Manga dedicated to sports and the Olympic Games (Anime, Manga, Sports)

Hello everyone, and welcome to our MaXoE Festival! As you may have noticed, this year’s Red Thread is dedicated to the Olympic Games, so I decided to make you a small selection of manga that I recommend and whose sports are all represented at the Olympics.

We start with Slam Dunk which has basketball as its theme.

Slam Dunk is a manga by Takehiko Inoue which follows Hanamichi Sakuragi, a rebellious and feisty high school student with a bad reputation in love. After being rejected by 50 girls, he meets Haruko Akagi who introduces him to basketball, a sport he decides to dedicate himself to in order to win her affection. Haruko sees immense potential in him and encourages him to join the Shohoku High School basketball team. At first, Sakuragi is arrogant and inexperienced, but he quickly discovers his passion and talent for basketball. Under the tutelage of coach Anzai and with the help of his teammates including captain Takenori Akagi, Kaede Rukawa, his rival in love and on the court, and other talented members like Hisashi Mitsui and Ryota Miyagi, Sakuragi continually improves. The Shohoku team aims to become the best in Japan by participating in regional and national tournaments.

We then continue on the theme of football, but for this one I could not decide, so I recommend two works: Ao Ashi And Days.

Ao Ashi is a manga by Yugo Kobayashi which follows Ashito Aoi, a talented high school soccer player with great potential but impulsive behavior. After being discovered by Tatsuya Fukuda, a coach at Tokyo City Esperion Soccer Academy, Ashito leaves his small town to join the academy. There, he faces intense challenges, fierce competition, and rigorous training. Ashito learns to improve his technical skills, understanding of the game, and overcome his personal weaknesses. He develops strong bonds with his teammates, sharing moments of camaraderie and rivalry. The manga explores his journey as a player and individual, with the ultimate goal of becoming a professional player and representing Japan internationally.

Days is a manga by Tsuyoshi Yasuda which tells the story of Tsukushi Tsukamoto, a shy and awkward high school student with no experience in soccer. His life changes when he meets Jin Kazama, a talented soccer player who invites him to play a match. Despite his technical shortcomings, Tsukushi shows remarkable determination, which leads him to join the soccer team at the prestigious Seiseki High School. At Seiseki, Tsukushi works hard to improve, inspiring his teammates with his work ethic and fighting spirit. He forms strong friendships and learns from more experienced players like Kazama, as well as from coaches and opponents. The manga follows their journey through inter-high school tournaments, highlighting intense matches, personal challenges, and the team’s collective growth.

And now we continue with swimming with the essential Free.

Free is a manga that follows Haruka Nanasea high school student with a passion for swimming, especially freestyle swimming. He reunites with his childhood friends Makoto Tachibana, Nagisa Hazuki, and Rin Matsuoka, with whom he had formed a victorious swimming relay during elementary school. However, things have changed: Rin, now competitive and aloof, is determined to prove his superiority in swimming. Haruka, Makoto, and Nagisa form a new swimming club at Iwatobi High School and recruit Rei Ryugazaki to complete their team. Together, they train hard to compete, overcoming various personal and relational obstacles.

The following is one of the greatest classics of sports manga, I am of course talking to you about Hajime no Hippo which has boxing as its theme.

Hajime no Ippo is a manga by George Morikawa which follows Ippo Makunouchi, a shy and bullied high school student. His life changes when he is saved from an assault by Mamoru Takamura, a professional boxer. Inspired by Takamura, Ippo decides to take up boxing. He begins training at the Kamogawa Gymnasium under the tutelage of Genji Kamogawa. Ippo quickly shows a natural talent for boxing, combined with an exceptional work ethic and incredible strength. He competes in amateur matches before turning professional. Throughout his career, Ippo faces many opponents, each with their own fighting style and motivations. The manga follows his journey, his doubts, his challenges, and his victories.

We’re going back into the field with Prince of Tennis which has as its theme, you guessed it, tennis.

Prince of Tennis is a manga by Takeshi Konomi which follows Ryoma Echizen, a 12-year-old tennis prodigy who returns to Japan after living in the United States. He enrolls at the prestigious Seishun Gakuen (Seigaku) ​​Junior High School, which is renowned for its tennis club. Despite his young age, Ryoma quickly stands out for his talent and confident attitude. The story follows the journey of Ryoma and his Seigaku teammates as they compete in inter-college tournaments, with the goal of winning the national championship. Each member of the team has unique skills and faces formidable opponents, which pushes everyone to excel. Ryoma, in particular, seeks to emerge from the shadow of his father, Nanjiro Echizen, a legendary former tennis champion.

On a more artistic note I present to you Yuri on Ice which has figure skating as its theme:

Yuri on Ice is a manga by Mitsurō Kubo which follows Yuri Katsuki, a 23-year-old Japanese figure skater struggling with self-doubt after a series of defeats. After a disastrous performance at the Grand Prix Final, Yuri returns home, unsure of his future in skating. However, a video of him performing the skating routine of his idol, Victor Nikiforov, goes viral. Impressed by Yuri’s talent, Victor, a renowned Russian figure skater, decides to become his coach. Victor moves to Japan to coach Yuri, which sets off a series of events that transform their professional relationship into something deeper. Together they work to revive Yuri’s career, developing choreography and overcoming numerous challenges.

We continue with In the saddle Sakamichi which has cycling as its theme.

In the saddle Sakamichi (also known as Yowamushi Pedal) is a manga by Wataru Watanabe which tells the story of Sakamichi Onoda, a high school otaku with a passion for anime and video games. Accustomed to making long bike rides to Akihabara, he possesses impressive endurance and pedaling strength without realizing it. When he enters high school, Onoda tries to join the anime club but discovers that it has been disbanded due to a lack of members. Instead, he meets Shunsuke Imaizumi and Shokichi Naruko, two talented cyclists who recognize his exceptional potential. Encouraged by them, Onoda joins his high school’s cycling club. Onoda, despite his lack of experience, quickly learns the techniques and participates in races where he faces formidable opponents and forms strong friendships with his teammates. Together, they aim to win the prestigious Inter-High, a national cycling competition.

We end with my little favorite, I named Haikyu which has volleyball as its theme.

Haikyu is a manga by Haruichi Furudate which follows Shōyō Hinata, a young volleyball enthusiast despite his small stature, inspired by a player nicknamed the “Little Giant”. At Karasuno High School, Hinata joins the volleyball team and is reunited with Tobio Kageyama, a talented setter nicknamed the “King of the Court”. Although their early days are marked by conflicts, they learn to combine their strengths, becoming a formidable duo on the court. Together with their teammates, they work hard to bring Karasuno back to its former glory.

For those who are impatiently waiting for the sequel, the film has just been released in theaters, so go see it!

As you may have noticed, manga is an artistic form that has allowed to approach different themes and genres, from action to romance to investigation, the sports category is also well stocked you will easily find something that you will like. So if you already know all these classics but are still looking for something new, find our Manga Monday Chronicle in which we present you every week a new work that has marked us.