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Slam Dunk

Slam Dunk is a comedy, coming-of-age, and sports Japanese anime and manga series. The manga was written and illustrated by the Manga Artist, Takehiko Inoue. On October 1, 1990, the manga was first serialized in Shueisha’s Weekly Shōnen Jump.

Moving towards the anime, the anime was first aired on October 16, 1993, on the English network, Animax Asia. The anime is directed by the director Nobutaka Nishizawa. Whereas, the anime is written by Nobuaki Kishima and Yoshiyuki Suga. As of now, the new movie of Slam Dunk is releasing in Q4 of 2022.

Slam Dunk- Main Plot

The main plot of the anime is based on basketball. The anime centers around Hanamichi Sakuragi. Hanamichi Sakuragi often gets angry and is very high-tempered. Even he holds a record of getting rejected by more than 15 girls in his middle schools. Furthermore, he has only two things on his mind. One is “ hate basketball “ and another is ”I need a girlfriend”.

But one day, a girl named Haruko Akagi gets involved with him. She asked him if he liked basketball or not. Moreover, Hanamichi falls in love with her. After that, she takes him to the court and asks if he can do a slam dunk or not. To impress Haruko he jumps for a slam dunk but hits his head on the board. By Looking at Hanamichi’s physical shape and abilities, Haruko tells the basketball team captain about Hanamichi. Which led him to participate in the basketball team, for which he was been treated unfairly.

Character chart of Slam Dunk

*The age and height of the character are based on their first appearance in the series.

Slam Dunk- Characters

1. Hanamichi Sakuragi

• Age: 16
•  Height: 190 cm
•  Birthday: April 1
•  Position: Power Forward

Hanamichi Sakuragi is the main protagonist in the series. As a power forward he plays for Shohoku High School Basketball Team. Even more, Hanamichi is very rude and thinks himself best without any skills. The reason he hates basketball is that the 50th girl who rejected him was in love with the basketball player. Later, he gets into basketball for Haruko Akagi with whom he falls in love.

The Japanese voice for the character is provided by the Japanese actor, voice actor, and singer Takeshi Kusao. Takeshi works for Aoni Production. Some of his projects include Dragon Ball Z, Guilty Gear, and Code Geass.

Moving towards the English dubbed version, the Canadian voice actor Robert Tinkler provided the voice.

2. Kaede Rukawa

• Age: 15
•  Height: 188 cm
•  Birthday: January 1
•  Position: Small Forward

Kaede Rukawa plays as the small forward and an ace from Shohoku High. Moreover, he is very quiet and mature. Besides basketball, he has a hobby of sleeping. Also, he wants to join NBA and even asks permission to coach, Anzai. But Anzai refuses and advises him to become the best high school player in Japan first. Sadly he has no friends after the basketball team.

The Japanese voice for the character is contributed by the Japanese voice actor Hikaru Midorikawa.

Heading towards the English dubbed version, the Canadian voice actor Scott McCord provided the voice.

3. Takenori Akagi

• Age: 18
• Height: 197 cm
• Birthday: May 10
• Position: Center

Takenori Akagi is the captain of the Shohoku basketball team. Furthermore, he is the brother of Haruko Akagi. Because of having an average player on his team, he was doing everything alone. But In his 3rd year, Hanamichi Sakuragi joins the team. Though, Hanamichi was a beginner his ability to jump high provided an advantage for the team. The scholarship provided to him was also stopped as he lost to Aiwa. As a result, he has to give normal exams.

The Japanese voice of the character is portrayed by the Japanese voice Kiyoyuki Yanada. Whereas, the English voice for the character is provided by the American voice actor Jun Legaspi.

4. Ryota Miyagi

• Age: 17
•  Height: 168 cm
•  Birthday: July 31
• Position: Point Guard

Ryota Miyagi is one of Sakuragi’s close friends. Due to some misunderstanding, they have a conflict with each other. The conflict happened because Ryoto thought Ayako was dating him. Both of them are unlucky in love. Like Sakuragi was rejected by 50 girls, Ryota also gets rejected by 10 girls.

The Japanese voice for the character is played by the Japanese actor and voice actor Yoku Shioya. Also, the English voice for the character is provided by the Canadian voice actor Tony Daniels.

5. Hisashi Mitsui

• Age: 18
•  Height: 184 cm
•  Birthday: May 22
•  Position: Shooting Guard

Hisashi Mitsui plays as a Shooting Guard on Shohoku Basketball Team. Being a good player he can join any team he wants. Because he wants to stay in the same team due to the winning spirit of coach, Anzai. During his training session, he gets wound in his knees. Despite having an injury in the knee, he can make his team win through his skills.

The Japanese voice for a character is voiced by the Japanese actor and voice actor Ryōtarō Okiayu. Ryōtarō is affiliated with Aoni Production.

The English voice for the character is provided by the Canadian voice actor Steven Bednarski.

6. Shinichi Maki

• Age: 17
• Height: 184 cm
• Birthday: August 15
• Position: Point Guard

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Shinichi Maki is captain of Kainan Basketball Team. Furthermore, he has repeatedly become the best player in the region. Additionally, he has also become the crown MVP of the prefecture twice. As a captain, he is calm and listens to every member of the team. Similarly, the team members also follow his orders gently. Sometimes he becomes strict too. His main ability is to score from the lane while drawing a foul. It is easy for him because of his physical appearance. The scoring ability, he is four times good as a player of Shohoku. Due to his long, it makes it difficult for the rival team’s Point Guard to stop him.

The Japanese voice for the character is contributed by the Japanese voice actor Hisao Egawa. Hisao works for Aoni Production. Some of his projects include Naruto Shippuden, Detective Conan, and One Piece.

Moving towards the English dubbed version, the Canadian voice actor Jeff Lumby provided the voice.

7. Soichiro Jin

• Age: N/A
•  Height: 181 cm
• Birthday: October 27
• Position: Shooting Guard

Soichiro Jin plays as a shooting guard for Kainan Basketball Team. He can score 3 points easily for which he is even respected by his opponents too. When he first joined the team he wanted to play as a center. But he was not fast and physical, which made him play as a shooting guard. Even more when Riki Takato told him he can’t play as a center, he started to practice hard. And he started to shoot around 500 times a day to become a good player. Though being the best player, he has a polite manner with zero attitudes. Because of his long span, he can defend very well.

The Japanese voice for the character is portrayed by the Japanese actor, voice actor, singer, and narrator Nobutoshi Hayashi. Nobutoshi is also known as Nobutoshi Canna.

8. Kicchou Fukuda

• Age: N/A
• Height: 188 cm
•  Birthday: N/A
•  Position: Power Forward

Kicchou Fukuda is a second-year student and basketball player at Ryonan High School. His power is unbeatable which creates many rivals in Kanagawa Prefecture for him. Because of his curly hair, Sukuragi often calls him Fukuse. Even his teammates are confident to get a point if he is in the offense. While in the game he always performs pump fakes to trick his opponents.

The Japanese voice for the character is played by the Japanese voice actor and narrator Hideo Ishikawa. Hideo is affiliated with Aoni Production. Some of his projects include Bleach, One Piece, and Naruto.

9. Akira Sendoh

• Age: 17
• Height: 190 cm
• Birthday: February 14
• Position: Small Forward/Point Guard

Akira Sendoh plays as an ace for Ryonan High School. In Kanagawa, he is one of the top players. Furthermore, he cares for a free and calm person. Whether he is on a court or outside, he keeps a smile on his face. Sendoh was in Tokyo in his junior and came to Kanagawa because of his coach, Taoka. Later, he becomes captain of the team as Jun Uozumi retires from the team. By gaining more knowledge and experience, Sendoh changes his gaming style in his second year. Moreover, he is a playmaker on the team.

The Japanese voice for a character is voiced by the Japanese voice actor and narrator Hōchū Ōtsuka. Hōchū is affiliated with the talent management firm Crazy Box. In this anime world, he is known for providing a voice for anime like Captain Tsubasa, Cowboy Bepop, and Bleach.

Heading towards the English dubbed version, the Canadian voice actor, Hochu Otsuka provided the voice.

Also read the amazing facts about characters, manga, and voice actors of Black Lagoon, The Rising of the Shield Hero, Ranking of Kings, and Fruits Basket.