20 recommended baseball anime. Introducing popular works where you can enjoy passionate matches and moving human dramas.

A baseball anime that has been popular as a national sport for a long time, and is characterized by its heated matches. Since there are so many masterpieces, some people may not know which one to choose.

So this time, we will introduce some recommended baseball anime. We introduce a variety of works, from masterpieces from the Showa era to unique works depicting perspectives other than those of the players, so be sure to check them out until the end.

*Distribution site information is as of the time of writing, and distribution may end without notice.

Baseball anime recommendations

Ace of Diamond – MADHOUSE

Broadcast in 2013: 1st season: 75 episodes in total / 2nd season: 51 episodes in total / 3rd season: 52 episodes in total

This is a baseball manga based on Yuji Terashima's manga of the same name, which was serialized in Weekly Shonen Magazine. The original work is divided into the first part, Muji, and the second part, act II, and the cumulative circulation has exceeded 45 million copies. "Ace of Diamond Act II Second Season" is scheduled to be broadcast in 2026.

Eijun Sawamura, a pitcher from a weak junior high school who was defeated in the last game of junior high school, renews his resolve to go to Koshien with his high school teammates. However, one day, a scout from Seido High School, a powerhouse baseball school in Tokyo, came to visit Sawamura. At first, Eijun refuses the scout, but his baseball life changes completely when he takes a provocation and visits Seido High School to observe their practice.

By chance, Eijun was forced to face off against a draft candidate, and through the experience he met catcher Kazuya Miyuki, he learned about top-level high school baseball and his own potential, and decided to attend Seido High School.

This is a modern depiction of an old-fashioned baseball sports anime. It's worth watching to see how they work hard with their friends and compete for regular spots, as well as the fierce battles with their rivals. It also depicts baseball theory that supports the fierce battles, so it is a recommended work that even those who actually play baseball will understand.

Major – Studio Hibari

Broadcast in 2004: 1st season: 26 episodes in total / 2nd season: 26 episodes in total / 3rd season: 26 episodes in total / 4th season: 26 episodes in total / 5th season: 25 episodes in total / 6th season: 25 episodes in total

By: amazon.co.jp

This is a baseball anime based on the manga by Takuya Mitsuda that was serialized in Weekly Shonen Sunday. Along with Detective Conan, it is one of Sunday's representative works, and is currently being serialized in a major second series in which the children of the main characters of this work play an active role.

Goro Honda's dream, who lost his mother and lives with his father, was to become a great pitcher like his father. His father, Shigeharu Honda, was a professional baseball player, but he was often injured as a player who moved back and forth between the first and second teams. Just when he had finally recovered from his injury, he injured his elbow again and decided to retire. What did Goro do for his father who was in despair?

The highlight is Goro's ability to overcome difficulties with efforts that would be unimaginable for an ordinary person. Goro is faced with powerful rivals and troubles in each category: Little League, Junior High School, High School, and Major League Baseball, but it's worth watching to see him overcome them with his fastball and physical strength, which he acquired through fortitude and hard work. Recommended for those who like growth stories.

Dokaben – Nippon Animation

Broadcast in 1976, total 163 episodes

This is a baseball anime based on Shinji Mizushima's masterpiece manga of the same name. The original work begins with a high school baseball edition, and includes a professional baseball edition and a superstars edition, which depict players in professional baseball, and is said to be one of the most representative baseball manga works.

Taro Yamada, who transferred to Takaoka Junior High School, was nicknamed Dokaben because of his physique and the size of his bento box. After joining the judo club, Yamada joins the baseball club, where he meets Iwaki, Tonoma, and others who will be active in the professional world in the future, and develops his baseball talent. Yamada, Iwaki, and Tonoma, who went on to Meikun High School, joined Satonaka in high school and won the district tournament.

This work is attractive because it depicts realistic baseball. At the time of its broadcast, when there were many magic balls and special moves, it succeeded in differentiating itself by depicting realistic baseball, and is a recommended work that depicts the charm of baseball to the fullest.

Touch – Group Tack

Broadcast in 1985, total 101 episodes

This is a baseball anime based on Mitsuru Adachi's manga that was serialized in Weekly Shonen Sunday. It is particularly popular among Mitsuru Adachi's many works, and is said to be his representative work. In addition, the theme song "Touch" has become established as a cheering song for baseball, and is still a famous song that is often played in the Alps stands at Koshien.

Twin brothers Tatsuya and Kazuya Uesugi and Minami, the eldest daughter of the neighboring Asakura family, were childhood friends. The parents of both families were so close that they jointly invested in building a house just for their children. They were childhood friends until elementary school, but by the time they entered middle school, each of them began to realize that there were two boys and one girl...

This work is appealing because it equally depicts baseball and romantic comedy. While refreshingly portraying the harshness of the Showa baseball team, it also carefully depicts the psychology of swinging romance. Recommended for those who like masterpieces.

Shake it big – A-1 Picture

Broadcast in 2007, 1st season: 26 episodes in total / 2nd season: 13 episodes in total

This is a baseball anime based on the manga of the same name by Asa Higuchi. Received the New Life Award at the 10th Osamu Tezuka Cultural Prize.

Ren Mitsuhashi is a timid pitcher who cries easily, but when he was in junior high school, he was ranked as the ace pitcher because he was the grandson of the school's manager. Furthermore, he was disliked by his teammates for not giving up the mound to anyone for three years, and he lost confidence due to the guilt of losing to his team. After graduating from junior high school, Mitsuhashi chose not to attend the escalator-style Samsung Academy, but to attend Nishiura High School, determined to quit baseball. However, he was heading to the baseball club's field.

When the main character is a pitcher, most of them use fast pitches or special pitches as weapons, but the main character of this work, Mitsuhashi, is unique in that his weapon is control. Therefore, the psychological warfare involved in each pitch is carefully depicted, allowing you to enjoy the wonders of each pitch. Recommended for those who like pitching.

Cross Game – Synergy SP

Broadcast in 2009, 50 episodes

This is a baseball anime based on the manga of the same name by Mitsuru Adachi, which was serialized in Weekly Shonen Sunday. It is characterized by having more heroines than other Mitsuru Adachi works, and is one of Mitsuru Adachi's masterpieces in the late 2000s.

Hikaru Kitamura and his childhood friends, the four Tsukishima sisters, each had completely different personalities. The eldest daughter, Kazuha, is determined, the second daughter, Wakaba, is bright and honest, the third daughter, Aoba, is a little unfriendly, and the fourth daughter, Momiha, is full of energy. One day, Wakaba makes a deal with Hikari to go to a summer festival and goes camping. However, a few days later, while watching the summer Koshien on TV, Hikaru suddenly heard the news and couldn't believe his ears.

With a classic story that makes you think, ``This is Mitsuru Adachi's work,'' you can enjoy the sweet and sour taste of youth with high school baseball as its theme. Also, since there are multiple heroines, each has their own psychological depiction, making it easy to empathize with them. Recommended for those who like youth stories.

Captain – Aiken

Broadcast in 1983, total 26 episodes

This is a baseball anime based on the manga of the same name by Akio Chiba. It was exhibited at the 1st Tokyo International Film Festival, and 2022 will mark the 50th anniversary of the series' start.

Takao Taniguchi, who transferred from Aoba Gakuin Junior High School, a prestigious baseball school, joins the weak Sumiya Junior High School baseball team. His teammates have high expectations for Taniguchi since he came from a prestigious baseball school, but Taniguchi is actually a substitute on the second team. However, through constant efforts, Taniguchi gradually gained strength and was eventually named captain.

A baseball manga that teaches you the value of hard work. It's worth watching Taniguchi, who used to be a bad actor, acquire skills through painstaking efforts behind the scenes and grow both physically and mentally. Recommended for those who like masterpieces.

Grazeni – Studio Deen

Broadcast in 2018, 1st season: 12 episodes in total / 2nd season: 12 episodes in total

This is a baseball anime based on the manga of the same name written by Yuji Moritaka and illustrated by Kintaro Adachi, which is serialized in Weekly Morning. It won the 37th Kodansha Manga Award.

Natsunosuke Bonta, a middle pitcher for the professional baseball team Jingu Spiders, had an annual salary of 18 million yen. Generally speaking, the salary is high, but the period of earning money as a player is shorter than that of a company employee, and considering that it is difficult to find a new job, it is by no means safe. Today too, Bonta climbs the mound to pick up money buried in the field.

It is characterized by its theme of money in professional baseball, and carefully depicts what baseball is like to earn money. This work touches on various points such as the techniques and way of thinking needed to survive as a professional, negotiations with teams, and transfer destinations, and allows you to feel the sadness of professional baseball. Recommended for those who like professional baseball.

Battery – Zerogy

Broadcast in 2016, total 11 episodes

This is a baseball anime based on the novel of the same name by Atsuko Asano. The cumulative circulation has exceeded 10 million copies.

Takumi Harada, who has outstanding pitching skills, moves to the mountain town of Nitta due to his father's transfer. There, Takumi meets Go Nagakura, a catcher who can catch his best pitches. The two go on to Nitta Higashi High School and join the baseball club, where they grow up while getting caught up in conflicts between club members and adult matters.

This work focuses on depicting the feelings of young people. It's worth watching the two of them grow as they sometimes clash with their teammates and sometimes with adults. Recommended for those who like growth stories.

ONE OUTS – Madhouse

Broadcast in 2008, total 25 episodes

This is a baseball anime based on Shinobu Kaitani's manga of the same name, which was serialized in Business Jump. It was broadcast with directors and voice actors who have worked on gambling manga such as ``Gyakkyou Burai Kaiji'' and ``Touhai Densetsu Akagi.''

Hiromichi Kojima, a member of the Saikyo Saiju Lycaons, had plenty of ability but was unable to win the title. I will work hard on my own training in Okinawa to find what I need to win. There, Kojima becomes involved in a gambling baseball game called ``One Out'' and meets a pitcher. His name is Toa Toguchi. Kojima saw Toa's ability and scouted him, thinking that he could be the trump card for the Lycaons to win.

The highlight is the match that focuses on the psychological battle between pitcher and batter. The battle of wits where you consider the situation and psychology of your opponent and try to miss your opponent's ball is worth watching. Recommended for those who like brain games.

Giant’s Star – TMS Entertainment

Broadcast in 1968: 1st season: 183 episodes in total / 2nd season: 52 episodes in total / 3rd season: 23 episodes in total / 4th season: 13 episodes in total

This is a baseball anime based on the manga of the same name by Ikki Kajiwara, which was serialized in Weekly Shonen Magazine. This work is said to be the original Spone work, and is a representative work when discussing Spone works.

The Hoshi family was throwing 300 pitches in the snow. Shigeo Nagashima's joining the Giants has been the talk of the town, but his father, Kazutoshi Hoshi, is forcing his son Tobiuma to practice intensely in order to join the Giants. One day, a drunk man learns of this and makes fun of him, saying, ``A poor man would aim to become a star like Shigeo Nagashima?'' and Tobiuma throws the magic ball that he inherited from his father.

It is interesting to see how they persevere through incredibly intense training and overcome hardships. Although he overcomes hardships with unyielding courage, he discovers a fatal weakness in himself, and the way he creates a magic ball and confronts his rival is worth watching. Recommended for those who want to see masterpieces from the Showa era.

Oblivion Battery – MAPPA

Broadcast in 2024, total 12 episodes

This is a baseball anime based on the manga by Eko Mikawa currently being serialized in Shonen Jump+. The cumulative number of views on Shonen Jump+ has exceeded 300 million times.

Known in the junior high school baseball world, the strong-armed pitcher Seimine Hanaruhi and the sharp catcher Kaname Kei were known as the Monster Battery and were so famous that they were scouted by high schools all over the country. However, they chose Tokyo Metropolitan Kotesashi High School, an unknown school. Additionally, Kei has amnesia and his knowledge of baseball is reduced to nothing. Also, the rivals they lost to in middle school happened to be enrolled in the same high school...

The basic story is a classic story about a weak baseball club gathering its members and aiming for Koshien, but what makes it appealing is that it incorporates comedy with humor and tsukkomi. It depicts a human drama in which the characters each suffer intense trauma and overcome it, but it is a work recommended to many people because it is depicted in a comical way without being too heavy.

Kyuei – studio A-CAT

Broadcast in 2020, total 12 episodes

This is a baseball anime based on the manga by Mountain Pukuichi. In the work, women's baseball is set as a major player.

Eishin Takeda, who entered Shin-Koshigaya High School in Saitama Prefecture, was a pitcher who could throw curveballs that could be called magic pitches, but because there was no catcher who could catch them, he almost gave up on baseball. However, when he went to higher education, he met his childhood friend Tamaki Yamazaki again. Tamahime has improved her skills on a strong team and has grown into a catcher who can catch Eishuka's breaking balls. Fulfilling their childhood promise, the two revive the suspended baseball club and aim for the whole country.

By having a female player as a player, the game successfully incorporates a cute atmosphere into the classic sports game. It is a recommended work that will help you feel calm as you can feel the relaxed atmosphere of the serialized manga ``Manga Time Kirara Forward''.

MIX – OLM

Broadcast in 2019, 1st season: 24 episodes in total / 2nd season: 24 episodes in total

This is a baseball anime based on Mitsuru Adachi's manga of the same name from the late 2010s. It depicts Meisei Gakuen approximately 30 years after Touch, which began broadcasting in 1985.

Meisei Gakuen once played in Koshien with Tatsuya Uesugi, but it lost its power and became a weak baseball club. Brothers Tachibana Touma and Tachibana Soichiro, who became powerful due to their parents' remarriage, entered Meisei Gakuen High School and joined the baseball club. Souichiro had excellent talent as a catcher and batter, and he also had an extraordinary talent as a pitcher. However, for some reason, Toma plays the role of third baseman...

This is an attractive work with a story that can be called a Reiwa version touch. There are depictions throughout that are reminiscent of Touch, and Mitsuru Adachi's unique atmosphere and sweet and sour plot, which mixes sports and romantic comedy, is worth watching. Recommended for those who like Mitsuru Adachi's works.

Samurai Giants – TMS Entertainment

Broadcast in 1974, 46 episodes

This is a baseball anime based on the manga written by Ikki Kajiwara and illustrated by Koo Inoue. This is a work from the era when the Giants played V9, and like the stars of the Giants, real players such as Tetsuji Kawakami and Shigeo Nagashima appeared.

Director Kawakami, who was looking for a new player with the samurai spirit to lead the Giants in the future, learned of Banba Bamba of Tosa Arashi High School through the introduction of Hachiman, who was in the second team. He immediately visits Ban for scouting purposes, but Ban refuses to join the Giants. However, at the recommendation of Rika, who he had a crush on, he reluctantly joins the Titans.

The highlight is the flashy baseball that shows off the magic ball. It's a sight to see as he uses a variety of magic balls, such as high jump magic balls, giant slalom balls, and clone magic balls, to defeat batters. Recommended for those who like fantasy.

Cinderella Nine in August – TMS Entertainment

Broadcast in 2019, total 13 episodes

This is a baseball anime based on an app game provided by Akatsuki Games and KADOKAWA. This is a work with the theme of women's baseball.

After Tsubasa Arihara entered Municipal Satogahama High School, she started a women's hardball baseball club at the high school, which did not have a baseball club. The members who gathered are diverse, including girls who are playing baseball for the first time, girls who used to play baseball but have given up, and girls who continue to challenge high hurdles. Although many difficulties come before them, they sometimes clash, sometimes support each other, and grow.

This is a work that carefully depicts the classic sports roots with the theme of women's baseball. Also, unlike men's baseball, children are exposed to baseball for the first time and face problems unique to women, so they can enjoy it from a different perspective that cannot be seen in men's baseball. Also, since the story is an original story, it is recommended even for those who have never played the game.

Play Ball – Aiken

Broadcast in 2005, 1st season: 13 episodes in total / 2nd season: 13 episodes in total

This is a baseball anime based on the baseball manga by Akio Chiba. This work is a spin-off of the same author's work ``Captain.''

Taniguchi, who was the captain of Sumiya Junior High School's baseball team, was unable to play baseball due to continuous pitching with a broken finger. Taniguchi enters Sumiya High School and is invited to join the soccer club by Aiki, the captain of the soccer club. Although he was confused, he joined the soccer club and grew to the point where he became a regular player, but he couldn't shake off his attachment to baseball, and Aiki, who realized his feelings, made Taniguchi join the club.

This is a work that depicts the atmosphere without destroying the atmosphere of the original work. It is a sight to see how he leads the unmotivated members and pulls them together with his constant efforts. Recommended for those who like captains.

Catch me at the ballpark! – EMT Squared

Broadcast in 2025, 12 episodes total

This is a baseball anime based on the manga by Tatsuro Suga currently being serialized in Morning. The cumulative circulation has exceeded 200,000 copies.

Murata, who is living the life of a company slave and being scolded at work and surrounded by paperwork, had a place he went to as if to escape. It's a baseball stadium. When he was watching a baseball game alone as usual, he was approached by Ruriko, a new beer salesman. Ruriko was too messy to be a saleswoman, but she was an extremely naive gal.

It depicts fans and vendors, which are not often depicted in baseball manga or anime, so you can feel the story from the fans' perspective. It is recommended for those who want to visit a baseball stadium, as it depicts not only spectators and vendors, but also security guards, bento shop girls, mascot characters, and other people involved in professional baseball, along with heartwarming anecdotes.

Major Second – OLM

Broadcast in 2018, 1st season: 25 episodes in total / 2nd season: 25 episodes in total

By: amazon.co.jp

This is a baseball anime based on the manga by Takuya Mitsuda currently being serialized in Weekly Shonen Sunday. This is a sequel to ``Major,'' and the son of Goro Shigeno, the protagonist of the previous work, plays the role of the main character.

Daigo Shigeno, the son of active professional baseball player Goro Shigeno, admired his father and joined the Mifune Dolphins, which his father also belonged to. However, he was not able to grow as much as he had hoped, and due to the pressure of being a second-generation player, he quit baseball after less than a year and spent his days feeling lethargic. One day when I was in 6th grade, a transfer student arrived from America. The transfer student was Hikaru Sato, the son of Toshiya Sato, Goro's former ally who played in the Major Leagues and on the Japanese national team.

Unlike Goro, who has had overwhelming talent since he was a child, the highlight is Daigo's growth as he bears the pressure of being a second-generation character with mediocre talent. He may not be able to convince his teammates or overwhelm the opposing team with overwhelming plays like Goro, but it is worth watching him overcome difficulties through his communication skills and his own passion.

H2 – Ashi Production

Broadcast in 1995, 41 episodes

This is a baseball anime representative of Mitsuru Adachi from the late 1990s. This is a work that depicts youth and love through baseball, centering on two main characters who have sex.

During their junior high school days, Hiro Kunimi, who was the ace of the baseball team, and Hideo Tachibana, who played No. 4, won two consecutive junior high school baseball regional championships. However, after that, Hiro had a bomb in his right elbow, and Noda, who was a catcher on the same team, was also diagnosed with a lower back injury, so he had no choice but to give up baseball.

Hideo attends Meiwa High School, a prestigious baseball school, while Hiro and Noda enter Senkawa High School, which does not have a baseball team. Hiro joins the soccer club and Noda joins the swimming club, and they begin a life unrelated to baseball. However, there is a baseball club at Senkawa High School, and Hiro ends up joining by chance.

The highlights are the intertwined love story between the two protagonists and the two heroines, and the scenery of the baseball club that gives a sense of youth. While charmingly depicting the strange scenes of practice and games in the baseball club, the bittersweet scene in which the feelings of the four people intersect has a charm that reminds us of our school days. In addition, there are many effects that make you read between the lines, which is typical of Mitsuru Adachi's works, making this a recommended work that will leave you feeling refreshed after watching it.