SEOUL, South Korea – Fans of Takehiko Inoue’s legendary basketball manga, Slam Dunk, in South Korea can now digitally access the “New Size Edition” for the first time, thanks to Naver Webtoon and Naver Series. The highly anticipated digital release, which debuted on August 29th, offers a restructured 20-volume series with new cover art personally overseen by the author.
The digital launch marks a significant moment for Korean manga enthusiasts, providing a convenient way to revisit or discover the beloved classic that has sparked a basketball boom globally.
The “Slam Dunk: New Size Edition” Unveiled
The “New Size Edition,” known as Shinsōban in Japan, reorganizes the original 31-volume Slam Dunk manga into a more compact 20-volume format. While maintaining the original story content, the chapters have been regrouped to enhance narrative flow, and each volume features brand-new, full-color illustrated covers by Takehiko Inoue himself. This edition was first released digitally in Japan in June.
Lee Jeong-geun, the leader of Naver Webtoon Korea, expressed enthusiasm about the release, stating, “We are pleased to present one of the most iconic and substantial titles among Japanese works that have not been digitized, which fans have been eagerly awaiting, for the first time on Naver Webtoon and Naver Series”.
Availability and Promotional Offers
The “Slam Dunk: New Size Edition” is available digitally on both Naver Webtoon and Naver Series. For a limited two-month period, the series will be accessible on Naver Webtoon, while Naver Series will continue to offer the full set of digital volumes beyond this initial window.
To celebrate the launch, Naver Series is running a promotion from August 29th until October 28th, where customers who purchase the “Slam Dunk: New Size Edition” set will receive a cookie worth 10% of their expense.
The Enduring Legacy of Slam Dunk
Slam Dunk, originally serialized in Shueisha’s Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1990 to 1996, tells the story of Hanamichi Sakuragi, a delinquent who joins the Shohoku High School basketball team and discovers a passion for the sport. The manga is a global phenomenon, credited with popularizing basketball in Japan and selling over 170 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling manga series of all time.
The series has inspired a successful anime television series that aired from 1993 to 1996, four anime film sequels, and a critically acclaimed recent anime film, The First Slam Dunk, which premiered in Japan in December 2022 and began streaming on Netflix in the United States in August 2024. The digital debut of the “New Size Edition” in Korea further solidifies the manga’s lasting appeal and accessibility for a new generation of readers.
