Crunchyroll's Summer Of Sports: 20 Sports Anime Added to Free Selection
The sports drama is one of the most popular genres in anime and manga. The inter-personal drama both on and off the court/pitch/track/etc makes for exciting action. Summer of 2024 very much feels like a summer with sport- the recently completed Euros and Copa America football tournaments will shortly be joined by the Paris Olympics. What better time to enjoy some sports-flavoured anime?
In recognition of this. Crunchyroll has added 20 popular sports anime to their free AVOD selection. In other words, you can watch these shows without a premium Crunchyroll subscription. You just have to put up with some occasional ads.
The anime included features a wide selection of sports including basketball, football, volleyball, water polo and boxing.
Every title included will be available to watch for free from July 16 to August 15. This includes every season of each show (excluding and movies or OAVs) in every language available.
The offer includes Blue Lock, Haikyu!!!, Kuroko’s Basketball, Birdie Wing, Free! Iwatobi Swim Club and Yowamushi Pedal.
These 20 shows join a growing selection of AVOD available on Crunchyroll. The free catalogue contains more than 1,000 hours of fan favourite series including Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, One Piece, The Apothecary Diaries, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, and Spy X Family.
Featured Series
HAIKYU!! (Production I.G) Volleyball
HAIKYU!! is a slice-of-life sports anime revolving around Shoyo Hinata’s love of volleyball. Inspired by a small-statured player known as the “Little Giant,” Hinata creates a team in his last year of middle school. His team is unfortunately matched up against "King of the Court'' Tobio Kageyama’s team in their first tournament, inevitably losing. After the crushing defeat, Hinata vows to surpass Kageyama. Entering high school, he joins the volleyball team only to find that Tobio has also joined, making his once rival his new teammate.
BLUE LOCK (8bit) Soccer
Japan’s desire for World Cup glory leads the Japanese Football Association to launch a new rigorous 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. Who among them will be the striker to usher in a new era of Japanese soccer?
Ping Pong the animation (Tatsunoko Production) Table Tennis
Makoto Tsukimoto (nicknamed Smile) is a quiet high-schooler who's been friends with the loud and energetic Yukata Hoshino (nicknamed Peco) since childhood. They're both in the local table tennis club and both have a natural talent for it, although Smile's personality always enables him from winning against Peco. The club teacher, however, notices Smile's talent and tries to make him gain some sportive tenacity.
BIRDIE WING -Golf Girls’ Story- (Bandai Namco Pictures) Golf
Fore! After Eve’s first meet up with Aoi on the grass left her in defeat, she’s had her eyes set on a rematch to return the favor. Both these up and coming golfers are highly skilled, highly unique and most of all, highly competitive. With dreams of making it pro, a rivalry is getting in full swing as they both battle it out in the biggest tournaments.
Free! - Iwatobi Swim Club (Kyoto Animation and Animation Do) Swimming
Nanase Haruka loved to be in the water - loved swimming. In elementary school, Nanase Haruka, Tachibana Makoto, Matsuoka Rin, and Hazuki Nagisa attended the same swimming class together. Time passed, and as Haruka was living an uneventful high school life, he suddenly encountered Rin again. Rin challenged Haruka to a race and showed him how much stronger he had become. Soon enough, Makoto and Nagisa also rejoined the group, and along with a new classmate, Ryugazaki Rei, they established the Iwatobi High School Swimming Club.
Hajime No Ippo: The Fighting! (Madhouse) Boxing
Ippo Makunouchi's gentle spirit and lack of confidence make him an easy target for the bullies at his high school. Rescued from a beating by Takamura, a professional boxer, Ippo aspires to learn the art of boxing, and attempts to join the Kamogawa Boxing Club. But, to find his fighter's spirit, Ippo must first spar with Miyata, an extraordinarily talented and skilled boxer. Can Ippo even survive the first round?!
Run with the Wind (Production I.G) Long-Distance Running
One chilly March day, Kansei University fourth-year Kiyose Haiji (Haiji) encounters Kurahara Kakeru (Kakeru) running uncommonly fast through the streets at night and forces him into living at the Chikusei-so (AKA Aotake). Haiji has a dream and ambition. He became discouraged after suffering an injury in high school, but he wants to run again. He wants to participate in the Hakone Ekiden and show off the running ability he's been pursuing. He has only one year left to turn that dream and ambition into reality.
SK8 the Infinity (BONES) Extreme Sports
High school students Reki and Langa are hooked on one thing—a dangerous, top secret, no-holds-barred downhill skateboarding race called “S.” When Reki takes Langa, a transfer student, to the mountain where “S” is held, Langa finds himself sucked in. These colorful skaters will take you through a thrilling story of skateboard battles and unlimited possibilities!
Kuroko’s Basketball (Production I.G) Basketball
An up-and-coming power player, Taiga Kagami, is just back from America. When he comes to Seirin High School, he meets the super-ordinary boy, Tetsuya Kuroko. Kagami is shocked to find that Kuroko isn't good at basketball, in fact, he's bad! And he's so plain that he's impossible to see. But Kuroko's plainness lets him pass the ball around without the other team noticing him, and he's none other than the sixth member of the Miracle Generation.
HANEBADO! (LIDENFILMS) Badminton
Despite her great potential, Ayano Hanesaki would rather avoid badminton than play it. But, when she meets Nagisa Aragaki, a third year who spends every waking moment perfecting her game, she’s inspired. Encouraged by their coach, Tachibana Kentarou, Ayano and Nagisa will hit the court and rally against opponents and rivals with amazing skills!
Harukana Receive (C2C) Beach Volleyball
Oozora Haruka is a high school second-year who's just moved to Okinawa. Haruka is generally cheerful and optimistic, but there's one thing she feels insecure about: she's taller than most other girls. Higa Kanata, her cousin of the same age who meets her at the airport, also has one hang-up: she had to quit her beloved beach volleyball in the past because she was too short. Through some twist of fate, these mismatched cousins find themselves paired up as a beach volleyball team. How will this duo play together in a sport where the presence of one's teammate is more important than anything?!
How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift? (Doga Kobo) Weightlifting
Hibiki Sakura’s love for food is starting to affect her size, but training at her local gym is pretty intimidating! After meeting her handsome personal trainer, Machio, Hibiki bites the bullet and starts her quest for a hot bod!
Iwakakeru -Sport Climbing Girls- (Blade) Sport Climbing
Sport climbing is a sport that makes use of both the body and the brain to climb walls. Kasahara Konomi, a master at puzzles, just happens to discover her school's climbing wall, and it looks almost like a colourful sort of puzzle in her eyes. This fateful encounter brings big changes to Konomi's life! With her teammates in the Hanamiya Girls' High School Climbing Club, Konomi races for the top in this passionate climbing story!
number24 (PRA) Rugby
Natsusa Yuzuki was expecting to be the ace on his college rugby team but due to unexpected circumstances, had to sit out. Six months later, he’s back. Along with his best friend Seiichiro, prodigy senior Ibuki Ueoka and a few others – they’re going to represent the Kansai University team. He may still be figuring out life but he’s got some new brothers to help him. Time to join the scrum!
Backflip!! (Zexcs) Gymnastics
The final summer of middle school, Shotaro Futaba discovers boys gymnastics and is completely enamored by it. Shotaro ends up going to Soshukan Private High School (aka Ao High) and decides to visit the boys gymnastics club. He's greeted by very unique senpais and a star gymnast named Misato Ryoya. Dedicating your life to something you love during your fiery days of youth... Of course, there is frustration, and fights, but see how these boys work together as a team towards a similar goal in this drama about sports and youth.
RE-MAIN (MAPPA) Water Polo
Just after winning a national water polo title in his third year of junior high, a car accident left Minato Kiyomizu in a coma for nearly a year. Now in high school with a fresh start, he leaves the sport behind, but a promise has him returning to it.
The Prince of Tennis (Nihon Ad Systems) Tennis
The classic franchise continues! After Atobe and corps build a new tennis court for Keigo Atobe’s Hyotei Academy, Yukimura and the rest of the Rikkai team are nominated to face them for the very first time. Can they dethrone the reigning champs? Game on!
Tsurune (Kyoto Animation) Archery
When Narumiya Minato joins Prefectural Kazemai High School, he is quickly invited to join the archery club by the club's advisor, Tommy-sensei. His childhood friends Takehaya Seiya and Yamanouchi Ryohei swiftly agree to join, but Minato is hesitant at first.
WAVE!! -Let's go surfing!!- (Asahi Production) Surfing
We're free when we're riding these waves! Masaki was born and raised along the Oarai Coast in Ibaraki Prefecture, where big waves hit the coast all year round. One day, he meets the prince-like transfer student Sho and learns about the ultimate sport where you face off with the world with just a single board beneath your feet: surfing. This was the beginning of the never-ending story about boys who discovered the allure of surfing.
Yowamushi Pedal (TMS Entertainment) Cycling
Onoda Sakamichi is a rather timid, anime-loving first-year student at Sohoku High School. Upon entering high school, he tried to join the anime research club, but after meeting Imaizumi Shunsuke, a renowned cyclist since middle school, and Naruko Shoukichi, who swept the Kansai cycling championship, he ended up joining the competitive cycling club.
