Dodgeball Academia

I recommended, but it's a HEAVILY mixed recommended.
A vibrant, upbeat and colourful presentation. Gives a combination of Cartoon Network and Cliche Shonen Anime vibes, specifically, OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes, which I certainly don't mind. Love that colour scheme.
Very varied cast of characters, of all shades, shapes and such (oh species too how about that), but don't get your hopes up thinking your favourite may be playable.
Humour can be hit or miss, as mentioned up top, has a rather cliche and corny plot to it, it is very un-serious with it's plot so if you want a funny little game then it certainly gets the job done, definitely drags since it's not serious and is surely an RPG to it's core, gotta get your moneys worth in slight variations of the same fight.
Matches most of the time are pretty high action whether you try to avoid getting it, stall for that special, or even psyche out the opponent.
CPU's are at least quite varied both in technique and colour scheme.
However the game play is EXTREMELY repetitive (1% Pokemon inspired, some may understand this), with plenty of attempts to have different courts, status ailments and dodge ball types to keep it a little interesting with some maybe relying on half focus half luck that you aren't beaten into a corner or met with the very often dog piles that overpower the catch mechanics most of the time. Pray you aren't stuck with dodge or counter when you REALLY don't want it.
Versatile options to make the match go in your favour, but some mechanics work better than others, some not all that well.
The battles can be a little cluttered since you may need to command a group of three that try to move glued together most of the game, which can often betray the whole idea of dodging with 2 big targets stuck to you.
Music is upbeat, powerful and has that Shonen college rock n' roll vibe to it for sure, very fitting. Eventually you run out of tracks to hear in actual fights regardless of how important the match is, some extra would've been nice.
Probably way more fun with a friend (No online sadly, local play only, strange), you'll have to work to get all the characters available first, but if you want to give it a shot, maybe just wish list it and wait for a big discount or if you have nothing left to play, good for 3-4 on and off days of not doing anything else.
Shonen

A fun mix of Paper Mario, Pokemon, and, well, dodgeball! It doesn't do anything revolutionary but it's a great indie game that I would love to see get a sequel

Dodgeball Academia is a silly RPG where all conflicts are solved with dodgeball battles. I found the campaign of Dodgeball Academia to be pretty decent, with new transfer student Otto having to battle his way through a colorful cast characters to win the school's dodgeball tournament. Matches can devolve into hectic but fun chaos with all sorts of special moves and status effects, so I think I can recommend Dodgeball Academia for people looking for a nice action RPG.

Rating 8/10
Pro:
1. Achievements are very do-able
2. Very Diverse cast of characters
3. Visually/Designs are very nice
4. Getting it on summer sale $10 is very worth it.
5. Fun battle system
6. Mix of Paper Mario & Poke'mon vibe.
Con:
1. Can get a bit repetitive later on
2. Consumable (heals & revives) are practically useless. You get a healing station in the school and one in the forest.
3. Not too much of a challenge (Might be good depending on you)
Overall it's a very neat game with cute dialogues. But the biggest con is the combat system does get a bit stale after more than half way through the game or if they made it harder I probably enjoy it more. Still recommend it!

my all-time favourite game. indie games are carrying the industry so hard, and pocket trap put out nothing but bangers

I finished this game today. it's a short but fun and satisfying game. The combat system is interesting, based entirely on throwing balls at the enemy and dodging throw balls, with all sorts of weird special moves, balls that act strangely etc. While levelling helps, you do ultimately need to learn the system. The premise is that EVERYTHING is dodgeball, it is very tongue in cheek and parodies sports anime a lot. Would recommend.

It's a great game.

It's like it a jrpg with the theme/vibe of pokemon. But instead of turn-based combat, its dodgeball matches.

Sounds great, looks great, characters/world is fun, and most importantly, the gameplay is fun. It did get a little repetitive and too easy at the end for me. But that is partly my fault for grinding away at one side quest for too long, so I was over-levelled.

Would strongly recommend. I hope a sequel comes out so I can play the inter-school tournament.