REVIEW: Slam Dunk - Season Three - Eps 21-35 (1994)

An Anime TV Series

It’s been a long time, but I’ve finally made more progress in my watch-a-thon of the ’90s sports anime classic Slam Dunk. This week, while procrastinating from things I should probably be doing, I dove into what Netflix calls “Season 3” of the show. I’m fully aware that back in the early ’90s anime wasn’t chopped into neat 13–15 episode “seasons” the way it is now, but rather than digging into production history, I’ll just roll with Netflix’s definition. This season takes a slight detour from the straightforward sports arcs, but it’s an essential one, introducing two core major members of Shohoku High’s basketball team, both absent for very different reasons, and pushing the series into a much more dramatic, high-stakes tone than the more comedic opening arc.

The first episodes pick up on the cliffhanger from last season: the return of Ryota Miyagi, sidelined for months by injury. His comeback isn’t exactly smooth. He immediately butts heads with Sakuragi, mistakenly thinking the redhead is dating Ayako, the team’s manager and Ryota’s crush. Both are stubborn, hot-tempered, and quick to jump to conclusions, which means twice the chaos for their teammates. Their rivalry eventually gives way to a reluctant friendship, bonded over the realization that they’re both hopeless romantics doomed to rejection. That bond is tested when an outside threat arrives in the form of a violent street gang targeting the basketball team.

This leads to the reintroduction of Hisashi Mitsui, a former star player and middle school MVP who once idolized Coach Anzai. Mitsui’s promising Shohoku career was derailed by a knee injury in his first year, keeping him out for over a year. Watching the team move forward without him bred resentment and jealousy, especially toward emerging players like Rukawa. Instead of returning, pride and frustration pushed Mitsui toward delinquency, and he convinced himself he hated basketball. In truth, he simply couldn’t bear facing the game he still loved.

When Mitsui and his gang confront the team, emotions boil over into a violent clash that nearly destroys the club entirely. Coach Anzai’s calm but heartfelt intervention finally breaks through Mitsui’s bitterness, leading to a tearful confession and his return to the team. The fallout is messy, the school’s zero-tolerance policy for fighting means expulsion is on the table, but with quick thinking (and more than a few bruises), disaster is narrowly avoided. By the end of the arc, Shohoku gains not just two skilled players, but a stronger sense of unity, setting the stage for bigger challenges ahead.

Via Wikipedia HERE

21 – Enormous Trouble Makers! Hanamichi vs Miyagi – Ryota Miyagi returns to basketball after being injured in a fight. Meanwhile, Ayako hears rumors of Miyagi’s return, so she decides to investigate. She brings along Sakuragi, but Miyagi, who has a crush on Ayako, thinks that she and Sakuragi are together and immediately becomes jealous. Will Miyagi and Sakuragi be able to coexist?
22 – “History’s Biggest Idiot Combination is Born” – It almost seemed like Miyagi and Sakuragi were about to collide with each other, but it seems that things have turned out much better than expected.
23 – “Shohoku Basketball Club’s Last Day” – A former member of the Shohoku team returns with a major bone to pick. Does this spell doom for the team?
24 – “The Battle for Justice! Sakuragi’s Goon Squad Joins!” – After Ayako is slapped by one of the delinquents, Miyagi joins in the fight, and Rukawa follows suit. However, they are both easily taken down by Tetsuo. Sakuragi steps up, though he is outnumbered. Things change, however, when Sakuragi’s friends appear in an unlikely fashion.
25 – “The Man Who Aimed at National Championship” – Mitsui and Tetsuo were defeated, but Mitsui still continues to fight. When Akagi arrives, the atmosphere becomes tense. Akagi slaps Mitsui around when the latter attacks him. Kogure then informs everyone that Mitsui was once an excellent basketball player, and was even on the team. Kogure then proceeds to tell the story of the rise and downfall of Mitsui’s basketball career.
26 – “Mitsui, the Problems of the Past” – It seems that Mitsui was once a great basketball player himself before high school. However, something happened during one practice session that changed everything.
27 – “I Want To Play Basketball!” – After suffering through a severe injury, Mitsui quit basketball. Now two years later, in his attempt to sabotage Shohoku’s chances of participating in the tournament, his feelings for the sport appear to be returning once again.
28 – “The Beginning of Interhigh Preliminaries” – The day of the tournament is quickly approaching. Sakuragi is anxious to play against Sendo again, but Shohoku will have to deal with Miuradai first.
29 – “Hanamichi! Debut at an Official Game” – The match starts, and Anzai refuses to put Sakuragi, Rukawa, Mitsui, and Miyagi in the starting line-up as punishment for fighting. Will Anzai keep it like this for the entire game?
30 – “The Introspective Army’s Big Counterattack” – With four of Shohoku’s best players finally entering in the game, the tables turn quickly as they narrow the lead down to only 2. Sakuragi was hacked on a play, giving him two shots at the freethrow line, but things began to get tough for him, as nervousness broke his concentration, and his imagination started running wild.
31 – “Formidable Enemy Miuradai’s Secret Weapon” – Miuradai revealed a secret weapon of theirs that will help them try and overcome Shohoku, that secret weapon being the ox Nato.
32 – “Genius Hanamichi! Certain Death Dunk” – Miuradai starts to gain control of the game, until Nato begins to block Rukawa instead of Sakuragi. Rukawa exploits his weakness, and this causes the game to go in Shohoku’s favor.
33 – “Walkout King!? Hanamichi Sakuragi” – Shohoku’s next match is against Gohoku. While they have been exceeding almost everyone’s expectations, Sakuragi continues to be laughed at for his nonsensical and pointless fouls. He starts to realize that he might not be so great after all.
34 – “Gorilla’s Secret, Kill with Your Eyes!” – Sakuragi and his fouling troubles continue. He unconsciously went to Akagi’s house for help, and in order to help Sakuragi a little bit, Akagi gives him one piece of advice… instill his opponents with fear using his eyes. Sakuragi takes this too literally, with predictable results.
35 – “Hot Blooded Guys” – Mitsui got himself caught up in a fight between Ryo and Tetsuo, and was eventually beaten himself. However, Sakuragi pops out of nowhere, and comes to aid his teammate when trying to get to the gym.

The next stretch of episodes kicks off the long-awaited Inter-High Preliminaries – Shohoku’s big chance to prove they can compete for the top prize in high school basketball. Things start on a rocky note. The team’s earlier brawls earn them a benching from Coach Anzai, forcing key players to sit out, and when they finally hit the court, Sakuragi’s nerves betray him. His ongoing bad habit of racking up fouls becomes a prime target for opposing teams, who prod and provoke him into making mistakes.

One pivotal game sees Miuradai’s coach unleash their “secret weapon” — Tetsuya “The Ox” Naito. (Side note: I can’t help but wonder if the real-life pro wrestler Tetsuya Naito borrowed the name or if it’s pure coincidence.) A hulking power forward with the frame of a tank, Naito is a former rugby player recruited purely for size and brute force. He’s not much of a basketball player, but he doesn’t need to be; his job is to batter Sakuragi, push him toward foul trouble, and throw Shohoku off their rhythm.

For a while, it works. Sakuragi struggles to keep his cool under the relentless physical play, and Miuradai starts swinging the momentum. But Rukawa, ever the calm tactician, spots the flaw, and ultimitely the team’s big weakness – Naito charges the basket in a straight line like it’s still a rugby pitch. Once Shohoku exploits this predictability, stripping the ball becomes easy, and “The Ox” is neutralized. With their rhythm restored, Shohoku powers through to a hard-earned win and advances in the tournament.

Shohoku’s next major hurdle is their matchup against Gohoku, and Sakuragi’s anxiety is through the roof. His reputation for piling up fouls is starting to feel like a curse, and he’s desperate to break the cycle before it sinks the team’s tournament run. In a moment of uncharacteristic humility, he turns to an unlikely mentor – Captain Akagi, the “Gorilla” himself. Akagi’s advice? “Instill fear in your opponents with your eyes.” Simple enough… except Sakuragi takes it way too literally.

What Akagi meant as a subtle intimidation tactic becomes a series of over-the-top, wide-eyed, borderline unhinged glares that leave teammates confused, opponents weirded out, and the audience (both in-universe and at home) in stitches. As with the previous season, the show leaves us on a humorous note going towards the next arc – a battle with last year’s number two team – Shoyo High!

Once again, Slam Dunk proves itself to be one of the best sports anime of all time, delivering solid, high-stakes game action while also having the flexibility to shift into a full-blown delinquent fight arc without missing a beat. As someone who’s been into delinquent manga for decades now, ever since discovering GTO back in 2021, I really enjoyed this season and hope the show continues balancing intense sports storytelling with humor as seamlessly as it has so far. For someone who wasn’t into sports in high school (mainly because my school’s teams were full of people I had no interest in cheering for, as my class was dominated by wealthy assholes to a large degree), it might seem odd how much I enjoy this kind of story. But Slam Dunk is criminally underrated, especially outside Japan, and I’m glad the recent film has sparked renewed interest. Hopefully, my season four review won’t take quite as long as this one – stay tuned.