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The anime for Slam Dunk ran for 101 episodes and made it through about two thirds of the manga. According to Wikipedia, it also had good ratings and sold reasonably well. The anime and manga have both ranked as one of the top series of all time according to multiple sources.

It seems strange, then, that the anime would abruptly end right before the climax of the manga story. I could see this happening if the series wasn't making money, but normally they'd cancel such a series long before 101 episodes, and it's hard to imagine that it was losing money given the commercial and critical success.

Is there any stated or likely reason why the anime ended at 101 episodes without concluding the story?

Logan M
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  • As far as I remember, weren't both series cancelled at the same time? – krikara Dec 14 '13 at 18:43
  • I managed to find the inter part just recently. The inter match is under slam dunk movies 1-4. Hope it helps. –  Dec 14 '13 at 16:40
  • some says that the author of this anime died, causing it to stopped. i dont know if it was true -_- –  Dec 26 '13 at 05:41

1 Answers1

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As per here, (not sure how credible the source is but it makes sense). So echoing back your thoughts..

This series, as some anime are known to do, was cancelled after the initial 100 episodes. Most of the time this happens because the ratings are not that good, or the manga has not been finished at the time. I believe the reason for Slam Dunk not to continue had to do with money issues with its developers ...

and the answer also makes mention of the manga

Concerning the manga storyline it goes along the lines of the anime. And yes, the manga continues into the Inter High tournament, right until it is finished. It has a open ended finale, but in my opinion its one of the best anime endings I have seen. If you enjoyed the anime, reading the manga is a must.

Following up this answer, it seems to be a thing. Unfortunately I can't seem to find any ratings, viewership numbers or official source to back this, but for the majority it coincides with what you presumed in your question.

nhahtdh
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iKlsR
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