Best Sports Anime Ever Made

Looking for an anime that will get your blood pumping and motivate you to reach your goals? Look no further than sports anime! This genre is packed with high-octane action, inspiring stories, and unforgettable characters. Whether you’re a fan of basketball, volleyball, or something more unique, there’s a sports anime out there for you. Get into this list and discover the top-ranked sports anime that will have you cheering on the sidelines!

Top Sports Anime

Ace Of Diamond

Release Date: 2013

Creator: Yuji Terajima

Cast: Nobunaga Shimazaki, Natsuki Hanae, Takahiro Sakurai

Main Genre: Sports

Seasons: 3

Episodes: 178

Ace of Diamond is one of the most underrated sports anime. It draws you into the world of baseball. The story follows the main character Eijun Sawamura who loses his final middle school baseball match. After that, he is invited to Seidou High School after his talent and potential is spotted by a scout. At first, he hesitates but later on, accepts the offer. After joining the high school, and being surrounded by many skilled players, Sawamura gets lost. But then he decides, to work hard and become the ace of the team. The story and characters of the anime are amazing. The backstory and internal struggles of the character keep the show real and relatable.

Free! Iwatobi Swim Club

Release Date: 2013

Creator: Kōji Ōji

Cast: Mamoru Miyano, Tatsuhisa Suzuki, Tsubasa Yonaga

Main Genre: Sports, Drama, Comedy

Seasons: 1

Episodes: 12

Free! Iwatobi Swim Club is a twelve episodes anime aired in 2013. It tells us the story of Haruka Nanase who has left competitive swimming and is living a normal life with his friends. After reuniting with his school friends, he decides to revive the swimming club and win the upcoming swimming tournament. But Rin, his school friend doesn’t agree to it. He wants to prove to Nanase that he is a better swimmer. Nanase along with Nagisa, and Makoto makes the Iwatobi Swim Club. Later on, it is joined by Rei Ryuugazaki the fourth member of the team who is recruited by Nagisa. The anime doesn’t only focus on winning the tournament but also on each character’s passion and reasons for swimming.

Sk8 The Infinity

Release Date: 2021

Creator: Toriyasu

Cast: Tasuku Hatanaka, Chiaki Kobayashi, Kenta Miyake

Main Genre: Sports, Adventure

Seasons: 1

Episodes: 12

Sk8 the Infinity is a twelve episode anime revolving around two characters Reki and Langa. Reki has a love for skateboarding. Once in an illegal underground race, his skateboard gets destroyed and his arm gets broken. Now, he is no longer able to do skateboarding. Reki meets his new classmate Langa Hasegawa who has absolutely zero knowledge of skateboarding. The story gets interesting when Langa is forced to skate in a race in the mine where races are conducted. The animation of the races keeps you on the edges. It is a fast-paced anime so it never makes you bored.

Yuri!!! On Ice

Release Date: 2016

Creator: Sayo Yamamoto, Mitsurou Kubo

Cast: Jun’ichi Suwabe, Toshiyuki ToyonagaKôki, Uchiyama

Main Genre: Sports, Romance

Seasons: 1

Episodes: 13

Yuri on Ice is a sports anime on figure skating. It is a thirteen-episode-long anime. It tells the story of Yuri Katsuki who loses the Grand Pix Final. After losing the match, he returns to his hometown where he meets his childhood friend Yuko at an Ice rink. There he performs an advanced skating routine performed by Victor Nikiforov, a Russian figure skating champion. When the video of the same performance is uploaded to the internet, Victor is amazed to see it and decides to coach Yuri. So, he goes to Kyushu to coach him. The anime doesn’t only focus on the sports but also explores romance and comedy.

Blue Lock

Release Date: 2022

Creator: Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yusuke Nomura

Cast: Kazuki Ura, Tasuku Koito, Yuuki Ono

Main Genre: Sports, Thriller

Seasons: 1

Episodes: 24

Blue Lock is an anime adaptation of the manga under the same name written and created by Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yusuke Nomura respectively. The anime is based on Football. The anime first aired in 2022. The story starts with the defeat of Japan in the 2018 FIFA World Cup. After the defeat a program named “Blue Lock” was started by Japan Football Union under Ego Jinpachi to create the world’s best striker. They call three hundred high school soccer players, divide them into different teams based on their skill level and talent, and keep them in a building. our main character of the show Yoichi Isagi takes part in the program to become the world’s best striker. And it isn’t that Isagi is highly skilled and overpowered from the beginning only. The show depicts its journey to become the best. In the show, we often get to listen to very motivating quotes and speeches on becoming an egoist and greedy for oneself, crossing our limits, and improving our skill level.

Slam Dunk

Release Date: 1993

Creator: Takehiko Inoue

Cast: Hisao Egawa, Eriko Hara, Akiko Hiramatsu

Main Genre: Sports, Comedy, Drama

Seasons: 1

Episodes: 100

Slam Dunk is still considered one of the best anime series ever made. It is based on the manga of the same title by Takehiko Inoue. It is the story of Hanamichi Sakuragi who has no knowledge of basketball and just dislikes the game. He enrolls in Shohoku High to make a girlfriend. He becomes famous in school because of notorious acts, red hair, short temper, and fights. Once he is approached by a girl named Haruko Akagi who asks him to do a slam dunk. But he fails to do so. Later on, he decides to learn the sport to impress her. The show captivates your focus even though the viewer doesn’t know anything about the sport because the main character also doesn’t know anything about it. It shows how frustrated Sakuragi gets because of his shallow reasons to learn the sport. The show is worth watching because of its story and characters.

Hajime No Ippo

Release Date: 2000

Creator: George Morikawa

Cast: Rikiya Koyama, Kôhei Kiyasu, Steve Staley

Main Genre: Sports, Action

Seasons: 1

Episodes: 76

Hajime no Ippo is the anime adaptation of the manga written and illustrated by George Morikawa. It is the story of Ippo a high school student who always gets bullied by other students. Once he is saved by such a violent incident by Takamura a boxer who tells him to fight to protect himself. But he is amazed after seeing Ippo’s powerful punch. In his first boxing match, Ippo impresses the gym owner and other boxers and then starts training. The show shows the hard work, effort, and consistency of becoming a boxer. It is a lot more than a mere anime show. It never stops to give you goosebumps and motivate you to work towards your goal at the same time. It is a must-watch show for anyone who is facing a difficult time in his/her life.

Ping Pong The Animation

Release Date: 2014

Creator: Taiyō Matsumoto

Cast: Alan Chow, Anthony Bowling, Koki Uchiyama, Shunsuke Sakuya

Main Genre: Sports

Seasons: 1

Episodes: 11

Ping Pong the Animation an anime with just eleven episodes takes the readers through a rollercoaster ride of ups and downs faced by a sportsman. The story is followed by two best friends Makato Tsukimoto and Yutaka Hoshino. Yukata wants to be the best ping-pong player in the world. The story takes a turn when Yukata is brutally defeated by Kong Wenge of Tsujido High School. Yukata starts doubting himself, his potential, and his reasons to play while Makato trains with the coach to level up his skills. It shows the internal struggles and the conflict between the players and their passion to be the best.

Kuroko’s Basketball

Release Date: 2012

Creator: Tadatoshi Fujimaki.

Cast: Kensho Ono,Yuki Ono,Chiwa Saito

Main Genre: Sports, Drama

Seasons: 3

Episodes: 75

Teiko Middle School with its star players often referred to as the “Generation of Miracles” has been dominating the middle school basketball tournament for three consecutive years. But after the middle school, all of them went to different high schools. But there was a rumor of a phantom sixth man who helped the “Generation of Miracles” from shadows. Seirin High basketball team recruits two freshmen Taiga Kagami and Tetsuya Kuroko. Later on, it is revealed that Kuroku is the phantom sixth man. The duo aims to win the Interhigh championship and the story gets interesting when Kuroku faces off against his former teammates. The characters and the animation of the show never make the show boring but the interest only keeps on increasing.

Haikyuu

Release Date: 2014

Creator: Haruichi Farudate

Cast: Ayumu Murase,Kaito Ishikawa,Satoshi Hino

Main Genre: Sports

Seasons: 4

Episodes: 85

Haikyuu is an anime adaptation of the manga under the same name written by Haruichi Farudate. It first aired in 2014. The anime is based on volleyball. The show depicts the journey of Shoyo Hinata our main character who wants to be like the star player nicknamed ‘the small giant’. The story starts with Shoyo Hinata in their final year of junior high school who loses a volleyball match in a tournament against the team of another school that included Kageyama a prodigy often referred to as “The king of the court”. And a rivalry starts between the two. Later on, they both get accepted to Karasuno High School where they have to play in the same team now. Hinata who is insecure about his small height develops his other skills. The animation and side characters take the show to a whole other level. The side characters like Oikawa, Tanaka, and Asahi draw the viewers towards themselves because they are so relatable in real life. The entire show is very motivating.

Conclusion

So, are you ready to be inspired? From the underdog journeys in Haikyuu!! to the intense matches in Kuroko’s Basketball, these must-watch sports anime will have you glued to your screen. With heartwarming stories, strategic battles, and incredible animation, there’s no shortage of reasons to add these anime to your watchlist. Prepare to be amazed!

Best Sports Anime – FAQs

Which is the best sports anime?

Hajime no Ippo, Slam dunk and Haikyuu are often considered as the best sports anime.

Which sports anime is based on Basketball?

Kuroku no Basket is based on Basketball.

Who is the main character of Haikyuu?

Shoyo Hinata is the main character of Haikyuu.

How many episodes are there in Hajime no Ippo?

Hajime no Ippo has 76 episodes.