Although they are so different, these two Anime have such a rivalry and so many similarities that it is hilarious to see both fan bases debate their views.
This conflict may possibly be comparable to the well-known Naruto vs. Bleach conflict. Additionally, it appears to be one of those where you will probably favor the first film you watch out of the two.
Popular sports Anime include Kuroko’s Basketball and Haikyuu! Basketball is the focus of Kuroko’s Basketball and volleyball is Haikyuu!!
So how can they be compared given how dissimilar each sport is? Let’s get going.
What is Haikyuu!!?
Haruichi Furudate’s manga series Haikyu!! was written and illustrated by him.
From February 2012 to July 2020, it was serialized in Shueisha’s shonen manga magazine Weekly Shonen Jump, with chapters collected in 45 tankbon volumes. Shoyo Hinata, despite his modest stature, is motivated to become a renowned volleyball player in the novel.
Shoyo Hinata, a junior high school student, is inspired to play volleyball after watching Karasuno High School compete in Nationals on television. Hinata, who is short in stature, is inspired by Karasuno, a little yet talented wing spiker dubbed “The Little Giant” by the media. Despite her inexperience, Hinata is athletic and possesses an incredible vertical jump.
What is Kuroko’s Basketball?
Tadatoshi Fujimaki’s Kuroko’s Basketball is a Japanese sports manga series penned and illustrated by him.
From December 2008 to September 2014, it was serialized in Shueisha’s shonen manga magazine Weekly Shonen Jump, with chapters collected in 30 tankbon volumes. It tracks a high school basketball team as they attempt to qualify for the national tournament.
Teiko Middle School’s basketball squad dominated Japanese basketball teams, winning the middle school Nationals three years in a row. The outstanding players of the club were known as the “Generation of Miracles”. The five best players went to various high schools with elite basketball teams after graduating from middle school.
Is Haikyuu!! or Kuroko’s Basketball Better?
The games between Seirin High and the members of Generation of Miracles were the center of Kuroko’s basketball story.
Kuroko’s Basketball has its share of matches that are suspenseful, but the plot suffers in several ways.
First of all, Seirin’s development happened so quickly that there was no time for comprehensive, in-depth development; instead, the team relied heavily on Kagami’s sporadic bursts of attack strength to get them through challenging games.
Furthermore, Seirin was able to lose to the Generation of Miracles, basketball players who were thought to be monsters.
Kuroko’s Basketball games had several unexpected turns and unexpected dubious events, but overall, the games were predictable.
It makes sense that the major cast of the program would be protected by narrative armor, but Kuroko’s armor was simply too strong.
The plot in Haikyuu is more complex, though. Despite his faith in his untrained leap strength, Hinata loses shamefully to the opposition team led by Tobio Kageyama at the beginning of the story.
The first plot twist is hinted at when the scenery of the show shifts to reveal Kageyama and Hinata joining the same team.
Viewers can easily assume that Kageyama is Hinata’s greatest rival after the opening few minutes of episode 1, but Haikyuu!! throws them for a loop.
Additionally, Haikyuu showed Karasuno’s training regimen as being well-planned. The team put a lot of effort into improving as volleyball players, even in their free time.
In actuality, training sessions and matches are included in the Anime equally. In addition to highlighting several defeats, Haikyuu also focused on other teams besides the main cast.
While Haikyuu!! matches may not be as intense as Kuroko’s Basketball, they are immersive and let viewers feel the emotions of the characters.
Check out this video to know more:
Is there any Sports Anime better than Haikyuu?
Fans of Haikyuu!! finally said goodbye to their favorite Karasuno High School volleyball team after more than eight years when the manga’s run came to an end with the publication of the final chapter on July 2020.
Since then, the Anime’s most recent season’s second half, which will debut in October, has been highly anticipated by fans.
You might be experiencing an unfathomable sense of loss after turning the final page, like many fans all across the world do.
Here are some sports-related Anime that you may watch in place of Haikyuu!! to help you fill the vacuum left by the show’s absence and pass the time until new episodes are released:
| Anime | Plot |
| Free! – Iwatobi Swim Club | The focus of Free! is a high school boy swimming squad. Haruka Nanase, a talented swimmer, teams up with his old buddies from elementary school in high school as they try to reconcile their rifts and restore the swim club’s former glory. You may anticipate seeing a lot of character and personal development because the Anime series is heavily focused on friendship and ties between people. |
| Cheer Boys | Cheer Boys is set in a college instead of the typical high school scenario, so you can anticipate more mature characters and a realistic depiction of their cheerleading career. The main characters initially encounter resistance from their traditional-minded relatives regarding their decision to run the club. The unheard-of all-boys squad, however, perseveres, combats the myth that men’s cheerleading is disgraceful, and defies gender expectations. |
| Chihayafuru | The Japanese card game of karuta features Ogura Hyakunin Isshu, a traditional collection of 100 Japanese poets assembled during the Heian period. Chihayafuru is a slice-of-life and sports Anime about this game. Although it may seem odd to consider a poetic card game a sport, karuta is accepted in Japan. Although the game itself is rather straightforward, competing at a high level necessitates having quick reflexes, excellent memory, and lots of stamina. |
| Baby Steps | At the start of the series, the male lead, Eiichiro, is a complete tennis novice. He chooses to start playing tennis and joins the Southern Tennis Club since he is unhappy with his appearance and inactive lifestyle. Despite being a novice, Eiichiro gradually improves his tennis skills through diligence and wit. |
| Yowamushi Pedal Go!! | This Anime focuses on the niche sport of cycling. It follows Sakamichi Onoda, a freshman otaku who is devastated to learn that his high school’s Anime club has disbanded. When fellow freshman Shunsuke Imaizumi, an accomplished cyclist, learns of Onoda’s hidden cycling talent, he persuades Onoda to join the high school’s bicycle racing club. There, Onoda’s new pals support him as he overcomes numerous obstacles to hone his racing skills. |
Is Slam Dunk better than Kuroko’s Basketball?
The relative merits of one series over the other have long been a matter of intense dispute among fans.
In both the Slam Dunk and Kuroko’s Basketball series, underdog high school basketball teams compete in their respective leagues while overcoming insurmountable obstacles to realize their goals.
The biggest difference between Slam Dunk and Kuroko‘s Basketball is how each series views basketball.
There is an undeniable passion for basketball in Slam Dunk. Slam Dunk is an unabashed love letter to basketball, from its realistic portrayal of the game to the occasional lesson in basketball history to the author’s in-Anime avatar Dr. T’s explanation of the game’s finer points.
Kuroko’s Basketball, in contrast, uses basketball more as a plot device that enables the author to tell a story about conflict and camaraderie.
There are basketball players in Kuroko’s Basketball that possess abilities that are, to put it bluntly, impractical in any real-life scenario. Slam Dunk, on the other hand, is more realistic and makes you feel connected.
In Slam Dunk, the main character Hanamichi Sakuragi begins the story as a total basketball novice.
Despite having exceptional physical attributes, his brash, careless behavior made him more of a liability on the court than a genuinely helpful member of the squad.
But his desire to genuinely help the squad motivates him to work incredibly hard in practice; at one time, he made a commitment to make 20,000 jump shoots in a week.
Sakuragi not only becomes helpful to the Shohoku squad towards the end of the series, but he also becomes an essential member of it.
Kuroko Tetsuya, the main character of Kuroko’s Basketball, is frequently described to as one of the players with the worst qualities.
He frequently passes out after intense physical training sessions and lacks the endurance to play a whole game.
The demanding Teiko squad, however, puts him through grueling practice after practice until he draws the attention of captain Seijuro Akashi, who eventually shapes him into the champion team’s “Phantom Sixth Man.”
Why is Kuroko’s Basketball so good?
Complicated people, the plot’s intensity, a tale of the underdog, and amazing music are the characteristics of Kuroko’s Basketball that make it the best sports Anime ever made.
Kuroko, a high school student, is the main character, although he has a complimentary co-star in Kagami.
The two of them are unquestionably the team’s stars and play for the Seirin squad. However, the lack of attention on Kuroko or Kagami is a good representation of the show’s overall direction.
There are numerous villains; none of them are cartoonish representations of the devil but rather real-life, human flawed Kuroko’s companions.
The games are incredibly dramatic, and there are times when it seems like there is no way the drama can increase.
Insignificant basketball plays like double teams or charges receive the same attention as dunks from the free-throw line.
The superpowers possessed by Kuroko’s Basketball characters are a little excessive as Midorima, one of the characters has the superpower of never missing a shot.
Midorima is capable of making full-court shots despite being double-teamed. One of the characters has the ability to predict the future and can command others to fall over or kneel by breaking their ankles.
Conclusion
- Haikyuu!! is an underdog story in which the squad must strive tirelessly to overcome both their own weaknesses and those of their opponents.
- Strong teams competing against equally strong and stronger teams in Kuroko no Basuke demonstrate that strength is not the only quality required for success.
- Because of its perfect pace and character development, as well as its heroes, villains, minor characters, and supporting characters, Kuroko’s Basketball is the greatest Anime of all time.