25 Best Basketball Animes Of All Time!

Recently, we have seen that there is a rising interest of all anime watchers all over the world towards certain sports animes, and that is quite justified based on how great the writers and animators have made sports animes, starting from the storyline, to the animation. The best part about animes is that none of the genres is left behind, even in the sports genre, we will find that mostly every sport has got its own anime, and some ports such as baseball, basketball, and volleyball, haven’t only got one anime based on them, but there is a list that goes on and on. Among all this sports after the certain rise in viewers count with kuroko no baske and ahiru no sora, manga readers and anime watchers all over the world have been obsessed with the sports basketball, and they have been searching all over the social media for new animes based on basketball.

Thus, to make all those manga readers and anime watchers work a bit early, we are here to provide you with a list of 25 animes that are based on basketball, and surely this will take you all a while to complete, and keep you engaged till you find your next favourite genre.

1. Slam Dunk

25 Best Basketball Animes

Now those who have been watching anime for years, have heard the name slam dunk, and for those who have been searching for new basketball based animes, this is the end of your search, you need to binge-watch this anime right, because this anime stands far above kuroko no baske or are no sora, this anime is in a class of its own. The animation, the storyline, and the realism this anime has portrayed to the viewers make it the best anime based on basketball.  The story revolves around the character hanamachi Sakuragi who is introduced as a deliquescent but just to impress a girl, and the girl identifying his natural athletic spirit, ends him up in the shohoku basketball team, now we see other talented basketball players being recruited into the team, and soon we see the journey of sohoku to the top.

2. Ahiru No Sora

25 Best Basketball Animes

Now for many of you who have been searching for a very realistic anime based on basketball, we are here with it, if you have watched Kuro ko no basket, this anime is a step ahead of it in the realistic sector, and this also depicts that a sport is not played only with topmost athletic physicality but with sheer will power and determination. This show has received a lot of praise and has got a huge fanbase all over the world. The story follows how sora kurumatani, a going to be a high schooler, has promised his mother that he is going to be a champ in his first high school basketball tournament, but when he reaches his high school, instead of seeing a group of athletic players, he gets to see a group of delinquents, now sora has got it in his mind, to change the mind of everyone, and motivating them with his sheer willpower, and rise to the top and make his school proud.

3. Kuroko No Basket

25 Best Basketball Animes

Now many of us have already heard about this series, and this anime can be considered the most famous basketball-based anime of all time, and why shouldn’t it be? The animation, the storyline, the character set, everything is beyond words. This anime, can’t be considered a very realistic anime, but this anime is going to tell you the true meaning of team play and sportsmanship. Prodigies are needed all over the world, but team play is above a single player or a prodigy. This anime is not only about the sport, but also about friendship. The anime revolves around a group of 6 prodigies, who have entered different high schools, and most of them believe in themselves more than their team, now the phantom 6th man of the group, kuroko goes to a different school, ends up making friends with a transfer student named Kagami, and they end up being the monster duo and making everyone realize that team is everything in basketball.

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4. Basquash

After the top 3, we have got another anime, which is quite unique and different from conventional basketball-based anime series. this series has also gotten much praise from critics and viewers all over the world. This anime is quite futuristic and can be given a try if you love futuristic and robot-based animes, this anime has got many seasons and can be considered as a binge-watcher for all the anime lovers out there. This show has a storyline, which revolves around a group of friends, who have got many hardships and struggles in their past life, and with the setting of a futuristic world where bigfoot basketball, is famous, a sport where people ride big bots and play basketball. The group introduces the sport to the street and embarks on their journey to fulfil their dreams through this sport.

5. Dear Boys

The storyline of this anime is quite the same as most other basketball animes, however, the reason to watch this anime, is not the storyline, but the character building along with the epic dialogues that we get through the journey of dear boys (hoop day). This show has got only 26 episodes, and thus a short anime it is. For single-day streaming, this is going to be a great choice for you. The manga for this show is also available with the same title and the storyline revolves around Aikawa, the main protagonist of the show, who is the captain of a prestigious basketball high school team, and now he has changed school and come across a dysfunctional basketball team, this team hasn’t got any willpower among its player and now it is all upon Aikawa, to turn around things for its player and take them on a journey where they start falling in love with the sport. The journey is quite amazing, with continuous hurdles on their path, and sheer dedication.

6. Dash Kappei

25 Best Basketball Animes

Now if you are a fan of old anime series, and if you arent much after the animation quality, dash kappei is going to be a funny anime for you. This anime series is a short anime and hasn’t got much of its storyline, except a basic short-statured boy who likes the girl, in whose house he stays as a guest, and a constant rivalry between him and her dog. This guy can play any sport mainly basketball, and every episode of this show is quite funny and can be watched if you are looking for a dose of laughter. The dog in this show can be considered the main comic character and he gives complete knowledge on playing any sports, this show dates back to the 1980s which tells us a lot about the quality of content we are going to get in it. the big part about this anime is that you don’t need to go on searching for this anime on any paid streaming platform because it is available for free on YouTube.

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7. Ro Kyu Bu

25 Best Basketball Animes

This is another anime series that mainly shows the story of a girls’ basketball team, whereas in most animes we find that the story is based on the boys’ basketball team. This anime came out in 2011 and isn’t much appreciated but can be given a try by many out there. This show has received a 5.7 IMDb rating which isn’t much great but moderate based on the genre and the storyline the series has got. This show deals with Subaru who has got the dream of being a basketball star, however, his school ceases sports activities for a year and now he has got an offer to act as a coach to 6th grader girls, on how to play basketball. Now, this show has got a good journey to be a part of.

8. Barangay 143

25 Best Basketball Animes

Another anime which has got a lot of fans following it, in the past few years, and that is very justified, this show is a mild one, which hasn’t got many extreme animated scenes, and a lot of crazy protagonists, but the show is made up of simple characters, a simple game and a very positive attitude towards sportsmanship. This show concentrates on the life of a young man who has got into a dysfunctional basketball team and has got his own issue regarding his father. He struggles to turn around the things for his things with the coach and at the same time tries to deal with his parental issues. A lot to handle but surely a worthy anime for a watch.

9. Buzzer Beater

25 Best Basketball Animes

This anime series came out in the year 2005 and this animes series is much like basquash, and completely futuristic, but this time no robots or bigfoot basketball are going on. The simple game of basketball is being played, but not only by humans, but also by aliens, and they with their superior physique, have completely dominated the game. Now the story revolves around a new yorker boy named Hideyoshi, who used to hustle around, by playing basketball, but times have changed and now he has been recruited into an all-human basketball team. This is the only team that has got only humans and no aliens, and they are going to compete at the space basketball tournament, and show the aliens, who invented the game and how it is played. This show is completely science-fictional and is a must-watch.

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10. Breakers

25 Best Basketball Animes

Now, this is an anime that is worth a watch for all. Para Olympics has always been a sports sector that hasn’t been given much attention, and this story is about para-athletes. We don’t realize the struggle they go through, and the extreme willpower and dedication they have got towards the spots. There have been many shows but not many animes based on this genre. this anime has got a group of friends who are para-athletes and meet a sports scientist who guides them on their way to proving themselves and rising to the top. This show hasn’t only got basketball as a sport but track and high jump, goalball and paralympic swimming. Some of the sports many of you haven’t heard of or never paid much attention to. This is a must-watch recommendation from our list.

11. I’ll/CKBC

25 Best Basketball Animes

Now, this show is a stereotypical show from the list however the time it came in, this show is one of the first in the genre, though it hasn’t got many fans following. This show came out in 2002. However, one thing that doesn’t make this anime a much-hyped-up anime, is the number of episodes it has got which is very less. The show revolves around two players, one of them giving up the hope of playing basketball, and then the other reigniting the spirit of basketball, and both of them pushing their wt together to understand the true meaning of basketball.

12. Onagawa Chu Baske Bu: 5 Nin No Natsu

25 Best Basketball Animes

Now, this show has got a very exclusive background which is based on a true story, if you know about the Tohoku earthquake, the anime follows the story after that, where the coaching staff and the players of a basketball team from a high school have passed away, and the team is left with only 5 regular players, who continue on their path to playing basketball together, and struggle on their paths while trying to rise to the top, without the help of others.

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13. Mitsu X Mitsu Drops

Now this anime is not completely based on basketball, but many parts of the show have got a lot of basketball in it with moderate level animation, and if you were in the search of a show which has a story instead of basketball, this show is for you. The story is about a girl, who belongs to a middle-class family and is stuck being the assistant of a rich guy from her school, like many other ordinary kids, she doesn’t want to be his assistant, but the only way to escape is by leaving school.

14. Mitsu X Mitsu Drops (OVA)

Now many of us do ignore the OVA seasons of the show, but this show isn’t one to miss on the OVA season/. The ova season follows the same storyline and is released aft6er a two-year gap, however, it is often said that the contents for the following season are much better than the previous season. Now we have to wait and see the journey of the poor girl, and her being the assistant, and things turning for both. There are a lot of twists in the path and the show is beautiful in its own way.

15. Heong Geuli Beseuteu 5

Now, this is not an anime series but an anime movie and dates back to 1995, which is surely a long back, but this series has got an incredible storyline and is a must-watch for all the viewers out there. The story follows the journey of Kim, who has been a very good basketball player, and played for the Korean national team in the Asian cup, however, after he got back from there, he joined the least successful team in Korea based on his first coach’s advice and now we have to be a part of his and his team’s journey.

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16. Hiyoko No Basket

Now as the name is very similar to kuroko no basket, you are going the right way, this show is actually based on kuroko no basket and is a fun one to watch if you aren’t looking for a movie to binge watch and just laugh awhile and if you have already watched kuroko no basket, this show is actually for you. The show revolves around kuroko no basket schools, a bird mascot, who take the place of the characters, and a movie on the same kuroko no basket storyline just a bit more fun.

17. Zuoshou Shanglan

Now this anime has made it to the list just because of the posts we have seen about this anime and the studio it is being made by. This show is yet to come and will release in 2022 only. This show according to all sources, tells us a story of a team along with a single protagonist who goes on a journey of basketball, to rise to the top and achieve his dream, along with that we have also got a love arc to watch pout for.

18. Fei Ba! Lanqui

Now this anime came out in the year 2021 and hasn’t received many comments, nor has got many viewers, this show is moderate in its way, and follows the stereotypical basketball anime storyline, however, the anime and the scenes are extremely good from what we have seen till now, and it can surely be given a chance by all the viewers out there.

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19. Kuroko No Basket (OVA)

Now just like many other anime watchers, you may also have missed watching the ova seasons of kuroko no basket, and this is a subtle reminder that if you have missed the OVA season, you are missing out on a lot. The ova season, isn’t actually above kuroko and Kagami, but other prodigies playing against each other and that season can be considered a must-watch because a lot depends on the game that has been shown there. The ova season is mostly available on all streaming platforms and if it isn’t you can check for it on gogoanime.

20. Slam Dunk (OVA)

Now just like the previous reminder to watch kuroko no basket ova season, this is the reminder to watch slam dunk ova season too. Because if you haven’t yet watched that season, you surely are missing many things from the show, and some of the storylines may not feel like being connected, and this is just because you haven’t paid much attention to the ova season. Thus you need to right now go and watch it, if you have already watched the slam dunk, and if you are going to, you should m on that season as a filler.

21. Power! (Girl Got Game)

Now, this isn’t an anime but a manga that came out in Japan, and if you are looking to read a manga based on basketball this is for you. This manga is based on a father-daughter relationship, where the father wanted to play for NBA, but couldn’t and now he has faked the identity of his daughter and got her into an academy so that she could carry her legacy of being an NBA basketball player. Now the journey and the storyline for this manga are quite good.

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22. Harlem Beat

25 Best Basketball Animes

We have come up with another manga series for all the manga readers out there and this story is also based on basketball. Now, this manga isn’t completely about high-level basketball complements but more about street-style basketball, which is very fun to watch. The writing style of the writers is also excellent and this manga came out in 1994, so if you want to read an old manga this is for you. This manga will be available on many manga reading websites, however, the original manga isn’t available that easily, though it still exists on some platforms.

23.Cross Over

Now just like much other anime, where short-statured players are looked down, this is a manga series, where we follow the story of a short-statured boy, who has got a very big dream to rise to the top and is very dedicated to playing basketball. This manga came out in the year 2002. The boy moves to his aunt’s house to get into the school with the best basketball team out there, however, we see him struggling to gain recognization among all the big players out there.

24. Real

This is a great manga to read and among all the manga on this list this is a recommendation from our side, this is based on the life of Tomomi, the head of the basketball team, which is filled with delinquents, and now after he has been found responsible for a girl’s accident and being defeated by a para basketballer on a wheelchair, he realizes he can let basketball leave his life this easily.

25.Namaikizakari

25 Best Basketball Animes

The last one from the list isn’t completely a sports manga but also a romantic one, where we see the protagonist being the manager of the basketball team just to be close to her crush, and how they both slowly come close and basketball becomes a part of their daily life. the manga is well written and can be given a try.

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