He may be a pain in the butt, but Hanamichi`s athletic prowess and monstrous strength have not gone unnoticed by the captain of Shohoku`s judo team. Hoping to take his troupe to a national title, the judo captain is willing to go to great lengths to lure Hanamichi away from the court and get him on the sparring mat. Will out-and-out bribery convince Hanamichi that judo`s the way to go, or will he stay a basketball man to the very end?