There is no end to people’s fascination with sports and sportsperson. Enhancing this fascination with brilliant visuals and animations, here are the best Sports Anime of all time. With its ability to energize, inspire and entertain, anime has become popular around the world. Though the anime list is too large to cover, we shortlisted the best sports anime that are so impressive that you won’t wish to take your eyes off.
For most of these best sports anime series, we have mentioned their sports/genre, total episodes, and everything to plan your wishlist efficiently.
1. Ping Pong: The Animation
It is quite rare to see anime series based on table tennis as their central theme, but Ping Pong: The Animation does this. One of the best sports anime series features different animations and engaging stories with impressive visuals. The story revolves around Makoto “Smile” Tsukimoto and Yutaka “Peco” Hoshino, who are childhood friends and share the same love of table tennis. It is a story for inspiration, hard work, and growth.
- Type of Sport: Table Tennis – Ping Long
- Total Episodes: 11
- Average Episode Length: 25 minutes
2. Slam Dunk
While most of the best sports anime series are focused on sumo wrestling and other sports, Slam Dunk is a story of a basketball player. Sakuragi Hanamichi, a student, joins the school basketball team to compete with his classmate, whom every girl crushes on. He ultimately ends up developing a love for this game.
- Type of Sport: Basketball
- Total Episodes: 101
- Average Episode Length: 35 minutes
3. Haikyuu!!
One of the best manga series, Haikyuu’s story takes place in Karasuno High School and strives to be Japan’s number one Volleyball team. The success of this team is on the shoulders of two new joiners Hinata and Tobio. It goes through many challenges to test their skills and friendship. With its second season, Haikyuu took place among the best sports anime in the world.
- Type of Sport: Volleyball
- Total Episodes: 80
- Average Episode Length: 24 minutes
4. Run With The Wind
Decorated with a good cast and engaging storyline, Run With The Wind comes in at 4th among the best Sports Anime Series. The story walks around the former ace runner of Sendai Josei High School and the race between other students in the university. With enthusiasm and passion, Run With The Wind is one of the best Sports anime series in the world.
- Type of Sport: Athletics-Running
- Total Episodes: 80
- Average Episode Length: 24 minutes
5. Hajime No Ippo
A gentle, quiet high school student “Ippo Makunouchi” is frequently bullied by students in his university. One of the best sports anime series, Hajime No Ippo, narrates a story of a brilliant student who chooses to become a boxer to fight back.
- Type of Sport: Boxing
- Total Episodes: 127
- Average Episode Length: 23 minutes
6. Baby Steps
One of the top-hits Japanese manga series, Baby Steps, is an engaging story focused on Eiichirō Maru, a first-year student who thinks he is too weak to fight and decides to join the university’s tennis team. You will surely have an adrenaline rush after watching Baby Steps – one of the best sports anime ever made.
- Type of Sport: Tennis
- Total Episodes: 50
- Average Episode Length: 23 minutes
7. Initial D
If street racing excites you the most, Initial D is one of the best Sports Anime Series for you. Featuring a teenage boy drifting through the streets, Initial D takes a tour around the mountains of Japan in a Toyota AE86 Trueno.
- Type of Sport: Street Racing
- Total Episodes: 83
- Average Episode Length: 24 minutes
8. Eyeshield 21
One of the most ordinary chibi characters, Sena Kobayakawa, escapes from the group of bullies. His exceptional running skills catch the attention of the captain of the school’s American Football team, and he offers him to join. That’s how it turns out to be the best sports anime of all time.
- Type of Sport: American Football
- Total Episodes: 145
- Average Episode Length: 24 minutes
9. Ace Of Diamonds
Starting with a stray pitch that completely misses the batter, Eijun Sawamura loses his final medal in a middle school baseball game. Frustrated by this defeat, he builds a team to aim and win the national baseball tournament. This is undoubtedly one of the best sports anime globally, and you can easily stream this in your language.
- Type of Sport: Baseball
- Total Episodes: 183
- Average Episode Length: 24 minutes
10. Days
If you are a soccer fan, Days is perhaps the best sports anime series ever made. Although it doesn’t have a well-thought character relationship and animation like Haikyuu, this is considered the best soccer anime of all time.
- Type of Sport: Football-Soccer
- Total Episodes: 29
- Average Episode Length: 24 minutes
11. Yowamushi Pedal
Set above all the best sports anime ever released, Yowamushi Pedal is a visual feast. With quality graphics, an impressive storyline, and surrounding audio, Yowamushi Pedal is one of the best sports anime with many bromance moments.
- Type of Sport: Cycling
- Total Episodes: 112
- Average Episode Length: 24 minutes
12. Kuroko’s Basketball
If you’ve always been curious and fascinated by the best sports anime, Kuroko’s Basketball is undoubtedly the most impressive anime series for you. The animation, the characters, the visuals, the story, everything is extremely freaking good. It has the most female fans, and the credit goes to its illustrating visuals and relationship between characters.
- Type of Sport: Basketball
- Total Episodes: 78
- Average Episode Length: 24 minutes
13. Hanebado
When it comes to choosing the best sports anime in the world, Hanebado comes in at #13 as one of the most realistic anime ever made. The last two episodes feature some of the best-animated scenes of all time.
- Type of Sport: Badminton
- Total Episodes: 13
- Average Episode Length: 24 minutes
14. Chihhayafuru
It is rare to watch anime or movies around Karuta, but Chihhayafuru has boosted people’s interest in this competitive sport through impressive visuals.
- Type of Sport: Competitive Karuta
- Total Episodes: 74 + OVA
- Average Episode Length: 24 minutes
15. Yuri On Ice
One of the best Sports anime of all time, Yuri On Ice gained international fame due to its competitive nature. It brings a world tournament and many of the recognized characters from all over the world.
- Type of Sport: Figure Skating
- Total Episodes: 12
- Average Episode Length: 23 minutes
These are the best sports anime that has ever been released, from basketball to traditional Karuta; we’ve got all types of anime here. If we are missing something, please let us know in the comments below.
