Takehiko Inoue

"Real-life figure Miyamoto Musashi was the most celebrated samurai of all time. The quintessential warrior philosopher, Musashi authored 'A book of five rings, ' a theoretical guide to military strategy still used today. But the path to enlightement in feudal era Japan was fraught with peril. At seventeen years of age, Musashi-- still known by his childhood name, Shinmen Takezō-- was a wild young brute just setting out along the way of the sword....

Hanamichi Sakuragi's got no game with girls -- none at all! It doesn't help that he's known for throwing down at a moment's notice and always coming out on top. A hopeless bruiser, he's been rejected by 50 girls in a row! All that changes when he meets the girl of his dreams, Haruko, and she's actually not afraid of him! When she introduces him to the game of basketball, his life is changed forever...

Hanamichi Sakuragi never has any luck asking out the girls at school until Haruko becomes interested in him, but he must join the basketball team in order to impress her.

"As luck would have it, the basketball team narrowly avoids suspension over the all-out-brawl incident when Yohei and Mitsui's friends take responsibility. Now, with Mitsui back in the lineup for the first time in two years, Shohoku quickly resumes practice in preparation for their upcoming tournament. As punishment of the lack of discipline they displayed in the fight, though, Coach Anzai decides on a starting lineup for Shohuku's game without Hanamichi,...

"The final four teams that will play in the round-robin tournament have been decided, and Shohoku's one of them. However, Shohoku's next opponent is Kainan, and they're known as the 'Kings' for good reason-they've made it to Nationals 16 years in a row. Ever since he joined Shohoku, Akagi has dreamed of playing Kainan. His wish is about to come true, but is it one he'll soon be regretting?"--Amazon.com

"Thanks to consecutive three-pointers by Mistui late in the first half of the game against Ryonan High, Shohoku High ends the half down by only six points. Rukawa's still got plenty of strength left and he's going to need it to face Ryonan's ace, Sendoh. The pressure on Ryonan continues to draw fouls from them--can Shohoku exploit this and pull ahead? Or is Ryonan's coach Taoka just waiting for Shohoku to trip themselves up?"--Amazon.com.

Sakurgi wants to keep the team's hope alive, he needs to nail the next free throw, but he's absolutely terrible at free throws!

"Shoyo's ace, Fujima, drops himself into the lineup and quickly helps his team retake the lead from Shohoku, and despite struggling with fatigue, Mitsui stays on the floor as well. Realizing that they are the keys to winning the game, Coach Anzai focuses on both Mitsui's scoring finesse and Hanamichi's monstrous rebounding, but with only five minutes left on the clock, Shohoku will need to deliver, and fast ...".

Though they initially got off to a rocky start, Hanamichi and Ryota Miyagi quickly form a bound based on their mutual experiences with heartbreak (and being all-around losers when it comes to the ladies). Their unlikely camaraderie also helps in firing up the rest of the Shohoku team and gives everyone a substantial moral boost. This all comes to an abrupt halt, though, when a group of thugs with a score to settle with Ryota crash a practice session....