Recommended Sports and sports-adjacent animes
Anime
Most expected sports animes won't appear. Purely subjective, duh.
And yes, the three first animes are adapted from the same magazine.
And yes, the three first animes are adapted from the same magazine.
TV, 2022,
24 eps
Me:-
Author:6
Mixes survival game tropes with football/soccer. Probably best to ignore the telling and showing dissonance.
Female honey-trap approved. Papa KnB is proud.
Female honey-trap approved. Papa KnB is proud.
TV, 2013,
75 eps
Me:-
Author:10
Episodes-long matches keeping you on the edge of your seat. Large well-developed cast.
Avoid at all cost if you're after power fantasies.
Avoid at all cost if you're after power fantasies.
TV, 2019,
50 eps
Me:-
Author:10
Utilizes its female cast in more diverse ways than the majority of male-oriented sports anime.
Also fluffy thugs. Somehow. I've heard Slam Dunk is calling.
Also fluffy thugs. Somehow. I've heard Slam Dunk is calling.
TV, 2012,
25 eps
Me:-
Author:8
When the anime industry realized how to honey-trap female viewers in male-oriented sports animes. Probably.
Not even the shounen Prince of Tennis and its myriad of female-oriented dating sim games were able to.
Not even the shounen Prince of Tennis and its myriad of female-oriented dating sim games were able to.
TV, 2014,
11 eps
Me:-
Author:8
Good animation doesn't equal pretty animation.
TV, 2016,
11 eps
Me:-
Author:8
Baseball is only the setting for this slice-of-life, angsty, story.
TV, 2013,
12 eps
Me:-
Author:7
Did you say fanservice ?
Papa fanservice-shoujo-sports-animes is here.
Papa fanservice-shoujo-sports-animes is here.
TV, 2020,
11 eps
Me:-
Author:8
Can someone past his physical peak still be a good athlete ?
TV, 1978,
25 eps
Me:-
Author:-
A classic in Japan that is often ignored/unknown by the Western audience. Still is regularly voted among the 100 best animes of all time in Japan.
(to be fair, many animes/mangas considered "classics" in Japan aren't considered as such in the West)
Behind many tropes in sports animes for either the male or female audience. Could be erroneously perceived as cliché in consequence.
Also behind many yuri tropes. Probably is one of the influences behind the presence of yaoi tropes in modern sports animes, male or female, after the boom of KnB and Free.
Mama is proud of how far everybody has come.
Avoid if 70ties animation is hard to swallow.
(to be fair, many animes/mangas considered "classics" in Japan aren't considered as such in the West)
Behind many tropes in sports animes for either the male or female audience. Could be erroneously perceived as cliché in consequence.
Also behind many yuri tropes. Probably is one of the influences behind the presence of yaoi tropes in modern sports animes, male or female, after the boom of KnB and Free.
Mama is proud of how far everybody has come.
Avoid if 70ties animation is hard to swallow.
TV, 1998,
26 eps
Me:-
Author:7
Probably the most obviously inspired by Ace wo Nerae from the list.
TV, 2013,
38 eps
Me:-
Author:8
Racers' "abilities" are so absurd, give it a try if you want a good laugh.
TV, 2020,
12 eps
Me:-
Author:6
Baits you for fanservice, but is just a regular sports anime with female characters. All the tropes you'll find in sports anime with male characters are featured here. A good self-evaluation anime.
TV, 2022,
24 eps
Me:-
Author:8
Modern show without ugly 3D. Would recommend if you're interested in a show where the protagonist has a defending position.