35 Best Basketball Anime Series for All Time Favourite

August 22, 2022

Last Updated date: September 6, 2022

Do you want to know about Best Basketball Anime? Recently, we’ve seen that anime fans all over the world are becoming more interested in certain sports animes. This isn’t surprising, given how well the writers and animators have done with sports animes, from the story to the animation. The best thing about anime is that no genre is left out. Even in the sports genre, almost every sport has its own anime. Some sports, like baseball, basketball, and volleyball, have more than one anime based on them.

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After the success of kuroko no basket and ahiru no sora, manga readers and anime fans all over the world have become obsessed with basketball. They have been searching all over social media for new animes that are based on basketball.

So, to get all you manga readers and anime fans working a little early, here is a list of 25 animes that are about the best basketball anime. It will take you a while to get through it all, and it will keep you busy until you find your next favorite genre.

The Best Basketball Anime Series of All Time to Watch

Here is a list of what we think are the best basketball anime shows of all time.
Today, we’re going to narrow down the sports genre by only talking about the best basketball anime series out there. This way, you can see some interesting life lessons, like the “never give up” motto, hard work, and teamwork, which are all things that these basketball anime shows show.

Overall, the Sports-themed Anime series is more than just a genre, since they cover so many sports sections and mix them with slice-of-life, thriller, and zero-to-hero themes.

So, let’s show you 25 good basketball sports anime that will give you passion, inspiring feelings, epic moments, and unforgettable experiences through the games they win and the struggles they face.

Here is a Recommended Best Basketball Anime series List:

Slam Dunk
Kuroko no Basket (Kuroko’s Basketball)
Ahiru no Sora
Dear Boys
Basquash!
Barangay 143
Buzzer Beater
Dash Kappei
Ro-Kyu-Bu!
I’ll/CKBC
Mitsu x Mitsu Drops (Honey x Honey Drops)
Heong-geuli Beseuteu 5
Onagawa Chuu Baske Bu: 5-nin no Natsu
Breakers
Heong-Geuli Beseuteu 5
Girl Got Game / Power!!
Blue Box
Cross Over
Harlem Beat
Switch
Real
Namaikizakari
Harlem Beat
Fei Ba! Lanqui
Zuoshou Shanglan
No Switch
Boys Buzzer
Beat Basket
Cool Manga
Astro Boys
Snake Duke
Boys X Fashion
Cool x Lanqui
Soraa Boys
Tuilip Duke

Top 35 Best Basketball Anime with Details:

1. Slam Dunk

If we’re talking about the best basketball anime, we have to talk about slam dunks! Slam Dunk is one anime that pretty much got people interested in basketball. It ran from 1993 to 1996, and there were 100 episodes. It is still very popular today.

Slam Dunk is a fun basketball anime with a great story and interesting character arcs and backstories. At first, the anime was mostly about basketball, but over time, it changed and grew into a larger story about passion and friendship.

It may not have very good animation, but it had a big effect on people and left a mark like nothing else.

2. Kuroko’s Basketball

This sports anime from 2012 is one of the most well-known ones ever. Kuroko’s Basketball had three seasons from 2012 to 2015 and a follow-up in 2017. As time went on, it kept getting more and more fans. The story is about Tetsuya Kuroko, a basketball player in junior high school who plays on a team that wins the championship. Now that Kuroko is in senior high, he and his friends and teammates go to different schools. To try to become the best team in Japan, Kuroko joins a new team. But he quickly realizes that he has to go up against his former star teammates if he wants to reach his goal.

3. Ahiru no Sora

Ahiru no Sora is also the best basketball anime show. The show Ahiru no Sora has gotten a lot of good feedback from viewers. The show Ahiru no Sora is based on a manga series by Takeshi Hinata with the same name. IMDb gave the show Ahiru no Sora a score of 7.5 out of 10.

There is a lot of drama and sports in the TV show Ahiru no Sora. In Ahiru no Sora, the story of Sora Kurumatani is told. He promised his mom that he would win his first high school competition. But after he went to Kuzuryu High School, he joined the basketball club.

He finds that it is a place where bad people hang out. Keizo Kusakawa and Shingo Tamaki were the people in charge of the TV show Ahiru no Sora. Go Zappa wrote the song.

There are 50 episodes of the anime TV show Ahiru no Sora. From October 2, 2019, to September 30, 2020, the show Ahiru no Sora was on TV. If we find out anything new about the anime TV show Ahiru no Sora, we will post it here.

4. Dear Boys (Hoop Days)

If you watch enough anime, you’ll find that many series end before you even realize it. There is a trend in the art to not drag out a story. Instead of milking a cash cow, many studios prefer to tell a short story from beginning to end.

This is the case with the anime Dear Boys, which is also called Hoop Days. The anime only had 26 episodes, all of which came out in 2003. The manga for Dear Boys is where it really shines, not the short anime.

The story is a real story, and the drama is what makes the show interesting. When it came out for the first time in 1989, the manga quickly gained a cult following that has kept the series going until 2017. The story of these ball players is easy to follow, and this is the best basketball manga out there.

5. Basquash!

Once you start watching Basquash!, you’ll notice two things right away. First, it has a more “modern” look than some of the other best basketball anime on this list. Second, it’s about a game called squash. Second, Basquash! is not at all, or at least not mostly, about human players. Robots will play the game in the future, and people will bet on the outcome.

The whole story of the show is based on the idea that basketball is more than just a game because it is the reason why the earth was made. Also, the politics inside the basketball arena make people wonder what the relationship is between earth and the other civilizations in the universe.

6. Barangay 143

Roberto “Coach B” Sebastián, Season, ‘s Roberto “Basti” Sebastián, Jr., was killed by a gunman from a large gang two years before the start of the series. This brought down Barangay 143’s Powerhouse team and led to the events of today.

Bren Park was on a basketball team in Korea. His family died in a terrible accident in South Korea during a snowstorm, which made him decide to quit basketball. But when he found out that his mother had a child with a Filipino man, Bren went to Manila to look for him. Along the way, he joined the Puzakals of Barangay 143, a local basketball team.

7. Buzzer Beater

Buzzer Beater was Takahiko Inoue’s second basketball manga series. He also wrote the popular manga/anime Slam Dunk, which we talked about above. But unlike Slam Dunk, which is set in the present, Buzzer Beater takes the genre in an interesting direction.

It takes place in New York a few hundred years from now. Hideyoshi Tanaka is a young boy who makes money by playing basketball with other kids on the street. He doesn’t expect to get picked up by a pro team, where he has to play against aliens who are stronger than him and have taken over basketball. Hideyoshi competes in the Space League with his all-human team to bring the championship back to earth.

Even though the main characters and story aren’t as well-developed as in Slam Dunk, this is still a good anime that basketball fans who watch anime are sure to enjoy.

8. Dash Kappei

In this list of best basketball anime, Kappei is a very short guy, but he is great at all sports. He lives as a guest in Akane’s house and is in love with her, but her dog Salomone, whose Italian name is Kappei, is a strange rival who sets evil traps to catch Kappei.

But the dog also has another job: when a new sport is shown, he tells the kids how to play it. Kappei likes white underwear on women and is always trying to pull up girls’ skirts.

9. Ro-Kyu-Bu!

Subaru Hasegawa, a freshman in high school, becomes the coach of a girls’ basketball team at a grade school after his own basketball club is shut down for a year because its best player was involved in a scandal.

Subaru only agrees to train the team for three days at first, but after getting to know the girls and seeing how much they love basketball, he agrees to be their coach until they graduate.

This cute show is about five wild young girls who are learning how to play basketball. But if you want a more “serious” basketball show, you might not like this one.

10. I’ll/CKBC

I’ll/CKBC is an OVA that came out in 2003 with two episodes. It has two main characters: Akane Tachibana, the hard-working player, and Hitonari Hiiragi, the superstar with natural talent.

This really short but still fun anime shows that teams can win games if they work well together.

This OVA is worth watching because of the basketball scenes. But since there are only two episodes, you can expect to get a lot of information all at once. Still, it’s great for a quick watch.

11. Mitsu x Mitsu Drops (Honey x Honey Drops)

Let’s start with this great shojo anime, which has only two episodes but a lot more to offer than the manga.

The series takes place at the Houjou academy, where most of the students are normal. However, a few of them take a special course that is only for rich elite students and the regular students who are sponsored by them.

Kai becomes Hagino’s sponsor. He pays for her to take the class and gets her into it. But Hagino has to serve him as her master and do whatever he wants.

Hagino may have done something that she can’t handle. But if she quits now, she will be kicked out of school. Can she make things work with Kai, or will she give up before he does something she’ll regret?

12. Heong-Geuli Beseuteu 5

Kim Youngwoong plays basketball for his high school. He plays in the junior Asian Cup, helps Hong King, and plays the final game against the Chinese team. The Korean team wins because of his exciting last shot. Chae Yo omi, who is the daughter of the Korean consul, can’t forget his last great shot. Back home, every university with a basketball team wants Youngwoong on their team. Youngwood, on the other hand, joins the less popular team because his first coach, Kim In, tells him to.

13. Onagawa Chuu Baske Bu: 5-nin no Natsu

We’re starting with the best basketball anime that is based on real life. Get ready to be impressed by how hard the Onagawa Junior High basketball team worked to win. It’s 2017 special that shows how the Onagawa earthquake hurt people’s lives.

The basketball team rises from the ashes of destruction, even when they are down to 5 full members. This is one of those anime that shows how sports can bring people together in times of trouble and how the human spirit can come out on top after a tragedy.

14. Breakers

Breakers came out this year and are about the Paralympics, a part of sports that doesn’t get much attention in popular media. This anime shows four sports: goal ball, paralympic swimming, track, and wheelchair basketball.

The main highlight of the first episode was wheelchair basketball, which did show how exciting (and talented) para-athletes can be. It’s a fun look at a different kind of basketball that most people wouldn’t think of. Definitely something different to watch.

15. Heong-Geuli Beseuteu 5

The next country on the list is Korea. “Heong-Geuli Beseuteu 5” is a Korean anime that shows how powerful teamwork can be. After his little trick in Hong Kong got him trophies and success, our guy Kim Youngwoong became a local hero.

All of the best teams in the country want to sign Youngwoong, but he listens to his mentor and joins a team that isn’t as good. So, he starts his journey as a young genius who learns to get better and get a tougher attitude.

16. Girl Got Game / Power

Kyo Aizawa, a normal girl, is happy to hear that she will be going to Seisyu Academy. But her excitement turns to embarrassment when she first sees her school students and sees that it’s a boy’s uniform! It turns out that her father, who used to play basketball, enrolled Kyo as a boy so that she could play on the famous boys’ basketball team at Seisyu Academy. And as if things couldn’t get any worse, Kyo finds out that she has to play on the boys’ team and live in the team dorms. Will Kyo be able to keep her secret?

17. Blue Box

The show is about Taiki Inomata, a student at Eimei Junior and Senior High School who plays badminton for the boys’ team. Every morning, he practices with Chinatsu Kano, a classmate, and the girl he likes who plays basketball for the girls’ team. But when her parents leave Japan to work abroad, Chinatsu moves in with Taiki’s family. Now that Chinatsu lives with him, Taiki tries to slowly get to know her as they both try to get their teams to the national championship.

Best Basketball Anime Vs Other Sports Anime

We basketball fans are pretty spoiled when it comes to anime, that much is clear. Many basketball fans will say that Slam Dunk is the best sports anime ever, but it’s hard to say for sure.

But there isn’t a basketball anime that has both great animation and great character development, which are two things that make an anime great.

Haikyuu, a show about volleyball, is one of the best sports anime of all time. Haikyuu does a great job of giving each character a personality that makes you want to cheer for them. You get to learn about the teams’ complicated pasts and what drives them. Because of this, every game is different, which makes the series more exciting and fun. When you add in the great animation of the action scenes, this is one of the top five sports anime of all time.

Basketball has Kuroku no Basuke for animation and Slam Dunk for a story, but nothing that can compete with Haikyuu on both fronts.

Boxing anime Hajime No Ippo, table tennis anime Ping Pong the Animation, and tennis anime Ace of Diamond are also in the running for best sports anime (baseball).

Conclusion

These best basketball anime will keep your basketball spirit at a high level. All of them have different characters, stories, and plots. These anime shows and movies will never get old.

You need to find one that makes you want to watch it and do so. You will also feel like you are right in the middle of the court when you play with them.

You should have fun watching these shows for a while. Is there another basketball anime you liked that you think should be on this list? Tell me in the comments below!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Best Basketball Anime

Is Slam Dunk the Best Basketball Anime?

Slam Dunk (1993) By far, Slam Dunk is one of the best sports animes ever made. This manga from the late 1990s was one of the first of its kind and is the seventh best-selling manga series ever.

Why is Slam Dunk so Popular?

There are a lot more reasons why Slam Dunk is so popular. The main character and his teammate have a funny rivalry, there’s a handsome superstar with a lot of female fans, and there are a lot of other characters and subplots that have become important parts of manga history.

What is the Best Basketball anime on Netflix?

Tetsuya Kuroko, a dark horse, and Taiga Kagami, a former expatriate, are both freshmen on Seirin High’s new basketball team. They are likely to make a big difference.

How tall is Kuroko?

Weight- 85 (KG). Height: 168 cm (CM).

Is Kuroko no basket better than Haikyuu?

In every way, haikyuu is better. The plot of knb is filled with poop after poop after poop. It was good until the second match with Touou, after which it got worse. In Haikyuu, the tough matches are always won by sheer determination, and it’s always because two players have a strategic advantage.

Which is Better: Slam Dunk or Kuroko?

People often say that Kuroko’s Basketball is “the Slam Dunk of this generation,” which means that it’s the best basketball anime of the 2010s. If you really wanted to compare the two, though, Kuroko’s Basketball is by far the better anime.

Which is Better: Ahiru no Sora or Kuroko no basket?

The main difference between the two is that Kuroko no Basket is more about style, intensity, and how the games make you feel, while Ahiru no Sora is more about how the characters have a wide range of skills that seem to come naturally to them. Both have their own weaknesses and strengths, though.

Is Tetsuya Kuroko the strongest?

So, could Kuroko be the strongest person? No, most likely not. At least not all by himself. But the reason I’m talking about Kuroko is that he still deserves to be the GoM.

Who is Tetsuya Kuroko’s girlfriend?

Satsuki Momoi ( Momoi Satsuki) is the manager of T Academy and was the manager of the Generation of Miracles at Teik Junior High. She is so in love with Tetsuya Kuroko that she thinks of herself as his girlfriend.