An intense, emotionally charged animated sports drama where the echoes of past trauma meet the thunderous rhythm of a high-stakes basketball court, blending nostalgic grit with a visceral, cinematic exploration of brotherhood.
The First Slam Dunk
THE FIRST SLAM DUNK
"17 years and... 40 minutes."
Director:
Takehiko Inoue
Cast:
Shugo Nakamura, Jun Kasama, Kenta Miyake, Shinichiro Kamio, Subaru Kimura
Drama
Animation
Comedy
Box Office:
$258,000,000
The First Slam Dunk - Characters & Cast
Character Analysis
Ryota Miyagi
Shugo Nakamura
Motivation
To fulfill his brother's promise of beating Sannoh and to prove he is not just a 'replacement' for his dead brother.
Character Arc
Transitions from a boy haunted by survivor's guilt and 'living in the shadow' of his brother to a confident leader who realizes his own worth on and off the court.
Hanamichi Sakuragi
Subaru Kimura
Motivation
To have his 'glory moment' and prove he is a 'genius' in the face of the nation's best team.
Character Arc
Learns to put his team above his ego, culminating in a selfless play that demonstrates his genuine love for basketball, despite a career-threatening injury.
Takenori Akagi
Kenta Miyake
Motivation
To win the national championship and validate years of solitary hard work.
Character Arc
Overcomes the fear of failure and the pressure of his final high school match, learning to trust his 'unruly' teammates to carry the burden with him.
Hisashi Mitsui
Jun Kasama
Motivation
To make up for lost time and prove he still belongs on the court.
Character Arc
Struggles with his lack of stamina due to past delinquency but finds redemption through his shooting ability, refusing to give up even when his body fails.
Kaede Rukawa
Shinichiro Kamio
Motivation
To surpass Sannoh's Eiji Sawakita and become the top player in the country.
Character Arc
Learns that being the 'best in Japan' requires passing and teamwork rather than just individual dominance.
Cast
Shugo Nakamura
as Ryota Miyagi (voice)
Jun Kasama
as Hisashi Mitsui (voice)
Kenta Miyake
as Takenori Akagi (voice)
Shinichiro Kamio
as Kaede Rukawa (voice)
Subaru Kimura
as Hanamichi Sakuragi (voice)
Katsuhisa Houki
as Mitsuyoshi Anzai (voice)
Asami Seto
as Ayako (voice)
Ryota Iwasaki
as Kiminobu Kogure (voice)
Chado Horii
as Kentaro Ishii (voice)
Maaya Sakamoto
as Haruko Akagi (voice)
Chikahiro Kobayashi
as Yohei Mito (voice)
Masafumi Kobatake
as Nozomi Takamiya (voice)
Kenichirou Matsuda
as Chuichirou Noma (voice)
Kanoko Kuroshima
as Woman A / Neighborhood Child / Other Children / Additional Voices (voice)
Haruka Sakurai
as Additional Voices (voice)