"I was so frustrated that I continued practicing even after I retired… And then when I entered high school, hell yeah, I laughed. The guy I vowed to defeat no matter what was standing right in front of me as one of my own teammates. But now it's pointless to hold a grudge. Rather, I wanted to make you recognize me."[3] (to Shintarō Midorima after they first met)

"It occurred to me the first time we met, you and I are the same type of person. We're both first years and we both specialize in passing. So I guess you could say I hate you because your so similar to me. I just don't wanna lose to you." (to Tetsuya Kuroko during their first time playing each other)