Misdirection
Kuroko's lack of presence, turned into a way of going unguarded.
Misdirection is the technique of Tetsuya Kuroko, the "phantom" sixth man of the Generation of Miracles, now at Seirin High. He is nearly invisible on the court because of his unassuming physique and natural lack of presence, and he combines that with misdirection, which diverts the attention of those trying to focus on him. It allows him to stay unguarded by opponents and to make open passes or steals.
Quick Facts
- Primary user
- Kuroko Tetsuya
- Affiliation
- Seirin High School
Lore & Background
Kuroko's talent was discovered at Teiko by Akashi, who helped him perfect his passing but taught him nothing else: Akashi predicted that learning other skills would draw attention to Kuroko and make his misdirection and lack of presence, his greatest weapons, ineffective. At Seirin he first impresses everybody in a practice match between the first-years and the second-years. Rakuzan's Chihiro Mayuzumi has the same rare ability; Akashi trained him to be like Kuroko, but with solid basketball fundamentals.
Reader's Guide
Misdirection wears off the more Kuroko plays, as he reveals during the practice match against Kaijo. He cannot use it while holding the ball, because of the ball's presence on the court. Kazunari Takao's Hawk Eye sees the whole court without focusing on anything, so it is not fooled; Kuroko beats it by purposely drawing Takao's attention to himself and then slipping out of his view. In the Winter Cup game against Tōō, Misdirection Overflow lets Izuki and Hyuga get past their defenders with a Vanishing Drive. In the final against Rakuzan, Kuroko is more visible than usual, which Akashi puts down to his having learned to dribble and shoot.
More in Skills & Techniques
Elsewhere in Kuroko's Basketball
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