List of Little Busters! episodes

Cover art of the first BD/DVD compilation released by Warner Home Video, featuring main character Rin Natsume.

The Little Busters! anime television series is based on the visual novel Little Busters! and its expanded version Little Busters! Ecstasy by the Japanese visual novel brand Key. The episodes, produced by the animation studio J.C.Staff, are directed by Yoshiki Yamakawa, written by Michiru Shimada, and features character design by chief animator Haruko Iizuka who based the designs on Itaru Hinoue's and Na-Ga's original concepts.^[1] The story follows the main character Riki Naoe a high school student who has been a member of a group of friends named the Little Busters since childhood. Riki brings multiple girls at his school into the Little Busters to have enough people to play a baseball game.

The 26-episode series aired between October 6, 2012 and April 6, 2013 on the Tokyo MX television network in Japan.^[2] It aired at later dates than Tokyo MX on AT-X, BS11, Gunma TV, MBS, Tochigi TV, TV Aichi and TV Kanagawa.^[2] The series was also streamed by Crunchyroll with English subtitles.^[3] The anime series was released on a set of nine BD/DVD compilation volumes between December 26, 2012 and August 28, 2013 by Warner Home Video in limited and regular editions.^[4][5] A BD containing an original video animation (OVA) episode was available for mail order to those who bought all nine limited edition BD/DVD volumes.^[6] The anime has been licensed by Sentai Filmworks,^[7] and two BD/DVD collections were released on November 19, 2013 and April 22, 2014.^[8][9]

A 13-episode second season, titled Little Busters! Refrain,^[10][11] aired between October 5 and December 28, 2013 on AT-X; it aired at later dates than Tokyo MX on BS11, MBS, TV Aichi and Tokyo MX. The episodes were released on seven BD/DVD compilation volumes between January 29 and July 30, 2014 by Warner Home Video in limited and regular editions.^[12][13] Refrain has also been licensed by Sentai Filmworks, and it was released on BD and DVD on January 20, 2015.^[14][15] A series of eight OVA episodes titled Little Busters! EX, based on the Ecstasy version of the game, are included on the BD/DVD releases of Refrain.^[16] Sentai Filmworks also licensed Little Busters! EX.^[17]

The first anime series makes use of two main pieces of theme music: the opening theme "Little Busters! (TV animation ver.)" and the ending theme "Alicemagic (TV animation ver.)". Both songs are sung by Rita and are remixes of the theme songs featured in the original Little Busters! visual novel. Two additional ending themes by Rita include the original version of "Alicemagic" used in episodes 6 and 18, and "Amenochi Hare" (雨のち晴れ Clear Weather After the Rain) used in episodes 14 and 23.

The second season Refrain again makes use of two main pieces of theme music: the opening theme "Boys be Smile" by Suzuyu and the ending theme is "Kimi to no Nakushi Mono" (君とのなくしもの) by Ayaka Kitazawa. Three additional ending themes used in Refrain include "Song for friends" by Rita used in episodes three, eight and nine; "Hanabi" by Lia used in episode six; and "Little Busters! (Little Jumper Ver.)" by Rita used in episode 13. Two songs are also used as insert songs: "Haruka Kanata" (遥か彼方) by Rita in episode 11, and "Song for friends" in episode 13.

The OVA series Little Busters! EX also has two main pieces of theme music: the opening theme "Little Busters! EX" by Rita and the ending theme "Mezameta Asa ni wa Kimi ga Tonari ni" (目覚めた朝にはきみが隣に) by Suzuyu. The rest of the soundtrack for the entire anime series is sampled from albums released for the visual novels, Little Busters! Original Soundtrack and Little Busters! Ecstasy Tracks, and the Little Busters! Refrain Original Soundtrack.

Little Busters!

No.	Title	Original airdate	English airdate
01	"The Team Name is...Little Busters" "Chīmu Mei wa...Ritoru Basutāzu da" (チーム名は…リトルバスターズだ)	October 6, 2012	November 19, 2013
Awakened early in the morning by someone announcing the return of Kyousuke Natsume, Riki Naoe goes to stop his roommate Masato Inohara from fighting their friend and Masato's rival Kengo Miyazawa. Riki asks Kyousuke to intercede, who tells them to fight only with objects thrown from the crowd of onlookers. Kyousuke's younger sister Rin objects when Masato tries to use a white cat as his weapon, causing Kengo to lose interest. Riki reminisces how he has been friends with Kyousuke, Masato, Kengo and Rin since childhood when they brought him into their group called the Little Busters. Riki later suggests that the five of them do something together like they used to, and Kyousuke proposes that they play baseball under the team name Little Busters. Kengo immediately excuses himself from this, as he has to prepare for a kendo tournament. Later that night, Kyousuke gets Rin to go to the girl's dormitory to try to recruit team members. After a couple of failed attempts, Rin is confronted by Sasami Sasasegawa and three other members of the softball team; Rin ends up losing the fight. The next day, Riki goes looking for new Little Busters members, which leads him to follow a girl up to the school's roof.
02	"If You're Happy, I'm Happy" "Kimi ga Shiawase ni Naru to, Watashi mo Shiawase" (君が幸せになると、私も幸せ)	October 13, 2012	November 19, 2013
On the school's roof, Riki finds Komari Kamikita, a clumsy girl from his class who loves sweets. Riki tells her he wants to recruit her for the baseball team, but he soon realizes that she may not be well suited for baseball. Later, Riki goes to find Rin after she shirks her classroom duties to play with several cats. One of the cats has two notes tied to it, the first of which says that there is a secret to the world and if they want to find out what it is, they have to complete several tasks first. The second note lists their first task: Fix the sanitation problem in the boys' dorm storage shack. Riki doubts the sincerity of the notes, but Rin is excited to take on the first task. She later gathers up Kyousuke, Riki and Masato to go clean the storage shack. Komari finds them there and agrees to be join their baseball team, but first she and the others go to work cleaning up the shack. On the baseball field, Komari displays a complete lack of athletic ability, but Kyousuke still welcomes her onto the team after she replies to his question of what is necessary for baseball with the answer, "Guts, bravery and friendship." Soon after, Riki collapses from an attack of narcolepsy, which he has had since childhood.
03	"I Like Cute Things" "Kawaii Mono wa Suki da yo, Watashi wa" (可愛いものは好きだよ、私は)	October 20, 2012	November 19, 2013
The members of the Little Busters baseball team have morning practice, though Rin is less than enthusiastic. Masato gives Riki back his idiom dictionary, albeit damaged and smelly, in a plastic bag. Haruka Saigusa, a girl from a different class, wantonly borrows the dictionary before Riki can stop her, and upon chasing after her accidentally runs into the desk of Yuiko Kurugaya, a genius girl who is often absent from class. While during a class break when Riki is trying to buy a drink from a vending machine, Yuiko drags him away to a spot with a few chairs and a wooden box she set up among some hedges. They spend time talking, and ultimately Riki loses track of time, later dashing back to class when he hears the bell. Haruka gives Riki back the dictionary and berates him over its disgusting state under the cover. When Masato and Kengo are about to have another fight, Yuiko intervenes, causing Kengo to lose interest. Yuiko and Masato initially fight with the rules Kyousuke previously set up, but Yuiko loses after she severely kicks Masato several times. Later, Yuiko catches the Little Busters during practice and joins the team, proving to be a powerful asset.
04	"We'll Make a Happy, Sunny Place" "Shiawase no Hidamari o Tsukuru no desu" (幸せのひだまりを作るのです)	October 27, 2012	November 19, 2013
Riki helps his classmate Kudryavka Noumi move her boxes into her new dorm room one afternoon. The next day, Riki goes to the roof looking for Komari to thank her in place of Rin for taking care of one her cats that was injured. He finds her asleep and hears her sleep-talk about her brother, but when Riki asks Komari about him, she says she is an only child and that her brother only appears in her dreams to read her a picture book with eggs and chicks. The next day, Riki and Rin go to the roof and find Komari a little sad. She had found the picture book from her dreams with the name Takuya Kamikita on the back, but her mother will not tell her anything about having a brother, and Komari cannot remember anything about him. Komari asks Riki and Rin to accompany her to a retirement home, and the other members of the Little Busters decide to join in as well. They spend time with the retirees, talking with them and cleaning their rooms. Riki cleans the room of a cross old man named Kojirō who normally scares anyone away by yelling at them, but Riki stays and cleans his room regardless. After he scares away Komari, Kojirō reveals his full name to be Kojirō Kamikita and tells Riki to keep her away from him.
05	"To Find What I've Lost" "Nakushimono o Sagashi ni" (なくしものを探しに)	November 3, 2012	November 19, 2013
Komari continues to dream about her brother, and Riki goes to see Kojirō to learn more about Takuya. Kojirō merely tells him that he should not pry further into the matter if he cares about Komari. Unable to sleep, Riki goes out to buy a drink and encounters Komari at the school gate, who had gone out to buy snacks. She invites him up to the roof to watch a meteor shower, where the spend the rest of the night. Komari asks Riki to go on a date with her so she can search for her lost memories. They take a train to go to where Komari used to live and they end up taking a boat out on a lake. Riki suggests to her that she does not necessarily have to look for her brother, and Komari jokingly asks him if he will be her brother. It starts raining on their way back towards school, and while running to find shelter, Riki spots a dead kitten. Komari starts sobbing uncontrollably as she recalls memories of her brother.
06	"Let's Find Wonderful Things" "Mitsukeyō Suteki na Koto" (みつけよう　すてきなこと)	November 10, 2012	November 19, 2013
Komari is in shock from remembering her dead brother Takuya, recalling the time they spent together in the hospital. In Komari's recollection, Takuya writes a picture book for her, and tells her that he might be gone when she wakes, but tells her not to be sad because it will all be a dream. When Komari awakens, her brother has died, but she remembers what he said, and does not despair. As a defense mechanism, Komari begins to believe that Riki is her brother. Kyousuke tells Riki that if anybody can save Komari, Riki can. Riki speaks with Kojirō, who tells him that this happens every time Komari witnesses death, and that she will return to normal in a few weeks. However, Riki is determined to save Komari, and adds to Takuya's story book. Riki forces Komari to accept her brother's death, but through his extension of Takuya's book, shows Komari that she has friends to support her.
07	"Now Then, Who Am I?" "Sate, Watashi wa Dare Deshō?" (さて、わたしは誰でしょう?)	November 17, 2012	November 19, 2013
Kyousuke asks Riki to find more members for the baseball team since he got Komari and Yuiko to join. Riki and Rin come upon Haruka after school and bring her along to the practice field, but are interrupted by members of the disciplinary committee who take Haruka away because she skipped detention. The next morning, the committee members come looking for Haruka again, but she runs away with Riki in tow. They end up face to face with the disciplinary committee chairman Kanata Futaki, who reprimands Riki for always causing trouble with his friends. After school, Riki returns to the classroom to get his gym clothes before baseball practice, and he finds Haruka finishing up fixing a desk Masato accidentally broke earlier; Haruka tells him that she is a member of the maintenance committee. On their way to the baseball field, Riki and Haruka are stopped by the disciplinary committee because they suspect Haruka unlawfully obtained several cans from a vending machine, but Haruka says she won them. The committee members do not believe her, but Riki stops them before they can take Haruka away, and he pays for the cans with help from Rin so that they will leave Haruka alone. Riki tells the others that Haruka wants to join the team, and after Haruka passes Kyousuke's membership test, she becomes the newest member of the Little Busters.
08	"Let's Look for a Roommate" "Rettsu, Rukkingu Fō Rūmumeito nano desu" (れっつ、るっきんぐふぉーるーむめいとなのです)	November 24, 2012	November 19, 2013
Riki, Rin and Masato come across Kudryavka playing with her two dogs Belka and Strelka, and they invite her to join the baseball team. After Kudryavka shows her athleticism, she is quickly accepted onto the team. Later, Riki and Masato help Kudryavka move some boxes into her room, and they find out that she does not have a roommate, but wants one. Riki suggests they ask the resident assistant of the girl's dormitory, who puts out a notice on the dorm mailing list. Of the Little Busters members, Rin and Yuiko do not have roommates, but both end up refusing for personal reasons. After walking around, Riki and Kudryavka chance upon their classmate Mio Nishizono reading a book under a tree. Upon learning she also has no roommate, they ask about her rooming with Kudryavka, but Mio refuses in the end because she believes all the books she has in her room would cause Kudryavka problems. While Kudryavka dismays over not finding a roommate, Kanata comes by and says that she will be her roommate, much to her joy.
09	"Save the School Cafeteria!" "Gakushoku o Sukue!" (学食を救え)	December 1, 2012	November 19, 2013
Riki and Rin receive another mysterious letter tied to the same cat as before, which says to "save the cafeteria". They go ask one of the lunch ladies if there are any problems, but she says nothing is wrong. However, all of the lunch ladies later do not show up to start preparing dinner due to various emergencies. Remembering the task from the note, Rin wants to make dinner for the whole school, so she goes around asking the other girls in the Little Busters to help. Riki, however, wonders how the writer of the note knew that this would happen. All of the Little Busters help prepare a few meal sets, and during the hustle and bustle of handing out the meals to students, Riki gets an attack of narcolepsy. Riki wakes up in his room, and Kyousuke comes to bring him back to the cafeteria, where everyone was waiting for him to start eating.
10	"The Blue of the Sky and the Blue of the Sea" "Sora no Ao Umi no Ao" (空の青 海のあを)	December 8, 2012	November 19, 2013
Riki is tasked with finding the last member of the Little Busters to have a full baseball team of nine. Riki hits a foul ball that hits Mio and he brings her a compress the next day. He notices that Mio always has a parasol and that he always sees her reading under the same tree in the courtyard. Their other classmates call Mio "shadowless" because of the parasol and the fact that she does not have much presence. Riki wants to help her like Kyousuke and the others helped him, so he asks Mio if she would like to join the Little Busters, but she declines. Later, Yuiko enlists the help of Riki to help find Mio's book. They go back to the classroom, but are unable to find it, thinking that someone may have hidden it as a joke. However, Yuiko arrives to explain that there was no wrongdoing, and the girl who had picked up the book before gives it back to Mio. Some of the Little Busters members come to get Riki for practice and Mio goes to watch them play.
11	"Horrific No Ghost Meet Up" "Horā No Ryo Taikai" (ホラー・NO・RYO大会)	December 15, 2012	November 19, 2013
Kyousuke sets up a test of courage for the Little Busters in the school at night. After splitting up into three groups, each group takes turns going into the school to retrieve talismans left by Kyousuke, who has set up various traps within the school. The first group of Rin, Komari and Kudryavka are scared and find proceeding through the school to be difficult. The second group, consisting of Masato and Kengo, race to make it to Kyousuke's classroom first to retrieve the talisman. Yuiko leads the final group of her, Riki and Haruka around easily retrieving the talismans, but Yuiko lets Riki take the lead for the final one because she would rather be on the side doing the scaring. The Little Busters start taking notice of a large black mass they believe may be a real ghost, and attempt to corner it by flashing the lights and yelling. Upon catching it, they discover that it is in fact a large eagle that had followed Kyousuke back from Hokkaido years ago and had come back to see him. Having reunited, the Little Busters watch as the eagle flies away the next morning.
12	"Endless Blue Sky" "Mugen ni Tsuzuku Aoi Sora o" (無限に続く青い空を)	December 22, 2012	November 19, 2013
Riki wants Mio to be included among his friends, so he asks her to be the team's manager, which she ultimately accepts after initially thinking they were starting an all-male idol group. After practice, Mio brings everyone hot drinks and they exchanges phone numbers with her. The next day, the Little Busters get together to write tanka poems, but Mio leaves part of the way through. Riki finds her sitting under her usual tree, and after talking for a bit, Riki feels as if Mio wants to disappear. Riki tells Mio that he saw someone who looked like her in town, but she was not carrying her usual parasol. Before leaving, Mio tells him that she plans on submitting a tanka in a competition held at school. The next day, Mio does not show up at school, and Riki overhears his classmates saying they also saw a girl in town who looked similar to Mio. After school, Riki sees the girl standing below in the courtyard.
13	"To Where Endings Begin" "Owari no Hajimaru Basho e" (終わりの始まる場所へ)	January 5, 2013	November 19, 2013
Riki sees the girl who looks like Mio in the courtyard, but she disappears soon after. Mio remains absent from school for several days, and people around Riki slowly start forgetting about her. The next day, Riki finds Mio in the courtyard, who gives him her treasured book of poems and invites him to go with her to the beach. Midori, the girl who looks like Mio, shows up at the beach and reveals that the reason why Mio always carries a parasol is to hide the fact that she has no shadow. Upon learning this, Riki suffers an attack of narcolepsy, and when he wakes up, he is already back in his dorm room, but cannot remember what happened at the beach. Life returns to normal, until Riki rediscovers Mio's book of poems and goes to look for her in the classroom. However, Midori comes in and everyone except for Riki know her as Mio. While mulling over Mio's disappearance, Midori confronts Riki and wants him to call her Mio like everyone else, which Riki refuses. Midori points out that she also does not have a shadow, and Riki thinks that Midori may be Mio's shadow. Midori says that eventually, he too will forget about Mio.
14	"So I'll Reach Out for Your Hand" "Dakara Boku wa Kimi ni Te o Nobasu" (だからぼくは君に手をのばす)	January 12, 2013	April 22, 2014
Riki is resolute that he will not forget about Mio, but Midori plays around with his memories of her, leaving him unsure about how much of his memories of her are real. Riki seeks help from Kyousuke, but all he can offer is to tell Riki to not trust anyone but himself for the sake of Mio. Riki suddenly remembers Mio saying she was going to submit a tanka in the school's competition, and discovers that the poem is about the conversation they previously had about the paper airplane. After talking with Midori, Riki realizes Mio is at the beach, where the two reunite. Mio tells Riki how she first "met" Midori as a child, who is in fact an imaginary little sister she created. Mio's mother eventually gets her medical treatment until she finally forgets all about Midori. However, she remembered her after reading the tanka by Bokusui Wakayama about the bird and the ocean, which caused her to black out. After she came to, she realized her shadow was gone. Riki pleads with Mio to come back with him, but she refuses and turns into a bird, flying away. Riki begins to sob over losing her, but is reinvigorating after receiving a call from Midori. Riki goes into the ocean and locates her, where he once again pleads for her return and ultimately witnesses Mio and Midori becoming one person. Afterward, the two find themselves back on the beach, and Mio has her shadow back. They go back to school and rejoin the rest of the Little Busters.
15	"Hell Yeah, This Totally Rocks!" "Muhyossu, Saikō da ze" (ムヒョッス、最高だぜ)	January 19, 2013	April 22, 2014
After an initial failed attempt by Komari and Kudryavka to get Riki to follow them because of something 'serious', Rin texts Riki to come to her room in the girl's dorm. Narrowly escaping detection by Kanata and the other disciplinary committee members, Riki makes it to her room to find the rest of the female Little Busters members together for a sleepover. Kyousuke calls Riki and surmises that he has been kidnapped by the girls, so he, Masato and Kengo play games to figure out which one of them will go to rescue Riki. After eating some pastries, the girls take turns bathing until Riki is last. However, he later finds his clothes have been replaced by a girl's uniform, which he reluctantly puts on. The resident assistant of the girl's dormitory drops by to tell them to keep the noise down if they do not want a visit from the disciplinary committee. Afterward, they rolls up some newspapers and start hitting each other, which ultimately causes Kanata and several other disciplinary committee members to warn them about being too loud. Luckily, Kanata does not recognize Riki while he is cross-dressing. The next morning, Riki leaves after thanking Yuiko for helping Rin socialize with the other girls. He runs into Kyousuke who had just won the right to go rescue him after playing games the whole night.
16	"Don't Look At Me Like That" "Sonna Me de Minai de" (そんな目で見ないで)	January 26, 2013	April 22, 2014
Masato battles Haruka after she eats some of his katsudon, but he loses quickly. Later, Riki, Rin and Komari watch as Haruka starts to repair a bench which she has fond memories of, but Kanata arrives and points out that the bench was already going to be destroyed so there was no point in trying to repair it. Haruka and the others watch as two other disciplinary committee members destroy the bench and take away the remains to be incinerated. Haruka is taken away to the disciplinary committee to answer for her numerous infractions, but all hell breaks loose when she loses her composure from the committee members laying countless blame on her, including accusing her of wrongdoing she did not commit. Before she can make things worse for herself, Yuiko intervenes and calms the situation, though Haruka is still ultimately punished. Another day, the whole school is in an uproar after flyers are posted all around school saying that Haruka's father is a criminal. The members of the Little Busters go around school collecting and taking down the flyers until they finally find Haruka, who had been crying alone in the baseball clubhouse. She explains that in her family, each woman takes two husbands, and one of her mother's husbands was later arrested for attempted murder. Finally, Haruka reveals that she and Kanata are in fact twins.
17	"I Wanted Someone to Stay By My Side" "Dareka ni Soba ni Ite Hoshikattan da" (誰かにそばにいて欲しかったんだ)	February 2, 2013	April 22, 2014
Haruka tells her friends how she and Kanata were born from two separate fathers, one of whom, Shō Saigusa, was the one previously arrested. Due to this, the Futaki family took control of the Saigusa family, and Haruka and Kanata were compared from early on to decide which one of them would be the heir to the family. After Kanata was chosen to be the heir, Haruka was blamed and tormented by the family, so Haruka chose to make trouble for Kanata so that she would get scolded for not keeping her in line. Haruka initially believes her friends will abandon her after knowing the truth, but they resolutely reassure her that they would never abandon her. Later, the Little Busters play baseball until Haruka is able to smile again, though afterwards Kanata warns her not to drag her friends into any trouble. Another day, Haruka bakes chiffon cake, but it turns out dry. Haruka goes see Shō to find out if he is in fact her father, but he does not tell her. Later that night, Riki tells Kanata that he just wants to help Haruka like he was helped in the past, but he apologizes for his arrogance. The next day, Haruka shows Riki some chiffon cakes she baked, and he is surprised at how much better they taste this time. However, it turns out that this was merely Kanata disguised as Haruka, who suddenly shows up shocked.
18	"The Answer is in Your Heart" "Kotae wa Kokoro no Naka ni Arun da" (答えは心のなかにあるんだ)	February 9, 2013	April 22, 2014
As it begins to rain, Haruka confronts Kanata and discovers that Kanata had lied to her when they were younger about being allergic to eggs. After Kanata leaves, Kudryavka tells Riki that she is a nice person when inside their room, and merely pretends to usually be cold. Riki finds Kanata in a classroom and she tells him how she told Haruka she was allergic to eggs to protect her from getting beaten by their family, but Haruka finds it difficult not to shoulder all of her hate onto Kanata. Later, Riki convinces Haruka to go talk to Kanata, and she tells her she wants to know the truth about their family. Though initially reluctant, Kanata tells Haruka that their family was nice to her as long as she was better than her, and that the Futaki family often beat Kanata whenever she went easy on Haruka. Kanata had to secure the succession of the Saigusa family and be hard on Haruka, or else they would have killed Haruka. Haruka apologizes for thinking that she was the only one having a hard time, and she reconciles with her sister. Kanata decides to leave the family and the two go see Shō, who tells them their mother and their other father tried to leave the family with Haruka and Kanata, but the Saigusa family took the kids back, prompting Shō to intercede and ultimately go to jail as a result. Haruka tells him that she does not have to know who her real father is anymore, and later, Haruka and Kanata go see their mother and other father.
19	"I Can Definitely Always Work Hard" "Kitto, Zutto, Ganbaru no desu" (きっと、ずっと、がんばるのです)	February 16, 2013	April 22, 2014
Kudryavka decides to take a national proficiency test in school, and the other Little Busters members help her study, especially in her weakest field English. Komari coaches Kudryavka in English, followed by Mio covering both math and physics. While Kudryavka is eating with Riki and Masato, some girls make fun of her, but are quickly scared away by Yuiko. Kudryavka continues to study in the library with Riki, Masato and Yuiko. Kudryavka tells them about her grandfather who raised her and how she used to travel around with him, including a small island nation called Tebwa in Southeast Asia where she was born. Kanata comes by to give Kudryavka back her book on the many-worlds interpretation, one of many books she reads for international exams as a hobby. On the day of the test, Kudryavka accidentally fills in the wrong bubbles on her test, and has to take a remedial class as a result. Kudryavka feels bad about failing after her friends helped her study so much, but the others Little Busters show up in the remedial class to show her that she is not alone.
20	"Ease Lovesickness" "Koiwazurai o Iyase" (恋わずらいをいやせ)	February 23, 2013	April 22, 2014
Another mysterious letter arrives for Rin and Riki, telling them to ease the lovesickness of a second-year boy named Aikawa who likes Sasami. They start by asking Sasami what her hobbies are and the type of guys she likes, only to find out that she likes Kengo, though he has no interest in her. Aikawa is shocked to hear Sasami likes Kengo, but Rin urges him to sing a hip-hop song to Sasami with some original lyrics to imply his love for her. Aikawa accidentally messes up the last line in the song, leading Rin to suggest a three-way attack on Kengo to get Sasami to fall for Aikawa. However, this backfires and Kengo ends up taking down Aikawa. Sasami arrives on the scene, impressed by Kengo's athleticism. Aikawa decides to give up, and Riki later realizes that they merely have to ease the pain of his unrequited love to fulfill the request. Rin goes to apologize to Sasami, who ultimately agrees to hand over her email address after sympathizing with what Aikawa is going through. Rin gives her email to Aikawa, who thanks her for it.
21	"50 Nautical Miles of Sky" "50 Nōtikaru Mairu no Sora" (50ノーティカルマイルの空)	March 2, 2013	April 22, 2014
After another training session, the Little Busters join up to clean their clubroom. Later in the night, Riki comes across Kudryavka and assists her with a traditional ritual of her country, Tebwa, which was once part of the Soviet Union. During the ritual, Kudryavka tells Riki about her mother and how she spent little time with her as she was preparing herself to become an astronaut. Kudryavka also tells him that her name comes Laika, a Soviet space dog who became the first animal to orbit the Earth. When the day finally comes for her mother to launch into space, Riki goes to look for Kudryavka to watch it on TV with her. When he finds her outside, she feels that it is better not to watch it as her own manner of wishing good luck. However, Riki and Kudryavka later learn that the rocket exploded on launch, and that mission control has lost contact with Kudryavka's mother.
22	"I'll Definitely Come Back" "Watashi, Kanarazu Modotte Kimasu" (わたし、必ず戻ってきます)	March 9, 2013	April 22, 2014
No news comes whether Kudryavka's mother is still alive, and travel is restricted to and from Tebwa to reduce risk of contamination from the exploded rocket engine. However, the Tebwan embassy sends Kudryavka a plane ticket so she can go to see if her mother is safe. Kudryavka is conflicted about going back to Tebwa because she had come to Japan to escape having dropped out of Tebwa's aviation school after half a year. Initially, Kudryavka decides to stay and throws away everything she had related to space, but Riki recovers the items and brings them back to her. Riki tells her that she can just be herself in chasing her dream of space, even if she cannot become an astronaut. Kudryavka admits that she wanted to see her mother and decides to go back to Tebwa. Before leaving, Kudryavka says goodbye to her friends.
23	"For What You Find Important" "Anata no Taisetsu na Mono no Tame ni" (あなたの大切なもののために)	March 16, 2013	April 22, 2014
As her friends in Japan learn that an uprising started in Tebwa following the failed rocket launch, Kudryavka meets her grandfather where he is in hiding and learns that her mother survived the explosion. As her grandfather leaves to pick up her mother, Kudryavka is captured by the rebels and imprisoned in a cave. As her friends keep wishing for her safe return, Riki holds on to the gear she left behind, a memento of her mother's, and it mysteriously appears in Kudryavka's hands, which she uses to break free. Some time later, the uprising is quelled and Kudryavka reunites with her mother for a while before she returns to Japan and rejoins her friends.
24	"If You're Happy, Rin-chan, Then I'm Happy Too" "Rin-chan ga Shiawase nara Watashi mo Shiawase dakara" (鈴ちゃんが幸せならわたしも幸せだから)	March 23, 2013	April 22, 2014
Riki and Rin are by the side of the river when they receive another mysterious letter telling them to do a puppet show, and soon spy some kids having an argument. A girl was going to put on a puppet show for her friend, but the panda doll she was going to use got damaged. Wanting to clear the task, Rin tells the kids she will put on a puppet show the next day. Rin initially gets help from the rest of the Little Busters, but after Kanata calls curfew and sends them back to their rooms, Komari secretly comes over to Rin's room to finish the preparations until the following morning. Rin takes everything back to the spot by the river where she tells Riki that she should try hard to do the show by herself because Komari helped her so much. The five kids from the previous day show up and Rin puts on the show for them which they all enjoy. Rin goes to see Komari, but initially has trouble finding her until she finds her up on the school roof. Komari congratulates Rin for a job well done and tells her she was wishing on a star for success. Komari says the star-shaped hair ornament she wears is also a wishing star that may grant her wish, and when Rin points out that she has two, Komari says that the other star will be for granting Rin's wish.
25	"The Last One" "Saigo no Hitori" (最後のひとり)	March 30, 2013	April 22, 2014
Kyousuke tells the Little Busters that their first baseball game will be against a team composed of captains from other sports clubs. Most of the team is ultimately excited about the match, save for Riki and Rin. In addition, Masato points out that they still only have eight members, but Kyousuke reassures them that they will eventually have the final member. Later, Riki, Rin and Masato spot Kengo talking with Miyuki Koshiki, a former member of the archery club who was forced to quit after she lost an eye during an accident. Masato brings this up during lunch, brewing speculation from others about their relationship, but Miyuki points out that she was just asking him for advice. Later that day, Riki and the others learn Miyuki went up to the edge of the roof, prompting him, Rin and Masato to rush there against orders to stay inside the classroom. Three teachers try to dissuade her, but Miyuki slips and falls in the commotion, just to be rescued by Kengo in the nick of time, although he breaks his left arm and is suspended from the kendo club for a semester. Kengo decides to join the Little Busters, and after several tries, manages to hit a home run with one arm. With the Little Busters team complete, Naoe cannot shake the suspicion that Kyousuke was aware all this time that Kengo would eventually join them, as if he knew in advance what would happen.
26	"The Best Friends Ever" "Saikō no Nakamatachi" (最高の仲間たち)	April 6, 2013	April 22, 2014
Kengo shows a new enthusiasm about now being on the baseball team, much to everyone's surprise. The rest of the team congratulate Riki on being their new leader, and Kyousuke reminds him to take care of the batting order, fielding position and strategy for the game. Kyosuke gives him advice, telling him that he needs to surpass him and become stronger. Riki finds it difficult to plan out everything for the game, but he gets encouragement from Haruka, Mio, Komari, Kudryavka and Yuiko. Afterward, Riki finishes the planning for the game and tells Kyousuke that he will grow stronger. The Little Busters end up losing the game, but since the whole experience and the bonds they share are more important for them, they decide to take a commemorative photo of the whole team.
OVA	"I'll Protect the Saito of the World!" "Sekai no Saitō wa Ore ga Mamoru!" (世界の斉藤は俺が守る!)	August 28, 2013	N/A
Kyousuke implements a Battle Ranking system, with Riki slowly moving up the ranks, while Yuiko has fun teasing the other girls by giving them dubious advice. Meanwhile, a mysterious fighter known as Mask the Saito appears and starts defeating other members of the Little Busters and moving to the top of the rankings. Mask the Saito then confronts Riki in a battle, but he is stopped by Komari reciting a moving story and admits defeat, revealing himself to be Kyousuke, who passes the mask onto Riki.

Little Busters! Refrain

No.	Title	Original airdate
01	"It Struck Without Warning" "Sore wa Totsuzen Yatte Kita" (それは突然やってきた)	October 5, 2013
Following the loss of their first baseball game, the Little Busters have a pancake party. While returning from the party, Yuiko overhears some girls badmouthing her, claiming that they will pay her back for being humiliated in the past. Some time later, Riki and the others learn that someone had filled Kudryavka's bag with thumbtacks and destroyed Komari's notes. Suspicious of a girl who was overhearing them, Riki follows her and finds the same girls Yuiko had noticed the other day in a classroom, figuring that they are the culprits. Despite being confronted by Riki, the girls claim that there is nothing he can without any evidence of what they did, until Yuiko appears and plays a recorded conversation between them that proves their involvement. Despite that, the girls refuse to give up and claim that they will keep tormenting Yuiko's friends until Yuiko destroys the room's door with a single kick and threatens to do the same with their faces, forcing them to give up. When a teacher arrives and discovers the damage, Kyousuke and the other boys cover for Yuiko and Riki as they escape by themselves to the broadcast room. The room seems familiar to Riki despite never having been there before and with his memories confused, he suffers another attack of narcolepsy and collapses.
02	"It Was Also Raining at That Time" "Sono Toki mo Ame ga Futte Ita" (そのときも雨が降っていた)	October 12, 2013
After waking up, Riki learns from Yuiko that she was taking care of him while he was asleep and cannot shake the suspicion that the whole situation has happened with them in the past. Some time later, Kyousuke and the other boys point out that Riki is behaving strangely since his last encounter with Yuiko. Believing that he has fallen in love with her, they decide to have him lure the girls to the school building as they prepare a fireworks show for them, with instructions to find a way to get alone with Yuiko to set up the mood for his "confession". Wondering if he is actually in love with someone, Riki does as they say, but ends up alone with Yuiko by accident when the fireworks begin. The following day, Riki realizes that the same events of the previous day are being repeated as the date is also the same, June 20.
03	"I Always Wanted to Stay Here" "Zutto Koko ni Itakatta" (ずっとここにいたかった)	October 19, 2013
The day of June 20 keeps repeating without anyone taking heed of it, except for Riki himself, and no one else seems to find it strange even when it starts snowing. Riki decides to look for Kyousuke to ask for his advice but he is nowhere to be found. However, Riki learns that Yuiko is the only other person who knows the truth and she claims that it all is her fault. Her wish for staying with the Little Busters forever had been granted in the form of a dream, and she tells Riki that she only knew what happiness was after meeting Riki and his friends. Yuiko tells him that things will return to normal when he wakes up from the dream, but Riki will forget everything that happened. Before bidding farewell, Yuiko warns Riki to take care of Rin, as the "fated day" is at hand.
04	"Riki and Rin" "Riki to Rin" (理樹と鈴)	October 26, 2013
While thinking about what Yuiko said to him, Riki is approached by a girl who confesses her feelings for him, but claims that she knows he already likes someone else and flees. Wondering what she meant, Rin's image come to Riki's mind, and upon learning what happened, Kyousuke reveals that a third-year student had also confessed to Rin, but he helped her decline him. Later that day, Rin asks Riki to help her buy some cat food and on the way back, she suggests they start dating and Riki agrees after confirming that she likes him. Riki has trouble trying tell Kyouske about it the next day, but Kyousuke claims that he already knew about it. Riki and Rin later tell the rest of the Little Busters, who congratulate them, but Riki chases after Rin after she runs away embarrassed. The white cat Lennon brings them another mysterious letter telling them that they have one final task to do before "learning the truth of the world", which is to "volunteer themselves during homeroom".
05	"The Final Task" "Saigo no Kadai" (最後の課題)	November 2, 2013
Members of the Prefectural Assembly are expected to make an inspection of the school and realizing that it is part of the "final task", Riki and Rin volunteer themselves to guide them around. Despite Rin's shy demeanor, she manages to guide the visitors properly and they later invite her to take part in a student exchange program to help the students of another school overcome a tragedy that claimed the lives of some of their classmates. Riki at first asks Rin to decline their invitation, but he later realizes that this could be an important experience for her to grow as a person. However, when Riki tries to encourage her to take part in the program, she gets angry at him and ultimately accepts the invitation. On the eve of Rin's departure, Riki realizes that all the tasks they received helped her to mature and improve her confidence. He concludes that it was all a part of Kyousuke's plans, including inviting Komari and the other girls to become part of their group. His suspicions are confirmed when Riki finds Lennon with Kyousuke and then he confronts him about the "truth of the world" he mentioned in his letters. However, before getting some answers, they are forced to run away after being caught outdoors during curfew and when Riki trips over, Kyousuke disappears in front of him.
06	"At the End of the Escape" "Tōbō no Hate ni" (逃亡の果てに)	November 9, 2013
After Riki and the others watch Rin leave the school without a word, Riki is then left with the impression that Kyousuke sent her away and that he is trying to break apart the Little Busters. Riki continues getting text messages from Rin saying that she does not know what to do at the school, and he all he can do is tell her to "hang in there". Concerned for Rin being isolated, Riki decides to go after her, but he is stopped by Kyousuke, who makes a deal that he will bring her back for weekends only. When Rin come back the following weekend, she is depressed and stays in bed. Riki goes to Kengo for advice, who tells him he has to fight Kyousuke to keep Rin from going back to the school. Kyousuke agrees to settle it over a baseball game with Masato as his partner, but Riki and Kengo ultimately fail. Kengo claims that Kyousuke rigged the game and punches him before being restrained by Riki and Masato. The next morning, Riki tells Rin that they are running away together. They travel to a house in the country where they played as kids, but they are eventually discovered by the police who raid the house.
07	"May 13" "Gogatsu Jū-san-nichi" (5月13日)	November 16, 2013
Riki awakens several months before, with no memories about what happened during that time. Riki goes to stop Masato from fighting Kengo, but neither of them listen to him and Kyousuke is nowhere to be found. The result of the fight leads to Kengo fracturing his right arm, putting him out of commission for kendo practice; Kengo asks Riki to think of something fun all of them could do together. Rin is now afraid of everyone but Riki, who routinely drops her off at a local elementary school during the day. Meanwhile, Kyousuke is depressed and stays cooped up in his room reading manga. Initially unsuccessful to find something Rin enjoys to do, he eventually discovers her affinity for playing catch. Riki tries to invite Kyousuke to join in, but he refuses. Riki also invites Masato and Kengo to play a baseball game, but Kengo angrily refuses to participate, and Masato leaves shortly thereafter. Knowing the others are hiding something from him and Rin, Riki resolves to become a leader like Kyousuke and reform the Little Busters.
08	"Proof of the Strongest" "Saikyō no Shōmei" (最強の証明)	November 23, 2013
Determined to reform the Little Busters, Riki attempts to invite Masato, who refuses, claiming that what only matters to him is to "become the strongest". Soon after, Riki and Rin hear news of Masato attacking other students and devise a trap to stop him. However, the trap fails to restrain him fully and he starts pursuing them. After setting another trap with Rin's help, Riki manages to wear down Masato to the point of being able to defeat him barehanded. The knocked down Masato then reminisces that before meeting Kyousuke, he used to be treated as a fool by his peers until he trained his body enough to beat down whoever insulted him. This resulted in him becoming isolated because of it, until Kyousuke appeared and defeated him by also using traps, leading to them becoming friends. Masato began his rampage at school because he suddenly started seeing everyone else as a copy of himself and believed that he could only distinguish himself from the others by becoming the strongest of them all. After renewing his friendship with Masato, Riki realizes that he must eventually confront Kyousuke as well for his and his friends' sake, while a serious Kengo watches over him from afar.
09	"A Friend's Tears" "Tomo no Namida" (親友の涙)	November 30, 2013
Riki's next step to reassemble his friends is to convince Kengo to join their side, but Kengo refuses to listen to him, claiming that all Riki and Rin need to do is to rely on their friends. Riki visits Kyousuke, who hints that Kengo is lying about something and Riki realizes that Kengo's arm is not injured as he claims. Rin learns from Masato that Kengo originally joined the Little Busters after Kyousuke defeated his father in a kendo match. This leads Riki to challenge Kengo to a baseball match instead, with the first one to strike a home run being the winner and Kengo rejoining the Little Busters should he lose. After several attempts, Riki manages to land a home run but is too exhausted to throw the ball, so Rin takes his place. Rin's throws are fast but with initially no control, and when she manages to throw the ball properly, she succeeds in having Kengo strikeout, winning the match. Kengo rejoins the Little Busters, determined to follow Riki as long as he can.
10	"And So I'll Do It Over Again" "Soshite Ore wa Kurikaesu" (そして俺は繰り返す)	December 7, 2013
Having assembled the rest of the original Little Busters, Riki intends to save Kyousuke from despair the same way he did for him when his parents died. Meanwhile, Kyousuke reminisces that in fact the world they are living in was created by his spirit with the purpose of preparing both Riki and Rin to live without him and the others, as all of them except the pair apparently died during an accident. Since then, Kyousuke created an alternate timeline that was always reset when Riki or Rin had fallen into despair. However, Kyousuke's power to maintain this realm is waning, leading to the strange events occurring in the previous loop, and the departure of the other girls. When Riki and Rin ran away after the latter broke down from being separated from the others, Kyousuke was losing his faith, until Riki managed to establish himself as the leader, and once reunited with his friends, Kyousuke claims that the time for him and the others to bid farewell to Riki and Rin has come.
11	"The End of the World" "Sekai no Owari" (世界の終わり)	December 14, 2013
After having the Little Busters once again reunited, Riki suggests for them to play baseball, and the others accept. During the match, Kyousuke reveals to Riki that the world they are currently in was created by him and the others after a bus accident killed all students aboard except for Riki and Rin. Kyousuke explains that this world was meant to prepare them to move forward with their lives, so Kyousuke and the others gave the duo a series of trials to have them mature and become stronger. After Masato and Kengo bid their farewells, Kyousuke tearfully instructs Riki to take Rin past the school gates back to the real world, as the time for them to part has come. As Riki and Rin get past the gates, Kyousuke has one last tour around the school before sitting at his desk and disappearing along with the world he created.
12	"A Single Request" "Onegaigoto Hitotsu" (お願いごとひとつ)	December 21, 2013
Riki and Rin awaken in the real world and recall that during their field trip, their bus got into an accident and Masato and Kengo used their own bodies to protect them. Despite being injured, they flee from the site of the accident to avoid being caught in the impending explosion, but after reaching a safe distance, Riki leaves Rin behind to return and attempt to help the others. However, he starts suffering another attack of narcolepsy and struggles to keep himself awake. Meanwhile, Rin has a meeting with Komari and the other girls in spirit and wishing to not part ways with them, she decides to look for a way to save them as well.
13	"Little Busters" "Ritoru Basutāzu" (リトルバスターズ)	December 28, 2013
Having another attack of narcolepsy, Riki realizes that he always falls asleep at the sight of unpleasant situations, since he saw his parents' dead bodies in a car accident when he was a child, and determined to overcome this weakness, he awakens with Rin's help. Knowing that the bus will explode, Riki and Rin start rescuing the other students from the wreckage only to discover that Kyousuke is using his own body to prevent the gas from leaking further, leaving the duo no other option but to pick him up after carrying all the others to safety. The bus explodes just after Riki and Rin return to rescue Kyousuke, but the incident ends with no deaths. Three months later, all of the students have returned from the hospital except Kyousuke, who is still in a coma, and the other Little Busters spend their days together, waiting for him to return. Once Kyousuke finally returns, the Little Busters have their own, private field trip to the beach together.

Little Busters! EX

No.	Title	Original release date
01	"Secret Agent: Saya Tokido" "Chōhōin Tokido Saya" (諜報員 朱鷺戸沙耶)	January 29, 2014
While returning to pick up a notebook at his classroom during nightime, Riki is approached by a girl who urges him to flee. He does as she asks, but after hearing a gunshot, he turns back and finds an abandoned student ID. In the next day, Riki returns the ID to Saya Tokido, a student from the same year as him, and later is invited by her to meet him at the rooftop. When Saya meets Riki, she declares that she must dispose of him, or the "Darkness Executives" may discover her identity. Saya then attempts to have Riki fall from the roof, but when Masato appears, Riki manages to escape by having his friend catch him. Believing it must be another of Kyousuke's pranks, Riki inquires him about the Darkness Executives, and his friend asks him to not involve himself with them, as not even Kyousuke can oppose them for the sake of Rin's safety. After Saya fails to kill him in two other occasions, Riki being saved in the nick of time by Kengo in one of them, she decides to ask for his help instead, revealing that her mission is to locate a "secret treasure" inside the school. The duo then look for clues together when they spot a mysterious contraption inside a clasroom, and after Riki figures out how to activate it, a secret entrance is revealed. Riki and Saya then pass through the entrance, fleeing from the Darkness Executives who appear to attack them.
02	"The Two in the Labyrinth" "Meikyū no Futari" (迷宮の二人)	February 26, 2014
Saya and Riki decide that before they venture any further to finding the 'treasure', they must first top up with supplies of food and drink, as they do not know what is ahead of them. They do some shopping and looking around town, which excites Saya, much to Riki's interest. Eventually they return to Saya's treasure hunt mission. After running into a some trouble with the Executives of Darkness, they find a bath, which Saya awkwardly undresses and gets into. They then have a picnic, when a sudden realization hits Riki that they had met before in the past, and had been in love.
03	"Executive Office of Darkness" "Yami no Shikkō-bu" (闇の執行部)	March 26, 2014
After Riki's realization for falling in love with Saya, the two continued on with their journey. Halfway, Saya decided to confess to Riki, while trying to get a kiss from him. After being embarrassed, Riki tells her to close her eyes, answering her confession with a kiss. As the two reached their final destination, Saya asked him out on a date if the mission ended successfully, which he promises back. She lost to the final boss and the screen showed "GAME OVER". The "game" restarts, claiming it to be her 99th time, and the whole journey repeats with her asking Riki to run down the hallway.
04	"Someday, Somewhere..." "Itsuka, Doko ka de…" (いつか、どこかで…)	April 23, 2014
It is revealed that Saya's father works as a doctor and while at work overseas, she was taken with him and she was given a manga which she treasured dearly. When she returned to her hometown, she meets Riki and they play ball together until it starts to rain. On the way home, a mudslide seemingly kills Saya, but not before she enters the artificial world Kyousuke created. She is repeating the same scenario, and dies every time, thus making Kyousuke rewind time. In one of the replays, Saya and Riki face Tokikaze Shun, the antagonist of the manga Saya loved so much, which, coincidentally, Saya is the protagonist of the same manga. Using Riki as a decoy, she defeats Shun and goes to the 60th floor of the basement to receive the treasure. In a flashback, Saya reasons with Shun to let her replay her scenario one last time, and, because in the manga, the treasure wasn't revealed yet, requests Shun to make the treasure a biological weapon. Arriving at the 60th floor, Saya locks herself in a room and Riki witnesses Saya shoot herself in the head. Riki then wakes up, and Kyousuke tells him that the Executives of Darkness "jumped the gun" and that the treasure was a time machine. In the epilogue, it is revealed that Saya, back to when she was a little girl, did not die in the mudslide. She tells her dad of a dream that she had, and, when she later recovers, she goes outside to play with Riki.
05	"Sasami Becomes a Cat" "Sasami, Neko ni Naru" (佐々美、猫になる)	May 27, 2014
06	"The Small World That Someone Wished For" "Dareka ga Negatta Chiisa na Sekai" (誰かが願った小さな世界)	June 24, 2014
07	"Kanata's Secret" "Kanata no Himitsu" (佳奈多の秘密)	July 30, 2014
08	"Our Bonds" "Bokutachi no Kizuna" (僕たちの絆)	July 30, 2014

References

1. "Staff & Cast" (in Japanese). J.C.Staff. Retrieved September 28, 2012.
2. "Little Busters! On-Air Schedule" (in Japanese). J.C.Staff. Archived from the original on September 28, 2012. Retrieved September 28, 2012.
3. "Crunchyroll to Stream Little Busters! TV Anime". Anime News Network. January 9, 2013. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
4. リトルバスターズ! 1 [Little Busters! 1] (in Japanese). Amazon.co.jp. Retrieved February 3, 2013.
5. リトルバスターズ! 9 [Little Busters! 9] (in Japanese). Amazon.co.jp. Retrieved February 3, 2013.
6. "Unaired Little Busters Episode Offered to BD/DVD Buyers". Anime News Network. November 9, 2012. Retrieved November 9, 2012.
7. "Sentai Filmworks Adds Little Busters! TV Anime". Anime News Network. January 10, 2013. Retrieved January 10, 2013.
8. "Little Busters! Collection 1". Sentai Filmworks. Retrieved August 6, 2016.
9. "Little Busters! Collection 2". Sentai Filmworks. Retrieved August 6, 2016.
10. "リトルバスターズ!～Refrain～" [Little Busters! Refrain] (in Japanese). J.C.Staff. Retrieved April 6, 2013.
11. "Jun Maeda, Shinji Orito Write Little Busters! Refrain Songs". Anime News Network. July 30, 2013. Retrieved July 30, 2013.
12. "リトルバスターズ! ~Refrain~1" [Little Busters! Refrain 1] (in Japanese). Amazon.co.jp. Retrieved October 19, 2013.
13. "リトルバスターズ! ~Refrain~7" [Little Busters! Refrain 7] (in Japanese). Amazon.co.jp. Retrieved October 19, 2013.
14. "Sentai Filmworks Adds Little Busters! Refrain Sequel Anime". Anime News Network. October 29, 2013. Retrieved October 29, 2013.
15. "Little Busters! Refrain Blu-Ray Season 2 Complete". Sentai Filmworks. Retrieved August 6, 2016.
16. "Little Busters! Refrain Blu-rays/DVDs to Bundle Game, EX Anime". Anime News Network. October 19, 2013. Retrieved October 19, 2013.
17. "Sentai Filmworks Licenses Little Busters EX OVA Series". Anime News Network. August 3, 2016. Retrieved August 6, 2016.

External links

• Little Busters! anime official website (Japanese)