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Aug. 7th, 2020 06:49 pm▶ CHARACTER
NAME: Taiga Kagami
CANON: Kuroko's Basketball
CANON POINT: Post-Last Game
AGE: 18
BACKGROUND: Here
PERSONALITY:
Determined: Kagami is essentially the definition of determined. He wants to be the best in all of Japan and he will learn all that he needs to make it happen. He made sure to learn how to play with his left hand so that he could learn to shoot and dunk with both hands. He never once gave up on his team, always seeking ways to try and figure out how to meet any of the teams they came up against, especially when it involved one of the Generation of Miracles. Of course, this isn't without its faults as it treads of stubborn territory, sometimes becoming tunnel visioned to believing that only he could make it happen. This wasn't him believing he was only one capable because he's the best, but because he was the team's Ace and felt that if he didn't pull through, he would fail not only himself but his team as well. Of course, he would learn time and time again that it doesn't all ride on him but he could very well depend on his team to make things happens which leads him to being determined and focused on not only protecting his team but making sure they come out on top with their help.
Hot headed/Short tempered: Hoo boy, if there was definitely any other defining character trait for Kagami, it's definitely that he's got a bit of a temper. To be clear, he's not generally a mean or rude person by default or anything like that. But he can and does get mad easily, usually because someone is pushing his buttons or he's getting exasperated by everyone's antics (he's not the only straight man of the show, but he's definitely one of them compared to the General of Miracles and even Kuroko). He also doesn't like to lose and even if he knows that means he just needs to get stronger. So it can and will feed into his temper, even at one point nearly causing him to punch someone on the court until Kuroko stopped him (to be fair, everyone kind of wanted to punch the player as he was with a team that were playing dirty and causing real injuries to other players and getting away with it). That all being said, he has gotten better about not letting his temper get the best of him, maturing to the point of thinking things through more often than not. Not that it totally disappeared, Aomine tends to bring that temper out of him a lot.
Graceful loser: Like I mentioned above, he doesn't see losing as totally a bad thing as he just knows it means he needs to get stronger. One of the episode titles (usually a direct quote within the episode) is "It's Better If I Can't Win" which is something he says within the episode because he knows that it means that he needs to get stronger and is willing to put in the effort. That doesn't mean he likes to lose (who does) but throughout the show he is shown to not let it get to him so easily as it did in the beginning precisely because it just means that he has more to work on. It's not the end of the world (even if it can feel like that at times like it does during the Winter Cup when it seems to be against all odds). It's allowed him to become clever and more thoughtful in his plays.
Protective: Kagami is also very protective of those he cares about. He doesn't like bullies, as shown when he, Kise, and Kuroko teamed up to stop some basketball players who were bullying kids playing street ball. He believes everyone should have fun while playing and while competition is fun, being mean-spirited and using foul play is something he cannot abide by. Part of the reason he can let the game get to him, sometimes believing he had to do things on his own, he because he's protective of his teammates as well, like Kiyoshi who is playing with an injured knee (the Winter Cup was likely to be his last game) and Kuroko who has on more than one occasion gotten injured while playing, especially because he is very vital for the team (not that they can't function without him as seen with the practice match with Kaijo). Kiyoshi's injury was a large part of his temper nearly getting out of control during the game with Kirisaki Daiichi as their dirty playing was also the reason Kiyoshi had been injured in the first place and had become their target again.
Caring/Emotional: Kagami is shown to also be very caring and emotional to those he is close to. Which, by the end of the show, is basically everyone on the Seirin team and a few choice others. But wasn't something he learned from Seirin, he's always been this way as shown through the flashbacks of his time in America, which is first friend Himuro. He cared so much for this person who not only helped him fit in in a country that he was unfamiliar with, but drew out that love of basketball within him. They were friendly rivals, until Himuro decided they were not so friendly any longer due to his envy over Kagami's abilities. It really tore Kagami up when he was put in a literal no-win situation where if he lost a game, he'd lose his "brother" but he if won, he'd still lose Himuro. He loves playing basketball and loves playing with his friends, it only makes the game that much more exciting and for him to lose his first friend, whom he called his brother, like that really tore him up. His emotions are largely what drives him as well, even if they lead to the above mentioned hotheadedness and short temper. Not only that but it was (in the anime) the thought of Kuroko crying if they lost to Touou again that pushed him into the Zone.
POWERS/ABILITIES:
The Zone: Essentially the ability to play at your fullest potential and something only very few can achieve. In KnB, only the Generation of Miracles and Kagami are shown to be able to do this, each having their own triggers for it. Kagami's is wanting to protect his team and eventually, when he's in a state of desperation and wanting to fight for his teammates. Once he realizes this, Kagami can enter the Zone at will. But even more is something that not even the Generation of Miracles achieved which was that Kagami unlocked and now has access to an even deeper level of the Zone called the Direct Drive Zone which means he can perfectly sync not only himself but also to his teammates, allowing for a perfect team play with nothing more than eye contact that cannot be predicted by even Akashi. Kagami unlocked this once he learned the true meaning behind the Zone. The gatekeeper was Kuroko and what he was unlocking were his efforts for not only team play but the promotion of his other teammates. Basically, he understood the power of friendship if we're gonna go full shonen here.
That all being said, Kagami is a very athletic boy who is a power forward that specializes in jumping, many of his abilities utilizes his strong jumping power and his rather remarkable speed and strength for someone of his size. He has quick reflexes and even taught himself to be ambidextrous (with the basketball) so he can improve his (...sigh) ball handling. He's a quick learner and adaptive with skills that are only ever improving. There's a reason he's called "The Miracle who did not become one of the Miracles."
NAME: Taiga Kagami
CANON: Kuroko's Basketball
CANON POINT: Post-Last Game
AGE: 18
BACKGROUND: Here
PERSONALITY:
Determined: Kagami is essentially the definition of determined. He wants to be the best in all of Japan and he will learn all that he needs to make it happen. He made sure to learn how to play with his left hand so that he could learn to shoot and dunk with both hands. He never once gave up on his team, always seeking ways to try and figure out how to meet any of the teams they came up against, especially when it involved one of the Generation of Miracles. Of course, this isn't without its faults as it treads of stubborn territory, sometimes becoming tunnel visioned to believing that only he could make it happen. This wasn't him believing he was only one capable because he's the best, but because he was the team's Ace and felt that if he didn't pull through, he would fail not only himself but his team as well. Of course, he would learn time and time again that it doesn't all ride on him but he could very well depend on his team to make things happens which leads him to being determined and focused on not only protecting his team but making sure they come out on top with their help.
Hot headed/Short tempered: Hoo boy, if there was definitely any other defining character trait for Kagami, it's definitely that he's got a bit of a temper. To be clear, he's not generally a mean or rude person by default or anything like that. But he can and does get mad easily, usually because someone is pushing his buttons or he's getting exasperated by everyone's antics (he's not the only straight man of the show, but he's definitely one of them compared to the General of Miracles and even Kuroko). He also doesn't like to lose and even if he knows that means he just needs to get stronger. So it can and will feed into his temper, even at one point nearly causing him to punch someone on the court until Kuroko stopped him (to be fair, everyone kind of wanted to punch the player as he was with a team that were playing dirty and causing real injuries to other players and getting away with it). That all being said, he has gotten better about not letting his temper get the best of him, maturing to the point of thinking things through more often than not. Not that it totally disappeared, Aomine tends to bring that temper out of him a lot.
Graceful loser: Like I mentioned above, he doesn't see losing as totally a bad thing as he just knows it means he needs to get stronger. One of the episode titles (usually a direct quote within the episode) is "It's Better If I Can't Win" which is something he says within the episode because he knows that it means that he needs to get stronger and is willing to put in the effort. That doesn't mean he likes to lose (who does) but throughout the show he is shown to not let it get to him so easily as it did in the beginning precisely because it just means that he has more to work on. It's not the end of the world (even if it can feel like that at times like it does during the Winter Cup when it seems to be against all odds). It's allowed him to become clever and more thoughtful in his plays.
Protective: Kagami is also very protective of those he cares about. He doesn't like bullies, as shown when he, Kise, and Kuroko teamed up to stop some basketball players who were bullying kids playing street ball. He believes everyone should have fun while playing and while competition is fun, being mean-spirited and using foul play is something he cannot abide by. Part of the reason he can let the game get to him, sometimes believing he had to do things on his own, he because he's protective of his teammates as well, like Kiyoshi who is playing with an injured knee (the Winter Cup was likely to be his last game) and Kuroko who has on more than one occasion gotten injured while playing, especially because he is very vital for the team (not that they can't function without him as seen with the practice match with Kaijo). Kiyoshi's injury was a large part of his temper nearly getting out of control during the game with Kirisaki Daiichi as their dirty playing was also the reason Kiyoshi had been injured in the first place and had become their target again.
Caring/Emotional: Kagami is shown to also be very caring and emotional to those he is close to. Which, by the end of the show, is basically everyone on the Seirin team and a few choice others. But wasn't something he learned from Seirin, he's always been this way as shown through the flashbacks of his time in America, which is first friend Himuro. He cared so much for this person who not only helped him fit in in a country that he was unfamiliar with, but drew out that love of basketball within him. They were friendly rivals, until Himuro decided they were not so friendly any longer due to his envy over Kagami's abilities. It really tore Kagami up when he was put in a literal no-win situation where if he lost a game, he'd lose his "brother" but he if won, he'd still lose Himuro. He loves playing basketball and loves playing with his friends, it only makes the game that much more exciting and for him to lose his first friend, whom he called his brother, like that really tore him up. His emotions are largely what drives him as well, even if they lead to the above mentioned hotheadedness and short temper. Not only that but it was (in the anime) the thought of Kuroko crying if they lost to Touou again that pushed him into the Zone.
POWERS/ABILITIES:
The Zone: Essentially the ability to play at your fullest potential and something only very few can achieve. In KnB, only the Generation of Miracles and Kagami are shown to be able to do this, each having their own triggers for it. Kagami's is wanting to protect his team and eventually, when he's in a state of desperation and wanting to fight for his teammates. Once he realizes this, Kagami can enter the Zone at will. But even more is something that not even the Generation of Miracles achieved which was that Kagami unlocked and now has access to an even deeper level of the Zone called the Direct Drive Zone which means he can perfectly sync not only himself but also to his teammates, allowing for a perfect team play with nothing more than eye contact that cannot be predicted by even Akashi. Kagami unlocked this once he learned the true meaning behind the Zone. The gatekeeper was Kuroko and what he was unlocking were his efforts for not only team play but the promotion of his other teammates. Basically, he understood the power of friendship if we're gonna go full shonen here.
That all being said, Kagami is a very athletic boy who is a power forward that specializes in jumping, many of his abilities utilizes his strong jumping power and his rather remarkable speed and strength for someone of his size. He has quick reflexes and even taught himself to be ambidextrous (with the basketball) so he can improve his (...sigh) ball handling. He's a quick learner and adaptive with skills that are only ever improving. There's a reason he's called "The Miracle who did not become one of the Miracles."
