Shuzo Nijimura

Nijimura joined the Teiko Basketball Club and, a talented player, almost immediately made the main team, becoming team captain in his second year. It was in his second year that he recruited most of the future Generation of Miracles (Kise hadn't yet arrived) to the main team. When Kuroko found his style, Seijuro Akashi proposed a match between the second and third strings so the coach and Nijimura could assess Kuroko's strength and importance. During the match, Shuzo was surprised by the power of Kuroko's misdirection abilities, as well as his "invisibility" on the court. After this, Nijimura began to observe overall positive changes within the team. After Kuroko's arrival, their fighting spirit increased, and their friendships deepened. Realizing the error of his initial judgment and comparing it with Akashi's strategic thinking, Nijimura decided to hand over the captaincy to Seijuro. In his conversation with Sanada, Nijimura emphasized that Akashi was more deserving of the Teiko captaincy.[6] However, there was another reason for his voluntary resignation. Nijimura's father was already ill, and he foresaw his imminent retirement from basketball. The coach and Sanada agreed with his reasoning and approved Akashi's appointment as team captain.

The Generation of Miracles' strength had surpassed all limits. While watching the matches of the second National Tournament, Nijimura observed only isolated changes in the players' mood. However, this did not prevent Teiko from winning the Nationals for the second year in a row. Immediately after summer break, on the afternoon of the first day of school, Nijimura and the other third-year students quit the basketball club.[7] When news of Shirogane's hospitalization became known, he and the other upperclassmen visited the head coach several times in the hospital.

After moving to America, Shuzo met Himura Tatsuya. The two quickly hit it off and even exchanged phone numbers.

Nijimura is usually calm and extremely collected, but when necessary, he displays a stern and strict personality, unafraid to speak his mind. Unfazed by anyone, he even beat up Shogo Haizaki when he missed a match. He also possesses a keen analytical mind; for example, he easily noticed the change in atmosphere on the court with Kuroko's arrival. As captain of Teiko, he was an unrivaled leader, whom everyone obeyed.

However, Nijimura wasn't without self-criticism, dissatisfied with his excessive irascibility. This, he believed, negatively impacted his decisions as captain. Shuzo was also extremely caring towards his family. For example, he left the club precisely because he needed to move to America to visit his hospitalized father. As an older brother, Shuzo can be quite strict and overly protective, especially of his sister, who is very similar in personality to him. The boy is also not without responsibility, so when his father was hospitalized, he began working part-time in the evenings after school. This meant Shuzo could devote less and less time to his favorite sport, leading to arguments and conflicts with his sister, as Mio didn't want her brother to bury his talent.

Nijimura has short dark hair, parted to the left. He is quite tall for a high school student and is often seen wearing a black wristband on his left forearm. As captain, he wore the number 4 Teiko jersey, but after handing over the captaincy to Akashi, he wore the number 9.