The Story Arcs in the manga series Baby Steps
Introduction to the Tennis World Arc[]
This is the first arc in the Baby Steps series. It introduces the main characters: Eiichiro Maruo and Natsu Takasaki, as well as how Eiichiro begins playing tennis. Eiichiro also participates in his first tennis competition where he faces Oobayashi. It lasted for 16 chapters and 7 episodes.
Second Kanagawa Junior Tennis Circuit Arc[]
The second arc in the Baby Steps series. It focuses on Eiichiro's second Kanagawa Junior Tennis Circuit where he advances to the semi-finals but is defeated by Araya. It lasted for 30 chapters and 10 episodes.
Road to Professional Arc[]
The third arc in the Baby Steps series. It concentrates on Eiichiro finally deciding whether he wants to become a professional tennis player or not. Soji Ike is also introduced and Eiichiro learns the abilities of a professional tennis player. He also visits the All Japan Junior competition to meet the top players in Japan and began his Body Transformation training menu with Coach Miura. It lasted for 11 chapters and 3 episodes.
All Japan Junior Indoor, Kantou Preliminary Arc[]
The fourth arc in the Baby Steps series. It follows Eiichiro entering the All Japan Junior Indoor tennis competition where he competes against Yu Nabae in the first match. Okada and Ide are also introduced, and Natsu wins the All Japan Junior Indoor competition, girls division. It lasted for 11 chapters and 3 episodes.
Florida Tennis Academy Arc[]
The fifth arc in the series which focuses on Eiichiro's short-term study period in Florida Tennis Academ in America, where he experiences professional training, after meeting Coach Aoi. At the academy, he is able to perfect his control further and increase his mental strength. It lasted for 23 chapters and 6 episodes.
Return to Japan Arc[]
The sixth arc in the series where Eiichiro returns to Japan and begins to get ready for his third Kanagawa Junior Tennis Circuit. He plays against Takuma and learns how to perform a powerful strong serve as a result. It lasted for 11 chapters and 2 episodes.
Third Kanagawa Junior Tennis Circuit Arc[]
The seventh arc in the series. Eiichiro enters his third Kanagawa Junior Tennis Circuit and successfully gets to the finals, where he nearly defeats Araya. The main events includes his matches against Miyagawa and Araya. It lasted for 28 chapters and 6 episodes.
Kanto Junior Tennis Tournament Arc[]
The eighth arc in the series. It concentrates on Ei-chan's preparation and participation in the Kanto Junior Tennis Tournament, where he also begins to go out with Natsu. The major events includes his matches against Ide Yoshiaki and his rematch against Yu Nabae. It lasted for 52 chapters and 13 episodes.
All Japan High School Inter-high Competition Arc[]
The ninth arc in the series when Eiichiro makes his final preparations before the All Japan Junior Competition. Eiichiro goes to Interhigh Competition to gather data and he formally meets Hisashi Kanda. It lasted for 10 chapters.
All-Japan Junior Tennis Tournament Arc[]
The tenth arc in the series when Eiichiro faces his most important competition - the All-Japan Junior Tennis Tournament. It features his match against Okada, Ogata and Kanda, who are considered to be some of the top players in the tournament. It lasted for 74 chapters.
Training at IMG Academy Arc[]
The eleventh arc in the series when Eiichiro decides to train at IMG Academy (formerly Florida Tennis Academy) for 2 months after it has been decided to include the semi-finalists (Eiichiro and Araya) of All-Japan Junior Tennis Tournament for All-Japan Championship. Kanda also trains at IMG Academy during this period. Both Eiichiro and Kanda enter at Bradenton Open when Eiichiro faces Pete Gonzales. It lasted for 29 chapters.
All-Japan Championship Preliminaries Arc[]
The twelfth arc in the series when Natsu and Eiichiro has a date after Eiichiro's return from America and Natsu tells Eiichiro her decision on her tennis career. Before Eiichiro plays for All-Japan Championship, he has to pass the preliminaries first and wins against some professional tennis players. It lasted for 15 chapters.
All-Japan Championship Arc[]
The thirteenth arc in the series when Eiichiro enters the main part of All-Japan Championship. Aside from Eiichiro's matches against other professional tennis players, this arc features his first official match against Takuma. It lasted for 64 chapters.