Burning Kabaddi

Alternate Titles
灼熱カバディ
Shakunetsu Kabaddi

Synopsis

Tatsuya Yoigoshi used to be a famous soccer player called “Unbeatable Yoigoshi,” but he decides to give up sports when he enters high school. But then he’s approached by an athletic club looking to recruit him and gets into a friendly competition that will change the course of his high school life and propel him back into sports as a kabaddi player!

Background

Burning Kabaddi began as a sports manga series by Hajime Musashino that has been serialized on Shogakukan's Ura Sunday website and MangaONE app since July 2015. As of October 2020, 15 tankobon volumes have been published.

An anime adaptation was announced in July 2020. It is being produced by TMS Entertainment and features Kazuya Ichikawa as director with Midori Goto handling series composition along with the screenplay together with Yuuko Kakihara, Mari Takada handling character designs, and Ken Ito composing the music. The opening theme song is "Fire Bird" by Shunya Ohira, and the ending theme song is "Comin' Back" by Yuma Uchida. The anime will premiere in Japan on April 2, 2021 on TV Tokyo and other channels.

Characters

Noukin High School
Tatsuya Yoigoshi (Voiced by: Yuma Uchida)
He used to be a famous soccer player called “Unbeatable Yoigoshi,” but he gave up sports after entering high school. However, he soon finds himself in a competition with the kabaddi club, which is trying to recruit him.

Masato Ohjo (Voiced by: Nobuhiko Okamoto)
The captain of Noukin’s kabaddi club. He has mastered the use of counters to make up for his slender physique and is one of the best in Japan. He sometimes goes beast mode during matches. He has been playing kabaddi for over 10 years.

Souma Azemichi (Voiced by: Gen Sato)
A first-year high school student. His parents’ house is situated on a high mountain, and he spends every day muscle training. As a result, he has unexpected power for his small size. He has been playing kabaddi for a month.

Kei Iura (Voiced by: Makoto Furukawa)
The vice-captain of Noukin’s kabaddi club. He is intelligent and has great analytical skills. At first glance, he seems mild-mannered but deep down he is cunning and tries to intimidate Tatsuya into joining the team. He has been playing kabaddi for six years.

Kyohei Misumi (Voiced by: Tatsuhisa Suzuki)
A second-year student and member of the kabaddi club. Until junior high, he was a delinquent who spent most of his time fighting. He changed his attitude when he entered high school, but was forced to join the kabaddi club after Kei found out about his past and blackmailed him. He has played kabaddi for one year and one month.

Shinji Date (Voiced by: Shunsuke Takeuchi)
A second-year student and member of the kabaddi club. He used to be a pitcher but retired due to an injury. When he was thinking about what to do in high school, Kyohei invited him to join the kabaddi club. Though clumsy, he is blessed with a muscular body and strength. He has been playing kabaddi for six months.

Nobutaka Ban (Voiced by: Shin'ichiro Kamio)
He has admired Tatsuya since elementary school and decides to join the kabaddi club to get closer to him. He has a Regent-style hairstyle and bad boy look, but he’s actually incredibly quiet.

Ryuta Seki (Voiced by: Wataru Komada)
He was invited to join the kabaddi club by his classmate, Ban. He wears glasses and is chubby, and he used to be a sumo wrestler until junior high. He is a good communicator.

Yuuki Hitomi (Voiced by: Ayumu Murase)
A first-year high school student who visits the kabaddi club together with Ban and Ryuta. He looks androgenous and was initially mistaken for a girl by Tatsuya.

Souwa High School
Ayumu Rokugen (Voiced by: Hiroki Yasumoto)
A third-year high school student and the captain of the kabaddi club. He is a defender with outstanding physicality and technique and has been good friends with his rival Masato since their junior high days.

Ren Takaya (Voiced by: Kenichi Suzumura)
A second-year high school student and the ace attacker of the kabaddi club. He constantly annoys those around him with his freewheeling words and actions. His reach, speed, and extraordinary attacks are the best on the team. He won the national championship in swimming when he was in junior high.

Shintaro Kizaki (Voiced by: Taku Yashiro)
A third-year high school student. His hobby is collecting hair bands and he often wears them during games. Although he is Ren’s junior, he often butts heads with him.

Yu Eikura (Voiced by: Osamu Uchida)
A second-year high school student. He has a calm personality and can handle himself even in a crisis. He often finds himself caught between Ren and the third-year students.

Daisuke Muroya (Voiced by: Junichi Yanagita)
A second-year high school student who is tall with a large build and thick lips.

Saitama Kouyou High School
Manabu Sakura (Voiced by: Natsuki Hanae)
A second-year high school student who is Masato and Kei’s junior. He has a special admiration for Masato for teaching him a variety of techniques. Though a big unstable mentally, he has good physique and bottomless talent.

Hiromoto Utou (Voiced by: Soma Saito)
A second-year high school student and the captain of the kabaddi club. He has a reputation for his many techniques and his good nature. Like Manabu, he was Masato and Kei’s junior in junior high. His nickname is Hiro.

Music

• Opening Theme Song: "Fire Bird" by Shunya Ohira
• Ending Theme Song: "Comin' Back" by Yuma Uchida

• Anime Site (Japanese)
• Twitter (Japanese)

• Original Creator: Hajime Musashino
• Director: Kazuya Ichikawa
• Series Composition: Midori Goto
• Screenplay: Midori Goto, Yuuko Kakihara
• Character Design: Mari Takada
• Sound Director: Shoji Hata
• Music: Ken Ito
• Animation Production Cooperation: Domerica
• Animation Production: TMS Entertainment