Thanks to big names like Haikyuu!!, Free!, Kuroko Basketball, and Yuri on Ice, the sports anime genre has slowly become one of the most popular genres in modern-day anime. It’s been around for a long time, but it’s taken a while for it to get the attention that big-name anime shows like Naruto and One Piece have.

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Though it took a while for it to get the recognition it deserves, a few sports anime just haven’t gotten that much attention or remain unknown to viewers. If anime lovers are looking to expand their horizons in the sports genre, there are some hidden gems waiting to be discovered.

10 Taisho Baseball Girls

The all-girls team from Taisho Baseball Girls in casual clothes

An anime that takes place during the Taisho Era. Baseball is relatively new in Japan and there are only a few male teams. When told by a baseball player that girls should just be housewives, friends Koume and Akiko decide to put together a team to prove him wrong. In a time where it’s considered “too vulgar” for ladies to run, Koume and Akiko face a lot of trials when putting a team together. From getting permission from their parents to finding willing members along with learning the rules, it’s not an easy journey.

It has an interesting storyline and strong female characters. They’re fighting against gender stereotypes and proving that they can be just as good as the guys. To top it off, they still manage to look graceful and feminine while playing.

9 Baby Steps

Baby Steps anime

Eiichirou Maruo is a first-year honor student that wants to exercise more now that he has more free time. After checking out the tennis club, he is captivated by it and decides to join despite having no prior experience and not being in shape. It’s a slow journey to greatness, but this anime gives a more realistic look for a novice becoming a great athlete.

Unlike most sports anime protagonists, Eiichirou goes through the painstakingly slow process of becoming a great tennis player. He has to learn everything about the sport and started playing at an older age versus his teammates who have been playing for years.

8 Ace of Diamond

Ace of Diamond anime

A baseball anime about a pitcher named Eijun Sawamura. He’s recruited into a prestigious high school because of his unusual pitching style and the recruiter sees potential in him. Once there, Eijun realizes the real struggle begins. He has to work hard in order to find his place in the team and help the upperclassmen make it to nationals.

A nice baseball anime that has a lot of interesting characters. It’s a team of great players that are not only struggling to win against their opponents but fight for a starting position.

7 One Outs

One Outs anime

Another baseball anime, but this one has more of a mature look and feel about it. This one is about Toua Tokuchi, a very talented pitcher who has won 499 times in the game of “One Outs”. This simple version of baseball is pretty simple: it’s batter vs. pitcher with lots of money on the line. Tokuchi is recruited by Hiromichi Kojima, star player of the Saitama Lycaons, which also happens to be the weakest team. With Tokuchi on the team, it seems like victory is possible, but it won’t be easy with all the business that goes on behind the scenes.

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Instead of just being a run-of-the-mill sports anime, One Outs almost feels like a psychological thriller. With the gambling aspect taking center stage and so many mind games going on around the characters, viewers will get some Death Note vibes from watching this.

6 Diary Of Our Days At The Breakwater/Houkago Teibou Nisshi

Diary of Our Days at the Breakwater anime

A slice-of-life take on fishing. Hina Tsurugi and her family just moved to a quiet little seaside town. While out enjoying a walk to look at the ocean, she comes across upperclassman Yuuki Kuroiwa fishing. Yuuki invites her to fish with her and Hina agrees to do it. After catching an octopus, Yuuki invites her to the breakwater club, where members fish for various marine life and eat their catches.

It might not sound as thrilling as other competitive sports, but this anime still manages to have a pretty good story. There’s no competition or anything like it. Just Hina and the breakwater club that wants to catch different fish and have a great time together.

5 IGPX: Immortal Grand Prix

IGPX Immortal Grand Prix anime

A mixture of mecha and action mixed with sports racing. The IGPX is a popular mecha racing sport that’s become so popular that a whole city has been created for it. To make it more interesting, teams are able to attack each other during the race to prevent the opposing team’s victory.

The anime focuses on Team Satomi, a ragtag crew of amateur pilots entering the big leagues. They don’t seem like a likely team to win, considering their two main pilots, Takeshi and Liz, are usually arguing, but it makes their quest to become number one all the more interesting.

4 Yowamushi Pedal

Yowamushi Pedal anime

Poor Sakamichi Onoda starts off high school wanting to join the anime club, but it’s been disbanded. He decides to make a trip on his old city bike and catches the attention of Imaizumi and Naruko when they see he’s able to make it up a steep hill with very little effort. The two of them are part of the bicycle racing club and ask Onoda to join. From this, Onoda’s journey into the cycling world begins.

Onoda might not be a hot-blooded protagonist found in most sports anime. He’s a shy kid that might seem boring, but watching him blossom when cycling is something to behold. From having a great and funny group of characters interact and singing anime songs while cycling, this show will keep viewers laughing and entertained.

3 Tamayomi: The Baseball Girls

Tamayomi The Baseball Girls anime

Another anime about girls playing baseball. Unlike Taisho Yakyuu Musume, this anime is just about a team of girls just looking to have fun and play the game. Yomi and Tamaki are childhood friends that loved playing baseball together but got separated in their elementary years and reunited in high school. Both of them join the girls' baseball and club and the show takes off from there. The two of them along with twin sisters Yoshino and Ibuki managed to put a team together.

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If viewers are looking for a simple slice-of-life sports anime, this one is worth checking out. There might not be an elaborate storyline, but that’s what makes it easy to follow and enjoyable to watch.

2 Bakutenn!!/Backflip!!

Bakuten!! Backflip!! anime

A sports lover who seemed doomed to sit on the sidelines, Shoutarou Futaba decides to try rhythmic gymnastics after seeing some gymnasts practicing in the park. After joining the team, he has to quickly learn techniques and the rules before the Inter-High tournament. Considering he’s had no prior training or experience in the sport, it seems like a huge task. Thankfully, Shoutarou has some natural talent and great teammates on his side to help.

It might seem a little unrealistic that a teenager picks up on gymnastics so easily, but it makes for great entertainment. The interactions between the characters make for a hilarious watch and guarantee that viewers will be smiling a lot throughout the series.

1 Ginban Kaleidoscope

Ginban Kaleidoscope anime

A sports anime that has the perfect amount of drama, comedy, and romance. The anime is about Tazusa Sakurano, an ice figure skater who’s a candidate for the Olympics, and Pete Pumps, a stunt pilot from Canada. Tazusa falls during the qualifying rounds while Pete dies during an airplane performance. After her failure, Tazusa starts hearing a voice in her head and it turns out Pete is now inhabiting her body. He has to wait 100 days before he can get into Heaven and decides to help Tazusa improve her public image.

It’s an unlikely love story between a living person and a ghost, but somehow this anime makes it work. The two of them have great growth and bring out the best in each other.

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