Sports anime makes a volleyball spike feel more dramatic than most final boss battles. *Haikyuu!!* set a new bar with its hype animation, love for even minor characters, and genuine respect for the actual sport. You don't need to care about the sport at all -- it's usually about teamwork and obsession more than rules and stats.
Prefer anime? Best Sports anime
Hanamichi Sakuragi, a tall, boisterous teenager with flame-red hair and physical strength beyond his years, is eager to put an end to his rejection streak of 50 and finally score a girlfriend as he begins his first year of Shohoku High. However, his reputation for delinquency...
Tomomi Nomiya, former captain of his high school's basketball team turned delinquent, decides to drop out of school after he is crushed by the guilt of ruining a young girl's life in a traffic accident. As he dedicates his free time to helping her, he stumbles upon Kiyoharu...
Uma Musume Cinderella Gray is a spin-off title of the Uma Musume project by Cygames. It follows Oguri Cap through her time at Kasamatsu Training Center Academy and on her journey of becoming a legendary horse girl. (Source: MU)
Joe Yabuki has learned how to toughen up and stop trusting others after a troubling youth spent bouncing between orphanages and fending off bullies. After finally escaping the cycle of violent temporary homes, Joe adopts a delinquent lifestyle in the streets of San'ya, a slum in...
The whistle blows. The ball is up. A dig. A set. A spike. Volleyball. A sport where two teams face off, separated by a formidable, wall-like net. The "Little Giant," standing at only 170 centimeters, overcomes the towering net and the wall of blockers. The awe-inspired Shouyou...
Through pain and arduous effort, one can reach the top of the world. Standing where no man has ever set foot before, there is an exhilarating feeling of success. This is what Mori Buntarou trains, works, and lives for. His climb to the top starts when he transfers to a new high...
Becoming an ice dancer was not what Tsukasa Akeuraji had aimed for when he decided to take on the figure skating world. However, it is where he ended up, as he "started too late" to follow his true solo-skating dreams. For years, he was content with being a shell of his former...
Makunouchi Ippo is a 16-year-old high school student who helps his mother run the family business. His hefty workload impedes his social life, making him an easy target for bullies. One day, while being beaten up by a group of high school students, Ippo is saved by a boxer named...
To the world stage! Glory and ambition lie ahead of young Ashito Aoi as he takes the first steps to becoming a pro soccer player. But after being catapulted into a new harsh environment, can he hold onto his spider's thread and climb his way to the top? A fateful encounter on...
I want to pitch to that mitt, just one more time... When Eijun Sawamura was just fifteen, he met someone who changed the course of his life forever—the catcher Kazuya Miyuki. Now, he's said goodbye to family and friends to travel to Seido High, where he can test his baseball...
Burdened with expectations since childhood, second-year high schooler Jo "Jay" Ja-Hyun feels obligated to aim for the top through his studies. Despite obtaining the title of student president at Taeyang High, he continues to study diligently, giving him little time to befriend...
Makoto Tsukimoto (nicknamed Smile) is a quiet high schooler who's been friends with the loud and energetic Yutaka Hoshino (nicknamed Peco) since childhood. They're both in the local table tennis club and both have a natural talent for it, although Smile's personality always...
Toua Tokuchi, a master of gambling and mind games, holds the remarkable record of 499 wins and zero losses in "One Outs," a simplified form of baseball that consists of only a batter and a pitcher. Visiting Okinawa, Tokuchi's hometown, is Hiromichi Kojima, the star batter of the...
Having suffered ruthless bullying for the better part of his life, 17-year-old Yu has become emotionally numb and dissociated from reality, no longer able to act like a normal human being. Although he possesses the exceptional talent to dodge punches, Yu prefers to let his...
Kou Kitamura is a fifth grader whose family runs a sporting goods store. One of the regular customers of his family's store is the Tsukishima Batting Center, and so he gets to know the four daughters of the Tsukishima family (Ichiyo, Wakaba, Aoba, and Momiji) very well. Since...
Timid, diminutive, and frequently the target of bullies, Sena Kobayakawa has just enrolled at Deimon Private High School. When he angers a group of delinquents by refusing to act as their errand boy, he makes an incredibly speedy getaway, an ability he has developed through...
After reflecting on the current state of Japanese soccer, the Japanese Football Association decides to hire the enigmatic and eccentric coach Jinpachi Ego to achieve their dream of winning the World Cup. Believing that Japan has lacked an egoistic striker hungry for goals,...
With no particular dreams or plans for the future, third-year middle schooler Tatara Fujita yearns to find something that he can pursue wholeheartedly. Initially often bullied and extorted for his lack of confidence, Tatara's life changes when he is saved from delinquents by a...
Touch is a shounen story about two twin brothers, a pretty girl next door, and that good old pastime of baseball. The manga was written by one of the most well known manga-ka out there, Adachi Mitsuru in the early 80's (1981-1986). He's a wonderful writer who tends to write...
Taiki Inomata, a third-year student in junior high, attends Eimei Academy, an integrated school with a major sports program. Having joined the high school badminton team, Taiki tries to attend open practice as early as possible. But no matter how early he goes, he always arrives...
In 1924, mountaineers George Mallory and Andrew Irvine attempted a daring challenge: to be the first to scale Mount Everest. However, they disappeared during the final stages of their trek, leading to one of mountaineering's greatest mysteries—did the pair ever make it to the...
Professor Kawato is the new Japanese teacher in the ill-famed Futagotamaga high shool, whose baseball club is composed by thugs and bullies who have been suspended for a year from all school competitions for causing a brawl during an official match. Now that the suspension is...
Middle school student Eijun Sawamura has just lost his final baseball game after pitching a unique fastball that cost Akagi Middle School their chance to reach the nationals. As the baseball team captain, he feels responsible for their enormous loss and vows to take his friends...
Hiro has two loves: baseball and porn. But due to an elbow injury he gives up baseball choosing a school with no baseball team. His childhood friend Hikari attends a different school with baseball ace Hideo and the two wish Hiro had not given up baseball. Hiro joins the soccer...
Ren Mihashi is a pitcher who refuses to leave the mound, for better or worse. His middle school team hated him for it, blaming him for their continuous losses and chalking up his starter position to favoritism. In the end, Mihashi ran away to a different high school, convinced...
Slam Dunk holds the #1 spot right now with a 9.09 on MAL. Hanamichi Sakuragi, a tall, boisterous teenager with flame-red hair and physical strength beyond his years, is eager to put an end to his rejection streak of 50 and finally score a girlfriend as he begins his first year of Shohoku High.
MyAnimePulse tracks over 1,402 sports manga. This list pulls the 25 highest-rated ones — from finished classics to ongoing series.
New to sports manga? Slam Dunk, Real, and Uma Musume Cinderella Gray are the easiest recommendations. All three are highly rated and accessible for first-time readers.
