Episode 26 - The Best Friends Ever

The Best Friends Ever (最高の仲間たち Saikō no Nakamatachi) is the twenty-sixth and final episode of the Little Busters! Animation. It aired on April 06, 2013.

Short Summary

 * 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. Kyousuke 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.

Detailed Summary

 * Riki has trouble dealing with the fact that Kyousuke named him the new Little Busters’ leader. Riki thinks that this is one of Kyousuke’s jokes and intends to treat it that way. Kengo became insufferably annoying since joining the baseball team. He stayed up all night after joining to make a jacket with a new Little Busters emblem, featuring a cat and the name “Little Busters’ around it. Even Rin, who loves cats like no other, finds this jacket a little disturbing and gross. Kyousuke admires Kengo’s new attitude. He always expected Kengo to show this level of energy toward the Little Busters, but even he never imagined that Kengo would flip the switch on to max overnight. Kengo even went so far as to create a dance march for the baseball team.


 * It turns out that Kyousuke is being a hundred percent serious about Riki being the new leader of the Little Busters. During morning practice, Riki’s new leadership is put to the test. But first, Riki feels that he must get everyone’s opinion about him being the new leader. No one has any problems with him as the new leader so Riki has no choice but to accept the new leadership.


 * Kyousuke tells Riki after everyone left to do some thinking today. He wants Riki to plan the strategy, the positions, and the batting order for their first game tomorrow. Kyousuke will not help, as that would go against him giving the leadership to Riki, but he still wants to see the finishing touches to see how Riki did. Riki sits alone on a bench to mull over this problem. He turns to the side to ask Kyousuke for help, but he isn’t there. Riki then realizes that he always asks Kyousuke for help.


 * Kyousuke showed up eventually. He tells Riki that he is more amazing, but that he just doesn’t realize it. He points to how when everyone was at their lowest, their weakest, Riki was there and bravely stood against all odds to help them.


 * Riki took some time alone in the baseball club’s clubroom to ponder the problem. When he heard a rustling sound from the lockers, he opened one of the lockers and found Haruka of it. She was completely serious in the clubroom. She talked about how Riki saved her when she was wallowing in self-hatred and on a spiral course to hating everyone and everything around her. But thanks to Riki, she has found the light in her life to smile.


 * Mio also came to the clubroom and handed Riki a notebook. He looked at it; on every page had crucial information about every player they will be playing against tomorrow. Mio went beyond the call of duty as a manager to get this information. Because she can’t play, she wanted to help Riki to the best of her abilities, and that meant getting him this. Mio then talked about how Riki saved her when she hated herself. She looked up at the sky through the window and saw a cloud that looked like a white bird against the blue. Both girls left Riki to give him some peace alone to think, but they both made sure that they trust him to be the new leader. They just reinforced everything that Kyousuke told him.


 * Riki was interrupted again, this time by a note on the end of a fishing rod. Controlling the fishing rod was Kud and Komari. They ran away when he saw them. The note told Riki that they will be celebrating his promotion at the place closest to the sky. That can only mean one thing. He heads to the roof and finds Komari waiting for him with snacks. Kurugaya and Kud went to get more snacks. Meanwhile, Komari talked about how Riki saved her in this place by writing her a children’s book and told her to finish it. Komari pulled the children’s book out and showed him her completed book with every member of the Little Busters smiling and laughing in a bright and happy place. Kurugaya and Kud returned and they, too, reinforced what Kyousuke said.


 * Using the information Mio gathered for him and his newfound confidence after talking with the girls, Riki decided on the positions, batting order, and a strategy for the game tomorrow. He strode passed the core members of the group to Kyousuke and handed him his finished product. Kyousuke took one look at time and smiled. He knew that he could trust Riki with being the leader. The core members of the group always knew that Riki had it in him to be a great leader. The core members were the hardest to persuade, given that it has always been Kyousuke as the leader since they were children, but they each gave Riki the nod of approval along with Kyousuke. Riki and Kyousuke are caught up in shouting how the Little Busters are the best friends ever.


 * On the day of the game, Riki hands Rin the ball. She is scared that her pitches will get hit. She wants to carry the team on her shoulders, but then one by one the other members of the group tell Rin to trust them to catch the ball if the enemy players hit it. Riki shouts to his friends that this game is not about winning or losing, it’s about having fun and playing to the best of your abilities. The game begins. Rin is amazing and strikes out the first couple batters. Kurugaya makes good on her promise to catch the balls that are hit. The first baseman for the opposing team has a huge crush on Kud and when she runs toward him to get on base; he loses it watching her and misses the easy out. Mio keeps the score. Kengo catches a very hard hit ball without a glove and throws it home for another out. Riki slides into home base for an extra point after the catcher dropped the ball trying to tag Riki out. It was not a close game. The Little Busters lose 18 to 10.


 * The following day, no one is mad that they lost. In fact, their spirits are soaring with happiness. The Little Busters are the best, they shout. They had fun and it truly wasn’t about winning or losing. They take a commemorative photo to celebrate.