Sports anime has definitely come a long way from the days of Captain Tsubasa, Slam Dunk, and Samurai Giants. These shows captured the beauty of their games back in the 70s-90s but now we have newer shows like Days, Ace of Diamond, and Haikyu!! Never before have sports anime felt so brutal and lifelike with these shows proving that anime can truly make you sweat even if you’re not on the field with your teammates. You might still feel a bit down but watching Shouyou spike a volleyball and make a truly great save will send shivers down your spin like you’re doing it yourself.

The sad truth is that with this perilous disease running around still, playing sports can be a risk like no other. That’s why we need more contact sport anime like Eyeshield 21 where we can feel the brutal hits of American Football but avoid the brutal chance of getting that terrifying disease or endangering the athletes. We don’t mind watching players battle it out on the gridiron from the safety of our monitors. Plus, we don’t have to worry about injuries which is also a good thing!

Fans of various sports like baseball and soccer—Football in other countries—love to examine teams and their chances to win on the regular. There’s nothing better than dissecting a team and analyzing player stats to determine a team’s chance at winning/losing. While games can be always spontaneous and sometimes based on luck, games can still come down to numbers. In sports anime, this is a bit of a harder task to accomplish. That being said, it creates an even more exciting situation as you watch two teams clash with literally no idea who will win! Occasionally, you can predict a victory based on an anime’s adherence to plot but there are many times where shows like Ookiku Furikabutte (Big Windup) surprised us when a team won.

Sadly, for some viewers, being a sports fan is the only way they can enjoy a sport. Maybe an injury stopped someone from playing and now they are forced to vicariously live through a character like Shouyou or Tsukushi Tsukamoto. Nevertheless, sports anime can give fans who are unable to play the chance at doing so in their mind. You can pretend you’re charging in for the goal or scream like you’re watching your best friend make a game-winning move! Real sports can do this as well but with anime sports, the feeling is just so much cooler! Don’t you wish you could pull off some of the shots characters do in Kuroko no Basket?

For Soccer and American Football Fans
Captain Tsubasa
Eyeshield 22
Days

For MMA and Wrestling Fans
Levius
BAKI

For Baseball Fans
Ace of Diamond
Ookiku Furikabutte (Big Windup)

For Basketball Fans
Kuroko no Basket (Kuroko’s Basketball)
Slam Dunk

For Cycling Fans
Yowamushi Pedal

For Volleyball Fans
Haikyuu!!