Full-time comic artist

"I have a different opinion of Higashino because he was able to make up his mind to give up fame and fortune."

……

"real or fake!"

The editorial office was in an uproar.

Yoshihisa Kadoya stood up and asked, "Mr. Sasaki, is Slam Dunk really going to end?"

"Hmm." Sasaki nodded with a complicated expression.

"Tori Akino-kun, he finally said it..."

"How can we possibly end Slam Dunk?!" Yahagi slammed his fist on the table and stood up.

"Once a manga is serialized, it's not something the manga artist can decide on their own! It concerns the interests of Shueisha!"

"Mr. Sasaki, why did you agree to his request!"

He questioned Sasaki.

Sasaki was speechless.

He's taking the blame for those above him.

“It’s not just that,” the bottle said loudly, pointing at Hibiki Higashino on the TV screen. “Not letting Slam Dunk end is also for Akino-kun’s own good!”

"This work has unlimited potential and is far from over!"

"Tori Akino is still young, he can continue to grow! The end of 'Slam Dunk' interrupted this growth!"

"Mr. Sasaki! Why did Slam Dunk end?"

Sasaki looked around, and his subordinates all looked puzzled.

“It was my decision.” Kazuhiko Torishima walked over.

……

Two minutes later, the noise in the scene finally quieted down. Higashino Hibiki couldn't deal with the reaction of the viewers in front of the television; he was only facing the person in front of him.

He continued speaking.

“I’ve been thinking about whether this is appropriate.”

"Finally, I made up my mind."

"It wouldn't be bad to end Slam Dunk after defeating Sannoh with all our might."

"Youth will have regrets."

"Shohoku's youth continues, but we have to stop here."

As soon as Higashino Hibiki finished speaking, the presenter asked nervously, "Tori...Tori Akino-sensei, has this already been decided?"

"Yes." Hibiki Higashino nodded solemnly.

"This outcome was already decided before the national competition."

He looked at the audience and said, "Life is not always smooth sailing, and neither is comics. Leaving regrets in the summer is also a part of youth."

"Instead of dragging it out, let's end it all in one go. Let all the passion and emotion burst forth, and let our fiery youth come to an abrupt end, leaving only the clear chirping of cicadas."

"This is Slam Dunk."

Hibiki Higashino took to the stage to give a speech in order to express his thoughts. Television is different from comics; it is more intuitive and efficient.

Readers can understand his feelings about finishing "Slam Dunk".

The audience was silent. Although there were hundreds of people in the audience, it was as quiet as a library, completely different from the enthusiastic applause when Higashino Hibiki took the stage.

Higashino Hibiki didn't mind. He bowed and walked off the stage.

……

Naoki Urasawa muttered to himself, "I see."

"Tori Akino was already planning to end it a long time ago."

His voice startled Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro awake.

"Tori Akino-sensei is going to end 'Slam Dunk'?" Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro was dazed. "Did I hear that right?"

Naoki Urasawa shook his head. "That makes sense."

He looked at Hibiki Higashino walking over and exclaimed in admiration, "To put aside huge profits and fight against those who support you in order to finish the manga at the right time, that's really admirable."

He shrugged. "But when he drops the bombshell, I'll be performing a one-man show when I accept the award. That would be too embarrassing."

He then walked onto the award stage.

……

Eiichiro Oda's eyes widened.

"Slam Dunk is coming to an end."

He could never imagine putting those two words together normally.

To end a milestone in comics at its most dazzling moment—that's an amazing feat.

He listened attentively to what Akino had to say, and as a manga artist, he gradually came to understand Hibiki Higashino.

"I am truly in awe of Mr. Toriaki, who is unwilling to stop and is always climbing to the top."

Unsatisfied with his past glory, Hibiki Higashino put down "Slam Dunk" and embarked on a new journey.

His relentless pursuit adds another layer of weight to Oda's identity as a manga artist.

"I used to admire Akira Toriyama as a manga artist... but now..."

"Let's compare Akira Toriyama and Akino Toriyama..."

……

The live television broadcast quickly sparked a huge controversy.

The whole of Japan was shaken.

His influence hasn't spread far yet, otherwise the whole world would be embroiled in endless discussions about the end of "Slam Dunk".

"Has Slam Dunk ended?"

Araki Hirohiko, who was drinking milk early in the morning, was stunned. His hand, which was looking at the newspaper, froze.

"Tori Akino-kun... I really don't know whether to be gratified or terrified to have such a junior."

Back then, Akino Tori was aiming to surpass Dragon Ball and disrupt the rhythm of Hikaru no Go.

Now that he's matured, he clearly understands what he should do.

"I'm looking forward to his next comic."

Hirohiko Araki chuckled to himself.

Chapter 261 Reader Reactions and the Final End

"To the point that Tori Akino said it out loud, how embarrassing is that?"

Akira Toriyama looked at the newspaper headline, "Shocking! National-level manga 'Slam Dunk' announces its end!" and felt embarrassed for Hibiki Higashino.

"He is truly fearless."

The socially awkward Akira Toriyama gets incredibly nervous just thinking about that scene.

If it were him, his voice would probably tremble.

"However... the readers' reaction after Slam Dunk ended was really strong."

It's on par with Dragon Ball.

……

"Has Slam Dunk ended?"

"There were only two matches in the national tournament!"

"That scoundrel Akino Mirai's story is a disaster!"

"Hikaru no Go was like this back then! How awful!"

"I will never read his comics again!"

Computers in the new century have made communication between netizens more convenient.

Discussions about "Slam Dunk" are frequent on forums and ICQ.

Some radicals are trying to find out where Akino will live in the future.

He was thinking that the next time Tori Akino Mirai appeared, he would stab him.

There are also those who still cannot accept it.

"Tori Akino-sensei was just joking; the manga is still being serialized, isn't it?"

He would never believe that Slam Dunk was ending until the end of the book was mentioned.

However, some readers, as Slam Dunk was about to end, thought that Akino Tori was right.

Now that it's finished, the imperfect Slam Dunk makes it all the more real and precious.

"I want to organize everyone to write a petition together and persuade Mr. Toriakino to change his mind."

Someone posted a message, and soon many people responded...

……

Bird Autumn Studio.

"Tori Akino-sensei, is Slam Dunk really coming to an end?"

The next day when Higashino Hibiki met him again, Omori's eyes widened, and he stared blankly.

"Aren't we drawing the storyline after Shohoku's defeat?" Hibiki Higashino asked, even more puzzled. "It's one thing if others don't know, but Omori, you're the assistant who knows the subsequent plot."

Because Shohoku had already been severely weakened in their fierce battle against Sannoh Industrial, they ultimately suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Aiwa Academy in the third round.