Companionship, competition, and good old-fashioned fun are common themes in anime set in school clubs.
School is a metaphor for youth. School life in anime includes going to class, hanging out with friends, and getting to know your seniors and juniors. Many anime series are set in specialised schools. School clubs, on the other hand, play a significant role in anime school life.
Several anime are centred on a school club, highlighting each character’s ambition, drive, and identity. It’s the ideal place for people to discover themselves before entering the real world, as well as the location of many heartbreaking and butterfly-inducing moments. School clubs are places for like-minded friends to bond and have fun before graduating.
Best Anime Series About A School Club
12. Kono Oto Tomare! Sounds Of Life
Gen Kudou, a koto maker, believes that his delinquent grandson Chika will never understand the value of the traditional musical instrument. Chika attempts to join the Tokise High School Koto Club in order to atone for his ignorance and better comprehend his late grandfather’s words.
Despite the club’s desperate need for new members, the club’s new president, Takezou Kurata, is hesitant to accept Chika’s application because of his bad reputation. Nonetheless, after witnessing Chika’s seriousness and enthusiasm, Takezou accepts the problem child, along with koto prodigy Satowa Houzuki and three of Chika’s energetic friends, into the group. Kono Oto Tomare! follows a group of musicians as they compete on a national level.
11. Haganai: I Don’t Have Many Friends
When Kodaka Hasegawa learns that he will be transferring to a new school, he is determined to make a good impression and possibly make some new friends. When Kodaka is labelled as a violent delinquent due to his blond hair and intimidating demeanour, he quickly realises he is out of luck. Due to his infamous reputation, Kodaka remains alone despite the passage of a month. However, his life begins to change when he discovers fellow loner Yozora Mikazuki in an empty classroom talking to her imaginary friend.
After sharing stories about their lonely high school lives, Kodaka and Yozora form the Neighbor’s Club. For people who don’t have friends, learning social skills and how to fit in are daily activities that will hopefully allow them to make friends. Thanks to the eroge-loving Sena Kashiwazaki and other eccentric outcasts, Kodaka may have finally found people he can call friends in this club full of hilarious oddballs.
10. Laid-Back Camp
While most girls her age would prefer to spend their vacations with their families, Rin Shima prefers to spend her days off camping alone at the base of Mount Fuji. She’s always done everything herself, from setting up her tent to gathering firewood, and she has no intention of leaving her isolated world.
When the misplaced Nadeshiko Kagamihara is forced to seek refuge at Rin’s campsite, what begins as one of Rin’s usual camping trips becomes a surprise get-together for two. Nadeshiko had intended to visit Mount Fuji, but her plans are derailed when she falls asleep on the way there. She is alone and has no choice but to seek assistance from the only other person in the vicinity. Despite their hurried introductions, the two girls spend the cold night around the campfire eating ramen and talking. Even after Nadeshiko’s sister arrives later that night to pick her up, the two girls plan another camping trip together in silence.
9. Kokoro Connect
When five Yamaboshi Academy students realise there are no clubs for them, they form the Student Cultural Society, abbreviated “StuCS.” Taichi Yaegashi, a wrestling fanatic, Iori Nagase, an unsure optimist, Himeko Inaba, a cool computer genius, Yui Kiriyama, a petite karate practitioner, and Yoshifumi Aoki, the class clown, make up the club.
One day, Aoki and Yui have an unusual incident in which they switch bodies for a brief period of time without warning. As the five friends witness this supernatural occurrence at random, they realise it isn’t a game. They quickly discover each other’s hidden secrets and emotional scars, threatening to sever the StuCS and their friendship.
8. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
If you asked people if they believed in aliens, time travelers, or perhaps espers, the vast majority would say no; Kyon, a typical high school student, is one of them. On his first day of school, however, he meets a girl who quickly turns his world upside down.
The lovely Haruhi Suzumiya expresses her dissatisfaction with “normal” people and her desire to meet supernatural beings on the first day of class. Kyon is taken aback when she discovers her dissatisfaction with the school’s lack of paranormal-focused clubs and unwittingly inspires her to start her own. She establishes the Haruhi Suzumiya Brigade, also known as the SOS Brigade, in order to spread joy throughout the world.
Haruhi manages to recruit Kyon and three other members after the SOS Brigade is formed: quiet bookworm Yuki Nagato, shy upperclassman Mikuru Asahina, and eternally optimistic Itsuki Koizumi. Despite their outward appearances, each of the new SOS Brigade members has a Haruhi-related secret. Haruhi and the SOS Brigade whisk Kyon away on a series of misadventures, each one bringing him closer to discovering who and what she is, caught up in the mystery surrounding the eccentric club leader.
7. Kuroko’s Basketball
Teikou Middle School’s legendary lineup, the “Generation of Miracles,” has dominated the national basketball scene for the last three years. It was made up of five sporting prodigies, but there was a “Phantom Sixth Man” lurking in the shadows, adding to the team’s cult status. Their enormous size turned them off to the sport they loved, and they split up in high school.
The Seirin High School basketball team has recruited Taiga Kagami and Tetsuya Kuroko, two freshmen with significant ability differences. Kagami, who recently returned from the United States, possesses both natural talent and a strong passion for the sport. Kuroko, on the other hand, lacks both physical presence and athletic ability. He is later revealed to be Teikou’s Phantom Sixth Man—a player from the Generation of Miracles.
Kuroko wants to prove to the Seirin team that he can stand on his own. Kagami forms a dynamic partnership with Kuroko after witnessing his conviction, with the latter promising to support Kagami’s “light” as his “shadow.” They intend to win the upcoming Interhigh championship with their new Seirin teammates, but the reappearance of Kuroko’s former teammates complicates their plans.
6. Asobi Asobase
Olivia, a foreign transfer student who doesn’t speak English, plays “look-the-other-way” with Hanako Honda, a loud-mouthed airhead, during recess. Kasumi Nomura, a deadpan loner who is constantly teased by her older sister about her tendency to lose games, is enraged by their raucous behavior. Kasumi initially declines Olivia’s invitation to join in the fun, but eventually agrees and brings her own brand of mischief with her. Soon after, the odd trio forms an odd friendship and decides to establish the “Pastime Club,” where they can resume their daily shenanigans.
School life will never be boring when the girls of Asobi Asobase are up to their hilarious antics, whether it’s failing to learn English, desperately trying to become popular, or getting caught by teachers at the wrong time.
5. Clannad
Tomoya Okazaki is a juvenile delinquent who believes he will never achieve success. He skips school in order to spend his senior year with his friend Youhei Sunohara.
While walking to school one day, Tomoya notices a young girl muttering quietly to herself. She exclaims “Anpan!” (a popular Japanese food) without warning, which catches Tomoya’s attention. He quickly learns that the girl’s name is Nagisa Furukawa and that she enjoys exclaiming things to motivate herself. Nagisa’s claim that they are now friends is dismissed by Tomoya as he walks away.
Tomoya, on the other hand, notices Nagisa all over the school. He eventually relents and befriends her. Nagisa has been sidelined for a year due to a severe illness, and her dream is to resurrect the school’s drama club, which Tomoya discovers. He decides to help her achieve this goal with the help of four other girls, claiming he has nothing better to do.
Tomoya learns more about the girls and their problems as he spends more time with them. As he tries to help each girl overcome her particular challenge, he realises that life isn’t as dull as he once thought.
4. Haikyuu!!
Shouyou Hinata has been captivated by the dynamic nature of volleyball since seeing the “Little Giant” and his incredible skills on the court. Despite the fact that his attempt to make his volleyball debut as a regular during a middle school tournament was unsuccessful, he longs to demonstrate that his lack of height is no longer an impediment in the face of his sheer will and perseverance.
Hinata believes that enrolling at the Little Giant’s alma mater, Karasuno High School, will bring him one step closer to his dream of becoming a professional volleyball player. Despite the fact that the school is a shell of its former self, Hinata’s determination remains unwavering until he learns that Tobio Kageyama, the prodigy who humiliated Hinata’s middle school volleyball team in a crushing defeat, is now his teammate.
Hinata must work out his differences with Kageyama if he is to leave his mark on the world of volleyball, which is often thought to be the domain of the tall and strong. Only when Hinata understands what it takes to be a part of a team will he be able to fully participate in the race to the top.
3. Ouran High School Host Club
Haruhi Fujioka is a bright young lady who has just begun her studies at Ouran Academy. She comes across an apparently unused music room one day while looking for a quiet and peaceful place to study. Members of the well-known Host Club, a club in which attractive boys entertain girls from all over the school, greet Haruhi. Tamaki Suou, the club’s founder and president, startles the bright scholarship student, inadvertently breaking an expensive vase.
With Haruhi’s repayment looking difficult, the members of the Host Club devise the ideal solution: work for the club and eventually become a Host herself! Haruhi, who is mistaken for a boy by her peers, is forced to entertain various female students while dealing with the extravagant personalities of her fellow Hosts.
2. D-Frag!
The Kazama Family is a gang of three aspiring delinquents and close friends led by Kenji Kazama who are attempting to succeed at Fujou Academy. The gang finds themselves putting out a fire in the Game Development Club on the first day of the semester. Rather than thanking them, the club’s eccentric members assault and murder Kenji’s two friends, forcing him to fight for his life. After failing to flee, the gang leader is forced to join the Game Development Club.
Kenji meets the four girls in charge of his provisional membership as he settles in: student council president and general tyrant Chitose Karasuyama, spirited tomboy Sakura Mizukami, careless club advisor Minami Oosawa, and the school’s infamous shadow leader Roka Shibasaki. Despite the Game Development Club’s constant shenanigans and his desperate attempts to leave, Kenji realises he may be having fun.
1. K-On!!
One of the many benefits of a new school year is the opportunity to join a club. Unsure of which club to join, Yui Hirasawa stumbles upon and applies for the Light Music Club, which she misinterprets to be about playing simple instruments like castanets. She decides to pay a visit to apologise and resign because she is unable to play an instrument.
Meanwhile, the Light Music Club is on the verge of disbanding due to a lack of members. As a result, club members offer Yui anything from food to slacking off during club time in order to persuade her to join. Yui, despite their efforts, refuses to leave because she lacks musical experience. They play a piece for Yui as a last resort, which ignites her fiery passion and finally convinces her to join the club.
It’s just a matter of experimenting with bits and pieces of practise after that. The Light Music Club members are looking forward to spending time together!
BONUS: My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU
Hachiman Hikigaya is a cynical high school student who exhibits narcissistic and semi-nihilistic tendencies. He believes that happy youth is a ruse and that anyone who claims otherwise is insane.
Hachiman’s teacher forces him to join the Volunteer Service Club as a novel punishment for writing an essay mocking modern social relationships. The club’s mission is to help any student who needs help reaching their goals. With only the beautiful ice queen Yukino Yukinoshita as a club member, Hachiman finds himself on the front lines of other people’s problems—a position he never imagined himself in. Will Hachiman’s distorted view of society be a hindrance or an asset as he and Yukino solve many of the students’ problems with their wits?
That was it for the list, let us know what’s your favorite anime from this list in the comments below!