Ping Pong the Animation poster
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Ping Pong the Animation

TV·2014–2014·1 season, 11 episodes·Fuji TV·Animation, Drama·23m·8.1

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Makoto 'Smile' Tsukimoto and his friend Yutaka 'Peco' Hoshino have been playing table tennis together since they were kids, but as they enter high school, they find that the game, and how they see it, has changed. Peco, brimming with confidence and energy, wants to be the best in the world, but the reserved Smile has little fighting spirit and doesn't want to sacrifice others' happiness just to win, despite his innate talent. As the two grow, and experience the ups and downs of the sport – and life – they try to figure out exactly who they really are and what drives them to play.

Highest-rated episodes all ranked

  1. 01Ping Pong the Animation S01E02Smile Is a RobotS01E02 · 9.3Coach Koizumi has started working Smile hard, and he definitely doesn't appreciate the extra attention.
  2. 02Ping Pong the Animation S01E03Staking Your Life on Table Tennis Is RevoltingS01E03 · 9.0All the teams gather at the prefectural qualifiers, and China gets to play Smile at last.
  3. 03Ping Pong the Animation S01E09Gonna Cry a BitS01E09 · 8.8In the third round, Dragon has an unexpected visitor, Sanada questions himself, and Peco scares lots of people in lots of ways.

Cast

Koki UchiyamaKoki UchiyamaMakoto 'Smile' Tsukimoto (voice)Fukujuro KatayamaFukujuro KatayamaYutaka 'Peco' Hoshino (voice)Yousei BunYousei BunWenge 'China' Kong (voice)Shunsuke SakuyaShunsuke SakuyaRyuuichi 'Dragon' Kazama (voice)Subaru KimuraSubaru KimuraManabu 'Demon' Sakuma (voice)Yusaku YaraYusaku YaraJou Koizumi (voice)Masako NozawaMasako NozawaObaba Tamura (voice)

Episodes by season

Season01Episode ratings across the season — the gold bar is its best episode11Episodes2014Aired 7.4Season avg
  1. S01E01Ping Pong the Animation S01E01The Wind Makes It Too Hard to HearApril 11, 2014 6.2Two old friends go to spy on a new table tennis champ at a rival high school, but meanwhile their own team is falling apart.
  2. S01E02Ping Pong the Animation S01E02Season's bestSmile Is a RobotApril 18, 2014 9.3Coach Koizumi has started working Smile hard, and he definitely doesn't appreciate the extra attention.
  3. S01E03Ping Pong the Animation S01E03Staking Your Life on Table Tennis Is RevoltingApril 25, 2014 9.0All the teams gather at the prefectural qualifiers, and China gets to play Smile at last.
  4. S01E04Ping Pong the Animation S01E04The Only Way to Be Sure You Won't Lose Is to Not FightMay 2, 2014 7.6Peco learns a hard lesson from someone he never took seriously enough, and then we finally see how Dragon earned his name.
  5. S01E05Ping Pong the Animation S01E05Where Did I Go Wrong?May 9, 2014 5.8Dragon's obsession with Smile prompts Akuma to do something rash.
  6. S01E06Ping Pong the Animation S01E06You Love This Sport More Than Anyone!!May 16, 2014 5.8Five athletes have five very different Christmas Eves, and Peco gets a wake-up call.
  7. S01E07Ping Pong the Animation S01E07Yes, My CoachMay 23, 2014 6.8Players, coaches, captains, and their families.
  8. S01E08Ping Pong the Animation S01E08The Hero AppearsMay 30, 2014 5.8Smile, Peco, Dragon, and China begin another prefectural qualifier. Will the results be different this year?
  9. S01E09Ping Pong the Animation S01E09Gonna Cry a BitJune 6, 2014 8.8In the third round, Dragon has an unexpected visitor, Sanada questions himself, and Peco scares lots of people in lots of ways.
  10. S01E10Ping Pong the Animation S01E10I Thought You Were the Hero!!June 13, 2014 8.2Peco and Dragon tackle the question of whether only birds can fly.
  11. S01E11Ping Pong the Animation S01E11Blood Tastes Like IronJune 20, 2014 8.4The final match is on.

Season 1 ranked & reviewed

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