Soccer (or football, outside the United States) is the most-watched sport in the entire world. Every game is attended by thousands of people and those who can't attend watch it on their television. Soccer is very popular in Japan and, due to its immense popularity, many mangaka have decided to create series whose stories celebrate the sport.
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These stories also help readers who are not familiar with soccer to get a taste of the sport. Over the years, many manga and anime have come out that incorporate the spirit of soccer. With that in mind, here are some of the best soccer anime and manga, perfect for fans of the game.
If an anime exists, that will be the primary focus. However, soccer manga without any anime will be highlighted, along with source materials that far exceed the quality of their adaptations.
Updated March 29, 2025 by Mark Sammut: Great soccer anime do not come around often, and so far, the sport seems to be skipping over 2025. Fortunately, the industry has produced enough shows over the years to fill the void. Two more recommendations have been added. Click below to jump directly to these new arrivals.
16 Victory Kickoff!!
MyAnimeList: 7.20 (Anime)
Victory Kickoff!!
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- March 26, 2012
- Japanese Title
- Ginga e Kickoff!!
- Studio
- TYO Animations
- Number of Episodes
- 39
Victory Kickoff showcases the struggle of a young boy named Shou, who is extremely passionate about soccer even though he isn't particularly good at playing it. Shou's dream of playing for a soccer team takes a massive hit when the manager decides to disband it.
Shou is left feeling helpless, but he receives a major boost after playing against a female professional soccer player. The match motivates Shou, and he decides to recruit new players for the team. In his bid to find new players, Shou's mental resilience is put to the test. As the story continues, Shou starts to get better at playing soccer, which ultimately helps him steer his team toward glory.
15 The Knight In The Area
MyAnimeList: 7.16 (Anime) / 7.48 (Manga)
The Knight In The Area
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- January 7, 2012
- Japanese Title
- Area no Kishi
- Studio
- Shin-Ei Animation
- Based On
- Manga
- Creator
- Hiroaki Igano
- Number of Episodes
- 37
The Knight in the Area offers a gander into the emotional journey of Kakeru Aizawa. On a fateful day, Kakeru breaks his leg, forcing him to become a manager. Kakeru is satisfied with his role, but when he and his brother get into an accident, everything changes. In order to save Kakeru, his brother's heart is implanted into him.
Once Kakeru grasps the full extent of what has happened, he begins to regret the decision to take up a managerial position. After much deliberation, Kakeru decides to become a soccer player and fulfill his brother's dream of winning the World Cup with Japan. However, Kakeru lacks his brother's natural talent, so he has to train a lot harder than everyone else.
14 Clean Freak! Aoyama Kun
MyAnimeList: 6.95 (Anime) / 7 (Manga)
Clean Freak! Aoyama Kun
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2017 - 2016
- Japanese Title
- Keppeki Danshi! Aoyama-kun
- Studio
- TMS Entertainment, Studio Hibari
- Number of Episodes
- 12
- Based On
- Manga
- Creator
- Taku Sakamoto
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll
Clean Freak! Aoyama Kun takes a different approach from most sports manga. Instead of completely focusing on a character's desire to achieve great things by playing soccer, this particular series focuses on Aoyama, the main character, and his incessant need to be clean at all times. Despite knowing that soccer is a contact sport, Aoyama doesn't stop playing.
Aoyama's style of play is rather elegant; he keeps things simple and avoids being tackled. His style earns him a lot of plaudits, but he soon realizes that it is not sustainable, especially when his team is challenging for the big trophies. Along with satisfying the viewers' desire to watch a proper sports anime, the story also covers the personal journey of Aoyama and how he deals with getting dirty in matches.
13 Fantasista (Manga Only)
MyAnimeList: 7.58
- Writer: Michiteru Kusaba
Fantasista is a soccer manga written by Michiteru Kusaba. The manga started serializing in Weekly Shonen Sunday in 1999, and it ended in 2004. The series also got a sequel manga, which also became quite popular. The manga focuses on Teppei Sakamoto, a boy from the countryside. Teppei is a huge fan of soccer, and he tries to get better at the game. His sister decides to teach him everything that is needed to become a soccer player and, after the training ends, she suggests that he should join a high school soccer team to take the next step toward his dream.
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Although nothing too original, Fantasista does a good job of maintaining a realistic tone, especially since Tappei is talented but not depicted as a prodigy. Considering the manga's sequel ended roughly a decade ago, an anime adaptation seems completely unlikely at this point; consequently, interested parties should just read the manga rather than hope for an adaptation.
12 Sayonara, Football & Farewell, My Dear Cramer (Manga)
MyAnimeList: 7.03 & 7.37
- Writer: Naoshi Arakawa
Sayonara, Football follows Nozomi Onda, who just wants to play soccer. However, she faces the huge problem of facing physically superior opponents in official matches. As the story unfolds, Nozomi becomes more self-confident, and she decides that she will not stop until she reaches her goals. Farewell, My Dear Cramer is the sequel to Sayonara Football, and Sumire Suo and Midori Soshizaki end up joining the Warabi Seinan High School. The two take up the responsibility of ensuring that the school team performs better in competitions. The team gets a new coach, Naoko Nomi, who helps the team to improve and play against some of the best teams in the country.
This recommendation is a bit of a special case since both manga received anime adaptations. Sayonara, Football received a fine movie in 2021, setting the stage for a 13-episode adaptation of the sequel. Unfortunately, the latter missed the mark for the most part, to the point of not being worthy of a recommendation as a substitute for the source material.
11 Whistle!
MyAnimeList: 7.36 (Anime) / 7.72 (Manga)
Whistle!
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- May 6, 2002
- Studio
- Studio Comet
- Based On
- Manga
- Creator
- Daisuke Higuchi
- Number of Episodes
- 39
A highly-rated manga series, written by Daisuke Higuchi, Whistle! Centers around the young Kazamatsuri Shou, who dreams of becoming a professional soccer player. The biggest obstacle to his dream is his inability to play soccer at a high level. But when he joins Sakura Jousui High, he starts to work on his skills. The support of his teammates and friends helps him to get closer to his dream.
On paper, Whistle! Can sound like one of the most by-the-numbers sports manga ever; however, the execution is pretty darn great, with the story building extremely nicely. The characters are most likable, and the soccer matches are done pretty well by the manga. The anime is watchable, but the manga is the way to go with this one.
10 Days
MyAnimeList: 7.16 (Anime) / 7.59 (Manga)
Days
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- July 3, 2016
- Studio
- MAPPA
- Based On
- Manga
- Creator
- Tsuyoshi Yasuda
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll
- Number of Episodes
- 24
Days focuses on the personal battle between two boys, Tsukushi and Jin. Tsukushi is considered talentless and, consequently, is overlooked by the other people around him. On the other hand, Jin is deemed a genius, who is deemed capable of making it at the highest level. The two boys bump into each other one fateful day, but little do they know that their destinies will be linked to each other.
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With one of the best friendships in a sports manga, Days starts cute and gradually transforms into an above-average story with some pretty gripping matches. The anime is fine but ends way too soon, making it difficult to recommend as a whole; conversely, the manga is pretty good throughout its long run.
9 Detective Conan Movie 16: The Eleventh Striker
MyAnimeList: 7.70
- Release Date: April 14, 2012
OK, here is a bit of a different one. Detective Conan, aka Case Closed, has produced more than 1000 episodes and 25 movies since its mid-1990s debut, and it is still going strong. Consequently, it was only a matter of time before Conan found himself investigating a case involving soccer. While a single episode would not warrant a mention, Detective Conan opted to center a whole movie around the sport, with Conan and his allies having to stop an array of bombs that are set to go off in stadiums.
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Although not generally regarded as one of Case Closed's best movies, The Eleventh Striker is a perfectly enjoyable action-mystery that should keep most people entertained for two hours, at least if they are somewhat familiar with Detective Conan. Also, the soccer scenes are pretty good, and they have higher production value than most shows.
8 Blue Legend Shoot!
MyAnimeList: 7.38 (Anime) / 7.61 (Manga)
Blue Legend Shoot!
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 1993 - 1994
- Japanese Title
- Aoki Densetsu Shoot!
- Studio
- Toei Animation
- Number of Episodes
- 58
- Based On
- Manga
- Creator(s)
- Tsukasa Oshima
One of the earliest soccer manga and anime, Blue Legend Shoot! Has been somewhat forgotten, and the same can be said for Tsukasa Oshima's Shoot! Source material. Despite having the potential to reach an international audience akin to something like Captain Tsubasa, Toei's anime was not quite pushed to that level, and the 1993 series is extremely difficult to find nowadays. The manga is also not available (legally) in English, dooming this property to international obscurity (which, ultimately, is not the be-all-end-all).
To make matters worse, a 2022 sequel called Shoot! Goal to the Future might be most people's first exposure to this universe, primarily due to its availability on Crunchyroll. Unfortunately, the sequel is pretty bad by most metrics, even when it's not compared to its predecessor. Honestly, it is a contender for the worst soccer anime of all time, if not the worst sports anime in general.
Blue Legend Shoot! Is a genre-blender akin to something like Touch or Blue Box. While soccer is a big part of the equation and drives the main characters forward, the anime does not focus solely on the pitch, instead splitting its time evenly with romance. While fairly slow-paced by the standards of modern sports anime, Blue Legend Shoot! Tells an effective story built around relatable characters, and it is worth seeking out despite the hurdles someone has to overcome.
7 Hungry Heart: Wild Striker
MyAnimeList: 7.54 (Anime) / 6.86 (Manga)
Hungry Heart: Wild Striker
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- September 11, 2002
- Studio
- Nippon Animation
- Based On
- Manga
- Creator
- Yōichi Takahashi
- Number of Episodes
- 52
A popular anime series that had a pretty successful run during the early 2000s, Hungry Heart: Wild Striker follows Kano Kyosuke, who is a high school student from Jyoyo Orange High School. Kyosuke's elder brother is a soccer player who plays for A.C. Milan. Kyosuke's elder brother played a significant role in his life as he was the one who taught Kyosuke everything about soccer. With time, the people around him started comparing Kyosuke to his older brother, which caused him to lose all interest in soccer. However, after joining Jyoyo Orange High School, things began to change, and he found his love for soccer once again.
Hungry Heart: Wild Striker is a rare example of an anime eclipsing the manga, and the adaptation is arguably the definitive version. Although fairly slow initially, the story picks momentum around the halfway mark, and it even has some emotional moments. Fans of Captain Tsubasa should check this out as it feels like a spiritual successor at times.