At the start of the series, Shohoku can be regarded as, highly noted by any teams, as one-man team of Takenori Akagi, their mainstay and one of the top centers in Kanagawa District. Shohoku at that time is so weak that every preliminary games, they lose by margins. Though they have Kiminobu Kogure, he has no notably skills to boost the team to victories, but in the bright side he was the Vice-Captain and at the side of Akagi to fight for the team. And so, the incredible skill of Akagi was just wasted.

In their (Akagi and Kogure) last year, they found skillful and talented players that may increase the power of Shohoku highly. Notably, they are troublemakers and brought together by hardships and failures. 

Hanamichi Sakuragi, the number one trouble maker and know nothing about basketball of the team from Waku Junior High, challenged Akagi one-on-one in basketball and surprisingly won against him. Haruko (sister of Akagi) invited him to join the basketball club for he has the height and body, Sakuragi falls in love with her and joined the club. But prior to that, he was dumped, by a record, of 50 girls in just one year during his junior time.

Kaede Rukawa, the snubbish and former MVP of Tomigaoka Junior High, can dunk over three people and secretly loved by Haruko. When Sakuragi and Rukawa met, they fought each other for Sakuragi was mad because Rukawa hurt the feelings of Haruko. And of course, nobody won.

Ryota Miyagi, the ace guard and fastest among Shohoku Team, secretly in love with Ayako (the manager of the team).

Hisashi Mitsui, the former MVP of Takeishi Junior High, a strict and deadly three-point shooter, but due to knee injury, he was sidelined and never played basketball again and joined the gangster. During the first met of Mitsui and Miyagi, they fought each other, Miyagi first upset Mitsui then Mitsui's friends upset Miyagi, so they both hospitalized by a certain period of time.

With them brought together and play as a team and now notably as the secret firepower basketball team. Along the road, in Kanagawa Trial, they faced last year's Final Four in the Kanagawa trial the strong Ryonan Team leaded by their aceAkira Sendoh, superb scorer Kicchou Fukuda and their captain that are monstrous under the basket Jun Uozumi. Takezono Team which was leaded by Oda, Sakuragi's longtime rivalry. Tsukubu, last years Final Eight in the Kanagawa trial headed by Godai. Well seeded Shoyo Basketball Club Team, two years ranked 2nd in the Kanagawa Trial and actively participating in Inter-High games for two years running with Kenji Fujima leading them and his co-star Toru Hanagata. Kainandai University, the reigning champions in the Kanagawa trial for 16 consecutive years and actively participating in Inter-High Games for 10 consecutive years with their excellent ace Shinichi Maki, accurate three-point shooter Souichirou Jin and the "Golden Rookie" Nobunaga Kiyota that makes them a formidable team to go to its 17th championship.

In the Inter-High Games, they will face tougher opponents that they never had, last years Final Eight Jousei High with Mikoshiba, their captain and ace, leading the team. Meihou High with Morishige's devastating power that defeated single handedly last year's Final Four Aiwa. Aiwa High, last year's Final Four with Moroboshi's awesome offensive arsenal. Toyotama High with it's "killer ace" Kishimoto that surely will give them a hard time. And Sannoh High, the reigning defending champion in the Inter-High for two (2) years and running, with Eiji, the number one high school player in Japan.

Shohoku experienced countless of difficulties just to reach what they are, from being a weak to a powerful team. They struggle both in and out of the court to the point that their team almost disbanded in the tournament. But in the end, they've just realized that helping and having a teamwork will save and will bring them to victory that once deprived to them and to the team. All teams in the series are strong enough to emerge as number one, but like any other series, it has to be one, this time, it was the time of Shohoku to emerge in the tournament. With strong teams that they've fought, they served as the framework or instrument to make the Shohoku players and the team to release their skills in the court before any other do. 

Shohoku must respond to the challenge and fight their way to enter Inter-High Games, and to reach their ultimate goal, to be the NO. 1 in JAPAN!!!