Best Sports Anime of 2013

After the Interhigh Championship, the Seirin basketball team intensifies their training to earn a place in the Winter Cup. Tetsuya Kuroko and Taiga Kagami confront renewed obstacles as former acquaintances return to their lives, affecting both their drills and personal bonds. As they cultivate new skills and forge fresh alliances, Seirin clashes with formidable opponents from Yousen, Shuutoku, and Touou, institutions renowned for elite high school basketball. These rivals possess exceptional talent and are constantly evolving, pressuring Kuroko to balance his dedication to teamwork against his competitive drive. Past tensions resurface, new matches begin, and the emergence of the "Uncrowned Kings," who seek to topple the reigning champions, elevates the stakes. Can Seirin defeat the Generation of Miracles and achieve their objectives?

In Free! - Iwatobi Swim Club, Haruka Nanasa possesses a profound love for swimming. During elementary school, he and his three friends—Rin Matsuoka, Nagisa Hazuki, and Makoto Tachibana—formed a team and secured a relay race victory before going their separate ways. Now in high school, they reunite, though Rin, who attends a different school, is reluctant to restore their friendship and is driven to prove his swimming superiority over Haruka. After a heated confrontation, Haruka, Nagisa, and Makoto establish the Iwatobi High School Swim Club but lack a fourth member for an upcoming competition. Nagisa persuades Rei Ryuugazaki, a former track athlete, to join their ranks. As the tournament approaches, the four bond through rigorous training, striving for victory while working to resolve the persistent rivalry between Haruka and Rin.

Makunouchi Ippo, the reigning Featherweight Champion of Japan, has successfully defended his title once more using his devastating signature technique, the Dempsey Roll. Yet fresh challengers keep emerging, each convinced they have found a way to neutralize the move that has crushed Ippo's previous opponents. Can Ippo overcome these new threats, or will his own pride cause his downfall before he understands what true strength really means? At the same time, his teammate from Kamogawa Gym, Aoki Masaru, is just one Frog Punch away from capturing a championship of his own, poised to challenge the current Japanese Lightweight Champion. In Hajime no Ippo: Rising, Ippo continues his pursuit of even greater power, bringing back the familiar cast of eccentric characters from Kamogawa Gym as they push beyond their limits and dedicate themselves completely to forging a path in the unforgiving world of professional boxing. With unwavering determination, Ippo prepares to step into the ring once more.

In the final baseball game of his middle school career, Eijun Sawamura suffers a crushing defeat when an erratic wild pitch costs his team the match. Despite this loss, Eijun and his teammates vow to reach the national tournament once they enter high school. Their plans take an unexpected turn when a scout notices Eijun's unique pitching style and offers him a spot at the prestigious Seidou High School in Tokyo. Encouraged by his friends, Eijun decides to accept the offer, determined to refine his skills and compete at a higher level. At Seidou, Eijun faces intense competition from other talented players and struggles to secure a place on the team. Undeterred, he declares his goal of one day becoming the team's ace pitcher. However, his path is challenged by Satoru Furuya, another freshman whose blazing fastballs earn him a spot in the starting lineup. As these two newcomers join an already strong squad, Seidou sets its sights on greatness, taking on a series of formidable opponents.

In "Chihayafuru 2," Chihaya Ayase focuses on strengthening her high school's competitive karuta club with ambitious goals, such as winning the national team championship at Omi Jingu and becoming the Queen, Japan's top female karuta player, and beyond. As they enter their second year of high school, Chihaya and her teammates must recruit new members, enhance their physical and mental abilities, and overcome tough opponents to achieve their championship aspirations. Meanwhile, her childhood friend Arata Wataya, who first sparked her love for karuta, rekindles his own passion for the traditional card game.

Sakamichi Onoda, a devoted otaku, transfers to a new school hoping to join the anime club and find friends, but discovers the club has been disbanded. He tries to revive it by recruiting members, but no one shows interest. Undeterred, Onoda keeps up his weekly routine of riding 90 kilometers to Akihabara on his old, heavy city bike—a habit he has maintained since fourth grade. One day, Onoda encounters Shunsuke Imaizumi, a first-year student who is an avid cyclist training on the school's steep hill. Impressed by Onoda's ability to tackle the incline on such a bicycle, Imaizumi challenges him to a race, promising to join the anime club if Onoda wins. This meeting serves as Onoda's introduction to the intense world of high school cycling.

Set at the prestigious Winford Academy in the historic town of Helen's Hill, where students train to become skilled knights and jousters, the story centers around Takahiro Mizuno. Once on track to become a knight himself, Takahiro had to abandon the program due to an injury and instead became part of the begleiter program, providing support to the knights. His exceptional skills with horses and background in jousting make him a popular choice among the female students seeking a personal begleiter, yet he declines their offers. Everything changes when an unexpected incident forces his friend, Mio Kisaski, who isn't officially a knight, into a jousting duel. Takahiro steps up to act as her begleiter temporarily, only to find that their collaboration continues as Mio decides to participate in the academy's annual tournament.

The 22.5th episode is included as a bonus with the eighth BD/DVD volume. With the championship matches winding down, the duel between Aomine and Kise remains close, and the final result is still unclear.

Three sets of special short stories that were included with the DVD/BD releases. The contents: Volume 1 contains "Makoto no Nayami!" (Makoto's Worry!) and "Buin Boshuu!" (Recruiting Members!). Volume 3 features "Rin to Nitori no Ishuukan!" (Rin and Nitori's One Week!) and "Rei no Tobikomi Moutokkun!" (Rei's Diving Intensive Training!). Volume 5 includes "Rei to Riron to Buumeran!" (Rei, Theory, and the Boomerang!), "Iwatobi-ke no Ichizoku!" (The Iwatobi Family Clan!), and "Haruka naru FuriFuri!" (Distant FrFr!).

In the idol group Sweet Diva, Hagiwara Sakura and Miyazawa Elena are the star performers. During a TV show recording, Elena gets hurt by the professional wrestler Kazama Rio. Sakura retaliates with a powerful dropkick. Driven to avenge her friend, Sakura chooses to enter the world of female pro-wrestling.

Modern military operations rely on command, control, and communication—the principles behind Stella Women's Academy's C³ Club, which focuses on airsoft. Due to its niche nature, recruiting new members has been difficult for the club, but the existing members remain hopeful they can find a skilled marksman among the freshmen. Yura Yamato, a shy newcomer who struggles with socializing, discovers that her roommate, Sonora Kashima, owns an impressive collection of military memorabilia and films, including a replica Desert Eagle. When a C³ Club member spots Yura reenacting scenes from an action movie, she is invited to try a practice match. Though she ends up on the losing side, Yura becomes captivated by the thrill of the game. Sonora, the C³ Club president, invites Yura to join after she returns home. With Sonora's encouragement, one more match convinces Yura to officially become a member. Through her new teammates, Yura uncovers a hidden side of her personality and an unexpected passion for airsoft. But as her enthusiasm for the game grows, it begins to consume her life, setting her on a journey of profound change and achievement—one that risks her personal well-being.

After Japanese soccer was freed from the control of the Fifth Sector, teams across the country can now compete without restrictions. But a fresh challenge appears in the form of the Football Frontier International Vision 2, a global tournament designed to gather the strongest squads from each participating nation. Tenma Matsukaze reunites with his former Raimon teammates, Takuto Shindou and Kyousuke Tsurugi, as the three are chosen to represent Japan on the Inazuma Japan team. Surprisingly, the coach adds eight more members who have never played soccer before. With little time to develop their abilities and teamwork, the Inazuma Japan team must overcome major obstacles. They remain unaware that this tournament is only the start of a much larger event that goes beyond Earth in Inazuma Eleven Go: Galaxy.

This OVA was included with the 25th volume of the Kuroko no Basket manga. It adapts the story "Baka Ja Katenai no yo" (バカじゃ勝てないのよ), originally featured in the manga's fifth volume.

After their defeat against Suzuridani Academy, the Keishin Academy girls' basketball team—Tomoka Minato, Maho Misawa, Airi Kashii, Hinata Hakamada, and Saki Nagatsuka—along with their coach Subaru Hasegawa, focus on improving their basketball abilities. In their pursuit of growth, they face strong new opponents and helpful friends who may be more skilled than them.

Kick-Heart follows the romance between Romeo, a celebrated professional wrestler, and Juliet, a nun who leads a hidden second life as a female pro-wrestler. Romeo secretly finds pleasure in being beaten during matches, while Juliet feels energized when competing against opponents in the ring. When these two clash in the wrestling ring, sparks fly. Their tale unfolds against the vivid backdrop of the pro-wrestling world. Will Juliet reveal her true self to the man she loves? Can Romeo ever confess his secret to the public?

Sakamichi Onoda, a passionate otaku, is determined to revive his recently disbanded anime club by finding new members. His efforts are disrupted when two cyclists notice his impressive abilities on his old mamachari bicycle and persuade him to audition for the school's cycling team. This OVA was released together with the twenty-ninth volume of the manga.

Ro-Kyu-Bu! OVA bundled with the PlayStation Portable game "Ro-Kyu-Bu!: Himitsu no Otoshimono."

Naru Ayase, an eighth-grade middle school student, possesses the extraordinary ability to perceive music as visible colors. With a natural talent for decoration, she dreams of one day running her own boutique just like Dear Crown. When she hears that a newly opened store is recruiting middle school girls proficient in Prism Dance, Naru eagerly applies for the opportunity. During her audition, she performs the Prism Dance, and a strange aura manifests around her. At that moment, a mysterious girl named Rinne approaches and asks Naru if she can see "rainbow music."

These two specials are adapted from bonus chapters in volume 3 of the manga: 1. "Senpai to Chocolate Factory (先輩とチョコレート工場)" 2. "Senpai to Chihiro no Kamikakushi (先輩と千尋の神隠し)"

The last seven unaired episodes of "Metal Fight Beyblade Zero G" released on DVD volumes 6 and 7 of the series.

In a futuristic city, children use Finger Skateboards—small decks that allow them to control virtual avatars in battle scenarios based on their inputs. The protagonist walks into a shop and joins three friends to play the game. Together, they take on various missions and confront Alexander, the child of a rival company that is in conflict with the original store.

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