Year: 3rd Year
Height: 197 cm
Weight: 90 kg
Jersey Number: #4
Position: Center
Takenori Akagi is Shohoku's captain and Haruko's older brother. He's known for his serious, disciplined approach to the game—his whole goal is to get Shohoku to nationals, and he's the kind of guy who'll play through a serious ankle injury to make it happen. At first he didn't take Sakuragi seriously (and definitely doesn't appreciate being called "Gori" for his gorilla-like build), but he eventually recognizes that Sakuragi has real potential as a player.
On the court, Akagi's regarded as Kanagawa's best center. He plays a straightforward game—uses his size and strength to dominate around the basket and is nearly impossible to guard. His defensive reputation alone makes him a threat. He considers Uozumi from Ryonan his biggest rival, though there's genuine respect between them that's almost friendship-like rather than bitter.
What sets Akagi apart from his teammates is his academics. He's actually a model student and bails on the team after Shohoku's loss to Aiwa to focus on college entrance exams, while the other four starters have to scramble just to retake failed classes so they don't get benched from nationals. He's also the only starter who's never actually gotten into a real fight—though he's not above using physical force on his own players when needed, especially Sakuragi and once Mitsui, just to keep things in line.
His toughness is legendary in weird ways: he's one of only two people who can take one of Sakuragi's headbutts without getting knocked out, and he's had Sakuragi accidentally dunk on his head more than once. Against Sannoh's Masashi Kawata—one of the best high school centers around—Akagi got outplayed early and felt shaken, but Uozumi's encouragement helped him shake it off and lead his team to victory.
Content compiled by AnimeList.moe from publicly available sources.
