#sendoh akira slam dunk

[bunnies-and-blues]

Hello gorgeous, I hope life has been treating you well! Can I request mitsui, miyagi, sendo, and maki with a reader who likes to draw and often goes to their practice to draw them? If not or it’s too many that ok! Thank you for your consideration!🫶

─꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱─ slam dunk : my muse ! ☆

⸝⸝ tl;dr : sd boys with their artist partner ! involves hisashi mitsui + ryota miyagi, akira sendoh, and shinichi maki !

⸝⸝ note : i took a bit of liberty and made the reader their partner, i hope that's okay ! idm making a seperate post wherein reader is their friend / admirer if ever :DD

hisashi mitsui + ryota miyagi . . . seperately !

the moment you and mitsui/miyagi became a thing he just became the cockiest person in the world . like, genuinely . it was really cute and endearing at first but eventually everyone's just pissed at him t-t

even more so when he's at practice ... all of a sudden he's extra energetic and his form is beyond perfect (not that akagi's complaining; if you get them to play well then that's all for the better)

he knows that you like to draw —its even one of the reason why he likes you so much ! — and the moment he found out that you drew him during his practices ... oh my god, ego to the roof !! /pos

mitsui flashes you a devilish grin, his eyes gazing upon the quick sketches you've made of his form. "i look great," he states. he winks as he walks back towards the ring, aiming for a three-pointer. "make sure to get my good side, yeah?"

look, mitsui's all cocky and arrogant when he's in front of the others (much to their chagrin), but in private — that's a whole different story . he's consistently sending kogure and akagi photos of your art, pretty much showing them off !!

and he makes sure to thank you for all of your efforts ; he'll buy you all the art supplies you want ! (and he'll try to draw you as well, but he's not the best at it ... )

miyagi is speechless when you show him your sketchbook. across the pages are drawings of him, each pose dynamic and vivacious. he could practically feel the energy radiating from your sketches. "this is amazing," he murmurs, heart-eyed. he looks up at you. "you're amazing."

much like mitsui, he'll show your art off — but he'll show it off to everyone. the basketball team, ayako, his classmates, his family- you name it !

what can i say ? he loves you !

akira sendoh . . .

"woahh!" sendoh exclaims, his eyes alight with glee when you show him your sketchbook. he takes it in his hands, holding it as if it was the most precious thing to exist. he traces the outline of his sketched-out form with a delicate finger, his grin spreading ear-to-ear. he looks at you with crinkled eyes, his smile as bright and warm as summer sun. "these are really good ! maybe you should teach me how to draw !"

sendoh is all smiles when he saw your drawings of him . he can't help it ! believe it or not, he's seen fanart of himself alongside the countless fanmail he's received, but never before has he had someone draw him so ..

he can't describe it, really . but all he knows is that it's the best art he's ever seen ! your art was warm, each pencil stroke filled with love and care, your affection for him reflected tenderly in the careful way you drew his features.

like with mitsui and miyagi, he'll gladly show off your art to the basketball team ! and before you know it, you'll have a line of the team members asking for you to draw them as well .

shinichi maki . . .

maki stares at the compilation of sketches in his hand. admittedly, he had felt a bit downhearted when he saw that you've been drawing during their practices, feeling as if you haven't been paying him attention, but he couldn't have been more wrong. he caresses the paper with a gentle hand, then pulls you in for an embrace. "thank you, my darling," he murmurs, his breath warm against your ear. "these are wonderful."

a gentleman through and through, maki makes sure to show his affections after receiving such a gift (even if you didn't mean it to be a gift in the first place) .

he starts giving back, taking you out on art dates and offering to buy you any art supply you want . even if you ask for just a simple pencil, he'll ensure that you get only the best quality !

unlike the other three, he'd want to keep your art of him for his eyes only . not that he's not proud of it or anything, but he just prefers for your art of him to be seen by only him ... not that it works (kiyota would find a way to snatch them from him when he's not working lmao)

[sannuiz]

Slam dunk dump #1

[slamdunkhcs]

some tea about sendoh (from a source close to inoue!!!)

These pertain to Sendoh as he’s who I mainly asked about (due to Sendoh being such a mysterious character throughout the series)

When I asked about why Sendoh loves fishing so much, they revealed that it was because his grandfather had introduced it to him, they would fish together from a young age, and his grandfather would give him life advice while they fish tg. His grandfather passed away shortly after he moved from Tokyo so part of it is so he can honor him in away.

The other reason they gave me is due to Sendoh valuing solitude. While he doesn’t mind being around others, at times he feels he doesn’t belong, and he likes to have a quiet space where it is just him and serene blue waters.

Sendoh has few friends in his life, if any. While he does like his teammates and others around him, he feels he can’t “truly be himself” and has to put up a calm and collected front, even though that is not always him.

He said inoue worded it as “Part of why Sendoh doesnt have many friends because he feels that most people automatically have an idea or standard of who he is in their heads, and he feels the need to be that person, despite the fact they don’t know him. He feels that if he shares who he actually is, he ends up letting them down”

HIS FAMILY BACKGROUND: His family is comfortable, but not superrr well off. His father is a businessman while his mother is a stay at home wife. He is able to get his wants and needs without much of an issue, and he’s apparently traveled on vacation abroad with them before too (to Taiwan and SK from what they mentioned!!!). He has a very close relationship with his mother as she supports him in whatever he likes, but not so much with his father. His father is more of a practical and disciplined/strict person, so he never really understood his son’s more carefree and relaxed view on life. As a result, Sendoh had chased his father’s approval in his younger years.

ACCORDING TO THEM, SENDOH HAS NEVER BEEN IN A RELATIONSHIP 😂😂😂😂. “He’s had his fair bit of attention from girls but he’s never been the type to rush into anything without meaning behind it,”

THIS ONE SURPRISED ME A BIT: He really respects and admires Miyagi, for being able to “let loose” and “be himself”, and still have people admire him. Meanwhile, he feels a pressure to maintain a certain front around others.

[takumifujiwaraswfe]

Hello! Your miyagi headcanons were so cute and I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind doing some romantic headcanons for mitsui? Thank you!

I'm very happy that you like my headcanons! I hope you'll like these ones too. Thank you ❤️

HISASHI MITSUI ROMANTIC HEADCANONS

| PLAYLIST |

First off, thank your best friend (eghem Haruko). Why? She loves Rukawa.

'Why does it matter?' - You may ask. She forced you to go to the basketball practice with you. And that's where you saw him.

He was intrigued by you from the first second he saw you, but he didn't really do anything with this fact at first.

After a few weeks, though, he asked Haruko about you, and she freaked out. She spilled the tea on you immediately.

The next practice you went on with her, she made the two of you talk with each other alone.

At first, it was kind of awkward, but you quickly got along with each other.

This man is the definition of an older brother's best friend, okay? You may not have a brother, though. You just have his best friend as a boyfriend now. You're welcome. Good luck.

TBH, he is kind of like a big brother sometimes and jokes like one most of the time.

He's possessive, but in his own weird way, because he's also really confident in himself.

He'll see you talking to any boy. He'll go over to you, put his hand in your pants's back pocket, grab your buttocks firmly, and just smile at the guy. His aura is just unbearable.

He's such a tease, too. No filter, man; I will tease you everywhere.

He'll introduce you to his grandma first. Since then, you go over to her place sometimes to help her with her garden or to simply eat cakes she makes. They are like heaven in your mouth.

He ain't scared of anything. Literally. He will ring the doorbell at your house, asking your parents if you're home, because he wants to take you on a surprise date. That's how he met your parents, btw.

Your mom loves him; she thinks that he's really handsome, and he helps her when she needs it, so it's a bonus point.

Your dad, though, thinks that Hisashi is just a bad boy and a bad influence on you.

He will teach you how to play basketball and say that you'll need that because someday he'll marry you and make a basketball team with you.

HE'S SO GOOD AT COOKING, LIKE WHAT? (got it from his grandma)

Hugs you from behind EVERYWHERE.

He picks you up on random trips or dates, nonstop. Once you were watching a movie and he just called you, saying that he'd pick you up in 2 hours. Why? You go on a trip to the beach with the basketball team, apparently.

You fight all the time because his hobby is annoying you. That shocks everybody, because he's just a serious guy for most people. Not for you, though.

He just keeps annoying you and then teases you about being angry.

But you can't be mad at him. He'll laugh for a little and then make you some delicious food.

10/10 boyfriend. Would recommend.

[slamdunk-headcanons]

Slam Dunk boys who would tease you to call your attention

Miyagi Ryota

Do it only to make you laugh. So if you start getting really mad, he stops. If he notices you're uncomfortable, he apologizes;

Never uses physical touch to tease you;

Do it in a really polite way, and only when he feels you're in the mood;

Prefers to tease you in a way that he can show off at the same time;

Nobunaga Kiyota

Nobunaga only teases you if you're friends. If you're childhood friend, teasing is the basis of your comunication;

Nobunaga can be such annoying as a young brother, and he'd become even worse if he starts falling in love with you;

He starts to make you mad by teasing you as a defense mechanism, like he's trying to prove to himself that you're not the type of girl he would fall for. "See how horrible she is when she's mad? How would I ever fall for a girl like her? I like the cute ones that are gentle and calm!"

Can use physical touch to tease you, but stops if he starts falling in love, because touching you makes his heart pound;

Mito Yohei

Do it to make you laugh;

Loves to poke your cheeks;

He melts inside when his teasing make you run after him to give him a noogie;

Assumes he's the only guy that can tease you if you're good friends. So he gets really mad if he sees another guy teasing you;

Immediatly stops and apologizes if he feels you're umconfortable with the teasing;

If Mito realizes he's in love with you, his teasing becomes kindda clumsy;

Ookusu Yuji

His teasing is professional;

He doesn't stop until you hit him with a slap on his back or a punch on his head;

Likes to pull your cheeks with his fingers;

Sometimes steals your food during lunch if you're not giving him enough attention or ignoring his teasing;

He does it only if you're good friends;

Only teases you because he's madly in love with you and cannot think of a better way to call your attention because he thinks you're too much for him;

I feel so sorry for the guy that teases you in front of Ookusu

Sawakita Eiji

His teasing is so adorable and childish that is hard to get really mad at him;

Do it to make you laugh, but if you're mad, is a bonus for him;

Because he thinks your mad face is the most adorable thing;

Sudden pokes on your ribs during class and then pretend that nothing happened are his favorite

Only do it if you're friends;

Laugh loud at your energetic reactions;

Sometimes he does it until you run after him in the hallway to hit him with your school bag;

Hates to see other guy teasing you. However, Sawakita knows that he's popular, so he uses only his presence to discourage the guy;

Sendoh Akira

THE TEASING KING™

Sendoh is the most terrifying teaser because he does it and STAYS CALM WITH THAT BUM FACE imagine a guy that can easily break all your composure down in seconds and stay calmly grinning at you that's Sendoh

Sendoh is able to do it even if you're not friends. But to do it, he has to be extremelly interested on you. And if you're not interested in basketaball at all, or if his reputation on Ryonan doesn't make you give him even a bit of attention, prepare yourself, because Sendoh is

STUBBORN, STUBBORN, STUBBORN, STUBBORN LIKE HELL so he won't stop til he gets what he wants

Teases you to test your reactions and he has a lot of fun doing it;

Don't you dare show nervousness around him because is EXACTLY WHAT HE WANTS;

Asks to taste your lunch and doesn't even wait your answer to take something from your bento;

Openly wants to do school activities with you so he'll have more opportunities to tease you;

Doesn't use physical touch to tease you at first, only if you grow closer;

When you're closer enough, he learns to poke you in a way that makes you jump suddenly on your place. And he does it in a way nobody notices him, only your sudden move.

If you ever try to hit him because of something he did to tease you, it's done. He won;

Silently protects you from guys that could be crazy enough like him to tease you;

Masterlist/ Ask box open!

[slamdunktheories]

Sendoh Akira: A Character Analysis (Translated)

One of the best and most memorable Slam Dunk character analyses I’ve ever read was actually an answer to a question hilariously titled: “How do I marry Sendoh Akira?” (Author: 木子妞 - Link). The first half of the answer was particularly incisive and made me consider things I'd never noticed about Sendoh.

The original is in Chinese but here's an English version of the first half thanks to a nifty translating tool (I've edited for clarity and brevity; parts in bold for emphasis). Let's dive in!

~ Start of translation ~

Question: How do I marry Sendoh Akira?

Answer: 1) MENTAL SPEED

First, you have to be excellent - not in a Mary Sue protagonist way with incredible beauty and tremendous wealth etc.— these aren’t relevant in Sendoh’s eyes. Instead, your emotional intelligence needs to be genuinely outstanding.

Why? Because it’s important to understand Sendoh Akira as a person, and he’s not an easy person to understand. I’m not talking about his interests either; those are secondary; it's mainly about understanding his inner world.

The thing is, Sendoh is actually a very lonely person, and I think this loneliness is not by choice. No one in Ryonan really understands him; they are not on his level and don’t genuinely understand him. Case in point: in the match against Kainan, right at the end of regulation time Sendoh went for a dunk but deliberately went at a slower speed to allow Maki to catch up to him.

Sendoh’s idea of drawing a foul from Maki to turn the shot into a 2+1 would’ve meant that Ryonan would win the match by a point. But in that entire arena, only Maki, Fujima and Aida understood this plan. Even Coach Taoka got excited about getting into overtime without realizing that if the 2+1 plan failed, Ryonan would almost certainly lose.

Sendoh's mind works too fast for most people to keep up with, and his standards are high. He also can’t be bothered to explain more than is necessary and so as a result is forced into solitude. Which is why if you want to draw his attention, you need to be sharp enough to keep up with him mentally — imagine how high your IQ must be for that!

2) IDOLISATION

Second, don’t treat Sendoh like a genius or idealise him too much, and definitely don’t put him on a pedestal to worship. Accept the real him, including his flaws. And there are a few.

For one, Sendoh is quite stubborn. In the aforementioned match against Kainan, Maki at one point said, "Don’t think I'll let you dunk easily." To which Sendoh responded, "I'll definitely dunk to show you. Just once in this match..." And he was as good as his word, pulling off the dunk right at the end of regulation time as part of the aforementioned 2+1 plan.

Sendoh also holds grudges. In the prefecture match against Shohoku, after Miyagi managed to score against him, Miyagi mocked him, saying, "Did you think I'd always wait for you to block?" Later, when Sendoh noticed Shohoku was running into foul trouble, who did he target first? Who did he go after to draw another foul? Miyagi.

Sendoh can also be petty. When Rukawa scored quickly, everyone marveled at the speed of his shooting that even he, Sendoh, couldn't block, and Sendoh responded by scoring right away using the exact same technique as Rukawa.

In other words, the so-called basketball genius/living legend isn’t necessarily the real Sendoh Akira himself. Sendoh the basketball player gets lionised a lot but the real Sendoh actually has a temper.

The main difference that sets him apart from others is that he isn’t as easily bothered by things. Sendoh is more mature than his peers, and he’s able to keep most of his emotions in check or bury them deeper so it's harder for people to notice them.

But if you really want to draw his interest on the romantic front, you’ll need to treat him as an ordinary person. That’s how you'll earn his respect. To be clear, it’s not about playing hard to get; it’s about seeing him with a calm mind.

Because of Sendoh's relatively mild temperament and easygoing nature, when it comes to piquing his genuine romantic interest, Sendoh Akira is the most difficult man to deal with in all of Slam Dunk. Much more difficult than Rukawa.

Rukawa can be lured by some top class basketball intel, but Sendoh Akira has almost no weak points to exploit, precisely because so little gets him worked up. The only seeming weakness is his loneliness.

If you can 1) make him feel understood and 2) do so without needing to say it out loud, then you might have a chance with him. These two points are prerequisites. And if you feel you could pull off both points and truly love him to the point of marrying no one but him, then continue reading for some specific methods, though they're not guaranteed to work.

~ End of translated first half ~

We'll skip the second half since it's not that relevant in terms of character analysis. (But it is worth a read if you are a Sendoh fan. It covers a rather elaborate plan!)

On the topic of Sendoh, I would also add that him misremembering Sawakita's name isn't pure coincidence/a gag but perfectly in keeping with his character IMO. He seems the type that is competitive right in the middle of a match but once the match is over, he doesn't hold on to losses as tightly as, say, Rukawa. I mean, let's face it. If the same thing happened to Rukawa (losing big time to Sawakita) you can bet he'd remember Sawakita's name till the end of time. But Sendoh doesn't take such losses quite so personally, and that's why he'd be the type to misremember the name of someone who beat him.

[driverzhigh]

slam dunk characters that i usually don't draw 🐾

[rose-colored-sd]

[azzurro-due]

[imtomiee]

(Part one)

To hold, to feel, to breathe, to live youuuu

DANGEROUSLY INNNN LOOOVE

[overtaken-stream]

Your Slam Dunk headcanons are Gold 💛

I had to read all of them 🥰

Can I request a Sendoh Akira hcs 🥺

Thank you for the lovely conent 💕

Sendoh Akira x Gn!Reader Headcanons

Sendoh enjoys picnic-style dates. He finds the mood that nature presents stunning. the yellow light that the sun casts on everything, including you, is enough for him to gently grab your cheek and give you a chaste kiss on either your lips or cheek.

I can't see him having a type. He might say he does around his friends, but not actually. He goes with the flow. Whoever life throws his way, he'll accept them wholeheartedly.

He is a cultured man who doesn't speak while eating. However, just because he doesn't do it, it doesn't mean he will judge anyone who does. Most of the time, people's habits often slip his mind. Some might find your actions rude, but for Sendoh, it's nothing new—just a part of your personality.

One of the benefits of being with you is that he gets to hear his name from your lips the moment you confessed. Hearing the letters 'A' and 'K' together from you automatically makes him turn his head toward you, all giddy and acutely aware of your voice. With wide eyes, he looks at you, only to realize that, no, you did not say his name.

It's enough to ruin his nice mood. (Until you call out his name in 5 minutes.)

He loves holding your hand, feeling the warm, soft texture of your skin beneath his. It's romantic and makes his heart gently skip a beat. He can't help but smile whenever it happens.

I also think that if you have no problems with the action, he'll walk with his arm around your neck and shoulders, swaying gently as he walks alongside you. It's his favorite place to be.

I believe he has a nice laugh, not too boisterous but not too quiet. Definitely not a wheezer. It usually begins with a smile that stretches too wide until it snaps into a laugh, with the tips of his eyebrows raised. If this were a shoujo, you would see roses and sparkles with a pink, cloudy background.

Although he may look like a flirt, most of your intimate words directed at him fly over his head. It's quite annoying that he asks you to explain it later.

It isn't a secret that Sendoh likes fishing, so if you don't know how or have never fished before, he'll take you to a lake and teach you everything he does and why he does it.

He will be one Those guys who take pictures with with their giant catch in hand. He'll have you hold the camera for it too.

Most of the time he lets his catch go, only keeping a few to prepare food with.

Sendoh isn't a great cook, but he is good at following instructions, so he makes do. He isn't an artistic guy, so the presentation is always mediocre, but the taste is fine. However, if he is cooking for you, he really tries to make it look edible.

Moving on... He favors being a little spoon. He doesn't care what size you are. Just hold him. It's enough for the butterflies to come alive in his stomach. Also, he isn't a blanket person. You'll wake up and find him without one. Even if you sowed the corners to his mattress, he WILL find a way to take it off of himself, and he isn't a clingy sleeper.

[bunnies-and-blues]

─꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱─ slam dunk : songbird

⸝⸝ tl;dr : how sendoh + rukawa would react to their partner's singing talents ! requested by @milkdeco !

⸝⸝ note : apologies for the extremely late reply, stuff has been vv busy irl with school and other stuff, but i hope you enjoy regardless ! i also can't find the original message in my inbox, so i hope you don't mind me using a photo instead </33

sendoh akira . . .

the first thing that came to mind was, if ever he gets you to accompany him on his fishing sessions, he'll definitely ask you to sing for him !

doesn't matter what you sing -- love songs, hit tunes, rapid-fire rapping, he appreciates it all .

especially if you get him to sing along, and especially if it's a duet !! he may not know all the words or hit the right tunes all the time, but he truly does enjoy every moment he gets to spend with you .

karaoke is so fun with him !! he has the microphone in one hand and your hand in the other, and he's picking all the songs that you both and you two are singing so loud you swear the other booths could hear it -

will listen to all of your music recommendations, and in turn he'd like for you to listen to his ! and if ever .. possibly send in some voice messages with you attempting to sing a new tune you've discovered ?

look i dont know this guy personally but when i say that he'd fold so quickly ..

rukawa kaede . . .

while he doesn't like to show affection in public (and even then, goodluck with trying to get it in private as well), but he sure loves hearing your voice -- he could listen to you talk for ages, and he could definitely sit down and listen to you sing .

it's common knowledge that he likes listening to music, so i think that he'd swoon if you decide to make covers of songs that he likes.

doesn't matter if you think it's bad or not, he'll listen to it on repeat, constantly. working out? going out for a run? practicing? he has your voice playing in his ears the whole time.

he sends you playlists of songs that he really likes, and makes playlists of songs he think you'd like as well ! basically, his love language is making playlists of songs and sharing them with you.

if you try to recommend music to him, he'll give it a listen, but if it ultimately ends up not being his cup of tea then he'll put it in (you guessed it) another playlist that he can come back later to and revisit in his own time .

sing his favorite song for him in private . do with that what you will .

bottom line : these two are SUCKERS for you . one of them might not be as affectionate as the other, but ultimately they both love you ! they'll support whatever singing endeavors you have, and they'll root for you whatever happens <33

[sannuiz]

It's me and the other 5 five slam dunk fans i got here against the world

[slamdunkhcs]

THIS IS ANOTHER ONE I THOUGHT OF FOR A WHILE AND I HAD ROTTING IN THE DRAFTS.

deliquency in slam dunk

In Takehiko Inoue’s Slam Dunk, basketball is presented as more than just a game—it’s a lifeline for troubled characters with messy, complicated lives. While critics of the series often point to the delinquent behaviors of Shohoku’s players and their rivals as a flaw, this raw and unpolished aspect of the manga doesn’t detract from the story, but I would argue it actually strengthens it. By presenting characters whose struggles extend far beyond the court, Inoue makes Slam Dunk more than a sports manga. It is also a story about redemption, self-discovery, and the undeniable link between personal imperfection and growth.

As the protagonist of Slam Dunk, Hanamichi Sakuragi is the most obvious example of how delinquency shapes the story. Initially, his brash attitude and quick temper drove many of the manga’s early comedic and chaotic moments. But beneath his tough exterior lies a teenager desperate for recognition and validation. He is a self-proclaimed “genius” of basketball, yet he doesn’t even understand the game’s basic rules when he starts. This gap between his confidence and reality reflects his immaturity, rooted in years of rejection and a desperate need for validation. His initial scuffles with Rukawa, for example, are less about genuine rivalry and more about his inability to handle his emotions. But what sets Sakuragi apart is how basketball forces him to channel his delinquent tendencies into something productive. One turning point occurs when he resolves to work on his rebounds after being humiliated in front of the team. Though his stubbornness remains, it transforms into determination, epitomized in his declaration: “I will make 20 rebounds in the next game!” His growth as a player—and as a person—is tied to this process of refining, not erasing, his rebellious spirit.

His evolution from a reckless delinquent to a player who sacrifices everything for his team isn’t only a basketball success story. It’s a celebration of his personal transformation, one that feels earned because of where he started. Sakuragi’s rebound in the final moments against Sannoh is more than a display of his growth as a player, it’s a display of his journey from selfishness to selflessness, showing how basketball helped him confront and channel his rebellious energy.

Ryota Miyagi, meanwhile, represents a subtle, more subdued delinquency. His mistrust and quick temper stem from grief over his brother’s death and the loneliness that followed. While Sakuragi’s antics are public, Ryota’s pain is private, bubbling under the surface until basketball offers him an outlet. This emotional baggage nearly derails his basketball career when he returns to the team after a year-long hiatus. His initial fight with Sakuragi leads to one of his most vulnerable moments, where he admits: “I wanted to quit basketball… but I couldn’t let it go.” Basketball becomes Ryota’s way of healing, his means of reconnecting with others and reclaiming the confidence he lost. His journey is a more indirect form of redemption, one that emphasizes how delinquency often stems from pain rather than inherent malice. His connection with Ayako and his eventual leadership on the court also shows how the game becomes a way for him to rebuild his confidence and form genuine relationships.

Then there’s Hisashi Mitsui, whose journey is perhaps the most heartbreaking. His fall from middle school MVP to gang member is rooted in a relatable fear: the fear of being forgotten. And Mitsui’s breakdown in front of Coach Anzai, tearfully pleading, “Let me play basketball again,” is one of the manga’s most unforgettable moments because it lays bare the guilt and regret that fuel his delinquency. However, his return to basketball isn’t portrayed as a clean redemption but a slow, painful process of reconciliation—with his teammates, his own guilt, and the game itself. The beauty of Mitsui’s arc lies in its imperfection. He doesn’t instantly become the hero he once was. Instead, he struggles, and that struggle makes his eventual triumph all the more powerful.

We see throughout the series how he battles with his fitness, self-doubt, and the lingering consequences of his past, yet his pivotal three pointers in Shohoku’s games against Kainan and Sannoh prove that his resilience has paid off. Mitsui’s arc further demonstrates how delinquency in Slam Dunk is never glamorized—it’s contextualized as a response to pain, and basketball becomes his way forward.

Even the rival teams reflect this idea of delinquency as a double-edged sword, with both its destructive side and the humanity behind it. Toyotama’s players, with their trash talking and aggressive attitudes, show what happens when this rebellious energy is left unchecked. Minami’s violent foul on Rukawa during their match is reckless and brutal, and it showed how anger and impulsivity can poison the spirit of competition.

But Toyotama’s delinquency isn’t framed as pure villainy. It stems from their desperation to honor their former coach, who had been fired due to not producing “results”. After revealing this, their aggression on the court feels less like malice and more like a raw, unprocessed response to grief. They’re playing to prove something—not just to their opponents but to themselves. This makes their story more tragic than antagonistic, and that when left unchecked or unguided, delinquency can lead to self-destruction. Instead of finding redemption through this behavior, they fall further into chaos, ultimately harming the very legacy they’re trying to protect.

What makes Slam Dunk resonate is how these characters, flawed as they are, feel like people you could know—or even be. Their delinquency isn’t glorified, but rather, it’s contextualized. It’s a response to pain, loss, and insecurity, and basketball becomes the outlet through which they confront these struggles. This mirrors the lives of 1990s NBA players like Allen Iverson or Dennis Rodman, whose turbulent personal lives didn’t overshadow their greatness but instead added layers to their stories. Like Sakuragi or Mitsui, they weren’t perfect, but they didn’t need to be.

By incorporating delinquency into its characters and story, Slam Dunk gives us characters who aren’t just athletes but people—messy, flawed, and striving for something greater. It reminds us that greatness isn’t about being perfect. It’s about finding purpose, even in hardships and chaos. In that way, Slam Dunk doesn’t just tell a story about basketball. It tells a story about life.

[takumifujiwaraswfe]

hihi! i hope you won't mind another request, if not, may i request for a sakuragi romantic hc next ?╰(*°▽°*)╯

SAKURAGI HANAMICHI ROMANTIC HEADCANONS

|PLAYLIST|

The first time he saw you he knew. You're the one. The one that he can't be rejected by.

He's trying so much.

You're his classmate so it's not very easy to dodge his presence.

At first you found him annoying.

He was too childish, too happy, too energetic.

But he quickly became your too happy, energetic and childish boy. Exactly when you realized that he's not that childish. Just kinda stupid.

He's a sunshine for you for most of the time but...

Let's remember he's a teenage boy okay? I'll leave you with this fact. Your can Imagine the rest (I'm joking I wouldn't leave you like this)

Also you're basically Haruko for him cause she doesn't exist in Hanamichi's eyes in my AU (cause she annoys me💖) so get ready to train basketball with him (good luck, my short ass could not)

Listen, if you don't like PDA, this boy ain't for you. He'll do everything to show you off to everyone around you. He's so happy he finally got a girlfriend.

He will be picking you up sometimes to carry you around.

And he wants to be cool so he picked up having a hand in your pant's back pocket from Yohei...

He got attached to you so much. He can't live a day without you.

He calls you all the cringy pet names he knows about to make you feel loved, even though it mostly ends up awkward.

He asks you to study together so he can just spend time with you, but he ends up almost crying because he has to actually study then.

If any boy wants to talk to you, Hanamichi will look at him like he wants to kill him. He's so jealous... Not because he wants to control you, but because he's worried you'll leave him.

He will be the one to ask to meet your parents, and at first they were worried that you're with a criminal, but as they met him, they started to like him. They love his jokes.

Well maybe not your dad really cause he went to your room one day to see you both making out but that's a story for another time...

Also he finally found a thing he's actually good at?? Like who would have thought he's this good at kissing?

Well his mouth is trained from all the yapping that he does maybe that's why-

Okay I got too comfortable with spreading my thoughts here, let's just say that if you like clingy horny teenage boy this one's for you 10/10 bye-

[slamdunktheories]

Slam Dunk Challenge: Identify the character by the eyes alone

One of the incredible things Inoue did with Slam Dunk was the distinctive character design. This was especially unusual considering that shounen manga in the early 90s/prior often had characters who looked a lot like one another and you could really only tell them apart by their hair. The most egregious of them even had the same limbs and everything (ahem, Captain Tsubasa).

But Inoue put so much thought into character design that you could often recognise a Slam Dunk character by their eyes alone. Don’t believe me? Try this little challenge and see how many Slam Dunk characters you can recognise by the eyes alone!

I managed 21 out of 25 and I’ll bet you’ll surprise yourself with how many you can identify if you spent a bit of time on it. I'll reveal the answer in a few days in the comments below. Let's go!