- Updated on: July 23, 2022
- by Ernie
Ah, sports anime… These marvels often serve as a way for people to make up for their interest in sports even if they do not like playing sports in real life! There are so many to choose from. Some based around real sports, others around fictional ones, but everyone has something to choose from.
Kuroko no Basuke or Kuroko’s Basketball already has its focal point in the title, and today, we’ll be taking a look at the anime in general, the series, the movies, and the specials.
Table of Contents
So, get your balls in hand, and your mind in the game, we’re going for the hoops right away! Let’s dunk in!
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Table of Content
How to Watch Kuroko's Basket in Order?
Where to Watch Kuroko's Basket?
Kuroko No Basuke Watch Order
TV Series
The TV series is made up of three main seasons, and each had some specials and OVAs included with them and four movies. We’ll first take a look at the three main seasons:
Season 1 (2012)
Episodes: 25
After winning the junior basketball championship three times in a row, the five aces of Teiko Junior High’s basketball team graduate, and all go their own ways in life, thus making them rivals from then on. They were called “The generation of miracles” and now this lineup is no more.
Soon, at Seirin High School, two brand new recruits prove that they are no ordinary basketball players. They may be freshmen, but their skills put them far above the average. They’re Taiga Kagami, an exchange student returning from the US, and Tetsuya Kuroko, a kid with little presence, but with the ability to outplay others.
Kuroko doesn’t have much skill, and doesn’t score many points, but one thing is certain about him: He was Teikou’s player. However he wasn’t a member of the Miracle generation, just the unknown sixth member, but had excellent skills at assisting his teammates and with pinpoint accurate passes at that.
The story follows the players of the Seirin basketball team as they strive to become the champions of the national league. They need to prove themselves however, against incredibly strong teams, and some of these have the miracle generation’s players. Taiga and Kuroko make a promise to ultimately defeat all of them.
Season 2 (2013)
Episodes: 25
Even the end of a tournament doesn’t mean a basketball team’s life is at an end. In fact, it’s just the beginning. After the Interhigh Championship finishes, Seirin’s team now aim for the Winter cup. Kagami and Kuroko have to face old friends returning into their lives, thus challenges arise from both on and off the court for them.
Kuroko has new challenges to face while also having to grow as a player. First of all, some of the greatest teams of the nation, Yousen, Shuutoku and Touou are here. Then the next challenge is for Kuroko to grow into his role as a member of the team, all while struggling with his unbreaking urge to win at all cost.
Seirin’s big run for the glory they long for, while having to face new and greater challenges than ever. All this, while their main rivals, referred to as “The Uncrowned Kings“ are out to beat the hopeful newcomers. It’s about to get rough as they’re struggling to defeat the Miracle Generation.
Season 3 (2015)
Episodes: 26
Seirin finally wuns over Youren High, and they make it into the semifinals of the Winter Cup. Along with them are Kaijou, Rakuzan and Shuutoku. The twist in this is that each of these teams has a member of the Miracle Generation. This also means they now need to face the greatest challenge they ever had.
Kuroko is up against his old teammates, and is striving to prove himself against each and every one of them. His main goal is of course, to show them that teamwork is much more important than individualism and individual skills. This will be the ultimate battle of wits and skills. Teamwork versus individuality and absolute control.
Of course, aside from a single player proving himself, the team’s main goal is also important, as the ultimate goal is to win the Winter Cup. This means overcoming the dominant miracle generation.
Movies
Kuroko’s Basketball has a total of four movies. The first three are part of a trilogy telling the events of the Winter Cup from 2016, and the last one released in 2017.
1- Winter Cup Soushuuhen - Shadow and Light
The first movie focuses on the first match of the Winter Cup between Seirin and Touou Academy. The movie’s focus is on Kuroko and Aomine’s friendship.
Kuroko’s new move is seen through by Aomine, thanks to flashbacks to their past, back in junior High school. and he’s benched. This causes him to lose heart, since he’s also faced with humiliation. Kagami is the one to come to his aid, challenging Aomine head on, and their clash is one of the main focuses of the rest of the movie.
2- Beyond the Tears
Seirin’s next opponent is Yosen in the quarter finals. Yousen has near perfect defense, but Kuroko manages to score the first point. While this all goes down, the aces, Kagami and Himuro duke it out. It’s a close and very intense struggle to the bitter end.
Seirin’s next opponent in the semi finals is Kaijo. Kaijo’s ace player is Kise, who has a perfect copy ability. Seirin is pushed to rush into a victory if they’re to win the match. Kise is injured, but Kaijo stands even without him and shows Seirin what they’re really made of even without their ace.
3- Crossing the Door
The other semi final match takes place between Rakuzan and Shutoku. Akashi’s Emperor Eye technique goes up against Midorima and Takao and their combination attacks, while Shutoku fights back against Rakuzan. In the end however, Akashi is able to overcome them despite all of their efforts and crushes all of their hopes they may have had.
This seals the finals between Seirin and Rakuzan. The match begins and Kagami immediately enters the zone, but he poses no threat to Akashi. Seirin is faced with more and more fruitless efforts and is starting to lose hope. The only one who still has hope is Kuroko himself, and fights on against all odds.
4- The Last Game
Released in 2017, this movie is a brand new story.
Jabberwock, a team of players with skills on the level of NBA comes to Japan to play against Strky, a select team of former third years who were also there at the Interhigh and Winter cup events. Jabberwock, despite being up against such an elite team, wins, and their captain, Nash Gold Jr. mocks the japanese players by calling them monkeys.
Kagetora Aida, infuriated by this mockery, challenges Jabberwock to a rematch. Nash of course blindly accepts, having no idea what he gets himself into. Kagetora then proceeds to assemble a new team, the Vorpal Swords, made up of all the members of the Miracle Generation, along with Kuroko and Kagami. They are the only ones who can stand a chance against the seemingly unbeatable foe.
OVA/ONA
The series included two major OVAs, and a number of specials but let’s first take a look at the OVAs!
1- Baka ja Katenai no yo! (2013)
With the proficiency tests on the doorstep, Coach Riko looks over the midterm results for all the first years. Anyone in the bottom 100 is forced to take extra classes during the finals, and won’t be able to play at all. Kagami’s results are less than subpar, and therefore the others join forces to help him study.
2- Hiyoko no Basket Movie: Last Game 0401 (2017)
A special little surprise released for April’s fools day in 2017. The series mascots replace the characters starring in the movie, the Last Game.
Specials
Kuroko’s Basketball also has a total of 10 special episodes spanning across the different seasons and the movies alike. Let’s take a look at those!
1- Kuroko no Basket: Oshaberi Shiyokka (2012)
Also simply known as ‘Let’s Chat!’, this special episode features our main heroes, the Seirin team having an outing at a burger parlor, Maji Burger. Coach Riko orders the team to start chatting about absolute nonsense, as this is a special disc. Clearly the episode is very self conscious, so it’s clearly a comedic special.
Kuroko decides to recap their matches up until the match against Shuutoku High, but is interrupted by Kagami. The majority of the episode is then spent with showing off tricks, and fooling around. It then ends on the note of this all having been completely pointless, made by Kagami himself.
2- Kuroko no Basuke NG-Shuu (2013)
The NG Shuu is actually a series of small, comedic outtakes of the series. Bloopers that were based on the small outtake series of extras of the manga, bundled with the Blu-ray, DVD releases.
3- tip off (2013)
The special episode that focuses on Kuroko’s past, depicting him as a member of the Miracle Generation. It was part of the BD/DVD releases, and can also be considered episode 22.5.
4- NG-Shuu Season 2 (2014)
As was in the case of season 1, naturally Season 2 also had the series of bloopers included with the digital releases.
5- Mouikkai Yarimasen ka (2014)
The title translates to “Would you mind doing that once more?“. This special episode focuses on Kuroko and Aomine’s first time meeting. An addition to Season 2 DVD Volume 6.
6- Oshaberi Demo Shimasen ka (2014)
This special is part of the second fan disc, Hikaru Sasu Basho e.
7- Kuroko no Basket 3rd Season NG-shuu (2015)
Third season comes with a third round of blooper specials bundled with the disc releases.
8- Saikou no present desu (2015)
The ultimate present takes us into a special day, Kuroko Tetsuya’s birthday. Satsuki Momoi invites all the members of the Miracle Generation to play basketball together, and bring back some old memories of their times in junior high.
While this all goes down, Kagami and Kuroko’s other teammates at Seirin high are preparing a special birthday present to their friend, a suprise birthday party.
This should serve as a small lesson: Sometimes a present isn’t as important as having fun and making memories with your best buds.
9- Oshaberi Shiyo Ka (2017)
Another special episode included with Fan Disc 3 titled Korekara Nandodemo.
10- Kuroko no Basket: Last Game NG-shuu (2017)
Much like the previous times, the Last Game movie had a series of bloopers bundled with the disc release.
Chronological / suggested watch order
Now that we got the short summaries of every part of the series and the movies, let’s take a look at the chronological order of it all, which should paint us a better picture of how the anime itself slowly builds up to its ultimate conclusion, shall we?
- Season 1, episodes 1-13.
- Baka to Katenai no yo!
- Season 1, Episodes 14-22
- Tip Off
- Season 1, episode 23-25
- Oshaberi Shiyokka
- NG-Shuu
- Movie 1: Shadow and Light
- Season 2, episode 1-16
- Mou ikkai Yarimasen ka
- Season 2, episode 17-25
- Oshaberi Demo Shimasen ka
- Season 2 NG-Shuu
- Movie 2: Beyond the Tears
- Season 3
- Saikou no Present
- Desu.Oshaberi Shiyou ka
- Movie 3: Crossing the Door
- Movie 4: Last Game
- Last Game NG-Shuu
- Hiyoko no Basket Movie: Last Game 0401
Did You Find the Watch Order Helpful?
In the world of sports anime, Kuroko’s basketball is one of the most popular and there is a reason. While it is action packed and the most talented players have special abilities, they’re not nearly as surreal as in some other anime. This also goes for Slam Dunk even, which kind of feels like that french cartoon series, the Kangoos.
Do you guys know it by chance? When I was a kid, it was my introduction to basketball in the first place. And you know what, while it was surreal and funny as hell, it had a good grasp of the sport…
Well, hence for the human like talking kangaroos. As for how that applies to Kuroko’s basketball? It doesn’t, but the point is, Basketball is one of my favorite ball sports, and if you like the sport yourselves, give this anime a watch! We’ll see you next time!
