# The 15 Greatest Sports Anime of All Time

> Buzzer-beaters, knockout blows and last-lap sprints power this lineup, spanning beloved classics and modern breakout hits across nearly every sport imaginable. Which one wins?

*By YPB Team · Published August 30, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/the-15-greatest-sports-anime-of-all-time*

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## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **Slam Dunk** — score 1000/1000
   The genre-defining 1990s basketball anime about a delinquent who joins his high school team to impress a girl.
2. **Haikyu!!** — score 974/1000
   The wildly popular volleyball series following an undersized underdog determined to conquer the net.
3. **Kuroko's Basketball** — score 722/1000
   A stylized basketball series about a phantom sixth man and the prodigies of the Generation of Miracles.
4. **Run with the Wind** — score 500/1000
   A distance-running anime about a ragtag college group chasing the grueling Hakone Ekiden relay.
5. **Blue Lock** — score 423/1000
   A modern soccer anime pitting Japan's top strikers against each other in a ruthless survival program.
6. **Eyeshield 21** — score 423/1000
   An American-football anime about a timid runner turned masked gridiron star.
7. **Hajime no Ippo** — score 423/1000
   A long-running boxing anime charting a bullied teen's rise through the professional ranks.
8. **Free!** — score 423/1000
   A competitive-swimming anime about a high school club chasing the water and old friendships.
9. **Yuri on Ice** — score 423/1000
   An acclaimed figure-skating anime tracing a struggling skater's comeback under a legendary coach.
10. **Captain Tsubasa** — score 333/1000
   The classic soccer anime that inspired generations of real footballers with its high-flying schoolboy heroes.
11. **Chihayafuru** — score 227/1000
   A beloved series built around competitive karuta, blending sport, poetry, and coming-of-age drama.
12. **Ace of Diamond** — score 227/1000
   A baseball anime following a fireball pitcher competing for the ace slot at an elite high school.
13. **Ping Pong the Animation** — score 227/1000
   A stylistically bold table-tennis series exploring talent, drive, and friendship.
14. **Initial D** — score 227/1000
   The iconic street-racing anime following a tofu-delivery driver's mastery of mountain-pass drifting.
15. **Megalo Box** — score 100/1000
   A retro-futuristic boxing anime about a gearless underdog fighting his way up the ranks.

Tags: sports, animation, japan