Hanamichi
Sakuragi is a delinquent and the leader of a gang. Sakuragi is very unpopular
with girls, having been rejected an astonishing fifty times. In his first year
at Shohoku High School, he meets Haruko Akagi, the girl of his dreams, and is
overjoyed when she is not repulsed or scared of him like all the other girls he
has asked out.
Haruko,
recognizing Sakuragi's athleticism, introduces him to the Shohoku basketball
team. Sakuragi is reluctant to join the team at first, as he has no prior
experience in sports and thinks that basketball is a game for losers because
his fiftieth rejection was in favor of a basketball player. Sakuragi, despite
his extreme immaturity and fiery temper, proves to be a natural athlete and
joins the team, mainly in the hopes of impressing and getting closer to Haruko.
Later on, Sakuragi realizes that he has come to actually love the sport,
despite having previously played primarily because of his crush on Haruko.
Kaede Rukawa — Sakuragi's bitter rival (both in basketball and because
Haruko has a massive crush, albeit one-sided, on Rukawa), the star rookie and a
"girl magnet" — joins the team at the same time. Not long after,
Hisashi Mitsui, a skilled three-point shooter and ex-junior high
school MVP, and Ryota Miyagi, a short but fast point guard, both
rejoin the team and together these four struggle to fulfill team captain
Takenori Akagi's dream of winning the national championship. Together, these
misfits gain publicity and the once little-known Shohoku basketball team
becomes an all-star contender in Japan.
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