The 15 best football anime and manga in the world right now

Football anime are animated films of computer-generated characters that focus on stories involving football. Over the years, Japan has produced fascinating and entertaining manga and anime whose stories celebrate the sport. The animations have fascinating characters with unique visuals that make them more appealing to the audience.

Japan is known to produce the best football anime, and manga fans watch worldwide. The popularity of football has also increased the interest in unique creations. They help people understand the sport better.

What are good football anime?

The Aoashi, Detective Canon Movie 16: The Eleventh Striker, and Hungry Heart: Wild Striker are among the top anime about football, loved by many globally. They have captivating storylines that have caught the attention of enthusiasts. Here are the coolest football animes to enlighten your passion for the sport.

15. Blue Lock

The football manga focuses on the Japanese national team in its quest to produce the best strikers globally through an established arena of 3,000 strikers. It is one of the newly released soccer mangas in 2022. Blue Lock follows the story of Yoichi Isagi, one of the players on the list hoping to become the best player in football.

14. Ganbare! Kickers

Ganbare! Kickers are one of the oldest series on the list. It is a romantic piece published between 1985-1989. The masterpiece follows the life of Kakeru Daichi, a soccer enthusiast playing for an underdog team, which transforms into one of the best by winning games. Ganbare! Kickers also have elements of comedy and drama.

13. Fantasista

Created by Michiteru Kusaba, the manga was first released in 1999 but cancelled in 2004. It follows the life of Teppei Sakamoto, a young man with a dream of playing football. His sister helps him improve his skills by training him before joining an elite team.

12. Offside

The story revolves around Goro Kumagaya, a tall, talented goalkeeper from a middle school. His dream of joining Yokonan high school, one of the highly-ranked football schools, falls through. Instead, he joins the Kawasaki High School football club, where he meets a pool of other gifted players. Together, they form a great team that competes with the top-ranked sides.

11. Blue Legend Shoot

Blue Legend Shoot focuses on the journey of Toshihiko Tanaka, Kenji Shiraishi, and Kazuhiro Hiramatsu. The fantastic trio played soccer in the same Junior High School before joining Kakegawa High School to play together. They meet another talented player, Kubo, and form a strong squad hoping to challenge for trophies.

10. The Knight In The Area

The Knight In The Area is one of the best anime on football. It features Kakeru and Suguru, two brothers with football dreams. Suguru becomes a soccer star, but Kakeru opts for coaching after failing to succeed as a player. However, Kakeru makes a u-turn gets inspired by his childhood friend, Nana, who stars for the Japanese women's national team.

9. Victory Kickoff

Victory Kickoff tells the story of Sho Ota, a primary schoolboy and soccer enthusiast. After his team, Momoyama Predator gets disbanded, Ota joins with Erika, a girl his age, to form another team. Their journey of assembling some of the best players to challenge for the championship is truly unique.

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8. Whistle

Shō Kazamatsuri is the main character of the soccer manga and anime Whistle! Determined to prove himself, Shō moves to Sakura Jōsui Junior High from Musashinomori School. His small stature denied him opportunities in his old school.

7. Captain Tsubasa

The Yoichi Takahashi manga series began in 1981 and was adapted into television in 1983-86. It is a football anime named the main character, Tsubasa. He is a soccer-loving and talented player who leads his teams to victories. However, Tsubasa leaves Japan to play in international competitions, including the World Cup.

6. Inazuma Eleven

Inazuma Eleven focuses on the Raimon team and its journey of returning to its old glory after nearly collapsing. Mark Evans (captain), Endou Mamoru (goalkeeper), and other players united to salvage the team's reputation.

5. Days

Days follow the life of Tsukushi Tsukamoto, a freshman at Seiseki High School determined to play football for the first time. Tsukushi works hard and proves wrong to everyone who believes he can't make it. Seiseki is one of the best schools at playing the sport.

4. Giant Killing

Following a series of disappointments, East Tokyo United's GM, Kousei Gotou, hires a new coach, Takeshi Tatsumi, to help the team. The new tactician goes through numerous challenges in building a better team and winning the lost trust of fans.

3. Hungry Heart: Wild Striker

The soccer manga tells the story of Kyōsuke Kanou, a high school student trained by his older brother Seisuke, a famous player. Kyōsuke goes through difficult moments after his brother leaves to play in Italy.

2. Detective Canon Movie 16: The Eleventh Striker

The anime is unique from the rest because of its drama on the pitch and action sequence. It revolves around Canon and his friends, who discover a bomb planted in a stadium. They foil a plan to discover the culprits and save people.

What is the best football anime called?

Many people consider Aoashi the best football anime in 2022. The new football anime focuses on Ashito, a young man with dreams of becoming a top player in Japan.

1. Aoashi

Aoi Ashito is a third-year middle school student from Ehime. He joins the Tokyo City Esperion FC team, where he develops his football skills. The series follows his journey of revolutionizing football in Japan.

Football anime on Netflix

Some of the best soccer manga and anime are also available on Netflix. If you subscribe to the streaming platform, some of the best series available include One Piece: Dream Soccer King, Inazuma Eleven, the Movie, and Captain Tsubasa.

Fans can look forward to some upcoming football anime in 2023. The existing series will release new seasons, while new series are also in the pipeline.

Sportsbrief.com also covered the story of Kasper Hjulmand, the current Danish national football team's head coach and retired professional footballer. Hjulmand played mainly for the local Danish teams throughout his career before retiring to embark on coaching.

Kasper rose to prominence after leading the Danes to the semi-finals in the Euro 2020 championship. He also took them to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Follow the above link to learn more exciting details about him.