Sports anime proves that if something exists, there’s bound to be an anime about it. Sports is one of the most versatile genres in the medium solely because of how many sports exist- including some that most people have never even heard of.
Even if viewers know nothing about the sport, they’re sure to become enthralled by every single game. Sports anime makes the audience cheer for their favorite team when they win and grieve every loss alongside their favorite characters. While some titles fell through the cracks, several well-written, critically acclaimed titles in the genre deserve praise and recognition.
10 Ping-Pong The Animation Boosts The Appeal Of Table Tennis
When people think about exciting sports, ping-pong isn’t necessarily one that comes to mind. Most people don’t even consider it a sport. However, Ping-Pong The Animation shows the sport from a new perspective. When viewers watch this anime, they’re sure to become invested in the sport- even if they don’t have any desire to play it themselves.
The anime follows Peco and Smile, two childhood friends who joined their high school’s table tennis club. After they both suffered a devastating loss, they became each other’s rivals. They forced each other to improve and reach their full potential. The anime has an interesting psychological dynamic between the deuteragonists that sets it apart from others in the genre.
9 Chihayafuru Turns Card Games Into Enthralling Sports Matches
Most people don’t consider competitive card games to be sports, but Chihayafuru proves such assumptions wrong. The players may not be tackling each other or trying to score a goal, but the psychological warfare of it all makes a simple card game feel like an enthralling rollercoaster ride.
Chihayafuru is about karuta, a competitive Japanese card game. Chihaya, the protagonist, becomes a master of the game but finds herself jaded after a while because she lost touch with what originally made her interested in it. Ultimately, the anime reflects on the importance of youth and never losing sight of one’s core identity.
8 Free! Iwatobi Swim Club Is About Competitive Swimming
Even though swimming isn’t one of the most exciting sports, Free! Iwatobi Swim Club approaches it from a creative new lens. Haruka Nanase, the protagonist, believes that water is his one true love.
After winning a swimming relay race in elementary school with his childhood friends Makoto, Rin, and Nagisa, the four went their separate ways. Three out of four reunited in high school. Rin attended a different high school and held a ridiculously long grudge against Haruka. He’s bound and determined to prove, once and for all, that he’s the superior swimmer between the two of them.
7 Megalobox Is A Dystopian Anime About Boxing
Most sports anime take place in average, everyday settings that most viewers can relate to. However, Megalobox sets itself apart from its contemporaries since its set in a dystopian future where society’s vermin participate in a unique boxing competition.
The boxing featured in this anime is much different from what everybody is accustomed to. While they still put on a pair of gloves and get into the ring, Megaloboxing requires competitors to wear mechanical exoskeletons to ensure that they truly pack a punch against their opponent.
6 Ace Of Diamond Is A Skilled Player Struggling To Find His Place On One Of Japan’s Best Teams
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Ace Of Diamond has a pretty cut-and-dry premise, but its execution is stellar. It’s about a high schooler named Eijun Sawamura, a talented baseball player who, unfortunately, lost his final middle school game because of a stray pitch. However, he got a free ride to one of Japan’s most elite high schools because the baseball team was interested in his pitching style.
He’s not a prodigy by any means, and he quickly learned just how skilled those around him are after enrolling at Seidou High. The anime follows his journey to finding his place on this elite team and proving that he deserves to be part of their starting lineup.
5 Yuri!!! On Ice Immerses The Audience In The World Of Competitive Figure Skating
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Yuri!!! On Ice follows Yuri Katsuki, a competitive figure skater who suffered a severe loss at the Grand Prix Finale. Just when he felt all hope was lost, his role model, Victor, saw a video of him skating one of his routines.
Victor takes Yuri under his wing, and from there, the audience becomes immersed in the world of competitive figure skating. Every routine is compelling and beautifully choreographed, and fans won’t be able to take their eyes off the screen. Plus, the relationship between Victor and Yuri becomes one of anime’s healthiest examples of queer representation.
4 Sk8 The Infinity Is A Skateboarding Anime With An Important Message
Sk8 The Infinity is primarily about skateboarding, but its underlying messages are what drive the story. Reki Kyan and Langa Hasegawa are high schoolers who are both super passionate about skateboarding. While Reki’s been a skater for years, Langa is new to the sport. Reki teaches him the basics, but Langa already has a learning curve thanks to his background in snowboarding.
At its core, the anime is about remembering to have fun with one’s passions. Reki, for example, struggles with an inferiority complex because he isn’t a prodigy at the sport he loves, so he feels like he’s falling behind. On the other hand, ADAM has a warped view of life in general and forgets that skateboarding is a fun outlet. This anime reminds its characters that every victory is meaningless unless they’re having fun.
3 Blue Lock Forces Its Characters To Improve Their Skills
While most sports anime are there to remind the audience about the potential fun they could have with athleticism, Blue Lock paints an entirely different picture. The Japanese Football Association felt that Japan lacked an egotistical striker to lead its national team to victory. Jinpachi gathers hundreds of talented high school spikers and takes them to the titular Blue Lock.
These strikers are all pitted against each other, and only one will make it out victorious. Every failed striker will be banned from the Japanese national team. The protagonist, Isagi, was chosen. He feels guilty because he failed to lead his high school team to victory because of one crucial mistake: passing instead of shooting the ball. Isagi uses the opportunity presented at Blue Lock to prove his worth as a player and reconcile his decision. Combining battle shonen with sports anime, Blue Lock is sure to become a hit after its anime adaptation airs later in 2022.
2 Kuroko’s Basketball May Not Be Realistic, But It’s Premise Is One Of The Best In The Genre
Kuroko’s Basketball receives plenty of ridicule for its ridiculously overpowered plays, but there’s no denying that its premise is one of the most unique in the genre. Kuroko was a member of Teiko Middle School’s basketball team. He served as the Generation of Miracle’s phantom sixth man.
The Generation of Miracles is a group of five prodigies, each with their own superhuman moves. Kuroko joins Seirin’s team after witnessing their teamwork the previous year. Kuroko vows to help make Seirin the best team in Japan, but he has an ulterior motive. Ultimately, he wants to force the Generation of Miracles to lose one by one, so they stop being arrogant and learn to have fun with basketball again.
1 Haikyuu! Is A Juggernaut For The Genre
Haikyuu! achieved accolades and connected with audiences far better than any of its predecessors could have dreamed of- a true juggernaut for the genre. The anime follows Shoyo Hinata, a short volleyball player who fell in love with the sport and aspires to surpass the “Little Giant.” After losing to Tobio Kageyama in middle school, he enrolls at Karasuno- only to discover that his rival now attends the same school as him.
Despite their constant bickering, the two became an outstanding duo on the court. One thing that sets Haikyuu! apart from its contemporaries is that it fleshes out all of its teams- not just the main one. There’s never a dull moment in the series because every character is so lovable, and there’s no actual “antagonist” in the story.
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