Crunchyroll is rolling out a veritable treasure trove for sports anime fans. As part of its summer AVOD lineup, the hit anime streaming service recently added 20 new titles to its already expansive collection, including the likes of Haikyu!, Blue Lock, Free! Iwatobi Swim Club, SK8 The Infinity and numerous others.
On July 16, Crunchyroll made the following 20 titles accessible for those who do not have paid subscriptions. As detailed in a recent press release, audiences will be able to enjoy these series for free (with ads) on the site until Aug. 15, 2024. During this window, anime lovers will be able to enjoy some of the hottest sports anime series of the last two decades. The selection of represented sports is diverse and includes swimming, boxing, basketball, volleyball, soccer, archery, golf, cycling and even table tennis. Readers can check out the full list below.
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Crunchyroll Makes 20 New Sports Anime Free to Watch Worldwide for a Limited Time
- Haikyu
- Blue Lock
- Ping Pong the Animation
- BIRDIE WING – Golf Girls’ Story
- Free! Iwatobi Swim Club
- Hajime No Ippo: The Fighting!
- Run with the Wind
- SK8 the Infinity
- Kuroko’s Basketball
- HANEBADO!
- Harukana Recieve
- How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift?
- Iwakakeru — Sports Climbing Girls
- number24
- Backflip!!
- RE-MAIN
- The Prince of Tennis
- Tsurune
- Wave – Let’s Go Surfing!
- Yowamushi Pedal
Hajime no Ippo & Prince of Tennis Are Two Sports Anime Classics From the Early 2000s
Hajime no Ippo and The Prince of Tennis are two of the older works in Crunchyroll’s sports lineup. Initially released back in 2000, the former follows a high school student named Ippo Makounouchi whose kind and gentle spirit makes him an easy bullying target at his school. After being rescued by a professional boxer, Ippo decides to take up boxing and test his skills against an extraordinarily skilled opponent named Miyata. The Prince of Tennis revolves around 12-year-old tennis prodigy Echizen Ryoma and his struggle to escape the shadow cast by his father, who is a former pro. While attending tennis school, Echizen and his classmates go up against the talented players at Hyotei Academy and their charismatic MVP, Keigo Atobe.
Blue Lock Is One of the Most Popular Current Titles in Sports Anime & Manga
The Blue Lock franchise has quickly become a top contender in the anime and manga world. Last year, Oricon’s Japanese sales data revealed that the original Blue Lock manga had outsold Gege Akutami’s Jujutsu Kaisen by almost 2 million copies. Produced by 8bit, the anime adaptation has garnered praise for its stunning animation and battle royale-style plot. Crunchyroll’s press release describes the story: “Japan’s Desire For World Cup glory leads the Japanese Football Association to launch a rigorous new training program to find the national team’s next striker. Three hundred high school players are pitted against each other for the position, but only one will come out on top.” Currently, Blue Lock Season 2 is in the works and slated to debut in October 2024.
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The Haikyu Anime Is Still Going Strong More Than 10 Years On
Released in 2014, Production I.G.’s Haikyu! series incorporates the popular slice-of-life genre into its volleyball-centric storyline. The anime’s main protagonist, Shoyo Hinata, is a talented player despite his short stature, which mirrors the height of his personal hero, a player known as “Little Giant.” Unfortunately, a devastating loss to middle school rival Tobio Kageyama nearly crushes his spirit. Now a high school student, Shoyo joins the high school team — only to realize that Tobio is now his fellow teammate. Notably, the anime’s sequel film, Haikyu!: The Dumpster Battle, had its first theatrical run in North America earlier this year, delighting many who had waited diligently for a resolution to Shoyo’s story.
Crunchyroll’s New Sports Anime Summer Lineup Includes Fan-Favorites & Forgotten Gems
In addition to common fan favorites, Crunchyroll’s lineup also includes some relatively older, forgotten or slightly more obscure gems, including MAPPA’s 2021 series, RE-MAIN. This anime follows 17-year-old water polo player Minato Kiyomizu, who falls into a coma shortly after winning his first national championship. A year later, he miraculously awakens and decides to leave the sport behind. However, he is ultimately drawn back due to a promise he made to someone from his past. Produced by BONES (My Hero Academia), SK8 the Infinity revolves around Reki and Langa — two high school students who form a strong friendship over their mutual love for extreme skateboarding. Together, the two enter “S” — a thrilling “no-holds-barred” high-speed skateboarding race that pits them against dozens of talented skaters from across Japan. In January 2024, BONES announced that a brand-new SK8 the Infinity OVA was officially in the works, pairing the reveal with a special teaser visual. However, the studio has not yet revealed a release window for the project.
Source: Press release
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