The BEST episodes of Baby Steps
Every episode of Baby Steps ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Baby Steps!
Maruo eiichiro (E-Chan), a first year honor student, one day decides he's unhappy with the way things are and lacks exercise. He finds a flyer for the Tennis Club and decides to check it out. He's instantly captivated by it. With no prior experience and poor physical conditioning, join E-Chan as he embarks on a tennis journey using his smarts, dedication, and work ethic.
#1 - Visualize the Pressure
Season 2 - Episode 18 - Aired 8/2/2015
Eiichiro thought he was successfully ignoring the crowd's roaring cheers for Ide, but his body was reacting to it more than he realized. The pressure of playing in front of a dramatic, Ide-centric crowd is troubling Eiichiro. What can he do to overcome this situation? Eiichiro wrote down the pressure he felt in his notebook and tries to face the details he has been ignoring. Ide is on his game as his crowd cheers on; what will lead to Eiichiro's road to victory?!
#2 - Fundamentals are the Weakness
Season 1 - Episode 22 - Aired 8/31/2014
Yu Nabae matches up with Eiichirō and realizes they really are two players that are virtually the same. He realizes that what Eiichirō lacks is experience with the fundamentals, as he has never played anyone like himself, and after losing the first set Nabae begins to pull away and goes up 5-2.
#3 - The Speed of Evolution
Season 2 - Episode 8 - Aired 5/24/2015
Eiichirō and Miyagawa face off in the second round of the tournament for their second match. If Eiichirō loses he knows he'll lose all chance of going pro. If Miyagawa loses he knows his path to become a pro will take longer and might force him to go to college first. As the two face off both unveil their new weapons. For Eiichirō he unveils his dangerous serve while Miyagawa unveils some new counters that will force Eiichirō to adjust his data in unexpected ways. How many breaks can each get off of each other?
#4 - Data for the Future
Season 2 - Episode 3 - Aired 4/19/2015
After winning his first match in America, Eiichirō finally gets to play Ike in a one set match. Ike gets it approved at the New Years party where many of Eiichirō's new friends first learn of Natsu. Eiichirō plays Ike and begins to collect data on what the players in the world of the Pros is like. On his final day in Florida the coach proposes Eiichirō and Alex play a 3-set match. Alex learns how fearsome the notebook can be as he is forced to change his play pattern after Eiichirō breaks him twice. Eiichirō wins Set One 6-2
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#5 - Takuma's Decision
Season 2 - Episode 5 - Aired 5/3/2015
Eiichirō returns from Florida and is given a day off to adjust his body to the time difference. After the day off Eiichirō begins a new strict training regime to help him get ready for the Kanagawa Prefectural. As part of his training Coach Aoi forces Eiichirō to challenge Takuma to a match. At first Takuma refuses, but when Eiichirō admits he can never go pro unless he can find a way to defeat Takuma, Takuma agrees to the match. At first Eiichirō is overwhelmed by Takuma's serves. As the game goes along though Eiichirō begins to serve like Takuma, shocking Coach Aoi. Coach Aoi stops the match unexpectedly, upsetting both Eiichirō and Takuma.
#6 - Final Set
Season 2 - Episode 25 - Aired 9/20/2015
The game finally reaches its final stage. Eiichiro who desperately envisions a vision to win Nambae and is ready for a new strategy with the intention of losing. Nambae, who determined that Eiichiro when it was driven down from the past data, was dangerous, tries to strike early.
#7 - Moonlight and the Sound of Waves
Season 2 - Episode 14 - Aired 7/5/2015
The final door on the way to the All-Japan Junior, the Kanto Junior Tournament, is just around the corner. Eiichiro psyches himself up as he confirms his promise to his parents that he'll give up if he doesn't win the All-Japan Junior, and then he sets off with the other STC members for Chiba, where the Kanto Junior will be held.
#8 - A First Match Full of Surprises
Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired 5/4/2014
Eiichirō is about to play his first match. He receives advice from the other STC members, but it only makes him more nervous. He doesn't get a chance to calm himself down as he's soon called to the tennis court. His first opponent is Oobayashi Ryo, a player with five years of experience, the assistant captain of the tennis team at Shonan Tech, and a top eight finalist in the prefectural tournament. It's finally time for Eiichirō's first match! This episode covers chapters 8, 9, and 10 in the manga.
#9 - Full Force Toward Adversity
Season 2 - Episode 12 - Aired 6/21/2015
Araya and Eiichirō prove to be even and are both unable to break each others serve. Making things worse is there will be no tiebreaker., Instead an individual must win by 2 games. As set 3 continues Eiichirō begins to rely more and more on his instincts as his mind tires, and it begins to give Araya the slightest advantage. Eiichirō realizes if he doesn't break Araya when it is 6 all that he will likely tire and lose the match. Even that knowledge doesn't prove to be enough. Araya holds serve and goes up 7-6. Eiichirō then holds serve and evens it up at 7, but his mind completely wears itself out, and Araya goes on to win 9-7.
#10 - Awakening to Simplicity
Season 2 - Episode 4 - Aired 4/26/2015
In his final day in Florida Alex agrees to play a best-of-3 match with Eiichirō. Alex realizes that Eiichirō's notes contain all of his weaknesses and that he will have to adjust his play style to win the match. Alex willingly loses the first set to get used to a new stroke, and Eiichirō is unable to fully take advantage of it in his data. As Alex's play style continues to evolve, Eiichirō realizes he will need to hit easy shots at the Pro to grow the most and find a new weakness.
#11 - Pro At My Age
Season 1 - Episode 17 - Aired 7/27/2014
Araya and Eiichirō end up at deuce after neither player can gain an advantage. An ace end up being huge for Araya give him the match point advantage, and despite his best efforts a lucky bounce proves to be the end for Eiichirō as he loses 6-1, 6-4. The finals are held between Araya and Takuma. Takuma plays to his best ability and once again prevails, 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 to win the championship. As Eiichirō returns to his bag he runs into an unknown youngster named Ike Souji. Ike asks to see Eiichirō's notes before running off due to an important phone call. However he asks Eiichirō to inform Coach Miura that he will soon be visiting STC. After the awards ceremony is held, the others vow to defeat Eiichirō in the All Japan Junior before Eiichirō says he can't participate due to his low showings the year before. However he swears he'll get ready for the Inter-High. As Eiichirō gets home, he gets rewarded for his performance, but he shocks his parents when he asks them what they'd think if he decided to go Pro at tennis.
#12 - Existence is the Driving Force
Season 2 - Episode 22 - Aired 8/30/2015
After beating Takagi, Eiichiro moves onto the semi-finals as does Natsu in the women's division. Eiichiro becomes aware of new feelings towards Natsu while watching her match. The next match is against the top tennis player, Nabae who has no physical or psychological weaknesses. While Eiichiro is troubled by what strategy to use, Takuma reveals Nabae's childhood weakness to Eiichiro. The battle against Nabae, the greatest opponent is about to begin!
#13 - Dramatic by Nature
Season 2 - Episode 17 - Aired 7/26/2015
Ide's remarkable ability to adapt instantly to everything has Eiichiro struggling, and reads his notes again to regain his focus. This improves his movements and leads to more impressive rallies, making the match even more exciting. Neither is willing to yield as the match comes down to which player can manage to hold serve...
#14 - Psychological Warfare and Self-Control
Season 2 - Episode 20 - Aired 8/16/2015
The match against Takagi begins. Just as Yukichi warned, Takagi's style is unique.
#15 - Gathering of Rivals
Season 2 - Episode 13 - Aired 6/28/2015
The gang begins their third and final year of high school in different classes. Eiichirō and Natsu both realize their classes seem to be moving on without them as they are getting ready for cram schools and entrance tests. STC has their own sort of ideas though. The top clubs in Japan have gotten together and decide to have their top players rotate between the top clubs. Included in the group is Eiichirō, and Natsu's top rival is also involved. The practices allow Eiichirō to focus on changing pace at all times and give him more experience. The bracket for the All Japan Junior is announced, and in order for Eiichirō to continue his goal he'll have to defeat the fifth seed. As the episode ends Takuma arrives back at STC. He had advanced to the Top 8 in Japan and is signing a bunch of contracts. Eiichirō challenges him to finish their match. Takuma agrees but points out he is headed over seas next week, so they'll have to do it as soon as the signings are done.
#16 - Unease on the Edge
Season 1 - Episode 10 - Aired 6/8/2014
The match between Eiichirō and Miyagawa begins with each holding serve. However Eiichirō feels that something is off. After studying his notes, Eiichirō realizes that Miyagawa has been studying his shots, and with a 4-3 lead he plans on making his move in the eighth game. If Miyagawa manages to break Eiichirō in the 8th game, the set will be all over. Instead of getting too depressed, Eiichirō changes his strategy and starts playing serve and volley tennis. The change of pace allows Eiichirō to win Game 8 and even it at 4-4, but will either competitor manage to break serve, and will Eiichirō be able to find his winning shot before it becomes too late?
#17 - Plan to be Forceful
Season 1 - Episode 15 - Aired 7/13/2014
Eiichirō overhears Araya telling Takuma that if he loses to him this tournament, he will retire from tennis. His plan is to defeat Takuma and then announce he is going pro. Takuma agrees to tell Eiichirō Araya's weaknesses. Eiichirō comes up with 5 steps that give him the first game in a 3-set match. After going up 30-0 in game 2, Araya protests a point and receives a warning. However the protest allows Araya to get into the zone. Araya manages to win the next 6 games with ease and goes up 1-0. In set 2 Eiichirō studies all of Araya's shots from set 1 and realizes he can predict Araya's movements. Down 1-0 in set 2 Eiichirō finally manages to reverse Araya's counter shot and go up Love-15. How will this exciting match end?
#18 - Determination and Presentation
Season 1 - Episode 18 - Aired 8/3/2014
Eiichirō investigates going Pro, but his reaction from his parents is less than he expected. Eiichirō joins Natsu at the first round of the All Japan Pro to watch the debut match of Ike Souji. Afterwards he puts together a presentation for his parents on going Pro and asks for one year where he won't have to study or attend cram school so he can make the All Japan Junior. Should he fail to win the All Japan Junior, Eiichirō will turn his entire focus to studying. After gaining approval Eiichirō informs his coaches at STC, who come up with a hellacious schedule, both for practice and for tournaments, that will qualify him for the All Japan Junior. At the end of the episode Ike Souji appears to greet his old friends at STC, and after getting approval from his coach, manager, and doctor he gets 10 minutes of practice time with each STC member who volunteers to face him. When his doctor, coach, and manager disappear, Ike grabs a hold of the ball and asks Eiichirō to play a practice match with him during the remaining time instead of just hitting the ball back and forth.
#19 - Baffled by Intuition
Season 2 - Episode 9 - Aired 5/31/2015
Coach Ryuhei Aoi decides to teach Eiichirō the importance of relying on instincts during a match instead of relying solely on data. In order to teach him how to play against a player who relies solely on instinct Eiichirō is forced to face off with Natsu. Eiichirō takes the words that he can play at full strength to hearts content though and starts using the data he's collected in his head to target all of Natsu's small weak points.
#20 - Resolve and Hell
Season 1 - Episode 19 - Aired 8/10/2014
Eiichirō manages to steal 1-point in the 10-minute match with Ike before his coaches reappear and make him stop playing a match. Afterwards Eiichirō is sent home to rest. The next day Eiichirō begins a brutal practice regimen that will recondition his body into that of a pro's. After 2 weeks of practice Eiichirō is invited by Coach Miura to come view some of the top seeds at the All Japan Junior. Eiichirō finds a fellow kindred spirit in terms of note taking and is shocked to learn he is the 2-seed. Eiichirō quickly realizes his data will allow him to control his opponents shots if his body gets conditioned correctly.
#21 - Meat Buns and Yakisoba
Season 1 - Episode 20 - Aired 8/17/2014
Eiichirō participates in a tournament after 3 months of hellish training. He learns about active rest while participating in the tournament and makes it to the final. Terashima is his opponent. Eiichirō shocks Terashima with how his game has changed and manages to win 6-1, 6-0. In all of his matches the closest game was 6-2. After the match Coach Miura informs Eiichirō he will have a week off before they do another 3 weeks of hellish training. He informs Eiichirō that this type of training will continue for the rest of the year, with him eventually getting down to only two days of rest inbetween. With a week off, Eiichirō helps his school perform their yearly cultural festival, a festival which ends up serving only to bring him and Natsu a little closer.
#22 - Improvement by Memory
Season 1 - Episode 12 - Aired 6/22/2014
After defeating Miyagawa, Eiichirō returns to STC for some training that will make him better in 1 day. Eiichirō is teamed up with a Coach Mike from Florida who specializes in pyschological training. Mike is envious of Eiichirō's notes and points out his notes will help him recall his shots faster, and that he only has 20 seconds to recall his best memories. Eiichirō is able to master this basic training of Mike, and in round 4 he defeats the 16-seed Terashima with relative ease. A broken string forces him to go to the tennis shop where he meets his quarterfinal opponent, 3-seed Iwasa Hiromi. Hiromi doesn't seem to have any interest in Eiichirō. After Hiromi leaves, the shop owner explains that Hiromi doesn't get to know his opponents in advance. Instead he learns and draws an image of them while they're playing on the court. Eiichirō is confused by this and wonders how someone can draw pictures while playing.
#23 - One Year and Twenty Notebooks
Season 1 - Episode 8 - Aired 5/25/2014
Maruo Eiichirō continues his training at STC as he tries to master every shot. At smaller tournaments he begins advancing to the third round but is unable to go further. His mother worries that Eiichirō is spending too much time on tennis when he drops out of cram school to practice more. Eiichirō begins calling Natsu Nat-chan. After one year of playing Maruo prepares to return to the Kanagawa Junior Circuit and make it past the third round, but in order to do so he'll likely have to defeat three seeded players.
#24 - Consistency and Change
Season 1 - Episode 21 - Aired 8/24/2014
Eiichirō continues his practice and gets his next tournament schedule. As the last player to qualify he is placed up against the 1-seed, Yu Nabae. Eiichirō begins to look for weaknesses from Yu on tape, but what he finds is a highly adaptive style that could easily beat him if he doesn't come up with a few tricks.
#25 - Reckless 100-Square
Season 1 - Episode 23 - Aired 9/7/2014
In an effort to try and reverse the tide, Eiichirō decides to go back to his idea of having 100-squares to aim for instead of 9. The precision allows him to begin winning some points, but more often than not Nabae watches balls go out and gets some easy points. How many games will Eiichirō manage to win against Nabae, and will he be able to gain a break?