To mark Japan’s Sports Day (October 12, 2026), anime news outlet Anime!Anime! conducted its second annual reader poll asking, “What is your favourite sports anime?” Voting ran from October 1 to 7, 2026. Respondents were approximately 60% male and 40% female, with the under-19 age group accounting for roughly 30% and those in their 20s around 25%.
No. 1 — Haikyuu!! (~18%)
Haikyuu!! topped the chart with about 18% of the vote. The volleyball anime, adapted from the manga serialised in Weekly Shonen Jump, follows short but explosive jumper Hinata Shoyo as he teams up with genius setter Kageyama Tobio — his rival from middle school — at Karasuno High School in pursuit of the national championship.
Readers praised the series for depicting not only the victors but also the emotional journeys of defeated teams, as well as the deep individual backstories given to each character. One voter even credited the show for inspiring them to take up volleyball. Looking ahead, Gekijouban Haikyuu!! VS Chiisana Kyojin is scheduled for theatrical release in 2027, alongside the special anime Haikyuu!! Bakemono-tachi no Yukutokoro.
No. 2 — Blue Lock (~14%)
Blue Lock came in second with roughly 14%. The soccer anime, based on the ongoing manga in Weekly Shonen Magazine, centres on a radical project that confines 300 high-school forwards in a facility called “Blue Lock” to forge the world’s most selfish — and most lethal — striker for Japan’s World Cup bid.
Voters highlighted the series’ departure from the traditionally warm-hearted sports anime formula, praising its tense survival-game structure and the constant uncertainty of who will be eliminated next. TV anime Season 3, subtitled Blue Lock: Neo Egoist League, is currently in production.
No. 3 — Inazuma Eleven (~9%)
Inazuma Eleven secured third place with around 9%. Adapted from Level-5’s video game, the soccer anime follows the Raimon Middle School soccer club, captained by Endou Mamoru, as they battle their way toward the national “Football Frontier” tournament — aided by over-the-top special moves that summon fire and lightning.
Fans celebrated the iconic moment Endou first unleashes his “God Hand” technique, and praised the series for balancing its outlandish super-dimensional soccer with genuinely heartfelt storytelling.
Rankings 4–5 and Other Notable Titles
- 4th — Medalist
- 5th (tied) — SLAM DUNK, Idolmaster Million Live!, Captain Tsubasa, Daiya no A, The Prince of Tennis, Hibike! Euphonium, Mou Ippon!, Ro-Kyu-Bu!
Among the reader comments, a Captain Tsubasa voter noted that the series dramatically raised the profile of soccer in Japan and that countless professional players grew up idolising Tsubasa Ozora. A SLAM DUNK fan recalled watching it as a child while playing mini-basketball, finding a personal connection that stuck with them for life.
One of the more surprising entries was Hibike! Euphonium, whose voter argued that a 12-minute competition performance demands genuine physical endurance — no different from sport — and that the anime captures the reality of concert band life with remarkable authenticity. The film Saishu Gakusho: Hibike! Euphonium (final chapter, Part 2) is currently showing in cinemas.
In total, 31 titles received votes across a wide range of sports — volleyball, soccer, basketball, figure skating, and more — underscoring the enduring appeal of the sports anime genre among Japanese fans of all ages.
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