Slam Dunk 35th Anniversary: New Theatrical Retrospective and Exhibition Announced for 2026
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## Slam Dunk's 35th Anniversary Gets a Theatrical Retrospective and Traveling Exhibition
*Slam Dunk*, Takehiko Inoue's defining work and the manga that established basketball as a major genre in Japanese pop culture, turns 35 in 2026 — and Toei Animation has announced that the anniversary will be marked by a pair of significant events: a **theatrical retrospective screening** of the original 1993–1996 anime series and a **traveling art exhibition** featuring original manuscript pages and production artwork.
The announcement was made at a press event in Tokyo that drew coverage from major sports and entertainment outlets, reflecting the breadth of *Slam Dunk*'s cultural reach in Japan and across Asia.
### What the Theatrical Retrospective Will Cover
The retrospective screening will not be a simple rerun of existing episodes. Toei has announced a curated theatrical edit that condenses key arcs from the original 101-episode series into a two-part theatrical presentation, with new orchestral arrangements for the original soundtrack.
The theatrical version is designed to be accessible to both longtime fans who grew up with the series and younger viewers encountering Shohoku's story for the first time through the *The First Slam Dunk* film released in 2022. The two-part screening is scheduled for **late August 2026**, timed to coincide with the Japanese high school basketball tournament season.
### The Traveling Exhibition
The accompanying traveling exhibition, titled *Slam Dunk: 35 Years of the Court*, will begin in Tokyo before moving to Osaka, Fukuoka, and Nagoya. The exhibition features:
- **Original manga manuscript pages** from the Kanagawa Prefecture Qualifier through the Nationals arc, displayed publicly for the first time
- **Concept sketches and character design sheets** from Inoue Takehiko's archives
- **Scale reproductions** of key court environments from the manga
- **Interactive installations** focused on the manga's visual approach to motion and basketball physics
A small international tour is under discussion for 2027, with cities in South Korea and Taiwan being considered given the manga's massive legacy in those markets.
### The Legacy of *The First Slam Dunk*
The 35th anniversary events arrive in the wake of *The First Slam Dunk* (2022), the theatrical film that Inoue Takehiko wrote and directed himself. The film grossed over ¥13 billion in Japan, becoming one of the highest-grossing anime films in Japanese box office history and reintroducing the franchise to a generation that had grown up hearing about it secondhand.
The film's success demonstrated that *Slam Dunk*'s emotional and athletic storytelling retains its power with contemporary audiences. The 35th anniversary events are, in part, a continuation of that reintroduction — giving fans of the 2022 film a pathway into the original work and giving original fans a reason to revisit the source.
### What Inoue Said
Inoue Takehiko released a brief statement through his studio:
*"Thirty-five years is longer than the careers of most basketball players. I am glad this story has had a longer run. There is still more to say about these characters — there always is — but for now, I want people to look at where it started and remember what the court felt like."*
The statement is notable for its implication — *there is still more to say about these characters* — which Slam Dunk fans have taken as a continuation of long-running speculation about a potential manga continuation or sequel.
### No New Series Announced
To be explicit: no new anime series or manga continuation has been announced as part of the 35th anniversary. The events focus on the existing work. However, the attention being paid to the franchise by both Toei and Inoue's studio signals sustained institutional interest in keeping the property active.
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*Otakiva will track all Slam Dunk 35th anniversary updates. See our Slam Dunk entry for full series context.*
