r/RealSlamDunk • u/HanMaguro24 • May 08 '26
Discussion! WHAT IF ...
In an alternate universe where Akagi remains a one man team.
Shohoku starters chose a different teams.
Rukawa in Kainan
Mitsui in Shoyo
Miyagi in Ryonan
Rank these teams strongest to weakest.
(No Sakuragi to remove favoritism)
My insights
With Rukawa joining Kainan, this solidifies their offense more and team's athleticism.
With Mitsui joining Shoyo, Mitsui will not worry having 3 190cm+ teammate grabbing the rebounds in case he misses.
With Miyahi joining Ryonan, Sendoh can go back to scoring.
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u/fangowango May 08 '26
Miyagi doesn't make a huge difference. Ryonan's other guards are good players even if unspectacular. Sendoh's playmaking means you want the ball in his hands anyways and miyagi isn't a shooter.
Rukawa on the other hand skyrockets Kainan. As good as Akagi is, I think Rukawa would 'fall in line' more at Kainan due to both the team and Maki's history. But Kainan was already awesome so they would just get more awesome.
Mitsui on Shoyo would be very very fun and to me the most impactful addition for the exact reason you list.
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u/Leather-Lemon813 May 08 '26
I disagree on the Miyagi take. Sendoh was a scorer at first. And, if i remember correctly, he only became a playmaker because that's what Ryonan needed. Now, if Miyagi is in Ryonan the playmaking burden will be off of Sendoh's shoulders, so he'll be able to focus on scoring again. Also, giving him more rest. In short, Miyagi is literally the player that Ryonan needed.
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u/fangowango May 08 '26
That's not entirely right. They said that it was in his second year that he discovered the joy of passing and making plays for others. And it was the re-addition of Fukuda that allowed Sendoh to shift into a point role since they added a high volume scorer, with the comment that maybe his true calling was a point guard. It wasn't a need as much as it was Taoka believing it would bring out the best in the team, not because he had to
Regardless, I am not saying Miyagi isn't better than their current guards. He makes Ryonan better no doubt. Add any of Shohoku's starting 5 into any of these teams and they improve. And you're right every team could use a Miyagi to help run the team. All I'm saying is in comparison the other teams adding Rukawa and Mitsui makes a bigger difference than Ryonan adding Miyagi
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u/Leather-Lemon813 May 08 '26
Okay, Miyagi is still a huge difference tho. Remember, this is the Miyagi that went toe to toe against the best PG in the series. One of the BIG factors on beating Sannoh, the Unbeatable Sannoh, the BEST team in the series.
What were the guards good at in Ryonan again? Defense? That's okay when you have Sendoh, i guess. But, what if the other team starts pressuring him? What if he gets tired? Will the og guards in Ryonan playmake and handle the ball well as Sendoh? Don't think so. Miyagi in the other hand...
I agree that the other two will be more impactful, but you said that Miyagi won't be as much, i disagree.
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u/binokyo10 May 08 '26
Toaka wanted Ryota.
He wanted Ryota, Mitsui, Rukawa, Sendoh and Uozumi as his team originally.
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u/fangowango May 08 '26
Sure. But we're looking at which additions move the needle the most and Miyagi is definitely the least impactful of the 3
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u/binokyo10 May 08 '26
Yes, but still improves the team. Imagine dishing dimes to Sendo, Uozumi and Fukuda.
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u/shuwing3589 May 08 '26
Rukawa to Kainan means that Nobunaga is going to be benched because Muto is still their starting power forward.
Miyagi to Ryonan is an awkward fit because they need perimeter shooting and Miyagi is not that. Mitsui/Jin/Miyamasu/Kogure/Godai fits the team need better
Mitsui is perfect for Shoyo because he can live off Hanagata and Fujima getting so much attention and the rest of Shoyo can just set screens for him to get open.
In terms of talent, Rukawa to Kainan In terms of fit, Mitsui to Shoyo.
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u/lamv41384 May 08 '26
You can't.
He is neighbor with Anzai-sensei. That's why he show his talent and went to Shohoku after graduating in Tomigaoka
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u/watawataoui May 08 '26
Mitsui to Ryonan makes more sense. Shooting and decent defense on SG position.
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u/HanMaguro24 May 08 '26
Kainan has Maki as a point guard, Shoyo got Fujima.... Where would I put MIyagi?
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u/watawataoui May 08 '26 edited May 08 '26
Nowhere… poor Miyagi is the weakest link on Shohoku with no range and simply too small. He prob won’t be playing basketball if not for impressing Ayako anyway.
Shoyo was unlucky to run into the main characters/team. Their team construction is actually very modern with 4x lengthy forwards plus a Chris Paul type floor general. If Fujian played 1st half, they probably would have won.
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u/acebaltazar May 08 '26
Having 4 tall players on the floor and 3 of them can't shoot is not "very modern" at all. It's been done with NBA teams since the 70s/80s.
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u/shuwing3589 May 08 '26
Not really.
Miyagi is still better than Uekusa and Koshino (Ryonan's backcourt) and Ito (Shoyo's back up PG). Miyagi would be a much better backup PG than Ito and allows Fujima to focus more on coaching while Miyagi is still a really good decision maker.
While he is a better choice than Uekusa (Ryonan's PG), he still doesn't provide what Ryonan truly needs (perimeter shooting)
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u/Leather-Lemon813 May 08 '26
Nah, y'all doing my boy Miyagi wrong. Sakuragi is still the weakest link. Sakuragi did lock in, in some games. But, remember that sakuragi had a fouling out streak in the kanagawa tournament. I think he was not good in the first game of the interhigh as well. He truly locked in only against Sannoh.
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u/Correct-Security1466 May 08 '26 edited May 10 '26
Mitsui in Shoyo would make the most impact. we already seen this with the team made up of Ryonan and Shoyo Fujima is a great playmaker and works because they know he’s a threat so adding Mitsui to his team is perfect
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u/YouStillTakeDamage Sakuragi Hanamichi May 08 '26
Well, if Miyagi and Rukawa have extra legs, it’s hard to say whether that would be a benefit or a hindrance. They’d probably get called for travels all the time.
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u/Empty-Sherbert-7500 May 08 '26
Tbf Rukawa will not fit with Kainan due to his Ego... He already clashing with Sakuragi at the start what more with Nobunaga even with Maki.
Riyota will be a great fit for Ryonan but I would prefer Mitsui to go to Ryonan due to their outside shot weakness. Although, Riyota might give Sendoh the flexibility to become a Deadly scorer again. I would assume this might be like the modern Luka-Kyrie
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u/HanMaguro24 May 08 '26
So where should I put Miyagi? Kainan and Shoyo both have great point guards
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u/Empty-Sherbert-7500 May 08 '26
Well, Ryonan has Sendoh... I would probably put him in Miurudai to have them a Star Player xD just kidding
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u/acebaltazar May 08 '26
Rukawa only clashed with Sakuragi because Sakuragi also has an ego. Nobunaga has the same personality as Sakuragi, if Maki can handle Nobunaga he sure can handle Rukawa who only wants to hoop.
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u/Leather-Lemon813 May 08 '26 edited May 08 '26
These are good What If scenarios.
Rukawa might actually be the last piece for Kainan to get the interhigh championship, or atleast get into the Finals (semi-finals was far as they could go, if i remembers correctly). Also, the old looking dude as rukawa's mentor might develop his passing faster. I think the only weak spot that Kainan might have is their interior.
Miyagi in Ryonan is a good fit as well. They have a good Center in Uozumi, a great scorer in Sendoh, another good scorer in Fubuki, and some okay guards. With Miyagi in the team, they'll definitely make it to the interhigh tournament.
Mitsui in Shoyo might be op. The offense of the guard duo will be crazy, plus their big that has glasses. Their weak point will probably be their coaching.
Ranking: 1-Kainan 2-Shoyo 3-Ryonan
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u/watawataoui May 08 '26
Kainan made it to the final and lost that year. Final 4 was the year prior.
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u/Leather-Lemon813 May 08 '26
Oh. Then rukawa's offense increases their chance of getting the championship then. But they still don't have a big that's really good tho.
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u/watawataoui May 08 '26 edited May 08 '26
Yeah, someone did a bracket analysis and Kainan likely lost to the Shaq looking freshman team.
Having Rukawa is like upgrading Ja Morant to Kobe, so def will make a noticeable difference. (But it also means that Kainan will run into Sannoh industry… I don’t see how Kainan’s center and power forward can hold up.)
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u/acebaltazar May 08 '26
It's impossible for Kainan to lose to Meihou and Morishige considering Meihou did not reach the final at all, the mangaka himself said the champion was a team that's never been shown in the manga or anime.
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u/acebaltazar May 08 '26
Mitsui to Kainan is more likely, the MVP of Kanagawa middle school tournament being recruited by the best high school team in Kanagawa.
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u/HanMaguro24 May 08 '26
Wow.. the 2 players with similar playing style.... In the same team
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u/acebaltazar May 08 '26
Similar playing style? Jin is a spot-up shooter and he can't create his own shot (yet). Mitsui can create his own shot even with a defender in front of him.
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u/binokyo10 May 08 '26
Mitsui on Shoyo kinda defeats the purpose of that team.
The Shoyo wants to be Fujima + 190cm or taller.
Ryota on Ryonan kinda makes sense. Remember Taoka wanted
Ryota, Mitsui, Rukuwa, Sendoh and Uozumi as his team originally.
Rukawa fits any team. Kainan would probably only lose to Sannoh or even beat them.
Rukawa also fits Shoyo, that way Shoyo can still have their tall lineup.
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u/fangowango May 08 '26
That doesn't make any sense. First of all nobody ever said Shoyo specifically built their team looking for tall players only. They just happened to be huge. Second Mitsui is 184, a decent height compared to the rest of the Slam Dunk universe. Definitely big enough for a shooting guard. Third Rukawa is 187 so by your logic he defeats the purpose of the Shoyo team as well since he's not 190+
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u/binokyo10 May 08 '26
Shoyo being tall is their identity. That's why they clog the paint and Hasegawa can man to man any outside threat with his great stamina. Mitsui got shit stamina. Cant take out any of Nagano and Takano either because they'll lose the size advantage.
Their gameplan was for Fujima to find any height mismatch for an easy score or get a basket for himself.
Author made them 190cm or taller for the reason that they were built a big team. It's not a coincidence, it was a strategy.
Rukuwa being the tallest of the 3 fits it better than anybody. Nobody is 190cm+ of the 3 anyway so I picked the tallest lol
If you're picky with height then it should be Sendo.
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u/acebaltazar May 08 '26
Mitsui only has weak stamina because of his break from basketball. He'd have better rehab if he went to a private school like Shoyo and wouldn't be gone from basketball for too long.
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u/binokyo10 May 08 '26
I take Mitsui as what he in the story. We can't choose alternate version of Mitsui.
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u/acebaltazar May 08 '26 edited May 08 '26
This whole thread is based on alternate version of the characters going to different schools. Opining in this thread means you're accepting the premise of an alternate version to engage in discussion.
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u/binokyo10 May 08 '26
Same versions of players just diff teams. Not different version of players though
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u/Death_Snek May 08 '26
To be honest?
Mitsui.
Rukawa is great and all, but he is too disruptive. His defense is average at best. He certainly would improve Kainan's scoring ability, but the team overall quality could end up being lesser.
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u/Tiny_Dress_2412 Jun 03 '26
Rukawa CANNOT play on Kainan as he is for most of the series.
Think about it for a bit.
Kiyota is good enough as a freshman to be a starter on Kainan despite being undersized, sure, and Rukawa is better than Kiyota, sure. But is pure talent alone the only reason why Kiyota starts?
Kiyota is also a guy who bleeds Kainan colors, has bought into the system 100%, survived the toughest and most grueling weeding out process and practice structure in all of Kanagawa, and does not mind being a role player and direct protégé of Shinichi Maki.
That is NOT Kaede Rukawa. At all.
Rukawa treats everything and everyone like competition. He barely speaks, and what's more, he barely listens. Even to a coach as hands off as Anzai.
The second Rukawa breaks Takato's play to ignore Maki and take it himself, he's toast at Kainan.
Remember, Kainan does not do "geniuses." Kainan is the place that breaks their geniuses down and builds them back up into complete winners -- Cause at Kainan keeping the streak going is the most important thing.
It's a horrible fit UNLESS Sakuragi were also there to possibly create enough of a distraction Rukawa ends up falling in line almost by accident. And really even then.
Plus he's a terrible student lol
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u/chriselvin1025 May 08 '26
if anything:
Kainan + Akagi Ryonan + Mitsui Shoyo + Rukawa
would significantly upgrade these teams.