__Year:__ 3rd Year 
__Height:__ 197 cm 
__Jersey Number:__ #4 
__Position:__ Center 

Takenori Akagi is the captain of the Shohoku basketball team and Haruko's older brother. Despite at first not thinking too much of Sakuragi (who addresses him as "Gori" for gorilla due to his immense physical presence), he actually realizes Sakuragi's potential as a basketball player. Serious and disciplined, Akagi's dream is to lead Shohoku to the national championship. His determination is shown in the match against Kainan, where he played on despite a serious injury to his ankle. Akagi considers Uozumi of Ryonan to be his biggest rival, though their rivalry is not antagonistic; indeed, there is respect that borders on friendship.  Akagi differs from the other starters in two respects. First, he is the most academically talented out of all them and is considered a model student. After the loss to Aiwa knocks Shohoku out of the Nationals, Akagi leaves the team along with Kogure to study for the college entrance exams. In contrast, the other four had to beg their teacher to be given the chance to retake some exams they had flunked; they would otherwise have been disqualified from playing in the Nationals for having failed too many classes. Second, Akagi is the only starter not to have gotten into an actual fight, although he has used physical force against his own players (most notably Sakuragi, and once Mitsui after the gym fight) to keep them in line. He is the only other character besides Rukawa able to take one of Sakuragi's trademark headbutts without being knocked out and the only other character who has had Sakuragi inadvertently dunk a ball on his head (Murasame of Miuradai was the second, in the manga; in the anime, the second one to be dunked on the head is Naito, also from Miuradai).  Regarded as the best center in the Kanagawa prefecture, Akagi plays as a fairly typical center, using his height and power to score close to the basket. He also has a reputation for being a virtually unbeatable defender. As captain of the team, he keeps discipline among his players during matches. Akagi met his match during the game against Sannoh, in the form of Masashi Kawata, considered one of the best centers at the high school level. Initially intimidated when Kawata outplayed him, he regained his confidence thanks to Uozumi's encouragement and led his team to victory.  

(Source: hoopedia)

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...
 
(Source: Viz Media)

Hanamichi Sakuragi, an entering Shohoku high school freshman holds a record for being rejected by 50 girls during middle school. His nearly 2 meters height and bright red hair causes most students to write him off as a delinquent. 
One day, a girl named Haruko Akagi approaches Hanamichi without any fear. When she asks Hanamichi: "do you like basketball?" Hanamichi falls head over heels for the girl of his dreams. Without missing a beat, Hanamichi tells her he loves basketball, and the two head to the gymnasium where Hanamichi learns about the slam dunk. He also learns of Rukawa, one of the country&rsquo;s top basketball prospects, also a freshman at Shohoku. 
(Source: Funimation)

[Wiki (jp)](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/梁田清之) | [Wiki (en)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiyoyuki_Yanada)

__Non-Anime Roles:__  

~!
Aoe Reiji in "Love Mode" (Drama CD) (Japanese) 
Cool Z in "Shenmue II" (VG) (Japanese)  
Dai-Majine in "Future-Retro Hero Story" (Drama CD) (Japanese) 
Depthcharge in "Beast Wars" (Japanese Dub) 
Duke in "The King of Fighters: Maximum Impact" (VG) (Japanese) 
Ghaleon in "Lunar 1: Silver Star Story" (VG) 
Ghaleon in "Lunar 2: Eternal Blue" (VG) 
Gibari in "Baten Kaitos" (VG) (Japanese) 
Hassan in "Dragon Quest VI" (CD drama) (Japanese) 
Iga in "Arc the Lad II" (VG) (Japanese)  
Iga in "Arc the Lad" (VG) (Japanese) 
Lawrence Limburger in "Biker Mice from Mars" (animated TV series) (Japanese) 
Richter Belmont in "Akumajou Dracula X Chronicle" (VG) 
Richter Belmont in "Castlevania: Symphony of the Night" (VG) (Japanese) 
Serpent in "Rockman ZX" (Japanese)  Zabine Chareux in "Crossbone Gundam" (Japanese) 
Yogostain in "Engine Sentai Go-Onger" (Japanese)!~

An Italian actor, voice actor, ADR director and dialogue writer, mostly known for his roles as [Kakashi Hakate](https://anilist.co/character/85/) and more recently as the adult [Son Goku](https://anilist.co/character/246/) in Dragon Ball Super, and [Cooler](https://anilist.co/character/6304) in the Dragon Ball series.

Shohoku's “speedster” and point guard, Ryota Miyagi, always plays with brains and lightning speed, running circles around his opponents while feigning composure. Born and raised in Okinawa, Ryota had a brother who was three years older. Following in the footsteps of his older brother, who was a famous local player from a young age, Ryota also became addicted to basketball.
 
In his second year of high school, Ryota plays with the Shohoku High School basketball team along with Sakuragi, Rukawa, Akagi, and Mitsui as they take the stage at the Inter-High School National Championship. And now, they are on the brink of challenging the reigning champions, Sannoh Kogyo High School. 

(Source: GKIDS)

[Blog](http://gree.jp/miyake_kenta/) | [Twitter](https://twitter.com/miyake_ktrm)

[Website](https://aaronsgoodson.com/) | [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/aaronsgoodson/)

American voice talent. Goodson is a classically trained actor from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and a former public school drama teacher.

[Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/noyalemao/) | [Twitter](https://twitter.com/noyalemao)

Son of Fátima Noya.

Sakuragi and the Shohoko team takes on Oda and Takezono High School. This is Sakuragi's second match as he faces Oda, a basketball player who went to the same junior high. 
(Source: Anime News Network)

After losing the titanic match against Kainan High, Team Shohoku and a newly shaven Hanamichi Sakuragi are challenged to an exhibition match by virtual basketball unknowns Ryoukufu High. Coach Anzai sees this as an opportunity for Shohoku to regain their confidence, but Ryoukufu are revealed to have a newly assembled championship calibre lineup and may give Sakuragi &amp; Co their toughest test yet. 
(Source: Anime News Network)

In 2004, Inoue produced an epilogue titled Slam Dunk: 10 Days After, which was drawn on 23 chalkboards in the former campus of the defunct Misaki High School located in the Kanagawa Prefecture, and was held for public exhibition for three days between December 3 and 5. The epilogue, along with coverage of the event, was reprinted in the February 2005 issue of Switch magazine.
 
(Source: Anime News Network)

Agaki, after being rejected by a girl that he likes and punched by a rival, Rukawa for accidentally stepping into his confession moment with the girl, wants revenge. He and his teammates decided to challenge Rukawa and his team against a game of basketball in the regional tournament. Who will win this basketball game?
 
The origin of the masterpiece <a target="_blank" href="https://anilist.co/manga/30051/">Slam Dunk</a>!