From the drawings to the script, every detail can go absurd at any given moment. But hey, we love it.
Japanese animation is funny, action-packed, and full of interesting storylines. Now, inject sports into it, and it makes the anime twice as awesome. No wonder some of the most beloved animated series in the Philippines are adaptations of several sports-themed manga.
With that, here’s our list of top 5 sports anime, based on humor, characters, sporting references, and action sequences.
Honorable mention: Kuroko’s Basketball
Tetsuya Kuroko, Taiga Kagami, and the Generation of Miracles built a significant following. But being a basketball anime, they’ve got such a tough act to follow. There’s just a wall that’s keeping them from cracking the top five.
5. Yowamushi Pedal
Sakamichi Onoda is an unassuming nerdy teen who apparently has a hidden talent for cycling. Now go ahead and check that box beside “likeable underdog lead.” Student-athletes of Sohoku High Bicycle Racing Club and their rivals will also blow you away by their ridiculous strength when on the saddle.
You can learn many riding techniques from them as well, which will make you want to put a helmet on and do some pedaling.
4. Baki the Grappler
The Baki series is clearly MMA inspired. We say it’s a sports anime, deal with it.
Each fighter introduced has a distinct style, which makes combat sports fans giddy like KathNiel supporters. It may be too violent at times, but it has a mystique that’ll pull you in despite the brutality. Peep the supporting character named Gouki Shibukawa, a short and slender old guy who destroys huge, muscle-bound martial artists using his submission expertise.
3. Haikyu!!
Shoyo Hinata is an undersized middle blocker with an insane leaping ability. His partner Tobio Kageyama is a genius setter who can execute a perfect toss from anywhere on the court. How they bonded together, along with their Karasuno High teammates, is one of this anime’s main attractions.
"Haikyu!!" would’ve taken the top spot if not for the phenomenal popularity of the next two items.
2. Hajime no Ippo
Ippo Makunouchi is probably the most popular anime character in the country after Hanamichi Sakuragi. That’s says a lot. However, his friend and mentor, the unbeatable Mamoru Takamura might actually be the show’s MVP. While its comedy didn’t age well, "Hajime no Ippo" did a great job sharing boxing techniques, and giving history lessons on the sweet science.
Most importantly, they’ve got that reinvigorating theme song playing whenever the protagonist is about to knock somebody out. It makes you feel like you can conquer anything including a sink full of dishes.
1. Slam Dunk
Its perfect cast, led by the members of the Shohoku basketball squad are embedded in Philippine pop culture. The show’s funniest bits were memorized by countless Filipino hoop fans, and just as many teams in barangay leagues across the land were named after the fictional schools from the Kanagawa Prefecture.
The magic behind Takehiko Inoue’s masterpiece is having an ensemble that’s even better than the Avengers. Robert Downey Jr. and his MCU pals ain’t got nothing on Sakuragi and his "Slam Dunk" crew.
Eyeshield 21, The Prince of Tennis, and Speed Racer all have their own arguments to make the top five. But hey, we can’t please everybody. We’ve got a solid list and we’re sticking by it. Feel free, however, to make a case for the ones that were left out.