Among all the anime genres, sports anime has been carved out with its strong character development, engaging plots, lighthearted comedies, and emotions of setbacks and victories. These shows are completely based on powerful narration and action-packed matches, apart from using any super or magical power.
With simple premises and normal settings, this anime genre allows players to explore sports such as Volleyball, Cycling, Football, and more. If you would like to dive into this world, check out our list of the best sports anime that portray solid character-driven narratives.
Best Sports Anime
1- Haikyu!!
- IMDb: 8.7/10
- Based On: Volleyball
The most popular anime and manga series Haikyu!! It is top in this list. The reason is not one; this particular show grabs anime fans’ and new-to-world audiences’ attention, too, with its competitive plots, great character development, and strong teamwork by adding internal enmity to a good team. The major appealing part is its intense matches and on-match team growth throughout, which faces various challenges.
The whole plot revolves around a young boy, Shoyo Hinata, who is a high school student and a dreamer of becoming a top volleyball player despite his short stature. By taking inspiration from an iconic player known as – The Little Giant, Hinata joins the Karasuno High School volleyball team, which has somehow fallen from its former glory.
After joining the team, Hinata encounters his rival, Tobio Kageyama, known for his intense play style and gifted setter strength. Gradually, the narrative unfolds a strong bond between these two that helps the team regain its reputation in the competitive world of high school volleyball.
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2 – Yuri!! On Ice
- IMDb: 8.2/10
- Based On: Ice Stakes
Yuri!! On Ice follows the themes of love, friendship, personal growth, and the backdrop of a sportsperson. This groundbreaking anime show is all about career crises, imbalance in life, and how someone’s life takes a turn.
The story is about a 23-year-old figure skater, Yuri Katsuki, struggling in his career after finishing as the last competitor in an international ice skating competition. After facing several sad backs in his career, he finally decided to drop skating. However, his destiny dramatically changes when a video of him goes viral in which he performs a routine inspired by his idol, Russian champion Victor Nikiforov. This grabs Victor’s attention, leading him to move to Japan to become Yuri’s coach.
3 – Yowamushi Pedal
- IMDb: 7.7/10
- Based On: Cycling
If you love riding a bike and competing in cycling tournaments, then you’ve got to watch Yowamushi Pedal. This story is filled with excellent, thrilling competitive matches, potential character development, and emotions. I’m sure after watching this series you just start singing – Hime Hime!! Hime!! Suki suki daisuki……
In this series, the story displays a high school student, Sakamichi Onoda (a shy otaku), who simply comes to school on his bike daily on an uphill route and wants to join the school anime club. However, for some reason, the anime club was disbanded; at that time, Onoda was encouraged by a few fellow students to join the Sohoku High School Bicycle Club instead.
Somehow, Onoda joined it and trained among strong teammates and serious cyclists, and he grew as a cyclist and as a person. All these processes help him find his hidden talent and happiness.
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4 – Kuroko’s Basketball
- IMDb: 8.2/10
- Based On: Basketball
Another sports anime, Kuroko’s Basketball, includes immersing and exciting matches with a dynamic blend of action, friendship, rivalry, and character growth.
This basketball manga series reflects the plot of an unremarkable high school basketball player, Tadatoshi Kuroko, who was once in the team of legendary middle school players known as Generation of Miracles. The one who dominates the all-basketball tournament they participate in, but after graduation, its members move to different teams. Whereas Tadatoshi teams up with the talented, skilled, and strategic-minded but hot-head player Taiga Kagami.
With the help of Kuroko’s unique abilities, such as misdirecting the other teammate players, easily blending into the background, and great passing strength, and Kagami’s potential skills, they aim to beat Generation of Miracles and lead Seirin to victory in national competitions.
5 – Blue Lock
- IMDb: 8.3/10
- Based On: Football
In the list of best sports anime, we have now picked a football-based series that is more about personal growth rather than teamwork. A story of finding the best haughty striker that presents Japan in the FIFA World Cup and helps win the series.
After finishing the FIFA World Cup 2018 with the 16th position, the Japan Football Union hired the enigmatic Jinpachi Ego, who devised a training program, Blue Lock, that focuses on building the world’s best striker. In this program, the top 300 young players from Japan are invited to join and play against each other to find an ultimate striker. A player named Yoichi Isag helped his team win a national tournament and viewed this program as an opportunity to upskill his training.
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6- Hajime No Ippo
- IMDb: 8.8/10
- Based On: Boxing
One of the oldest series, Hajime No Ippo, is also part of this list, which features a young boy story whose mother runs a fishing boat business for their livelihood.
A high school timid and hardworking student, Ippo Makunouchi, supports his mother in her business and faces bullying from his follow-mate. But one day, he meets a jogger named Mamoru Takamura, a professional boxer who rescued him from bullies. After that, he takes Ippo to a boxing gym, where he finds his love for boxing. Then, by taking inspiration from Takamura, he initiates his training under the guidance of Genji Kamogawa
7- Ping Pong The Animation
- IMDb: 8.8/10
- Based On: Table Tennis
The last anime on our bucket is Ping Pong The Animation, this showcases a friendship between two very different personalities children, their talents, and the challenges they faced while growing up.
Makoto “Smile” Tsukimoto and Yutaka “Peco” Hoshino are two friends with the same talent to play great table tennis. In high school, Smile and Peco both navigate the competitive world of the beloved sport and start training by Jō “Butterfly” Koizumi.
After Peco gets defeated by Chinese players, he loses his confidence, becomes disheartened, and stops practicing. On the other side, Simle’s potential is recognized by Koizumi, who continuously motivates him to overcome his psychological barriers.
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Here, we end the list of the best sports anime, which is available on platforms such as Netflix, Prime, and Crunchyroll. Apart from this, if you want more recommendations related to anime content, stay connected to our website.
