10 Best Sports & Fitness Anime Of All Time, Ranked | ScreenRant
From bewitching high school dramas to otherworldy power-fantasies, anime is often a vehicle for some seriously engaging storytelling. Yet, while it doesn't necessarily seem like the most natural fit, some of the most compelling anime series of recent years have been centered on sports and fitness.
Unlike most feature films and live-action TV shows, sports anime may not always be grounded in reality, but, because anime brings a whole new quirky twist to sports, it can often be as entertaining as some of the best sports biopics—if not more so. On that note, from traditional uplifting dramas to genre-bending comedies, the list below has a sports anime for everyone.
10 How Heavy Are The Dumbbells You Lift?
Since How Heavy Are The Dumbbells You Lift is an ecchi anime that thrives on fan service and "bro-science" humor, it may not befit everyone's taste. But, for anyone who has been in the pursuit of bodybuilding or regular fitness, the comedic stylings of this one are enough to entertain. The central character of the series is gluttonous high schooler Hibiki Sakura. When her expanding waistline begins to concern her, she decides to turn her life around and joins a gym. But, at every step, she must conquer insurmountable and often hilarious odds to stick to her fitness journey.
9 Prince Of Tennis
Premiering way back in the mid-aughts, Prince of Tennis drifts away from the typical sports anime narrative. Instead of focusing on an underdog character, it tells the story of a star player, Ryouma Echizen. The young boy joins the Seishun Gakuen Junior High School after moving to Japan from the West.
With his presence, the team becomes a force to be reckoned with. However, despite being a great player, Ryouma wishes to become the finest tennis player in Japan and create his own legacy instead of living under his father's shadow.
8 Chihayafuru
Spanning over several seasons and OVAs, Chihayafuru has an intriguing card game called karuta at its fore. Both physically and mentally demanding, the game draws its inspiration from the classic Japanese anthology of Hundred Poets. The main protagonist of the series, Chihaya, first comes across this game when she meets transfer student Arata Wataya.
It's this fateful encounter that changes her life for the better and introduces her to the fascinating world of competitive karuta. Adapted from an eponymous manga, the storyline of Chihayafuru is replete with well-developed characters and plot points. Madhouse Studio's stellar work with the show's animation is a bonus that makes it all-the-more enjoyable.
7 Run The Wind
Unlike most anime that are adapted from manga, Run with the Wind is a novel adaptation. As its title suggests, the show is about competitive running. But, along with the generic narrative surrounding the progress of its main characters in their sport, it also delves deep into the mental catharsis of its protagonist, Haiji.
Despite having a high school team full of novice runners, Haiji sets his eyes on the ridiculously hard university marathon relay races in Japan. Winning aside, to even be able to compete against Japan's best runners, the team will have to surpass many hurdles along the way.
6 Kuroko’s Basketball
The quick-paced quarters, the dramatic time-outs, the high-intensity action. The sport of basketball has all the right ingredients to make up a taut and enticing anime series. That explains why so many shows use the sport as a narrative device.
While Kuroko’s Basketball does the same, it adds a layer of fantasticism to the sport. There's a whole lot of unrealistic dunking, passing, and martial arts-centric action. Viewers looking for strategic gameplay and lessons on real-life basketball may not get much out of this, but, for fans of shounen anime, this one perfectly fits the bill.
5 Free! Iwatobi Swim Club
Some viewers might scoff at Free!'s reverse fan service approach, but there's a lot more to the anime than that. For starters, it has well-written characters, all of whom get relatively balanced development throughout its runtime.
Secondly, despite having a fairly predictable premise, Free! keeps viewers intrigued with its high-octane swimming competitions and rivalries. Not to mention, since KyoAni is behind the anime's production, both the style and quality of its animation are no short of being wonderful.
4 Haikyuu
Haikyuu is among the most popular anime of our time, and it has rightfully acquired that place. While its central premise rests on the volleyball adventures—and misadventures—of a pint-sized protagonist named Hinata, the anime intricately explores the backstories of all of its characters and never leaves a dull moment.
Its on-court volleyball action is exciting enough to keep most viewers glued to it. But, more than that, it's the characters of this anime that help it rise above other generic sports anime that are aimlessly floating around these days.
3 Yuri!!! On Ice
Figure skating in itself is a beautiful sport, so, if for no other reason, one can always skim through the gorgeous ice-skating routines of Yuri!!! On Ice. However, when it comes to its plot, it's hard not to get captivated by its subtle and scintillating romantic developments.
Created by MAPPA Studio, Yuri!!! On Ice focuses on Yuuri Katsuki, a once-renowned figure skating who struggles to hold on to the sport after losing his peak form. But, with a twist of fate, one of his previous performances goes viral, and five-time world champion Victor Nikiforov shows up at his door to mentor him. His journey back to the world stage may not be easy, but, with Victor's support, he might just make it.
2 Slam Dunk
Slam Dunk is a classic. When it first premiered, it had a massive nation-wide cultural impact on Japan and played a key role in popularizing basketball. What makes Slam Dunk such an epic anime is how it seamlessly drifts back and forth between its sports-centric action and the day-to-day highschool hijinks of its characters.
Along with that, it also heavily focuses on the technicalities of the sport and throws in several lessons here and there for aspiring basketball players. Its animation style might seem a bit dated today, but all of the other elements easily make up for that.
1 Hajime No Ippo
This one is like the Rocky Balboa of anime. Even though it follows a typical fight-of-the-week format throughout its runtime, the boxing journey of its main character, Ippo, is extremely awe-inspiring. Another aspect of Hajime no Ippo that makes it stand out is the predictability of its boxing matches. No matter how hard a viewer tries to foresee the outcomes of its bouts, the anime always surprises with its outcomes; akin to how boxing is in real life.
So, for anyone who's looking for some inspiration to start working out or just turn their lives around, Ippo's road from being bullied to becoming a boxing pro deserves a shot.
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