It’s the fourth inning, and we’re 15 recommendations up in our five-part series of what to watch first on Crunchyroll.
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In this round, we’ll be pitching a full workout routine’s worth of sports anime to get that body moving!
Haikyu!!
🎵 The boys are back in town, the boys are back in town 🎵
First to serve is the ever-popular Haikyu!!, a slick, inspiring and raucously fun series on or off the court that pits players of all shapes and sizes against each other in the high-flying sport of volleyball.
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At its center is short king Hinata and King of the Court Kageyama, who push each other to new heights after learning the raw power of teamwork (with just a few head bumps along the way).
But that’s just the setter and the decoy—the libero, the ace, the captain, the spiker and even the substitutes all play their part to take the Karasuno High School team to the top.
Not only does Crunchyroll have all four seasons of the genre-defining anime series, they also have a collection of movies and OADs—make the jump and start watching Haikyu!! today!
Hajime No Ippo: The Fighting!
There’s no team sport here—just a man and his fists against another until one goes down.
Bullied by his classmates, Ippo finds mental and physical strength under the wing of Takamura at Kamogawa Gym, where he relentlessly hones his own special techniques and explosive power to enter the world of professional boxing.
Even after its heyday, Hajime No Ippo: The Fighting! delivers haymakers in its execution. Every punch is packed with raw force and every hit is taken with palpable conviction, intensified by studio MADHOUSE’s fine animation work across over 100 episodes.
Throw the first punch with Hajime No Ippo: The Fighting! on Crunchyroll!
Eyeshield 21
Before author Riichirou Inagaki racked his brain for Dr. STONE, he tackled the brawn with One-Punch Man‘s Yusuke Murata!
Eyeshield 21, one of Shonen Jump’s most influential sports series, combines the eccentric energy of anime with the epic highs and lows of high-school American football. A trio of delinquents, a chestnut-shaped buddhist, an acrobatic monkey, and “secret weapon” Sena make up just part of the Deimon Devil Bats team as they set out to conquer the Christmas Bowl.
With 145 heart-pounding episodes to watch, put on your helmet and charge into Eyeshield 21 on Crunchyroll!
Run with the Wind
*pedals up beside you at breakneck speed* You like running? Well, we certainly do, and no anime captures that exhausting but exhilarating feeling quite like Run with the Wind.
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In this college-age caper, ex-elite runner Kakeru is pulled into the Chikusei dorm by the Haiji, who wants nothing more than to participate in the Hakone Ekiden relay marathon. The only thing is, they have to run ten whole legs and 135 miles, and every other resident is a complete newbie.
Ready, set, go watch Run with the Wind on Crunchyroll!
Backflip!!
The most recent catalog addition on this list, 2021’s Backflip!! put rhythmic gymnastics into the ever-expanding pantheon of sports anime with some of the smoothest animation to ever grace the genre.
After warming the bench in baseball for years, Shotaro sticks the landing in Ao High’s rhythmic gymnastics team, inspired by their enchanting three-minute sequence that dares to be shown without interruption from the very first episode.
The level of care shown in Backflip!!‘s production is equal to that of its gorgeous characters; sharp-edged but squishy on the inside, they make an entertaining squad and a convincing case for boys’ rhythmic gymnastics.
Youth, perseverance, and gravity all flow through Backflip!! to deliver an exceptional sports anime experience on Crunchyroll!
What will you be watching next on Crunchyroll? Share this post and let us know! Ready to start your anime journey? You can sign up for Crunchyroll right here.
