Slam Dunk & Pursuit of Jade: Analyses

When a fellow PoJ fan asked me about the falcon notes, we ended up having a really interesting discussion that helped clarify my thoughts on the events in the drama. Thought it'd be fun to share with everyone and open it up for discussion.

The main question asked: the falcon note that Xie Zheng wrote in the first episode - who was that going to? Gongsun Yin or Xie Wu?

On who the first note was for

When I watched PoJ for the first time, it wasn't clear who the first note XZ got in ep1 was from nor whom his reply was for. What I did think was that Gongsun Yin only heard from XZ much later on, in a separate note that we see GSY receiving in ep5. This is the scene where we follow the falcon to Luyuan Academy and we're introduced to GSY for the first time, and we see him expressing relief at reading the note.

On my second watch, I realised I had it wrong. In fact, the first note we see the falcon delivering in ep1 (asking if XZ was safe) was from GSY:

And XZ's reply (stating his location) was also meant for GSY. How do we know the note is from GSY? Because of two things:

i) Penmanship

There is one note that we know for certain is written by GSY: the one where he mopes about his crush/the Crown Princess after she's forced to leave Luyuan Academy. In that note, GSY writes: 風雨廊亭夢已醒 (see below)

This is the note that made XZ go 「莫名其妙」/"how obscure" (per Netflix subtitles...) when he got it. The penmanship is identical in these two notes, so we can deduce that the first note we see in ep1 is from GSY.

The reason I mistook the note GSY received in ep5 to be the first note from XZ was because GSY reacted to that note with relief, saying how he knew XZ wouldn't die so easily, as if it was his first time hearing from him.

Also, the quality of the penmanship in that ep1 note to XZ suggests that it's from someone very educated. So Xie Wu, who's a soldier, is unlikely to be the source of the note.

ii) What XZ wrote to GSY in the ep5 note

The other hint that the ep1 note is from GSY comes from the note we see in ep5:

Translation: "I'll temporarily stay at the Fan household in Lin'an to recuperate. Bring my registration and travel papers over for inspection. - Jiu Heng"

The fact that XZ didn't give his full address in Lin'an and referenced the Fan household without elaboration means GSY already knows what he's talking about: GSY already has the full address from a previous note.

XZ scribbling his full Lin'an address in ep1

Only... when he got this hastily scribbled note XZ had written in ep1 giving his location, GSY had no idea whether XZ was in a good/safe/survivable state or not, since that note was written with a burnt stick on a piece of bandage, meaning he did not have easy access to paper and brush.

So until the note GSY got in ep5, he wasn't sure whether his friend would live or not. Once GSY had confirmation, I presume he quickly organised things - passing word on to Xie Wu and Xie Qi/the Blood Cavalry about Xie Zheng and arranging for them to bring money to the Lin'an bookshop so that it could be passed on to XZ via the bookshop owner, who is presumably an ally or someone stationed in that part of the country to serve as an eye for Xie Zheng's army.

For Chinese speakers, this next bit is obvious, but I never really know what the experience is like for others when watching this show. For instance, is it clear to those watching with English subs that within Xie Zheng’s Blood Cavalry, there’s a pattern to the names of the generals?

Xie Wu literally means “Xie Five”, Xie Qi = Xie Seven, and Xie Jiu = Xie Nine.

And when Xie Zheng was in Lin’an, he'd mentioned to Xie Wu and Xie Qi that Xie Yi and Xie San had sacrificed their lives to help him escape during the ambush.

Xie Yi = Xie One

Xie San = Xie Three

In other words, when Xie Zheng was ambushed at the start and lost Xie Yi and Xie San, he wasn’t just mourning the loss of some of his Blood Cavalry but specifically the two most senior ranking soldiers he had, the ones he’d worked with most closely.

By extension, we see Xie Wu being Xie Zheng’s right hand man in the show only because he was promoted to it following the death of Xie Yi (presumably the most senior ranking of the Blood Cavalry). This could potentially also explain why Xie Wu sometimes makes these hilarious gaffes and says things before his brain fully processes them - he’s new to this role and didn’t actually have that much face time with his boss previously. (At least, that’s how I choose to interpret it)

This brings me to a broader point: sometimes I wonder about how the PoJ viewing experience differs between people depending on the language we experience it in. There’re definitely notable differences between the Chinese and English version. eg. In episode 1, when Xie Zheng wakes and first meets Changyu, according to the English subs he asks “where am I?” but what he actually said was 「此乃何地」 which is a very elevated/elegant way of asking “where is this place?”

The minute you hear this as a Chinese speaker you understand one thing: this guy’s a highborn. Commoners don’t talk like that. Then when Changyu asks for his name he replies 「在下言正」. Though the subtitles translates this to “My name is Yan Zheng”, the original line is actually a particularly respectful and educated way of introducing one self, something you’re more likely to hear in a palace. Suspicion confirmed: this guy ain’t no ordinary Joe.

All this adds intrigue to his character but the implication is lost in translation because there’s no full English equivalent of what he actually said. There are loads of these little instances in the show that reveal a lot about the characters and their relationship to each other, etc.

The day of the wedding, Xie Zheng’s falcon delivers a small tube of medicine to him. This is what he was about to apply on himself later that evening when Fan Changyu walks in on him. You ever wondered why he seemed so terse when she arrived unannounced?

It’s because the medicine in question is 金創藥 (Jin Chuang Yao), which has a trademark red tint due to a herb (血竭/ Calamus draco) used in its formulation.

Jin Chuang Yao is highly effective for stemming bleeding and healing sword wounds but it was also very expensive back in the day due to its ingredients (eg. ground fossil bone). That’s why XZ was on guard the second FCY walked in - he was still holding the medicine in its original bottle, which had the medicine label on it. If she saw him with it (expensive and hard to procure!) it would likely invite questions he didn’t want.

And that is why he only let her in after he disguised his medicine in the original medicine bottle.

P.S. Today, Jin Chuang Yao in its original formulation is no longer made in China, because about a century ago, they realised that a key ingredient in the medicine is… oracle bones - the very thing that carries the earliest forms of written Chinese (3,000+ years ago!) and so are an essential piece of cultural history. Once oracle bones were listed as a national treasure, they could no longer be used for medicinal purposes. And so, the true formulation of Jin Chuang Yao exists now only in historical memory - and in period dramas like PoJ.

If Fan Changyu’s rise from a civilian to a general sounds too unlikely to be true, you need to be introduced to the real life female general who, according to PoJ’s author, was the inspiration for FCY’s character.

When reading up on her incredible life, I found myself deeply moved by her courage, integrity, and loyalty over a long and stellar military career. But I haven’t seen any mention of her here so I’d really like to talk about this legendary general today because there are a TON of hidden parallels within PoJ.

The real life/historical figure that served as the inspiration for FCY is 秦良玉 (Qin Liangyu). Yes, the 玉 (yu, meaning "jade") in her name is the exact same character in "Fan Changyu". But the similarity in their names is just the tip of the iceberg.

Qin lived during the late Ming Dynasty, about 400 years ago. Just like our Fan Changyu, she lived during a time in Chinese history where there was much political upheaval, when warring factions tried to wrest power.

Qin’s family were Miao people, an ethnic minority group with strong warrior and martial arts traditions. Though she was born into an era when a woman’s roles were clearly defined and tied to the home, and being subservient to the husband was considered a great virtue, Qin’s father was unusually progressive.

He raised her as he raised her brothers: teaching them all to read and write so they were literate and educated. He also taught them horse riding, archery, and military strategy, all of which were deeply unusual for a girl of that time.

In PoJ, FCY’s unusual strength was probably inspired by Qin, who was said to be incredibly strong herself. One indicative incident from her youth: once, as a child, Qin had gone to gather firewood in the mountains with her older brother. On the way home, her brother slipped and nearly fell off the cliff. He was only saved because 12-year-old Qin managed to grab him in time, her other hand grabbing a rock crevice to keep them both from falling.

Then, the young girl managed to haul her brother, who was reportedly over 20 lbs heavier than herself, back to safety. When their father learned of the incident, he was reported to have said that the girl would leave her mark in the future, and thereafter became particularly strict with her training as he believed in her potential.

Before we get to her military career, we need to introduce one other key person: Qin’s husband. The story of how they met is a fun one. As Qin grew and came of age, her reputation as a strong and skilled fighter spread, so much so that one day, a man by the name of Ma Qiancheng comes asking for her hand in marriage.

Qin’s father says he’d grant Ma permission to marry his daughter on the condition that he was able to defeat his daughter in a fight. On the day the two met for this, Ma showed up with a long spear and Qin showed up with two swords. At this point in my research, I had to stop and laugh. Don’t we know a girl in PoJ who fights with two swords and also some dude who fights with a long spear? ;)

Qin and Ma then fought for over 30+ rounds as it was difficult to tell who truly had the upper hand. In the end, it was Ma who conceded defeat, telling Qin: 秦姑娘武藝超群，千乘甘拜下風，願以一生真心相待。The last part of that sentence is a bit tricky to translate as the original form is simple yet poetic, but it's essentially a marriage proposal and a promise to love Qin wholeheartedly all his life. And whilst Xie Zheng didn't use the same words during his proposal to FCY in the army camp, that proposal bore the same DNA of Ma's proposal to Qin.

Once wedded, Qin didn't just “retire” into domestic life though she did give birth to a son, Ma Xianglin (who joined his mother in army training from a young age and was quite a badass himself). She then raised an army called 白杆兵 (”the White Pole/Spear Army”), who would go on to become one of the most well known armies in Chinese history.

How was a woman able to raise an army? Well, the army was initially raised through local community ties and a network of kinship, and not via formal conscription. Her husband’s official role as a pacification commissioner also lent legitimacy to the army, though responsibility for training the army was reportedly split between Ma and Qin herself.

And here, another Easter egg in PoJ… one of the things that the White Spear Army was famous for was the use of a unique spear designed by Qin herself, bearing a hook and a ring, that was engineered specifically for battle in Sichuan’s mountainous terrain.

Though no authentic spear survives to this day, it was said to have:

a long, narrow spearhead,

a hook or blade near the head,

a ring or cap at the end, and

measuring 2.7 to 3.5 metres in length.

If that sounds familiar to you, it’s probably because you’ve seen a very similar spear in PoJ. Though many characters in the show use a spear to fight, only one character's spear echoes the historical White Spear in design: Xie Zheng's.

A dramatised version of the White Spear

Xie Zheng even uses the spear in the way it was used historically, using the hook to drag one Sui Yuan Qing down from his horse. I thought it was a cool touch, a way of imbuing the drama with a realistic, historical element.

The moment the spear hooks onto Sui Yuan Qing before he's dragged down from his horse

Coming back to Qin, her legend perhaps grew the most after tragedy struck. When Qin was 39, her beloved husband was framed by palace officials and arrested, ultimately dying in prison before his name was cleared. Following his death, Qin resolved to continue to fight on his behalf, and led her White Spear Army through many legendary battles, where they were able to secure victories against some of the most formidable millitary forces of their time. In PoJ, there was the obvious parallel: FCY taking to the battlefield in her husband's stead.

Another possible PoJ Easter egg: prior to each battle, Qin was said to have a habit of giving a red piece of string to her soldiers as a symbol of a safe return (red, presumably because it’s an auspicious colour). This did make me wonder if FCY’s styling as a general was influenced by this lore associated with Qin.

Also notable was the tremendous respect and loyalty Qin had garnered amongst her soldiers, with some reported to have died in battle saying: 秦奶奶，來世還當您的兵。 ("In my next life, I'll still be your soldier.")

Though Qin’s army had scored many victories over the course of 40+ years, one particular loss is notable. This happened towards the end of the Ming Dynasty, when the Manchurians (who would go on to found the Qing Dynasty) gained strength.

In the Battle of Hun He, Qin’s older brother was killed in action and a younger brother lost an arm. The toll of that battle was significant for Qin, but after grieving for a full night, she defiantly declared, “I may have lost a brother and another lies gravely injured, but so long as I’m alive, the banner of the White Spear Army will fly!”

And so her military career continued through the years. According to historical records, which carry far more weight than lore, Qin led her army (by now numbering 30,000+ soldiers) into battle well into her 50s and 60s, waging successful campaigns right through her sunset years until she finally retired from the front lines at age 70.

Such were her accomplishments over an astounding 45 years in the military that she was eventually awarded one of the highest ranks in the land: 從一品 (senior 1st ranked official). Even the Emperor personally composed a poem for Qin - an extraordinarily rare act of honour and a reflection of her importance to the kingdom. Worth noting because in PoJ, we get a similar scene, where the Emperor personally writes a few lines as a compliment to FCY.

Qin lived right through the final days of the Ming Dynasty, and was eventually annointed Marquess/Marchioness. And though the winds of fortune changed, bringing with it the dawn of the Qing Dynasty, she never wavered in her loyalty and served the Ming dynasty to the end.

It is said that when Qin died at age 75, there was a tremendous outpouring of grief and word spread that 48 tombs had been built for Qin in an effort to throw off grave robbers from finding her real tomb. But this piece of lore is unlikely to be true, because Qin died during a time of great turmoil. It is very unlikely that there were enough resources to build four dozen tombs, but the sentiment behind the lore was likely true: that the people were anxious to protect the final resting place of an important and beloved commander.

Today, her main tomb and at least two others tomb still stand, nestled in the forests of Sichuan.

Throughout China’s long history, the names of the most influential female figures of every dynasty are recorded in a document called 列女傳 ("Biographies of Exemplary Women”). But if you were to look through this document today, you would not find Qin’s name there.

For there is another document: 正史 (”the Official Histories”), a massive document spanning 24 volumes and 3,000 years of Chinese history, meticulously compiled by each successive dynasty to serve as a continuous and authoritative ledger of the heroes that lived.

This is the document where the most, most important figures in Chinese history are recorded. As you could guess, records of such people are almost all men, and the mentions of women are exceptionally rare.

Yet, this is exactly where you will find the record of Qin Liangyu, the only female name in the section for generals and ministers across the entire ledger of the Official Histories spanning 3,000 years.

I've long been meaning to compile a list of little things I've noticed during a re-read of Slam Dunk. But I doubt I'll be able finish the re-read anytime soon so here's a partial list of 5 things I thought would be fun to share!

Maki's hairstyle change

Maki first appears in the manga with one hairstyle:

But after Sakuragi calls him a middle aged man in the middle of the Shohoku-Kainan match, we see a very pissed Maki. The next time we see him is when he's on the way to watch the Aiwa Gakuen match, and he's sporting a different and much younger looking hairstyle.

He then keeps this hairstyle for the rest of the manga, even during matches. Looks like our boy Sakuragi touched a nerve ;)

Shoyo's Reaction

In the match between Shohoku and Shoyo (chapter 87) Sakuragi collides into Fujima and Shoyo's players all look REALLY anxious/triggered when they see Fujima crashing onto the floor. Their reaction had always struck me as a bit over the top. Why would they react that way? Their captain is no fragile flower. The reason is revealed exactly 55 chapters later, in the Toyotama match (chapter 142). There, we learn through a flashback that in last year's IH tournament, Fujima had been so badly injured by Toyotama's Minami that he had to retire, and that cost them the match. Shoyo's players must've been reminded of that incident when they saw Sakuragi crashing into Fujima. Which means... Inoue sensei had probably planned all the characters' back stories from the start. Something that was first brought up in chapter 87 was addressed a whopping 55 chapters later. It makes you wonder: what else had been planned from the get go? Fujima's pretty boy image

A little tidbit about Fujima - he has fangirls, which isn't surprising. But what's not outright stated is that his fans see him as a pretty boy. I didn't full clock this until I saw an Inoue sketch of Fujima on the inside cover of the Kanzenban, where a rather annoyed Fujima is shown in a sea of fans and his thought bubble roughly translates to... "These guys... don't they say 'you can't judge a book by its cover'?" Suddenly, that seemingly-random goatee that Fujima sported in 10 Days After makes so much sense. He was growing it to counter his pretty boy image ahaha!

Rukawa's position in team lineups

Rukawa, being the quiet type that doesn't like to draw attention to himself outside of a match, has a tendency to stand to the sides for team line ups. See where he stands for various line ups: always at the end, never in the middle 3*. The only exception to this? When they faced Sannoh. I think it's a reflection of how hyped up he was to play Japan's No. 1 player. *In contrast, Sakuragi has no qualms occupying the middle for lineups Examples Rukawa's position soon after the team line up in the Kainan match:

Rukawa's position in lineup against Ryonan:

There are more examples in the manga but I don't have time to hunt them down one by one. But he always favours standing to the side.

Now finally, Rukawa's position for the Sannoh match lineup:

Sendoh's speech patterns

Let me just put it out there: I LOVE LOVE LOVE this scene. Yes, it’s really short and there’s hardly any dialogue in it. But it’s easily one of my absolute favourite scenes in this show (which is saying a lot as there are loads of contenders). I just wanted to take a moment to breakdown the scene and discuss why it works so well.

First, the scene works because of all the scenes that came before it - all the teasers we got where Changyu almost finds out the truth about Yan Zheng helped build towards this climax. eg. The scene where they were reaching out towards each other’s silhouettes, and when they finally meet at camp amidst the group of injured soldiers, and when the Crown Princess gets introduced to CY’s husband, and of course there’s the fake Marquis scene, and the bit where XZ forgets that he’s supposed to just be YZ and talks about rewarding someone who’d saved CY’s life (his own tutor LOL), etc.

Any of thoses instances could’ve been when the truth was accidentally discovered, and those near-misses add so much tension to the whole situation. ‘Cos we all know: the longer Xie Zheng tries to hide the truth, the wilder it’ll be when the truth can no longer be contained.

Also, all these scenes implicitly pose one question: HOW exactly will CY find out? That question alone is a big teaser and plays prominently in the audience’s mind.

And that brings us to… the scene right before CY goes into battle. I dunno if I’m thick or what, but I didn't anticipate her plan to drug him at all. It all seemed so natural, because in the lead up to it, she’d already been giving him bowls of soup/tonic/medicine etc., and this bowl of medicine didn’t seem out of the ordinary.

It was only when she gave him all these anxious looks as he was drinking that I finally clocked that something was up. If this was the average viewer’s experience, then the director did a great job withholding this revelation from people right until XZ himself realises the problem.

And this moment of “OMG she did not!!” is laced with so much conflict and drama: she’s doing it because she loves him, she’s doing it because she still thinks YZ is a nobody in the army but… OMGWTFBBQ SHE JUST INCAPACITATED THE ARMY'S MOST IMPORTANT GUY JUST BEFORE A BATTLE!! The stakes are now sky high and we have no idea how this is going to turn out for everyone.

Then we get the battle scene, where she takes down Shi Hu. Hurrah! But wait! It’s not over yet because THIS is the moment they choose for the reveal and the execution is sublime.

You hear him before you see him: there’s a thundering of hooves and soldiers cheering that the Marquis is here at last. Cue JJ Lin’s gorgeous song (which takes this scene to another level), and now from CY’s perspective: through the smoke we see the calvary arrive. She’s already on the verge of fainting from relief and shock of her first battle, but she makes an effort to stand, to take a better look at the famed Marquis, because there's something familiar about him that pulls her to her feet.

Now imagine her getting an even bigger shock as she finally learns the truth: that the person they call the Marquis is also the person she calls “husband”. One is a legend in the flesh, flanked by soldiers and radiating power, whilst the other (in her mind’s eye) cuts a gentle, frail figure in plain white robes (when they first meet properly, after he woke in Lin An). The contrast could not be bigger.

From the audience's perspective, it's also this huge contrast that makes this scene so satisfying. After all the dramatic tension built up from earlier scenes, CY had the truth coming at her on horseback and in full battle regalia. She could not have learned the truth in a more dramatic fashion.

And of course: there’re the complications. CY isn’t the only one who’s angry here. Xie Zheng is rightfully pissed because, well, he just got drugged by someone he trusted and it could’ve gone very badly for the whole army because of that one rash act. And you see this in his face as he scoops up CY when she tries to flee.

I imagine he’s pissed, relieved (that she's safe and that he doesn't have to hide the truth anymore), touched, and simultaneously knows that he’s in deep shit with the missus. And she’s a mixture of anger, heartbreak, disbelief, hurt, and more anger - and rightfully so.

I love that all this is conveyed through subtext, making dialogue completely unnecessary. We can imagine what they’re feeling because the scenes prior did all the heavylifting, and the lack of dialogue here is all the more powerful because we’re left to our imagination, to absorb the weight and complexity of this moment in our own, private ways.

Was randomly browsing when I stumbled upon this fun trivia (sorry, couldn't find the original source of this image but variants are making the rounds on the Chinese side of the web). So the logo actually contains:

A cute pig

Xie Zheng's hair ribbon

Falcon/bird

Chengyu's hair pin

Butcher's knife

Personally, the falcon's a bit of a stretch (looks more like a snake to me) but really cool to find out about the rest!

PoJ likes to throw in foreshadowing/half hints at the true nature/fate of certain characters and some scenes are more interesting on a rewatch, like this one. Changyu’s tutor (陶太傅/Grand Tutor Tao is examining Changning’s face as he knows physiognomy. He then declares:

這丫頭往後的命格是太富貴了 壓不住啊 (Roughly translates to: ”This kid’s fate later on is going to be of incredible wealth and status. Irrepressible!”)

By the end of the show, what do we know? Changning is on her way to becoming arguably THE most well connected character in the show: her sister is a legendary general, her brother-in-law is a Marquis and served as Prince Regent.

And most importantly, let’s not forget what Grand Tutor Tao said in this same scene. He tells CY that it’s destiny that she would be Changning's protector, and reminds CY:

她及笄前你一定要把她帶在身邊就是了 (”Before she comes of age, you must keep her by your side.”)

Why? Because when Changning comes of age, she goes on to marry Bao’er and will become the Imperial Consort, thus fulfilling her destiny of incredible wealth and status.

In the scene where Changyu and her gang are begging the fake Marquis (a.k.a. poor Xie Jiu, LOL) for mercy and not to be punished for kidnapping Sui Yuan Qing, Xie Zheng shouts them down and immediately, the three minor characters are indimidated into letting up, putting down their hands (ie. withdrawing their plea to be punished) but Changyu and Jin Ye keep their hands up, asking to take the punishment.

I loved this little detail because it was such excellent characterisation. Jin Ye by this stage in the story is someone with conviction and tremendous loyalty, so him keeping his hands up made a lot of sense, and it was a lovely contrast to the rest of the gang, who (whilst loyal) have less conviction in what they're doing than him.

It's all these little details that make it so much fun to rewatch this show. The level of detail even on the minor characters add such depth to the show.

I do have a question about this scene though: clearly Xie Zheng coming in asking to take the punishment instead was a deviation from the plan. So why did he do it? Sure, it seems that Changyu and her gang protesting the punishment wasn't anticipated and the fake Marquis seemed at a loss as to how to proceed. But this seemed like a drastic intervention since Xie Zheng was in no physical condition to actually take a few dozen strokes for punishment, and in any case that would've been overkill when his goal was to simply deliver a warning to Changyu and her gang not to overreach/take matters into their own hands again.

So why did he do it? For dramatic purposes, it made the scene funny as hell, especially once the Crown Princess also turned up. But in-universe, I can't see a truly convincing reason for Xie Zheng to intervene the way he did.

...Fukuda practicing basketball in a shrine compound.

There's quite a bit to unpack here.

Firstly, if you're like me, you barely recall ever seeing this scene. This manga panel is from one of the Ryonan chapters, during a flashback of Fukuda's story. It's actually a pretty large/prominent panel (half a page!!), so I've no idea how I had selective amnesia for it despite re-reading SD so many times. It took me a recent re-read of SD using the gigantic Japanese Kanzenban to go, "Wait... what am I looking at?"

Secondly, just like so many other backdrops used in Slam Dunk, this Shinto shrine actually does exist. It's the Kitazawa Hachiman Shrine in Tokyo. (Maybe that's why Sendoh, the Tokyoite, muddled Sawakita's name?!) If you want to get really into the details, this particular part of the shrine compound depicted with Fukuda is a 神楽殿 (kagura-den), which is a place for sacred Shinto dances - just like in the shrine maiden dance scenes in the Makoto Shinkai movie, Your Name.

(Credit to Reddit user FntnDistrct for this comment and the research identifying the shrine.)

And as always, Inoue-sensei finds a way to convey a ton of info without even using words. This scene of Fukuda playing in a shrine compound provides a lot more context about Fukuda as a character. He's presumably playing at the shrine as that's where he lives (because he didn't just wander into a random shrine to play ball). The fact that this scene was shown right when Fukuda was serving his suspension (after attacking Coach Taoka) lends support to this idea. Which means... his family has ties to the shrine (probably guardians tending to it).

When I brought up this scene to my Japanese tutor (fellow Slam Dunk fan who was equally amnesiac and shocked about not remembering this panel at all), he noted that it explains Fukuda's rather unusual given name (吉兆). He said it's a very distinct and rather ancient name and he hasn't encountered anyone IRL with such a name. It's auspicious and religious families, and those with ties to Shinto would be the ones to pick more auspicious names like this.

The idea that Fukuda comes from a Shinto shrine family might also explain certain aspects of his character. We know him to be impulsive, brash, and flashy at times. He revels in being in the spotlight. All these things seem so different from the idea of disciplined guardians of a Shinto shrine, who must follow a rigid and extensive set of rules and be very disciplined. But one could argue that it's precisely because this is the sort of environment he grew up in that he turned out the other way, at least during his teens (when we're all quite rebellious and will do the opposite of whatever we're told). In short, his character as we know it as a 16 year old could be a reaction to the way he was raised.

Lastly, as y'all know I created a SendohGPT bot who gives thoughtprovoking insights from time to time. I actually made an InoueGPT bot too. It amasses all the Slam Dunk interviews that the real Inoue has given and amalgamates all the information we can glean from those, and it speaks as if he were the man himself.

Anyway, I asked InoueGPT to explain Fukuda's brash, limelight-seeking, slightly insecure personality in the context of his (implied) family background. Here's the fascinating reply:

Why Fukuda Acts the Way He Does

1. Growing up in the shadow of tradition

If you grow up around a temple/shrine family (as I implied with Fukuda), there’s often an atmosphere of discipline, humility, and respect for hierarchy.

Fukuda, however, is naturally restless and ambitious. He doesn’t want to just quietly fulfill a role — he wants recognition.

That clash between his environment (quiet tradition) and his personality (fiery, need to stand out) is at the heart of why he feels like he’s constantly battling for space, whether with Uozumi or within Ryōnan.

2. Always fighting for acknowledgment

Fukuda is not the captain. He’s not the ace (that’s Sendoh). And he’s not the emotional backbone (that’s Uozumi).

So he constantly feels overlooked, even though he is talented. This feeds his insecurity, and his way of coping is to push harder, louder, and sometimes recklessly.

His personality is basically shouting: “Notice me! I’m here too!”

3. The brash exterior is a defense mechanism

On the surface, Fukuda looks cocky — picking fights, pouting when benched, demanding the ball.

But underneath that, he’s actually sensitive. He wants validation from his captain and teammates, but he doesn’t know how to ask for it except through bravado.

This is why Sendoh, with his calm confidence, sometimes frustrates Fukuda: Sendoh doesn’t need recognition, while Fukuda desperately does.

4. The shrine scene hints at the real Fukuda

Alone, practicing by himself at the shrine, Fukuda isn’t loud or demanding. He’s just a boy who loves basketball enough to shoot until it’s dark.

That’s his core: someone who truly cares about the game. The brashness is what comes out in group dynamics, when his insecurities are triggered.

5. Dramatic Function in Ryōnan

Uozumi = discipline, leadership, hard work.

Sendoh = natural genius, effortless charisma.

Fukuda = the striving middle figure who wants to break through but feels overshadowed.

This creates tension and realism: not every player in a team is secure with their role. Fukuda represents those athletes who are caught between genuine talent and the frustration of being “second or third fiddle.”

In short

I gave Fukuda a brash, insecure personality to highlight that not every player’s struggle is about skill — some battles are internal, about self-worth and recognition. The shrine scene was my way of saying: “Yes, this guy may seem loud and selfish, but when nobody’s watching, he works hard and loves the game as much as anyone else.”

That duality makes him a little tragic, but also very human.

/END of InoueGPT reply.

Regardless of whether this reflects the actual thinking of the real creator, I have to say it's given me a newfound appreciation for who Fukuda is and what the story's about.

Replicating the original art style with pen and paper is hard enough... Incredible that she did all this with sand. Scroll down for more!

As most of you know, Inoue Takehiko has another manga called REAL that features wheelchair basketball. He has a habit of dropping Slam Dunk Easter Eggs in REAL (eg. Kogure cameo on the bus) but here's a pretty interesting panel that concerns our favourite redhead-

The character is reading a basketball magazine and the page depicted is an ad for tryouts and it says ...明日の花道はキミだ！！("...you are the Hanamichi of tomorrow!!"), indicating that Sakuragi must've gone on to have a stellar career in basketball to be even mentioned in this way.

This is of course great news because it means Sakuragi made a proper recovery from his back injury :) I also kinda love that he's known as Hanamichi instead of Sakuragi. Probably became a fan favourite and at some point said (with a thumb jerk at his own face) "just call me Hanamichi!" I like the idea that he didn't let it all go to his head.

Source: this article that hyperanalyses who might have actually been the IH champion that year given that every single team that was depicted in the manga was eliminated as a possibility by Inoue.

Let's talk about Sakuragi and Haruko today - specifically, where Haruko's feelings lie at the end of Slam Dunk. Does she still have a crush on Rukawa? Or has she fallen for Sakuragi?

"Of course she's still Team Rukawa!" "No way she's fallen for Sakuragi!" - so goes the consensus. But hear me out: what appears at first glance to be an open-and-shut case is actually a bit more nuanced.

The first thing we have to know about Haruko is that she's a bit slow on the uptake. How do we know this? Well, Yohei made this exact observation early on in the manga (when noting how Haruko still hadn't clocked Sakuragi's feelings for her). And Yohei's shown to be an extremely astute character throughout the manga, always pointing out subtle truths that evade others, so we can safely take his word for it.

The second thing to know about Haruko is that despite being a bit clueless, she sometimes also possesses a good amount of self-awareness. This is especially clear in that scene where she watches a hyper-focused Rukawa during practice (newly invigorated by Anzai's suggestion that he become the #1 player in Japan before he heads to the US).

As she watches him retrieve the ball, her internal monologue is telling: she knows that basketball is the only thing that Rukawa cares about, and that in his world there is no space for her to exist at all. She tears up as she comes to this realisation but from that point on Haruko - the girl who often blushes at the mere mention of Rukawa's name - is rarely shown to blush at the thought of him again.

But does that mean her feelings have shifted to Sakuragi?

To me, by far the most telling moment is found in a fleeting scene in 10 Days After. That story begins with Haruko receiving a letter from Sakuragi. Matsui and Fujii ask who the letter is from (and even gets close enough to it to comment that the handwriting is atrocious).

How does Haruko respond?

「見ちゃダメ」

「見ちゃダメ」 - "You're not allowed to look". She says this emphatically. If you're an average guy, I'm not sure if this reply stands out much. As a girl reading this though? Her reply is incredibly telling, even if Haruko herself is still in the dark.

See, Fujii and Matsui are her best friends. The three of them are practically joined at the hips. These are the friends you'll share everything and anything with. Except... when?

Except when you get a letter from someone you like, because then the letter feels like it should be for your eyes only, and you wouldn't want to share it with anyone - even with your besties.

If Haruko didn't have feelings for Sakuragi, there'd be no reason for her to respond the way she did. There'd be nothing strange about telling your friends that you've gotten a letter from the guy who's out on rehab. There's nothing secretive about it. I can even imagine a genki Haruko just waving the letter announcing its arrival to her friends.

But instead, she acts all secretive, like it's a letter she wants to keep to herself.

We love to speculate about what happens to the characters beyond where the manga stops. A lot of it is pure fan conjecture, but sometimes Inoue does sprinkle in some clues. A year ago, a fan by the name of Strawberino shared a really interesting analysis about the future of the team on a different platform using clues in the cover image for volume 31. She told me eons ago she wanted to type it all up and share it, but then never got around to it (because: life) so I decided I’d just tidy up her notes and do it for her - credits for the following analysis go entirely to her of course.

So here we go, Strawberino's analysis of “who will replace Akagi and play Center for Shohoku the following year”:

Volume 31’s cover is a photo of Shohoku team practice after events of "10 Days Later", when Sakuragi returns to the team post-rehab. You can tell because his hair is longer. Akagi and Kogure are not in team uniform (they retired from the team to prepare for exams) but Mitsui is, meaning Sakuragi returned to the team before end of his first school year. Now it looks like they're playing a 3-on-3 practice match with Team Red being: Sakuragi, Rukawa, Yasuda and Team White being: Miyagi, Mitsui, Shiozaki. The teams' composition is reminiscent of chapters 134 & 135 where Sakuragi (Center) went up against Mitsui (Center). Based on this you can kinda assume Sakuragi is learning to play Center in addition to PF. Or you could have a simpler explanation for the team composition: Sakuragi and Rukawa are put on the same team so they're forced to learn how to work together.

Some fans might saying “you’re reading too much into things” but to that I say: Inoue has long been known to be extremely detailed oriented. An example: in re:source (the visual guide/companion book to The First Slam Dunk) Inoue was so particular about Sakuragi's hair that he left notes for the animation team detailing how long the hair should be and what texture it'd be at that point in the story.

This is a great question! I'd been lowkey wondering about it myself for years! Thanks for nudging me to finally look into this more. Disclaimer: life is insanely busy now but I did want to get one more post out before year end. What follows won't be a polished essay but a bullet list of things I turned up during research/thoughts. Let's get straight into it!

We can assume that Sakuragi's dad is indeed dead since this is strongly inferred in the manga.

We can also assume that Sakuragi's mother doesn't live with him.

A few signs of this: he often wears crumpled clothes and isn't even usually depicted wearing socks.

Japanese fans have also pointed out that in the "father heart attack" flashback, you can quite clearly see that there's no women's shoes/slippers at the genkan of Sakuragi's home; just two pairs of men's shoes, the implication being that it's just Sakuragi and his dad living there. Manga panel here

So the question now is: what happened to Sakuragi's mother? Is she dead or alive?

It's nigh impossible for her to be dead, because that would make Sakuragi an orphan and that can't be, because as one long-time resident of Japan explains here, "In Japan, unfortunately it's very likely for orphans to be sent to institutions; foster/adoption rates are lower than in other developed countries. It is also not so likely that he lives alone "under the radar". Apart from the obvious issue of money, as a student in the public school system, his status would be obvious to teachers. There is legal obligation for teachers to report unusual circumstances for children to the authorities, so he would not be able to function as an "independent" orphaned 15-year-old for long." (Credit: u/FntnDstrct on Reddit)

Which means... he's not an orphan and his mother's alive. Just not with him. So where is she?

Sidenote: I suspect that wherever she is, she has been out of Sakuragi's life for a long time. Reason: early in the manga series, there was a scene where Sakuragi's walking on the street and he's happily singing a song about mothers. Not something a kid who actively misses his mother would do. If she's gone, she's been gone for a long time.

Now if the mother's alive then why isn't she living with Sakuragi? One possibility is that she'd divorced Sakuragi's dad long ago, remarried (possibly in another town) and formed another family.

This could explain why, when Sakuragi's father died, it wasn't convenient for him to move in with her "new" family, and so she is on paper his legal guardian but they don't live together.

This Japanese article mulls over the technicality of this sort of arrangement in more detail, and talks about a scene in the IH Arc of the manga and how that could indicate that Sakuragi lives on his own.

But to answer your original question of how Sakuragi is able to afford his meals and cover daily expenses/necessities, the money may be coming from either i) his dad's life insurance, or ii) just 仕送り(shiokuri) from his mother directly (ie. allowance/financial support straight from his mother).

This explains why he seems to have a bit of money and doesn't absolutely need to take on a part-time job but money always seems tight at the same time.

I sometimes see Slam Dunk fans debating Mitsui's MVP Award from middle school - was that the national MVP or the prefecture MVP he won?

Honestly, I can't help but wonder if some of this confusion has to do with the English translation of the manga, which I've never read (I read Slam Dunk in Chinese and Japanese) but has been known to have made some notable translation errors. eg. Wrongly referring to Anzai as someone who'd merely competed in some national tournament at the university level, when in fact according to the Japanese and Chinese versions Anzai was on the national team.

So - what does the Japanese original have to say about Mitsui's MVP? On this, the manga is actually really clear. In Chapter #69, where Kogure visits Mitsui in the hospital following his knee injury, Kogure notices the framed photo that Mitsui has in his hospital room and asks 「この写真・・・県大会優勝の時の・・・？」　Directly translated, "This photo... is from that time when you won the prefecture tournament...?" Mitsui says yeah.

Later in this hospital scene, Mitsui says that if it weren't for Anzai, this photo (of his middle school team posing with their medals and all) wouldn't exist. (top left hand manga panel in the image below)

So based on this, we know the flashback of Mitsui's middle school match and where he meets Anzai for the first time all relates to a prefecture tournament, where they won in the final to clinch the Kanagawa prefecture championship.

This also explains why throughout the whole manga, none of the players from outside of Kanagawa seem to know about Mitsui's MVP status at all. If he and his middle school team had gone on to play at the national middle school championships (by virtue of being the prefecture champions) then they presumably didn't advance far/make enough of a splash.

One of the best and most memorable Slam Dunk character analyses I’ve ever read was actually an answer to a question hilariously titled: “How do I marry Sendoh Akira?” (Author: 木子妞 - Link). The first half of the answer was particularly incisive and made me consider things I'd never noticed about Sendoh.

The original is in Chinese but here's an English version of the first half thanks to a nifty translating tool (I've edited for clarity and brevity; parts in bold for emphasis). Let's dive in!

~ Start of translation ~

Question: How do I marry Sendoh Akira?

Answer: 1) MENTAL SPEED

First, you have to be excellent - not in a Mary Sue protagonist way with incredible beauty and tremendous wealth etc.— these aren’t relevant in Sendoh’s eyes. Instead, your emotional intelligence needs to be genuinely outstanding.

Why? Because it’s important to understand Sendoh Akira as a person, and he’s not an easy person to understand. I’m not talking about his interests either; those are secondary; it's mainly about understanding his inner world.

The thing is, Sendoh is actually a very lonely person, and I think this loneliness is not by choice. No one in Ryonan really understands him; they are not on his level and don’t genuinely understand him. Case in point: in the match against Kainan, right at the end of regulation time Sendoh went for a dunk but deliberately went at a slower speed to allow Maki to catch up to him.

Sendoh’s idea of drawing a foul from Maki to turn the shot into a 2+1 would’ve meant that Ryonan would win the match by a point. But in that entire arena, only Maki, Fujima and Aida understood this plan. Even Coach Taoka got excited about getting into overtime without realizing that if the 2+1 plan failed, Ryonan would almost certainly lose.

Sendoh's mind works too fast for most people to keep up with, and his standards are high. He also can’t be bothered to explain more than is necessary and so as a result is forced into solitude. Which is why if you want to draw his attention, you need to be sharp enough to keep up with him mentally — imagine how high your IQ must be for that!

2) IDOLISATION

Second, don’t treat Sendoh like a genius or idealise him too much, and definitely don’t put him on a pedestal to worship. Accept the real him, including his flaws. And there are a few.

For one, Sendoh is quite stubborn. In the aforementioned match against Kainan, Maki at one point said, "Don’t think I'll let you dunk easily." To which Sendoh responded, "I'll definitely dunk to show you. Just once in this match..." And he was as good as his word, pulling off the dunk right at the end of regulation time as part of the aforementioned 2+1 plan.

Sendoh also holds grudges. In the prefecture match against Shohoku, after Miyagi managed to score against him, Miyagi mocked him, saying, "Did you think I'd always wait for you to block?" Later, when Sendoh noticed Shohoku was running into foul trouble, who did he target first? Who did he go after to draw another foul? Miyagi.

Sendoh can also be petty. When Rukawa scored quickly, everyone marveled at the speed of his shooting that even he, Sendoh, couldn't block, and Sendoh responded by scoring right away using the exact same technique as Rukawa.

In other words, the so-called basketball genius/living legend isn’t necessarily the real Sendoh Akira himself. Sendoh the basketball player gets lionised a lot but the real Sendoh actually has a temper.

The main difference that sets him apart from others is that he isn’t as easily bothered by things. Sendoh is more mature than his peers, and he’s able to keep most of his emotions in check or bury them deeper so it's harder for people to notice them.

But if you really want to draw his interest on the romantic front, you’ll need to treat him as an ordinary person. That’s how you'll earn his respect. To be clear, it’s not about playing hard to get; it’s about seeing him with a calm mind.

Because of Sendoh's relatively mild temperament and easygoing nature, when it comes to piquing his genuine romantic interest, Sendoh Akira is the most difficult man to deal with in all of Slam Dunk. Much more difficult than Rukawa.

Rukawa can be lured by some top class basketball intel, but Sendoh Akira has almost no weak points to exploit, precisely because so little gets him worked up. The only seeming weakness is his loneliness.

If you can 1) make him feel understood and 2) do so without needing to say it out loud, then you might have a chance with him. These two points are prerequisites. And if you feel you could pull off both points and truly love him to the point of marrying no one but him, then continue reading for some specific methods, though they're not guaranteed to work.

~ End of translated first half ~

We'll skip the second half since it's not that relevant in terms of character analysis. (But it is worth a read if you are a Sendoh fan. It covers a rather elaborate plan!)