TV series
Enter the hero! Enter the hero! Enter the hero!
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.
Streaming, rental and purchase options
Checked Jul 22, 2026
Ping Pong the Animation is available to stream on Crunchyroll Premium (Via Amazon Prime) in United States. You can also buy it from Amazon and Apple TV. Use the direct links below to open the provider.
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.
Choose an episode, then use the watch options above for the show.
Episode 1
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.
Directed by Takehiro KubotaWritten by Masaaki YuasaGuest stars Tei Ha, Takayuki Nakatsukasa, Yuya Tamaki, Tasuku Hatanaka, Yuma Uchida, Shohei Shimada, Takahiro Miyamoto, Sho Koneri
Episode 2
Coach Koizumi has started working Smile hard, and he definitely doesn't appreciate the extra attention.
Directed by Hideki ItoWritten by Masaaki YuasaGuest stars Tasuku Hatanaka, Yuma Uchida, Takayuki Nakatsukasa, Yu Seki, Shohei Shimada, Mitsuaki Hoshi, Mitsuki Nishida, Hiromu Satomura
Episode 3
All the teams gather at the prefectural qualifiers, and China gets to play Smile at last.
Directed by Masatsugu ArakawaWritten by Masaaki YuasaGuest stars Airi Ootsu, Kenjiro Tsuda, Tei Ha, Yuma Uchida, Takayuki Nakatsukasa, Yuya Tamaki, Yohei Shintaku, Una Sahara
Episode 4
Peco learns a hard lesson from someone he never took seriously enough, and then we finally see how Dragon earned his name.
Directed by Fumihiro UenoWritten by Masaaki YuasaGuest stars Tei Ha, Akira Fukuzawa, Takayuki Nakatsukasa, Shohei Shimada, Takuya Masumoto, Shohei Shimada, Kenji Hamada, Akihiko Ishizumi
Episode 5
Dragon's obsession with Smile prompts Akuma to do something rash.
Directed by Masaki UtsunomiyaWritten by Masaaki YuasaGuest stars Kenjiro Tsuda, Tei Ha, Takuya Masumoto, Yuma Uchida, Takayuki Nakatsukasa, Hiroki Goto, Haruka Shiraishi, Kenji Hamada
Episode 6
Five athletes have five very different Christmas Eves, and Peco gets a wake-up call.
Directed by Takehiro KubotaWritten by Masaaki YuasaGuest stars Shohei Shimada, Shiho Kokido, Takahiro Miyamoto, So Nozawa, Yuya Tamaki, Kenji Hamada, Takayuki Nakatsukasa, Ayako Kawasumi
Episode 7
Players, coaches, captains, and their families.
Directed by Ryota ItohWritten by Masaaki YuasaGuest stars Takahiro Shimada, So Nozawa, Sho Koneri, Kenji Hamada, Takayuki Nakatsukasa, Yasuyo Tomita, Ayako Kawasumi, Mitsuaki Hoshi
Episode 8
Smile, Peco, Dragon, and China begin another prefectural qualifier. Will the results be different this year?
Directed by Heo Pyoung-kangWritten by Masaaki YuasaGuest stars Tei Ha, Takahiro Shimada, So Nozawa, Kenji Hamada, Takayuki Nakatsukasa, Ayako Kawasumi, Akihiko Ishizumi, Ryu Ken
Episode 9
In the third round, Dragon has an unexpected visitor, Sanada questions himself, and Peco scares lots of people in lots of ways.
Directed by Ryota ItohWritten by Masaaki YuasaGuest stars Kenjiro Tsuda, Tei Ha, Takahiro Shimada, So Nozawa, Kenji Hamada, Takayuki Nakatsukasa, Akihiko Ishizumi, Erina Kurita
Episode 10
Peco and Dragon tackle the question of whether only birds can fly.
Directed by Eunyoung ChoiWritten by Masaaki YuasaGuest stars Tei Ha, Takahiro Shimada, Kenji Hamada, Ayako Kawasumi, Akihiko Ishizumi, Mitsuki Nishida, Hiromu Satomura, Shinji Ogawa
Episode 11
The final match is on.
Directed by Masaaki YuasaWritten by Masaaki YuasaGuest stars Kenjiro Tsuda, Tei Ha, Takahiro Shimada, Una Sahara, Kenji Hamada, Akihiko Ishizumi, Mitsuaki Hoshi, Mitsuki Nishida
Episode information updated Jul 23, 2026
Koki UchiyamaMakoto 'Smile' Tsukimoto (voice)
Fukujuro KatayamaYutaka 'Peco' Hoshino (voice)
Yousei BunWenge 'China' Kong (voice)
Shunsuke SakuyaRyuuichi 'Dragon' Kazama (voice)
Subaru KimuraManabu 'Demon' Sakuma (voice)
Yusaku YaraJou Koizumi (voice)
Masako NozawaObaba Tamura (voice)
Kenjiro TsudaEgami (voice)
Fuji TVJapan
Tatsunoko ProductionJapan
AniplexJapan
Kyoraku Industrial HoldingsJapan
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