Sports anime vary in plot, character type, and of course the sport being played, but one thing they all have in common is incredible athletes. Of the 33 sports taking place at the Tokyo Summer Olympics, these ten feature in some of the most popular sports anime, and their respective shows bring characters who excel in both fitness and fortitude.
These characters already have awards to their names, and many of them become pro-level in canon. Whether they were a young prodigy who only got better with time, or a fresh starter who became skilled through hard work, these talented athletes could take on competitors in the Summer Olympics and hold their own.
Warning: this article contains spoilers.
10 Haruka Nanase Would Make Waves In The Pool (Free!)
Haru’s affinity for swimming was evident from even his youngest days in Free! He’s been a prodigy since childhood and has been winning relays with his teams since elementary school. There is no swimming event that Haru wouldn’t be able to excel in – bringing along Makoto, Nagisa, and Rei for a team relay, or going at an individual medley on his own. However, as the title of the show suggests, his best event has always been freestyle, and it’s here in different race lengths where Haru could take home a gold medal, if not multiple.
9 Kakeru Kurahara Leaves Other Runners In His Dust (Run With The Wind)
In high school, Kakeru was his track team’s fastest runner and slated to be an extraordinary athlete as he grew older. Though he renounced competitive running after an incident with his coach, he ends up joining Kansei University’s running team thanks to Haiji Kiyose’s persuasion. The rest of his new team soon find out that Kakeru lives up to his previous name as one of Japan’s most promising.
Throughout Run with the Wind as the team trains for the Hakone Ekiden, one of the most notable university-level races in Japan, Kakeru goes up against Japan’s best and matches their stride. Though he’s best in long distance (each leg of the Hakone Ekiden is around 20 kilometers) he’s shown to produce huge bursts of speed that have placed him at the top of multiple races. Kakeru has the ability and stamina to earn a medal in the Olympics’ longest track event, the 10,000 meter.
8 Hayato Shinkai Is The Fastest Cycling Sprinter (Yowamushi Pedal)
Hayato is the fastest sprinter in Yowamushi Pedal’s Inter-High race. Though his athleticism and hunger for the win are high, he still has good sense of his races, and he knows how to pace himself. But when a little more speed is needed, Hayato has intense explosive power that turns him into what other cyclists call the “Straight Line Demon”. He seems to become preternaturally fast, and his power makes his competitors literally tremble. As part of a skilled cycling team, Hayato could be the finisher who brings his teammates the gold.
7 Miya Chinen Is A Skate Tech Prodigy (Sk8 The Infinity)
The recent sports anime hit Sk8 the Infinity represented the cool, fun attitude of skating culture and inspired many to pick up a board of their own. As the youngest skater featured, Miya Chinen is already a prodigy and a candidate for the Japanese national skateboarding team at only 12 years old.
Miya is first shown performing his intricate tech style consisting of complex, flat-ground, freestyle tricks. He can maneuver his board at a professional level, and his style made him well-known among other skaters. It’s also clear from his participation in “S” that Miya can take on experienced adult skaters and do plenty more than just stationary tricks. Given his prowess and recognition by the pro skating world, it’s safe to say that Miya could go up against any competitor in either street or park Olympic events and excel.
6 Diving Runs In Youichi Fujitani’s Blood (Dive!!)
Youichi is one of the main characters in Dive!! and the son of two prominent Japanese divers, one of whom was an Olympian. He was the diving champion for all three of his middle school years and one of Japan’s most promising high school divers as he began his first year at Sakuragi High. Now, in his second year, he’s one of coach Kayoko Asaki’s top picks for becoming an Olympian. With his already flawless form and professional mindset, Youichi could enter the men’s individual platform diving event and score big.
5 Daiki Aomine Is A Miraculous Basketball Ace (Kuroko No Basket)
Back in Teiko Junior High, Kuroko no Basket’s “monster” Daiki was the ace of the Generation of Miracles: a team of five players with phenomenal skills. Currently, he plays for Tōō Academy – which boasts some of the best players in the nation – as the ace and power forward. Daiki’s physical abilities, techniques, and mental strength are pro-level, and when he’s in his Zone, he becomes essentially unstoppable. As a player who can make pinpoint baskets from anywhere on the court, Hayato would be a huge asset to any Olympic team.
4 Konomi Kasahara’s Climbing Reaches New Heights (Iwa Kakeru!: Sport Climbing Girls)
Konomi is the protagonist of Iwa Kakeru!, one of the best sports anime with an all-female cast. Before she was a climber, Konomi was a puzzle-game lover with exceptional analytical skills. In Olympic lead climbing, the climb isn’t shown to the participants until soon before their event, but this would be no issue for Konomi.
Konomi can analyze multiple routes immediately and choose which is best, making her an incredible on-sight climber. Since lead climbing has no time limit, Konomi could analyze as much as necessary, then make a steady climb with the least amount of holds – the best way to the win.
3 Tennis Is All Ryoma Echizen Knows (Prince Of Tennis)
Ryoma had already won four American Junior Tennis tournaments in a row back in middle school. He’s a prodigy who pushes himself to be the top singles tennis player, and over the course of Prince of Tennis, he develops his own playing style and levels up his skill at crucial moments during matches.
In the manga, Ryoma leads his team to Nationals. In the anime, he eventually attends the U.S. Open and beats Lleyton Hewitt, a real Australian pro player and the former No. 1 in the world. Given that Ryoma can best the world’s top tennis player, it’s safe to say that he could win gold at the Olympics as well.
2 Masaki Takigawa Has Shot Well Over 10,000 Arrows (Tsurune)
Known as Masa-san to his kyudo students in Tsurune, Masaki has been shooting arrows since the age of three. During a break in his relationship with his grandfather, his kyudo master, Masa stopped kyudo for some time after he got hayake, a condition in kyudo where the arrow is released before the shooter’s will.
When his grandfather passed while he was away, he decided to shoot 10,000 arrows to reconcile. Currently, Masa holds a godan ranking in kyudo, and while this isn’t the highest possible, it is only awarded for high refinement in kyudo techniques and forms. Whether he could win gold in Olympic archery events would be up to his strength of will, but he could without a doubt take on some of the world’s top competitors.
1 Shoyo Hinata Makes The Olympic Volleyball Team (Haikyuu!!)
Haikyuu!! is considered one of the best sports anime, in part due to its diverse and talented cast of characters. But unlike some of the previously mentioned characters, protagonist Shoyo Hinata was no prodigy. All Hinata starts out with is his exceptional jump height and no volleyball skill otherwise.
Over time, Hinata learns the game and develops a “freak quick attack” with rival and teammate Tobio Kageyama, which allowed his team to take on the top high schools in the country. Following graduation, Hinata goes abroad to spend time as a beach player in Brazil before joining the MSBY Black Jackals back in Japan.
The end of the Haikyuu!! manga sees Hinata as a member of Japan’s national volleyball team, along with all of his biggest rivals and closest friends throughout the series. Hinata’s prowess needs no explanation – it’s canon that he would excel in the Olympic Games.