Although he has always lived an undisciplined life style with his gang and earned a strong reputation as a troublemaker, Hanamichi is a very strong willed and determined person. He never quits trying, even after losing (his very first friendly match against Ryonan). He has an undying fire burning inside of him. He goes all-out with his efforts in every match. He is also a very hardworking person who continues practising after everyone leaves. Hanamichi was initially inspired by a fellow classmate to play basketball. She appealed to his desperation for female companionship after being rejected by over 50 women in the past. Perhaps the most prominent characteristic of Hanamichi is his tremendous desire for attention and his out of proportion self-praise. Even though Hanamichi does gets his moments of applause, most of the time, he only found himself calling for attention by calling himself the basketball Genius. Even more interesting is his relationship with the other characters of the story, especially his team members. Because of their similar background as troublemakers, Hanamichi and Miyagi completely clashed when they first encountered each other, but when they realised how much alike they are (especially in terms of getting female rejections) they became good friends. On one hand he is jealous of Rukawa’s finesse, yet he has a lot of respect for his capability. At times of desparation, Rukawa often wakes Hanamichi from his his listless state. When he lost edge with his rebounds due to the fear of being fouled out, Rukawa "kicked" him back on line. The person who influenced him the most was team captain Takenori Akagi. Because of him, Hanamichi slowly matures out of his childish bantering. Even though Hanamichi would not openly admit, he has great respect for him. Hanamichi started out to be an impatient and completely undisciplined person. Through Akagi’s leadership, he became more in control of himself and discovered his determined heart.

Kaede Rukawa

He has devoted his life to basketball. His ability was already well-known when he came into Shohoku. He is quite the opposite in character of Sakuragi. He is a reserved and soft spoken character. Although reserved, he is also a confident and proud character who does not easily accept help from others. His finesse in Basketball has attracted the attention of many, especially girls. He has even attracted a dedicated cheer-leading team - Rukawa Oendan Girls. Even Haruko Akagi cannot resist his charm.

Kiminobu Kogure

The vice-captain of the Shohoku team. Unlike the other characters, he is a more simple. He is neither too proud nor too humble. He speaks his mind without much reservation. He was impressed by Hanamichi’s capabilities from the very beginning and he is not afraid to say so.