Slam Dunk is one of the most popular sports manga and anime of all time, and is extremely popular, especially in Japan. The manga has sold millions of volumes, and it is widely considered to be an incredibly influential series that continues to leave an impact on sports manga to this day.

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The Slam Dunk anime ran from 1993 to 1996, meaning it has been a long time since the series' prime. While there have been many popular sports anime since its ending, Slam Dunk remains a paragon of sports anime. Here are some aspects of Slam Dunk that still hold up after so many years.

5 The Camaraderie

Slam Dunk Shohoku Team starters all together

Sports are all about teamwork, especially a sport like basketball. Without everyone working together to achieve a common goal, it'd be impossible to achieve victory. Because of that, it's important for players to trust their teammates and build a rapport with each other to achieve success. Slam Dunk knows this, so the development of the relationships within the Shohoku team gets a lot of focus.

The team at Shohoku is made up of quite a rambunctious group of characters: the arrogant Hanamichi Sakuragi, the stoic Kaede Rukawa, and the ex-delinquent Hisashi Mitsui are just some of the bold and brash personalities that make up the team. While their personalities make them stand out, it also makes it hard for them to work together. However, as their bonds get stronger, each of the members of the team starts working together better, improving the overall performance of the team. Watching this team grow and bond is heartwarming, and seeing them succeed because of it is wonderful.

4 The Rivalries

Slam Dunk Sakuragi and Rukawa fighting over a ball

Rivalries are another essential aspect of sports anime. Without strong teams to test the main characters and push them to their limits, most sports anime would be pretty boring. Slam Dunk's Shohoku is a weak, unproven team, which means that they are constantly being tested by stronger basketball teams, with Kainan and Ryonan being their biggest rivals. Rivalries aren't limited to teams, as particular players like Kainan's Shinichi Maki and Ryonan's Akira Sendoh also present themselves as mighty obstacles on Shohoku's way to victory.

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Rivalry isn't limited to other teams, however. Competition between fellow players is also important for growth, and while Rukawa may not see Sakuragi as a rival, Sakuragi does use his antagonistic attitude towards Rukawa to drive his own growth. Despite the sheer difference in skill between the two players, Rukawa eventually comes to see Sakuragi as a valuable teammate, and vice versa. In a similar way, despite the fierce rivalry between teams, the players always manage to forge new friendships by the end of the game.

3 The Basketball Action

Slam Dunk Training Match with Ryonan

As a basketball anime, a player would naturally expect the series to focus on basketball, and naturally, it does. Slam Dunk is a basketball anime in the purest sense - it doesn't have any strange supernatural powers like Kuroko no Basket, and it doesn't have special effects and imagery like Blue Lock. Slam Dunk is pure basketball, for better and for worse, and it makes no deviations or extrapolations from the game in any way.

That might seem boring to someone who doesn't have an interest in the sport, but Slam Dunk has an interesting way of making the sport look absolutely exhilarating. Matches are tense, with the advantage constantly bouncing back and forth. Players gain an advantage over each other using nothing more than the basic techniques of basketball. While fans of flashier spectacles might find that boring, the down-to-earth portrayal of basketball is enticing and still holds up to this day.

2 The Comedy

Slam Dunk Sakuragi hitting Rukawa with balls

Slam Dunk might be intense and spirited, but that doesn't mean it lacks comedy. Slam Dunk is full of humor and comedic moments, and the main character Hanamichi Sakuragi drives most of it. Despite his initially imposing demeanor, he is quite a goofy personality, and his arrogance and hotheadedness frequently put him in situations that create even more comedy. Sakuragi isn't the only source of comedy. Every character has their own potential for humor, especially in Shohoku, with each member of the team having an incredibly vibrant personality.

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While Slam Dunk is rife with comedy, it's important that it doesn't intrude during serious and impactful moments. Thankfully, it never does in Slam Dunk, where comedic moments and serious moments are mixed together so that they don't get in each other's way. This makes the series a very balanced experience that never gets too drawn out or goes on for too long.

1 Sakuragi's Journey

Hanamichi Sakuragi with his shaven head

Hanamichi Sakuragi is a pretty unique main character for a sports series. While most main characters of sports manga are usually fans of the sport they partake in, Sakuragi does not initially like basketball. He only tries to join the basketball club because the girl he likes, Haruko Akagi, told him he would be great at it. As a result, Sakuragi's time in the club early on is spent making a fool of himself on the court, as he struggles to learn the basics and lacks respect for the rules of the game.

As the series goes on, Sakuragi not only begins to get better at basketball, but he also starts learning to like it. That in turn comes with more respect for the series, which begins to change his perspective on the game. As he grows, Sakuragi begins to shed a bit of his former arrogance and realizes his responsibilities in being a member of the team. Sakuragi's growth and progression throughout the series is one of the most compelling parts of Slam Dunk and one of the biggest reasons why the series is still so beloved today.

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