The First Slam Dunk

Shohoku's “speedster” and point guard, Ryota Miyagi, always plays with brains and lightning speed, running circles around his opponents while feigning composure.

Born and raised in Okinawa, Ryota had a brother who was three years older. Following in the footsteps of his older brother, who was a famous local player from a young age, Ryota also became addicted to basketball.

In his second year of high school, Ryota plays with the Shohoku High School basketball team along with Sakuragi, Rukawa, Akagi, and Mitsui as they take the stage at the Inter-High School National Championship.



And now, they are on the brink of challenging the reigning champions, Sannoh Kogyo High School.

What is Slam Dunk?

Slam Dunk is a shonen manga by Takehiko Inoue that was serialized in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump from 1990, issue No. 42, to 1996, issue No. 27. The series, which depicts the personal growth of several high school basketball players, has sold more than 120 million copies in Japan. It has inspired numerous boys and girls to get into basketball. An anime series (that ran from October 1993 to March 1996), several video games, and other media based on the manga have also been produced. The Slam Dunk Scholarship was established in 2006 to support young basketball players in Japan. In 2018, a new, 20-volume shinsoban edition with all new cover illustrations was published, with volume divisions at each milestone in the story. An artwork compilation, PLUS / SLAM DUNK ILLUSTRATIONS 2, was released in 2020 to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the series’launch.