Sports anime seem to be a reoccurring genre throughout the anime season. In the current fall 2019 season, popular basketball anime Ahiru no Sora is airing. Whether its basketball, baseball, or even the rare football anime, sports fan have something to look forward to each season.
This list looks at the best sports anime of the decade, going all the way back to the winter 2010 season. Anime that started airing prior and continued into the season will be excluded. The list is organized based on their IMDb ratings. Be sure to check out other sports anime that didn’t make the list.
10 Ace of Diamond - 8.0
Kicking off the list is the baseball anime, Ace of Diamond. Adapted by studios Production I.G and Madhouse, the series was released in the fall 2013 season. The anime follows Eijun Sawamura who wants to reach nationals once he’s in high school.
A scout invites him to play for Seidou High School after seeing him pitch. Eijun accepts but struggles to find his place among the elite players. With the aim to be the best, he competes with Satoru Furuya for a spot on the starting lineup. Ace of Diamond's original season lasted for 75 episodes.
9 Ace of Diamond: Act II - 8.1
Back to back entries on this list, Ace of Diamond: Act II is the third season and a sequel to 2013's Ace of Diamond: Second Season. Adapted solely by studio Madhouse, the anime was released during the spring 2019 season.
The anime is set one year after the fall tournament. Eijun Sawamura still attends Seidou High School and competes against some familiar teams in a new tournament at Koshien. Ace of Diamond: Act II is 52 episodes.
8 Run With The Wind - 8.1
Run With The Wind is an anime about track and field. Adapted by Production I.G studio, the series aired during the Fall 2018 season. The anime follows Kakeru Kurahara, a track runner that started in high school. Now in university, Kakeru uses his speed to get away with shoplifting.
While escaping he runs into Haji Kiyose, a student at his university. He offers Kakeru a place to live at a dormitory for the Kansei University Track Club. Kakeru and Haji work with a group of novice runners to hopefully compete at Hakone Ekiden. Run With The Wind is 23 episodes and aired for one season.
7 Kuroko’s Basketball - 8.3
Along with Slam Dunk, Kuroko’s Basketball is one of the most popular basketball anime out there. Adapted by Production I.G, the series was released during the spring 2012 season. Teikou Junior High School’s basketball team has just three-peated thanks to their starting five, The Generation of Miracles.
Now all on separate teams, they compete as rivals. Kuroko Tetsuya was known as the Phantom Sixth Man on The Generation of Miracles’ team. Now at Seirin High School, he competes to win the Interhigh Championship but must face his old teammates along the way. Kuroko’s Basketball is 75 episodes and aired for three seasons.
6 Captain Tsubasa 2018 - 8.4
The remake of 1983's Captain Tsubasa is about soccer. Adapted by studio David Production, the series was released during the spring 2018 season. The anime follows Tsubasa Oozora, an 11-year-old obsessed with the sport. Tsubasa moves to Nankatsu City to put his skills to the test.
There he meets Sanae Nakazawa and Genzo Wakabayashi, who both share the same passion for soccer. Tsubasa works hard to one day compete at the Fifa World Cup representing Japan. Captain Tsubasa 2018 is 52 episodes and aired for one season.
5 Yuri!!! On Ice - 8.4
Unpopular sport for an anime, Yuri!!! On Ice is about figure skating. Adapted by studio MAPPA, Yuri!!! On Ice won Best Animation, Best Boy, Best Couple, Most Heartwarming Scene, Best Opening, Best Ending, and Anime of the Year at the Crunchyroll Anime Awards in 2017. Released during the fall 2016 season, the anime follows Yuuri Katsuki after losing at the Grand Prix Finale.
When his video performing five-time world champion Victor Nikiforov’s routine goes viral, Victor offers to be Yuuri’s mentor. Yuuri accepts and is determined to go for gold, but will have to compete against Yuri Plisetsky, a Russian skater and rising star. Yuri!!! On Ice is 12 episodes and aired for one season.
4 Ping Pong The Animation - 8.6
Ping Pong The Animation, as you probably guessed, is an anime about table tennis. Adapted by Tatsunoko Production studio, the series was released during the spring 2014 season. The anime follows Makoto Tsukimoto as he deals with the stress of table tennis and life.
Together with his friend Yukata Hoshino, the two practice with one another daily. Makoto doesn’t have great ambitions, but Yukata aims to be the greatest player to touch the game. Ping Pong The Animation is 11 episodes and aired for one season.
3 Haikyuu!! - 8.6
Haikyuu!! is an anime about volleyball. Adapted by Production I.G studio, the series was released during the spring 2014 season. The anime follows Hinata Shouyou, a short player who dreams of making it big in the sport. After Hinata revives the volleyball club at his middle school, they get decimated in their first game.
Hinata makes a rival in Kageyama Tobio but becomes his teammate in high school. Hinata must work with Kageyama to win games while he learns what it means to be a team. Haikyu!! has a fourth season coming during the winter 2020 season.
2 Hajime No Ippo: Rising - 8.7
While the original Hajime no Ippo aired during the fall 2000 season, Rising, the third season in the series makes this list. Studios Madhouse and MAPPA worked on the boxing series, and it was released during the fall 2013 season.
The anime follows Ippo Makunouchi, who is now the Featherweight Champion. Ippo continues to defend his title using his signature Dempsey Roll. However, his opponents think they have figured out his signature move. Rising is 25 episodes and at the moment serves as the series' final season.
1 Initial D: Final Stage - 8.8
Rounding out the list as the greatest sports anime is no other than Initial D: Final Stage. The anime began airing during spring 1998, but it’s Final Stage that makes the list. Released during the spring 2014 season, the series was adapted by studio SynergySP and revolves around car racing. Known for its soundtrack, Final Stage comes down to one last race.
The race pitches Takumi Fujiwara, the greatest racer and protagonist of the series, against a rider with the same car as him, the AE86. Initial D: Final Stage is 4 episodes.