn’t typically use team play, either, which can be seen by the fact that he doesn’t play offense often. Though when he’s desperate to win, he will use any means necessary. I don’t know if that has to do with trust in his teammates’ abilities or if he uses team play because he knows that his current position isn’t the best for winning. It may just be a default for his own shortcomings, but nonetheless, he does use it occasionally.
Akashi, unlike the other GoM starters, is all about team play… at least, the real Akashi is. If it was a contest between Kuroko and the real Akashi, Akashi could potentially win just because he’s so great at being a captain and point guard. However, because of his other personality, he isn’t that way all the time. He can’t even enter the Zone until he completely gives up on his teammates. So, Akashi is sort of a special case, because his state of mind will directly influence the quality of his team play. It could also be presumed that Akashi may be better at team play when he is the one dictating the plays rather than if he’s just a part of the team, though there’s no proof for that.
So, after this long post, have we figured out who the strongest GoM member is?
I kind of have three different answers for this. I will narrow it down to one, but for now here are my three:
Kise has the potential to be the strongest GoM member because he can have the abilities of all six members with Perfect Copy. Since he can’t copy things he can’t physically do, this means that Kise is at least able to keep up with the Generation of Miracles’ abilities, if not surpass them. The more Kise’s body develops, the longer he’ll be able to hold Perfect Copy. Not only that, but he can enter the Zone as well. Since he also uses team play, it’s not impossible to assume that he’ll be able to enter the Zone Beyond the Zone at some point. Overall, Kise has the highest potential to become the greatest member of the GoM.
I feel like this was the obvious answer. Aomine is just extremely difficult to beat. Like I said, he doesn’t specialize in any one thing, but can do nearly everything. He doesn’t pay attention to plays, either, which allows him to use unpredictable movements that would be difficult to keep up with. Basically, Aomine’s that good that nobody could beat him in a one-on-one. Not only that, but he’ll keep growing. He’s dangerous for sure.
As a part of a team: Kuroko
Kuroko’s biggest strength is his ability to support his team. Not only with his team play, but with his mental strength and support. He can make everyone feel assured in their plays because he’s there to back them up if something goes off the rails. His abilities themselves depend on team play, which means that he’s been cultivating his basketball with a team in mind. That’s more than can be said for any other member of the GoM.
Before I explain who my personal pick for the strongest member of the Generation of Miracles, I’m going to explain why Midorima, Murasakibara, and Akashi are not contenders.
I think I’ve stated this a couple times already, but Midorima’s abilities really only lend themselves to scoring. That is an important and impressive skill, but he falls short when it comes to the other aspects of his play. Of course, he always has the potential to improve those things as well as his team play, but he just couldn’t be the winner of any of the above categories because overall, he’s not at a high enough level.
Murasakibara’s lack of team play is clearly the reason why he was beat out by Kuroko, but why isn’t the strongest individually or potentially? Murasakibara’s ability seems to lie with his reflexes and size, but not really anywhere else. His reaction time combined with his limbs sort of make his talent for basketball a given. Of course, he does have his passion for the game, but it just isn’t enough to beat out Kise and Aomine in terms of ability.
I’ll be honest, it was pretty close between Akashi and Kuroko for team play. What it ultimately came down to was the other Akashi’s Zone being triggered by giving up on his teammates and also his domineering attitude. The fact that he played for so long as a person that wanted his teammates to be subservient makes him lesser in terms of team play, in my opinion. Not to mention, he wasn’t successful in uniting the GoM in middle school as a team that used team play, so the real Akashi even failed at that aspect of being a part of and leading a team. Because of the morale Kuroko brings to his team, I still think that the current Akashi couldn’t beat him when it comes to being a part of and supporting a team.
So, who wins? Of course this is just my opinion, but to me, the clear winner is: Kise Ryōta.
I’ve explained why Midorima, Murasakibara, and Akashi aren’t on the list of contenders, but how did Kise beat out Kuroko and Aomine? It’s pretty simple, actually. His ability beat out Kuroko and his team play beat out Aomine. The fact that he can do the things he can do– like Perfect Copy and the Zone– as well as work with a team make him the strongest member of the Generation of Miracles. Would he win every game against Aomine? Probably not. Can he inspire his team as much as Kuroko? No way. But, as an overall player, Kise is the most promising. I mean how can a single player in the GoM beat someone who can imitate all of them? That’s a bit of a wonky justification, but I really do think that Kise is the strongest. Ironic, considering he was the last to join.
In case you want to know, here are my rankings based on ability from strongest to weakest:
Let it be known, that if this was ranked on team play, the list would be:
One more based on passion for the game:
So, that’s pretty much all I have for this post. I don’t mean to offend anyone who favors someone other than Kise. Hell, Kuroko is my favorite character, and I still couldn’t put him first. Really, Kise just made the most sense to me, so I apologize if my assessments made you mad or anything.
I don’t know if you noticed, but I mentioned Kagami a few times in this post. In fact, I used him as a sort of ruler for how strong the GoM was. I know I compared him to Aomine a few times. Does that mean I think Kagami is the strongest basketball player in Kuroko no Basket? Do I think he’s stronger than the GoM? Well, that’ll be a nice little companion post to this one that I will be posting in the near future, so please stay tuned.
Let me know what you think of my results, and tell me who you think is the strongest GoM member. Thanks for reading!
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