Top Basketball Anime Characters? 3rd Place: “Ao no Hako” Kanou Chika, 2nd Place: “Kuroko no Basuke” Kuroko Tetsuya, 1st Place is… <2026 Edition>

December 21st was “Basketball Day”.

The date originates from the world’s first basketball game being held in America on that day in 1891. Basketball, a sport born in the US, spread throughout Japan after the war through school education and club activities, sparking a huge boom in the 1990s.

The world of anime is also home to many characters dedicated to basketball. From rookies who show sudden brilliance just after learning the rules, to captains who support their teammates on and off the court, the portrayals are diverse.

Therefore, Anime! Anime! conducted a reader survey titled “What character comes to mind when you think of ‘basketball’?”. We received responses from 272 people during the survey period from November 27th to December 2nd.

The gender ratio was approximately 45% male and 55% female, nearly equal. The age demographics were about 45% under 19 years old and about 15% in their 30s.

■Protagonists from Basketball Manga Take a One-Two Finish!

1st Place

1st place went to Sakuragi Hanamichi from SLAM DUNK. The support rate was approximately 30%.

Sakuragi Hanamichi is a new member of the Shohoku High School basketball team. Despite being a beginner at basketball, he uses his astonishing physical abilities as a weapon and acts as the team’s “secret weapon”.

Readers commented, “He was originally a delinquent, but wanting to be liked by Haruko, whom he fell for at first sight, he lied about liking basketball to join the team. While causing trouble, he gradually gets absorbed in the fun of basketball and the way he learns to work with his teammates left an impression,” and “With zero basketball experience, he became the rebound king in just a few months. Furthermore, the speed at which he masters the jump shot, layup, and dunk is enviable.”

Additionally, there were voices like, “It’s my favorite manga of all time! I’ve read it over and over. I play in a moms’ basketball league, and reading it before a game gets me pumped up and makes me feel like I can do anything,” suggesting many readers started playing basketball because of this work.

2nd Place

2nd place was Kuroko Tetsuya from Kuroko no Basuke (which can be translated as The Basketball Which Kuroko Plays). The support rate was approximately 15%.

Kuroko Tetsuya is a first-year in the Seirin High School basketball club. He utilizes his extremely low presence, to the point of being unnoticed by others, to specialize in plays that disrupt the opposing team.

Comments included, “It’s interesting that he is the protagonist yet occupies a support position. As the story progresses, he masters the Phantom Shot and starts getting involved in scoring,” and “He’s a quiet, polite boy, but I love how he burns with a quiet intensity when he holds the ball. His pride in his playing style comes through in lines like, ‘It may be a bad nickname, but I have no intention of giving up being called the Phantom Sixth Man yet.'” This cool exterior masking inner passion was another reason for his support.

3rd Place

3rd place was Shikano Chinatsu from Ao no Hako (which can be translated as Blue Box). The support rate was approximately 8%.

Shikano Chinatsu is a second-year in the Ryoumei High School basketball club and is seen as the next ace player.

Readers said, “Ao no Hako is a love story, but it also has the charm of a sports work where characters strive hard in their club activities,” and “I love that she’s so dedicated to basketball that she even stays as a live-in helper at Taiki’s house while her parents are working overseas. It makes you want to cheer her on.” The heroine pouring her youth into club activities is popular. This is a rank-in from a title whose TV anime second season has been decided.

■Let’s Look at Other Comments!

For Floyd Leech from Disney Twisted Wonderland: “Because he belongs to the basketball club. You can see him using both feet freely to play in the game’s story too. The visual of him in the basketball club’s club wear is just great.”

For Katsura Kotaro from Gintama: “Because there are somehow episodes related to basketball, like in episode 110 where he imagines a girls’ basketball club youth story while counting sheep, or in episode 271 where he’s playing basketball even during the Joui War.”

For Nakano Yotsuba from 5-toubun no Hanayome (which can be translated as The Quintessential Quintuplets): “She’s active in various sports and clubs, but the first one depicted was basketball in episode 3. She participated in a match as a helper and was invited to join the club. By the way, in the next episode preview, she talks about basketball saying ‘If you put the ball in the basket, you get 2 or 3 points,’ so it seems she barely knows the rules.”

For Top Joy from Shippu! Iron Leaguer: “A robot basketball player who uses spring-powered limbs to perform massive jumps and dunk shots. The gap of seeing Juurouta Kosugi-san, who often plays stoic characters, voicing such a cheerful character is also charming.” Votes were cast for characters from a wide range of titles.

In this survey, characters from SLAM DUNK and Kuroko no Basuke ranked in multiple spots, reaffirming their strength. On the other hand, there were also voices highlighting characters with unexpected connections to basketball from titles outside the sports genre.

Don’t miss the top 20 on the next page!

■Top 10 Ranking

[“What character comes to mind when you think of ‘basketball’?”]

1. Sakuragi Hanamichi 『SLAM DUNK』
2. Kuroko Tetsuya 『Kuroko no Basuke』
3. Shikano Chinatsu 『Ao no Hako』
4. Aomine Daiki 『Kuroko no Basuke』
5. Rukawa Kaede 『SLAM DUNK』
6. Minato Tomoka 『Ro-Kyu-Bu!』
7. Floyd Leech 『Disney Twisted Wonderland』
8. Akagi Takenori 『SLAM DUNK』
9. Akashi Seijuurou 『Kuroko no Basuke』
10. Mitsui Hisashi 『SLAM DUNK』

(Survey Period: November 27th to December 2nd, 2025)

Next Page: Ranking up to 20th Place Revealed

—《Takahashi Katsu》—

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