History Characters / SlamDunk

* NiceHat: Either red cap or light purple cap.

* TheCheerleader: They always appear in these outfits.

->'''Voiced by''': Creator/YokuShioya (Japanese); Tim Hamaguchi [Kaleidoscope dub], David Bridges [Animax Asia dub] (English)[[note]]'''Other languages''': Enrique Mederos (Latin American Spanish)[[/note]]

->'''Voiced by''': Creator/TomomichiNishimura (Japanese); Carlos Diaz [Kaleidoscope dub] (English)[[note]]'''Other languages''': Abel Rocha (Latin American Spanish)[[/note]]

-->Ookusu: Creator/NobutoshiCanna (Japanese); Tim Hamaguchi [Kaleidoscope dub] (English)[[note]]'''Other languages''': Creator/IrwinDaayan (Latin American Spanish)[[/note]]

* BeautyMark: Under his left eye.

* {{Megane}}: [[TheNicknamer Hanamichi]] even calls him "Megane-kun".

* TheDogBitesBack: When Mitsui's gang arrive at Shohoku, Tetsuo subjects Noma to a ColdBloodedTorture so he can tell them where Shohoku's gymnasium is, but is unsuccessful. After Youhei beats up Norio's cronies, one of them tries to use a ShovelStrike on the former, only for the rest of Sakuragi's gang to knock him out. Then, the group helps Sakuragi defeat Mitsui's gang at the gym to stop the basketball team suspended from the nationals.

* BerserkButton:
** Don't insult basketball in front of him. EVER.
** Hanamichi doesn't need to insult basketball to push his button. In fact, he's pretty creative when it comes to it. HilarityEnsues EVERY time.

* BerserkButton: According to the prequel, he LOATHES when people toss trash around. And it's ''double'' when they throw things into the sea. Later, it's violence against women and ''especially'' to Ayako.

* BerserkButton: He flips out when he hears Kishimoto talking smack about Sendoh.

* AnimalMotifs: He looks like a gorilla, anche the other players will ''not'' let him forget this.

* BigBrotherMentor: To Sakuragi, who even refers to himeself as "Gori's Younger Brother" during the Kainan match.

* MonsterBrotherCutieSister: The Monster Brother to Haruko's Cutie Sister.

** Sakuragi sometimes manages to push him into incoherent rage. The first time he completely files off the handles is when Sakuragi slam dunks on his head.

* YamatoNadeshiko: He's a RareMaleExample. Think of it: He is handsome but not gorgeous, acts as sub-captain and TeamMom to Shohoku, defers a lot to [[TeamDad captain Akagi]], is ''very'' devoted to his close friend Mitsui, he tends to try defusing crisis with gentle words (i.e., the very rebellious Sakuragi ''adores'' Kogure and is very protective of him)... but when the Shohoku team is under fire, [[SilkHidingSteel the steel comes out]] and Kogure proves himself to be mentally strong enough to do thinks like [[spoiler: taking a slap to the face from the still not {{Heel Face Turn}}-ed Mitsui without flinching, and later telling him to NOT mess up with '''his''' team]] or [[spoiler: scoring a three-pointer ''exactly at the moment when it's needed'', being vital to the victory against Ryonan and letting Shohoku go to the Nationals.]]

* TheAce: Sendoh is one the most talented players in Slam Dunk. He's a good shooter, nice rebounder and also a strategist of the game. He's able to play fancy offense but also great defense to stop outstanding forwards such as Rukawa. Despite his height he's a very speedy and flexible player. His teammates sincerely believe victory is always an option as long as he's on court, no matter the opponent or the situation.

->'''Number''': 6

* TheStoic: Most of the time he's seen cool and collected.

%% * BadassMustache: Noma.

* TheCheerleader: Always appear in these outfits.

* TheCheerleader: always appear in these outfits.

* NotSoDifferent: Although the two are polar opposites in personality, Sakuragi and Fukuda are actually very similar when it comes to basketball. They're both relatively new to the sport, quick learners, poor in defense, and are very prideful.

* UnskilledButStrong: As he's meant to be NotSoDifferent from Sakuragi.

* NotSoDifferent: He and Rukawa are truly happy only when they are being challenged by a WorthyOpponent. He mentions this during the game.

* NotSoDifferent: She and Hikoichi, despite their age difference. Lampshaded when it turns out they have the same CatchPhrase (which Hikoichi may have picked up from Yayoi) and at least once they delivered it ''in exactly the same voice tone and with the same expression''.
-->[[LampshadeHanging "Those siblings, they're much more alike than they look!"]]

->'''Voiced by''': Creator/AkikoHiramatsu (Japanese); Martha [=MacIsaac=] [Kaleidoscope dub], Emily Woo-Zeller [Animax Asia dub] (English)[[note]]'''Other languages''': Creator/CristinaHernandez and Connie Madera (Latin American Spanish)[[/note]]

* FromNobodyToNightmare: They went from barely a blip on people's radars to beating nationally-ranked teams in the span of a semester.

* FromNobodyToNightmare: He only played basketball for less than 6 months throughout the series, but in that time he earned the respect of national-level players, teams, and coaches.

* FromNobodyToNightmare: It must be emphasized that he only played basketball for less than 6 months throughout the series, and in that time he earned the respect of national-level players, teams, and coaches.

* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Shares his red hair, rebounding, and jersey number with Dennis Rodman.

Initially one of, if not the lowest-ranked team in the prefecture, Shohoku had not been of any significance for many years, even with one good, dedicated player in Takenori Akagi. But then, in Akagi's third year, the team assembles a small roster of talented players, and start becoming legitimate contenders.

* UnskilledButStrong: One of the recurring themes of the story is his potential to be a great basketball player, but his lack of skill in many areas, especially because he started his training much later than his other teammates. He slowly but surely grows out of this as the series progresses.

Initially one of, if not the lowest-ranked team in the prefecture, Shohoku has not been of any significance for many years, even with Takenori Akagi being the one good, dedicated player. However, by Akagi's third year, the team assembles a small roster of talented players, and start becoming legimitate contenders.
* FromNobodyToNightmare: They went from barely a blip on people's radars, to beating top nationally-ranked teams in the span of a semester.

* TheAce: The best one-on-one player in the entire series, able to wipe the floor with Shohoku's Ace Rukawa.

* WildCard: He may be the weakest member of the Shohoku starting lineup, but he is also the final key to their effectiveness. Besides being a defensive beast, Sakuragi is also pretty good with unexpected plays, often ambushing his opponents when they expected him the least. Being a rookie with little exposure also has something to do with it, because nobody knows what he might do next, and it unnerves the other players.

* VitriolicBestBuds: The people they fight with the most is each other, but as a basketball team, there are few more cohesive or talented.

* WildCard: Sakuragi is actually pretty good with unexpected plays, often ambushing his opponents when they expected him the least. Being a rookie with little exposure also has something to do with it, because nobody knows what he might do next, and it unnerves the other players.

* WeakButSkilled: Their starting lineup is a national-caliber team, but everyone else is next to worthless. [[spoiler:When Sakuragi and Mitsuo have to be sidelined after getting injured, along with everyone else exhausted after pushing past their limits to beat reigning National Champion Sannoh, the team get trounced in their next match.]]

* FromNobodyToNightmare: They went from barely a blip on people's radars, to beating top nationally-ranked teams in the span of a year.
* WeakButSkilled: Their starting lineup is a national-caliber team, but everyone else is next to worthless. [[spoiler:When Sakuragi and Mitsuo have to be sidelined after getting injured beating reigning National Champion Sannoh, the team lose their next match.]]

* FromNobodyToNightmare: These guys were barely a blip on people's radars, and then they were beating top teams.