To capitalize on the global excitement for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, here are a few soccer animesworth streaming on Crunchyroll to get that extra fix.
After another four long years, the 2022 FIFA World Cup is finally here to enthrall sports fans everywhere, but where the anime fandom overlaps, there are also some worthwhile TV series to check out in between matches. The sports anime subgenre has gradually become more ingrained into the mainstream space, with classics like Slam Dunk for basketball and Hajime no Ippo for boxing, as well as new shows like Haikyuu!! for volleyball.
Soccer doesn’t have that same level of depth just yet, but it’s been making strides in more recent years. Bluelock is the latest and ongoing sports anime hit for the subgenre, with the recently concluded Aoashi being more than noteworthy as well, and these soccer anime series and more are available to stream now on Crunchyroll.
Putting a more high-octane and bombastic twist on the sports anime subgenre, animation studio 8bit’s adaptation of Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yuusuke Nomura’s Blue Lock is a soccer anime for fans that like action shounen as well. Now stylized as Bluelock, the series follows high school player Yoichi Isagi as he joins an experimental soccer training facility designed to elevate the Japanese side of the sport to a new level.
Tired of dwelling on the disappointment and mediocrity of his high school team, the titular training facility sees brutal, cutthroat regimens in an attempt to forge Japan’s top-tier “egoist” striker. The facility injects an inventive element of sci-fi into a sports series, with the over-the-top action and stylish character designs feeling reminiscent of a battle shounen, but now with sports as the catalyst.
