I would like to know a Japanese Basketball Comic "SLAM DUNK" by Takehiko Inoue!
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by Our Founder/CEO&CTO Hiroyuki Chishiro
- He has worked as a visiting scholar at Michael Jordan's alma mater, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), from September 2012 to August 2013, and is familiar with US college basketball (NCAA) and the NBA. He is Japanese and also familiar with Japan basketball and B.LEAGUE (Japan).
- He is presently working as CTO at Guarantee Happiness LLC in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States (the town where UNC is located) from January 2020 and as CEO and CTO of Japanese Tar Heel, Inc. in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States from June 2022. He is familiar with the latest basketball in United States.
- We have written more than 110 articles on North Carolina and UNC and more than 20 articles on basketball.
- He played basketball in junior high and high school, and was in the top 8 in Chiba Prefecture in junior high school and in the top 16 in Chiba Prefecture in high school (Japan). He has experience playing American basketball with UNC students and North Carolina locals.
Table of Contents
SLAM DUNK
SLAM DUNK is a Japanese basketball comic that depicts the growth of a juvenile delinquent named "Hanamichi Sakuragi" that was serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump from 1990 to 1996.
The author of SLAM DUNK is Takehiko Inoue.
SLAM DUNK created a basketball boom in Japan at that time.
SLAM DUNK is also the comic that inspired me to start playing basketball when our Founder/CEO&CTO Hiroyuki Chishiro was in elementary school.
The characters in SLAM DUNK are modeled after NBA players of the 1980s and 1990s.
For example, the characters of Shohoku High School are said to be modeled on the following NBA players.
| Name | Position | NBA Player who Modeled |
|---|---|---|
| Hanamichi Sakuragi | Power Forward | Charles Barkley (NOTE: Dennis Rodman is also a theory, but the author "Takehiko Inoue" denies it) |
| Kaede Rukawa | Small Forward | Michael Jordan |
| Takenori Akagi | Center | Patrick Ewing or David Robinson |
| Hisashi Mitsui | Shooting Guard | Mark Price or Chris Mullin |
| Ryota Miyagi | Point Guard | Kevin Johnson |
There are many other theories, and it's hard to say who the current players look like.
The Shohoku High School jersey is a reference to Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls.
It is the same red color!
Comic of SLAM DUNK
The comic of SLAM DUNK is 31 volumes.
When Hiroyuki Chishiro was a little boy, he read it many times and often imitated the basketball play!
Here is an overview of the comic of SLAM DUNK.
Volumes 1-3: Join Club
Hanamichi Sakuragi joins the Shohoku High School basketball club and becomes a basketball player.
The highlights are as follows.
- Haruko Akagi's famous words, "Do you like… basketball?"
- 1 on 1 with Takenori Akagi, the captain of the basketball team
- Hanamichi Sakuragi's special move "Hun Hun Hun Defense"
- 1 on 1 (in Judo) with Tatsuhiko Aota, captain of the Judo Club
- Hanamichi Sakuragi's famous quote "I play basketball!" "Because I'm a basketball man!"
- Practicing the common man shot (layup shot)
- Takenori Akagi's quote "The one who controls the rebound, controls the game!"
Volumes 3-6: Practice games
Shohoku High School will play a practice match against Ryonan High School.
The highlights are as follows.
- The secret weapon "Hanamichi Sakuragi"
- Hanamichi Sakuragi's special move "Hun Hun Hun Defense"
- Hanamichi Sakuragi buying basketball shoes with Haruko Akagi
The basketball shoes that Hanamichi Sakuragi purchased for 30JPY is the Air Jordan 6 INFRARED.
If you want Air Jordan 6 INFRARED at Amazon.com, please click the following.
Air Jordan 6 INFRARED (Amazon.com)
You can also look for it on StockX!
Volumes 6-8: Fight
In the "Fight" section, the fight between the Shohoku High School basketball team and delinquents involving Hanamichi Sakuragi, Ryota Miyagi, and Hisashi Mitsui begins.
The highlights are as follows.
- The fight at Shohoku High School
- Hisashi Mitsui's past
- Anzai Sensei's famous quote, "If you give up, the game is over."
- Hisashi Mitsui's famous quote, "I want to play basketball."
Volumes 9-21: Inter-High Prefectural Qualifying Rounds
The Inter-High Preliminary Round is a tournament that decides which high schools will compete in the Inter-High School Tournament.
The highlights are as follows.
- Hanamichi Sakuragi's 5-foul exit, rebounding, and slam dunk
- Ryota Miyagi's dribbling and passing
- Kaede Rukawa's development as an ace
- Hisashi Mitsui's 3-point shooting
- Takenori Akagi's leadership, gorilla dunk
- Shoyo, Kainan, and Ryonan games
Volumes 22-31: Inter-High School
The Inter-High School version is the main Inter-High School tournament games.
The highlights are as follows.
- Anzai Sensei's old student, Yazawa
- Kaede Rukawa's awakening as an ace
- Hanamichi Sakuragi's 20,000 shots in the training camp
- Hanamichi Sakuragi buying new basketball shoes with Haruko Akagi
- Toyotama, Sanno games
- Anzai Sensei's quote, "I need to be decisive!"
- Kaede Rukawa's quote, "If Sanno is the best team in Japan... we'll kick their ass."
- Ryota Miyagi's quote, "How can I be blocked by such a big thing? Dribbling is the way of life for a little guy!"
- Takenori Akagi's quote, "The title of No. 1 center is yours, but I won't give up the national championship...!"
- Hisashi Mitsui's quote, "I... I am Mitsui! Someone who'll never give up......" "Be quiet. This sound will...... bring me back to life. Again and again."
- Hanamichi Sakuragi's quote, "I will defeat Yamao! by the genius Sakuragi!" (NOTE: Yamao means Sanno.) "The left hand is just for holding the ball..."
Hanamichi Sakuragi's new 100JPY basketball shoes are the Air Jordan 1 BRED BANNED.
If you want Air Jordan 1 BRED BANNED, please click the following.
Air Jordan 1 BRED BANNED (Amazon.com)
You can also look for it on StockX!
Dear You Who Want to Read Comic of SLAM DUNK
The comic of SLAM DUNK is 31 volumes.
If you want to read the comic of SLAM DUNK, please click the following.
Comic of SLAM DUNK (Amazon.com)
SLAM DUNK 10 Days After That (Last Episode)
In "SLAM DUNK 10 Days After That (Last Episode)," the author, Takehiko Inoue, drew the story of each 10 days after the last episode on the blackboard of an abandoned school in Kanagawa Prefecture. It is a must-see (in Japanese)!
Anime and Movie of SLAM DUNK
We introduce anime and movie of SLAM DUNK.
Anime
The anime of SLAM DUNK was broadcast from 1993 to 1996 in Japan.
The anime is 101 episodes long, and covers the period from when the students are selected to participate in the Inter-High School Championships to when they leave for the venue of the games.
Therefore, the Inter-High games against Toyotama and Sanno in Volumes 22-31 of the original work are not included.
However, in episode 98, "The Fierce Battle Begins! Shohoku vs. Shoyo/Ryonan" is an original story that is not in the original work, so you can enjoy it.
If you want to watch the anime of SLAM DUNK in English at Amazon.com, please click the following.
Anime of SLAM DUNK (Amazon.com)
Movie
There are five movies of SLAM DUNK as of April 2024.
These are original stories based on the original work.
- March 12, 1994: SLAM DUNK the Movie
- July 9, 1994: SLAM DUNK the Movie: National Championship! Hanamichi Sakuragi!
- March 4, 1995: SLAM DUNK the Movie: Shohoku's Biggest Crisis! Burn it up, Hanamichi Sakuragi!
- July 15, 1995: SLAM DUNK the Movie: Howl, Basketman Spirit! The Hot Summer of Hanamichi and Rukawa!
- December 3, 2022: THE FIRST SLAM DUNK
As of April 2024, you can see THE FIRST SLAM DUNK only of the above movies in English.
These videos are THE FIRST SLAM DUNK's opening theme "LOVE ROCKETS" and ending theme "Dai Zero Kan".
If you want to see THE FIRST SLAM DUNK in English, please click the following.
THE FIRST SLAM DUNK (Amazon.com)
Summary
The Japanese basketball comic "SLAM DUNK" was serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump from 1990 to 1996 and depicts the growth of the delinquent boy named "Hanamichi Sakuragi".
SLAM DUNK is still loved by many people more than 30 years after its serialization.
The comic, anime, and movie of SLAM DUNK are highly recommended.
Comic of SLAM DUNK (Amazon.com)
Anime of SLAM DUNK (Amazon.com)
THE FIRST SLAM DUNK (Amazon.com)