Sports Anime is one genre that never gets old among anime fans. The basic formulae are literally the same, but every single one of them has its own unique characteristics that are different from each other. We bet that there is at least one sports anime that has piqued every fan’s interest or even made it into their top 10 favorite anime list.
Sports anime and manga usually follow a certain pattern. Either a newbie or pro protagonist enters a sports club, finds a rival, attempts to go to the national, realizes that it is not that easy, and so on and so on.
Without further ado, here is a list of the 23 best sports anime of all time:
Ao Ashi
The story of this sports anime centers around Ashito Aoi, a junior high football player known for his bad temper. At the beginning of the anime, Ashito’s team suffers a major loss after Ashito loses his temper and is disqualified from the match.
After his team is eliminated, Ashito is approached by Tatsuya Fukuda – a football coach who believes the former is meant for great things. But while Ashito was the only talented player in his small town, when he goes to Tokyo, he is surrounded by ruthless yet brilliant peers. And Ashito may have to give it his all to have a shot at having a career breakthrough that will change his life for good.
Burning Kabaddi
Shakunetsu Kabaddi, or Burning Kabaddi, is about Tatsuya Yoigoshi, who was once a famous soccer player, who is a student Noukin High School. He has distanced himself from all things sports and seems to hold a lot of hatred in his heart for it.
So, when Souma Azemichi, a fellow student part of the school’s kabaddi team, tries to recruit him, Yoigoshi is uninterested, to say the least. His feelings change when he witnesses the team playing kabaddi – an almost primal sport that uses no equipment yet tests the limits of one’s endurance.
Hinomaruzumou
This is a sumo anime that got quite a warm welcome when it first appeared. Hinomaruzumou is a story about a tiny teenager named Ushio Hinomaru who dreams of becoming a Yokozuna, the Sumo champion. However, with his small stature, he needs to work harder to overcome every challenge that awaits him.
Hinomaruzumou has every classic trait of sports anime, such as heated rivalry, camaraderie, and a story of struggling up from the bottom of the barrel. However, the general consensus among fans is that the manga is way better than its anime adaptation.
Inazuma Eleven
Based on a Nintendo game with the same title, Inazuma Eleven tells the story of an underdog football team called Inazuma Eleven. One team member, Mamoru Endou, desperately tries to leverage his team. One day, he meets a super-talented football player named Shuuya Goenji. And just like that, their journey to become the best in Japan begins.
Since this anime is targeted at children, the story and the action scenes may seem comical. But those who watch it might think it is not that bad, because it is not. Inazuma Eleven combines sports with superpowers, something that is not that rare in sports anime. So, it does make for a fun watch, children’s anime or not.
Captain Tsubasa
The old classic football/soccer anime that tells the dream of Tsubasa Ozora to become the greatest football player ever. The story itself is split into several parts, starting from a child Tsubasa, then the teenage Tsubasa, and lastly adult Tsubasa.
It follows the typical sports anime trope. Tsubasa himself has actually been a talented football player since he was a child but got underestimated at first until they realized that he is the real deal. He goes to build friendships and healthy rivalries. Eventually, his name gets bigger till he becomes famous worldwide. In spite of those classic components of sports anime, the story itself is targeted at children so some might find it a bit childish.
Grappler Baki
Another martial arts sports anime that is pretty eccentric. Grappler Baki is basically an anime about a martial artist named Baki. And the show is basically about him fighting relentlessly over and over and over to become stronger and stronger and stronger.
There is not much to say about Grappler Baki. It might be a bit different from usual sports anime, but the soul is essentially there. Some of these sports anime are directed at certain audiences, and Grappler Baki is most definitely targeted at an action anime lover.
Prince of Tennis
An OG anime narrating the story of Ryouma Echizen, who is considered to be a tennis prodigy because of his skills. When he came from the USA to Japan, he joined Seishun Academy, home to one of the best middle school tennis teams in Japan. Thus, starts the tale of the “Prince of Tennis” as he strives to conquer Japan’s tennis world.
Prince of Tennis’ story is pretty much the same as your daily dose of sports anime. It is a combination of slice-of-life, comedy, and of course, action. This is that type of sports anime that also brings some super skills into it. Apart from that, there is not much to say about it that has not been told.
Baby Steps
Another tennis anime, this time about a diligent textbook student Eiichirou Maruo who joined the Southern Tennis Club because he rarely exercises and is afraid that he will eventually get sick. At first, he only joined the club because he simply needed to. But after meeting a girl named Natsu Takasaki, his days became less dull than usual.
Baby Steps is often compared with our previous number 16, since they are both tennis anime. While Prince of Tennis is more of an action, comedy, and shounen, Baby Steps is more universal because it also contains romance and more slice of life compared to Prince of Tennis. Either way, both of them are worth watching, especially if you are into tennis.
Diamond no Ace
Diamond no Ace narrates the saga of Eijun Sawamura on his journey to become the best pitcher in Japan. He was motivated to do so because of his past when he missed a decisive pitch back in junior high school. In his new school, Seidou High School, he first needs to show that he can compete with these elite players before aiming for the top.
The best part about Diamond no Ace is how realistic the plays are despite being your common sports anime. Sure some parts are slightly exaggerated, but it never over-exaggerates. Diamond no Ace is most definitely a hidden diamond among sports anime.
Yowamushi Pedal
Fun fact: yowamushi translates to “weak” in English. The main character of Yowamushi Pedal, Sakamichi Onoda, is portrayed as a “weak” otaku who loves comics and anime. He has, however, an incredible power that made him able to cycle OVER 90 KM. This ability is seen by Shunsuke Imaizumi.
Yowamushi Pedal has every component of sports anime, so really there is nothing left to discuss. If a weak-looking guy like Sakamichi is able to get as far as he gets, everyone should be able to do the same as long as they try hard enough.
Kaze ga Tsuyoku Fuiteiru
A slightly more mature (not like “R-Rated” mature) sports anime that follows Kurahara Kakeru, a former runner who is asked to join a running club by Kiyose Haiji, his senpai in the university. Initially, he refused for many reasons but Kakeru eventually warmed up and joined the team.
The story itself is more straightforward and tackles some heavy issues like trauma. It still has your usual sports anime characteristics, like chasing dreams and friendship. It is not all about yelling and intensely sporty moments and can be childish. But Kaze ga Tsuyoku Fuiteiru is still a must-try.
Free
This swimming anime tells the story of four talented swimmers back in elementary school: Haruka Nanase, Rin Matsuoka, Nagisa Hazuki, and Makoto Tachibana. However, when they reunited in senior high school, Rin became a cold person and did not even bat an eye to their friendship like it used to be. Rin cares to prove that he is a better swimmer than the other three, especially Haruka.
In spite of what people say and think about this anime, Free is more than just a bromance between naked dudes. The swimming action is pretty good to watch, and the artwork is simply beautiful, thanks to Kyoto Animation.
Megalo Box
Megalo Box tells the story about Joe, an underground boxer who is challenged by a Megalo Box champion Yuri, after they fight in the ring.
In the Megalo Box, boxers are equipped with a machine to help them throughout the match. It is pretty interesting because Joe himself does not use any kinds of machines, thus people call him “Gearless Joe”. The rest of it is pretty much the same with other sports anime. It also has a sequel called Nomad: Megalo Box, telling the story after Joe competed in Megalo Box.
Blue Lock
Yoichi Isagi was seconds away from glory. But instead of scoring the goal that would send his team to the nationals, he decided to pass the ball. To his dismay, his teammate misses. For Isagi, it seems like the end. Except he returns home only to be invited to become a part of a special project, i.e., Blue Lock.
The Japan Football Union organized the project to pit 300 U-18 talented strikers against each other. In the end, only one will remain, and that striker will go on to join the national team. Blue Lock is a story of identity, friendship, and betrayal. It is a coming-of-age sports anime that has gained much popularity recently and with good reason too. All the characters portrayed are multi-layered. As the teams fight and win and lose against each other, you will laugh and cry with them till you begin to wonder – is victory really worth all this heartbreak?
Yuri!! On Ice
An original anime by MAPPA that revolves around 2 Yuris, but mainly on the Japanese Yuri, Yuuri Katsuki. He used to be an ice skater but then stopped for some reason. After a while, fate brought him to meet a world-champion ice skater, Victor Nikiforov, who was willing to bring Yuuri back into the world of ice skating.
The highlight of Yuri!! On Ice is Yuuri’s rivalry with the Russian Yuri, Yuri Plisetsky, who idolized Victor as an ice skater. A lot of fans compared Yuri!! On Ice with Free because of similar rivalry, beautiful artwork, and animation.
Eyeshield 21
It is an American Football anime that narrates the tale of Kobayakawa Sena, a gopher who was recruited by a devilish Quarterback named Hiruma Youichi. He became a masked Running Back with the codename Eyeshield 21, a legendary runner from Notre Dame University.
Apart from the usual things, watching Eyeshield 21 is pretty awesome because it uses a certain animal or lore to metaphorically explain the skills. Each team has its own name and they follow the philosophy behind their names. Back in 2008, the anime ended on a high note after finishing the most heated rivalry in the series.
Kuroko no Basket
It is a story about Kuroko Tetsuya, who entered Seirin High School and played basketball there. He then met an amazing Power Forward, Kagami Taiga. And like usual, they have a dream to become the best in Japan by defeating Kuroko’s old teammates, The Generation of Miracles.
What separates this from other anime is that Kuroko feels more like a sidekick rather than a main character. He supported Kagami because he too wants to defeat Generation of Miracles, who are filled with stupidly talented basketball players.
One Outs
This sports anime is one only a handful of people know of. It is about a simplified baseball type of sport called “One Outs”, which consists of a pitcher and batter. The main character is Toua Tokuchi, a pitcher from Lycaons club who is difficult to predict and is extremely intelligent, able to deceive many batters throughout the series.
Perhaps this is by far the least sporty anime on the list. It’s understandable because it’s actually a seinen while most sports anime areshounen. Even its sub genre is psychological. But it is because it feels different from other sports anime that One Outs does stand out more than others for those who have watched it. One Outs is something that a sports anime fan should experience at least once.
Ping Pong The Animation
Ping Pong The Animation is a sport about table tennis. Or ping pong. The story is also rather simple. It follows the journey of two ping pong players from Japan named Makoto Tsukimoto and Yutaka Hoshino as they strive to become the best ping pong player in the world and overcome all the obstacles in front of them.
While it looks pretty simple, in reality, this is perhaps among the most realistic sports anime by far. The characters’ feelings are wonderfully portrayed on screen, making them relatable. The artwork might look weird, but it does not affect the animation. On the contrary, the animation is rather spectacular.
Initial D
This anime tells the chronicle of Fujiwara Takumi, the son of a tofu shop owner, who got involved in a racing (drifting, to be exact) activity. Since he has experience delivering tofu up and down the mountain using his Toyota AE86 without wrecking it, his driving skills are beyond amazing.
Initial D is a thrilling action series about racing. It is possibly the best racing anime out there since most other racing-related anime do not offer this much depth into the story. It is considered a classic, and it is a must-watch, especially for those who like racing in real life.
Slam Dunk
Entering the top 3, Slam Dunk is a straightforward anime that tells the saga of Hanamichi Sakuragi, who desperately tried to become a great basketball player to impress his crush, Haruko Akagi. Starting from a total beginner whose main trait is brute force, Hanamichi slowly became a formidable basketball player.
Released in 1993 by Toei Animation, Slam Dunk has become a classic sports anime that, even now, still has a massive fanbase. It has everything, plus some romance for someone who wants to see more than action. The story itself is pretty straightforward and very easy to digest. Slam Dunk is definitely the prototype of modern sports anime.
Haikyuu
Haikyuu is about a short high schooler named Hinata Shoyo who was inspired to be a volleyball player by another short high schooler with the title “Little Giant.” He then, however, realized that being a volleyball player for a short boy like him is not as easy after he lost to the King of The Court, Kageyama Tobio. And who would have thought they would become teammates in their new senior high school called Karasuno?
Haikyuu is pretty much your generic sports anime, except the creator made every single element on it top notch. The bromance, the matches, the side characters, everything is almost perfect. Haikyuu is perhaps one prime example that it is okay to use a certain formula if it is done correctly because, so far, it has been amazing.
Hajime no Ippo
Hajime no Ippo is perhaps the granddaddy of sports anime. It is all about a weak teenager named Makunouchi Ippo who wants to be stronger because he was bullied all his life. He then met a boxer named Takamura Mamoru and trained under his wing. And as usual, it is the beginning of his road to becoming a great boxer.
Hajime no Ippo has been around since 1989, and the manga is still running, just like it was yesterday. And the anime only covers barely half of it. I personally need to admit that the decision to put Hajime no Ippo in the first place is also influenced by the manga. Just like Haikyuu, it offers everything you want from sports anime, except perhaps it is a tiny bit better than volleyball anime.
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