Ping Pong the Animation (2014)

Animation · Drama · Sport

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.

IMDb rating: 8.6 (6,416 votes)
Seasons: 1
Streaming (US): Crunchyroll
Language: JA
Type: Mini-series

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Ratings refreshed Aug 19, 2026 · 1 season indexed

Cast

Seasons

Season 1 (2014)

8.39 avg 11 episodes 7.9 → 9.2 23 min avg

Slow burn

Season 1 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	The Wind Makes It Too Hard to Hear	7.9	384
2	Smile's a Robot	8.3	346
3	Devoting Your Life to Table Tennis is Creepy	8.3	333
4	The Only Way to Be Sure You Won't Lose is to Not Fight	8.0	321
5	Where Did I Go Wrong?	7.9	320
6	You Love Table Tennis More Than Anyone Else!	8.4	341
7	Yes, My Coach	7.8	311
8	The Hero Appears	8.6	348
9	I'm Gonna Go Cry a Bit	8.7	345
10	You're the Hero, Aren't You?	9.2	471
11	My Blood Tastes Like Iron	9.2	450