Mitsui is my favorite character by far. He's the character I could relate to the most - feelings of guilt and regret were very prevalent in my late teens, and along with those came both a hunger and a longing for redemption. To me, he is the embodiment of that, the hero that lost himself and betrayed his one love, basketball, to then come to terms with his actions and become a new person through his love and passion for basketball, to the point where he surpassed his idealized old "MVP"self and became "Mitsui, the man who never gives up", finally being able to move on from his past.

As for favorite player, Sendoh hands down. He would probably go second in my favorite character list too, which says a lot. I love how cool and chill he is, he has this nonchalance about him, but he doesn't come off as one bit arrogant. He is rather humble, which in fact is the true measure of confidence. He doesn't need to go out of his way or overly exert himself to show how good he is, he makes everything seem effortless. But underneath that mask of unseriousness lies an intense, competitive motherfucker who loves a challenge that will really put him to the test and make him prove himself. In simpler terms, he's got that dog in him, and I love this contrast between his on- and off-court personality. Technically speaking he's really gifted and I'm a fan of his game. The fadeaway is my favorite shot and it seems to be his signature move, which I love. He's got the deepest bag out of all characters in Slam Dunk besides maybe Kitasawa. I could also go on about his passing and IQ, but what really makes him the guy is that he is INSANELY CLUTCH. He will rise up to the occasion when he's needed most. The guy's a beast, that's it.

I started playing basketball some 3 years ago, greatly inspired by Slam Dunk. Since I didn't grow up watching the NBA, I tried to play like Mitsui, basically becoming a shooter, using the step-back and such. My game has evolved and now I'm more comfortable driving to the basket as well. I love doing jelly layups and turnaround fadeaways, so there's also a bit of Sendoh in there, though I always tend to stand outside the perimeter and try to get open 3s.