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Why Slam Dunk’s ending is perfection.
A thread.
A thread.
I often hear complaints regarding the end of Slam Dunk due to its abruptness, and the fact that there are loose ends. A revenge match against Kainan is an example of that, it’s something that seemed to be in the works but we never get that. We understandably want to see more.
I can understand why this can be disappointing for many, it feels like Slam Dunk had enough story potential to continue for another 100+ chapters. I shared the sentiment of Slam Dunk feeling “unfinished and incomplete” upon my initial completion of the read through, but now...
I can’t see any better ending than the one we received. Slam Dunk at its essence is the story of Sakuragi Hanamichi, and his journey from a delinquent, who only indulges in basketball to impress a girl, to an individual with a serious passion for the sport. Slam Dunk is a story..
about basketball. The difference between Slam Dunk and the majority of other sports manga, is the fact there is no grand ambition from our protagonist. He doesn’t want to be the greatest basketballer to ever live. He lacks any real passion for the sport at first, and is...
propelled by a natural talent for it.
Takehiko Inoue once said in an interview: “I don't force my characters to do things their personality doesn't allow, even if it means to progress the story.”
I love this. It’s realistic and believable. And it’s also the sole reason why...
Takehiko Inoue once said in an interview: “I don't force my characters to do things their personality doesn't allow, even if it means to progress the story.”
I love this. It’s realistic and believable. And it’s also the sole reason why...
Sakuragi gradually growing love for the sport feels so rational.
There are other characters in the series and in Sakuragi’s team, like Akagi for example, who wish to be at the very top of the sports world and win the national championship. This doesn’t happen in Slam Dunk...
There are other characters in the series and in Sakuragi’s team, like Akagi for example, who wish to be at the very top of the sports world and win the national championship. This doesn’t happen in Slam Dunk...
and that’s one of the reasons why I believe the ending is so perfectly fitting. Akagi’s desire to win the national championship stems from a desire to overcome the ridicule of his classmates and other peers in the world of high school basketball. THIS is what matters...
and this is achieved in the final arc. Slam Dunk’s final match is between Shohoku and Sannoh, who are the defending national champions. By beating them in that final match, Akagi’s desire is fulfilled, despite not winning the entire championship. The Shohoku High team proves...
everybody wrong. They beat the best team Japan has to offer, and this is what truly matters. On top of this, it is within this final match that Sakuragi finally appreciates his love and passion for basketball.
By delivering a match of unparalleled heights, a match with stakes that honestly could not have been replicated further in the story, Takehiko Inoue ends Slam Dunk on its highest high.
And most important of all, he ends the manga with the end of his protagonists character arc. In ch. 5, basketball is the sport Sakuragi hates most. In the final ch. Sakuragi is recovering from his injury, eagerly waiting for the day he can play the basketball he loves so much.
Inoue himself believes this is the best way Slam Dunk could have ended. Sure, there’s a lot of potential that may feel “wasted”, but that’s a result of looking at Slam Dunk in the same lens you’d look at most other sports manga. Slam Dunk isn’t about winning. It’s about passion.
