When we speak of leading shounen animes, the most prominent ones are not simply action and adventure-themed ones but also sports and comedy animes that absolutely win the watcher’s heart. Let us talk about Yowamushi Pedal, for that matter.
The 2013 anime is not just a successfully running animation based on a manga but also became a popular sports Japanese drama! It follows the young Sakamichi Onoda, who is a true anime enthusiast at heart. He had always wanted to join the anime club at his school, but it was all in vain, for the club had been disbanded!
The boy simply wanted to make new friends and share his love for anime. He then decides to restart the band and sets out in search of friends who would be willing to do so. Sadly, he does not have much luck in that matter.
He then again goes on the 90 km trip to Akihabara. He makes the trip on his old, heavy bicycle; he has been making this trip since he was in the fourth grade. During this time, he runs into a first-year student named Shunsuke Imaizumi.
He is a motivated and determined cyclist who practices on the steep incline of the school. Imaizumi finds it hard to believe that Onoda is able to climb the hill with his old cycle and challenges him to a race. Onoda puts forward the condition of Imaizumi joining the anime club if Onoda wins.
This way, Onoda takes his first step into the world of bicycle racing. If you are someone that enjoys Yowamushi Pedal and wishes to experience several such sports anime, here is a list of 50 anime like Yowamushi Pedal you are sure to like.
1. Blue Lock (2022)
The latest sports anime that has been the talk of the anime town is Blue Lock, which came earlier this year. The anime is currently ongoing with millions of watchers. The anime opened when Yoichi Isagi, a young football player, was quite close to scoring a goal in a match.
This would have given his team entry into the nationals. But just a second before kicking the ball toward the goalkeeper, he decides to pass it to a teammate. This decision costs them the goal, which keeps them from winning.
Isagi is thrown into a state of turmoil, wondering if not passing the ball would have given him a chance at winning. When he comes back home, he finds a strange invitation from the Japanese Football Union. Isagi is one of the three hundred football strikers chosen in the U-18 category!
They are to be part of a program called “Blue Lock,” where they will work in a confined setup and hone their skills as strikers. The goal is to create a new generation of world-class players that will earn Japan its world cup. Isagi is compelled to compete with people from several walks of life, trying to achieve his dream of being an expert striker.
2. Haikyuu!! (2014)
Haikyuu!! It is a name much important to take when we talk about sports animes with comedic sequences and team spirit. It is the story of Shoukyuu Hinata, who, by chance, sees a player nicknamed “Little Giant” displaying excellent sportsmanship on the volleyball court. He is not only in awe of the player but also finds a liking for the game.
Hinata previously failed in his attempts to become a volleyball player as a middle schooler, but his determination has not faltered. He happens to enroll in the same school as “Little Giant,” the Karasuno High School.
He feels he has now come to a step closer to becoming a top professional volleyball player. However, Hinata’s beliefs seem to shake a little when he realizes that a person named Tobio Kageyama is his teammate.
Kageyama defeated his team badly in a middle school tournament. Hinata tries his best to find common ground with Kageyama. Haikyuu!! Sees Hinata on his way to better teamwork and ultimately becoming a better volleyball player.
3. Kuroku No Basket (2012)
Another popular sports anime like Yowamushi Pedal is Kuroko No Basket. For the last three years, national basketball has been dominated by a team from Teikou Middle School called “Generation of Miracles.” The team has five prodigious players, but there is also the “Phantom Sixth Man,” who has a mysterious presence of a person that secretly helps this team reach where they are.
After middle school, each of the five finds themselves going their separate ways. When Seirin High School is looking to put together a new basketball team, they put together Taiga Kagami and Tetsuya Kuroko, who are players that differ significantly in their abilities.
Kagami is a student who has returned from America, possessing an extraordinary talent. On the other hand, Kuroko shows no real athletic talent. Surprisingly, we later see that he is the “Phantom Sixth Man” who brought triumph to the Teikou Middle School basketball team. Kuroko wishes to prove his worth as a player, and Kagami, who sees his determination, decides to partner with him. Together they aim for high-level championships.
4. Ashita no Joe (1970)
Expect only a greatly impressive storyline and a brilliant main character when you watch Ashita no Joe. The 1970 anime is about Joe Yabuki, a troubled young man who does not know how to deal with his problems except by resorting to violence. He lacks manners and discipline, but one thing he is good at is his self-taught fighting style.
One of these days, he happens to get into a brawl with a local gang in the slums of Doya. The gang members clearly outnumbered him, but he fought them all effortlessly. This gives Joe the attention of Danpei Tange, who used to be a boxing coach but is now an alcoholic man. Danpei wants to coach Joe, but the latter thinks he is just another drunkard.
However, Danpei saves Joe’s life which makes him agree to stay with him and train to be a boxer under him. Joe often fails to inculcate discipline and gets back to his old mannerisms in the process of learning. Joe soon realizes that the world is a harsh place, and his mentor means to teach him something extremely important. The anime explores Joe’s struggle to become a professional boxer.
5. Yuuri!!! On ICE (2016)
Yuuri!!! On ICE from 2016 is one of the most impressive sports animes that have even garnered accolades. It is about the figure skater Yuuri Katsuki who is trying to get over a defeat after being one of the most prominent skaters previously. He is but 23, but his chances of gaining great success get low with time. He is a big-time foodie who will rapidly put on weight if he does not check his habits.
However, a video of Yuuri soon catches public attention. He is seen implementing a routine that was put forward by the five-time world champion Victor Nikiforov. As a result of this, Victor himself shows up at Yuuri’s house with an offer to be his mentor.
Since Yuuri is already his fan, he is quick to accept the offer. He begins his journey into being number one again but sees tough competition in Yuri Plisetsky from Russia, who is trying his best to give Yuuri competition and wants to win back Victor’s favors.
6. SK∞ (2021)
Meet Reki Kyan, a high school student who has a great passion for skateboarding. Upon nightfall, he is found at “S,” which is an illegal race underground in a mine. Here, several skateboarders assemble to perform and compete in dangerous situations.
In one of these situations, Reki not only happens to break his skateboard but also breaks his arm. He is now incapable of practicing any longer. He then meets a new classmate named Langa Hasegawa, who is part Japanese and part Canadian. Langa has no experience in skateboarding but is in great need of some money.
After Reki’s boss causes the two boys to visit “S,” an unforeseen circumstance forces them into a bet, and Langa now has to compete in a race. However, Langa has more to him than Reki knows, something that allows him to win the race.
7. Free! (2013)
Free! is about Haruka Nanase, who is an enthusiast for water with a knack for swimming. Alongside his friends in middle school, Rin Matsuoka, Nagisa Hazuki, and Makoto Tachibana, he won a relay race. After a great competition and victory, the four friends happened to part ways.
When they all meet again when they are in high school, Rin becomes careless about the past. He attends a different high school. His goal is to prove that he is better than Haruka as a swimmer. Upon this bitter meeting, Haruka, Nagisa, and Nagoto come together to form the Iwatobi High School Swim Club. They face difficulty.
They are going to need a fourth member if they are to compete in the tournament. They recruited Rei Ryuuzaki, who used to be a member of the track team. The four work together towards a common goal and grow closer in the process.
8. Grand Blue (2018)
When college freshman Iori Kitahara moves to the coastal town of Izu to attend university, he starts living above a scuba diving store called “Grand Blue,” owned by his uncle. He has great expectations for college, but when he sees the drunkard environment caused by careless members belonging to a diving club, his faith shakes.
His upperclassmen, Shinji Tokita and Ryuujirou Kotobuki coerce him into joining them. When his cousin Chisa Kotegawa sees him taking part in these activities, she begins to scorn him. Grand Blue is the story of Iori’s college life as he goes on being with these strange people while also learning to scuba dive.
9. Megalo Box (2018)
The chain of events is simple. If you like Yowamushi Pedal, you will like Ashita No Joe, and if the latter caught your eye, Megalo Box is the right for you. We see the famous lines “To be quiet and do as you are told, that is the cowardly choice,” quoted by an underground boxer called Junk Dog from Megalo Box. The concept of titular boxing is a form where the use of mechanical limbs that are known as “Gear” boost your power in the game and are used widely.
Although Junk Dog is a talented individual, he still has to live off of fighting in matches set up by his boss Gansaku Nanbu because he has been participating illegally. Things begin to change when a certain boxer named Yuuri enters the ring and knocks out Junk Dog. Before leaving, he gives him a challenge that if he wishes to fight him again, he must fight his way up.
Junk Dog is not only excited to face this challenge but also has the backing of a crime syndicate which helps him make his way to Megalonia- which is the biggest championship in Megalo Box. Junk Dog competes under the name “Joe” and now must fight against boxers he has never seen before.
10. Chihayafuru (2011)
Chihaya Ayase has always been a simple child. She only ever wanted her sister Chitose to become a top model. Her nature changes when she one day saves a classmate Arata Wataya from a bully, who turns out to be her own childhood friend Taichi Mashima. From here on, she comes across the world of the karuta game and feels especially drawn toward it.
The game is an intense test of the memory and agility of its players. Chihaya joins the Shiranami society once Taichi and Arata have come to terms with each other. She wishes to attain the title of “Queen of Karuta,” which is only given to the top female player. With time, she grows distant from Taichi and Arata. She then goes on to open a karuta club in her high school so she can work on her skills.
11. Dumbell Nan Kilo Moteru? (2019)
Hibiki Sakura is a gluttonous high school girl whose unhealthy eating habits get pointed out by her best friend, Ayaka Uehara. Since Hibiki has failed at sticking to a healthy exercise routine, she decides to join the Silverman Gym.
She meets the school idol Akemi Souryuuin. She also learns that she is about to face a lot more than she thought she would. The gym has all sorts of bodybuilders coming in, and it turns out that Akemi is a muscle fetishist. When Hibiki tries to escape, she is stopped by Naruzou Machio, who is a trainer at the gym. Hibiki happens to sign up solely because of the trainer’s charm. Due to this decision, she must now adjust to a new life.
12. Ping Pong: The Animation (2014)
Makoto Tsukimoto (Smile) and Yutaka Hoshino (Peco) are contrasting individuals, yet they happen to be the best of friends since they were children. Peco is cocky but aims to become an accomplished ping-pong player. However, he has the tendency to skip practice which makes the members of the ping pong club see him with disdain.
Smile, on the other hand, has no inner talent but still uses his entire strength when competing against others. The two friends have a mutual love for the game, which has helped them bond with each other. Upon hearing that a renowned Chinese ping pong player will be coming, Peco takes Smile to the school of their rivals- the Tsujido High School.
This results in a game between Peco and Kong Wenge, where the former faces defeat. The loss shakes Peco’s belief in himself. Meanwhile, a Katase coach sees potential in Smile and encourages him to overcome his shortcomings. The two friends struggle in their personal spaces, while each wants to gain victory.
13. Hajime no Ippo (2000)
Ippo Makunouchi is a hard-working teenager who, after his father’s absence, helps his mother with her fishing boat business. Ippo often gets bullied for the way he smells and how he does not sleep. They beat and bruise him every chance they get.
He is rescued by a boxer called Mamoru Takamura while he is falling victim to a violent assault. Takamura takes him to the Kamogawa Boxing Gym, where he helps him recover from the incident. The boxer, along with his friends Masaru Aoki and Tatsuya Kimura, is astonished to see how well Ippo is capable of landing punches.
When Takamura gives some training to Ippo, the latter is able to take down a prodigious boxer called Ichirou Miyata. Ippo soon becomes Miyata’s rival and comes under the training of another former boxer named Genji Kamogawa. Ippo faces several challenging rivals in his boxing career, but that is just the beginning of what he is meant to be.
14. Baki (2018)
Baki Hanma triumphs in a highly violent underground match. He then continues to move forward on a path set for him by his father, which is to become the strongest man on earth. However, he happens to be physically exhausting himself after this match.
The tournament runner comes to him at school and tells him of five highly dangerous inmates of the world escaping from prison. They are not just criminals but are actually skilled in martial arts. He is also told that these people are on their way to Tokyo to encounter Baki, for his strength is well known in the underworld.
15. Keijo!!!!!!! (2016)
Here is a strange sports anime based on a made-up game called “Keijo.” It involves only women who have to compete while floating in a pool, aiming to knock off opponents using only their breasts and butts (really).
The game garners a huge watching audience and even has enormous prizes for the winning girls. Even aspiring athletes show up in hopes of being successful. An aspiring Nozomi Kaminashi is a 17-year-old high school graduate who enters the world of this sport.
Since she is a talented gymnast, she gets huge attention for her agile abilities in her first tournament. She gains success little by little and learns a lot about how demanding this sport can be.
16. Initial D (1998)
In Initial D, All of Takumi Fujiwara’s friends are car enthusiasts, but not him. He has no idea about how street racing works and why people like cars. He is an ordinary person, the son of the owner of a Tofu shop. He delivers tofu to different locations on the mountain of Akina.
Cars are but a part of the routine he has to follow every day. One of these days, a group of racers called Akagi Red Suns happens to be visiting Akina Town. The most prominent of this group are Ryousuke and Keisuke. The group wishes to conquer all the racing courses around the Kanto region. However, one of them is overtaken by a mysterious driver they will now vary of, the driver of an old Toyota AE86.
17. Ballroom e Youkoso (2017)
Meet Tatara Fujita, who has no plans regarding his future and is a simple, shy middle schooler. He is a like a wallflower that avoids anything that may put him in a spot. But he still has some bullies troubling him for money.
He is saved by Kaname Sengoku, who later invites Fujita to his dance studio. While Fujita has no interest in such places, Sengoku’s command over the place enthralls him. When he gets the chance to dance with a classmate named Shizuku Hanaoka, who comes here, he is taken aback by the art of performing. Fujita swiftly enters into the world of dancing for competition.
18. Hoshiai no Sora (2019)
The girls’ tennis club constantly outperforms the boys’ tennis club, which puts the latter in a state of disbandment. They lack skills and do badly in tournaments. Toma Shinjo has been trying to put talented players on his team, but he keeps failing at it.
He is soon met with a boy with fast reflexes, Maki Katsuragi. However, Katsuragi rejects the offer to join the team and does not want to be a part of anything. Toma is finally able to convince him with the deal of a monetary supplement. Katsuragi excels at the game and outshines everyone; he often motivates the team members to keep pushing themselves.
19. Girls Und Panzer (2012)
Girls Und Panzer is set in a world where the game of “Senshadou” is highly popular. It involves using WWII-like tanks in an elimination game. It has been practiced by women and girls, giving them a more dominant status within society.
A world championship tournament for the game will soon be organized in Japan. A former player, Miho Nishizumi comes from a family of successful Senshadou players, but a traumatic incident led to her retiring from the game.
This has also caused problems for her and her family. She goes to the Ooarai Girls Academy, where the practice of this game has been stopped. However, as the championship draws near, the school not only revives the practice, but Miho is even forced to take it up again.
20. Bubble (2022)
The bubble is set in a world where gravity-defying bubbles have suddenly poured down to the earth. The city of Tokyo has now gotten trapped inside an enormous bubble. The city now drowns into a sea that bends gravity.
This region has restricted access now, and children who have been orphaned due to this emergence now take part in dangerous team battles around here. One of the players is Hibiki, who claims to hear noises from the Tokyo Tower. When he tries to probe further, he falls into the water. He is then saved by a girl named Uta. He is yet to find out that this girl can unlock certain secrets for him.
21. Diamond no Ace (2013)
Due to a blunder in the game, player Eijun Sawamura had a final game in middle school. When the defeat gets to him, he, along with his teammates, decides to aim to enter nationals once they are in high school. Things change when Eijun is called upon to the Seidou High School for his unique pitching technique, which was noticed by a scout.
Eijun accepts their offer because he wishes to play more competitively. He is then surrounded by skilled players, amongst whom he struggles to fit in. The Seidou Basketball Team begins its hard work to become the best in Japan.
22. Ahiru no Sora (2019)
Ahiru no Sora shows the young Sora Kurumatani, who is an avid lover of basketball but struggles due to his small height. However, he is always determined and never lets this get in his way. He enters the Kuzuryuu High School, where he wishes to be a member of the basketball team.
But the team is full of uninterested players. He challenges them all and defeats them, which is a great surprise to these people. In some way, Sora ignites the spirit for the game once again in these players.
23. Aoashi (2022)
Ashito Aoi is the single determining player for the rural high school football team. He is a self-centered player with a playing style unique to him, something he takes pride in. The team loses its streak of winning when a rival player incites Aoi’s violent tendencies.
This gets him removed from the game altogether, leaving his team all by itself. The team quickly loses and gets out when they lose Aoi, for he was their star player. Aoi is soon met with a coach named Tatsuya Fukuda, who tells him to come for tryouts in Tokyo, where a new chapter begins in his sports career. He now has to settle into a new life in a strange place.
24. Slam Dunk (1993)
In Slam Dunk, Hanamichi Sakuragi is a person characterized by red hair and a short temper. He enrolls in high school with dreams of finally getting a girl. He is often avoided by his peers. He soon begins to hate basketball and hopes desperately for a girlfriend.
One day, a girl who does not know anything about him, Haruko Akagi, asks him if he likes basketball. Without any further ado, he falls for her and tells her that he does. He tries to impress her with his half-developed skills at the game. The girl informs the team captain of his potential and that he possesses superhuman capabilities. Hanamichi soon finds himself playing the sport he had previously hated.
25. Hanebado! (2018)
Hanebado! follows Nagisa Aragaki as she feels crushed by her defeat at the National Junior Badminton Tournament. She copes with the loss by terrorizing the members of the team. She becomes a bully capable of making others cry. Teammates leave the team out of regret and guilt and because they cannot take it anymore. Nagisa’s scornful demeanor challenged the team’s integrity altogether.
The team starts losing members and loses prominence. A new coach called Kentarou Tachibana joins. He is an Olympic champion with the weapon Ayano Hanesaki, the girl that Nagisa lost to. Ayano does not see Nagisa with contempt. The latter now has to adjust to a world where she has to deal with her fears. She has developed feelings of inadequacy and resentment, and it is time to let that all go.
26. Inazuma Eleven (2008)
While soccer teams of other schools in Japan strive to be the best, the soccer club at the Raimon Middle School have other concerns. Inazuma Eleven is a team trying to prevent itself from getting disbanded. Mamoru Endou is the grandson of the first-generation goalkeeper of Inazuma Eleven and is also the captain of the team.
He makes it a personal duty to make the club into something prominent after years of neglect. He is going to need help in this matter, and he wants to recruit a retired prodigious soccer player Shuuya Gouenji into the team. He also wishes to get some other talented players.
27. One Outs (2008)
Toua Tokuchi is both an excellent baseball player as well as a gambler. He has gained 499 consecutive triumphs in a game called “One Outs,” which is an intense showdown between only the pitcher and the batter. To Tokuchi, this sport is nothing but a means for making money.
He is soon met with a legendary hitter called Hiromichi Kojima, who, upon seeing Tokuchi’s pitching, sees him as the perfect addition to their team. Kojima puts his own career at stake to defeat Tokuchi in the game of One Outs so he can recruit him.
However, after Tokuchi comes to the team, he is at odds with the team manager, Tsuneo Saikawa, who refuses to give him a considerable amount of money. Saikawa puts forward an unreasonable deal- he can win five million if he pitches an out but will owe fifty million if he gives up a run.
28. RE-MAIN (2021)
RE-MAIN is a popular sports anime from 2021. Minato Kiyomizu has been in a coma for 203 days. This had been a result of a car accident. He has additionally lost his memories from middle school. With time, he resumes playing the sport he likes- water polo.
He soon realizes that his old self and new self are contrasting individuals, and he needs to pick up where he left off. This directly means a life without water polo. When he begins his first day at Yamamami High School, he is reminded of the prowess he possessed earlier and also of a promise.
It takes him no time to join the water polo club. While practicing, he must put together an able seven-member team. This is Minato’s journey in rediscovering old talent so he can become one of the most renowned players in Japan.
29. Uma Musume: Pretty Derby (2018)
Uma Musume: Pretty Derby shows the reincarnation of legendary racehorses of previous times into a parallel world. They are all reborn as beautiful young girls. Their new life revolves around racing around to recount the legacy of their previous life as a horse.
One of these girls is Special Week, who wishes to be the best racer of all. To do so, she enrolls in the Tracen Academy, which gives training to horse girls. Here she is met with Silenced Suzuka, who has her own great running style; she gets highly motivated to work harder because of her. Special Week is put into Suzuka’s team, where she works hard for victory.
30. Bakuten!! (2021)
Shoutarou Futaba always had a knack for sports. However, he never was someone more than a fence sitter for his middle school basketball team. One of these days, he witnesses a group of gymnasts, which incites some interest in him.
He looks gymnastics up and even sees a gymnastics tournament. The Shoushukan High School Rhythmic Gymnastics Club displayed excellent work at the tournament but still faced penalties for not being able to field a six-man roster.
The skills of these gymnasts capture his interest, and he decides to join the team without any prior experience. Along with him, the team takes in a prodigious young gymnast named Ryouya Misato. Now that the team is a full six-man roster, they go out to compete in the inter-high championships. Shoutarou is faced with the challenge of learning and donning skills quickly, so he does not hold his teammates back.
31. Kengan Ashura (2019)
When talking about business dealings, we all know that meetings and contracts are the default way of reaching a consensus. Get introduced to the strange world of Kengan Ashura, where businesses make decisions through gladiators. The author of the manga for this anime has put forward a world full of violence and martial arts.
Here we see that powerful gladiators battle for grand disputes, and this has gone on since the Edo period. Amongst these fighters is Ouma Tokita, who is also dubbed “The Ashura.” He wishes to grow the strongest. He gets hired by Hideki Nogi.
His manager is now an average man called Kazuo Yamashita. These two are now going to be part of fights that are organized by the Kengan Association. With several ruthless competitors and a goal in mind, this anime is the journey of a man striving to be the best there ever will be.
32. Harukana Receive (2018)
Beach volleyball is a game where you must find a partner you can work with to achieve victory. This is what Haruka Oozora learns when she enters Okinawa for the first time. She has moved in with her grandmother and cousin Kanata Higa.
She sees a group of girls playing volleyball who soon invites her to play the game with them. While it was just a practice game, it soon became a match when one of the players, Narumi Tooi, noticed that Kanata was coming toward the volleyball court. Haruka loses the match badly but, in turn, learns the reason why Kanata is always so quiet and reserved.
Kanata and Narumi were inseparable teammates until the latter realized that Kanata was a liability due to her short stature. Since Junior Championship is just on the way, Haruka and Kanata work diligently towards achieving their goals as volleyball players. Kanata overcomes her reserved nature to finally execute her skills in this game.
33. Shakunetsu Kabaddi (2021)
Tatsuya Yoigoshi had been a nationally popular player in soccer and now is at Noukin High School. He has unfortunately developed a hatred for sports over some time and has given up the dream of becoming a well-known livestreamer.
One day when Yoigoshi is on his Livestream, Souma Azemichi unknowingly disrupts the process. The latter is a first-year student on the school kabaddi team and now wants to recruit Yoigoshi into the team. Yoigoshi comes with Souma into the gym, where he sees his seniors Kyouhei Misumi and Shinji Date, in a game of kabaddi.
Even when Yoigoshi finds the game ridiculous, he cannot help but notice how intense the round is. He is then coerced into joining the team to play a game that is played empty-handed, solely based on the skill of agility and mindfulness.
34. Ao no Kanata no Four Rhythm (2016)
Ao no Kanata no Four Rhythm is a sci-fi sports anime set in a world where the invention of anti-gravitational shoes called “Grav-shoes” has been made possible for the use of people. This has also made up a new sport called “the Flying Circus,” for which several people compete.
The game revolves around gaining points by either touching the opponent’s back or a floating buoy. Asuka Kurashina involuntarily gets launched into the world of this game upon accidentally executing a difficult maneuver with ease.
She enters the team involving Misaki Tobisawa and Mashiro Arisaka, headed by the coach Masaya Hinata. The anime shows these people trying to achieve their dreams with their passion for the game “The Flying Circus.”
35. Iwa Kakeru! : Sports Climbing Girls (2020)
Konomi Kasahara had been an intensive video gamer, especially for puzzle games, before she came to too Hanamiya High School. She decides not to live her life just playing video games but also do something else. She roams around the school to look for activities she can be a part of so she does not end up gaming all the time.
She sees the enormous wall on which the school’s rock climbing team practices the sport. She tries to climb and realizes that her puzzle-solving skills may finally pay off in rock climbing. She enrolls in the club immediately. As a part of the Hanamiya Climbing Team, she hones her skills and determines what it is to be a sports climber. She paves the way for herself to triumph.
36. Tennis no Ouji-sama (2001)
Ryouma Echizen is a prodigious tennis player who has just returned from America upon his father’s request to come home. He wishes to become the most prominent tennis player in all of Japan. He enters the Seishun Academy, which is a hub for the best tennis players in the country.
He is but a freshman but soon is playing for the starting line-up in the intra-school ranking championships. The other teammates formerly refused to take him in due to his age but soon had to accept his talent. The Seishun team prepares for the Nationals in the hope of a spot in the finals.
The team needs to compete in the Tokyo Prefectural and Kanto Regions. They will be facing strong teams, perhaps better than their own in certain ways. The competition is tough. Ryouma must cooperate with his team to become a champion at tennis.
37. DAYS (2016)
DAYS is a one-of-a-kind story about two young boys. They are Tsukushi and Jin. They are contrasting in nature. While Jin is a talented soccer player, Tsukushi possesses no such special talent. When Jin is met with Tsukushi one night, their journey into the world of soccer unfolds. They begin a life focused on the sport and learn several things along the way.
38. Baby Steps (2014)
Baby Steps is the story of Eiichirou Maruo, a practical and hard-working honor student. He decides to add physical exercise to his routine out of concern for his health. One of these days, he comes across an advertisement for the Southern Tennis Club and joins it immediately afterward. While he is on a free trial at the club, he is met with the determined first-year student Natsu Takasaki who is working hard to become a professional tennis player.
Eiichirou is a good student out of the compulsion of his “duty as a student” and does not enjoy academics at all, while Natsu plays because she enjoys and finds meaning in it. His monotonous life takes a new turn when he becomes even more interested in playing tennis.
He works hard and practices even harder to develop a playing style unique to him, so he can find meaning in the game. He gains immense skill and is on his way to becoming a talented, skilled player. The anime has also been adapted into a Japanese Drama of the same name.
39. Eyeshield 21 (2005)
Sena Kobayakawa, a student at Deimon High School and is a leading target for school bullies due to his small height and reserved nature. Sena has been running errands his whole life, which has made him highly agile, allowing him to make his way even in the densest of clouds. When the cunning captain of the school’s football team, Yoichi Hiruma, sees his speed, he forces him into joining the team.
Hiruma does not want to disclose Sena’s identity, which has the latter hidden under the disguise of a helmet of “Eyeshield 24”. The Eyeshield 24 is legendary and is said to possess the speed of light. Sena delves into the disguise of Eyeshield 24 with ease, for he has been used to avoiding his problems all his life. He becomes an asset to the football team. He makes friends and earns better self-confidence through constantly playing.
40. Hinomaru Zumou (2018)
When it comes to professional sumo, there seem to be no weight classes at all. Only the strongest are able to survive in this savage sport. Anyone who wishes to check the extent of their strength can enter the sumo ring. Unfortunately, even sumo has a certain size requirement that Hinomaru Ushio is not able to reach.
He is a hard-working and talented individual with a dream to reach the highest rank as a sumo player- the Hinoshita Kaisan. His only way towards that goal is to be the High School Yokozuna which is the rank of the strongest wrestler in high school sumo championships. He faces pressure and a constraint of time. He may very well lose a chance to go pro if he does not do something quick.
He enrolled in Odachi High instead of the prestigious sumo school Ishigami High so as to build a sumo club from scratch with one devoted member by his side, named Shinya Ozeki. Ushio must now put forward all of his strength if he is so to be a professional sumo player.
41. Saki (2009)
Relating to an incident in her childhood, Saki Miyanaga, who is a high school student, hates everything related to the game of Mahjong. She tries not to stand out whenever she does play the game. One of these days, she is compelled to come to the school’s Mahjong club by her friend Kyotaro Suga.
Here she meets with the champion of last year’s national Mahjong championship, Nodoka Haramura, along with Yuuki Kataoka, who is a fellow group member. The president of the club, Hisa Takei, takes notice of Saki’s strange way of playing.
She puts Saki to the test, which results in the unleashing of the latter’s potential at the game. Nodoka’s pride gets hurt in the process. Saki eventually joins the club and soon befriends Nodoka. While Saki starts to play the game again, she and the group try to win the national championship.
42. Hikaru no Go (2001)
When young Hikaru Shindou is looking around in his grandfather’s old attic, he happens to find an old go-board. When he simply touches it, a mysterious voice addresses him. He falls unconscious soon after it. Upon waking up, he realizes that the voice is still there.
This voice is of the legendary go expert from ancient times, Fujiwara no Sai. This spirit was the instructor for the game of going to the Emperor of the Heian Era. His interest in the game transcends concepts like time and space, which allows him to play the game even as a ghost.
Sai’s ambition is to master a go technique that has been out of the reach of all go players so far. He wishes to fulfill this dream by playing through Hikaru. The latter has no interest in board games. He reluctantly agrees to play while putting forward the moves as Sai tells him to. When he is met with a young go-game prodigy called Akira Touya, he finds a passion for the game. He finds a rival in Touya and starts a life in the world of go.
43. ALL OUT!! (2016)
Rugby is a simple but intensive sport. The rule is to have one player running towards the goalpost with the ball, avoiding the rival team while they do their level best to stop the former. What is interesting is that if the player is tackled, they can very well pass the ball to another teammate. The uniqueness of the game lies in the fact that the game continues even when the player with the ball has been tackled, given they managed to pass the ball to the teammate.
A feisty freshman enters Kanagawa High School in the form of Kenji Gion. He meets with the taller Sumiaki Iwashimizu, with whom he witnesses a rugby match at the school. Gion is struck by the fact that while the taller player has some advantage in the game, rugby is a game where people of all shapes and sizes can perform important duties.
He immediately signs up for the team, but Iwashimizu declines the offer. Gion, however, forces him into the sport. When faced with strenuous practice, the two decide to be the champions of the national high school rugby championship.
44. Ryman’s Club (2022)
Ryman’s club explores the tough world of corporate badminton. Mikoto Shiratori was a former prodigy in the sport but had not been able to keep up to mark as a player for the Mitsuhoshi Bank. After a past incident, he tries to switch to playing doubles. Even then, he produces no positive result, which causes the bank great dismay.
He gets fired from the bank and happens to get hired by the Sunlight Beverage corporate badminton team. He practices in the evening and has a day job in the sales department. He formerly thought he was only invited to play the game.
He is additionally forced to play in doubles. He has several problems in balancing out such a life, but with the help of his newfound teammates, he may find the strength to further his career in badminton.
45. Taisou Zamurai (2020)
When Jotaro Aragaki was at the prime of his gymnastics career, he suffered from a shoulder injury. He had been nicknamed “Samurai” due to his signature hairstyle. The hard-working gymnast lost his wife five years earlier as well. As he strains himself as a member of the Japanese gymnastics team, he is unable to show any progress.
He is soon advised by his coach Noriyuki Amakusa to retire from gymnastics. He then takes his supportive nine-year-old daughter named Rei, to the Ego Wonderland so he can tell her the news. The duo runs into a strange “ninja” called Leonardo. He follows them all the way until they reach their home without letting Jotaro break the news to his daughter.
Leonardo expresses a desire to see Jotaro perform gymnastics. The latter astonishes the nation by announcing that he will not be retiring. He engages in the dedicated path of showing the world how much he belongs in the world of gymnastics.
46. Ookiku Furikabutte (2007)
Ookiku Furikabutte is the story of Ren Mihashi, who was once the ace of the baseball team of his middle school. However, their team never won due to his poor pitching. Subsequent losses result in constant bullying by his peers. At some point, they lost the will to win the matches. Mihashi graduates middle school with little self-esteem as a result.
He changes his schools and attends a high school in a prefecture different than his middle school, so he can have a fresh start. He has no intention of joining the baseball team this time. However, he is forced into being a starting pitcher as soon as he starts school here.
He soon realizes that people here accept you for who you are. The catcher of this team, Takaya Abe, helps him see the extent of his abilities, which gives Mihashi more confidence. Abe makes it a personal goal to make Misashi a worthy pitcher.
47. number24 (2020)
We see Natsuza Yuzuki, who has played rugby as a left-winger since he was little. When he started attending Doshisha University, he soon rose to fame as a star player. His dream is crushed when he meets with a terrible motorbike accident that gives him a spinal hernia- a condition that will no longer allow him to pursue a career in rugby.
He is left with the position of being the manager, with a quad team under him- which he hopes to get a league title. His team is a mix of strange personalities- his full-black best friend Seiichirou Jingyouji, an angry freshman Yasunari Tsuru who does not like Natsuza, and Yuu Mashiro, who is troubled with holding his position as the scrum half.
Even when Natsuza does all that he can for the team, the group is still inadequate. A genius rugby player named Ibuki Ueka left the game last year, and now Natsuza is doing all he can to get him back on the team.
48. Suzuka (2005)
Suzuka begins with the teen Yamato Akitsuki who had recently moved to Tokyo from the Hiroshima countryside to attend high school. He is staying with his aunt and cousin at the bathhouse they run, where he often helps around. There is a girls’ dormitory close to the bathhouse. One day on his way to see his relatives, he finds a high jumper practicing. He gets absolutely mesmerized by her way of executing her technique.
He later finds that girl to be Suzuka Asahina, who happens to be his neighbor. She also goes to the same high school as he does and is a talented field athlete. Suzuka is a perfectionist, which drives her farther away from Yamato when she sees how clumsy and carefree he can be. Yamato becomes determined to win over her interests.
He discovers his talent for sprinting and soon enters the same track team as her. He gets to interact with other athletes and students, all while honing his own skill as an athlete. He primarily wants to be a good match for Suzuka, no matter what he may have to do for that purpose.
49. Anima Yell! (2018)
In Anima Yell! You will meet Kohane Hatoya. While being lovable should be a good thing, it is also a great flaw of hers. She is a people-pleaser and helper; she does everything to help others, sometimes even going out of her way to do so! Her inspiration to become like this came when she saw what cheerleading was like as a sport when she was in middle school.
She is now in high school, but her enthusiasm has not diminished. She wishes to start her very own cheerleading squad. Her best friend, Uki Sawatari, greatly encourages her and is often the one helping her out of the trouble she gets herself into. But Kohane faces a problem; she has no idea where to begin; she does not know what to wear and what to do.
On top of that, she also has a childhood fear of heights which poses problems in this sport full of elaborate stunts. This is where we meet with Hizume Arima, who used to be a cheerleader. We also see that Kohane and Hizume know each other and that the former has made up her mind about overcoming this fear of hers.
50. Area no Kishi (2012)
Area no Kishi is about two brothers named Kakeru and Suguru, both with a huge passion for the game of soccer. Soon enough, Suguru greatly excels in the Japanese youth soccer system, but Kakeru struggles to keep up in the field and decides to go for a managerial role.
In a cruel twist of fate, Kakeru ends up questioning his decision to be a manager. He now dreams of playing in the World Cup, so he works super hard for it. Accompanying him is his childhood friend Nana, who is a football prodigy herself. She had played as a top-ranking footballer in Nadeshiko Japan, the national Japanese women’s team. She pushes Kakeru to go beyond himself in order to pursue his precious dreams.
