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9 Best Basketball Anime to Watch [Jan 2023]

Are you a fan of the basketball game? Now we have the best basketball anime series that you can enjoy watching with other fans.

No doubt that basketball is one of the most popular games that attract fans from all parts of the world. Are you one the basketball fans, and you would like to enjoy the game away from the court? Then worry no more because you can have great fun watching some of the best basketball anime series highlighted in this article.


1. Slam Dunk

Slam Dunk anime

This anime is a Japanese sports manga with 101 episodes, and it was the first broadcast on TV in 1993. The series revolves around the events of a Shohoku High School basketball team from Japan. Hanamichi Sakuragi is unpopular among girls at Shohoku High School, but he later meets Haruko Akagi, who accepts him.

Haruko introduces Hanamichi to the school's basketball team, but he's reluctant to join the team. Although he joined the team to impress Haruko, Hanamichi later loves the sport. Under the rigorous training of Captain Takanori Akagi, Sakuragi's potential is revealed. Their school’s basketball team shines and has become a powerhouse among high school basketball teams in Japan.


2. Kuroko’s Basketball

Kuroko’s Basketball anime

The anime is similar to Slam Dunk in that it's about a high school basketball team working hard to shine in the national tournament. Kuroko's Basketball is a Japanese sports manga with many fans from all parts of the world. Tetsuya Kuroko and Taiga Kagami aim to bring Seirin to the top of all other high school basketball teams in Japan.

Kuroko has to defeat other star players from his Middle School team, who now play for different high school teams. Although his team is not famous, Kuroko and his basketball team from Seirin High School manage to beat other popular teams and become the best basketball team nationally.


3. Dear Boys

Dear Boys anime

You cannot afford to ignore the Dear Boys anime series if you love watching Japanese basketball sports manga. The anime has many amazing episodes that you can enjoy watching alone or with other basketball fans. The storyline is about the Mizuho High school basketball team and their quest to win the prefectural championship.

The anime also focuses on the relationship of the players of the Dear Boys team. The main characters in Dear Boys are Takumi Fujiwara and Kazuhiko Aikawa. Although the team starts with the challenge of not having enough players and a coach, Dear Boys eventually make it to the prefecture's top.


4. Ahiru No Sora

Ahiru No Sora anime

Add this anime to your watch list if you're looking for a Japanese basketball-themed manga that you can watch for quite some time. Ahiru No Sora is available in 50-episode-anime television series that you can enjoy watching if you’re a basketball fan.

The series revolved around a protagonist called Sora Kurumatani and his quest to become the best basketball player on his school's team. Sora promises his mother that he will shine on his school's basketball team, but his star seems to start deeming after joining Kuzuryu High School. However, he eventually turns things around and revives the school’s basketball team.


5. I’ll/CKBC

Ill CKBC anime

The anime is a Japanese sports manga that revolves around the experiences of two high school students, Tachibana and Hiiragi. Tachibana is a talented basketball player, but he decides to stop playing the game due to pressure from his parents. However, he changed his attitude after joining Kouzu High School.

He meets Hiiragi, another basketball player who encourages him to join the school’s team. The two later become rivals after Hiiragi moves to another team due to pressure from his parents, who want him to play in a better team.


6. Ro Kyu Bu

Ro Kyu Bu anime

Imagine moving from a high school basketball player to a coach in an elementary school girls’ basketball team. That is how the life of Subaru Hasegawa changes in the Japanese anime called Ro Kyu Bu. Subaru’s high school basketball club is disbanded after its captain is involved in a scandal.

His aunt, Mihoshi Takamura, allows him to coach a basketball team in an elementary girls' school. Subaru agrees to train them for three days, but he is impressed by their love for the sport and decides to continue coaching them.


7. Basquash

Basquash anime

This is a fantastic anime that you should consider watching if you love basketball. The unique aspect of Basquash is that its setting is a futuristic version of the Earth. This is a society divided between that living on the planet’s surface and the far more advanced lunar society.

Players play a popular basketball called BigFoot Basketball (BFB). It’s played in a giant arena, and players have to ride a mecha called “BigFoot.” Dan JD and his friends take the sport to the streets of Rolling Town and change its name to “Basquash.”


8. Dash! Kappei

Dash Kappei anime

Do you love watching Japanese sports comedy manga? Then you should add Dash Kappei to your watch list. The anime was first aired on Fuji TV in Japan, and it was among the most successful anime series of the 1980s. The anime revolves around the life of a protagonist called Kappei Sakamoto.

He is a high school student and one of the best players on the Seirin High School basketball team. Besides playing basketball, Kappei also loves white panties, and he easily falls for girls who love wearing white panties. His girlfriend, Seiichiro, owns a dog that can speak, but only Kappei can understand what the dog says.


9. Barangay 143

Barangay 143 anime

The last one on the list is Barangay 143, a Japanese-Filipino anime series. It’s about the life and events of a Korean basketball team player called Bren Park. Bren lost his family in a snowstorm accident in South Korea, a tragic event that made him quit playing basketball.

However, he later revived his career in Manila to look for his biological Filipino father. Bren joined a local basketball team called the Puzakals of Barangay 142, where he continued exploring his talent.


Final word

Now you know. There are various basketball anime series that you can watch and enjoy if you love basketball. The good thing about the anime listed above is that they are readily available, and you can watch the series alone, with family or other basketball fans. You can also watch them from your favorite device stress-free.