#Ryonan

[slamdunkhcs]

This is something I’ve thought about for a hot minute and i wanted to make an essay on it :))

socioeconomics in slam dunk

Like many things in life, basketball is a money sport. While inherent talent and skill is incredibly important, without the resources and opportunities to succeed, you can only get so far.

Throughout Slam Dunk, the importance of money and how it has a massive role in the world of basketball is not explicitly stated, but through the depictions of different teams in the series, it is prevalent.

We are first introduced to Shohoku High, a public school in Kanagawa. Shohoku is not a “poor” or “ghetto” school, but it is by no means a prestigious school either. Shohoku is initially depicted to be an ordinary school, but we are also shown how it has delinquency and school fights — especially among its protagonist and his “gang”

Shohoku’s normalcy is extended into its clubs, in particular, its basketball club. This club isn’t necessarily “run down” or “at risk of not existing anymore”, but aside from its coach (Coach Anzai, a man who used to coach the Japanese national team) and Akagi, their star center, Shohoku’s basketball team doesn’t have much going for it. Due to being a public school, Shohoku doesn’t have the money incentive to recruit star players (like some other schools I will mention soon), and most stars (besides Rukawa LOLLL) won’t go to an ordinary school “on a whim”

Moreover, the financial disparities become even more personal through the experiences of the characters themselves.

Sakuragi is hinted at to be poor, and the notion that basketball is “pay to play” is first explored through him in volume three, where Hikoichi (a player from Ryonan who “scouts” their competition) points out that it is strange Sakuragi doesn’t have basketball shoes, but he is quick to tell himself that it is likely because Sakuragi can’t afford them. Many basketball shoes, especially the Jordans that Sakuragi obtains throughout the series, are well over the $150-200 USD price range. While it is possible to play without basketball shoes, not having shoes that are designed for basketball automatically puts a player at a slight disadvantage.

This brings into question how resources—or the lack thereof—can subtly but significantly influence the trajectory of a player’s journey and a team’s potential for success. Sakuragi was lucky to have gotten practically free basketball shoes due to the generosity of a store owner, but those costs were his own out-of-pocket expenses. Unfortunately, a public school without special stipends for their programs cannot provide financial assistance to provide some of the resources to nurture potentially talented players.

While schools like Shohoku do not have funds to incentivize players or potential talent to come their way, they also do not have the funds to incentivize star coaches to coach at these schools. While Shohoku was able to have gotten Anzai (who wanted to retire by coaching highschool basketball), many public schools do not have that same luck.

In fact, the reason that two of the starting players, Mitsui and Miyagi, even decided to attend Shohoku was due to its coach, Coach Anzai. I think this goes to show that if a school invests in incentives like star coaches or a star basketball program, then these talented players will want to attend.

In terms of schools who provide ALL the incentives, and has thus led to star teams, I want to focus on Kainan, Shoyo, and (especially) Ryonan.

All are labelled as prestigious, private schools with amazing basketball programs, with Kainan having a stellar track record at nationals. But why is that? How did they get so.. good?

If I had to best answer this, money.

Ryonan is known to have scouted its star players, with Coach Taoka even scouting Sendoh and Fukuda from a junior high in Tokyo. For reference, Kanagawa is about two hours away from Tokyo, so Coach Taoka has to provide incentives for these boys to move to a different prefecture rather than staying in a city that likely has many powerhouse schools. In his case, these incentives would likely be full rides to Ryonan, as well as extra stipends to cover these student’s additional costs (such as food, money to move away, etc). Since Ryonan has the funding to do this, Coach Taoka is able to travel around to different areas, find these hidden talents, and bring them over to Ryonan. Public schools like Shohoku, who do not have allocated funds for sports programs, do not have this opportunity… and thus, are at an automatic disadvantage.

It is not explicitly stated how prestigious of a school Shoyo is, but having a program-related disadvantage affecting their players is prevalent. They do not have an official coach (for an unmentioned reason), and their star player Fujima has to coach his teammates as a result. Unfortunately, this additional responsibility prevented him from focusing on his own skills. I do believe Shoyo IS a school that has funding, but this highlights how a program being neglected directly impacts the strength of a team.

Another team I wanted to point out is Toyotama, a team that faced some of the most immense pressure in the entire series.

While Minami and Kishimoto, the team’s leaders, are characterized as “brute assholes”, it is shown that their irrational behavior stems from their pressure to perform well in order to potentially bring back their former coach, Coach Kitano.

Although Toyotama is 8th in the country, for the investors in their school’s basketball program, this isn’t enough. And thus… Coach Kitano was fired in the hopes of getting a coach who could lead the team to a better performance.

For these prestigious schools, their end goal is making a return on their investments. After all, what is the point of pouring all that money and resources for a team that doesn't even land them in the news?

While this is sad, it is very realistic. And as a result... even though Toyotama has a prestigious program, they felt even more pressure to *make a return." and this pressure poured into the team and their behavior.

However, the school that truly encapsulates the opportunities that money and resources provide for their players is Sannoh Technical High School.

Sannoh is practically a world class basketball team, with "anyone in Japan who gives a damn about basketball knows them", a team that had won nationals for years on end.

But how can one team be so good, let alone having a lasting legacy of greatness?

While their players are undoubtedly talented, Sannoh has invested aplenty into nurturing their players' talents.

Like Coach Taoka of Ryonan, Sannoh’s Coach Damoto scouts the best and brightest for their team. Eji Sawakita, although residing in a different prefecture, was discovered and scouted by Sannoh. While it isn't explicitly said how many players they scouted, or what incentives they provided Sawakita (aside from opportunities and their prestige), it can be inferred that Sannoh likely looks for the best and brighest to be apart of their teams.

In addition to the money and resources spent scouting, Sannoh provides their team with immense opportunities that most schools do not.

It is stated that Sawakita had been sent on a trip abroad to play basketball in America, and that he even learned new techniques during his trip. To say the least, a trip like that is... expensive. To send students to a country across the world just to play basketball is a hefty price to pay, and yet Sannoh was willing to pay it.

To prepare for Shohoku's match, Coach Damoto arranged a practice match with Sannoh alum who have a similar playstyle to Shohoku. While it is possible that these alum were willing to volunteer their time doing this, Damoto going out of his way to bring them all together and schedule that practice match is something that likely cost a significant amount to make happen. And it is certainly an opportunity that many schools would not provide.

Unfortunately, it is difficult to compete with money, and this sentiment is universal for any sector.

But what makes Shohoku’s victory over all these powerhouse schools, especially Sannoh, so shocking is the fact it is an “ordinary, no name school.” Theoretically, Shohoku would never beat a team like Sannoh, especially given the fact that Shohoku didn’t even have half the money, resources, and opportunities that Sannoh does.

Yet… Shohoku did it. And I think this part of why Slam Dunk is such a beautiful story: an ordinary team was, even for a moment, able to be extraordinary.

#slam dunk essay #slam dunk #スラムダンク #headcanon #slam dunk anime #anime and manga #blog #rukawa #hanamichi #sakuragi hanamichi #hisashi mitsui #shohoku #sannoh kogyo #sannoh #analysis #socioeconomics #sawakita #eiji sawakita #sawakita eiji #ryonan #sendoh akira #akira sendoh #sendoh #kichhou fukuda #the first slam dunk #slam dunk manga #fyp #in this essay i will #essay writing #hcs

[slamdunkchile]

#slam dunk #sendoh akira #Fukuda #ryonan

[nakamorijuan]

陵南 x 海南 x 翔陽

#el.nakamori #El Nakamori #SLAM DUNK #Kainan #Ryonan #Shojo #スラムダンク #陵南 #海南 #翔陽

[benelockee]

💕

#my art #illustration #art #sketch #fanart #artists on tumblr #portrait #digitalart #slam dunk fanart #slamdunk #akira sendoh #sendoh #akira sendoh fan art #ryonan #sports #basketball

[aikisugi]

#slam dunk #sakuragi hanamichi #ryonan #shohoku

[miryel89]

Ryota Miyagi - Slam Dunk

#ryota miyagi #slam dunk #the First slam dunk #Ryota #Miyagi #sakuragi hanamichi #kaede rukawa #akagi takenori #haruko akagi #mitsui hisashi #shohoku #ryonan #kainan #sd #takehiko inoue #myart #digital #procreate #art experiment #manga #anime #slam dunk film

[tigerinmarch]

#slam dunk #sendoh akira #ryonan #maki shinichi #sakuragi hanamichi

[azotho]

1. 윤대협 독특한 헤어스타일에도 멋져서 감탄이 나오고✨

배가본드에도 꽤 비슷하게 생긴 캐릭터가 나오는데, 저 얼굴은 삭발을 해도 잘 생겼구나 라고 생각했던...

2. Hanamichi/Yohei - 백호열🏀

"I know you wanna practice, but I'm not your hanger, Hanamichi!"

3. 이명헌 무표정한 얼굴에 귀여운 말버릇..뿅

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ■ Twitter | Instagram

Prints - society6.com/thepaleindigo

#Akira Sendoh #Yohei Mito #Kazunari Fukatsu #Slam Dunk #Artists on Tumblr #Azotho #Ryonan #Shohoku #Sannoh #doodle #my own art

[jariten]

スラムダンク (Slam Dunk), Takehiko Inoue

#Slam Dunk #Takehiko Inoue #Weekly Shonen Jump #my scans #ryonan

[commodoreseverus]

An edit of Sendoh Akira from Ryonan High School I made on my own

#sendoh akira #ryonan #slam dunk #slamdunk #sendoh #fujimachion #sendohakira

[nkeiiin]

ブルーウエーブ Blue Wave

——————

I was planning to draw only Fukuda but he’ll be lonely… so why not draw his powerful teammates too<3

#fukuda kicchou #福田吉兆 #Uozumi Jun #魚住純 #sendoh akira #仙道彰 #ryonan #陵南 #slam dunk #my fanart

[slamdunk-headcanons]

I’M SCREAMING 

#slam dunk #slam dunk characters #realistic anime #slam dunk manga #slam dunk anime #slam dunk movie #the first slam dunk #shohoku #shoyo #ryonan #kainan

[jkitsunecake]

My very first anime crush, Sendō Akira, my love 🥰

#slam dunk #sendoh akira #ryonan #スラムダンク #shohoku #kaede rukawa #sakuragi hanamichi #slam dunk sendo

[midgeonastar]

Sakuragi has still fhe habit of talking to the opponent team during the game, lol

and because of that habit, he got hit right in the face with the ball...

sooner or later he's gonna learn to concentrate more ahah

#slam dunk #slam dunk manga #sakuragi hanamichi #shohoku #ryonan

[purplesugarbabe]

Thank you so much for 160 followers! Here are the Ryonan headcanons, enjoy! ✨

"Ryonan edition"

Akira Sendoh:

The ace of the Ryonan team. There is definitely more than meets the eye with this young man. I think the reason most of his teammates don't know a lot about him is because although Akira is friendly and approachable, he doesn't like talking about himself.

He likes fishing, which actually surprised me at first. There are times when he looks at the water surface and thinks if there's a mermaid down there giggling every time he fails to catch a fish. Yes, Sendoh has a big imagination. Also I think he is pretty romantic but just likes to keep it for himself.

He and Fukuda have sleepovers. Sometimes other players join in as well but usually is just these two. Akira isn't a fun of horror movies, he gets easily scared. Kicchou knows that so in order to tease him he sometimes chooses to watch a really f uped horror movie. In general Sendoh is a very sweet person that tries his best to stay humble and determined.

Kicchou Fukuda:

First of all let's agree that this baby boy needs love. He is someone who wants to prove himself, he is very skilled but needs a little bit of encouragement. Although he tries to act cool, he actually gets pretty anxious and is worried he might not make it.

When he loses focus during a class, he will doodle on his notebook. He is actually good at sketching but his handwriting isn't the best, especially if he tries to write fast.

He usually wakes up early in the morning to play basketball alone or with friends. When he decides to stay home, he listens to some 80's rap music or binge watch some of his favorite series. I think Fukuda is someone who actually likes talking on the phone, it gives him the opportunity to relax.

Jun Uozumi:

I actually like him a lot, he is so awkward at times. Jun isn't the strict and determined captain of Ryonan we see, not at all times at least. In reality he is a pretty cool and approachable. But not when it comes to girls. Just like Akagi he becomes nervous and starts blushing.

Uozumi is really fond of his team and respects his teammates, especially Sendoh. He trusts him a lot. Although he has to be strict and absolute at times, he doesn't like it. He likes reading but not for too long because he loses focus.

There are times he feels a bit worried about his height. It's handy when it comes to basketball but off the court it's a bit of a trouble. Especially when it comes to buying clothes. That's also one of the reasons he is hesitant to talk to girls, what if they find him intimidating? I believe that Uozumi is a nice person to hang out with, he is just a little misunderstood.

Hiroaki Koshino:

This boy reminds of Kazunari Takao from Kuroko's no Basuke for some reason. I think Koshino gets really anxious and unmotivated at times from trying hard to become a great basketball player. Inside the Ryonan team having someone like Sendoh makes it difficult for the other players.

Koshino loves oversized hoodies, you can't tell me otherwise. They are really comfortable and stylish as well. His friends sometimes make of him about this but he doesn't really care. He prefers wearing athletic clothes the most, mostly because he spends his free time playing basketball or exercising.

I feel like Koshino doesn't like it at all when people touch his hair, not even his friends. He finds it really irritating. He also can't stand arrogant people, they annoy him. He believes that you must stay humble if you want to achieve your goals. Hiroaki is actually very sweet but needs time to feel comfortable around new people.

I hope you liked it! Next one is Kainan! ✨💜

#akira sendoh #fukuda kicchou #jun uozumi #hiroaki koshino #slamdunk #slam dunk headcanons #slam dunk #Ryonan

[aikisugi]

#slam dunk #ryonan #shohoku