Slam Dunk is an iconic sports anime that will forever be regarded as one of the best. With the release of The First Slam Dunk movie, the hype and interest in the franchise ignited once again. So, if you’re looking for more basketball action, here are 11 sports anime like Slam Dunk to watch!
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Hungry Best 5
Similar to Slam Dunk, Hungry Best 5 is an anime movie that revolves around a team of basketball players hungry for the crown.
As the title suggests, Hungry Best 5 is looking for the most tenacious five-man team that will keep on winning until the strongest remains on the court.
Released in 1995, Hungry Best 5 follows a basketball prodigy named Kim Youngwoong, who brought the Junior Asian Cup championship to Korea against the Chinese Team.
His last shot is impressive enough; it attracted the attention of the Korean Consul’s daughter, Chae Yo Omi.
When Youngwoong returned home, he was scouted by every university that has a basketball team! But Youngwoong decided to go for the least famous team, as advised by his very first coach, Kim In!
Barangay 143
A telenovela disguised as a basketball anime, Barangay 143 is the first-ever Filipino anime series inspired by Slam Dunk! And because it is Filipino-made, Barangay 143 is rich with Filipino culture, in addition to its dramatic story, which features family tensions and game-fixing syndicates.
Barangay 143 centers on Bren T. Park, a former Korea U-19 National Basketball Team member who decided to quit playing following the tragic incident that involved his family.
With the sudden revelation that Bren’s Father is of Filipino descent, he decides to go to the Philippines to find him.
In the Philippines, Bren crossed paths with a group of misfits who are trying to bring glory to their hometown through basketball.
Eventually, Bren joins the basketball team of Barangay 143, named Puzakals!
I'll/CKBC
I'll/CKBC is a 2-episode OVA that tells the story of two basketball rivals who are playing on the same team, similar to Sakuragi and Rukawa, except they have more serious competition.
This basketball anime follows Hitonari Hiiragi, who is on the verge of quitting basketball for good due to the pressure caused by his family background and people’s expectations.
But when Hiiragi met the talented Akane Tachibana, his interest in basketball was lit once again.
Soon after, Hiiragi joins the Kouzu Basketball Team, where he becomes teammates and rivals with Akane.
But as they play basketball, Hiiragi contemplates his future and whether his current team can help him achieve his dreams!
Ro-Kyu Bu! SS
Based on Sagu Aoyama’s light novel of the same name, Ro-Kyu Bu! SS is a comedy and sports anime that revolves around the all-female basketball team of Keishin Academy.
It all started when a high school student and member of the basketball team, Subaru Hasegawa, accepted the offer of his aunt Mihoshi to become the coach of an elementary school basketball team for three days.
After all, Subaru doesn’t have much to do, as his own basketball team got disbanded after their captain got involved in a scandal!
He agreed to coach the all-female basketball team, where he discovered the potential of the shooting guard, Tomoka Minato!
Can Subaru stop the disbandment of the Keishin Academy basketball team?
Left-Hand Lay-Up
Left-Hand Lay-Up is a Chinese anime that revolves around a left-handed basketball player named Xu Xingze.
Ever since Xu was young, he has wanted to join the region’s top basketball team after witnessing its star player win the famous Final Four Tournament. And now that he’s grown up, Xu wants to follow the same path!
Unfortunately, Xu got involved in a mix-up thanks to his sister, who enrolled him at a lesser school with the same name!
With no other choice left, Xu accepted his fate and decided to step up his basketball game, along with his ragtag group of new friends!
Will Xu be able to achieve his dream in Left-Hand Lay-Up?
Basquash
First released in 2009, Basquash is an action-packed sports anime that also involves mecha elements! Talk about a weird combination!
Set in the fictional world of Earth Dash where humanity is divided into the high lunar society and the struggling surface society, Basquash follows the main protagonist, Dan JD, who finds himself involved in one of the most popular sports in the world called Big Foot Basketball (BFB).
Apparently, Big Foot Basketball is a highly advanced sport where players are required to ride a mecha called Big Foot inside a massive arena. But Dan JD and his friends adapted BFB for street play and renamed it Basquash.
Dash! Kappei
Perhaps the oldest anime on this list and older than that of Slam Dunk, Dash! Kappei is a 65-episode classic anime that tells the day-to-day shenanigans of Kappei Sakamoto.
He is a young and wild high school student who has amazing athletic abilities, despite his short height.
One day, Kappei’s talent to play basketball was discovered by the team’s captain, who pursued him to join the team.
Thankfully, Kappei decided to accept the captain’s offer, not because he truly wanted to play basketball but because the team coach, Natsu, wears white undergarments!
Since Kappei joined, the basketball team has never been the same!
Dear Boys
The Mizuho High School Basketball Team is in jeopardy after its coach resigned, and there aren't enough players to take part in a competition.
Everything was in turmoil, but transfer student Kazuhiko Aikawa will go to any length to convince the team's four remaining members to regroup and start over!
Despite his diminutive frame, Kazuhiko is a basketball prodigy recognized for his exceptional jumping abilities. He is a small forward who was also the captain of his previous team.
Unlike other players, Kazuhiko maintains his motivation, and his optimistic attitude finally rubs off on his new colleagues!
In Dear Boys, Kazuhiko hopes to lead the Mizuho Basketball Team to the top of the prefecture with a new group of friends, including a new coach!
Buzzer Beater
In case you didn’t know, Buzzer Beater is the second basketball anime to come from Slam Dunk’s very own Takehiko Inoue. The major difference is that Buzzer Beater is a basketball anime with sci-fi and fantasy elements.
Takehiko Inoue released Buzzer Beater in May 1996, which was then adapted into an anime by TMS Entertainment in February 2005.
Buzzer Beater takes basketball to an entirely new level, where humans compete with alien players!
This sports anime revolves around Hideyoshi Tanaka, a fiery 15-year-old kid who has been selected to the Earth All-Star team after years of hustling in the streets.
Hideyoshi is unlike any ordinary kid, for he has superhuman speed! However, Hideyoshi often gets paralyzing migraines brought on by his growing horns!
Will this stop Hideyoshi from bringing the basketball championship back to Earth?
Ahiru no Sora
Aspiring basketball player Sora Kurumatani has a never-giving-up attitude.
He aims to become a successful basketball player, following in the footsteps of his mother. But Sora’s height stopped him from playing in middle school!
Now that Sora’s in high school, he will stop at nothing to join the basketball team of Kuzuryu High School, even if its current members are all delinquents!
They will not stop Sora’s dream, but they will help them achieve it—at least that’s what Sora believes!
And because Sora has always remained positive, the delinquent members of the basketball team changed their minds and decided to revive the team once again!
Kuroko’s Basketball
This list will not be complete without the Generation of Miracles from Kuroko’s Basketball! Who would ever forget the five strongest basketball players of their time and their sixth-man shadow player, Kuroko Tetsuya?
As the title of the anime suggests, Kuroko’s Basketball tells the story of Kuroko Tetsuya, a peculiar basketball player from Seirin High who has a knack for ball passing.
Kuroko relies on misdirection and his almost-invisible presence to pass the balls to Taiga Kagami, whom he considers the light to his shadow.
But Kuroko has a more important reason why he keeps on playing basketball, and that is to reunite with his former teammates and show them how fun it is to play basketball once again!
However, it will not be an easy road, for Kuroko has to defeat the Generation of Miracles one by one!
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