The sports genre of anime has recently seen a spike in popularity among fans of the anime community due to recent blockbuster hits of the last decade, boasting an array of intense, action-packed, and fast-pacedanime and manga series alike.
RELATED:The Greatest Sports Anime of All Time
Among these smash-hits of the sports genre, much more loved, are the basketball-themed anime. From the 90s classics to the blockbusters of recent memory, basketball anime ensures that the sports genre is adequately represented. For fans who love the classic underdog, hard work, and impossible odds tropes, below are some of the best basketball anime and manga series that have come to light.
10Power!! Girl’s Got Game
Power!!Theseries, written bySeino Shizuru,dates back to 1999 and was completed in 2002. It balances basketball and typical high schoolromance; the series explores all of these through the eyes of a young basketball athlete.
The series centers around a female protagonist, Kyo Aizawa, whose father hopes to continue his dreams of pro basketball through his daughter’s life. She is excited to attend Seisyu Academy, famous for its boys' basketball program and cute girls’ uniforms. Still, all that is instantly gone as she realizes she has been enrolled as a boy due to her father’s wishes.
9I’ll/Ckbc
I’LLis a basketball manga series by artistHiroyuki Asada.It made its debut in 1995 and ran till 2004. The series also received a two-episode anime adaptation, but that did not fully encapsulate the series. It focuses primarily on team matches, but the series examines character relationships outside their basketball-filled lives.
The series follows the protagonist, Akane Tachibana, a promising freshman high school basketball athlete who, against public perception, joins Kouzu High rather than sports clubs to ward off pressure from them. The series, through the characters, depicts struggle and grit wrapped in team spirit, making for an emotional read.
8Basquash
Basquash, at a glance, is conspicuously not the typical sports anime fans and viewers are used to. The series created byShoji KawamoriandThomas Romainis much more akin to the usualmechagenre, infused with the game of basketball.
RELATED:Sports Anime With Unrealistic Gameplay Styles
The series takes place on a futuristic earth called Earth Dash, where humanity is divided between the advanced Lunar society and the struggling surface society. The most popular sport in this world is BFB (Big Foot Basketball), played by players riding on a mechanized foot called a Big Foot in a large arena while playing basketball. Following the achievements of the protagonist Dan JD for the sport, it is then renamed Basquash. This anime series is for fans who like the fusion of futurism and basketball!
7Harlem Beat
Harlem Beatis the classic street basketball manga series created by Yuriko Nishimiya. The series ran from 1994 until 2000. The manga series explores the aspects and perspectives of those who know what it means not to cut it in the harsh world of high school basketball.
The series focuses on the struggles of perpetual bench warmer and protagonist Nate Torres as he goes from always being left on the bench for his high school basketball team to being a streetball player. The story explores tropes of struggles and desires neatly woven into Nate’s life as he strives to live up to his self-conviction.
6Real
Things take a very privileged turn in this manga series, as its central premise focuses on wheelchair basketball played by people with paraplegia. TheRealmanga series, created by author Takehiko Inoue, has received plaudits for its realistic depictions of what it means to be a paraplegic, its struggles, and its difficulties.
The story centers on the lives of three teenagers, one a high school dropout, Nomiya, another an ex-sprinter disabled by accident, Togawa, and lastly, Takahashi, a former team leader who suddenly finds himself unable to move any part of his body from his chest downwards. The series is intense and filled withemotions, giving a clear outlook on the struggles of people with physical disabilities, revealing underlying tones of marginalization, guilt, fear, and discrimination. TheRealmanga series is a must-read for fans who find the intense emotionality present appealing.
5Dear Boys
Another one of the oldies,Dear Boys,is the usual run-of-the-mill basketball manga series. Created by author Yagami Hiroki, the series originally debuted in 1989 and has 25 volumes.
The series centers on the progress of Mizuho High’s basketball team following the transfer of Aikawa Kazuhiko, the protagonist, to Mizuho High School. Upon his transfer, the team is in all shades of disarray, but through sheer persistence, Aikawa inspires the remaining few members, bringing about a rejuvenation.
4Buzzer Beater
Buzzer Beater, as its name suggests, makes for a fierce watch. The anime takes basketball from the human realm into the realm of the extra-terrestrial, as in the anime, physically superior aliens now dominate the game of basketball. The sci-fi basketball anime does not extensively examine major tropes other than winning and the underdog mentality.
RELATED:The Greatest Sci-Fi Anime Of All Time
The story follows the life of the protagonist, Hideyoshi, who was destitute before being signed to a pro club and used basketball to survive. The anime is packed with fierce andepic showdownsas Hideyoshi and his team aim to go up against the dominators of the sport.Buzzer Beateris just the right watch for fans who prefer intensity and adrenaline.
3Ahiru no Sora
Sora lives and breathes basketball, but there’s just one problem; his height. Ahiru no Sora, created by Takeshi Hinata, is the typical basketball-themed anime series, although similar to the popular smash-hit,Kuroko no Basket,but a lot less fast-paced and explores much calmer themes while depicting realistically what high school basketball is.
The series is centered around the life of Sora Kuramatani, who, despite his obvious talent and love for basketball, has a significant deficiency required for the sport, his physique. Sora has a much smaller and weak body compared to average high school basketball players. Upon a promise to his sick mother, Sora joins Kuzuryu High School and its basketball team. He soon realizes that the team does everything but basketball and has become a haven for delinquents. Determined to keep his promise, Sora’s zeal for basketball spreads through the group, allowing them to give their all for basketball again.
2Kuroko No Basket
Arguably the most popular basketball anime of the last decade.Kuroko no Basketis packed full of everything required of a sports anime. Exhilarating matches that feel more likeduels and battlesthan a game of basketball. The anime takes the game of basketball over and beyond the conventional with fierce and fast-paced sequences and eye-catching animation.
The anime records Seirin High School’s evolution to become Japan’s no.1 High school basketball team. At the heart of it all are the protagonists, Kuroko Tetsuya and Kagami Taiga, who, alongside the Seirin High basketball team, find themselves on a journey filled with struggles, defeat, and, ultimately, victory.
1Slam Dunk
A proper and deserved classic of the sports genre of anime.Slam Dunkis one of the first names, if not the first name to call when it comes to basketball-themed anime and manga series. The show debuted on the screens in 1993, putting out 101 episodes. Given how long ago it first aired, the anime exudes retro vibes and will appeal to fans with a keen interest in anime oldies.
The anime follows delinquent gang leader Hanamichi Sakuragi, who is famous for his violent tendencies and enrolls in Shohoku High School. His infamous nature prompts him to be avoided by most people, and after specific events, Hanamichi is left with a need for a girlfriend and a hatred for basketball. Upon meeting Haruko Akagi, whom he immediately falls in love with, there begins an unraveling of Hanamichi and Shuhoku High basketball team, ultimately leading to the realization of his passion for the sport and his comrades.
