As the name of the anime category suggests, this means that you will find realistic sports like basketball, volleyball and baseball focused on the game. These shows are usually stories that reflect what is really happening in real sports, but with the additional development of dramatic events and many influences. There is an abundance of sports anime that really deserves to be watched and watched, I present to you a list of the best sports anime (based on my own opinion), all of them will make you realize that watching the events in these anime are not those that are completely predictable and boring. In fact, all of them, if not most, will make you become addicted.
10 Best Sports Anime
1-Slam Dunk | Basketball
What kind of story is it?
One of the best sports anime ever, the story tells of Sakuraji Hanamishi. The student who holds a record over time is rejected by many middle school girls (50, to be exact). But wait, he found a girl he wanted but to win his new love he had to beat Rokawa, who is the school’s basketball team leader and also popular, after that, Sakuraji joins the school basketball team and begins his career.
Salam Dunk is without a doubt one of the best sports in all ages.
Recommended For: Men and women, slightly male.
Theme: Basketball, sports soul, bad
If you like this work watch: Duck’s Sky, Kuroko no basket
About the Anime :
A masterpiece that won’t fade after decades!
There are a number of animations based on basketball, but if you ask “What is the best masterpiece of basketball animation?”, Most people will probably push Slam Dunk.
Slam Dunk is a well-known masterpiece, a sports animation that has been loved by basketball boys even after more than 20 years since the end of TV animation .
Many children say that watching sports animation starts a sport with a kick, but that tendency was particularly noticeable in slam dunks.
It is said that Japan’s basketball population has exploded since 1993, when Slam Dunk was broadcast on TV, and the economic effect was such that the bash worn by the characters in the game became difficult to obtain. This work was no longer just a sports animation, but a huge content that caused social phenomena.
2-Haikyuu !! | volleyball
What kind of story is it?
Karasuno High School faces a challenge to become the number one volleyball team in Japan. The two new recruits – Hinata and Tobio – are key to the success of this newly revived squad. However, there will be many obstacles in which they will test their skills and friendship. Will they be able to overcome the obstacles facing them?
The second season of this sports anime is characterized by exciting events. You will also witness the amazing skills and moves that will inspire you to try to play volleyball also what makes it one of the best sports development ever.
Gender : For men and women
Theme : volleyball, club activities, high school students
If you like this work watch : Prince of Tennis
About the Anime :
Aikyu! Is a full-fledged sports soul animation reminiscent of Showa anime, and has recorded an unprecedented hit as an anime based on volleyball.
According to the sports website “Number Web”, Haikyuu! It is a work that has such an influence as there is data that the number of junior high school volleyball club members has increased since 2012 when it started.
The student’s empathy is not the world that is unrealistic, but the drawing of the fun of the valley as a club activity.
Haikyu! Is terrible in terms of sales, and 16 volumes of books and 5 volumes of novels have won the top positions in the comic section and book section of Oricon.
In 2015, even though it was not a work by Shogakukan, it won the Shogakukan Manga Award for Boys .
3.Yowamushi Pedal ｜ Crossroad
What kind of story is it?
Yowamushi Pedal is a story that a geek high school student who loves anime and games, Sakamichi Onoda, wakes up to a bicycle race .
The interesting setting is that the protagonist did not have the talent of a bicycle in the first place, but was trained for a reason unique to otakus, “I went to Akihabara every week, more than 45 km one way by a poorly performing bicycle.”
Of course, that’s not enough to win, so I train my bike, but in the process I’m paralyzed by a nerd boy becoming a “racer” face !
Gender: For men and women, slightly female
Theme: bicycles, road racing, youth
If you like this work: Free!
About the anime:
Anime that changes the awareness of bicycle racing
Compared to subjects such as basketball and baseball, I think that “bicycle racing” is a sport that is difficult to convey to those who are not experienced.
However, Yowamushi Pedal makes it easy to convey the fun and difficulties of riding a bicycle, and it has a charm that makes people who have never been interested in before want to ride a bicycle.
There are a number of other anime based on bicycles, but the popularity of wimpy pedals is surprising.
The anime has already been broadcasted up to the 4th term, the cumulative number of original manga has exceeded 17 million copies, and the wimpy pedal “ 2.5-dimensional musical ” is immediately complete without having to have a few hours from the start of ticket sales It is about continuing.
4.Free! ｜ Swimming
What kind of story is it?
Free! Is a work depicting high school boys who have been swimming in their youth.
The portrayal of swimming is as serious as the classic sports soul animation, but the daily part has a lot of laughter, so the work is easy to watch.
With a lot of handsome high school swimmers appearing, it’s a rather female favorite.
gender: For women
Theme : swimming, boys, high school students
If you like this work watch : Yuri !!!
About the anime:
Free! Is a light novel called “High Speed”. With a few tweaks to the story and character settings, as soon as it was announced as the anime “Free!”, The hit far exceeded the original .
The fun is origami, as it won the Encouragement Prize at the 2nd meeting of the “Kyoto Animation Grand Prize” hosted by the animation industry’s hitmaker, Kyoani.
5-Ace of diamond | Baseball
What kind of story is it?
Diamond A is a story of a hero who entered a prestigious baseball school struggling to win Koshien.
The same settings as the classic baseball animations can be seen everywhere, such as “A prestigious baseball school”, “Aim for Koshien”, and “The hero is a pitcher”.
It may be easy to imagine the atmosphere of a masterpiece such as “The Giant’s Star” or “Captain”, which has made an era as a baseball animation, and that it is a modern version.
Gender: For men and women
Theme: Baseball, Koshien, high school student
If you like this work: shake it up
About the anime:
Take the hegemony with the highly competitive baseball anime!
Baseball anime is one of the most competitive sports animes.
There are countless baseball-themed works, but there are so many rivals that you won’t even be animated unless the original hits. On the contrary, there are cases where the original manga series ends in one or two volumes.
In the world of so severe baseball animation, more than 100 episodes of Diamond A’s TV anime have been produced. The serialization of the original manga continues, and it is a long-term hit with nearly 60 comics in total, including Part 1 and Part 2.
While the length of the series alone doesn’t make it interesting, the fact that both anime and manga are long-lasting is proof of the work loved by so many fans.
6.Yuri !!! ｜ Figure Skating
What kind of story is it?
Yuri !!! on ICE is an anime based on men’s figure skating.
Many sports animations are set in the activities of students, but Yuri !!! on ICE is characterized by depicting the “professional world”.
Because it is the theme of figure skating, where artistry is considered important, it is a drawing that does not feel smelly compared to conventional sports soul animation.
Gender: For women
Theme: figure skating, female popularity, professional
If you like this work: Free!
About the anime:
while watching this anime, you get that feeling of being a real figure skating.
Yuri !!! All the performances performed in the work of ICE are performed by real figure skaters, and real announcers and figure skaters participate in the commentary and commentary.
If you look at it once, you can see, but it is an animation with a degree of perfection close to reality that seems to be a documentary anymore, and it is a work that you can see how seriously the production team made it in one shot.
Because it was such a realistic figure skating animation, at the time of the broadcast, Yuri !!! on ICE saw a series of viewers saying, “I have become a fan of the (appearing character) player.”
The flow of watching a performance on ice and becoming a fan is a proof that it is an animation that can be watched in the same sense as “real figure skating”. In addition, many women seemed to be absorbed in real figure skating after watching this anime.
7.Welcome to the ballroom | Ballroom dance
What kind of story is it?
Welcome to the ballroom is a work on the theme of ballroom dance .
Ballroom dancing is often thought of as a “calm adult hobby,” but it’s actually a sport where you can’t even dance until you’ve trained hard.
What makes this work different from other sports animations is that it has a hard style that emphasizes “the rigor of dancing” rather than “the joy of dancing .”
Gender: For men and women
Theme: ballroom dance, competition dance
If you like this work: Pin your streak! When
About the anime:
Unusual work that succeeded on the theme of ballroom dance
From a global perspective, it is a “ballroom dance” with a large number of competitors, but unfortunately in Japan, it seems that the impression of “uncle aunt’s hobby” is strong.
Ballroom dancing is another kind of sport, sometimes called “competitive dance,” but there is always a shortage of competitors in their teens and twenties.
For this reason, although there are mangas on the theme of ballroom dance, few of the works have become so popular that they have become animated.
In that regard, the fact that the welcome to the ballroom was animated over two courses, and that it was highly rated by the viewers, is a feat that can be said to be a feat . It goes without saying that this work helped to improve the status of social dance in Japan.
8.Baby Step | Tennis
What kind of story is it?
Baby Step is a story that follows the hero who grows up as a hard tennis player.
It is characterized by the fact that the author of a tennis experienced researcher draws while researching the latest tactics and training theory, and quite realistic games are developed.
In addition, since the hero and the heroine’s love are carefully followed, the work can be enjoyed as if watching a drama.
Gender: For men and women
Theme: Hard tennis, high school student, love
If you like this piece: Prince of Tennis
About the anime:
Animated popular works serialized for 10 years!
The original of Baby Steps is the same manga serialized in Weekly Shonen Magazine. In the Weekly Shonen Magazine, which is packed with famous works, he has been a popular manga for 10 years from 2007 to 2017.
As for the anime series, 50 episodes have been broadcast to date. While there are many animations that end with all 12 episodes, the fact that 50 episodes are broadcast indeed is proof that the audience rating was good.
The last of the 2nd term of the animation is up to 19 volumes in the original, so there is a possibility that a sequel will be made even more considering the original stock (47 volumes)
9.The Knight in the area | Soccer
What kind of story is it?
The knights in the area are soccer-themed anime. Focusing on the protagonist of the U-16 Japan National Team candidate, he draws a realistic “Soccer situation in Japan”.
The depiction of soccer games is also full-fledged, but the attentive depiction of the “human relations of people involved in soccer” is also a charm of this work.
The appearance of the hero awakening in connection with his brother’s death and the heroine is reminiscent of a masterpiece “Touch” somewhere.
Gender: Men and women, slightly male
Theme: soccer, love, authentic
If you like this work: Shoot!
About the anime:
The original is a hit that has exceeded 6.5 million copies in the series!
Battle-based and Moe-based works have gained in popularity, and the name “Sports manga is under fire” has come to be said. Even in such adversity, the original manga of the knights in the area has set a record of over 6.5 million copies in the series .
The perfection of the knights in the area as a soccer work can be seen from the fact that there are many professional soccer players.
Players who have professed the fans of the original include Shinji Okazaki, Kengo Nakamura, Mana Iwabuchi, Nadeshiko Japan and Japan national team members.
10.First steps| Boxing
What kind of story is it?
The first step (or Hajime no Ippo in Japanese) is a story of a bullied young man gradually becoming stronger after starting boxing.
The interesting thing about this game is that it doesn’t just focus on the protagonist, but also spends a lot of time on games between rivals and fellow members who belong to the same gym.
Because there are many matches between sub-characters, the meta-viewpoint of “the hero will win anyway”, which is common in sports manga, can not pass, and it is the same as watching a real boxing match “I can not predict which will win” You can enjoy the thrilling feeling .
Gender: Men and women, slightly male
Theme: Boxing, professional, masterpiece
If you like this: Joe tomorrow
About the anime:
The definitive edition of boxing anime!
The first step of the original manga started in 1989, but it continues to be serialized almost 30 years later.
The cumulative circulation of Comics has exceeded 94 million copies, and it is a popular work that could exceed 100 million if serialization continues as it is. By the way, in the history of Japanese publishing, there are only 12 titles in which manga books have exceeded 100 million copies.
Such legendary works and the first steps have been regularly animated since 2000.
Since the original comic has over 120 volumes and the stock is enough, it is expected to be re-animated in the future!
Which sports Anime is your favorite?
If you have any suggestions, leave a comment. ?