Sports anime is the genre of underdog stories, team bonding, and learning the ins and outs of a game without actually having to play it. Over the years, sports have been a staple genre of the anime world, telling stories of protagonists who face adversity, or learn discipline in favor of becoming a champion. Audiences love seeing protagonists find their place within a team or world that may have been unfamiliar or at odds with them.
There is a stellar lineup of anime every year, and usually, a sports anime will take one of the spots on the roster. Though anime fans have likely heard of recent successes likeBlue Lock, Ace of Diamond,andHaikyuu, there’s also a good deal of anime that inspired such popular shows, and would be a good fit for a second chance. Some anime may need complete remakes with updated animations and high-definition textures, while others may warrant a sequel for a story that was never finished.
8Tomorrow Joe
Tomorrow Joeis the grandfather of sports anime and a clear inspiration for many of its successors. Yabuki Joe is a delinquent living in the slums, and during a tragic event where he was jumped, he managed to fend off his assailants and subsequently caught the eye of Danpei Tange. Danpei is an alcoholic down on his luck, but after seeing Joe, he starts to coach him. Through trials and tribulations, they enter theworld of competitive boxingin hopes of making a better life for themselves.
Tomorrow Joedid have an anime and movie; however, they aired back in the 70s and 80s. Remaking this series would be great as it would be interesting to see where so many modern shows sought their inspiration.
7Attack No 1
Kozue is a middle school girl and enthusiastic volleyball player. In this anime, she progresses through tournament after tournament, hoping one day to play on the international level. It’s a gripping story, especially as she deals with the downfalls of success. She faces high expectations from others and herself, as well as envy from her fellow players.
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Attack No 1signified a massive turning point in the anime industry when it premiered back in 1969. It featured the first-everfemale protagonistin a sports anime, shining light on woman’s professional sports and laying the groundwork for many popular female-led sports anime today.
6Big Windup!
Ren Mihashi loves baseball and decides to join his middle school baseball team. He’s excited until his team becomes unable to win due to his poor pitching abilities. His teammates blame him for their losses, bullying him and giving up on ever winning, resulting in Mihashi graduating and moving to another prefecture’s school. He avows to never pay baseball again. That is, until the high school catcher Takaya Abe believes he can make an ace pitcher out of Mihashi, and they band together to play in the sport again.
It’s a heartfelt story of the underdog that places far more importance onthe roles of best friendsand teammates than actually winning. Unfortunately, the anime never got a third season, and audiences never did fully get to see Mihashi’s growth as a person.
5Aim For The Ace!
This iconic 70s shoujo anime centers on the heroine Hiromi Oka, who joins her high school tennis club in pursuit of Madame Butterfly (the top player that inspired her). However, during tennis training, she is picked by the new coach, Jin Munakata, who subjects them to intense training. Hiromi ends up flourishing, representing her school in the junior championship tournaments.
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Aim For The Ace!was a huge hit at its prime. However, fans of today may find it a hard watch due to itsunique art stylewhich could prove to be too outdated for modern tastes. A remake would be apt for this series.
4All Out!
Created by Shiro Amase and produced by Madhouse,All Out!follows a rugby team as they strive toward victory. High schooler Kenji Gion is taken by a new friend to watch the rugby scrimmage and finds, to his own delight, that besides all the towering behemoths there are positions filled by people like him (short kings).
They put their bodies on the line to achieve greatness, training and fighting to get through matches and continue climbing the ranks. The series only had 25 episodes, and never got a sequel from its 2017 adaptation.
3Hajime No Ippo
Also known asThe First Step,this is one of the mosticonic sports anime and mangaof the 2000s with clear inspirations found in much earlier names likeTomorrowJoe.It focuses on the sport of boxing and an unlikely star who, thanks to his hard work in his family fishing business, has developed muscles that allow him to throw devastatingly powerful punches.
Ippo Makanuchi is another underdog constantly bullied, but when he finds himself in the world of boxing, he finds a purpose and acquires new skills that soon propel him to greater heights. The original series is incredible; however, some might find it difficult to enjoy the slightly dated animation. More importantly, the anime only seems to produce a season when the manga needs a bit of a boost; consequently, the adaptation has fallen way behind the source material.
2Eyeshield 21
Before drawing forOne Punch Man,Yusuke Murata ventured on a project with Riichiro Inagaki to create a wacky American Football sports anime that became incredibly popular in the early aughts. At Deimon High School, Sena Kobayakawa runs errands every day and becomes the perfect target for bullies. Due to his incessant running, he has become incredibly agile and adept at avoiding other people. Due to his speed, he is scouted by the team’s captain and joins the team undercover wearing a 21 visor, and becomes the legendaryEyeshield 21that runs rings around other players on the pitch.
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Eyeshield 21had a long-running anime totaling 145 episodes lasting for three years. However, a remake would cut off the fluff that riddled the series and take away some of the more problematic character traits that appear in the series.
1Slam Dunk
This anime may not be the founder of sports anime, but it pioneered the genre to a new generation. Regarded as both a popular hit and a cult classic (oxymoronic, in a way) it expanded upon what could be told in sports anime. It told the story of a group of high school basketball players as they navigate real life while trying to achieve their sports dreams, hitting social commentary on depression, failure, and anger issues in young people.
The anime is still talked about today and has just released a sequel filmThe First Slam Dunk.However, the anime first premiered in 1993 and might need some care to be promoted to a new generation of possible fans. The original anime also did not fully adapt the source material, concluding before Shohoku High School’s team headed to nationals.
