The First Slam Dunk

The First Slam Dunk (2022) is the anime film you can watch online on iFILM, directed by Takehiko Inoue — the man who created the original manga that ran in Weekly Shonen Jump from 1990 to 1996. After more than two decades, Inoue stepped into the director's chair himself and rebuilt the story rather than adapt it.

The film shifts the focus away from Hanamichi Sakuragi and centres on point guard Ryota Miyagi, whose childhood loss threads through the present-day clash with Sannoh Kogyo, Japan's dominant high school team. The 40-minute match is the backbone; every flashback earns its place. Inoue combined 3D and hand-drawn animation in a way that makes the court scenes feel genuinely kinetic — physical in a way standard anime basketball rarely achieves. The film pulled over 13 billion yen at the Japanese box office, a figure that surprised even its distributor.

Stream The First Slam Dunk online on iFILM — worth it whether you grew up with the manga or have never heard of Shohoku.