Ryota Miyagi

Ryota Miyagi is Shohoku's point guard, small in stature but fast and combative, with a delinquent past he hasn't fully shed. He needles Sakuragi at every turn, half rivalry and half habit, and nurses an obvious crush on team manager Ayako. Underneath the swagger sits real hunger to prove himself on court.

He's the team's live wire, and the show uses his height and his temper as running gags that never undercut how good he actually is with the ball. Shioya's performance gives him a scrappy, quick-tongued energy that makes his rare moments of vulnerability land harder for being so guarded.