The BEST episodes of Special A

Every episode of Special A ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Special A!

Based on a shoujo manga by Maki Minami serialised in Hana to Yume. When Hikari was little, she and her father liked to watch pro wrestling, and she became very good at it. She was the pride of her family until one day she was introduced to Kei, the son of her father's friend. He instantly defeated her in wrestling, and started what would become Hikari's major ambition to one day beat him. To do this she enrolled in Kei's school, an ultra elite school that costs her father a lot of money. This unusual school created classes according to grades, and the top seven students become members of the "SA". They have their own building, and can optionally attend class. Hikari is usually the only one who does so, since she desperately wants to beat Kei with test scores. The members of the "SA" have been close friends since their first year.

Last Updated: 1/25/2024Network: CTC (JA)Status: Ended
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Protecting and Apologizing
star
9.44
34 votes

#1 - Protecting and Apologizing

Season 1 - Episode 14 - Aired 7/6/2008

Akira's determination to protect her new friend, Yui, from Yahiro ends up pushing Yui away instead. Meanwhile, Yahiro's attempt to separate Akira from Yui comes with well-meaning intentions that Akira may never realize.

Watch Now:Apple TV
Onigiri and Sincerity
star
8.88
90 votes

#2 - Onigiri and Sincerity

Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 4/20/2008

Hikari, having lost a bet to Kei in the previous episode, agrees to make a bento for him. However, despite how hard she tries, all Hikari's attempts to cook something wonderful for him to eat prove to be disastrous.

Directors: Yoshikazu Miyao
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Pride and Pro Wrestling
star
8.83
63 votes

#3 - Pride and Pro Wrestling

Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 4/13/2008

The S.A is challenged to a pro-wrestling competition by the Student Council President, Hajime Kakei. Hikari and Kei accept the challenge, but run into trouble when the President decides to use underhanded tactics to beat them and Kei begins to worry about Hikari's safety without considering her feelings.

Directors: Hirokazu Yamada
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Villa and Letter
star
8.83
63 votes

#4 - Villa and Letter

Season 1 - Episode 9 - Aired 6/1/2008

Hikari joins Yahiro and Chitose at their villa in order to find out why Yahiro's relationship with Kei and Akira is so strained, but ends up becoming his prisoner so that Yahiro can force Akira to see him again.

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Anchor and Ryuu
star
8.83
63 votes

#5 - Anchor and Ryuu

Season 1 - Episode 10 - Aired 6/8/2008

The greenhouse is vandalized and it seems that Hikari has a hunch on who may have commited the act. When she comes face to face with the suspect, he challenges the S.A - however, it must be Ryuu who completes the challenge. Old memories and feelings resurface for Ryuu while Hikari learns more about her friends.

Watch Now:Apple TV
Hikari and Kei
star
8.80
64 votes

#6 - Hikari and Kei

Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 4/6/2008

At six years old, Hikari Hanazono was unbeaten at pro-wrestling until she was easily defeated by Kei Takishima. Since that day, she has vowed to defeat Kei, who proves to be remarkably talented at whatever he attempts, at anything and convinced her father to allow her to attend the same expensive elite schools as her rival.

Directors: Yoshikazu Miyao
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Journey and Dog
star
8.79
63 votes

#7 - Journey and Dog

Season 1 - Episode 8 - Aired 5/25/2008

The S.A head off to Hawaii for their summer vacation, but end up playing "family" to Chitose, the spoiled and demanding son of a client for Ryuu's family. He is particularly harsh with Hikari, but she is determined to make sure he has a good time, even if it means being the dog in Chitose's family.

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Sensibility and Thickheadedness
star
8.75
65 votes

#8 - Sensibility and Thickheadedness

Season 1 - Episode 7 - Aired 5/18/2008

Unable to believe that Kei is in love with her, Hikari behaves strangely around Kei after Yahiro's party and refuses to tell him why. To determine where the S.A will go for their vacation, Kei suggests a contest where the winner decides - with the condition that if he wins, Hikari will tell him what Yahiro said to her at the party.

Watch Now:Apple TV
Justice and High Class
star
8.75
63 votes

#9 - Justice and High Class

Season 1 - Episode 15 - Aired 7/13/2008

Hikari must go on a date with Kei on Sunday, as promised when he was recovering from a fever. However, their "date" is interrupted by Sakura Ushikubo, Kei's future fiancée, who takes Hikari away and befriends her. When she agrees to help Sakura find out more about Kei, Hikari begins to feel some unexplainable feelings regarding Kei.

Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Siblings and Teacher
star
8.59
90 votes

#10 - Siblings and Teacher

Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 4/27/2008

Kei invites Hikari to his house because his father wants to talk about pro-wrestling with someone. She unexpectedly becomes tutor to Kei's younger brother, Sui, who has a rather strained relationship with Kei, and tries to bring the brothers closer together.

Directors: Hirotaka Endo
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Hanazono Hikari and Takishima Kei
star
8.48
62 votes

#11 - Hanazono Hikari and Takishima Kei

Season 1 - Episode 24 - Aired 9/14/2009

Hikari and S.A head to London to find Kei and bring him back to Japan while Kei resigns himself to not seeing Hikari and his friends again. Everyone, including Yahiro and Sakura, overcome the obstacles standing in the way of reaching their friend. When Hikari meets with Kei at last, they finish the challenge he issued her and express their true feelings for one another.

Watch Now:Amazon
SA and FA
star
8.44
63 votes

#12 - SA and FA

Season 1 - Episode 23 - Aired 9/7/2008

Thanks to Aoi, the S.A class has been disbanded in order to force Kei to go to London. So that Hikari and his friends can remain together, Kei proposes a challenge to Hikari that if she wins, he will bring back the S.A. However, Hikari learns too late what Kei has done in order to bring back the S.A - he has already left for London for her sake.

Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Girlfriend and Boyfriend
star
8.40
63 votes

#13 - Girlfriend and Boyfriend

Season 1 - Episode 11 - Aired 6/15/2008

When Tadashi lies to his mother about having a girlfriend to avoid attending a matchmaking session, he asks Hikari to pretend to be his girlfriend in hopes of fooling his mother, the director of Hakusenkan.

Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Singing Voice and Villain
star
8.39
61 votes

#14 - Singing Voice and Villain

Season 1 - Episode 19 - Aired 8/10/2008

Megumi asks Yahiro out, claiming she has a crush on him. Yahiro thinks there's more to it and agrees only if she's willing to play a "game" where she must make him say he liked the date before he believes she likes him. Meanwhile, Hikari catches a cold and the rest of the SA go to see her. When Hikari's parents leave her friends to take care of her, they find the feverish Hikari doing rather outrageous things.

Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Written Invitation and the Saiga Mansion
star
8.39
62 votes

#15 - Written Invitation and the Saiga Mansion

Season 1 - Episode 6 - Aired 5/11/2008

Because of some intervention from Sui, Hikari ends up being Kei's date at a birthday party for Yahiro Saiga. While wondering how Yahiro fits into Kei's past, Hikari is shocked to hear from Yahiro that Kei is in love with her.

Watch Now:Apple TV
Toudou and Karino
star
8.39
62 votes

#16 - Toudou and Karino

Season 1 - Episode 18 - Aired 8/3/2008

Upset that Tadashi does not seem to care about her, Akira goes to a matchmaking party with Sakura. When Tadashi apologizes to her, she becomes angry at herself for causing trouble. Yahiro helps Tadashi find a way to comfort her, and Tadashi decides to bring Akira to a viewpoint that they had been to when they were children.

Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Switch and Critical Moment
star
8.38
61 votes

#17 - Switch and Critical Moment

Season 1 - Episode 20 - Aired 8/17/2008

Hikari, Kei, and Jun attend the opening of a new athletic park and run into Sakura. Jun avoids Sakura, who chases after him in hopes of discovering his true feelings for her, while Hikari and Kei must deal with the scores of girls that Jun's alter ego keeps attracting.

Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Restraint and Smiling Face
star
8.37
62 votes

#18 - Restraint and Smiling Face

Season 1 - Episode 17 - Aired 7/27/2008

The S.A. is invited to attend and plan a festival at Kokusen Academy by Sakura and Yahiro. Yahiro tries to tell Akira he cares about her, but decides against it when he realizes that she has feelings for Tadashi.

Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Love and Kiss
star
8.37
63 votes

#19 - Love and Kiss

Season 1 - Episode 16 - Aired 7/20/2008

The S.A is invited to a barbeque by Sakura, but they quickly discover that she planned the event so that she can spend some time with Jun, whom she has fallen in love with. While Sakura does everything she can to get a kiss from him, a less than enthusiastic Jun is forced to reveal a secret he has kept from most of his friends.

Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
High Fever and Passion
star
8.36
64 votes

#20 - High Fever and Passion

Season 1 - Episode 12 - Aired 6/22/2008

After hearing about Hikari's date with Tadashi, Kei arrives from Shanghai with the intention of having her spend the day with him, as stipulated in a challenge he proposed to her earlier. However, he winds up getting a fever and Hikari takes care of him; as she does, Kei reflects on his feelings and relationship with her.

Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Festival and Contest
star
8.23
91 votes

#21 - Festival and Contest

Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired 5/4/2008

The Student Council and S.A challenge each other to see who will organize the upcoming school festival, but Hikari and Kei end up arguing; Hikari joins the Student Council's side and Akira soon follows. While Kei takes them all on single-handedly, Hikari learns that he has always done everything alone.

Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Evenly Matched and Wish Granted
star
7.98
62 votes

#22 - Evenly Matched and Wish Granted

Season 1 - Episode 21 - Aired 8/24/2008

Hikari meets Aoi Ogata, a member of the Takishima Group who finds Kei important to him and is willing to do anything for Kei. When Aoi decides Kei is better off studying in London, Hikari must prove she's worthy of being Kei's rival. However, this meeting with Aoi causes Hikari to think about her true feelings for Kei.

Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Love and Change
star
7.95
61 votes

#23 - Love and Change

Season 1 - Episode 22 - Aired 8/31/2008

Hikari struggles to figure out her feelings for Kei and finds it increasingly awkward to be around him. After spending the day together, she realizes she loves him - but stops short of a confession. Meanwhile, Aoi has approached the Director of Hakusenkan and leaves her with no choice but to lock up the S.A's greenhouse for reasons unknown.

Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Magic and Friend
star
7.89
62 votes

#24 - Magic and Friend

Season 1 - Episode 13 - Aired 6/29/2008

The S.A must spend three days in separate classes at an ordinary high school as punishment for Tadashi's attempt to deceive his mother. However, the experience becomes difficult for Akira when she encounters a girl who resembles a childhood friend whose friendship with Akira ended badly.

Watch Now:AmazonApple TV