Slam Dunk
By Takehiko Inoue
31 Volumes Complete (1991–1996)
First up is a classic sports manga Slam Dunk by Takehiko Inoue. A great place to start with for sports manga even now after all these years. Sure the references of old ball players might be a little dated now but the core story and characters are timeless. Intimidating opponents, rival teammates, reliable upperclassmen; it has all the trappings of a classic sports Shonen tale. Slam Dunk stars delinquent Hanamichi Sakuragi, a red headed bad boy who only gets into basketball to impress a girl. It proves to be the perfect outlet for the troubled youth as he matures and learns to control his fiery temper. As his journey continues we see his love of the sport grow more and more. Aside from a story about basketball this is also a story about disaffected youth. Delinquents like Sakuragi who find basketball as a way to mature and grow as a person. Read on about this red headed genius with Shohoku High and how they cemented themselves as an iconic sports manga.
