When it comes to team sports, it's not enough to just have one strong player. Even the best athlete in the world can't carry a weak team without making some mistakes, and the best sports teams are usually the ones who can work together and leverage their varied skill sets to attain victory.
Teamwork is a big theme in shonen anime, and it has to be expected that sports anime focus on this particular theme a lot, especially those that center around team sports. Great sports teams in anime are usually those made up of talented players who work together, and they aren't necessarily the protagonist's team. Here are some of the best sports teams in anime.
8 Komadai Fujimaki High – Ace Of Diamond
The Komadai Fujimaki High baseball team is one of the strongest teams in Japan, having won not only the Summer Koshien, but also the Hokkaido Fall Tournament, the Jingu Tournament, and the Spring Koshien. Their rampage through the tournaments is unstoppable, even against Seido High School, the team of protagonist Eijun Sawamura.
Pitcher Hongo Masamune serves as Komadai Fujimaki's ace, forming a battery with the catcher Enjo Renji. Masamune's skill as a pitcher is nearly unparalleled, being able to hit speeds of 150 km/hr or higher. The battery of Masamune and Renji has struck many great batters out before they even realize it.
7 Tokyo Esperion Youth Team – Aoashi
The Tokyo City Esperion FC is a football club with a number of divisions that play in different leagues. The Youth team in particular is further divided into A and B teams, with the A team regularly participating in the U-18 Premier League.
The Youth Team goes through strenuous and difficult training every day, with slacking down and falling behind being punished with a demotion to a lower team. Despite this, even the B-team members can be incredibly skilled, and top players like Haruhisa Kuribayashi, Nagisa Akutsu, and Yoichi Kiriki showcase the A-team's strength.
6 Mizusawa High School – Chihayafuru
Unlike the other teams on this list, Mizusawa High School isn't the most renowned karuta club until protagonist Chihaya Ayase starts the club in her first year. While the team initially hits some roadblocks early on, the team quickly establishes itself as a top-tier karuta school very quickly.
The core of the Mizusawa High School karuta team is the duo of Chihaya Ayase and Taichi Mishima, who carry the team during its initial growing pains. As the team matures, members such as Yusei Nishida and Tsutomu Komano start picking up the slack, and Mizusawa soon solidifies into a strong karuta team.
5 Shiratorizawa Academy – Haikyu!!
Shiratorizawa Academy has had a history of having an incredible volleyball team, featuring a stern training regimen and a mainstay at national tournaments as the Miyagi Prefecture representative. However, with Wakatoshi Ushijima as their ace, the team has never been stronger than it has before now.
The team's main strength lies in Ushijima, their defacto ace, with powerful spikes that can break through even the strongest blocks easily. He is backed up by team members like Eita Semi and Satori Tendo, who may not stand out like him but are solid enough in receiving and setting that he doesn't have to worry about anything other than offense.
4 Kainan High – Slam Dunk
Kainan University Affiliated High School's basketball team is the best basketball team in Kanagawa, having won the Inter-High tournament 17 years in a row. Unlike teams in other series which might rely on special abilities or extremely talented aces to demonstrate their strength, Kainan's strength lies in solid play and teamwork.
Kainan's core is Shinichiro Maki, the de facto leader and captain of the team. Experienced, skilled, and intuitive, Maki is able to control the flow of the game without doing anything more than playing good basketball. In addition, offensive specialists like 3-point sniper Soichiro Jin and agile Kiyota Nobunaga can keep the offense running even when Maki is being heavily guarded. Kainan's balance and teamwork are what led this team to the championship year after year.
3 Shinryuji Naga – Eyeshield 21
The Shinryuji Naga were the strongest American football team in the entire region of Kanagawa, even beating out incredible teams like the Ojo White Knights and the Seibu Wild Gunmen. The team has won the Kanto tournament nine years in a row, making them the team to beat for the various challenging football teams.
The Shinryuji Naga were already strong, but their invincibility only became more apparent with the addition of Agon Kongo, an incredibly talented player with a superhuman reaction time. Other team members include Ikkyu Hosokawa, who could keep pace with even moderately fast runners while running backward, and Agon's twin brother Unsui, who pull off the bewildering "Dragon Fly" play together.
2 Teiko Junior High – Kuroko's Basketball
The Teiko Junior High basketball team is a rather curious entry on this list because this particular team had already disbanded by the beginning of the series. This school's team was already renowned for its strength, but one particular team of collective talents called the Generation of Miracles launched them into legend.
The Generation of Miracles featured five members who each had incredible abilities, ranging from superhuman (such as Midorima's shooting skills and Murasakibara's physicality) to supernatural (Kise's Copy ability and Akashi's Emperor Eye). Series protagonist Tetsuya Kuroko was also on this team as the "phantom sixth man," serving as a support for the others to showcase their strengths.
1 Rikkaidai Junior High – The Prince Of Tennis
Of the many teams that entered the Kanto Regional Tournament, Rikkaidai are easily the best tennis team in the region. With a motto like "losing is unacceptable," Rikkaidai's tennis players are incredibly ruthless and aim aggressively for victory.
Rikkaidai's legacy has been established entirely by three players: Seiichi Yukimura, Geni'ichiro Sanada, and Renji Yanagi, with each one sporting a nearly insurmountable style of play that is impossible for an average player to overcome. With other talented players like Akaya Kirihara, Masaharu Nio, and Hiroshi Yagyu, Rikkaidai easily upholds its position as an unparalleled tennis team.