Darkest Sports Manga

Highlights

• The manga industry sheds light on the deeper, darker aspects of competition and sports, exploring psychological battles and moral dilemmas.
• Characters in sports manga face challenges like bullying, abandonment, and life-threatening situations, showcasing the consequences of high-stakes competition.
• From classics like Slam Dunk to new hits like Blue Lock, sports manga appeal to a wide audience by delving into the emotional and physical battles of athletes.

Sports is one of the great fiction genres, as it appeals to a lot of audiences and stands out as a great source of entertainment in the same way it does in real life. As such, most storytelling media incorporate sports to some degree, and the manga industry is no different. From old classics like Hajime no Ippo and Slam Dunk to new-gen manga like Blue Lock, which is taking the world by storm, the idea of high-stakes competition will always appeal to fans worldwide.

However, some manga explore the deeper and darker aspects of competition that most people do not talk about. The psychological battles, moral dilemmas, relentless pursuit of victory, and consequences of failure that are present in sports are highlighted in some of the manga titles listed below.

8 Eyeshield 21

The Psychological Effects Of Being Bullied

• Japanese Title
  : Eyeshield Nijuichi
• Author(s)
  : Riichiro Inagaki (story), Yusuke Murata (Art)

Due to being bullied all his life, Sena Kobayakawa developed increased mobility and maneuverability, as he is often found running away from uncomfortable situations. Despite being a timid boy, the captain of the Deimon Devil Bats saw beyond Sena’s shortcomings and recruited him to be their running back.

He is made to wear a helmet with a face shield and goes by the name “Eyeshield 21” on the field, to protect his identity from the public. Although the team rose to new heights with Sena’s help, he still suffered from many of the psychological effects of the bullying he faced in the past.

7 Slam Dunk

A Story About High School Delinquents

• Japanese Title
  : Slam Dunk
• Author(s)
  : Takehiko Inoue

Slam Dunk is considered by a lot of people to be one of the pioneers of basketball manga, as it kicked off in the 90s before the genre had attained much popularity. Hanamichi Sakuragi is asked by the girl of his dreams to join the Shohoku basketball team, and to win her heart, he reluctantly does so.

However, he eventually begins to love the sport and his teammates, and decides to climb to the pinnacle of high school basketball and win the National Championship alongside them. This manga also explores the influence of delinquents and gang fighting on the characters.

6 The First Step

Learning To Deal With An Inferiority Complex

• Japanese Title
  : Hajime No Ippo
• Author(s)
  : George Morikawa

This smash hit 90s manga tells the story of Ippo Makunouchi, an introverted and shy high-schooler who has no friends. Due to that fact, he was picked on and suffered a lot of physical abuse.

That was the norm until, one day, a boxer named Mamoru Takamura saved Ippo and took him to a boxing gym, after which he decided that he would like to become a professional boxer. His journey to fame and the pinnacle of the sport is long, hard, and filled with all the emotional and physical battles one would expect from a combat sports professional’s career.

5 Ping Pong

Breaking Through Mental Obstacles

• Japanese Title
  : Ping Pong
• Author(s)
  : Taiyo Matsumoto

Childhood friends Peco and Smile are boys who attend Katase High School as prodigious members of the Table Tennis Club. Despite having personalities at opposite ends of the spectrum, their sheer love for the game causes them to become the best of friends.

The manga tells a very emotional story, and the artist did a great job of depicting the mental and emotional fatigue that comes with striving to be the best at what something. Smile has to do everything in his power to overcome his mental obstacles and surpass Peco after the latter becomes demoralized following a heavy loss.

4 Blue Lock

Characters Who Would Do Anything To Win

• Japanese Title
  : Blue Lock
• Author(s)
  : Maneyuki Kaneshiro (Story), Yusuke Nomura (Art)

The new smash-hit sports sensation Blue Lock has garnered a dedicated fan base around the world and sold the most manga copies in 2023 by taking a more interesting approach to soccer.

The Blue Lock program is aimed at producing the best and most egoistic striker Japan has ever seen in an attempt to win the World Cup. The teenage strikers admitted to the program will do anything — even betray one another and reveal their twisted personalities — to keep their dream of playing for Japan alive. They also undergo several tests and challenges to test not only their physical abilities, but also their ability to come through with their ego when called upon.

3 Hanebado!

Dealing With The Effects Of Abandonment

• Japanese Title
  : Hanebado!
• Author(s)
  : Kosuke Hamada

Ayano Hanesaki was born to the then-reigning badminton champion, Uchika Hanesaki. As one would expect, Ayano grew up training with Uchika until she eventually became a child badminton prodigy herself, capable of outclassing most of her peers.

An unfortunate illness made Ayano lose a tournament in middle school, making her mother abandon her, leaving her to be raised by her grandparents. Ayano became depressed and battled trauma, which made her give up badminton until she was recruited by a former professional player to join her high school team. To do that, Ayano would have to face, and eventually overcome, all her fears and insecurities.

2 Tomorrow’s Joe

Characters Are Subjected To Life-Threatening Situations

• Japanese Title
  : Ashita No Joe
• Author(s)
  : Asao Takamori (Story), Tetsuya Chiba (Art)

Despite being a shonen series, Ashita no Joe explores the consequences of having a career as a boxer, featuring characters that suffer from hemorrhages, brain damage, and sometimes death as a result of being hit in vital areas.

Joe Yabuki gets the chance to change his life for the better when he decides to become a professional boxer after encountering a great rival during his time in juvenile detention. This rival, Toru Riikishi, challenged Joe to meet him at the pinnacle of the sport for their final showdown and face off as superstar boxers.

1 Real

Characters Learning To Get Back On Their Feet After Suffering Disastrous Setbacks

• Japanese Title
  : Real
• Author(s)
  : Takehiko Inoue

Takehiko Inoue’s Real shows the world from the point of view of people who are marginalized because of their disabilities. The story is centered around these characters, but the main protagonist, Kiyoharu Togawa, is a former high school star sprinter who lost his right leg after suffering from osteosarcoma.

Following that incident, he became depressed, and only started to open up to the beauty of life after being introduced to wheelchair basketball. There is also the tale of Hisanobu Takahashi, a basketball team captain, who was left paraplegic after an unfortunate accident, struggling to deal with life and pushing away his loved ones after becoming paralyzed. These two stories intertwine around the sport of basketball, and how it can help people persevere through adversity.