| Introduction |
| “ | All I've really done up till now is cause trouble and drag the whole team down. But I swear I'll make up for that on the court! | ” |
—Yasuhara Shinichi | ||
Yasuhara Shinichi (安原真一, Shinichi Yasuhara) is a substitute small forward who plays for Kuzuryū High. He is best friends with Momoharu, Chiaki, and particularly Chucky and Nabe. Everyone on the team calls him 'Yasu.' In the chapter 153 Tobi declares him sixth man of Kuzuryu High.
Appearance[]
Yasuhara is about 181 cm tall. At the start of the series, he had a black 'pompadour' hairstyle but later changed to a regular, medium-length hair. He also has black colored eyes. Compared to his teammates, Yasuhara is physically thinner. His jersey number is 5, and he wears 'Nike Air Jordan 12' sneakers.
Personality[]
Yasuhara is a delinquent like his other friends at Kuzuryū High. However, unlike the other delinquents like Chucky and Nabe, he's eager and willing to learn ang grow as a basketball player. Whenever he is in two minds, he goes and seeks advice. At present, Kenji is his mentor. Kenji teaches him how to improve his basketball skills, primarily in dribbling, laying up, and shooting. Similarly, Yasuhara considers Natsume as both a friend and rival. Yasuhara hopes to surpass him one day in basketball.
Yasuhara is also a kind individual. Whenever he is at fault, he has no problem with apologizing. When he met Natsume for the first time, Yasuhara angrily kicked his basketball. Yasuhara reacted like that because he felt provoked by Kenji's challenging and intimating demeanor towards him and his friends. Nonetheless, Yasuhara apologizes for his behavior after realizing how precious basketball is to him.
He also hates feeling useless. He wants to be always there for his friends whenever they need his support. After the 1st Inter-High Preliminaries and fire incident, Momoharu, the team captain, took all the responsibility and blame. After the basketball club's disbandment, Yasuhara felt guilty and terrible. Besides that, Yasuraha is also appreciative of his friend, Hanazono, for supporting him and the rest of Kuzu-High team. At the same time, he felt awful because it seemed like the latter protected him.
Biography[]
Yasuhara is originally from a small town Asonaka in Osaka Prefecture. Currently, he and his family reside in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture. His family owns and operates a grocery store called 'Yasuhara Fruits and Vegetables.' Before joining the basketball club, Yasuhara used to be a member of the karate club and was confident enough to participate in the prefectural tournament. However, bullying from upperclassmen was rampant in the club. One day, he got fed up with the harassment and punched a senior in the face, breaking his nose. As a result, he was kept on probation for one year. As stated, he is the only one of the three beginners who takes basketball seriously. While under house arrest for the fire incident in the clubhouse, Yasuhara ran for more than 10 kilometers every day. It was also during this period that he changed his hairstyle from pompadour to a regular medium length hair. This depicted his growth and change in demeanor in the sport of basketball.
Later on in the series, Yasuhara falls in love at first sight with Sekiya Tomoko of Satomi West, whom he met and rescued when she and her friend, Hyodo Arata, being harassed by a random street delinquent. Later on, during the practice match between the girls' team of Kuzuryu High and Satomi West, Yasuhara finds out that Sekiya is a very talented player. He realizes that he cannot keep up with her. As he tries to gain more experience in basketball, his feelings for her also grows. Meanwhile, Sekiya is also aware of Yasuhara's feelings; whenever they meet, both of them usually get nervous when they talk to each other.
Skill[]
Yasuhara is a promising upcoming small forward. He is relatively thin and athletic compared to the rest of his teammates. Due to his slim physique, he has excellent speed and agility. This allows him to maneuver and drive pass his opponents. Similar to Natsume, he has a knack for scoring. Yasuhara has a weird lay up motion; his unique stances confuse his opponents, allowing him to score. Nonetheless, his stances also make him prone to receiving fouls. Under the tutelage of Natsume, Yasuhara improves his basketball skills, eventually becoming an efficient small forward for his team.
| Physical Ability | 8/10 | |
|---|---|---|
| Technique | 7/10 | |
| Stamina | 9/10 | |
| Mental Strength | 7/10 | |
| Special Ability | 7/10 | |
Etymology[]
- The name Yasuhara means "peace, plain, quiet."
- Yasuhara's surname name Shinichi (真一) means "one truth, the reality."
Quotes[]
- "Hey, we're upper-classmen aren't we? If ya wanna play ball, ya have to listen to your seniors." - to Sora Kurumatani (Chapter 3)
- "Hey shrimp you've been in a basketball club before right? Did you always get this kind of feeling in a match? - to Sora Kurumatani (Chapter 8)
- "His right!? Is he gonna come straight for me? This guy he passed without even seeing his teammate." - to Tokitaka Tokiwa (Chapter 9)
- "Hey, wait a minute! Why does he get to shoot?! He just scored!" - to Shinichi Chiba (Chapter 11)
- "Don't worry even If I get sent out, I'll be back soon." - to Momoharu Hanazono (Chapter 11)