Best Sports Anime of All Time
Sports and Anime are two different entertaining world but what happens when both of these world comes together.
SPORTS ANIME comes out and believe me these anime gives new level of satisfaction that viewers get.
So, here is a list of some of the best sports anime ever created.
You people are going to love it.
Now without taking any more time let's dive into some sports anime.
01. Salaryman's Club
This is a story of a guy named Mikoto Shiratori. He is an extremely talented badminton player but a game he lost in his past has changed his game forever.
He used to play in the doubles but the loss in the past has forced him to play in the singles. But he is still not playing his best due to which he gets fired from his job.
Now he plays for a different company where he practices for the game in the evening and manages sales during the day. This sure is hectic for him but he tries to balance everything properly.
But as soon as he was getting used to this life, he releases he has to play in the doubles and now everything from his past has
resurfaced and starts hindering his progress.
As he starts regretting his choices, his teammates help him through his journey and show him his potential.
02. Breakers
Breakers is a story about a group of para-athletes who come across an outcast sports scientist called Ren Narita.
The anime has been divided into four parts and revolves around four different sports, i.e. – track and high jump, wheelchair basketball, paralympic swimming, and goalball.
It's interesting and has a unique story behind each of the sports and those associated with it. For example – the wheelchair basketball story talks about how Kai works hard and focuses on becoming a successful and cool basketball player, similar to his brother Shun.
03. Stars Align
Stars Align is the story about Maki Katsuragi and his friend Toma Shinjo, whom he meets when he joins a new high school.
Shinjo convinces Maki to join the boy's soft tennis club mainly because it is being threatened with closure by the powerful student council and because, unlike the successful soft tennis girls club, it's been quite unsuccessful over the years.
So, will the two boys along with their team of soft tennis players be able to save the club from going defunct or will they have to face more challenges than those that meet the eye?
04. Ahiru no Sora
Ahiru no Sora is a story about Sora Kurumatani who loves basketball but sadly lacks one of the most important assets needed to excel in it – height.
However, despite this disadvantage, Sora has an unwavering will, that never lets him question his stature nor prevent him from playing, as he truly believes that it is his persistence that’ll help him excel in the game, nothing else.
Hoping to be able to fulfill his mother’s wishes, Sora enters the Kuzuryuu High School and joins the basketball club, participating in tournaments happily.
However, what breaks his heart is finding out that the boy's basketball team is simply a retreat for punks who don't harbor any love for the game.
He finds out that most of the team has even lost their motivation to play. What would Sora do to help revive this team and them back on track?
05. Love All Play
This anime is a treat for all the badminton lovers, as this anime is based on that sport. The story revolves around a young high schooler named Ryou Mizushima.
He is just an ordinary guy but soon gets his life all changed as he dabbled in the game of badminton. Initially, he was not that good at it.
But this is how sports anime begin. An underdog learning and practicing to become the best player ever.
He got so good that he strives to compete against other schools and win for his school. It is a great anime with awesome characters and interesting story arcs.
06. Slam Dunk
Do you know of anyone who has been rejected by girls a whopping 50 times, while he is still in middle school?
You don't?
Oh, I do.
Let me introduce you to Hanamichi Sakuragi, the male protagonist of the anime series Slam Dunk.
Hanamichi is a man with immense physical strength which mostly scares girls away from him.
His high temper is an additional factor.
In Shohoku High School, Hinamichi meets the love of his life, Haruko Akagi.
What was the difference between other girls and Haruko that pulled Hinamichi towards her?
Oh, the strength which scared away others was recognized by Haruko and reported to their school's basketball coach.
The story unfolds from there. The anime is an adaptation of a popular Japanese sports manga.
Later, we see how the barely known basketball team of Shohoku High School evolves as one of the most famous teams in Japan.
If you are a fan of sports anime, it is a must-watch.
07. Air Gear
Itsuki Minami wanted to rule the skies, not the street.
He is the main protagonist of the anime Air Gear, which is an adaptation of the Japanese manga series of the same name.
Itsuki is a notorious boy, who loves taking up fights on the street.
He is ambitious and is willing to break through any obstacle that can stop him from reaching the heights.
AT or Air Treks is a new form of aggressive skating.
Breaking rules, and ruling the streets is what they aim for. No wonder, it became very popular amongst the youth.
Itsuki, staying with his three adopted sisters, was absolutely unaware that they belonged to the most notorious A-T gang known as "sleeping forest".
When he finds this out and is introduced to the world of A-T, his fate takes a turn, and his whole life changes.
He also learns more about his past. Eventually, he reached where he wanted to and on the way makes exceptional allies.
The series keeps you on your toes. It is filled with sporty action. One of the best sports anime out there.
08. Cross Game
The source material for the anime Cross Game is a Japanese manga series of the same name.
The anime focuses on Kou Kitamura and Aoba Tsukishima.
The Kitamura family and the Tsukishima family have always been close friends, but Kou and Aoba hate each other.
Aoba is a star baseball player and although Kou doesn't like playing baseball, he is very good at it. I don't know how?
In the series, we see him frequently visiting the local baseball center owned by the Tsukishima family and practicing. Seems strange right?
I guess he wanted to hone up his skills to compete with Aoba.
They hated each other so much and mostly the reason was Aoba's sister Wakaba, who was also Kou's destined sweetheart.
Now I didn't mean she creates misunderstandings between the two.
The problem is, they both love Wakabo a lot and Aoba gets very jealous when she sees Wakabo spending more time with Kou instead of her.
This rivalry mixed with the sporty anime makes it even more interesting.
09. SK8 The Infinity
SK8 The Infinity is an original Japanese anime series. It is all about skateboarding.
Reki and Langa are the main protagonists of the anime.
It all takes place in Okinawa, where a secret skateboard competition is known as "s" is organized after midnight.
There are no rules or limitations and skaters love the competition.
Reki and Langa are two high school students who become close friends.
Reki introduces Langa to the world of "s'' and pulls him in. Soon they become best friends. The anime is filled with exciting midnight adventures.
10. Big Windup / Ookiku Furikabutte
Privilege is a blessing, but sometimes it might take the form of a curse. The same thing happened in Ren Mihashi's life.
Studying in a middle school where his grandfather was the owner, might sound good right?
In reality, it wasn't. Mihashi was ignored and disliked, not because he was arrogant or proud, but because he was bad at baseball.
Is it the truth? If you go deeper you will realize it's not his fault, rather it's his teammate's fault for not including him and making him feel inferior.
Somehow, this affected his performance quite a bit. And that is very natural.
If you are getting treated like an inferior always, you start losing self-confidence.
Is there anything that we can do without being confident about it? Absolutely not!
His teammates lost all the matches due to bad cooperation and somehow made Mihashi feel guilty about it. Why?
Because they thought he didn't deserve to be there and the sole reason that got him this position was his grandfather's ownership.
Rubbish!
Mihashi gets admitted to another school and decides to start an afresh journey. But of course, baseball didn't leave his back.
He is dragged to join the team and surprisingly the support that he gets from his team members made him feel confident about it.
Believe me, confidence can do wonders in your life. Mihashi experienced it and it changed him.
His baseball skills get better every day and eventually, he becomes worthy of being called an ace.
11. The Knight in the Area
Soccer lovers, I have another one on the list for you! Kakeru and Surgery are brothers, both aiming to become successful soccer players.
While Surgery achieves his goal and becomes a soccer prodigy of his own, Kakeru decides to take up a managerial role after a lot of struggle on the field.
Life hits Kakeru hard and makes him rethink his career choice.
After seeing his childhood friend Nana achieve immense success in the field, he gets motivated and decides to try hard and get into the World Cup.
The amount of dedication these characters have for the sport is highly overwhelming. It's not just action, it involves a lot of emotional investment to get there.
12. Chihayafuru
Chihayafuru is an anime adaptation of a manga that has the same name. Yuki Suetsugu is the writer and illustrator of anime.
You know, this is the first time I'm hearing about the game Karuta, a physically and mentally challenging game.
In this anime, we will see how Chihaya Ayase evolves, from a girl living in her sister's shadows to the Karuta addict in high school.
Arata, Ayase, and Taichi start spending all their time here, and eventually they grow very close.
The trio grows closer to each other, every day. Fate had other plans for them and they were split into different locations.
With Ayase becoming a Karuta freak and her friends in different locations, God knows what they end up doing!
13. Eyeshield 21
Eyeshield 21 is the secret name of Sena, the star player of the team Devil Bats.
Sena, a shy and timid boy, trying to survive high school by running away from all the problems in his life (in this case, bullying).
During an incident, Hiruma notices how fast Sena can run and decides to make him a team member.
Unwillingly, he entered the team and became the lead. He leads them to the Christmas bowl, an annual tournament in Japan.
The Devil Bats have high expectations from him. Let's see what this little boy does for the team.
We will see him transforming from a shy little boy to a mature and confident human being.
14. Major
Major is the anime adaptation of a sports manga, written and illustrated by Takuya Mitsuda. Goro Honda is the main protagonist of the anime. We are taken through his journey of ups and downs.
All the difficulties and the tremendous challenges that he faces to become a successful baseball player.
As I've said earlier, every person has their own path of thorns to walk on, and reach their goals. Nothing comes easy in this fast-paced world.
Such animes are very inspiring, only if you know how to utilize the inspiration.
15. Days
Days is yet another anime adaptation of a manga series that has the same name. The story revolves around two boys, Tsukushi and Jin.
Tsukushi Tsukamoto is a shy and clumsy boy, who is the favorite prey of the bullies in his school.
To avoid these troubles and to start afresh, he decides to study in Seiseki High School, where Sayuri, his childhood friend studies.
His plan failed, but why? Because bad people are everywhere and you cannot run away from them.
The only thing you can do is stand your ground. Tsukushi couldn't, but somebody else did that for him. It was Jin.
From here begins their journey of playing soccer for Seiseki High.
Although Tsukushi isn't good at the sport, his efforts and hard work get him his spot in the team with Jin and others. By the way, Jin is a genius!
16. Baby Steps
You all must have seen a baby, trying hard to walk properly?
Little by little, it takes baby steps, towards his goal of being able to run around the house without falling, right?
The storyline of this anime is similar to that, and hence the name.
Baby steps is an adaptation of a manga.
The story revolves around Eiichirou's life as a student and later as a tennis player. Like most of us, he prioritizes his academics above all.
The reason isn't his love for studies, but because he thinks that is what should be done.
All these beliefs get shattered when he meets Natsu, a first-year student, determined to become a professional tennis player.
He starts playing tennis in his free time, and every day he takes baby steps towards mastering the sport.
Eventually, he falls in love with the sport and discovers his passion.
Who can pull you back, when you are determined to work on your passion? No one!
17. Hajime no Ippo
Once you realize what your goal is, and are ready to do whatever it takes, sooner or later you will achieve it.
Ippo was a weak boy who was always beaten up by his classmates. He could not even stand up for his own defense.
Who could imagine he would one day become a world-famous boxer?
Sounds impossible right?
It really isn't, and he proved that.
When Takamura Mamoru saves him from the bullies and takes him to the Kamogawa boxing club, Ippo feels something.
He was fascinated by the power in the surroundings and instantly wanted to become stronger.
Ippo requested Takamura to train him. When given a task, he does rigorous practice to prepare himself. Thus, his journey begins.
Opportunities often come in disguise, and we should always be careful enough to not miss them and commit ourselves to accomplish all our goals.
18. Run With the Wind
Kakeru and Haiji are the two protagonists of the anime Run With the Wind, which is an anime adaptation of a manga with the same name.
While stealing food from a shop, Kakeru is chased by a man. Coincidentally, he meets Haiji, who asks him to stay with them in an old dormitory.
Reluctantly, Kakeru accepts the offer as his financial position isn't very good.
While his stay in "Chikusheisou" the dormitory, he is told about Haiji's plans to participate in the Hakone Ekiden relay marathon.
To participate, you need more members, and everyone in the dormitory except the two of them is complete novices.
So what happens to Haiji's dreams? Do they even get to participate in the relay?
All these curiosities, mixed with the action and emotions in the anime, make it a must-watch.
19. Yowamushi Pedal
First things first, guys I just now came across a word for anime and manga lovers. Most of you might already be aware of it.
The word is "Otaku". An "Otaku" is a person who loves anime and manga a lot! I am an "Otaku".
Why did I tell y'all this? That's because the protagonist of Yowamushi Pedal is an Otaku as well.
His name is Sakamichi Onoda who seems to be really bad at making friends. He decides to try and make friends in his new school's anime club.
The plan flops because the club is presently not active. Anyway, things happen and people notice extraordinary cycling skills.
Even in his city cycle, he can ride up a steep hill with little effort. This impresses the members of the cycling club.
Later we see him being persuaded by Naruko and Imaizumi for joining the school's bicycle club.
After joining the club, the lack of friends in his life vanishes away. He gets a lot of support and admiration from his fellow mates.
No wonder his skills turn out to be very useful for the team.
20. Prince of Tennis
You know what it is all about, don't you? What else can it be rather than tennis!
So I'm skipping the part, "the anime is all about tennis" and stuff, okay?
Prince of Tennis gives us a glimpse of the world surrounding the game. It is harsh and competitive.
No one cares about you until you win the game. If you don't, well, do we even know who you are?
In Japan, the sport is given a lot of importance. Many schools participate in the championship.
Another drop in the ocean is Seishun Gakuen High School's team. They have a strong team, and are quite popular in the field.
But things take a turn and the team becomes even stronger with the arrival of Ryouma Echizen, a determined and highly ambitious player.
His main aim is to break away from being the shadow of his father and get his own identity.
Apart from being a sports anime, it introduces us to so many problems that exist in a teenager's life.
A constant hunt for your passion, fear of losing, ambitions, identity crisis, the pressure of becoming like their parents, and many more.
Watching this will give you a whole new level of motivation.
21. Ace of Diamond
Defeats are always frustrating.
Eijun Sawamura lost his final middle school baseball match and frustrated by this, he swears to reach the national tournament in high school.
Does he succeed in protecting his and his team's vows?
It's not easy to answer this question. Eijun was offered a spot in the Seidou High School, a prestigious school for baseball.
He hoped of getting more exposure and competition and therefore accepted the offer.
But soon he feels out of place. No doubt he was a good player, but the competition was too stiff to even get him a considerable position.
The anime tells the story of his struggle to make a place for himself and reach the Nationals as a part of the team.
22. Haikyuu
Finally, we reached the end of our journey with the superstar on our list.
Haikyuu is the best sports anime out there and there's no denying it.
The story is centered around two rivals, Hinata and Kageyama. The latter is known as "the king of the court" in the world of Volleyball.
The first match that Hinata and his team play was crushed by Kageyama.
Of course, this was not very pleasant for Hinata, and he takes a vow to surpass "the king" Kageyama in high school.
Fate had other plans for them and it brought both of them to the same high school. The one whom he wanted to fight with and surpass, was a teammate now.
Things became even more difficult for Hinata. His short stature acted as a hindrance in getting an important position in the team. He struggled hard.
We see how things change between the two rivals when Hinata discovers the problems Kageyama is going through.
Adding on to it, no one except Hinata can help him.
So, the only option available is to work together as a team. In an otherwise scenario, it would affect the cooperation.
It is nothing less than a roller coaster ride (p.s. I saved this proverb to use it here. Lol).
The emotions, the action, the dedication, all these feelings are so well expressed and balanced.
We see two rivals teaming up with each other, keeping aside all the differences they have, for the benefit of their team.
So, Here we have our top best sports anime. I hope you have enjoyed while reading.
Good Bye people!
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