One of the best-sellers of 2023, Muneyuki Kaneshiro’s manga offers football fans a new perspective on viewing football and introduces the audience to more profound and intriguing game concepts. Blue Lock gained recognition quickly as it was one of the first anime that offered a different concept than believing in your friends.
Instead of relying on your team, Blue Lock teaches its characters to rely on their egos and use any means necessary to win. If you enjoyed Blue Lock, then you will surely enjoy these few anime series that will give you a similar vibe and introduce you to many different sports in an exciting manner.
Five new-gen sports anime that aren’t Blue Lock
1: Aoashi
The best sports anime of Spring 2022 and one of the best anime of the year, Aoashi, managed to impress everyone with one of the most realistic themes of Ashito Aoi trying to become a football player. The story can resonate with every football fan who once wished to become a professional but had to give up due to unforeseen circumstances.
Ashito Aoi comes from a very rural background and didn’t receive proper training until he met Tatsuya Fukuda, a former player, and current Tokyo City Esperion FC’s Youth Football Team manager. Seeing Aoi’s vast talent, he calls him to Tokyo, where he starts his challenging journey to achieve his dream. You can watch the series on Crunchyroll.
2: Futsal Boys
Haru Yamato was unaware of the futsal world until he came across Tokinari Tennoji, a futsal player competing in the U-18 World Cup, who was a beast. Seeing him, Haru decides to join the sport and enters the futsal club at his school to compete.
However, he soon understood the high level of difficulty of the sport and the fact that he was a total novice at it. Luckily, he is surrounded by many talented players, one of whom is Toi Tsukioka, a former teammate of Tennoji. Koyo Futsal Club prepares to take on the game’s powerhouses to achieve great success. Available to watch on Crunchyroll.
3: Re: Main
Minato Kiyomizu is a third-year middle school student who is a water polo prodigy but meets an accident that results in him losing all his memories of the sport and spending a total of 223 days in a coma. After regaining consciousness, he tries to become the player he once was but fails terribly and gives up.
Although he initially gave up, after being pressured by his classmates, he joined the polo club in his first high school year. To get back to his former self, he decides to work extremely hard and regain his former glory, but he has many significant hurdles to overcome before he achieves his goal. You can watch this exciting series on Crunchyroll.
4: SK8: The Infinity
Anime with skateboarding as their main plot are rare, but SK8: The Infinity, which is available on Crunchyroll, introduces the viewers to the immersive world of skateboarding. The main character of the series is Reki Kyan, who spends his free time practicing skateboarding and continuously competing. However, due to an incident, his skateboard and arm were broken.
During his recovery, he meets his new friend Langa Hasegawa, who doesn’t know anything about skateboarding, but they decide to participate in an illegal underground skateboarding competition. However, it will surely be difficult for Langa, as he has no experience, and Reki cannot help due to injury.
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5: Birdie Wing: Golf Girls
Golf is one of the least exciting sports ever, and only a handful of people can enjoy it. However, Birdie Wing manages to depict it in a very intriguing manner. The plot is based on Eve, one of the most dominant players in golf.
She makes a living by defeating opponents, and so far, no one has come close to defeating her until one day, she encounters a prodigy named Aoi Amawashi, who destroys Eve with ease. This begins the long and challenging journey for Eve, who wants to reach Aoi’s level and defeat her once and for all. You can view this anime on Crunchyroll.
