At face value, Japanese cartoons – or anime for short – may seem like the kind of entertainment reserved for kids, bespectacled otakus confining themselves in their mother’s basement and perverts. Granted, there’s no shortage of ridiculous anime that comprise of little more than naughty humour with skimpily clad cartoon ladies or explosions galore that would give Michael Bay a run for his money.
Dig a little deeper into the wealth of available anime, however, and you’ll find truly provocative, thoughtful and vibrant creations, plenty of which are attached to remarkable storytelling and artistic flair.
This eastern subset of cartoons have the capacity to inspire, and this stays true even as it ventures into the genre of sports. Though often exaggerated and incorporating reality-defying elements more at home within a fantasy setting, some sports anime are still amazingly realised or depict true-to-form techniques that can and will inspire the viewer to engage in the activity.
Here is our list of sports anime that are so well done, it just might tap into your inner athlete!
1. Captain Tsubasa (1983)
No true sports anime list would omit the awesomeness that is Captain Tsubasa, a relic of the past that’s arguably the Dragon Ball equivalent of the sports genre. The story revolves around Tsubasa, an elementary school student who possesses a near fanatical love for football. While merely a recreational activity for his friends, being the best he can at the sport was Tsubasa’s dream.
With that in mind, Tsubasa moves with his mother to Nankatsu, a city well-known for its excellent elementary school soccer teams. Tsubasa may have been a jaguh kampung in his old town, but Nankatsu has much fiercer competition. The protagonist will need to expend all of his skill and talent to stand out in this new crowd.
He encounters not only rivals, but also new friends like the heartthrob Sanae Nakazawa and the talented goalkeeper, Genzo Wakabayashi, who shares the same passion as Tsubasa and will prove to be a treasured friend in helping him realise his dreams. Representing Japan in the FIFA World Cup is Tsubasa’s ultimate goal, but it will take a lot more than just talent to reach those heights. Will Tsubasa be able to score his life’s goal?
2. Hajime No Ippo (2000)
An incredibly atmospheric, tense and largely true-to-form boxing animation, Hajime No Ippo is an ongoing masterpiece that explores the depths of boxing through Makunouchi Ippo, a shy boy who had been bullied his entire life. Constantly running errands and being beaten up by his classmates, Ippo had always dreamed of changing himself but never had the courage to act upon it.
One day, in the midst of yet another bullying, Ippo is saved by Takamura Mamoru, who happened to be a boxer. Ippo faints from his injuries and is brought to the Kamogawa boxing gym to recover. When he regains consciousness, he is awed by the intensity of his new surroundings. Ippo then feels something stir inside him and eventually asks Takamura to train him in boxing. Thinking that Ippo does not have what it takes, Takamura gives him a task deemed impossible to complete within a one-week time frame. With a sudden desire to get stronger for himself and for his hardworking mother, Ippo trains relentlessly to accomplish the task within the time limit. Thus Ippo’s journey to the top of the boxing world begins…
3. Slam Dunk (1993)
Slam Dunk could be considered one of the pioneers of basketball anime and still regarded a hallmark of the genre despite the existence of the more recent Kuroko No Basket with its flashy animation and over the top basketball shenanigans.
Hanamichi Sakuragi, infamous for his temper, massive height and fire-red hair, enrols in Shohoku High hoping to finally get a girlfriend and kill his record of being rejected 50 consecutive times in middle school. His notoriety precedes him, however, leading to him being avoided by most students. After certain events, Hanamichi is left with two unwavering thoughts: “I hate basketball” and “I desperately need a girlfriend.”
One day, a girl named Haruko Akagi approaches him without any knowledge of his trouble making habits and asks him if he likes basketball. Hanamichi immediately falls head over heels in love with her, blurting out a fervent affirmative. She then leads him to the gymnasium, where she asks him if he can do a slam dunk. In an attempt to impress Haruko, he makes the leap, but overshoots, instead slamming his head straight into the blackboard. When Haruko informs the basketball team’s captain of Hanamichi’s near-inhuman physical capabilities, he slowly finds himself drawn into the camaraderie and competition of the sport he previously held resentment for.
4. Eyeshield 21 (2005)
One of the only anime around that focuses on American football, Eyeshield 21 is a classic that brings together cartoon silliness and humorous characters for oodles of entertainment, while at the same time enticing the uninitiated into this timeless sport from the west. It also does it’s part in helping viewers understand the basic rules and positions in American football.
In the series, protagonist Sena is like any other shy kid starting high school; he’s just trying to survive constantly being bullied. The ceaseless bullying made Sena develop a knack for literally running away hard and fast from trouble.
Surviving high school becomes a lot more difficult after Hiruma, captain of the school’s American football team, witnesses Sena’s incredible agility and speed during an escape from some bullies. Hiruma schemes to make Sena the running back of his school team, The Devil Bats, hoping that it will turn around the squad’s fortunes from being the laughingstock of Japan’s high school leagues, to title contender.
To protect his precious star player from rivalling recruiters, he enlists Sena as “team secretary,” giving him a visored helmet and the nickname “Eyeshield 21” to hide his identity. The Devil Bats will look to make their way to the Christmas Bowl, an annual tournament attended by the best football teams in Japan, with “Eyeshield 21” leading the way. Will they be able to win the Christmas Bowl? Will Sena be able to transform from a timid, undersized freshman to an all-star player? Put on your pads and helmet to find out!
5. Yowamushi Pedal (2014)
Yes, this is an anime about cycling, and no, this is nowhere near as boring as it sounds! Road racing is quite popular among most cycling enthusiasts around the world and Yowamushi Pedal does a fantastic job of making the sport infinitely more appealing to the layman. The anime piles on logical character development, hilarious scenes and intense road racing elements to make the series a strong contender as one of the best sports anime of all time.
Main character Sakamichi Onoda is a cheerful otaku looking to join his new school’s anime club, eager to finally make some friends. Unfortunately, the club has been disbanded and he takes it upon himself to revive it by finding students who are willing to join. Without much luck, Onoda decides to make a round trip to Akihabara on his old, bulky city bicycle, a weekly 90-kilometer ride he has been completing since fourth grade.
This is when he meets fellow first year student, Shunsuke Imaizumi, a determined cyclist who is using the school’s steep incline for practice. Surprised by Onoda’s ability to climb the hill with his crappy non-performance bicycle, Imaizumi challenges him to a race, with the proposition of joining the anime club should Onoda win. And thus begins the young boy’s first foray into the world of high school bicycle racing!
6. Haikyuu (2015)
Volleyball. Some might dismiss a volleyball anime entirely on the grounds that it’s an effeminate sport and therefore rather lame, but shame on their prejudice. Haikyuu!! is precisely the kind of anime that’s executed well enough to potentially alter perception on the sheer awesomeness of underappreciated subjects, and in this case its male volleyball!
If you’re looking for an engaging sports anime that doesn’t revolve around more “mainstream” sports, fret not: Haikyuu!! is to volleyball anime as Slam Dunk is to basketball anime.
Inspired after watching a volleyball ace nicknamed “Little Giant” in action, small-statured Shouyou Hinata revives the volleyball club at his middle school. The newly-formed team even makes it to a tournament; however, their first match turns out to be their last when they are brutally squashed by the “King of the Court,” Tobio Kageyama. Hinata vows to surpass Kageyama, and so after graduating from middle school, he joins Karasuno High School’s volleyball team—only to find that his sworn rival, Kageyama, is now his teammate.
Thanks to his short height, Hinata struggles to find his role on the team, even with his superior jumping power. Surprisingly, Kageyama has his own problems that only Hinata can help with, and learning to work together appears to be the only way for the team to be successful. Based on Haruichi Furudate’s popular shounen manga of the same name, Haikyuu!! is an exhilarating and emotional sports comedy following two determined athletes as they attempt to patch a heated rivalry in order to make their high school volleyball team the best in Japan.
7. Prince Of Tennis
Prince of Tennis may not be the first of it’s kind but there is no denying the popularity of this anime’s hero Ryouma Echizen with his dashing good looks and physics-defying technique.
In this story, the world of tennis is harsh and highly competitive. Numerous schools from Japan battle it out to determine the best of the best. Seishin Gakuen Junior High School, more commonly known as Seigaku, is one of the most prominent contestants in this battle of the finest. Their team line-up gets even stronger with the sudden arrival of a young prodigy from the West, Ryouma Echizen, who is determined to prove himself and escape the towering shadow of his legendary father. This fine addition changes the team forever.
Prince of Tennis follows the heartwarming and inspirational story of Ryouma on his quest to become one of the best tennis players the country has ever seen. He pushes himself hard so that he can one day surpass his father’s name and his own personal expectations. Alongside the rest of the Seigaku team, Ryouma fights to make his and his teammate’s dreams come true.
8. Free (2013)
An anime that spares no expense for dishing out lots of fan service for women to swoon over, Free is a rare gem in the sports category that appeals to audiences that like seeing cartoon males in swimming trunks getting wet. Apart from that, it is a good anime with great quality graphics that focuses on swimming, which is rather rare in itself.
Haruka Nanase has a love for water and a passion for swimming. In elementary school, he competed in and won a relay race with his three friends Rin Matsuoka, Nagisa Hazuki, and Makoto Tachibana. After claiming victory at the tournament, the four friends went their separate ways. Years later, they reunite as high school students; however, Rin couldn’t care less about returning to the way things used to be. Not only does he attend a different school, but the sole thing important to him is proving that he is a better swimmer than Haruka.
After the bitter reunion, Haruka, Nagisa, and Makoto decide to form the Iwatobi High School Swim Club, but they will need a fourth member if they hope to take part in the upcoming tournament. Enter Rei Ryuugazaki, a former member of the track team whom Nagisa recruits. As the time to compete draws near, the four develop a close bond while training intensely to come out on top and settle things between Haruka and Rin once and for all.
