Extreme Hearts

Extreme Hearts is an original Japanese anime television series created and written by Masaki Tsuzuki, the creator of Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha and Dog Days, directed by Junji Nishimura and animated by Seven Arcs, which aired from July to September 2022.

Plot
In the near future, a trend in the sporting world is Hyper Sports, in which various sports are played with advanced equipment that enhance the player's abilities. One of the popular Hyper Sports leagues is Extreme Hearts, managed by a music company and composed of female idol groups across Japan.

After being released from her record label, failed artist Hiyori Hayama gets invited to join Extreme Hearts through her fan Saki Kodaka. Not wanting to give up on her music industry dreams yet and despite her inexperience with Hyper Sports, Hayama accepts the invitation and enlists the help of Kodaka and Sumika Maehara (later joined by Yukino Tachibana and Lise Kohinata). Together, they form the idol group RISE and their goal is to make it big in Extreme Hearts.

RISE

 * Hiyori Hayama (葉山 陽和)
 * She is a high school student and a guitarist. She originally came from Hokkaido but had moved to Kanagawa. Although she already made her solo debut, her career remained unsuccessful, leading to her label ending her contract. Not wanting to give up on music, her fan Saki introduced her to Extreme Hearts, a Hyper Sports league for idol groups. Outside of singing she also has a part-time delivery job.
 * She is a high school student and a guitarist. She originally came from Hokkaido but had moved to Kanagawa. Although she already made her solo debut, her career remained unsuccessful, leading to her label ending her contract. Not wanting to give up on music, her fan Saki introduced her to Extreme Hearts, a Hyper Sports league for idol groups. Outside of singing she also has a part-time delivery job.


 * Saki Kodaka (小鷹 咲希)
 * A middle school student and a fan of Hiyori's music. She has played football from a young age. She retired from playing but was regained motivation after meeting Hiyori for the first time.
 * A middle school student and a fan of Hiyori's music. She has played football from a young age. She retired from playing but was regained motivation after meeting Hiyori for the first time.


 * Sumika Maehara (前原 純華)
 * A high school student and a former baseball player. She is Saki's childhood friend.
 * A high school student and a former baseball player. She is Saki's childhood friend.


 * Yukino Tachibana (橘 雪乃)
 * A high school student. Her family runs a dojo. Much is expected from her as her father and brother both died in an accident prior to the events of the series.
 * A high school student. Her family runs a dojo. Much is expected from her as her father and brother both died in an accident prior to the events of the series.


 * Lise Kohinata (小日向 理瀬)
 * A middle school student and karateka. She uploads her moves online but hasn't been able to gain much of a following. She retired from karate competitions due to an incident where she accidentally injured an opponent, which continued to haunt her until she was recruited by RISE.
 * A middle school student and karateka. She uploads her moves online but hasn't been able to gain much of a following. She retired from karate competitions due to an incident where she accidentally injured an opponent, which continued to haunt her until she was recruited by RISE.


 * QON-N4CX Nono (ノノ)
 * A manager robot assigned to RISE.
 * A manager robot assigned to RISE.

May-Bee
An idol group that won the Kanagawa Tournament during the last 2 seasons of Extreme Hearts.
 * Hazuki Sakurai (桜井 羽月)
 * The leader of the group. A first-year university student.
 * The leader of the group. A first-year university student.


 * Tomo Miyashiro (御社 智)
 * The sub-leader of the group.
 * The sub-leader of the group.


 * Yuriko Suemune (末宗 祐里子)
 * The shortest member of May-Bee. Because of her height, she is often mistaken for a child.
 * The shortest member of May-Bee. Because of her height, she is often mistaken for a child.


 * Chihiro Honda (本田 千尋)


 * Teena Merkies (ティーナ・メルキース)
 * The tallest member of May-Bee. She is from the Netherlands.
 * The tallest member of May-Bee. She is from the Netherlands.


 * QON-N09M2 Sanae (サナエ)
 * A manager robot assigned to May-Bee.
 * A manager robot assigned to May-Bee.


 * Shinji Ibuki (伊吹 慎二)
 * The producer of May-Bee.
 * The producer of May-Bee.

Smile Power
An idol group that specializes in theater arts.
 * Emi Hōjō (北条 恵美)
 * The leader of Smile Power. Although athletic, her poor health keeps her from participating in Hyper Sports games for long periods of time.
 * The leader of Smile Power. Although athletic, her poor health keeps her from participating in Hyper Sports games for long periods of time.


 * Aki Maeda (前田 亜紀)


 * Yuka Hashimoto (橋本 由香)


 * Mikoto Sawatari (沢渡 美琴)


 * Miyabi Takao (高尾 雅)


 * Miharu Tomonaga (友永 美晴)


 * Aiko Tsukahara (塚原 愛子)
 * A member who also serves as the co-manager of the group.
 * A member who also serves as the co-manager of the group.


 * Shōko Sasaki (佐々木 尚子)
 * The main manager of Smile Power.
 * The main manager of Smile Power.

LINK@Doll
An idol group that was ranked second in the Kanagawa Tournament during the last season of Extreme Hearts.
 * Maika Ayatsuji (綾辻 舞花)
 * The leader and center of LINK@Doll.
 * The leader and center of LINK@Doll.


 * Shiina Miyamoto (宮本 椎奈)


 * Shizuku Utsumi (内海 雫)


 * Kotone Aiba (相庭 琴音)


 * Ema Baily (エマ・ベイリー)


 * Anna Hanamizawa (花見沢 杏菜)


 * Lion Hasebe (長谷部 理音)
 * A strategist for the group, she calls herself a team manager and a stage director.
 * A strategist for the group, she calls herself a team manager and a stage director.

BanShee
A kawaii metal idol band.
 * RiN / Rinko Nakahara (中原 倫子)
 * The vocalist and leader of the band.
 * The vocalist and leader of the band.


 * NaO / Naomi Aida (相田 尚美)
 * The guitarist and sub-leader of the band.
 * The guitarist and sub-leader of the band.


 * SaKo / Hisako Mizoguchi (溝口 妃紗子)
 * The bassist and main composer of the band.
 * The bassist and main composer of the band.


 * Tenko (テンコ)
 * Kogata (コガタ)
 * SAWA
 * JOKER
 * KONY
 * Sumire (スミレ)
 * Akamaru (アカマル)
 * MINA
 * KONY
 * Sumire (スミレ)
 * Akamaru (アカマル)
 * MINA
 * Akamaru (アカマル)
 * MINA
 * MINA

Snow Wolf
An idol duo composed of foreign talent. They are relatively new to the Extreme Hearts league.
 * Michelle Jaeger (ミシェル・イェーガー)
 * The guitarist and vocalist. She is of German descent. Her family runs a company that specializes in medical technology. Although physically weak, she is very smart and athletic. A fateful meeting with Ashley Vancroft made her interested in music, leading to the formation of Snow Wolf.
 * The guitarist and vocalist. She is of German descent. Her family runs a company that specializes in medical technology. Although physically weak, she is very smart and athletic. A fateful meeting with Ashley Vancroft made her interested in music, leading to the formation of Snow Wolf.


 * Ashley Vancroft (アシュリー・ヴァンクロフト)
 * The bassist and co-vocalist. She is a Brazilian American who went to Japan to study robotics. Michelle met her while working part-time at a robotics factory.
 * The bassist and co-vocalist. She is a Brazilian American who went to Japan to study robotics. Michelle met her while working part-time at a robotics factory.


 * Reni (レニ)
 * A manager robot assigned to Snow Wolf.
 * A manager robot assigned to Snow Wolf.

Production and release
The original project created by Masaki Tsuzuki was originally announced on January 20, 2020 at the 15th anniversary concert of Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, although it doesn't directly confirm whether it would be related to Nanoha franchise or not. The title of the original project would eventually be revealed on May 20, 2021 as a new series, which was later revealed to be an anime television series on February 10, 2022. Junji Nishimura is directing the anime at Seven Arcs, with Tsuzuki writing the scripts, and Effy composing the music. Original character designs are provided by Waki Ikawa, while Issei Aragaki adapts the designs for animation. Aragaki and Kana Hashidate are serving as chief animation directors, and Shuichi Kawakami and Takuya Fujima drafted the sub-character designs. The series aired from July 10 to September 25, 2022, on Tokyo MX and BS11. The opening theme song is "Infinite" by Miho Okasaki, and the ending theme is "Sunrise" by RISE. Crunchyroll licensed the series outside of Asia.