Slam Dunk, Vol. 21

Slam Dunk [スラムダンク] #21

by Takehiko Inoue

It’s do or die for the Shohoku High School Basketball Team! If they want a spot in the Nationals, they need to win this game. As the second half winds down, Shohoku hangs on to a one-point lead over Ryonan despite Mitsui’s collapse. Ryonan keeps the pressure on with their best players, Uozumi, Fukuda and Sendoh, giving it all they’ve got. Sakuragi steps up defensively, and now he’s Shohoku’s last hope of staying alive in the tournament, but is he up to the challenge?

Genres: Manga, Sports, Shonen, Comics, Graphic Novels, Comics Manga, Fiction

185 pages, Paperback

First published November 4, 1994

About the author

Takehiko Inoue (井上雄彦) is a Japanese manga artist, best known for Slam Dunk and Vagabond.

Reviews

[May · Rating 5 out of 5]

This feels exactly like that time when Naruto defeated Pain and became the hero of Konoha. ಡ ͜ ʖ ಡ

[Jedi JC Daquis · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you have already watched the anime series, or you already know that there's still 10 more volumes in the manga, then you'd almost certainly know who wins between Shohoku and Ryonan. The match has ended and Inoue excellently plays with the reader's emotions this time. The emotional investment you gave to some characters has finally paid off. Sakuragi's charm and relentlessness are still there but it's Kogure and Akagi who really stole the spotlight this time. I salute Inoue for particularly giving time to Shohoku's 6th man to shine.

At this point somebody told me that the anime stops here, so after this I really have no idea as to what will happen next.

[Himanshu Karmacharya · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enthralling volume that showcases the strength and weaknesses of the different characters, effectively portrays the consequence of underestimating an opponent, while providing an emotional and explosive conclusion to this arc.

[Casper Paaske · Rating 5 out of 5]

Possibly the best Slam dunk volume! The intensity before the conclusion, Sakuragi’s final push and drive, and that one chapter with almost no dialouge, where the pictures speak for themselves and the count down goes down. Then the aftermath of it all, it’s just great!

[Fugo Feedback · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fiel a mi costumbre de ser un idiota, al "releer" este tomo me di cuenta de que o bien nunca lo había terminado, o bien que me había olvidado de la mitad de su contenido, salvo un par de escenas de lo más emotivas.
Si bien nunca fui seguidor del animé, saber que a partir de este tomo es todo lo que nunca se adaptó me pone caprichosamente contento.

[Pranta Dastider · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nothing much to say. The long long battle has finally ended. Hanamichi's team reached a certain goal. Everyone is happy. Meanwhile new threats are coming forward. This will get tough yet again. That will also be fun.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

thank fuck

[Tiagoツ · Rating 5 out of 5]

o momento se aproxima

[Conejo Literario · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best volumen, without a doubt. The Game was on fire all time 🔥🔥

[Dani (ダニ ¦ 다니) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't believe there's only 10 more volumes to go 😱

[Brandon · Rating 5 out of 5]

With Mitsui down and out, Shohoku is scrambling to keep up with a Ryonan who's fresh and ready to fight. As the game races towards the finish line Inoue gives us some of his best character-centric work yet. Mitsui quietly cursing himself out for quitting basketball and potentially costing his team their Nationals spot. Kogure, the third-year and benchwarmer, having to step into a star-studded important game for the final few minutes. Some of the series' best chapters are contained in this volume- the first of which being a mid-game flashback to every characters' first years on the team. You get to see Akagi and Kogure meet, and join the high school team alongside Mitsui. Riyota joins the following year with a quiet confidence. Then a recap of Sakuragi and Rukawa joining at the start of the series. Their entire character arcs start to come full circle as those naive younger selves are contrasted with how serious and hard-working they are now. And then in a follow chapter, the game finally ends. The final 60 seconds play out to complete silence- no words, no commentary, just pure action. It's tense and keeps you on the edge of your seat as you read.

The final couple of chapters are used to establish what the rest of the series is going to be like. Shohoku will have to deal with the outcome of their match, and the characters plan where they're going next and what they're going to do to improve. Plenty of new characters get introduced in different ways that all leave a lasting impact.

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s like you’re there and you want them to make the nationals

[wiktoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

i cried

[Honeypie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sa wakas!

Sendoh, hugs!!

10 more volumes. Kakayanin ko kaya ang stress sa Nationals? 😅

[Edan Chapman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dammit. This particular volume had me crying several times.
Well played, Inoue. Well played.

[Zaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

The end of the match was a lot of fun to watch. I love to see how some players shine, especially Sakuragi, but the rest of the team is also interesting.

[Atom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tears of joy, I'm so happy for Akagi and Kogure.

[La anti · Rating 5 out of 5]

DIOSSS
LO QUE LLORE CON ESTE TOMO
En las nacionales ripeo fuerte

[Shenniferr · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐
12/03/25

[leo · Rating 4 out of 5]

it sounds like you still don't understand the BRILLIANCE OF THIS PHENOM SAKURAGI AND BY THE TIME YOU DO UNDERSTAND IT'LL BE TOO FUCKING LATE boohoo

[Joohye · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm gonna review vol 21, 22, and 23. I really like this author because he makes the story fun and interesting so I really like his mangas. I really like Slamdunk because it's really funny but it also teaches us a lot of lessons throughout the story. I learned about courage and teamwork (collaboration skills) a lot. Well, vol 21, 22, and 23 was about a team called Shouhoku going against Ryonan and Shouhoku has to win this game or else they can't go to the nationals. Ryonan is a really strong team and I think a lot of players in Ryonan are stronger than players in Shouhoku. Although losing in the first half of the game, and the second half they win. Players from Shouhoku learn a lot from the other teams and they also learn about teamwork. That was mainly about vol 21. In vol 22, the story talks mainly about Rukawa, a teammate of Sakuragi. It talks about how Rukawa was the best basketball player in Japan and he was afraid that he might lose to his teammates. Rukawa defeats Sakuragi with a 1v1 after he came back from training camp. Vol 32 talks about the nationals. In the nationals, the Shohoku had to fight against the Toyotama high school, which their A-ranked, and Shohoku is C-ranked. It looks obvious that Toyotama is gonna win. Well, the game started and Toyotama highschool was already beating them with a lot of points but then, the best player in the team, Rukawa did his best to win this. The other team didn't know who was the ace in the Shohoku team. Although when one of the members in Toyotama realized that Rukawa was the ace, he made fouls and injured him purposely. Rukawa then goes to the restroom and heal his injury a bit. He went back to the court after he thought about himself how badly he wanted to win the game. After I read all of this volume, I learned that try to do your best on whatever you do even you don't have the courage to win.

[Ben Truong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slam Dunk, Vol. 21 continues where the previous tankōbon left off and contains the next nine chapters (180–188) of the on-going manga series.

The tankōbon finally concludes the game of Shohoku High School and Ryonan High School. Exhausted by the physical exertion of the game after a long break from basketball, Hisashi Mitsui is unable to continue playing, and is replaced by Kiminobu Kogure. Meanwhile, Ryonan High School reduces the lead to only one point, but cannot score due to blocks made by Hanamichi Sakuragi and Takenori Akagi.

When there is only one minute left Kogure scores, expanding the difference to four points. In the last 58 seconds, Sendoh reduces the lead to two points, but Sakuragi makes slam dunk at the last moment and Shohoku wins 70–66, allowing them to enter the Nationals along with Kainan University Affiliated High School.

One week after the tournament, Sakuragi meets Shinichi Maki and Nobunaga Kiyota from Kainan and goes to watch the last game from Aichi's High School Tournament to see what teams will go to the Nationals. They admiringly watch the game between Meihou and Aiwa, which is won by the former.

This tankōbon is written and illustrated by Takehiko Inoue. The game between Shohoku High School and Ryonan High School finally ended, albeit there was a part of me that wondered if it would leak into the next tankōbon. It was narrated and depicted rather well and it was a somewhat foregone conclusion that Shohoku High School would win and I’m looking forward to seeing how they would do in the Nationals.

All in all, Slam Dunk, Vol. 21 is a wonderful continuation to a series that seems intriguing and I cannot wait to read more.

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

At the time of this review, I have finished the series, except for volumes 22 and 24, which I am not sure if I will go back and read.

Disaster Strikes
As we know, Mitsui collapses in volume 20! I was sad, because Mitsui is my favorite. With him sideline, Shohoku seems depressed, but then we get pep talk from an unlikely source.

Pep Talk
This actually made sense due to Akagi's promise to this individual, which helps rally the team.

Sakuragi, Kagami, and the Generation of Miracles
Okay, say what you will about Kuroko's Basketball, but the skills and talents that are displayed there are glimmering and winking at us here. It is not as obvious as Kuroko's Basketball, but it is there. This is seen in the character of Sakuragi, which in the context of Kuroko's Basketball could be a precursor to Kagami. In this volume, we see this on page 44. I know at some point I am going to make another comparison between the two. Ryonan's Coach had this to say about Sakuragi after the events of page 44: "I've seen all kinds of players in my thirty-plus year career in basketball...but I've NEVER seen anything like...Hanamichi Sakuragi. [Gasp] He was Shohoku's cause for concern in this game. I JUST CAN'T GET A HANDLE ON THE GUY! ... [Wham] Should he have been OUR concern, too?! IS THAT WHAT HE IS...?!" This almost sounds like if Sakuragi was in the Kuroko's Basketball universe then he could be an Uncrowned General or a latent Generation of Miracles like Kagami. I'm leaning toward Uncrowned General based on what I said in my review for volume 31 and how I compared him to Kiyoshi Teppei.

Akagi and Sakuragi
This mentor/mentee relationship is great, especially on pages 113-115: "C'mon. It's time to line up. YEAH...I know."

A Giant Looms
That is all I'm going to say.

Verdict: What a volume!

[Vanessa Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

*This review is for the series as a whole with 4.5 out of 5 stars*

I’ve posted 2 articles about Slam Dunk early this year so I’m sure you guys already have an idea how I adore this series. The anime series was incredible but its manga counterpart is beyond incredible, it was AHA-mazing!

I’m not a sporty kind of girl and I don’t think I’ll be anytime soon, but I think what’s great about reading books and watching shows is that you learn and (kind of) experience a lot of things you don’t normally do in real life. And because of Slam Dunk, I learn to appreciate sports stories and eventually love them.

When I started reading this manga, it felt so nostalgic. It’s not so different in the anime so while reading it, I keep on picturing out all those episodes which I think made my reading experience even more enjoyable.

Slam Dunk showcases a great team work. What I learn to appreciate about sports stories/shows is that it’ll give you a lot of lessons about what it means to be a great sportsman. And Slam Dunk absolutely slammed dunk that part!

I usually watch the anime series first before reading its manga counterpart and as for Slam Dunk, I’ve watched it quite a number of times already and I don’t think I’ll ever stop watching it, *wink. Even after watching the anime, I can still feel the tension, the suspense, and the excitement while reading this manga.

As you can read on its title, this manga centered around the sports basketball and through it weaved a really good story everyone of us will enjoy and appreciate whether you’re into sports or not. Another thing I love about reading manga is that it will never ceased to make you laugh with its funny scenes and Slam Dunk had it big time! I lost count how many times I laughed my heart out reading this masterpiece.

The drawings were really so good too plus those facial expressions were epic, especially Sakuragi’s, haha.

This story has a main character but I love that it didn’t just center around him but the author also gave its other characters a chance to share their own story. I love the character development as well especially Sakuragi’s.

And speaking of Sakuragi, I didn’t eventually like him at first. He’s definitely trouble and I didn’t quite appreciate his annoying antics and his excessive bragging. But all throughout the story, you can’t definitely help it but like his character. As I’ve said above, Sakuragi’s character development is definitely one you should see. From being this good for nothing delinquent, he became a true sportsman. I just absolutely love his improvement not just in basketball but eventually as a person. It’s definitely hard for me to explain but I just LOVE Sakuragi. Ofcourse he can still be an airhead sometimes but I can see now that it’s one of the things that makes him quite likeable, haha.

Slam Dunk has some pretty amazing group of characters and as I’ve said in this article, they come in varieties so I’m sure a lot of readers can find some characters they can relate and love.

The anime series left off the national championship and let me tell you guys, it was already good as it is. It was full of intense scenes with a right blend of humor but the national championship parts were sooooooo good I can still feel its intensity even after finishing this manga. Actually, I cried pretty hard when they won! You should definitely read it!!!

Although the ending felt short which ofcourse makes you want to ask for more, I guess it was still a pretty good and hopeful ending, not just for team Shohoku but for the other teams as well. Besides, after that intense match with Sannoh, I don’t think Slam Dunk failed me.

So if you’re looking for an intense sports shonen manga to read, Slam Dunk should be on top of your list.

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[Aritra Dasgupta · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first 80 or so pages of this are brilliant and nothing less than the very best. Sakuragi becomes the ace of the whole match here. Stopping Uozumi, Fukuda and Sendoh. He even scolds Rukawa while catching the ball he lost then in my favourite moment scoffs at him asking for the ball and then passes it to Kogure-san who instantly scores a 3 pointer. All of it was beautiful and I got real teary. It was what I was wanting the entire time from this match. The farewells after that, the regrets, the new hopes and challenges ahead. It was beautiful. But then, we have the filler arc after this as we wait for time to pass. And that is mostly unremarkable. In exposition dump fashion, we meet the new opponents, learn a little about their attitudes and so on. That didn't do it for me at all. I knew why it was there and it wasn't bad. But it was predictable and boring. Which is what this manga has consistently avoided being. I loved the front half so much so it gets a 4. Otherwise this could easily be a 1.

[Jared Pangier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Takehiko Inoue is a master storyteller in manga format. I will take pages from his craftsmanship to help simplify my own manuscript—something a bit like what Murakami did when he translated his manuscript into his simple English and then translated it back into Japanese. Inoue has a way of selecting only the most essential details. Perhaps that is what all good manga does! And this is a good manga—great, amazing, addicting.

Volume 21 brings the regionals to a close. Will Shohoku move on to nationals? Read to find out.

[N.E.C.C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh my goodness, i tear more that i wanted to.

Because i watched the anime, i knew which team was gonna win but i didn't remember exactly the "how". This was amazing, probably one of the best games so far, not only because what it ment for the teams but the emotional theme surrounding all the players personal lives.

I don't know if the last scene of the anime is in the manga or not so, i'm pretty sure everything is new from here on, CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!!

[Andrea Aguas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't stop my tears of joy when Shohoku won. Everyone's hard work paid off; Mitsui and Ryota were such a good tandem on the court, Rukawa was a powerful player, Akagi was a formidable tank, and Sakuragi grew a lot and went off to show his skills.
What was surprising was Kogure's three-point shot. No one from the stadium expected him to do it. He created a huge uproar and earned praises because of it.
I can't wait to see how the National arc would fare!

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the more iconic of sports manga. It's the first series where I actually both read the manga and watched the anime. It has flawed protagonists, growing up pains, colourful characters, and beautiful meaningful relationships, all neatly wrapped around the context of college basketball.

[Andrea De Gouveia Dias · Rating 5 out of 5]

Esas cinco estrellas son nada más por el maldito capítulo de escasos dialogos. Sólo un loco mangaka se atreve a mutear sus viñetas y que lo único que se exprese es su arte a 50 segundos del final del partido.
¡El corazón se me paró!