10 Must-Watch Unconventional Sports Anime Series

We already talked about the magic of the sports anime genre. It has a lot of tension and suspense, deep and profound character development, a pretty diverse cast with a focus on human relationships, and no deaths. The amount of sports series out here is astonishing, and some of them cover pretty unpopular disciplines, still keeping that level of competitiveness and edge that is familiar from something like soccer or swimming.

Here's a list of ten shows that cover unusual sports.

Air Gear (Rocket Skates)

The beginning of the 2000s was filled with skating, and Air Gear explores its distant future relative — Air Trecks, the skates that can make you fly. It has a lot of nods to the street culture due to the sport itself and focuses on adult characters, ones that are in their twenties or late teens, which makes their troubles and jokes hit a bit closer to the general audience. As the characters form groups to compete with each other, they find their purpose in the world.

Keijo!!!!!!!! (Modified King of the Hill)

We already talked about this hilarious show that shows fanservice-like content in a surprisingly non-fanservice way. Keijo is an imaginary competitive sport invented in the future that includes girls in swimsuits battling each other on a playground with the goal of kicking each other off of it in the water and being the only one left standing. It's an unbelievably wholesome show, one that celebrates the tried and true sports anime tropes and the diversity of female bodies.

Yowamushi Pedal (Cycling)

The show follows an otaku who somehow gets roped into the world of cycling. The presentation is bizarre, the premise is weird, and the characters are quirky and have exaggeratedly insane power-ups. And also this show actually has a villain, one that's surprisingly scary and creepy.

Uma Musume (Horse races with anthropomorphic horses)

Racehorses cannot give up raving even when they are reincarnated as cute girls, so they join a prestigious Tracen Academy where they train, hone their skills, and become the best. It has all the signature elements of sports anime — competitiveness, friendship, and a big cast of characters, it's just the characters are cute girls with horse ears.

Hikaru no Go (Go)

The release of this show piqued interest in kids towards a board game called Go all over the world. It's a difficult game to master, but that's exactly what makes it entertaining. It follows a schoolboy Hikaru who discovers a Go board that is possessed by Sai, the spirit obsessed with the game. The show explores various playing styles and the relationship between Hikaru and Sai as they join competitions to sate Sai's goal to master the game and finally rest in peace.

Chihayafuru (Karuta)

Karuta is one of the Japanese card games in which players need to memorize words and match them, and Chihaya, a quirky teenage girl, strives to be the best. She wants to reach the national championship so she can reunite with her childhood friend. The karuta matches, despite the simple rules, are quite intense, and the human connections that Chihaya forms with those she meets when she tries to make a karuta club in school are charming.

Birdie Wing: Golf Girls' Story (Golf)

If you thought that gold cannot be intense, you'd be surprised. This series shows golf as something truly bizarre, the golfing is shown in an over-the-top manner that rivals the most popular sports shows. And the characters are fun: Eve, the main character, despises the sport and plays it only for the money, winning by brute force and taking risks, Aoi, her rival, has a steady and elitist approach to golf. They clash and they fight and that results in battles that rival some games of Kuroko's Basketball in their intensity.

Tsuritama (Fishing)

It's a short show focused on fishing. Though technically it is a slice of life where a group of outcasts bonds over a hobby, and the competitive part of fishing is only slightly covered, it has elements of mystery, sci-fi, and comedy, and focuses more on characters than on the plot. It's silly and charming, filled with much more action than you would expect from a show about such a meditative process as fishing. And it also has a duck.

Fastest Finger First (Quiz Bowl)

Quizzes can make everyone feel competitive. Not only do you need to have a broad knowledge of practically everything, but you also have to be quite fast to get the chance to give your answer. Shiki is a high schooler who starts his journey in the world of quizzes and learns how exactly this sport should be played, what strategy fits his mind and his reflexes, and how to derive answers from the questions. Those who are familiar with Quiz Bowl praise this show for its accurate portrayal of the competitions.

Iwa Kakeru! (Rock Climbing)

Gamification of life helps in a lot of situations, and that can also be applied to sports. Konomi, the main character of this show, is a gamer, but as she picks rock climbing, she realizes that it's just "a rock puzzle". When she joins the rock climbing club in her school, she finds out about different rock climbing styles and starts exploring them, especially when it comes to the speed climbing competitions. This show is pretty special because it not only shows the variety of climbing but also portrays proper safety procedures, different techniques, and realistic gear, which makes it very entertaining and believable.