Basketball anime is quite unpopular in the industry, and it’s certainly not because there are no manga to adapt, but because there are only a few anime to watch. However, despite this, most of them are quite impressive and date back to the 1980s.

While some of these anime aren’t entirely focused on sports and incorporate other genres like romance and comedy, almost all of them are worth watching. So without further ado, here are the best basketball anime you can watch right now.

13. I'll/CKBC

I'll/CKBC is a short basketball anime that doesn't feature any groundbreaking matches like Slam Dunk or Kuroko's Basketball, but it does showcase the true spirit of basketball through the lens of a young player struggling with his dream.

When Hitonari Hiiragi is about to give up on his dream of becoming a professional basketball player due to his family's poor background, he meets Akane Tachibana, who reignites Hiiragi's passion for the game. After joining her club, they begin their journey towards a professional basketball career.

12. Breakers

Breakers – Best Basketball Anime

Breakers is perhaps the most underrated sports anime in history because it not only offers a unique perspective on multiple games at once, but also delves into the lives of disabled athletes. If you don’t mind watching an anime that focuses partly on basketball and the rest on other sports, go for it.

The anime revolves around four para-athletes who inadvertently meet a marginalized sports scientist named Ren Narita. With his unconventional training regimen, he encourages these individuals as they attempt to achieve success in their respective sports fields.

11. Buzzer Beater

Buzzer Beater – Best Basketball Anime

Buzzer Beater takes the competitive basketball experience to a whole new level by introducing the concept of humans versus aliens. While it doesn’t exactly have a sci-fi setting like Redline or Cowboy Bebop, there are plenty of intergalactic competitions to keep you entertained.

The story follows a homeless boy named Hideyoshi who makes a living by pushing street kids in basketball games. However, after being drafted into a professional basketball team, he must challenge superior alien teams to bring the trophy back to Earth.

10. Dear Boys

Dear Boys – Best Basketball Anime

Dear Boys is a decent basketball anime in a sense because while it lacks in many areas, such as the animation department, it offers a decent experience with a likable story and characters. Needless to say, there are better basketball anime out there, but you can watch them after you’ve had your fill of the rest.

Aikawa Kazuhiko, who was the captain of the Tendoji High School basketball team, moves to a new city to join a new school. However, with the exception of a few players casually paying attention, his basketball is inactive. With Kazuhiko's passion, many of his schoolmates show interest in the sport, and together they begin their journey to national tournaments.

9. Barangay 143

Barangay 143 – Best Basketball Anime

Barangay 143 is an unconventional basketball anime that not only offers a great look at the sport but also adds some drama to the story. Overall, it offers an excellent experience for sports anime fans.

Ben Park quits basketball after a tragedy strikes his family and moves to the Philippines in hopes of starting a new life. However, when a coach named Coach B, who is seeking justice for his son's death, meets him, one thing leads to another and he starts playing basketball again.

8. Ro-Kyu-Bu!

Ro-Kyu-Bu! – Best Basketball Anime

Here’s a basketball anime for everyone, because you don’t have manly boys who dunk like their lives depend on it, but rather a group of cute little girls who play the sport in an even more adorable way. However, you should consider it more of a comedy anime than a sports anime, and you’ll enjoy it endlessly.

When Subaru Hasegawa learns that his school's basketball team has been suspended for an entire year, his ambition to become a good basketball player is dashed. However, when his aunt, Mihoshi Takamura, invites him to teach the sport to a team of middle school girls, his life takes a positive turn.

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

Onagawa Chuu Baske Bu – Best Basketball Anime

If you’re bored and want to watch a short basketball anime, Onagawa Chuu Baske Bu: 5-nin no Natsu works incredibly well because it only has one special episode that’s 31 minutes long. While that’s not enough to make it an entertaining anime, it still works.

The anime is based on the true story of the Onagawa Junior High School girls’ basketball team, which is left with only five regular players after an earthquake hits Touhouku. The story is detailed in a documentary style, making it a more excellent message with a light-hearted approach.

6. Dash Kappei

Dash! Kappei – Best Basketball Anime

Dash! Kappei is another fun show that we used to watch as a daily TV show when we were kids, and it does a fantastic job of fulfilling that role. While it doesn’t particularly emphasize basketball, it has plenty of funny and relatable sports moments.

Kappei, although a short guy, can dominate any game effortlessly. Living as a guest in the house of a sweet girl named Akane, he falls in love with her. However, with a strange rival in his way, he tries to excel in every way, especially in sports like basketball.

5. Basquash!

Basquash – Best Basketball Anime

Japanese anime always finds new ways to define a sport, as Megalobox and Levius do with boxing. Basquash is a similar type of anime that puts basketball in a new light. It’s simply an exciting experience that, while it has its fair share of flaws, is worthy of being considered one of the best basketball anime shows.

The story takes place on a planet called Earthdash, where a brave teenager decides to become rich in order to give a good life to her sister, who suffers from a disability. His goal is to go to the moon, where the rich live, and to do so he practices the sport Basquash, which is basketball, but played with mecha robots.

4. Ahiru no Sora

Ahiru no Sora – Best Basketball Anime

Ahiru no Sora is one of the best sports anime with a very good story that keeps the viewer hooked until the end. Although its pace can be a bit slow at first, it becomes incredibly addictive later on and is definitely a must-watch basketball anime.

Despite his short stature, Sora never gave up on his dream of becoming a professional basketball player. However, when he enrolled at Kuzuryuu High School, he discovered that his teammates had no passion for the sport and were uninterested in participating in tournaments. Determined to change their view of basketball, he challenged them to a match and thus began his epic journey to win a championship.

3. Left-Hand Layup!

Zuoshou Shanlan – Best Basketball Anime

Chinese people tend to be crazy about basketball, which is shown in the anime. It is incredibly well animated with all the necessary sports elements added and is relatively short so you can watch it in a short amount of time.

The story revolves around Xu Xingze, who, after witnessing a star player win the basketball tournament, decides to join the team. However, his sister mistakenly enrolls him in a different school with a similar name. Stuck with a ragtag group of new teammates, he decides to make them a strong team and win trophies in the region.

2. Slam Dunk

Slam Dunk – Best Basketball Anime

Slam Dunk It’s the kind of anime that many viewers keep on their list for long enough and eventually watch after they’ve run out of sports anime. Then they realize that it’s absolutely a worthy journey and why they put it off for so long. We believe it’s one of the best sports anime and arguably the best basketball anime alongside Kuroko’s Basketball.

The story follows Hanamichi Sakuragi, who set a record for rejection by girls in middle school and is determined to change that in high school. When flirting goes wrong and he unwittingly agrees to dunk on the basketball court, he ends up being lured into the school's basketball team, thus beginning a journey that spans over 100 episodes.

1. Kuroko no Basket

Kuroko’s Basketball – Best Basketball Anime

The most common criticism you hear about Kuroko's Basketball is how unrealistic it becomes as the episodes progress. However, it's as good as a sports anime can get, and everything it tries unconventionally ends up being its strong point.

Teikou Middle School has dominated the national basketball tournament for the past three years, thanks to its legendary lineup known as the “Generation of Miracles.” However, they eventually became pretentious about the sport, leading them to grow apart.

Now, in high school, they meet again, but this time, against each other, and Kuroko Tetsuya, the protagonist, is determined to prove that her way of playing basketball can only take them so far.