is a Japanese original

anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...

television series produced and animated by

Bones A bone is a rigid organ that constitutes part of the skeleton in most vertebrate animals. Bones protect the various other organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells, store minerals, provide structure and support for the body, an ...

that aired from January to April 2021 on

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

and

TV Asahi JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as , and better known as , is a Japanese television station serving the Kanto region as the flagship station of the All-Nippon News Network. It is owned-and-operated by the a subsidiary of , itself controlled by ...

's Animazing!!! programming block. A comedy

manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...

spin-off Spin-off, Spin Off, Spin-Off, or Spinoff may refer to: Entertainment and media *Spinoff (media), a media work derived from an existing work *''The Spinoff'', a New Zealand current affairs magazine * ''Spin Off'' (Canadian game show), a 2013 Canad ...

began serialization on the ''Young Ace Up'' manga website in January 2021. A manga adaptation of the television series began serialization on the BookLive!

e-book An ebook (short for electronic book), also spelled as e-book or eBook, is a book publication made available in electronic form, consisting of text, images, or both, readable on the flat-panel display of computers or other electronic devices. Al ...

store in March 2021. An

original video animation , abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and special episodes of a series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the ...

(OVA) was released in Japan in March 2025. A second season has been announced.

Plot

In Okinawa, a group of hardcore skaters participate in a secret, no-holds-barred competition after midnight known as "S", racing each other on skateboards down a winding road carved out of an abandoned mine and occasionally forming rivalries, also known as "beefs", with each other. Reki, a high school sophomore and hardcore skater, takes new transfer student Langa to S one night, and ends up pulling him into the world of skateboarding.

Characters

; : :A cheerful and energetic high school sophomore passionate about skateboarding and dedicated to the underground "S" races. Reki works part-time as a mechanic at a local skate shop, where he also crafts custom skateboard decks. Reki quickly befriends Langa and introduces him to skateboarding and the "S" races. ; / Snow : :A half-Japanese transfer student from Canada, Langa moves to Okinawa with his mother and joins Reki’s class. With a background in

snowboarding Snowboarding is a recreational and competitive activity that involves descending a snow-covered surface while standing on a snowboard that is almost always attached to a rider's feet. It features in the Winter Olympic Games and Winter Paralym ...

, he adapts his skills to skateboarding upon joining his first "S" race. He is introverted and dreamy but can be extremely stubborn. ; : :A cheeky and skilled first-year junior high student known for performing complex tricks with ease. Miya aspires to represent Japan in the

Olympics The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a variety of competit ...

and loves cats and video games. ; / : :An "S" racer characterized by his cape, heavy metal makeup, and self-proclaimed title as a "dynamite flower". Known for carrying fireworks and his shamelessness to use ruthless tactics to win, Shadow contrasts with his shy and kind personality as a local florist by day. ; / Cherry Blossom : :A high-tech "S" racer with pink hair, who works as a renowned AI

calligrapher Calligraphy () is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instruments. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "the art of giving form to signs in an exp ...

by day. Assisted by his AI partner Carla, Cherry approaches skating with a strategic and analytical perspective. He has a longstanding rivalry and friendship with Joe, and often bickers with him. ; / : :An "S" racer and owner of an Italian restaurant. Known for his cheerful and flirtatious personality, Joe's dynamic skating style reflects his character. He is Cherry's both childhood friend and rival. ; / : :The mysterious founder of "S" and a legendary skater. Beneath his glamorous mask, Adam leads a double life as a popular young politician. ; / : :Adam’s secretary and skateboarding mentor. In "S," he oversees the management of the baseball-capped staff behind the scenes. ; : :Manager of the Dope Sketch skateboard shop, in charge of board maintenance. ; : :The

fennec fox The fennec fox (''Vulpes zerda'') is a small fox native to the deserts of North Africa, ranging from Western Sahara and Mauritania to the Sinai Peninsula. Its most distinctive feature is its unusually large ears, which serve to dissipate hea ...

mascot of Dope Sketch, who listens only to Oka. ; : :Cherry's advanced AI assistant. ; : :Langa's mother.

Production

In an interview with

Wakanim Wakanim was a French subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service specialized in online streaming and simulcasting of Japanese anime series. It was also the first platform to offer videos for download without digita ...

, Studio No Border founder Thomas Romain said that after meeting with

about '' Carole and Tuesday'', him and the other crew at his studio ran into Suzuki, a producer on the show. She asked the studio if they were interested in designing skateboards for an original show, of which they ended up agreeing to do. The skateboards were specifically designed so that they could work if built in real life. Juliette Mercier, who had previous experience designing skateboards, ended up doing most of the designs. After some small changes, they were approved. When it came to the decals, they were purposely stylized to be unique to each character in order to symbolize their personalities. Ayumi Kakei did the designs for Reki and Langa's skateboards, with a "pop" style. French comic book artist Loic Locatelli did the decals for Shadow and Joe, while Thomas Romain did Adam's himself. In total, five different artists from the studio worked on the series, which was a first for them. The skaterboarders' moves were also inspired by real people, with one example being Miya's style, which has striking similarities to

Rodney Mullen John Rodney Mullen (born August 17, 1966) is an American professional skateboarder who practices freestyle skateboarding and street skateboarding. He is considered the most influential skateboarder of all time. Mullen is credited for inventing ...

's style. Bones also ran a weekly blog for the series, where they shared various concepts sketches by

Hiroko Utsumi is a Japanese anime director, animator, storyboard artist, and manga artist. She is best known for her work with Kyoto Animation, particularly as the original director of '' Free!''. After leaving Kyoto Animation's affiliate company Animation D ...

alongside each episode's release.

Media

Anime

On September 13, 2020, it was reported that

and

were working on an anime television series project. Further details were not revealed until the following week. On September 20, 2020, the series was officially announced. Utsumi directed the series, while

Ichirō Ōkouchi is a Japanese screenwriter and novelist. He is a graduate of the School of Human Sciences in Waseda University. Ōkouchi is best known for collaborating with director Gorō Taniguchi for composing the story and script of the Sunrise original p ...

oversaw the series' scripts, Michinori Chiba designed the characters and served as chief animation director, and Ryō Takahashi composed the series' music. The series aired from January 10 to April 4, 2021 on

and

's Animazing!!! programming block. The opening theme song is "Paradise" performed by Rude-α, while the ending theme song is performed by Yuuri. The series ran for 12 episodes. On July 4, 2021, a new anime project for the series was announced. On August 14, 2022, the project was revealed to be a second season and an

(OVA). The main staff from the previous season are reprising their roles. The OVA, titled ''SK8 the Infinity Extra Part'', consists of four episodes and was released in Japan on March 19, 2025, following an early theatrical screening on January 24 of the same year for a limited time.

Aniplex of America Aniplex of America, or Aniplex USA, is an anime distributor based in Santa Monica, California that serves as the American distribution enterprise of Aniplex, an entertainment company owned by Sony Music Entertainment Japan, where its goal is to ...

licensed the series outside of Asia and streamed it on

Funimation Funimation was an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming service. Launched in 2016, the service was one of the leading distributors of anime ...

AnimeLab Crunchyroll Pty. Ltd., trading as Crunchyroll Store Australia, and previously known as Madman Anime, is an Australian video publisher and distribution company focused on Asian entertainment. The company handles licensing and distribution of anim ...

, and

in their territories. In Southeast Asia, the series is licensed by

Muse Communication Muse Communication Co., Ltd. (also known simply as Muse) is a Taiwanese distributor and licensor that specializes in the distribution of Japanese animation. Based in Xinzhuang District, New Taipei City, the company also distributes Asian and E ...

, who streamed it on

Bilibili Bilibili (stylized in all lowercase), nicknamed B Site, is a Chinese online video sharing website based in Shanghai where users can submit, view, and add overlaid commentary on videos. Bilibili hosts videos on various themes, including ...

. Muse later licensed the anime to

Animax Asia Animax is an Asian pay television channel owned by KC Global Media Asia. The channel was originally owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, and took its name from the Japanese satellite TV network; which was then-majority owned by subsidiary Sony ...

for TV airings. Funimation produced a

SimulDub Funimation was an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. Launched in 2016, the service was one of the leading distributors of anime and other foreign entertainment properties in North America. It streamed popula ...

for the series.

Episodes

Manga

A comedy

by Toriyasu, titled ''SK8 Chill Out!'', began serialization on

Kadokawa Shoten , formerly , is a Japanese publisher and division of Kadokawa Future Publishing based in Tokyo, Japan. It became an internal division of Kadokawa Corporation on October 1, 2013. Kadokawa publishes manga, light novels, manga anthology magazines ...

's ''Young Ace Up'' manga website on January 11, 2021. A manga adaptation of the television series by Kazuto Kōjima released on the BookLive!

store under their Nino imprint starting on March 5, 2021.

Stage plays

Two stage play adaptations were announced on July 4, 2021. ''SK8 Part 1'' ran from December 2–12, 2021. ''SK8 Part 2'' was scheduled to take place from January 15–24, 2022, but the shows were canceled after a staff member tested positive for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

Notes

References

External links

* * * * {{Young Ace 2021 anime television series debuts Adventure anime and manga Animazing!!! Anime with original screenplays Aniplex Asahi Broadcasting Corporation original programming Bones (studio) Kadokawa Shoten manga Muse Communication Seinen manga Shōnen manga Skateboarding mass media Sports anime and manga Television shows set in Okinawa Prefecture Television shows written by Ichirō Ōkouchi Upcoming anime television series