Battery
Battery is a Japanese youth novel series by Atsuko Asano about two adolescent baseball players whose partnership develops through competition, friendship, and team life.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Battery is a Japanese youth fiction series written by Atsuko Asano and published by Kadokawa Shoten. Its title refers to the baseball partnership between a pitcher and a catcher, and the central relationship is formed by Takumi Harada, a highly self-confident young pitcher, and Gō Nagakura, a catcher capable of receiving his difficult pitches. The story begins after Takumi moves to live with his grandfather, a former coach associated with Nitta High School. The change in environment brings him into contact with Gō and eventually leads him toward the school's baseball team. Rather than presenting baseball only as a competitive sport, the series uses the pitcher-catcher relationship to examine trust, individual pride, family expectations, adolescence, and the pressures created by organized teams. Takumi's ability and uncompromising personality place him in tension with teammates and opponents, while Gō's willingness to challenge and support him gives the pair a distinctive emotional and sporting dynamic. Other players, relatives, and school figures broaden the narrative beyond the two leads and provide contrasting views of talent, discipline, loyalty, and belonging. Battery emerged as a notable work in Japanese juvenile literature. Asano received the Noma Prize for Juvenile Literature in 1997 for the work, and the series later received the Shogakukan Children's Publication Culture Award in 2005. Reference material reports sales of more than 10 million copies in Japan, although the available material does not specify the relevant measurement date or whether the figure covers every edition and related publication. The property has been adapted across several formats. A live-action film was released in 2007. It was later adapted into a television anime that aired on Fuji TV's Noitamina programming block from July 14 through September 22, 2016. The anime was directed and written by Tomomi Mochizuki, animated by Zero-G, and featured character design and chief animation direction by Hideoki Kusama, with music by Akira Senju. The story has also appeared in other screen and broadcast adaptations, including a live-action television series and a radio drama as reflected in the credited cast material. These adaptations have extended Battery from a literary series into a broader Japanese media property centered on youth baseball.
History
Battery is a Japanese juvenile novel series created by Atsuko Asano and published by Kadokawa Shoten. The work focuses on Takumi Harada, a talented and strong-willed young pitcher, and Gō Nagakura, a catcher who can successfully receive Takumi's pitches. Their meeting establishes the series' central sporting and emotional partnership, while the wider narrative follows their efforts to play together within a school baseball environment. The story opens after Takumi moves to live with his grandfather, who has a connection to Nitta High School as a former coach. This relocation places Takumi in a new family and community setting. His encounter with Gō changes his relationship with baseball: Gō's catching ability gives Takumi a partner who can keep up with him, encouraging Takumi to join the Nitta High baseball team. The resulting story explores how individual ability is tested by teamwork and how a relationship based on sporting trust develops amid rivalry, school pressures, and family concerns. Battery became an acclaimed work in Japanese children's and juvenile literature. Asano received the Noma Prize for Juvenile Literature in 1997. The series was subsequently associated with the Shogakukan Children's Publication Culture Award in 2005. Available reference material also reports that the books sold more than 10 million copies in Japan. Because no dated sales source is provided here, the precise period and scope of that figure remain unspecified. The property expanded beyond the novels through screen and broadcast adaptations. A live-action film was released in 2007, introducing the story to a cinema audience. The material also records live-action television and radio-drama versions, with different performers portraying the principal characters in those productions. A television anime adaptation was broadcast in 2016 on Fuji TV's Noitamina block. The anime ran from July 14 to September 22, was directed and written by Tomomi Mochizuki, and was produced through animation by Zero-G. Hideoki Kusama handled character design and chief animation direction, while Akira Senju composed the music. Across its forms, Battery remains identified with the relationship between pitcher and catcher rather than with a commercial consumer-goods category. Its adaptations preserve the core setting of youth baseball while presenting the characters through different performance and animation formats. The available sources do not establish a current publisher strategy, a corporate owner separate from the original publisher, or the present status of new releases.
- 2016
Television anime adaptation
[1]The television anime aired on Fuji TV's Noitamina block from July 14 through September 22, 2016.
- 2007
Live-action film adaptation
[1]A live-action film adaptation of the novel series was released.
- 2005
Shogakukan Children's Publication Culture Award
[1]Battery received the Shogakukan Children's Publication Culture Award.
- 1997
Noma Prize for Juvenile Literature
[1]Atsuko Asano received the Noma Prize for Juvenile Literature for Battery.
Products and positioning
A Japanese youth-literature and media franchise built around baseball, adolescence, and the intense pitcher-catcher relationship.
Juvenile fiction
Battery novel series
The original literary property by Atsuko Asano follows pitcher Takumi Harada and catcher Gō Nagakura as they form a baseball partnership and enter the competitive world of a school team. Its themes include talent, pride, friendship, family, and the demands of collective sport.
Film adaptation · 2007
Battery live-action film
The 2007 live-action film adapts the youth baseball narrative for cinema, focusing on the relationship between Takumi and Gō and the challenges created when their individual abilities meet the structure of a school team.
Television anime · 2016
Battery television anime
The anime adaptation aired on Fuji TV's Noitamina block in 2016. It was directed and written by Tomomi Mochizuki, animated by Zero-G, designed by Hideoki Kusama, and scored by Akira Senju.
Brand decisions
2016
Television anime adaptation commissioned and broadcastProduct launchBackground
The established juvenile novel series was adapted for television as an anime, extending the property to a new medium and audience.
Action taken
The anime was produced by Zero-G and broadcast on Fuji TV's Noitamina block from July 14 to September 22, 2016.
Aftermath
The adaptation added a 2016 animated version to the series' existing literary, film, television, and radio formats.
Recent events
- 2016
Battery television anime begins broadcast[1]
Product launch
The anime adaptation began airing on Fuji TV's Noitamina block on July 14, 2016, and concluded on September 22.
- 2007
Battery live-action film adaptation released[1]
Product launch
A live-action film adaptation brought the baseball story to the screen.
- 2005
Battery receives the Shogakukan Children's Publication Culture Award[1]
Other
The series was recognized with the Shogakukan Children's Publication Culture Award.
- 1997
Battery receives the Noma Prize for Juvenile Literature[1]
Other
Atsuko Asano received the Noma Prize for Juvenile Literature for Battery.
Sources2 sources
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