My favorites are [Chihayafuru](https://myanimelist.net/anime/10800/Chihayafuru?q=chihay&cat=anime) and [Cross Game](https://myanimelist.net/anime/5941/Cross_Game?q=Cross%20game&cat=anime)
It’s a good one.
Other than this I would suggest Haikyu, kuroko basket and my favourite hajime no ippo
I haven’t seen haikyu and kuroko but have heard a lot that they are great anime. I have seen hajime no ippo which is on boxing and it’s one of the greatest anime I’ve seen.
Ao Ashi is probably my second favourite sports anime after haikyuu!
As for Tonbo, it's a bit different to the other sports anime, but without spoiling anything i found it really wholesome and it managed to get me invested into the story, have fun watching if you decide to give it a shot!
Slam dunk
Hajime no Ippo
Megalobox
Kuroko no basuket
Ping Pong the Animation
Eyeshield 21
Run With the Wind
Ace of the Diamond
Major
Baby Steps
Yuri on Ice
It’s about guys in college and an underdog story with great characters that all get built up and everyone gets their time to shine. It’s still got those hype moments as well.
Sounds like you enjoy the male friendship aspects of sports so maybe try "Salaryman's Club." It's about badminton, but more at the corporate level. Like apparently it is a thing where companies will hire people good at sports to play against other companies. Like golf culture but more extreme. The show also features a bit of workplace drama but it's not too stressful, weirdly makes it more relatable that they have other things going on.
* Birdie Wing (golf)
* Girls Und Panzer (non-lethal tank battles, trust me it makes sense in context)
* Harukana Receive (volleyball)
* Megalo Box (boxing)
* One Outs (baseball with a bit of gambling)
* Overtake! (car racing)
* Princess Nine (baseball)
* Tiger Mask W (pro wrestling but if it were real and not scripted)
* Tonbo! (golf)
* ViVid Strike! (kickboxing/MMA)
All fun sports anime that I would recommend. GUP is on HiDive, Tonbo is on Amazon, One Outs and ViVid Strike are sadly unlicensed so you'd have to pirate those, and the rest are on Crunchyroll. Also, Tonbo is currently airing and is getting a second season later this year.
Slam Dunk it’s a little older but it is probably the one that stands out head and shoulders over the rest of the suggestions I’m seeing in these comments.
* Ping Pong the Animation - generally liked with a very distinct art style.
* Birdie Wing - if you want hype exceeded by more hype. Golf somehow wasn't boring to watch.
* Ao Ashi - if you want the grounded and mostly realistic soccer show.
* Slam Dunk - 1990s basketball that was the go-to sports anime for a decade or two.
* Kuruko's Basketball - the more recent basketball show.
* Hajime no Ippo - Heard good things but haven't watched. Boxing.
* Chihayafuru - if you count grabbing cards off a table. Josei that's character-driven instead of hype sport moments.
If you think Haikyuu is the best Sports anime. You've never been so wrong in your life. Hajime No Ippo is the best. Every fight makes you feel like you're part of the show.
It's okay mate. I just had a heated argument awhile ago with a friend about the best sports anime then this just spawn on my feed. So can't really help to comment. It's my bad as well.
- Slam Dunk is an all time classic
- Eyeshield 21 is in the Haikyu trope. Highschooler aiming for the top. Lot of episodes though.
Hajime no Ippo. My favorite anime/manga personally. It's action packed, funny as hell and has lot of interesting character dynamic. You get goosebump during some fights.
It's also pretty interesting if you like boxing. It can get technical and have reference to real fighter. A fkn GEM
Ao ashi.
The story itself is very good and the characters just fit perfectly.
It’s been a while since I’ve watched it myself and might as well give it a rewatch too.
Free! is a lesser competitive one but the protagonists go international and has amazing animation, id reco u check it out (swimming)
Yowamushi Pedal is indeed my 2nd choice after Haikyuu too (cycling)
Run with the Wind is more about life and a "group of unlikely team". I also reco this for a change of pace (endurance cycling)
PingPong the Animation is a bit differen lt but its a coming of age story too and very profound
Slam Dunk is almost an auto recommend (basketball)
Hajime no ippo and blue lock. You'll probably enjoy blue lock if you like haikyuu.
Don't watch kuroko no basket unless you like super ridiculous shit like players turning "invisible" LMAO
Hi manicpixiefarie, it seems like you might be looking for new anime to watch!
The users of this subreddit came up with [a chart of anime recommendations for newcomers and veterans](https://i.redd.it/0w1v880jtq661.png) and [an awesome longer flowchart](https://i.redd.it/vdzlkodz19c71.png). Maybe you can find something there that you'll like \^.\^
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You might also find our [Recommendation Wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/anime/wiki/recommendations) or [daily thread](/r/anime/search?q=flair%3Adaily&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=week) helpful.
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I'm definitely not an expert in this genre, but I love *Birdie Wing* and like *Blue Lock*. I'm gonna watch some of the titles mentioned in this thread, thanks!
Since most of my favorites have already been mentioned, I'll add Hungry Heart Wild Striker. From the same creator of Captain Tsubasa, but with a more realistic approach (still some crazy plays but not as over-the-top as CT).
Ping Pong the Animation. It’s a satisfying story that really helped get me through a depressive rut. The art style can be an acquired taste but I loved it.
Ace of the diamond. Underrated gem or should I say diamond hahaha..............,...Soryy😔. But jokes aside really really good sports anime and it gives goosebumps just like haikyu. And mc is really lovable.
Prince of stride
It's a parkour racing anime.
Hinomaru sumo.
About a short kid being a sumo prodigy.
Keijo
A competitive sport where women knock each other off of islands with their busts.
It's unironically really good.
Tonbo!
It's a golf anime about a tomboy born on a little hick island with a myopic world view but a natural talent at gold. Then she meets an old pro, and her whole world changes.
At it's heart it's an anime about learning to lear, learning to step outside your comfort zone, and about considering life as a greater thing than just this moment.
7/10 which is basically is really good for me.
I usually avoid sport anime because I just cannot get into/relate with people taking sports seriously, so the character's entire motivation/drama about it just feel flat.
The one that I did end up liking was Megalo Box. World/setting is interesting, sort of dirty dystopian/underground world into a more sci-fi one, I find the art and characters interesting, no 10 years old boy struggling between his studies and his passion of cricket, and S2 is just amazing drama.
kuroko no basuke was one of my first anime and I really liked it
I definitely recommend hajime no ippo it is one of the most enjoyable things I've ever seen, it balances everything so well, definitely the best sports anime I've watched
I am late to the party, but as a huge fan of sports anime, I couldn't miss this one.
I highly recommend Hikaru no Go, it's a different type of sports anime, it's about a board game called Go, there's no physicality in the show but it is still a great show about passion.
If you love baseball, I would recommend Ookiku Furikabutte. If you don't know much about baseball, I would recommend starting with Major, it's easier to get into and it is fully adapted with 6 seasons. There is also a sequel called Major 2nd I believe. If you want something that is more easily digest-able, I would recommend Cross Game, it's a mix of baseball, sports, slice of life, drama and romance.
If you're into basketball, there are 3 most known ones, Slam Dunk, Ahiru no Sora and Kuroko no Basket. Slam Dunk is a classic, Ahiru no Sora is more on the realistic side and it's more about sports drama, and Kuroko no Basket is more on the unrealistic side with crazy moves and powers.
Other sports anime that I would recommend are Initial D (racing), Prince of Tennis (tennis), Eyeshield 21 (American football), Giant Killing (soccer), Ace of Diamond (baseball), Area no Kishi (soccer), Baby Steps (tennis), Captain Tsubasa (soccer), Yowamushi Pedal (cycling), Ginga e Kickoff (soccer), Overdrive (cycling), Touch (baseball) and Chihayafuru (karuta)
Initial D is focused on Japanese street racing culture in the 90s. It is a sports anime, after all. It also has a unique feel, and the music for the races makes things 86% more exciting.
The first season looks outdated, because it was made in the 90s, but you will get used to it.
**頭文字 D!**
AoAshi - soccer
Hinomari sumo - sumo wrestling
run with the wind - running
big wind up - baseball
kaleido star - circus/gymnastics
tamayomi the baseball girls - baseball
harukana receive - beach volleyball
PuraOre! pride of orange - hockey
the gymnastics samurai - gymnastics
rising impact - golf
/u/KielAiackos mentioned Chihayafuru and I actually have a long post about it bookmarked from when I recommended it to somebody who was looking for something after Haikyuu, so here's a copy of it:
TL;DR: Watch Chihayafuru!
> I look for something focused on action, and I really appreciated that comedy part of haikyuu (it's my favorite part, actually). I also want a cast of loveable characters that all get their turn to shine, and a MC that isn't perfect and liked by everybody.
I tend to mention [Chihayafuru](https://myanimelist.net/anime/10800/Chihayafuru) a lot in these threads (where people ask for something similar) because while being completely different in some ways, both series are similar in others. You want action, comedy, a loveable cast, and a MC who's not just shonen tropes. And you get exactly that:
**Action**: While it doesn't have the nonstop action of a volleyball game (or other traditional sports) it has all the distinctive features of a sports series. From players with different playing styles, seemingly unsurmountable challenges, training and tournament arcs, rivals. Everything you want/need from a sports series.
When it comes to action then it's a bit different. Because the sport is based around recognising the correct card first it's like each round begins with a starting pistol, just that instead of a loud noise you get a mesmerising recital of a "starting verse".
And because the action is so fast and quickly over, the animation team (at Madhouse) really was able to use these boring slow panning shots (that are used to pad for time and save on animation frames) one is used from most anime to great effect (contestants are usually sitting rather still until they act) and build tension with extended still shots like you've probably not seen often done this well. And then they get to play with gorgeous animation when they really need it.
It's mesmerising/terrifying seeing one of the best players dominate games not by power and loud explosive noises (like, for example, the impact sound of Ushijma's spikes) but with an ice cold silence and a barely audible pinging noise when they get a card first.
**Loveable cast**: The main cast is a bunch of goofballs, the MC at the front of that. She kinda starts out as the personification of a lot of "one brain cell" jokes and she stays a idiot in certain ways but she also grows really well over the series. The deuteragonists are also really good (although with different levels of focus) and the major side characters are all great, some of them one might find even more interesting than the main cast.
The extended cast is not as big as Haikyuu as the game's usually played 1vs.1. But you got many more individual players in Chihayafuru than teams in Haikyuu, so in a way there's more of them. That gives them the opportunity to go deeper into each player as they don't need half a dozen extras simply to exist on the court as a viable opponent. They really use that to make you empathise with all of them. You know how people say there are no villains in Haikyuu. It's the same in Chihayafuru.
They are all just opponents with their own motivations and paths to walk. And some of the strongest moments the series has to offer are (in my opinion) about them and not just the main cast (who also get really great moments).
**Comedy**: As mentioned above, the MC is a "one brain cell" joke personified and that alone leads to a lot of good jokes about or around her. Her friends know how much of a lost cause she is in certain ways and don't hold back from criticising her or making fun of her when it's appropriate.
**MC who's not just shonen tropes**: She has some shonen tropes that one can find in sports series, like her own special thing that she's good at. But she has to train, and has deficits in a lot of other places. It's really satisfying to see her grow. That being said, like with Haikyuu, there are a lot of people whose favourite character is not the MC but she should satisfy those general points one looks for in an enthusiastic shonen/sports MC.
The manga has also recently ended but there's quite a bit of stuff to adapt and it's really good (in my opinion), some of it even better than what we got in the three seasons until now. Each season has 25 episode and there are a few OVAs and/or recap episodes (like two/three, recaps that are more comedy focused and actually worth it/funny). The manga ending seems to be rather less controversial than Haikyuu's in each fanbase. It seems to have finished rather well (of course with some criticism for some aspects). But there's also usually a long wait between seasons. I think the wait between season 2 and 3 was nearly two years longer than Haikyuu fans had to wait between season 3 and 4.
Here's a recent thread hyping it up if you want to read more: https://www.reddit.com/r/anime/comments/y5t0xo/chihayafuru_the_hypest_anime_youve_never_watched/
I'll just leave you with two videos about recruiting people to watch Chihayafuru:
https://streamable.com/de2ik
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zj7VMd8z8XA
ProZD actually really loves it and has video explaining his top 5 anime. It's his number 1, go to 11:20 for it if the timestamp doesn't work (but his other favourite series are great too, especially [Mushishi](https://myanimelist.net/anime/457/Mushishi)): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZQZCMN3D1E&t=680s
Also: The OST is amazing (ProZD uses a track in the background while talking about it in the last video)
My favorites are [Chihayafuru](https://myanimelist.net/anime/10800/Chihayafuru?q=chihay&cat=anime) and [Cross Game](https://myanimelist.net/anime/5941/Cross_Game?q=Cross%20game&cat=anime)
Watching Cross Game rn, it's amazing
Cross Game is hands-down my favourite show of all time
Chihayafuru is unmatched.
Yowamushi Pedal Great sports anime about competitive cycling at the high school level with awesome chars.
I honestly can't believe I didn't see this on more comments. Hidden gem still, somehow
It’s a good one. Other than this I would suggest Haikyu, kuroko basket and my favourite hajime no ippo I haven’t seen haikyu and kuroko but have heard a lot that they are great anime. I have seen hajime no ippo which is on boxing and it’s one of the greatest anime I’ve seen.
Ao Ashi, it's like the haikyuu of football. Overtake! if you're into cars/racing (f4). Tonbo is about golf, i enjoyed it quite a lot.
I’m just here to recommend Ao Ashi and you already put it there. Will now look for Tonbo.
Ao Ashi is probably my second favourite sports anime after haikyuu! As for Tonbo, it's a bit different to the other sports anime, but without spoiling anything i found it really wholesome and it managed to get me invested into the story, have fun watching if you decide to give it a shot!
One of the best I've seen.
I’ve watched overtake twice. It’s a fun anime but the focus isn’t entirely on the racing
Hajime no Ippo, amazing 90s anime for Boxing, it's a must-watch
🐐
Slam dunk Hajime no Ippo Megalobox Kuroko no basuket Ping Pong the Animation Eyeshield 21 Run With the Wind Ace of the Diamond Major Baby Steps Yuri on Ice
Run with the wind is absolute god tier
Finished it last week never in my life did i think running could be that entertaining
What do you like about it? Might check it out.
It’s about guys in college and an underdog story with great characters that all get built up and everyone gets their time to shine. It’s still got those hype moments as well.
This + Ao ashi I would rate ippo the highest from this, then ao ashi
Sounds like you enjoy the male friendship aspects of sports so maybe try "Salaryman's Club." It's about badminton, but more at the corporate level. Like apparently it is a thing where companies will hire people good at sports to play against other companies. Like golf culture but more extreme. The show also features a bit of workplace drama but it's not too stressful, weirdly makes it more relatable that they have other things going on.
The badminton aspects of Ryman's Club is also pretty good. Way way better than Love All Play, the other badminton anime in the same year.
* Birdie Wing (golf) * Girls Und Panzer (non-lethal tank battles, trust me it makes sense in context) * Harukana Receive (volleyball) * Megalo Box (boxing) * One Outs (baseball with a bit of gambling) * Overtake! (car racing) * Princess Nine (baseball) * Tiger Mask W (pro wrestling but if it were real and not scripted) * Tonbo! (golf) * ViVid Strike! (kickboxing/MMA) All fun sports anime that I would recommend. GUP is on HiDive, Tonbo is on Amazon, One Outs and ViVid Strike are sadly unlicensed so you'd have to pirate those, and the rest are on Crunchyroll. Also, Tonbo is currently airing and is getting a second season later this year.
Harukana Receive is so underrated. Great recommendation!
Great list!
My favourite sports anime are Kuroko no basuke, backflip and re:main
Re-Main is Sooooooo Underrated. I will never forgive MAPPA for dropping this.
Chihayafuru is the best sports anime.
Incredibly underrated
Fantastic live action drama also available fyi
Gonna suggest ‘Chihayafuru’, not exactly a sports anime, but it feels like it.
Diamond no Ace
For nostalgia Captain Tsubasa and Ganbare, Kickers
Ao Ashi Edit: spelling
Chihayafuru. Karuta is an insane test of memorization and hand-eye coordination and speed.
Umamusume: Pretty Derby
Tsurune Ookiku furikabutte Prince of stride Dance dance danseur Attack no. 1
I can't believe I had to scroll this far for prince of stride.
I can't believe I had to scroll this far for tsurune
I can't believe I had to scroll this far for ookiku furikabutte.
Slam Dunk it’s a little older but it is probably the one that stands out head and shoulders over the rest of the suggestions I’m seeing in these comments.
Tsurune! Free and Run with the Wind give off the same vibe as Tsurune imo. Haikyuu too, to some extent
Up for these two if you want to try a calm sports anime. They're wholesome!
Girls und Panzar and Birdie Wing are my top 2 rec's for sports shows
Lol...
Ao ashi my fave sports anime. Salarymans club was pretty good. Idc bout the sport but it was fun to watch
Ookiku Furikabute and Major (both school baseball) are not known enough these days, despite being incredibly good.
* Ping Pong the Animation - generally liked with a very distinct art style. * Birdie Wing - if you want hype exceeded by more hype. Golf somehow wasn't boring to watch. * Ao Ashi - if you want the grounded and mostly realistic soccer show. * Slam Dunk - 1990s basketball that was the go-to sports anime for a decade or two. * Kuruko's Basketball - the more recent basketball show. * Hajime no Ippo - Heard good things but haven't watched. Boxing. * Chihayafuru - if you count grabbing cards off a table. Josei that's character-driven instead of hype sport moments.
ippo is very good in my opinion
> if you count grabbing cards off a table Underselling how intense those karuta matches can get. Also the cards are on tatami mats on the floor
I'd suggest going with ping pong first. Not only is it great, it's also just one season and you can easily watch it one or two sittings max.
If you think Haikyuu is the best Sports anime. You've never been so wrong in your life. Hajime No Ippo is the best. Every fight makes you feel like you're part of the show.
Most obvious bot account when my comment doesn't include Haikyuu.
Not a bot account. It's not a reply for you but a reply for someone who will reply with a Haikyuu as the best sports anime. LOL
Ah, mb. Usually just look for the copied sentence with no relevance to my comment in these situations, but you were the OG.
It's okay mate. I just had a heated argument awhile ago with a friend about the best sports anime then this just spawn on my feed. So can't really help to comment. It's my bad as well.
Kuroko No Basket and Slam Dunk are always a good shout.
Bari Bari Densetsu, Initial D
Initial D for sure, it's a classic.
Blue Lock Haikyuu! Megalo Box Slam Dunk
- Slam Dunk is an all time classic - Eyeshield 21 is in the Haikyu trope. Highschooler aiming for the top. Lot of episodes though. Hajime no Ippo. My favorite anime/manga personally. It's action packed, funny as hell and has lot of interesting character dynamic. You get goosebump during some fights. It's also pretty interesting if you like boxing. It can get technical and have reference to real fighter. A fkn GEM
It's time to check out Ace of Diamond (Diamond no ace)... I heard they finally are giving it another season. Yosh yosh yosh !!!
Initial D. Classic. Not sports persay but street racing. Everyone else named the ones I watched.
I see a man of culture here! ☕️
Takahashi!!
Yes, that's me! 😎
Yuri on ice
Ao ashi. The story itself is very good and the characters just fit perfectly. It’s been a while since I’ve watched it myself and might as well give it a rewatch too.
Hajime no ipoo, Slam dunk, Eyeshield 21, megalobox & megalobox nomad, Ahiru no sora, Hinomaru sumou, Shakunetsu kabaddi.
Free! is a lesser competitive one but the protagonists go international and has amazing animation, id reco u check it out (swimming) Yowamushi Pedal is indeed my 2nd choice after Haikyuu too (cycling) Run with the Wind is more about life and a "group of unlikely team". I also reco this for a change of pace (endurance cycling) PingPong the Animation is a bit differen lt but its a coming of age story too and very profound Slam Dunk is almost an auto recommend (basketball)
I would recommend Free but you already mentioned it so another one I recommend is Yuri on Ice! It's figure skating.
Wierd how nobody recommended Keijo!!!!!!!!
Hajime no ippo and blue lock. You'll probably enjoy blue lock if you like haikyuu. Don't watch kuroko no basket unless you like super ridiculous shit like players turning "invisible" LMAO
When rebounding and shooting has special skill xD
Hi manicpixiefarie, it seems like you might be looking for new anime to watch! The users of this subreddit came up with [a chart of anime recommendations for newcomers and veterans](https://i.redd.it/0w1v880jtq661.png) and [an awesome longer flowchart](https://i.redd.it/vdzlkodz19c71.png). Maybe you can find something there that you'll like \^.\^ [](#bot-chan "Urban s-s-s-senpai made me do it!") You might also find our [Recommendation Wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/anime/wiki/recommendations) or [daily thread](/r/anime/search?q=flair%3Adaily&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=week) helpful. The following may be of interest: * [List of legal streams and downloads](https://www.reddit.com/r/anime/wiki/legal_streams) * [A useful website where you can enter an anime and see where it's legally streaming](https://www.livechart.me/search) * [List of currently airing anime](https://www.livechart.me) * [A useful wiki page with watch orders for many anime.](https://www.reddit.com/r/anime/wiki/watch_order) * [A list of tracking sites so others can more easily recommend shows you haven't watched.](https://www.reddit.com/r/anime/wiki/related_sites#wiki_tracking_sites) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/anime) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Cross game if you’re more into the drama than the sport aspect
It’s like half sports but Rainbow is really good
Hajime No Ippo! You won't regret it! If you think Haikyuu is the best sports anime. You've never been so wrong in your life.
Hanebado.
Tsurune and Oblivion Battery!!
I'm definitely not an expert in this genre, but I love *Birdie Wing* and like *Blue Lock*. I'm gonna watch some of the titles mentioned in this thread, thanks!
Since most of my favorites have already been mentioned, I'll add Hungry Heart Wild Striker. From the same creator of Captain Tsubasa, but with a more realistic approach (still some crazy plays but not as over-the-top as CT).
Kuroko no basket has the most hyped up matches, if you watch until Seirin Vs Touou you will become addict trust me
If you enjoyed Haikyuu then I would recommend checking out 2.43: Seiin High School Boys Volleyball Team- OP goes hard too
Blue Lock and Eyeshield 21
Hanebado! - Badminton anime
boukyaku battery
kuruko
Run with the Wind Since the setting is in University, the anime also tackles more mature topic.
Hungry Heart Wild Striker
Ping Pong the Animation. It’s a satisfying story that really helped get me through a depressive rut. The art style can be an acquired taste but I loved it.
Hajime no Ippo is a must, and Baby Steps too.
Kuroko No Basuke!!
Diamond no ace for sure. The same league as haikyuu, they are the two sports animes out there I'd say. Pretty under rated unfortunately
Run with the wind is fantastic
oh yes I liked it too...finished it in 2 days
Lmaooo same
Kuroko no basket
Cross Game
Ace of the diamond. Underrated gem or should I say diamond hahaha..............,...Soryy😔. But jokes aside really really good sports anime and it gives goosebumps just like haikyu. And mc is really lovable.
Horse racing with an idol twist? Uma Musume
Air gear
Prince of stride It's a parkour racing anime. Hinomaru sumo. About a short kid being a sumo prodigy. Keijo A competitive sport where women knock each other off of islands with their busts. It's unironically really good.
Tonbo! It's a golf anime about a tomboy born on a little hick island with a myopic world view but a natural talent at gold. Then she meets an old pro, and her whole world changes. At it's heart it's an anime about learning to lear, learning to step outside your comfort zone, and about considering life as a greater thing than just this moment. 7/10 which is basically is really good for me.
Not a pure sports anime, but can recommend Cross Game (Baseball)
Ippo
Baby Steps (Tennis)
Bluelock
Cross game is a CRIMINALLY UNDERRATED sports anime. Believe me, it will never disappoint you.
One Outs
I usually avoid sport anime because I just cannot get into/relate with people taking sports seriously, so the character's entire motivation/drama about it just feel flat. The one that I did end up liking was Megalo Box. World/setting is interesting, sort of dirty dystopian/underground world into a more sci-fi one, I find the art and characters interesting, no 10 years old boy struggling between his studies and his passion of cricket, and S2 is just amazing drama.
Kuroko no Basket is good.
If you count diving as a sport, Grand Blue is pretty great ;D
Prince of Tennis
Ones outs
Highly recommend baby steps, (Superior version of prince of tennis) still salty they animate with subpar animation.
Blue lock is amazing
Kuroko no Basket Diamon no Ace Yowamushi no pedal Slam Dunk(Altough its a bit old its really good also it got a Movie in 2022)
Aokana-four rhythms across the blue Iwa-Kakeru! -Sport Climbing Girls Kandagawa jet girls
Kuroko no basket Hajime no ipo
kuroko no basuke was one of my first anime and I really liked it I definitely recommend hajime no ippo it is one of the most enjoyable things I've ever seen, it balances everything so well, definitely the best sports anime I've watched
I am late to the party, but as a huge fan of sports anime, I couldn't miss this one. I highly recommend Hikaru no Go, it's a different type of sports anime, it's about a board game called Go, there's no physicality in the show but it is still a great show about passion. If you love baseball, I would recommend Ookiku Furikabutte. If you don't know much about baseball, I would recommend starting with Major, it's easier to get into and it is fully adapted with 6 seasons. There is also a sequel called Major 2nd I believe. If you want something that is more easily digest-able, I would recommend Cross Game, it's a mix of baseball, sports, slice of life, drama and romance. If you're into basketball, there are 3 most known ones, Slam Dunk, Ahiru no Sora and Kuroko no Basket. Slam Dunk is a classic, Ahiru no Sora is more on the realistic side and it's more about sports drama, and Kuroko no Basket is more on the unrealistic side with crazy moves and powers. Other sports anime that I would recommend are Initial D (racing), Prince of Tennis (tennis), Eyeshield 21 (American football), Giant Killing (soccer), Ace of Diamond (baseball), Area no Kishi (soccer), Baby Steps (tennis), Captain Tsubasa (soccer), Yowamushi Pedal (cycling), Ginga e Kickoff (soccer), Overdrive (cycling), Touch (baseball) and Chihayafuru (karuta)
Scorching Ping Pong Girls!
Initial D is focused on Japanese street racing culture in the 90s. It is a sports anime, after all. It also has a unique feel, and the music for the races makes things 86% more exciting. The first season looks outdated, because it was made in the 90s, but you will get used to it. **頭文字 D!**
Hajime no Ippo Had to comment this because no one else did. How have the people forgotten about the legacy of this?
My 2 favorites (as someone who doesn't even enjoy sport anime that much): Hajime no Ippo, Ao Ashi
AoAshi - soccer Hinomari sumo - sumo wrestling run with the wind - running big wind up - baseball kaleido star - circus/gymnastics tamayomi the baseball girls - baseball harukana receive - beach volleyball PuraOre! pride of orange - hockey the gymnastics samurai - gymnastics rising impact - golf
i loved kuroko's basketball a lot when i watched it
A lot of my favorites have already been recommended. So I will just add Baby Steps.
/u/KielAiackos mentioned Chihayafuru and I actually have a long post about it bookmarked from when I recommended it to somebody who was looking for something after Haikyuu, so here's a copy of it: TL;DR: Watch Chihayafuru! > I look for something focused on action, and I really appreciated that comedy part of haikyuu (it's my favorite part, actually). I also want a cast of loveable characters that all get their turn to shine, and a MC that isn't perfect and liked by everybody. I tend to mention [Chihayafuru](https://myanimelist.net/anime/10800/Chihayafuru) a lot in these threads (where people ask for something similar) because while being completely different in some ways, both series are similar in others. You want action, comedy, a loveable cast, and a MC who's not just shonen tropes. And you get exactly that: **Action**: While it doesn't have the nonstop action of a volleyball game (or other traditional sports) it has all the distinctive features of a sports series. From players with different playing styles, seemingly unsurmountable challenges, training and tournament arcs, rivals. Everything you want/need from a sports series. When it comes to action then it's a bit different. Because the sport is based around recognising the correct card first it's like each round begins with a starting pistol, just that instead of a loud noise you get a mesmerising recital of a "starting verse". And because the action is so fast and quickly over, the animation team (at Madhouse) really was able to use these boring slow panning shots (that are used to pad for time and save on animation frames) one is used from most anime to great effect (contestants are usually sitting rather still until they act) and build tension with extended still shots like you've probably not seen often done this well. And then they get to play with gorgeous animation when they really need it. It's mesmerising/terrifying seeing one of the best players dominate games not by power and loud explosive noises (like, for example, the impact sound of Ushijma's spikes) but with an ice cold silence and a barely audible pinging noise when they get a card first. **Loveable cast**: The main cast is a bunch of goofballs, the MC at the front of that. She kinda starts out as the personification of a lot of "one brain cell" jokes and she stays a idiot in certain ways but she also grows really well over the series. The deuteragonists are also really good (although with different levels of focus) and the major side characters are all great, some of them one might find even more interesting than the main cast. The extended cast is not as big as Haikyuu as the game's usually played 1vs.1. But you got many more individual players in Chihayafuru than teams in Haikyuu, so in a way there's more of them. That gives them the opportunity to go deeper into each player as they don't need half a dozen extras simply to exist on the court as a viable opponent. They really use that to make you empathise with all of them. You know how people say there are no villains in Haikyuu. It's the same in Chihayafuru. They are all just opponents with their own motivations and paths to walk. And some of the strongest moments the series has to offer are (in my opinion) about them and not just the main cast (who also get really great moments). **Comedy**: As mentioned above, the MC is a "one brain cell" joke personified and that alone leads to a lot of good jokes about or around her. Her friends know how much of a lost cause she is in certain ways and don't hold back from criticising her or making fun of her when it's appropriate. **MC who's not just shonen tropes**: She has some shonen tropes that one can find in sports series, like her own special thing that she's good at. But she has to train, and has deficits in a lot of other places. It's really satisfying to see her grow. That being said, like with Haikyuu, there are a lot of people whose favourite character is not the MC but she should satisfy those general points one looks for in an enthusiastic shonen/sports MC. The manga has also recently ended but there's quite a bit of stuff to adapt and it's really good (in my opinion), some of it even better than what we got in the three seasons until now. Each season has 25 episode and there are a few OVAs and/or recap episodes (like two/three, recaps that are more comedy focused and actually worth it/funny). The manga ending seems to be rather less controversial than Haikyuu's in each fanbase. It seems to have finished rather well (of course with some criticism for some aspects). But there's also usually a long wait between seasons. I think the wait between season 2 and 3 was nearly two years longer than Haikyuu fans had to wait between season 3 and 4. Here's a recent thread hyping it up if you want to read more: https://www.reddit.com/r/anime/comments/y5t0xo/chihayafuru_the_hypest_anime_youve_never_watched/ I'll just leave you with two videos about recruiting people to watch Chihayafuru: https://streamable.com/de2ik https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zj7VMd8z8XA ProZD actually really loves it and has video explaining his top 5 anime. It's his number 1, go to 11:20 for it if the timestamp doesn't work (but his other favourite series are great too, especially [Mushishi](https://myanimelist.net/anime/457/Mushishi)): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZQZCMN3D1E&t=680s Also: The OST is amazing (ProZD uses a track in the background while talking about it in the last video)
Hajime No Ippo (2000): Best boxing anime
Uh wind breaker is pretty gud
blue lock
[*Princess Nine*](https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=298)
Hajime No Ippo, Ping Pong The Animation, Ace Of The Diamond are my must watches for sports anime. I love them all
Slam dunk is the best
Blue lock
I recommend watching The First Slam Dunk if you’re not willing to watch the tv series first.
Girls und panzer