Anime has arguably never been bigger than right now, and this fact transcends to all aspects of the medium, with its Korean counterpart, manhwa, even getting into the fray with pretty regular adaptations. 2024 was a particularly strong year, with anime being well-represented across the seasons with solid projects across many genres.
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Sports was no exception, with the genre producing constant shows throughout the year. In terms of quality, 2024 was a rather standard year for these types of stories, albeit with a few standout projects like the second season of Blue Lock and Blue Box. If someone wants to take a break from watching 2025 anime, they can revisit the best sports anime of 2024.
5
Tonbo!
MyAnimeList Score: 7.10 (Season 1)
Hey! Tonbo
- Release Date
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April 6, 2024
Golf anime are relatively rare, but 2024 ended up being a surprisingly good year for the sport. Tonbo! follows the life of former professional golfer Kazuyoshi Igarashi as he tries to forge ahead with his life after golf as he takes up a job at a development center on Hinoshima Island. With very few expectations of the Island, the job, and the area around it, Igarashi is unable to contain his excitement when he arrives to meet a complete golf course made by the island’s residents, taking advantage of the unique terrain. Even more surprising for Igarashi is meeting Tonbo Ooi, a young girl who plays golf with only a 3-foot iron club. Through Tonbo, Igarashi is once again made to realize just how fun the sport of golf used to be.
Lasting for two seasons, Tonbo! has a slow start, with the early episodes playing out more like a slice of life with sports elements. However, the anime picks up considerable steam as it progresses, particularly once Tonbo and Kazuyoshi coach-student dynamic fully forms, and they begin to take training a bit more seriously. The story is ambitious too, spanning years as it shows Tonbo’s growth as both a golfer and a person.
4
Oblivion Battery
MyAnimeList Score: 7.51
Baseball goes to high school in the Oblivion Battery series, which follows the life of Tarou Yamada, a high school freshman who was once in love with baseball but no longer competes. Having had his middle school baseball dream crushed by the pitcher-catcher duo of Haruka Kiyomine and Kei Kaname, Yamada is more shocked to see that the pair have also left behind the sport as the years rolled by. They are now his classmates at Kotesashi High School, which is not known for its sports team and does not even have a baseball club. Looking to change that, Yamada creates an amateur club, and he sets out to bring in Kaname and Kiyomine, along with a few other students who abandoned baseball.
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Oblivion Battery can be polarizing, particularly in its first few episodes. The hook is that Kaname has amnesia, causing him to lose not only his memories of baseball but also kill his interest in the sport. He is also very, very immature and kind of cowardly, to the point that his antics can be downright annoying at times. Initially, Oblivion Battery comes across as more of a parody of sports anime than a more typical attempt to cover the genre; however, this gradually changes around halfway through the season, particularly once characters like Toudou and Chihaya become staples. While never reaching amazing status, the anime builds up considerable momentum during its second half, hopefully setting the stage for a great season 2 (which has been announced).
3
Rising Impact
MyAnimeList Score: 7.55 (Season 1)
The better of the golf anime released in 2024, Rising Impact follows the life of the protagonist, Gawain, a young boy living in a mountain area with a deep love for baseball and really just making a ball fly high. Fortunately for Gawain, he meets Kiria, who introduces him to golf— another sport where Gawain can make the ball fly high.
Through her, the young enthusiast eventually enrolls at Camelot Academy, a school for both skilled and aspiring golfers from the world over. Confident about becoming the best golfer there is, Gawain quickly realizes that the world is also filled with many other talented people just like himself.
Rising Impact plays things relatively, telling a story that mostly sticks to the genre’s standard conventions, which involves a very slow start that gains momentum once the focus shifts to competitive play. Gawain is a traditional shonen protagonist in the vein of Hajime no Ippo‘s boxing lead, and he might be a bit of a sticking point for some viewers. Season 1 is nothing too special, but the sequel benefits from focusing specifically on a tournament, which not only allows for some built-in tension but also paves the way for the introduction of a host of characters who are far more interesting than the protagonist.
2
Blue Lock Season 2
MyAnimeList Score: 7.56
Arguably the most anticipated sports sequel of the year, Blue Lock’s second season had a notoriously rough start. With the next phase of the Blue Lock Project underway and the number of participants down to a sobering thirty-six, the next step for Ego’s Diamonds in the Rough is to overcome the Japan U-20 team. However, playing the U-20 team of Japan holds as much of a disadvantage as it holds an advantage, as losing will mean an end to Blue Lock itself. With Isagi still grappling with his own abilities, the lineup to face Japan’s U-20 is all but assured, with an automatic starting spot for the project’s six top-ranked candidates and the rest, up for grabs.
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Blue Lock season 2’s opening six episodes were deeply disappointing. Not only was the story leading up to the U20 match not that interesting, but the animation was surprisingly underwhelming and static. For a time, this sequel seemed set to be a dud.
Then, the match started, and Blue Lock suddenly burst into action and started to not only match season 1’s quality but even surpass it at times. The switch from small 3v3 or 5v5 contests to a full 11v11 game translated to, by far, the highest stakes in the story so far, and the anime did a fantastic job of allowing all the core characters to shine while also spotlighting a few rivals. 8bit might have saved most of its budget for the main event, and it was a good decision in hindsight.
When it comes to a “standard” entry in the genre, Blue Lock Season 2 was the best 2024 sports anime.
1
Blue Box
MyAnimeList Score: 8.30
Blue Box presents a cute love story wrapped in the intricacies of badminton and basketball. The series details the life of the protagonist, Taiki Inomata, a first-year high schooler who only looks forward to using the school gym in the morning, just to be in the same space as his crush, the ace of the female basketball team, Chinatsu Kano. Initially unapproachable, Taiki gradually finds ways to get to know Chinatsu better.
Unknown to Taiki, he is Chinatsu’s source of motivation. However, after her family suddenly decides to move overseas for work, Chinatsu decides to stay behind to achieve her dream of national glory. Fortunately for Taiki, Chinatsu’s decision means that he will be housemates with the girl he loves. However, to truly stand beside Chinatsu, Taiki resolves to do what it takes to join her at Nationals.
Blue Box is somewhat of a weird one. With gorgeous animation, likable characters, and a good mix of drama, romance, and humor, Telecom’s show was comfortably 2024’s best anime that involves sports clubs in some form or another. However, Blue Box is, first and foremost, a romance anime, even if the characters show complete dedication to their chosen sports (basketball, badminton, and gymnastics). The anime regularly skips over matches since they are not the priority, which can make for a frustrating watch if a viewer goes in expecting a sports anime.
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