7.9/10228 votes#1 - The Wind Makes It Too Hard to Hear
Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 4/11/2014
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.
Director: Takehiro Kubota
Writer: Masaaki Yuasa
8.3/10210 votes#2 - Smile Is a Robot
Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 4/18/2014
Coach Koizumi has started working Smile hard, and he definitely doesn't appreciate the extra attention.
Director: Hideki Ito
Writer: Masaaki Yuasa
8.3/10202 votes#3 - Staking Your Life on Table Tennis Is Revolting
Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 4/25/2014
All the teams gather at the prefectural qualifiers, and China gets to play Smile at last.
Director: Masatsugu Arakawa
Writer: Masaaki Yuasa
8.0/10197 votes#4 - The Only Way to Be Sure You Won't Lose Is to Not Fight
Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 5/2/2014
Peco learns a hard lesson from someone he never took seriously enough, and then we finally see how Dragon earned his name.
Director: Fumihiro Ueno
Writer: Masaaki Yuasa
7.8/10192 votes#5 - Where Did I Go Wrong?
Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 5/9/2014
Dragon's obsession with Smile prompts Akuma to do something rash.
Director: Masaki Utsunomiya
Writer: Masaaki Yuasa
8.3/10209 votes#6 - You Love This Sport More Than Anyone!!
Season 1 Episode 6 - Aired 5/16/2014
Five athletes have five very different Christmas Eves, and Peco gets a wake-up call.
Director: Takehiro Kubota
Writer: Masaaki Yuasa
7.7/10187 votes#7 - Yes, My Coach
Season 1 Episode 7 - Aired 5/23/2014
Players, coaches, captains, and their families.
Director: Ryota Itoh
Writer: Masaaki Yuasa
8.6/10200 votes#8 - The Hero Appears
Season 1 Episode 8 - Aired 5/30/2014
Smile, Peco, Dragon, and China begin another prefectural qualifier. Will the results be different this year?
Director: Ho Pyeon-gang
Writer: Masaaki Yuasa
8.6/10202 votes#9 - Gonna Cry a Bit
Season 1 Episode 9 - Aired 6/6/2014
In the third round, Dragon has an unexpected visitor, Sanada questions himself, and Peco scares lots of people in lots of ways.
Director: Ryota Itoh
Writer: Masaaki Yuasa
9.1/10266 votes#10 - I Thought You Were the Hero!!
Season 1 Episode 10 - Aired 6/13/2014
Peco and Dragon tackle the question of whether only birds can fly.
Director: Eunyoung Choi
Writer: Masaaki Yuasa
9.1/10248 votes#11 - Blood Tastes Like Iron
Season 1 Episode 11 - Aired 6/20/2014
The final match is on.
Director: Masaaki Yuasa
Writer: Masaaki Yuasa
The Best Episodes of Ping Pong the Animation Season 1
Every episode of Ping Pong the Animation Season 1 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Ping Pong the Animation Season 1!
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,...
Genres:AnimationDrama
Network:Fuji TV
Season 1 Ratings Summary
"The Wind Makes It Too Hard to Hear" is the best rated episode of "Ping Pong the Animation" season 1. It scored 7.9/10 based on 228 votes. Directed by Takehiro Kubota and written by Masaaki Yuasa, it aired on 4/11/2014. This episode is rated 0.4 points higher than the second-best, "Smile Is a Robot".