Best Sports Manga: From Classics to the Latest Works

Do you read sports manga?
Sports is a very popular theme for manga.
Among the competitive market of sports manga, the popular ones are truly interesting!!
By all means, enrich your life with sports manga.

Additionally, this article was written by a Japanese person who is not good at english but manga. Please forgive any nuances in the English.

• Blue Lock
• Touch
• Burning Kabaddi
• Chihayafuru
• SLAM DUNK
• Prince of Tennis
• Medalist
• Yowamushi Pedal
• Aoashi
• Haikyuu!!
• Gurazeni

Blue Lock

Check the review on ComicAddict
In the fiercely competitive world of soccer manga, the most energetic manga today is Blue Lock.
The story of the protagonists who win through rigorous training under the radical ideas of forward absolutism has a different atmosphere from previous soccer manga.
It’s a very good manga that you can enjoy reading regardless of whether you like soccer or not.

Touch

Check the review on ComicAddict
A super famous manga serialized from 1981 to 1986.
In Japan, even young people know the title and famous scenes for some reason.
This is the biggest hit of Mitsuru Adachi, a legend of the Japanese manga industry, and the comics have sold over 100 million copies.

Burning Kabaddi

Check the review on ComicAddict
Kabaddi, a sport that originated in India, is very minor in Japan.
However, a popular manga has emerged from Kabaddi.
Geniuses and ordinary people, effort, strong heart. Highly recommended for those seeking hot sports manga.
Since the manga explains Kabaddi, you can enjoy the content even if you know nothing about Kabaddi.

Chihayafuru

Check the review on ComicAddict
A manga about the traditional Japanese competition, ‘Hyakunin Isshu’, performed while sitting in kimono. Although it’s known in Japan, not many people have actually played it nowadays. ‘Chihayafuru’ has successfully elevated this minor competition into a manga. The depth and passion of ‘Hyakunin Isshu’, the course of love, and various elements are skillfully incorporated into the manga, which has been highly acclaimed. It has won numerous manga awards.

SLAM DUNK

Check the review on ComicAddict
The recently released film, SLAM DUNK, was a big hit. The manga was published from 1990 to 1996, making it a bit of an older manga. In the 1990s, this manga was one of the reasons for the basketball boom in Japan.

Despite being an old manga, it still has an overwhelming charm when read today. It’s a legendary sports manga that remains entertaining without faltering until the very end.

Prince of Tennis

Check the review on ComicAddict
This manga was published from 1999 to 2008. A sequel is currently being serialized.
It had a significant impact on boys in the 2000s, and many children wanted to play tennis because of this manga. Superhuman-like techniques are used, not too realistic, but it captures the fun part of sports manga, making it a well-balanced manga.

It’s also very popular among women, and the content for women is very successful.

Medalist

Check the review on ComicAddict
A manga that has been serialized since 2020, it’s the hot topic for winning first place in the “Next Manga Award 2022” in the comics category.
The subject is figure skating, which is relatively popular in Japan, but has a small number of competitors, making it a very rare theme for manga.
The story is about a beginner elementary school student and a stuck coach aiming for the Olympics together.
While topics that add depth to the story, such as early childhood education and parent-child relationships, are scattered throughout, it firmly captures the points of effort and guts of sports manga.
It also gives a careful explanation of the competition, so you can read it even if you don’t know about figure skating, and there’s no doubt that watching the figure skating broadcast on TV will be more enjoyable.

Yowamushi Pedal

Check the review on ComicAddict
A manga that has become hugely popular with its unique theme of road racing.
It tells the story of a protagonist who regularly pedals his bicycle over a mountain to go to Akihabara, and dives into the world of road racing.
It beautifully portrays the passion of student sports and friendships between teammates, making it a wonderful sports manga.
Even if you know nothing about road racing, it’s enjoyable and broadens your horizons.

Aoashi

Check the review on ComicAddict
Although it is a classic story of a country soccer boy struggling to understand the wider world, Aoashi proceeds with the story based on tactics, without featuring exaggerated techniques or outrageous training methods.
It’s a relatively hard-boiled soccer manga, where you can increase your knowledge of soccer while enjoying reading.
Moreover, instead of high school club activities, this manga sets the stage in youth teams, which makes it unusual.

Haikyu

Check the review on ComicAddict
A popular manga based on volleyball.
It’s a coming-of-age sports manga set in a high school club, with wonderful storylines involving team drama and nail-biting developments during matches.
The restraint of superhuman techniques and the fact that it’s depicted somewhat realistically may be points that make it easy to get into the story.

Gurazeni

Check the review on ComicAddict
A baseball manga that depicts the world of professional baseball players from a money perspective.
It was serialized from 2010 to 2014.

It doesn’t have much of the passion or team drama that is common in other sports manga. Instead, there are lots of realist discussions about money.
It’s an unconventional manga that covers core topics like professional baseball player contracts, trades, and post-retirement second careers.