One Outs

Toua Tokuchi is a prodigy when it comes to both baseball and gambling. Pitching nothing but mediocre fastballs, he has made a name for himself by attaining 499 consecutive victories in the game of One Outs: a one-on-one showdown between a pitcher and a batter. Despite his remarkable abilities, however, Tokuchi sees the sport as nothing more than a way to make some quick money.

When Hiromichi Kojima, a legendary hitter for the struggling Saikyou Saitama Lycaons, witnesses Tokuchi's skills firsthand, he realizes that the man might be exactly what the team needs to get out of their slump. Determined to recruit Tokuchi no matter what, Kojima places his own career on the line and defeats Tokuchi at his own specialty—One Outs.

Forced to become a Lycaon, Tokuchi soon finds himself at odds with the team's owner, Tsuneo Saikawa. After Saikawa refuses to give him a reasonable salary, Tokuchi proposes a special contract: pitching an out will earn him five million yen, but giving up a run will cost him fifty million. With every game having the potential to either make or break him, Tokuchi must outwit all who stand in his way.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Tokuchi, Toua Main

Hagiwara, Masato Japanese

Ideguchi, Satoshi Main

Yamaguchi, Kappei Japanese

Kojima, Hiromichi Main

Isobe, Tsutomu Japanese

Takami, Itsuki Supporting

Matsukaze, Masaya Japanese

Big Mama Supporting

Fujita, Toshiko Japanese

Kawanaka, Junichi Supporting

Terashima, Takuma Japanese

Johnson, Dennis Supporting

Kusunoki, Taiten Japanese

Saikawa, Tsuneo Supporting

Utsumi, Kenji Japanese

Oikawa, Mitsuo Supporting

Furukawa, Toshio Japanese

Sawamura Supporting

Kase, Yasuyuki Japanese

Tamura, Manabu Producer

Nakatani, Toshio Producer

Mita, Keiji Producer

Satou, Yuuzou Director, Episode Director, Storyboard

Reviews

Dec 8, 2025

Nugget8433

Recommended

This is a great show but suffers from lack of stakes for me. The fun of the show is not the question of who will win, but rather how Tokuchi will get out of the shitty situation he is thrust into. This is a sports anime where the other teams cheat, or at the very least use unorthodox strategies that feel like cheating, and Tokuchi, the protagonist, is forced to come up with a strategy to get out of the situation he is thrust into. The owner of the team takes an antagonistic role, preying on Tokuchi's downfall in order to maximize profit (which, as ... a Cubs fan, feels all too real) so it does a great job of making it feel like the odds are stacked against Tokuchi at all times. The baseball is fun and feel realistic, and I appreciate that the strategies feel like real things that could happen in a baseball game rather than crazy superpowers like in other shows such as Kuroko's Basketball.

All of that said, I prefer shows (especially sports anime) that have necessary stakes. It never feels like the team will lose because strictly, that's not the point of the show. As I said before, you are watching the show to see what crazy idea Tokuchi will come up with to get him out of the situation. That's where the appeal of the show is, and I think that is great, but it is not personally what I am looking for in a sports anime, but I liked it enough to keep going.

If you like shows with overpowered MC's who feel like they earn their victories, you should watch this show. He always finds a logical rationale to get through the games and there aren't inconsistencies with how baseball works or his skill level at the game. It is just important to keep in mind that this show is not a subversive masterpiece that will keep you on the edge of your seat, rather an entertaining, silly (and sometimes cool) show that is entertaining in all of the right ways. My only gripes were due to personal preference/bias against MCs who are rarely challenged and never make mistakes (and it's not played off as a joke like in One Punch Man) and the severe lack of stakes throughout the show. However, it scratched my baseball itch in the off-season and I think fans of the game will enjoy the show (though I personally prefer shows like Ace of the Diamond or Cross Game, that have compelling characters and tension throughout the games).

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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May 10, 2020

Necrochromatic

Mixed Feelings

Funny

STORY: 6/10
ART: 8/10
SOUND: 5/10
CHARACTER: 4/10
ENJOYMENT 8/10
OVERALL: 6/10

The anime is good but the story is too messed up. The one outs game, why the owner can't moved on and revised the freaking contract, the slugfest arc where they intentionally made fouls, and the cheating arc. The art I think is very good. Props to Madhoouse. The opening is good that it makes you wanna stay and listen to it first but the background and the ending is not too good for me I guess. The character development for the supporting is lacking to emphasize that the MC is too OP and he's gonna save the day. ... I did enjoy the show though and I like the antics that the anime brings.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Aug 22, 2022

jaliscojackson

Not Recommended

Funny

DISCLAIMER: I wrote this when I was maybe 15 or 16, and while I still think One Outs is repetitive and boring, I think a lot of my criticisms here are unfair. Still, I will not be taking this review down because I like it when One Outs fans come to the comments in my profile and act like there's something here worth debating about. Why don't you go to war for an anime that's actually worth something? Anyways, please enjoy this juvenile rant.


Shit.

I cannot express to you my level of disbelief at the fact that so many people gave this show a rating above ... 6. This show has to be the most stinking pile of shit I have ever seen in my favourite genre of anime: sports. And I know what people are going to say. "Oh but dude, this isn't a typical sports anime! You just don't understand baseball! You just don't understand Tokuchi Toua's intelligence!" This is false. You would have to be a mentally impaired slug to not understand Tokuchi Toua's intelligence after watching this series. In fact, that's basically the only thing that you take away from this series, besides a pretty decent OP and ED.


Characters:

There are none. No, wait, that's incorrect. There is one. One character. His name is Tokuchi Toua. He is the only person in the whole show. He is the only person in the entire world with a mind that is capable of functioning. Yes that was me exaggerating. But not really. The only reason any other character exists is to highlight Tokuchi Toua's godlike, incomparable intelligence. So let's give the cast a name. I propose, "Tokuchi Toua and His Bunch of Braindead Bitches." Because everyone is his braindead bitch. Not just the players on the team, but the manager, the owner, the players on the other team, and maybe even his parents for all the fuck I know. This wouldn't be as much of a problem if they at least gave us some backstory, some insight into Tokuchi's past that lets us see what made him this way. Anything that shaped his personality. But NO! God forbid we get a backstory on the only character worth caring about! Let's get backstories on characters that disappear after 3 episodes! Like that cheating manager! Or that shitty catcher! You know, they tell us that he's been playing One Outs his whole life, but they don't explain how he knows so fucking much about baseball. I'm just left to assume, but I won't dwell on that because it's not a very big complaint of mine. Hold up, did I mention that Tokuchi Toua is the perfect human being? That he is perfect in every sense of the word and nothing he does is incorrect? Because that's exactly how it seems. At the very beginning they tell us that, "despite his slow pitches, he still wins because he plays with other people's minds!" Which is fine, until you realize that he can, indeed, pitch fast. Fast enough to get the fastest baseball runner in the world out. He was hiding that trick all along. No mind games needed here. No weird tactics. Nothing. So yeah TL;DR, Tokuchi Toua is the everything and everybody else is either his bitch, an evil cunt, or both.


Music:

Usually one of my favourite parts about an anime but fuck. There's nothing here. I like the OP and ED, but besides that all there is is a bunch of bland, forgettable, funk tracks. And some atmospheric stuff I guess. Shit.


Story:

Interesting premise, I'll give it that. It starts off really strong, and basically has me hooked up until about episode 10-12, where I realize that every game they play is the same shit. The same predictable outcomes. I'll admit it is entertaining to watch the process by which Tokuchi arrives to victory, but if you don't know much about baseball and if you don't like sports/psychological anime, then I don't think you would enjoy this anime past the 8 episode mark.


Themes:

Not even the most basic and easy themes to explore are even hinted at in this anime. The theme of teamwork and unity to achieve a certain goal or purpose, the theme of never giving up regardless of how the odds are against you. These are all themes that are prevalent in sports anime, and I'm not saying all anime should follow genre conventions, but if you're going to choose between following a convention and not doing anything at all, I'd usually say go the conventional route. Teamwork can't be explored because they chose to replace characters with the cast of, "Tokuchi Toua's tools to triumph." In case you haven't noticed, I love alliteration.


TL;DR don't watch unless you absolutely adore baseball or psychological anime. And even then don't expect much.

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

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Baseball!!

by scarypistols

10 Entries · 2 Restacks

Underrated anime!!

by Fee_bow

50 Entries · 282 Restacks

Reboot please pt2

by Idk5008

43 Entries · 15 Restacks

	Who would like to see a remake? MeanMrMusician - Dec 27, 2024	15 replies	by HectorBlaze »» Sep 13, 2025 2:27 PM
	Poll: One Outs Episode 8 Discussion ( 1 2 ) otaku228 - Dec 3, 2008	80 replies	by Stormy_77 »» Jun 7, 2025 11:07 PM
	Poll: One Outs Episode 25 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ) Torisunanohokori - Apr 2, 2009	216 replies	by aurora_yuuki »» May 17, 2025 11:32 AM
	One Outs: Most Underrated/Overlooked Anime Ever? WhiteWolfKiba - Jul 9, 2019	17 replies	by Joshhhp »» Jan 18, 2025 7:50 AM
	Poll: One Outs Episode 14 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Torisunanohokori - Jan 13, 2009	74 replies	by defaulticus »» Dec 21, 2024 1:19 PM

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