Who really deserves to stand on the court where Miracles are made?
Putting anime and basketball together is kind of a match made in heaven.
Out of all sports, basketball is probably the most fast-paced, which makes it so incredibly fun to watch. It’s intense, personal, with all the players in each other's faces. No masks or helmets to get in the way. Every emotion is on full display.
And then you add anime to the mix.
Anime is a medium that can turn even the most mundane moments into something exciting. What happens then when you dramatize a sport that is already quite dramatic? I’ll tell you what happens, you’re no longer watching a fun game anymore. You’re watching a war! The stakes become monumental, and the face-offs become clashes between titans. This is all that matters, right here, right now, this is where we carve our names into legend. Where we shout for all the world to hear, “This is my house! Come at me!”
And you’re right there, not in some far-off nosebleed seat. You’re right in the thick of it.
So if you want to see what it’s like to stand on the court where legends are made, and thrones are toppled, check out these 10 anime about basketball.
10. Barangay 143
Barangay 143 Official Trailer
So let’s kick things off with this Japanese-Filipino anime that’s all about streetball. When Bren Park loses his family in a tragic snowstorm accident, he learns the shocking truth that his real father is somewhere in the Philippines. So to find him, he leaves South Korea behind and somehow becomes caught up in the crazy high-stakes world of Filipino Basketball.
Hey who wants to play ball on the beach?
The fact that this anime even exists is wild. So let’s try to walk this out. So this show comes from the collaboration of companies in Japan, Singapore, and the Philippines. With an ensemble cast of talented Filipino voice actors. They’re all working to the story of a Korean-Filipino boy as he attempts to locate his biological father, this anime makes you feel like you need to bring your passport just to watch it.
9. Ro-Kyu-Bu!
Ro-Kyu-Bu! [OP] [HD]
Due to a recent scandal, high school freshman Subaru Hasegawa’s basketball team is disbanded. Unsure of what to do next, he somehow finds himself coaching an elementary school girls' team due to his aunt's influence. It was only supposed to be a temporary gig. But after coming to genuinely care for the team, Subaru decides to stay on as their new coach.
Basketball has never been so adorable.
This is a very cutesy anime. The focus is on cute girls playing basketball cutely. That is the show. If you go into this expecting anything deeper, you will be disappointed. No expectations will be subverted here. It’s exactly what it looks like.
8 Dear Boys (Hoop Days)
Anime - Dear boys Trailer HD
With no coach and not enough players to even play the game, the Mizuho High School boy’s basketball team seems doomed. But with the appearance of an athletic new transfer student, their luck might be changing. Now with a team of 5 players, with no substitutes, they convince the girl’s team coach to help them out and thus begin the long process of rebuilding their reputation.
Nobody thought they could do it, but this team is here to prove them wrong.
This anime has a real motivational vibe to it. And that stems from the transfer student Kazuhiko Aikawa. Through his sheer enthusiasm, revitalizes the dying spirit of the Mizuho basketball team. There’s a very romantic quality here. As we watch these boys come together to make their high school years timeless and golden.
7. Basquash!
Basquash! PV
In the future, traditional basketball has been replaced by a sport called BFB (Big Foot Basketball). It’s like regular basketball, but instead played with giant robots! Our story focuses on a boy named Dan who loves basketball but hates BFB and how his attempt at embarrassing the sport accidentally created the offshoot variant of BF Streetball.
The poor Ref is gonna get squished.
Basketball with MECHS! Do you hear me? Isn’t that just awesome? This anime has a fantastic art style, and an excellent hip-hop inspired ost. Perfectly capturing the spirit of a good streetball game with a cool sci-fi twist!
6. Ahiru no Sora
Ahiru no Sora | OFFICIAL TRAILER
Sora Kurumatani swore to his former basketball champ mother that he would continue her legacy when he got to high school. However, once he starts at Kuzuryu high, he realizes that it’s a school mostly full of delinquents who don’t really care about the sport. But he’s a stubborn boy, and a promise is a promise. With nothing but his enthusiasm for the sport, he seeks to build this school’s fledgling basketball team into something extraordinary.
Make your Mama proud boy!
Most sports anime have this thing, this feeling. Especially when done well, it can transport you right back to your high school days. Or if you're still in high school, it can inspire you to fully live out your time there. To form those life-lasting bonds, push you out of your slump of just drifting from day to day. That’s what sports anime are all about, inspiration, giving you the push you need to reach out and claim dreams you thought you’d all but given up on.
5. I’ll/CKBC
I'll/CKBC Trailer HD
Akane Tachibana is sick of sports. He sees them as too stressful, so he avoids joining the team. Even though he’s extremely good at basketball. But one day he sees Hiragi Hitonari, the only other stand-outplayer he remembers from his middle school days, and their natural rivalry pulls him into playing for the Kouzu High School Basketball team.
We don't have to like each other, we just have to play together.
The best aspect of this anime is the dynamic between the two main characters. They’ve got an “iron sharpens iron” thing going on. Just by being themselves, they naturally inspire each other to push their limits when it comes to basketball. Akane has an innate talent for the sport, while Hiragi has been trained by his overbearing father for most of his life. At first, they don’t really gel well together, but throughout the series, they establish a strong synergy with each other, which inspires the rest of the team to play at their level.
4. Honey x Honey Drops
Honey X Honey Drops OP HD
Yuzuru Hagino is in a bit of a bind. Due to a slip up at her job, she finds herself the HONEY (or slave, I don’t know, Japan is weird sometimes) to a rich, talented basketball player named Kai Renge. The thing is she can walk away from the arrangement at any time, but for a girl from a poor family, suddenly having all your tuition paid for is a deal that’s hard to walk away from.
50 Shades of... Basketball?
This is one of those anime where as soon as someone tells you what it’s about, you’re like, “Yep that came from Japan.” While the Master/Slave element can be a bit offputting. It ends up leading to a pretty good romance story. It even had its own dating sim game made for the PS2 back in 2006. Where you could choose from a couple different male love interests to pursue a relationship with.
3. Breakers
Breakers OP
This anime focuses on four main characters. Each character is a para-athlete, and we, as the audience, follow their journey in trying to succeed at their chosen sport. They are taken under the wing of coach Ren Narita, as he encourages them to not let their disability define them and to reach for their dreams.
Watch me shoot a 3-pointer from my recliner.
This anime handles its subject matter very respectfully. Each character is treated as an average person with their own difficulties. They all have their own ambitions that they’re aiming for. And through the guidance of their coach, they begin to learn that they're not so different from everyone else. It’s pretty inspiring.
2. Slam Dunk
Slam Dunk: Movie (2022) - Official Trailer Announcement
Love can make you do crazy things, especially when you’re a teenager. Delinquent Hanamichi Sakuragi learns this after joining the Shohoku High School Basketball team to get closer to his crush Haruko Akagi. And though he might not have joined the team because he cares about the sport, he is good at it, and over time he does start to genuinely enjoy playing it.
No really, I'm 16, I swear!
I think it’s funny how intense the art of this series is. None of these kids look like they’re in high school. They look like grown men who will curb stomp you if you look at them funny. But the art really works to portray the power of the sport. You can feel each dunk like you’re actually courtside watching it.
1. Kuroko’s Basketball
Kuroko's Basketball: LAST GAME PV
The Generation of Miracles was the name given to the middle school team that conquered the nationals and rose to be the greatest middle school basketball team in Japan. The team had five star players of exceptional skill that allowed them to crush any other school they came up against. But there was also a secret sixth star player that no one knew about. Now that they've all graduated and gone to different high schools, Tetsuya Kuroko is about to make his presence known.
This is the part where you get out of my way.
Along with Slam Dunk, Kuroko’s Basketball is probably the best-known anime about the sport. And for a good reason. It’s a high-quality anime with good production value. And the pretty boy character designs don’t hurt either. But I think the main draw is just how much heart the series has. You really feel like you're growing with this team throughout their entire high school career.
