Beyond the Game: How Sports Anime Elevates the Sports Genre !!
Ananya Warrier
FY B.Sc. (2024-2028)
Estimated Reading Time: 5 mins
It was the night of the finals of the Ice Skating Grand Prix in Barcelona. Yuri Katsuki had decided to retire after this competition so that his coach Victor could continue his skating career, from which he had taken a break. A tearful Victor rejects the idea, instead, suggesting they decide their paths after the finals.
When I finally saw this scene, after weeks of witnessing the stunning choreography and the cutest moments between Yuri and Victor, it stirred my soul. I was, of course, used to the rush of emotions that most athletes faced, courtesy the movies and documentaries I watched, being the big television addict that I am. However, this wholesome moment, where Yuri is so willfully sacrificing his newly begun career so that Victor can continue his passion, just broke me. And the finals hadn’t even started!
Many people who watch sports anime will surely tell you that their emotions are always dialed up to thirteen when they watch their favorite characters trying their best to win the game. The characters’ motivations vary greatly, ranging from their underdog status, to winning the approval of stiff-faced parents and coaches that simply refuse to shower the star players with compliments since it could damage their egos, or even simply looking to regain lost glory (lost simply because of someone’s stupidity, vanity or ego) (yes of course I’m talking about Haikyu!!, that beloved volleyball anime that remains the epitome of how sports anime are to be done). Obviously it’s not about winning, but about the journey itself and the friends we made along the way.
Now, you may be wondering – don’t those movies and documentaries you were talking about earlier also have these elements? Heck, even sports themselves are all about team spirit. To which I’d reply, “Of course!” But the thing is that Sports are about the contact. The victories. The raw power and sweat-and-gatorade-drenched uniforms. The Movies talk about the player themselves, usually the unsporting star player, a one-man show pushing themselves out of their social, economic or biological limitations through sheer determination and force of will, occasionally even by a coach who ‘saw their potential’ (or Sandra Bullock adopting the poor kid as a leading example of the white savior complex i can fix him whatever it was that she was thinking). It’s always about the adrenaline rush, the joy of winning, so much so that winning is usually the only end imaginable. Any other ending, like losing, having to retire due to injuries or old age, is frowned upon to the extent that the athletes descend upon a downward spiral into self-harm, drugs and alcohol, which just sends out the wrong message. Losing or retiring is not the end of your life. Sure, it was the thing you loved doing the most, but harming yourself, often at the cost of your family and support system, is not the solution.
Whereas the Animes talk more often than not about the team. Now, you might butt in and say, “Well, even teams have star players. Are you saying that isn’t the case with anime either?”, to which I’d reply – yes and no. While there is an apparent star player or main character who we’re supposed to focus on, there is a whole range of other characters to choose from, oftentimes everyone. (sigh, Haikyu!!) As I said before, the journey of the players and the team is equally important. When they lose, they pick themselves up and go right back to dissecting what went wrong, and improving their game.
You also get to witness the evolution of the characters along with their game – their improvement in skill level, sportsmanship, and team spirit. One such example is Tobio Kageyama, your typical arrogant, short-tempered anti hero who, upon joining Karasuno’s volleyball team, evolved to become more accepting, respectable and always looked out for his team. This is a great detail I always love to pick apart when watching an anime- seeing the characters’ growth and journey beyond the usual tropes we see in western media. You get to understand both sides of the team and understand the stakes involved in a game.
Another great reason to watch anime is because you get to learn a lot about the sport, since usually the main character has just entered the new world of whichever sport you’re watching, and that is a useful tool, especially for those who don’t follow a lot of sports. Sports anime feature a good amount of explanation of the development, particulars, and/or discipline involved in the sports they’re about.
In fact, many people have pursued sports because of the anime. Haikyu!! itself helped many people revive their interest in volleyball, and helped people pick up the sport both as a hobby and professionally. The theme song of Haikyu!! also made a surprise appearance at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
How Haikyu!! impacted the number of people who took up volleyball.
Seriously though, there is something for everyone. If you want a more sports-centric type of anime, you’ve got Haikyu!!, Bakuten!!, and RE-MAIN. If you’re looking for something that includes other genres as well, there is Yuri!!! on Ice and SK8 the Infinity. These are shows that immediately latch onto you, and you have no choice but to enjoy it to the extreme, and hopefully turn into a connoisseur at least, or a weeb at most.