Kabaddi is a fairly popular sport in South Asia, particularly the Indian subcontinent where it is often played by rural kids during the summer. In my country Bangladesh, kabaddi is officially recognized as the national sport, and I myself used to play it a lot few years ago. All of this makes the sport seem very favorable, but when you go past South Asia, you begin to realize how obscure it actually is. Outside the boundaries of Asia, it is extremely difficult to find someone who has even heard of kabaddi, let alone someone who has played it. Guess how surprised I was then, when
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I heard an anime about kabaddi was going to air this season, and it would somehow turn out to be good.
Shakunetsu Kabaddi is surprisingly a decent take on kabaddi that succeeds at doing many things right. Many people have argued that this show is nothing remarkable without its kabaddi gimmick, which I don't particularly disagree with. Shakunetsu Kabaddi would basically be your typical sports anime if you replaced kabaddi with a popular sport; however, along with decent execution, the inclusion of kabaddi itself makes the anime a fairly compelling watch. Especially as someone who has been familiar with kabaddi throughout his entire life, I found Shakunetsu Kabaddi to be quite enjoyable.
Shakunetsu Kabaddi employs a rather slow yet careful approach in terms of plot progression, that works very effectively for the most part. Instead of introducing any major plot points right from the beginning, the first few episodes are mostly dedicated to demonstrating the basic rules of kabaddi, which is a clever choice since it lets the viewers get enough time to properly acquaint themselves with the sport. That said, the method of demonstration can be a bit simplistic and "in your face", for which a few might have a bit difficulty understanding all of the rules.
What Shakunetsu Kabaddi lacks in the aforementioned regard, however, more than makes up for it in other areas. What's particularly notable about the show is that it depicts kabaddi in a very accurate manner; it's apparent that the author is knowledgeable about the sport and has a firm understanding of how everything works. Despite what some people may believe, kabaddi isn't simply a strength and agility based sport that doesn't require much strategy. Strength and agility are indeed two crucial factors in the game which the players need to improve on, but there are many more aspects that they have to consider while playing, and Shakunetsu Kabaddi addresses practically all of them.
The entirety of Shakunetsu Kabaddi reinforces the idea that kabaddi isn't simply confined to strength and agility, but it also encompasses clever and incisive thinking. There are many skills and tactics that you need to acquire and learn to balance, otherwise you wouldn't be able to play well. Many factors—to name a few, being cautious of your surroundings, compatibility with your team members, maintaining your mental state—everything together makes up kabaddi as a sport. Surprisingly, Shakunetsu Kabaddi effectively covers nearly all of these aspects within only 12 episodes and shows the viewers what playing a game of kabaddi actually feels like.
One complaint people seemed to have, though, is the fact that the series doesn't explore the origins of the sport and instead gives an extremely vague idea/theory regarding how it was created, which is indeed a valid criticism. However, this isn't something that I think is a major issue or hindered my enjoyment to be honest; what matters is that the show doesn't mislead its viewers by providing any misinformation, which can be a difficult task given how obscure kabaddi is.
Now, going a little off-topic. As I said in the beginning, not many people outside Asia are familiar with kabaddi. Perhaps part of the reason is that—I'll be completely honest—kabaddi sounds kinda ridiculous as a sport. Even in my country, it isn't generally held in high regard; most people here are completely indifferent to the sport. Keep in mind that kabaddi is the national sport of Bangladesh, so I can only imagine how absurd the game would sound to people of other regions.
Shakunetsu Kabaddi explicitly tackles this issue. The viewers are occasionally displayed how the outsiders—as in people who aren't associated with the sport in any way—generally perceive kabaddi, by which they can get a grasp on how undermined the sport is. The anime further tackles this topic by informing the viewers how hard it is to build a proper career in sports, especially when you are playing something like kabaddi which barely has any recognition around the world. This doesn't stop people from playing, though. No matter how difficult their path may be/become, there will always be people who will continue to play kabaddi—because to them, being able to play the sport itself means a lot.
This is not much different for Tatsuya and his team. They aren't playing kabaddi simply because they think it's fun; all of them have a significant reason behind why they love playing the sport. Even someone like Tatsuya, who used to harbor an intense hatred toward sports in general, eventually fostered a strong passion for playing kabaddi. Despite initially ridiculing it for being "lame", as Tatsuya sincerely practices with his teammates and gains a better understanding of the sport, he learns to appreciate its inherent value, rediscovering his love for sports along the way.
In all honesty, the characters of Shakunetsu Kabaddi aren't anything special; they are clearly based on certain archetypes that you usually see in other sports anime (particularly Haikyuu, which a lot of people seem to point out). Despite their lack of originality, though, most of them are well-written. As I implied earlier, I find Tatsuya to be a particularly compelling character, whose characterization and development throughout the anime is notably well-done. Regarding other characters, they are also entertaining for the most part, and while their motivation can be a bit one-dimensional, most of it is undermined by their exuberant personality.
Unfortunately, some of the cliches that plague most sports anime are also prevalent in Shakunetsu Kabaddi, which the show definitely could have done without. For example, I'm not a big fan of using flashbacks in the middle of a match to provide backstory, since it disrupts the natural flow of the match and ruins any sort of immersion. Unfortunately, Shakunetsu Kabaddi is notably guilty of this crime—occasionally to the point that it becomes kinda ridiculous. The use of an outside narrator to voiceover some scenes was also odd in my opinion; it was mostly used at random and without any particular purpose, which made the scenes more awkward than insightful.
There are some inescapable issues with the characters as well. In particular, the choice of making Masato so overpowered is frankly a poor one; his formidability marks an overwhelming difference between him and the other characters that can completely overshadow their individual significance at times. Other teams are more or less victims of this too, for which they aren't able to display their own importance either. Additionally, some of the characters' introduction and backstories are noticeably rushed—the prime example of this being Ban and his friends, Sakura, Utou, and to some extent, Date and Misumi as well. I'm not particularly fond of Yuuki either, mainly because of the fact that he is an unfortunate victim of the "femboy" trope.
Though, probably the biggest problem of the Shakunetsu Kabaddi stems from the animation's rather janky quality. Sports anime require smooth animation for obvious reasons, a place where this show suffers a great deal. The motion of the animation is very choppy, so much so that some of the scenes appear almost as stills. Character movements are oftentimes stiff and unnatural, and for an anime focusing on a sport that involves a lot of physical contact, this is more than just worrying. Some of the standard scenes, as opposed to in-game scenes, are also poorly animated, which causes further concern.
There are instances of expertise and creative thinking here and there, though. The direction of the anime is really good; albeit few in number and suffering from a few cliches, every single match is very engaging to watch mainly due to how well-directed they are. Additionally, several animation techniques—such as the use of flashy visuals and lightly colored backgrounds with 3D models—are implemented to further demonstrate the rules and the tactical moves of kabaddi, which mostly works very effectively. However, on the whole, the animation leaves a lot to desire and makes you wonder how more enjoyable the show would have been if it had had fluid animation.
Regarding the soundtrack, Shakunetsu Kabaddi does a decent job for the most part. The score mainly features funky, upbeat tracks, some of which are probably inspired by classical Indian music, and I honestly don't mind that at all since it perfectly suits the atmosphere of the sport (I think it's worth noting that kabaddi originated from India). The background music can occasionally be a bit too loud or not so fitting, though. The opening theme titled "Fire Bird" isn't a bad track (that kabaddi chant at the beginning and the end is hype), and the ending song "Comin' Back" is pretty catchy too.
Sports anime are mostly niche, even more so when it's about a sport as obscure as kabaddi. But either you end up liking the show or not, it's undeniable that Shakunetsu Kabaddi at least deserves some praise for bringing light to such a distinct sport. Admittedly, I may have been a bit biased toward the series since kabaddi is one of my favorite sports, but I do firmly believe that it's a genuinely good show. Shakunetsu Kabaddi is worth giving a shot for that reason, especially if you are eager to try out something a bit new and different from your usual sports anime.
Alternative Titles
Japanese: 灼熱カバディ
More titlesInformation
Type:
TV
Episodes:
12
Status:
Finished Airing
Aired:
Apr 3, 2021 to Jun 19, 2021
Premiered:
Spring 2021
Broadcast:
Saturdays at 01:23 (JST)
Producers:
TV Tokyo
Licensors:
None found, add some
Studios:
TMS Entertainment
Source:
Web manga
Duration:
23 min. per ep.
Rating:
PG-13 - Teens 13 or older
Statistics
Ranked:
#44122
2
based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.
Popularity:
#2163
Members:
106,766
Favorites:
747
Available AtResourcesStreaming Platforms | Reviews
Filtered Results: 27 / 39
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Your Feelings Categories Jun 18, 2021
Kabaddi is a fairly popular sport in South Asia, particularly the Indian subcontinent where it is often played by rural kids during the summer. In my country Bangladesh, kabaddi is officially recognized as the national sport, and I myself used to play it a lot few years ago. All of this makes the sport seem very favorable, but when you go past South Asia, you begin to realize how obscure it actually is. Outside the boundaries of Asia, it is extremely difficult to find someone who has even heard of kabaddi, let alone someone who has played it. Guess how surprised I was then, when
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Apr 25, 2021
Kabadi Kabadi Kabadi. This is the first time I heard of a sport like this, so it's a new experience for me from this anime, thank you. I think this anime has a very good animation, very colorful, and very unique. It seemed that each person from Kabadi possessed some form of extraordinary magical power. From the visuals, it makes it interesting to watch a sport like this. Like someone has demonic power from within and is quite over power. It's good to take humor from 2021 like a live stream, because it follows the current development of the times too. And this anime is
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Jun 18, 2021
Let me get this straight. This is the 3rd best anime this season in my opinion. Just behind Fumetsu no Anata e and Shaows House.
That's a pretty bold statement I know, but hear me out. I'll explain myself in this review. The story is just the typical sports plot where team finds MC, then get themselves stronger as they go to the Nationals. You know, the basic stuff. But the way this anime handles this just reminds me of Slam Dunk. You know, arguably the best Sports Anime of All Time. Why do I compare this mediocre-looking series to a legendary series you may ask? Simple. Because unlike every ... Apr 25, 2021
It's a sports anime with very unique sports called kabaddi which is basically a mix of wrestling and tag. I'm really excited about this anime because kabaddi sport is INTENSE. i would like to see how an anime would portray kabaddi
Story 7/10 The story is pretty average right now but it's still pretty interesting. neve felt bored watching an episode of this anime. Maybe the story will get better with the character development and plotline Character 9/10 Characters in this anime are a major plus point. each character has a very fun personality and is really interesting to see these characters interact with each other. They are also ... May 15, 2021
I like sports anime, I enjoy the passion for the game, struggle of characters, match intensity etc. Burning Kabaddi ticks all the boxes here. Here are my thoughts about this anime:
Building up passion: Only a handful of the characters were passionate about Kabaddi in the first place, even the main character hated sports at first, but day by day, their love for Kabaddi grew. Building up that kind of passion is not easy, because not everyone is interested in that sports. No mainstream hero: The main character Yoigoshi is not some bullish all powerful wizard in the game like Kuroko, or timid like Hinata or amature like Hanamichi. ... Jun 21, 2021
SUPER underrated. You can barely find this anime on anime out this season from streaming services or YouTubers, this anime needs some serious love and is clearly set up for a season 2.
Bottom line: If you like sports anime you will LOVEEE Shakunetsu Kabaddi. If you don't like sports anime, you will still enjoy it and may get hooked. The game of Kabaddi is very intense and dynamic and the anime itself does a great job of introducing ideas for different builds/archetypes/tactics along with developing all the team members very well having their own different strengths. For reference: between the sports anime I can recall top ... Feb 1, 2023
Kabaddi is a contact team sport which involves no material equipment but the human body to play.
It is the national sport of Bangladesh, the country where I'm from and has historical origins in Ancient India, particularly in Tamil Nadu around 4000 years ago. Legend says that even Gautam Buddha enjoyed playing this game. Of all sports known globally, Kabaddi was a sport I never imagined to get an anime adaption, so kudos to the mangaka, Hajime Musashino, for introducing this rather unknown sport to Otakus and making it look cool. All the characters were enjoyable to watch, even the opponent and side characters. The animation was pretty ... May 5, 2021
So if you can tell from my score, I really freaking love this anime. I have to preface this by saying, I am NOT a sports anime fan. It's one of the last genres I look to because I've disliked/dropped over 90% of the ones I've seen. So I'm incredibly biased.
Story: The story in Burning Kabaddi! is what amazes me most possible. It's all kabaddi, kabaddi, kabaddi, yet I'm never tired of it (despite not being an avid kabaddi fan). The relationships between the players develops in all aspects: the relationships between the players as friends, as teammates, as students in different school years, as a ... May 14, 2021
came into the show not expecting much, but its now become one of the shows that im most excited to watch every week this season. the sport is interesting and seems very fun.the animation is quite well done, although not outstanding, still has some great moments. the music and voice acting are also really good. the story is really fun and enjoyable, and every episode I watch makes me like the story and characters more and more. I think the best part of the story are the characters. they are all interesting and enjoyable to watch, and the dynamic and bond between the characters are
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Jun 18, 2021
Love the art style! Has a lot of texture, vibrant, detailed, and is exciting to watch. The characters have great personality. The dialogue is up a level from the typical shounen anime you see. All in all, was a lot of fun to watch, f you love sports anime like 'Haikyu!!' then, give this one a shot! Highly ...
Read moreCharacters are interesting. VA cast is amazing. Story is energetic and exciting too.Show is pretty good but it feels that the budget is kind of holding certain things back in some ways. some of the stuff feels a little too quick in pacing and some of the ... May 9, 2021
I'd say it's a decent anime. VERY rare to see an anime select such a topic. Sports anime usually have ubiquitous natured sports, known universally. Kabaddi is a not so well-known sport, even though it is played by many countries. Being from the country where kabaddi originated, I was really surprised that they got the chant right lol. And tbh, I just stumbled upon this anime. Story-wise, I would give it an 8 or 9 on 10, solely because IT IS HARD to think a story on such a topic that needs a basic introduction to the viewers. This anime could have been aborted at
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Jun 17, 2021
okay so this is my very first review, don't be harsh on me. i really love sports anime since i was a kid, particularly kuroko no basket and haikyuu. don't watch this if you don't like sports 'cause you'll be dissapointed. everything is just perfect in this anime. i would give it a 10 but that's too high. the characters are well-written. the ed sound is good considering it is sung by yuma uchida. the art is very good, the running gags in it is so funny. the story is just perfect. if you're looking for some hot guys, they have some but that is
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Jun 19, 2021
i liked it, it was ok the first half it got better i find as time moves on the bad part is the animation its bad they didnt do much animation wise. the story i find is ok paceing is slow very slow doesnt make much progress makes some butt not a lot. the best part is the characters theres funny moments and it saves the show for me, the sport this shown in the show is not popular is barely known in most parts of the world which i think makes the show better. if theres a season 2 id say make sure
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Apr 30, 2021
Okay Woah, This is just litt!!
I have tried playing kabaddi myself in my school days, and ngl it is a really intense sport and fun too. As for the anime, i loved the artwork and the music, not to mention the cast, it's just awesome. I am eagerly waiting for the upcoming episodes. Definitely worth watching I'd say, as the way the anime shows all the angles and concept is great. Now i am interested in the manga and I'll definitely give it a try as well. I don't understand how this anime is so low ranked, well, i just hope it makes it to top#1000 atleast. Overall, ... May 24, 2021
Basically, I played this sport lot. I Born in India so, I am out of my curiosity watched this.Till now its look Great. I can relate this story very much to other sports anime. But MC don't have interest in the Sport Generally,He uttermost hate to play any sport.But Kabaddi give the fun and bond from his teammate.So the anime is quite enjoyable.I didnt got bored.so quite fun to watch.
If you want to know about kabaddi. This is the anime you go for.Basically people dont get this or dunno about it.it still quite enjoyable for you. I am sure about it.The plot , the ... Jul 3, 2021
Kabaddi, Kabaddi… Kabaddi, Kabaddi… Kabaddi, Kabaddi…
I somehow thought this was a soccer anime. I thought Kabaddi is just a name, but apparently it’s a pretty interesting sport. Still, this series is still a textbook sport anime, like Haikyuu. A main character with certain talent, many side characters each with certain quirks, a famous captain or ace, voiceover that explains the rules, and of course, an upcoming tournament. Even though there’s not a lot of surprises in its progression, the show was still entertaining and exciting. The animation looked solid with good focus on the physique and limb movements of the athletes. For a seemingly simple ... May 23, 2021
The reason I, and I assume a lot of other people, watch sports anime is to first get introduced to the sport itself. We usually have an idea of what the sport is about but the rules, positioning and strategies within them requires delving into deeper research. Or you could just watch the anime.
Kabaddi is a niche sport so I was surprised it got an adaption. You learn how the game is played through the protagonist, Yoigoshi. He's never even heard of the sport just like a lot of us so you can relate in that way where you're putting yourself in his shoes and finding ... Aug 16, 2021
I'm happy to say, this anime brought back my faith in good sports anime!
As an Indian, it felt so good to see kabaddi getting some spotlight. It felt even better learning new things about it from the anime, since it means that they paid attention to detail. Yay!!! All in all it was great. The characters all are unique, and they each have a niche they get into. It was nice to see Yoigoshi, (in some ways at least) act like an experienced sportsperson. I mean, being in sports for a long time, especially if you're highly skilled and in a team sport, brings a maturity ... Jun 2, 2021
Kabaddi and hockey is the National Sport in India. So its based on kabaddi. Its a very good sport and the animation and rule are the same. I am from India so...
Enjoyment 9/10 If you like sports anime and want to see an intense sport in a form of an anime. Burning Kabaddi will not disappoint you. The comedy scenes are great and the character interactions are fun to watch. Definitely, you should try. overall 8/10 Art/Animation 8/10 The art style is great, characters are drawn beautifully and are nice to the eye . ... Jun 26, 2021
Burning kabadi is an obscure spring anime for this obscure south asian sport called kabadi which is a mix between tag and jujutsu , i started it with low expectations but i was blown away .
Story 6/10 It's a standard high school sport shounen but what made it stand out is the kabadi ,this sport is so unique and fun i would pay money to try it but there is no clubs for it in my country . Art 7/10 Its not excellemt but i like the way they draw facial expressiosn its epic Animation 5/10 The worst part about this show , and they use still ... |




