Headscratchers / Kuroko's Basketball

• Why haven't we seen anyone's parents other than Riko and Mitobe's? Are they all neglectful or what? Fridge Horror horror hits hard when you remember what kind of person Akashi and Hanamiya and any other Jerk Jock has become.
  • Akashi's father has been mentioned at some point in the manga. A lot of the characters' brothers and / or sisters have been mentioned at least once, so there is some semblance of family. Also, this is Kuroko no Basket, not Kuroko no Parent. I don't see why they have to plot every character's parents and their upbringing when one Basketball match against a Generation of Miracles member takes at least 2-6 episodes.
• Other than the obviously evil Kirisaki Daichi team play, are the impossibly cool moves (Thor's Hammer, Ankle Break, etc.) in KnB actually legal to be used in real match (assuming they actually work in real life)?
  • I'm no Basketball expert (in fact, I was never even remotely interested in Basketball until I watched Kuroko no Basket), but some of the moves they use are indeed illegal (or at least, technically) in a real life game. For example, Himuro's Mirage Shot is illegal because if you catch the ball again right after throwing / pretending to throw it, you are basically passing to yourself. Kuroko's Ignite Pass could be considered illegal, because he originally does it with his fist, not his palm. The way Aomine shot over the top of the backboard is also illegal, for the ball can only travel behind, and not over it.
    • I'm sorry, I didn't read your question properly. The answer to your question is most of the realistic moves are legal, except for those I've specified above (and possibly some more).
    • Mirage Shot isn't illegal because Himuro catches the ball before his feet lands.
    • Ignite Pass is actually based on a Manu Ginobili pass. Ankle breakers are a signature Kobe move too.
• Why was Akashi even considered a part of the Generation of Miracles before obtaining Emperor's Eye? All of the members had some sort of special skill (Aomine's Formless Shots, Kise's Copycat, Kuroko's Misdirection, Midorima's Full-Court Range, Murasakibara's Defense / Offense), but Akashi didn't have anything all too exceptional before winning a 1-on-1 against Murasakibara. Not to mention that Murasakibara was obviously curb-stomping Akashi, and would have won if Akashi hadn't "awakened" his ability.
  • Well, they aren’t part of the Generation of Miracles just because they have special skills, but because they're exceptionally good at basketball in general as well (although they are, of course, primarily known for having distinct abilities and playing styles). Akashi was probably a noteworthy player even before fully developing his Emperor Eye (and he was obviously a great leader and had good intuitions). Besides, during that specific 1-on-1, Murasakibara had already “bloomed” and was comparatively better than the “special skill”-less, raw Akashi. That doesn’t mean Akashi wasn’t able to beat him before, but after Murasakibara’s “awakening” is a different matter.
  • Akashi's original style of play is actually pretty powerful. He brings out the full potential of his teammates as a point guard.
    • Yeah, to expand on this it's pretty much explicitly stated that his perfect passes were his original ability, with all the GOM commenting that he had returned to how he used to play with them. The implication is that the GOM started out slightly more team-oriented with Akashi giving each of them moments to shine with his flawless passes that bring them close to the zone, then after that 1v1 they shifted to a more individualistic approach where his new eye kept him relevant as a powerful player. In a sense his reputation is even more deserved, because he displayed two superhuman abilities during his time with the team.
• How can Kuroko use Vanishing Drive on Kagami since the "spell" requires the latter being at sight on the player it's used on? And don't tell me he saw himself in Kuroko's eyes.
  • This seems to be a plothole. The first time we see him use it is on Momoi when Kagami isn't around at all.
  • When the Drive is performed, Kagami acts as a big attention-grabber for Kuroko- the most noticeable person on the court. Really, all Kuroko needs is to be aware of what the most noticeable person or object in the vicinity is, and then keep both it and him in the line of sight of whoever he's using the Drive on.
• Why would Kiyoshi never mention in the first episodes when he was a year in rehabilitation? He's the founder of the Seirin basketball team, but no one ever mentioned him.
  • From a narrative perspective, Kiyoshi is supposed to be new blood for Seirin (in the sense of a new character, not a new player, naturally) after a huge defeat, so he comes in to shake up the status quo and bring some instant level of improvement so that their comeback is more realistic; therefore, he needs to be a surprise factor. As for an in-universe explanation, maybe Riko and the others do mention him in private, just not near Kuroko and Kagami because... why would they? They don't know him, and they don't ask who the founder of the team is at any point. There's also the possibility that at that point they weren't sure if Kyoshi would come back to the team at all given his injury, or at least they knew he wouldn't be back in time for the matches they play in the first season. So, not much point in mentioning him.