The First Slam Dunk movie: Release date, story, VA, trailer

Updated on January 23 at 10:44 a.m. GMT+8: Added release date for Malaysia.

Slam Dunk is recognized as the quintessential basketball anime of the 1990s, and it’s finally making a comeback.

The hit anime depicted the lives of the oddball Shohoku High basketball team and their captain’s dream of winning the national championship.

Delinquent Hanamichi Sakuragi takes center stage as one of the team’s newest recruits. Despite having no prior experience in sports, the athletic hothead slowly falls in love with the game and the camaraderie that comes with it.

While it’s been almost 30 years since its first episode, the basketball anime is making an emphatic return with its fifth franchise film, The First Slam Dunk.

Here’s everything you need to know about the First Slam Dunk movie, including its story, release date, voice actors, and characters.

What is Slam Dunk all about?

Slam Dunk is a sports anime and manga series written and illustrated by Takehiko Inoue. Following the manga’s 1990 debut on Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump, Toei Animation adapted the franchise into an anime, which aired from 1993-1996.

Slam Dunk follows Hanamichi Sakuragi, an infamous gang leader with fire-red hair who enrolls in Shohoku High. Looking to get a girlfriend at his new school, he meets Haruko Akagi who asks him if he likes basketball.

Falling in love with Haruko at first sight, Hanamichi tries to do a slam dunk in the gym but accidentally hits his head on the backboard. Impressed by his athleticism, Haruko tells her older brother and Shohoku High basketball captain, Takenori Akagi, about the prospect.

While he has no prior basketball experience, Hanamichi joins the team in order to impress Haruko. As the season continues, he begins to enjoy the sport and the presence of his teammates.

Shohoku High basketball team roster

Story of The First Slam Dunk

Instead of Hanamichi, the animated film puts the spotlight on Shohoku High point guard Ryota Miyagi. Despite being significantly shorter than the rest of the team, he’s nicknamed the “Shohoku Speedster” for his incredible pace on the court.

In the film, Team Shohoku is set to face inter-high basketball champions Sannoh High.

Release date of The First Slam Dunk

The First Slam Dunk premiered in Japan on December 3.

Here are all the international release dates of the film so far:

Characters and cast of The First Slam Dunk

Here’s the full list of characters and their voice actors in the Slam Dunk film:

You can check out the official trailer down below:

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