Ro-Kyu-Bu!

Basketball has never been this cute.

Subaru Hasegawa's dream of playing with the Nashiba High School Basketball Club came to a screeching halt one day, when the captain of the basketball team ran off with the coach's daughter, who was in grade school. After it was announced that the team is disbanded for a year, Subaru was asked by his aunt Mihoshi Takamura, a teacher at Keishin Elementary School, to coach her school's girls' basketball team. Reluctant at first, he was dragged by his aunt to meet the team one day and was soon captivated by the potential of the team's only experienced player, Tomoka Minato. Convinced that the five-girl team—Tomoka, rich kid Maho Misawa, unusually tall Airi Kashii, the likewise unusually tiny Hinata Hakamada, and cool-headed Saki Nagatsuka—has potential, Subaru soon settles into his new career.

Originally a Light Novel series, it also has a manga adaptation and an anime which first season aired in summer 2011, followed by a second season called Ro-Kyu-Bu! SS in summer 2013. The first season has been licensed for a North American release by Sentai Filmworks.

Tomoka was selected to represent Ro-Kyu-Bu! in the crossover Fighting Game Dengeki Bunko Fighting Climax published by Sega, with her team assisting her in battle.

Tropes used in Ro-Kyu-Bu! include:

Airi, you're very important to me. *followed by* She's an irreplaceable existence for me!

    • Maho and her idea to give Subaru a "girl's most important treasure". Saki tried putting her in line as usual, until Maho revealed that her most important treasure is her stuffed toy.
  • Down to the Last Play: Every single major match involving Tomoka and her friends goes down to the final seconds, including two against the boys, one against the 5th graders, and two against the Opposing Sports Team. Averted in their practice matches against the 5th graders and all their games in the ForM tournament except the semifinals. (They handily defeated Suzuridani's B-team in the finals, as Manaka did not bring their best players with her so that Aya can meet Airi in person and gain experience which proved valuable for their official match against Keishin.)
  • Dull Surprise: Hinata
  • Dynamic Entry: In Episode 9, Mihoshi appeared to Subaru fist-first after the latter accidentally caused Tomoka's top to slip. At the end of the Episode, she does it again, delivering a more traditional version (flying kick) when Subaru gets into the bath right when Hinata absentmindedly wandered in.
  • Everyone Can See It: Takenaka's crush on Hinata, according to Saki.
  • Face Hugger: Hinata to Subaru. Twice. In a single episode.
  • Fetish: Discussed when Maho asks Subaru what appeals to him. She comes up with some weird ones.
  • Five-Man Band:
  • Freudian Trio: Freudian type:
    • Maho - Id
    • Saki - Superego
    • Takenaka - Ego
  • Gag Boobs: Airi, the impossibly well-endowed sixth-grader.
  • Game-Breaking Injury
    • Mihoshi's sudden bout with appendicitis.
    • Manaka had to walk with a pair of pimp canes after getting one. She recovered just in time for the regional tournament.
    • Maho got one in their regional tournament match against Suzuridani. She recovered in time for the final minutes of the game.
  • Gamer Chick: Maho.
  • Genki Girl: Maho.
  • Genre Savvy: Subaru.
  • Gentle Giant
    • Poor sweet and vulnerable Airi.
    • Also, Aya Miyakoouji, Suzuridani's newest center player.
  • Girlish Pigtails: Maho and Saki (the latter has her hair in braids when she's not playing basketball).
  • Girls Love Stuffed Animals: Hinata has a huge collection of plushies.
  • Glass Cannon
    • The Keishin 6th grade team started out as this. Though they're a really good team, their stamina almost always give up on them when it counts. This does not stop them from winning games, however. With more experience and a complete line-up later in the story, they have managed to overcome their stamina problem.
    • The Keishin 5th grade team started out as this as well. Due to their lack of experience but high potential in skill and athleticism, Aoi employs a run-and-gun offense for them to set up their offense before the defense could react. Lampshaded later on when they ran out of gas in the final seconds of their exhibition game against the Keishin 6th graders, as they could only maintain so much stamina after running around the court a lot. They managed to overcome this problem after merging with the 6th grade team.
  • Goofy Print Underwear: Hinata wears panda print panties with her name on.
  • Gratuitous English: The opening theme:

Growing my determination
Don't give up and do your best
Try your luck and fight! Chin-up!

    • It continues with the school nurse and her nicknames for the team (other than Tomoka, who she hasn't had an idea for yet):

Airi: Prismatic Bud
Hinata: Innocent Charm
Maho: Fireworks
Saki: Ice Age

    • Tomoka gets hers: "Shiny Gift", courtesy of Subaru.
    • Also the rules/terms are also said in English.
  • Hair Decorations
  • Heavy Sleeper: Hinata.
  • Hime Cut: Hinata, Hijiri, and Aya.
  • Hot Mom: Subaru's cute-and-cuddly young mother, Nayu.
  • Huge Schoolgirl
    • Airi, in height (about the same height as Subaru, a high-school boy) and other areas. She's so worried about it Subaru has to stand on his toes to create the illusion of being far taller than her, to help her overcome her height complex.
    • Aya is slightly shorter than Airi, but still taller than most girls her age.
  • Hypocritical Humor: Aoi defends Subaru from their friends' accusations that he's a lolicon, then starts accusing him herself as one, although this is because of the kind of situations she keeps finding Subaru in.
  • In Medias Res: The first anime episode starts with the climax of the showdown between the girls and boys' basketball team, then switches to the girls meeting Subaru for the first time after the opening credits.
  • Innocent Fanservice Girl
    • Hinata, by virtue of being a Cloudcuckoolander.
    • Aoi too, courtesy of her highly-revealing axe kicks.
    • Maho doesn't seem to have a problem with changing swimsuits while Subaru is in the same room; she even had Hinata stop him when he tried to escape.
  • Instant Expert
    • Maho has the ability to learn anything after seeing them done once.
    • Tomoka with video games.
  • Kick Chick: Aoi.
  • Let Us Never Speak of This Again: A certain incident in Episode 11, where Subaru gets trapped in a sauna with Aoi—both naked—in a deliberate ploy by Manaka to get them closer.
  • Little Sister Instinct: Kagetsu to Hinata.
  • Lolicon
    • Touko, the school nurse.
    • The captain of Nashiba High School's boys' basketball team, whose affair with a grade-schooler caused a major scandal that earned his entire team a year-long suspension and broke Subaru's heart and will to play basketball.
  • Male Gaze: Subaru first meets Touko by focusing on her legs first before looking up.
  • Marilyn Maneuver: Saki during Maho's infamous Establishing Character Moment in Season 1, Episode 1.
  • Marshmallow Hell
    • Airi does this to Subaru after he rescues her from the pool.
    • In a sauna, Aoi trips and falls then KOs Subaru.
  • Meganekko: Saki and Touko the school nurse.
  • Megaton Punch: Well, Megaton Axe Kick to be exact, courtesy of Aoi with bonus Panty Shot. Twice, it actually sent Subaru flying; the first time he was lucky enough to land in the pool, the second time...not so much.
  • Meido
    • It's the very first impression that the little basketball girls gave to Subaru. The boy, still reeling from the news of his own team earning a year-long suspension for its captain's affair with a grade-schooler, is none too amused. Repeated in Season 1, Episodes 3 and 12.
    • Kuina "Yanbaru" Hijiri, the Misawa family maid.
  • Momma's Boy: The basis of Mihoshi's blackmail of Subaru.
  • Ms. Fanservice
    • Poor Airi, being the tallest and most well-developed of the girls, she bears the brunt of this trope.
    • Aoi becomes this in SS.
  • Natural Spotlight: Right when Tomoka pulls off her fiftieth consecutive free throw. It's the very inspiration for the nickname for her, "Shiny Gift", although Mihoshi interprets a second, really thought-out meaning from it.
  • Naughty Tentacles: The octopus in Season 1 Episode 9.
  • Never Live It Down: In-Universe, Nashiba's basketball captain's scandalous affair with a grade-school kid seemingly earned the rest of his team the unwarranted, undeserved stigma of being just like him. This is best exemplified by Subaru, since Mihoshi (and a schoolmate of his, Kazunari Uehara) start accusing him of being a lolicon as well.
  • Nice Girl: Tomoka and poor Airi.
  • The Nicknamer
    • Touko the school nurse, who has come up with various English nicknames for the basketball girls except Tomoka.
    • Maho as well. She has "Mokkan" for Tomoka, "Airin" for Airi, "Subarun" for Subaru, "Nayu-chi" for Nayu, "Mi-tan" for Mihoshi, "Yanbaru" for Hijiri, "Gettan" for Kagetsu, and "Aoicchi" for Aoi.
  • Not a Date
    • Subaru and Tomoka at the beginning of Episode 7. Tomoka insists on the term, but the rest of the club believe otherwise.
    • Season 2, Episode 6. Subaru and Aoi won a trip for two to Kyoto, so she tries to convince her friends Zono and Shouji it's not a date. That doesn't stop them from giving her a red skimpy lingerie as a good luck charm!
  • Not So Above It All: Saki, the otherwise cool-headed kid of the bunch, has her moments:
    • In Season 1 Episode 4, when Maho proclaims that Subaru "proposed" to Airi, Saki tries to calm Maho down...then excitedly comment that "This is a huge development".
    • In Episode 5, when Saki finds Subaru comforting Tomoka, she misunderstands and overreacts, believing they are having a romantic moment.
    • In Episode 7, she joins the other girls in dogpiling Subaru after a little bit of hesitation.
    • In episode 9, her reaction to Airi mentioning that her most recent swimsuit doesn't fit anymore.

"Eh? Already?"

  • Not What It Looks Like: Subaru's Catch Phrase might as well be "It's all a misunderstanding!" Not that it spares him Aoi's wrath whenever she sees him in yet another unfortunate situation involving his charges.
  • An Odd Place to Sleep: Airi sleeps in a footlocker that was fashioned into a bed. It's as funny as it sounds.
  • Offscreen Teleportation: Mihoshi manages to beat Subaru to his bedroom, although it was shown a second later that she actually snuck in through the room's window. Subaru still thinks that was quite a feat.

"You're not human..."

  • Oh Crap
    • When Subaru found out that Aoi followed him to Maho's mansion, catching him with the girls at the pool.
    • Another one by Subaru when Saki informs him of a picture of them about to run around the Internet.
  • Older Than They Look: Mihoshi and Nayu.
  • The One Guy: Subaru, as the only other major male character Natsuhi gets Out of Focus after Episode 6.
  • One-Girl Army: Tomoka beat the boys' basketball team by herself.
  • Opposing Sports Team: Suzuridani Academy Girls' Basketball Team. Most of the team consider Keishin as a Worthy Opponent by the second season.
  • Panty Shot
    • Maho thought she'd get more intimate with Subaru this way, so, she flipped everyone's skirts, only to reveal a variety of Modesty Shorts underneath.
    • Mihoshi, though, has no qualms about sitting in an immodest position in Subaru's home.
    • Aoi flaunts hers a lot (hers is striped aqua-and-white, by the way) via Axe kick.
  • Patient Childhood Love Interest: Aoi
  • Pettanko: The basketball girls (except Airi); so is Mihoshi.
  • Pint-Sized Powerhouse: Hinata and Mimi from Keishin, and Rena from Suzuridani.
  • Rapunzel Hair
    • Mihoshi, Saki, Hinata and Hijiri in the first season.
    • Mimi, Masami, and Aya in the second season.
  • Red Oni, Blue Oni: Childhood friends Maho and Saki.
  • Rose-Haired Girl: Tomoka's is pink, and Hinata's hair is a lighter shade of pink.
  • Running Gag: In the "On the Next..." segments, the girls discussing anything but what's going to happen in the following episode, and then getting flustered when time runs out.
  • Scary Shiny Glasses: Saki while making okonomiyaki.
  • School Nurse: Touko.
  • Secret Test of Character: Aoi's challenge to Subaru's girls, which is actually intended to help Airi overcome her height complex so that she can play her best-suited role.
  • Sensei-chan: Mihoshi, Subaru's aunt and the basketball team's advisor.
  • Serious Business:
    • Saki sees making okonomiyaki and yakisoba as this, since her father owns an okonomiyaki shop.
    • Returning girls' panties is a life-or-death situation, as Subaru and Natsuhi found the hard way. Twice.
    • When asked by Subaru to help stop Maho and Takenaka's constant squabbling, Tomoka really gets into it.
  • She Is Not My Girlfriend: Subaru towards Aoi, and vice-versa. Their friends aren't convinced.
  • Shipper on Deck
    • Kakizono and Manaka ships Aoi and Subaru.
    • Tomoka/Subaru gets support from the rest of the basketball club, especially Saki.
  • Shout-Out
    • Tomoka starting at Center in the boys-versus-girls match, which is actually a ploy by Subaru to get around Airi's height complex while taking advantage of her size to feast on the boys' non-existent front court, is reminiscent of Los Angeles Lakers legend Earvin "Magic" Johnson starting at Center in Game 6 of the 1980 NBA Finals.
    • In Episode 8, Maho's avatar is dressed like Indiana Jones.
    • Mimi's French jersey in SS Episode 2 bears the same number 33 as that of Boston Celtics legend Larry Bird.
    • The museum in Kyoto in Season 2, Episode 6 gives us references from The Tale of Genji, with most of the main cast portraying actual characters from the novel. Aoi even wonders if Subaru will become just like Genji himself.
      • Subaru - Hikaru Genji (natch)
      • Tomoka - Lady Murasaki
      • Maho - Yugao
      • Aoi - Lady Aoi (Genji's first wife)
  • Show the Forehead: Saki while playing basketball.
  • Shrinking Violet: Or rather "Weeping Willow" in Airi's case.
  • Silver-Haired Pretty Girl: Touko.
  • Skinship Grope: In the showers, to Airi.
  • Sobriquet: Saki's "Speed Demon". She's not exactly known for her speed on the court, so it must be speed in some other area.
  • Spit Take: Subaru's reaction to the first part of Mihoshi's blackmail.

"The person who, at five years of age, dirtied my first bra and turned it black, rendering it useless."

Saki: "I didn't hear anything nor did I secretly take any pictures with my cellphone, so don't worry!"

  • Tall, Dark and Bishoujo: Saki has huge potential to be one, considering her seiyuu. Hijiri also qualifies.
  • Team Dad: Subaru to the Keishin team.
  • Team Mom: The basketball girls have Mihoshi, Nayu and Subaru.
  • Tender Tears
    • Tomoka in Season 1 Episode 2, touched by Subaru's vow to protect her dream of playing basketball.
    • All the girls in Episode 5, after winning the basketball game with a Maho buzzer-beater.
    • Airi after Subaru said he lied to her, and again near the end of Episode 7.
  • Third Person Person: Hinata
  • Those Two Girls: Mishouji and Kakizono, Aoi's two friends.
  • Through His Stomach: About that "I love you, Mommy!" letter Subaru wrote? Yeah, the read-out-loud part says that it's because she cooks delicious food.
  • Token Mini-Moe: Hinata, despite being the same age as her teammates.
  • Tomboy and Girly Girl: Kagetsu and Hinata.
  • Took a Level in Badass
    • Saki moves up to Point Guard in Episode 12 after Tomoka proves to be a poor playmaker. She proceeds to run offensive plays designed to effortlessly break through Suzuridani's tough 2-3 zone defense.
    • Hinata's Character Development is basically this. She's not even done yet in Season 2, when she utterly stomped an opponent who gave her a hard time before.
    • After getting pushed around by Suzuridani's starting center in Season 1, Airi completely outplayed her in Season 2.
    • Maho used to be all-offense in the first season, but went full-on BEAST MODE on both ends of the floor in the second season when she pulled a Wronski Feint on the Suzuridani twin towers and held Rena scoreless in the second half (excluding overtime) of their tournament match when the entire 5th grade team could barely stop her in the second quarter.
  • True Companions: The Keishin Academy Girls Basketball Team as a whole.
  • Tsundere: Unusually, the show has two male examples in the form of Subaru and Takenaka, and one female example in Aoi.
  • Verbal Tic: Hinata has her "Oh~!"
  • What the Hell, Hero?
    • Maho running out because she didn't like how Subaru (and Tomoka) hid the fact that in order to compete in tournaments, a basketball team needs more than five players.
    • Manaka called Miyu out of her whining for getting beaten by "amateurs" and told her to play seriously.
    • Aya calls out Rena for dragging her team down with her hero-ball antics.
  • X Meets Y : Slam Dunk with an all-girls lineup.
  • You Gotta Have Blue Hair: Saki's hair is light blue and Aoi's hair is a darker shade of blue.
  • Younger Than They Look: Airi, the grade school girl who can easily pass for a high school student if nobody mentions her age.
  • Zettai Ryouiki: Hinata in her gym outfit, Airi, Saki, and Tomoka in their civilian outfits during the Suzuridani training camp, Aoi and her friends Zono and Shouji in their home outfits, and Rena in her civilian outfit.
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