Ping Pong the Animation

Synopsis

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.

First Air Date: 2014-04-11

Last Air Date: 2014-06-20

Number of Seasons: 1

Number of Episodes: 11

Networks: Fuji TV

View Technical Specifications on IMDb

Top Cast

Koki Uchiyama as Makoto 'Smile' Tsukimoto (voice)
Fukujuro Katayama as Yutaka 'Peco' Hoshino (voice)
Yousei Bun as Wenge 'China' Kong (voice)
Shunsuke Sakuya as Ryuuichi 'Dragon' Kazama (voice)
Subaru Kimura as Manabu 'Demon' Sakuma (voice)
Yusaku Yara as Jou Koizumi (voice)
Masako Nozawa as Obaba Tamura (voice)
Takanori Hoshino as Oota (voice)
Takayuki Nakatsukasa as Koeda (voice)
Mitsuaki Hoshi as Takamura (voice)

Seasons

Season 1 (2014)

No overview available for this season.

Episodes:

Ep. 1: The Wind Makes It Too Hard to Hear (2014-04-11)

Two old friends go to spy on a new table tennis champ at a rival high school, but meanwhile their own team is falling apart.
Ep. 2: Smile Is a Robot (2014-04-18)

Coach Koizumi has started working Smile hard, and he definitely doesn't appreciate the extra attention.
Ep. 3: Staking Your Life on Table Tennis Is Revolting (2014-04-25)

All the teams gather at the prefectural qualifiers, and China gets to play Smile at last.
Ep. 4: The Only Way to Be Sure You Won't Lose Is to Not Fight (2014-05-02)

Peco learns a hard lesson from someone he never took seriously enough, and then we finally see how Dragon earned his name.
Ep. 5: Where Did I Go Wrong? (2014-05-09)

Dragon's obsession with Smile prompts Akuma to do something rash.
Ep. 6: You Love This Sport More Than Anyone!! (2014-05-16)

Five athletes have five very different Christmas Eves, and Peco gets a wake-up call.
Ep. 7: Yes, My Coach (2014-05-23)

Players, coaches, captains, and their families.
Ep. 8: The Hero Appears (2014-05-30)

Smile, Peco, Dragon, and China begin another prefectural qualifier. Will the results be different this year?
Ep. 9: Gonna Cry a Bit (2014-06-06)

In the third round, Dragon has an unexpected visitor, Sanada questions himself, and Peco scares lots of people in lots of ways.
Ep. 10: I Thought You Were the Hero!! (2014-06-13)

Peco and Dragon tackle the question of whether only birds can fly.
Ep. 11: Blood Tastes Like Iron (2014-06-20)

The final match is on.