10 Best Sports Mangas That Keep You To The Last Page

The universe of sports manga portrays many typical stories about sports players who try to overcome hardship and chase their goals. But it depicts more value than that: it aspires viewers to head up for their dream.

Now, here are the top 10 best sports manga that will keep you turning until the last pages.

10 Best Sports Mangas Of All Time

1. Slam Dunk (Inoue Takehiko)

This series covers a storyline of basketball. Anime fans also see it as one of the best sports manga in the world. A huge boy named Hanamichi Sakuragi who is a hot-tempered person just enrolls in a new high school. This red-haired boy used to be rejected 50 times after his confession.

The incident leaves a scar on his heart so badly that he only wants a new girlfriend instead of playing basketball.

One day, he encounters a girl named Haruko Akagi and soon falls in love with her at first sight. After watching Hanamichi’s attempt at shooting a ball, Haruko discovers his sports potential and writes his name on a new basketball member list.

Soon, the sport gets more attention from Hanamichi and he starts to work hard on it.

This sports manga with romance has a well-developed storyline. It centers on the goals of all characters, and you easily figure out the main reason for their determination and passion.

You’ll love: Top 8 Best Basketball Anime 

2. Haikyuu!! (Haruichi Furudate)

The story centers on a secondary schoolboy named Shoyo Hinata whose determination is to become a member of a volleyball team.

Sadly, Shoyo and his team experienced their first loss after encountering the “King of the Court” team – Tobio Kageyama. Still, Shoyo looks on the bright side and continues to chase after his dream. He decides to enroll in a school that offers special training for volleyball players.

But he never expects to reacquaint himself with Tobio. Many challenges and opportunities are awaiting him in the future.

This show designates a nice plot showing the backup story and character development, which helps to draw viewers’ attention and sympathy for the protagonists.

Read more: How Old Is Hinata Shoyo From Haikyuu?

3. Hajime No Ippo (Jyoji Morikawa)

Ippo Makunouchi is a normal teenager studying at a secondary school. He spends most of his time helping his mother’s rental business. Also, he’s a target for bullies due to his father’s absence.

His life changes after being rescued from the bully by a boxer named Takamura. He decides to take the first step to a boxing career.

How can this poor young boy survive in an extreme environment? Is he able to go against challenging opponents and achieve success?

The storyline reminds you of the nostalgic old days with a mix of sweet and sour feelings. You’ll laugh and you’ll cry throughout the series.

4. Kokou no Hito (Shin-ichi Sakamoto and Yoshirō Nabeda)

This manga centers on the life of a boy named Mori Buntarou. He possessed a deep passion for becoming a solo climber.

He is willing to give up his relationship or anything just to achieve his dream: the conquer of Mount K2.

An exciting journey with a deadly experience is waiting for him. Yet, Mori chooses to stick to his goals and go for them until the end.

Unlike other sports manga, this show presents you with brilliant visuals as well as vivid scenarios. The narrative shifts work perfectly, you’ll enjoy the switching between the last climb and the memories and thoughts of Mori.

5. Blue lock (Muneyuki Kaneshiro, Yusuke Nomura)

Blue Lock was initiated by coach Jinpachi Ego to gather 300 high school strikers in Japan. They have to participate in a survival battle to become the sole members of the national team.

A striker named Yoichi Isagi who loses his chance to bring his soccer team to the national tournament is chosen to be in Blue Lock.

Living in a competitive environment, will Yoichi choose to be selfish for his own sake or will he keep his true colors and chase his desire?

Even though the setting is a cage-like structure, the characters don’t have unrealistic powers, just try to show their own qualities to survive.

Check more: 10 Best Baseball Anime

6. Cross Game (Mitsuru Adachi)

There exists two childhood friends in the neighborhood, Kou Kitamura and Aoba Tsukishima. Kou never shows his interest in playing baseball yet he is gifted with an impressive batting skill.

Meanwhile, Aoba who is a baseball star player possesses an amazing pitching form. Despite having many quarrels, this duo has many things in common that they never choose to accept.

The story is mostly about the cat and dog relationship between Kou and Aoba. Also, you’ll see how the romance develops little by little throughout the series.

7. Kuroko no Basket (Tadatoshi Fujimaki)

Teikou Middle School is famous for its legendary lineup among many national basketball teams. Seirin High School now looks for new members to take after its pride in this field.

Two selected students are Taiga Kagami and Tetsuya Kuroko. Kagami is an athleticism figure whereas Kuroko has no superb abilities. Surprisingly, Kuroko gets some connections with Teikou’s Phantom Sixth Man.

With the assistance of Kagami, Kuroko builds up a solid partnership with him to prove his athletic expertise to the Seirin team.

The show focused on Kuroko and Kagami. They are described thoroughly. There are not many thrilling scenes but the storyline is good enough to keep you on track with it.

Discover more: 10 Best Yaoi Manga To Read

8. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run (Hirohiko Araki)

The story starts out very simple: a disabled former horse racer named Johnny Joestar travels to San Diego. He runs into Gyro Zeppeli having two steel balls at his waist with no guns.

Adding more astonishment, Johnny can’t close his mouth after witnessing Gyro using his steel balls to release power. Johnny accidentally touches the ball and senses a vibration running through his legs.

He is able to stand up after two years. Then, he decides to keep this secret and continues his exploration across America.

This fantastic series is filled with intelligent fights rather than combating battles. You’ll see some overpowered scenes but they are still an acceptable limitation.

9. Ashita no Joe ( Asao Takamori, Tetsuya Chiba)

After freeing himself from his violent house, Joe Yabuki starts out his new life in a slum in Tokyo. He runs into a former boxing coach named Danpei Tange.  Seeing Joe’s combat ability, Danpei wants to train this wild boy into an experienced boxer.

However, Joe’s bad habit leads him to jail. The wild Joe can’t be tamed so he keeps on challenging a boxer named Tooru Rikiishi. Being knocked out many times, he learns more techniques and turns the table in the end.

Soon, he realizes that boxing is the only reason that keeps him alive in this world. He wants to be professional in this career.

You’ll see Joe as a rude and short-tempered teenager. Because there is no one for him, the world seems to treat him harshly.

The path from zero to hero is truly an inspirational story. The plot is not in a rush. It goes slowly so viewers can see how Joe changes and works hard for his dream.

10. Real (Takehiko Inoue)

A former captain of a high school’s basketball, Tomomi Nomiya, decides to dispel from his school after being involved in a traffic accident.

During the time of taking care of the victim, Tomomi meets a former sprinter who plays basketball in a wheelchair.

This guy, Kiyoharu Togawa, defeats Tomomi when they are on a challenge. After realizing how lifeless he is, Tomomi promises not to give up his talent so easily and plans to help others.

The plot is quite simple yet powerful. It centers on underdogs or disabled people trying to figure out the meaning of their lives and make good use of them.

Final Words

Those great sports manga never fails to meet readers’ expectations. It covers not only techniques and game rules but also the characters’ emotional development throughout the story. It’s such an exhilaration when reading about sports on pages.

Is there any manga that should be included on this list? Please let us know.