Oh! That’s A Baseball Episode!!

Booklet Description:

“Have you ever just been watching an anime when suddenly, out of left field, all the characters start playing baseball for an episode and it’s the greatest thing ever? Whether it’s there to throw a curveball into how you see the characters, or a change-up into the pacing, or just to bring out their animation aces, this is a panel about how anime’s baseball episodes really hit it out of the park.”

Summary:

I love when an anime stops everything for an episode to let the characters play a game of baseball, only to then move on the next week as if nothing had happened. Sometimes it’s just to show the audience another side of the characters, sometimes it’s because baseball is such an inherent contrast to the show’s setting, sometimes it’s because the animators want to draw their superpowered characters shattering bats, bones, and every rule of the game. It’s a fun vehicle for the staff and characters to express themselves in a novel way not directly tied to the main story, and as a result these episodes usually end up being some of the most unique and memorable of their respective series. So I thought I’d put together a panel that features some of my favorites, and talks about what makes these episodes so special, since I haven’t seen a panel like this before.

I’ve found upwards of 70-80 baseball episodes to feature in some capacity, with plot summaries, screenshots, clips, and some trope analysis.

  • Brief introduction to the history/importance of baseball in Japan, with some key points that carry over into anime
  • Why make a baseball episode in a non-baseball anime
  • The very first baseball episode (Obake Q-Taro, Perman, Sally The Witch)
  • “Training arc” featuring episodes that don’t have an entire baseball game but do feature baseball
  • Batting cage scenes
  • Actual baseball episodes, organized by which ones emphasize which element of the archetypical anime baseball episode: Rounding Up The Team, A Normal Game Of Baseball, Raising The Stakes, Weird Things Start Happening, Everyone Gets Superpowers, Villains Interrupt The Game, Baseball Becomes Combat

Presented At:

  • Sakura-Con 2024
  • Anime Weekend Atlanta 2023
  • Otakon 2023
  • Naka Kon 2023

Featured Anime:

Titles with a star (*) were featured with a clip.

Sakura-Con 2024

  • *JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure (Intro Clip)
  • Sazae-san (Shohei Ohtani Cameo)
  • The First Anime Baseball Episode
    • Obake Q-Taro (1965)
    • Perman (1967) 5
    • *Sally The Witch 12
  • Baseball Episode Training Arc
    • Higurashi: When They Cry Gou 9 (also s1e9)
    • Clannad 20
    • Excel Saga 11
    • Cromartie High School 13
    • Level E 11
    • Sonny Boy 4
    • Silver Spoon 11
    • The Day I Became A God 1
    • The Tatami Galaxy 5
    • FLCL 4
    • Clannad After Story 13
    • Kirarin Revolution 52
    • Yu Gi Oh GX 12
    • A Place Further Than The Universe 13
    • Naruto Shippuuden 252
    • *Tesagure Bukatsumono 1
    • *Gundam Build Fighters 13
  • The Batting Cage Scene
    • Shirobako 16
    • K-On s2e5
    • Toradora 15
    • Rent-A-Girlfriend s2e2
    • *My Senpai Is Annoying 6
    • Persona 5 The Animation 13
    • Blue Exorcist 17
    • *Fate/Stay Night UBW 12
  • Rounding Up The Team
    • Maison Ikkoku 68
    • *Angel Beats 4
    • Clannad After Story 1
    • Clamp School Detectives 10
    • Ojamajo Doremi Naisho 9
    • Yatterman (2008) 26
    • *Gdgd Fairies s2e11
  • A Normal Game Of Baseball
    • School Rumble 5
    • *Delicious Party Precure 34
    • Futari Wa Precure Splash Star 35
    • *Star Driver 10
    • Rockman.EXE 43
    • *Polar Bear Cafe 27
    • Assassination Classroom 12
    • Jujutsu Kaisen 21
  • The Stakes Get Raised
    • Heaven’s Memo Pad 9
    • Galaxy Angel 12
    • Samurai Pizza Cats 17 (Kyatto Ninden Teyandee 18)
    • Maburaho 9
    • Gegege No Kitaro (1968) 1
    • Hell Girl s4e7 (also s1e3)
    • *JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure s2e41-42
  • Weird Things Start Happening
    • *Mr. Osomatsu 25
    • Prince Of Tennis 115
    • *Urusei Yatsura 70 (also 2022 e14)
    • *Obake Q-Taro (1985) 9
    • Dr. Slump 155-156
    • *Dorohedoro 7
  • Suddenly… Superpowers?
    • *Squid Girl 10
    • The Melancholy Of Haruhi Suzumiya 7
    • Charlotte 4
    • Ninja Hattori-Kun 7
    • *Igano Kabamaru 24
    • One Piece: The Pirate Baseball King
  • Villains Crash The Game!
    • *Sonic X 10
    • Pokemon Sun And Moon 28
    • *Sailor Moon Stars 21
    • Onegai My Melody Kuru Kuru Shuffle 2
    • Futari Wa Precure Max Heart 7
    • Futari Wa Precure Splash Star 15
    • Fresh Precure 31
    • Doki Doki Precure 9
    • Happiness Charge Precure 12
    • Go Princess Precure 6
    • Hirogaru Sky Precure 35
  • The Last Player Standing
    • BNA: Brand New Animal 7
    • The Girl Who Leapt Through Space 9
    • *My Hero Academia: Hero League Baseball
    • *Dragon Ball Super 70
    • *Akiba Maid War 8
    • *Samurai Champloo 23

Anime Weekend Atlanta 2023

  • *JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure (Intro Clip)
  • Sazae-san (Shohei Ohtani Cameo)
  • The First Anime Baseball Episode
    • Obake Q-Taro (1965)
    • Perman (1967) 5
    • *Sally The Witch 12
  • Baseball Episode Training Arc
    • Higurashi: When They Cry Gou 9 (also s1e9)
    • Clannad 20
    • Excel Saga 11
    • Cromartie High School 13
    • Level E 11
    • Sonny Boy 4
    • Silver Spoon 11
    • The Day I Became A God 1
    • The Tatami Galaxy 5
    • FLCL 4
    • Clannad After Story 13
    • Kirarin Revolution 52
    • Yu Gi Oh GX 12
    • A Place Further Than The Universe 13
    • Naruto Shippuuden 252
    • *Tesagure Bukatsumono 1
    • *Gundam Build Fighters 13
  • The Batting Cage Scene
    • Shirobako 16
    • K-On s2e5
    • Toradora 15
    • Rent-A-Girlfriend s2e2
    • *My Senpai Is Annoying 6
    • Persona 5 The Animation 13
    • Blue Exorcist 17
    • *Fate/Stay Night UBW 12
  • Rounding Up The Team
    • Maison Ikkoku 68
    • *Angel Beats 4
    • Clannad After Story 1
    • Clamp School Detectives 10
    • Ojamajo Doremi Naisho 9
    • Yatterman (2008) 26
    • *Gdgd Fairies s2e11
  • A Normal Game Of Baseball
    • School Rumble 5
    • *Star Driver 10
    • Rockman.EXE 43
    • *Polar Bear Cafe 27
    • Assassination Classroom 12
    • Jujutsu Kaisen 21
  • The Stakes Get Raised
    • Heaven’s Memo Pad 9
    • Galaxy Angel 12
    • Samurai Pizza Cats 17 (Kyatto Ninden Teyandee 18)
    • Maburaho 9
    • Gegege No Kitaro (1968) 1
    • Hell Girl s4e7 (also s1e3)
    • *JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure s2e41-42
  • Weird Things Start Happening
    • *Mr. Osomatsu 25
    • Prince Of Tennis 115
    • *Urusei Yatsura 70 (also 2022 e14)
    • *Obake Q-Taro (1985) 9
    • Dr. Slump 155-156
    • *Dorohedoro 7
  • Suddenly… Superpowers?
    • *Squid Girl 10
    • The Melancholy Of Haruhi Suzumiya 7
    • *Charlotte 4
    • Ninja Hattori-Kun 7
    • *Igano Kabamaru 24
    • One Piece: The Pirate Baseball King
  • Villains Crash The Game!
    • *Sonic X 10
    • Pokemon Sun And Moon 28
    • *Sailor Moon Stars 21
    • Onegai My Melody Kuru Kuru Shuffle 2
    • Futari Wa Precure Max Heart 7
    • Fresh Precure 31
    • Doki Doki Precure 9
    • *Happiness Charge Precure 12
    • Go Princess Precure 6
    • *Delicious Party Precure 34
  • The Last Player Standing
    • *BNA: Brand New Animal 7
    • The Girl Who Leapt Through Space 9
    • *My Hero Academia: Hero League Baseball
    • Dragon Ball Super 70
    • *Akiba Maid War 8
    • *Samurai Champloo 23

Otakon 2023

  • *JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure (Intro Clip)
  • Sazae-san (Shohei Ohtani Cameo)
  • The First Anime Baseball Episode
    • Obake Q-Taro (1965)
    • Perman (1967) 5
    • *Sally The Witch 12
  • Baseball Episode Training Arc
    • Higurashi: When They Cry Gou 9 (also s1e9)
    • Clannad 20
    • Excel Saga 11
    • Cromartie High School 13
    • Level E 11
    • Sonny Boy 4
    • Silver Spoon 11
    • The Day I Became A God 1
    • The Tatami Galaxy 5
    • FLCL 4
    • Clannad After Story 13
    • Kirarin Revolution 52
    • Yu Gi Oh GX 12
    • Naruto Shippuuden 252
    • *Tesagure Bukatsumono 1
    • *Gundam Build Fighters 13
  • The Batting Cage Scene
    • Shirobako 16
    • K-On s2e5
    • Toradora 15
    • Rent-A-Girlfriend s2e2
    • *My Senpai Is Annoying 6
    • Persona 5 The Animation 13
    • Blue Exorcist 17
    • *Fate/Stay Night UBW 12
  • Rounding Up The Team
    • Maison Ikkoku 68
    • *Angel Beats 4
    • Clannad After Story 1
    • Clamp School Detectives 10
    • Ojamajo Doremi Naisho 9
    • Yatterman (2008) 26
    • *Gdgd Fairies s2e11
  • A Normal Game Of Baseball
    • School Rumble 5
    • *Star Driver 10
    • Rockman.EXE 43
    • *Polar Bear Cafe 27
    • Assassination Classroom 12
    • Jujutsu Kaisen 21
  • The Stakes Get Raised
    • Heaven’s Memo Pad 9
    • Galaxy Angel 12
    • Samurai Pizza Cats 17 (Kyatto Ninden Teyandee 18)
    • Maburaho 9
    • Gegege No Kitaro (1968) 1
    • Hell Girl s4e7 (also s1e3)
    • *JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure s2e41-42
  • Weird Things Start Happening
    • *Mr. Osomatsu 25
    • Prince Of Tennis 115
    • *Urusei Yatsura 70 (also 2022 e14)
    • *Obake Q-Taro (1985) 9
    • Dr. Slump 155-156
    • *Dorohedoro 7
  • Suddenly… Superpowers?
    • *Squid Girl 10
    • The Melancholy Of Haruhi Suzumiya 7
    • *Charlotte 4
    • Ninja Hattori-Kun 7
    • *Igano Kabamaru 24
    • One Piece: The Pirate Baseball King
  • Villains Crash The Game!
    • *Sonic X 10
    • Pokemon Sun And Moon 28
    • *Sailor Moon Stars 21
    • Onegai My Melody Kuru Kuru Shuffle 2
    • Futari Wa Precure Max Heart 7
    • Fresh Precure 31
    • Doki Doki Precure 9
    • *Happiness Charge Precure 12
    • Go Princess Precure 6
    • *Delicious Party Precure 34
  • The Last Player Standing
    • *BNA: Brand New Animal 7
    • The Girl Who Leapt Through Space 9
    • *My Hero Academia: Hero League Baseball
    • Dragon Ball Super 70
    • *Akiba Maid War 8
    • *Samurai Champloo 23

Naka Kon 2023

  • *JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure (Intro Clip)
  • *Tesagure Bukatsumono (Discussion Clip)
  • *Sally The Witch 12
  • Cromartie High School 13
  • Kyou Kara Maoh 2
  • Higurashi: When They Cry Gou 9 (also s1e9)
  • Naruto Shippuuden 252
  • Clannad 20
  • The Tatami Galaxy 5
  • Hell Girl s4e7 (also s1e3)
  • *The Day I Became A God 1
  • Level E 11
  • Clannad s2e13
  • Yu Gi Oh GX 12
  • Silver Spoon 11
  • Excel Saga 11
  • Sonny Boy 4
  • FLCL 4
  • *Gundam Build Fighters 13
  • K-On s2e5
  • *Shirobako 16
  • Rent-A-Girlfriend s2e2
  • Toradora 15
  • My Senpai Is Annoying 6
  • Persona 5: The Animation 13
  • Blue Exorcist 17
  • *Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works 12
  • Maison Ikkoku 68
  • *School Rumble 5
  • *Clannad s2e1
  • *Star Driver 10
  • *Heaven’s Memo Pad 9
  • Clamp School Detectives 10
  • Prince Of Tennis 115
  • *Angel Beats 4
  • *Squid Girl 10
  • *Polar Bear Cafe 27
  • Gegege no Kitaro (1968) 1 (also 1985 e26)
  • Charlotte 4
  • *The Melancholy Of Haruhi Suzumiya 7
  • *Dorohedoro 7
  • Jujutsu Kaisen 21
  • Maburaho 9
  • *Assassination Classroom 12
  • *Urusei Yatsura 70 (also 2022 e14)
  • Dr. Slump 155-156
  • Galaxy Angel 12
  • *Mr. Osomatsu 25
  • *Tesagure Bukatsumono 1
  • *Gdgd Fairies s2e11
  • Samurai Pizza Cats 17 (Kyatto Ninden Teyandee 18)
  • Rockman.EXE 43
  • *Sonic X 10
  • *Pokemon Sun And Moon 28
  • Onegai My Melody Kuru Kuru Shuffle 2
  • *Sailor Moon s5e21
  • Kirarin Revolution 52
  • Fresh Precure 31
  • Happiness Charge Precure 12
  • *Delicious Party Precure 34
  • One Piece: Take Aim! The Baseball Pirate King
  • *My Hero Academia: Hero League Baseball
  • Dragon Ball Super 70
  • JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure s2e41-42
  • The Girl Who Leapt Through Space 9
  • *BNA: Brand New Animal 7
  • *Akiba Maid War 8
  • *Samurai Champloo 23