Most Realistic Baseball Anime & Manga

Baseball has been one of Japan’s favorite sports for years now, so it is not such a surprise to see anime and manga based on the sport that captures the hearts of fans worldwide. In fact, it is a wonder that it has not gained traction like other sports anime such as Blue Lock and Haikyuu.

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While some baseball series include extraordinary abilities, fantasy, or over-dramatic action, there are others that display the realistic side of the sport. These series go in-depth into the sport, displaying the strategies, team play, and personal growth associated with the sport of baseball. They also cover everything from high school tournaments to professional league matches, depicting not only the physical challenges but also the emotional and psychological problems that athletes go through.

10 Cross Game

The Romantic Pitch

Unlike most sports anime focused on championships and skill acquisition, Cross Game is a unique, heartwarming blend of romance and baseball. The story centers around Kou Kitamura, a talented yet uninterested batter, and Aoba Tsukishima, an excellent pitcher with a love for the sport. These two, although polar opposites, share a deep connection with Wakaba Tsukishima, Aoba’s sister and Kou’s childhood sweetheart.

After a tragedy befell Wakaba, Kou is determined to make her dream of seeing him pitch at Koshien a reality. Cross Game beautifully balances love, loss, and ambition, using baseball as a bridge and battleground for character development. As Kou and Aoba work out their differences, baseball becomes the key to overcoming their struggles.

9 Star Of The Giants

Captures The Struggle That Comes With Playing Baseball

• Writer: Ikki Kajiwara
• Original Run: 1968 – 1971
• Number of Chapters: 192

Star of the Giants (aka Kyojin no Hoshi) is based on Hyuma Hoshi, a young pitcher with dreams of emulating his father to be a star in Japan’s professional baseball league. Ittetsu Hoshi, Hyuma’s father, had his glory days as a third baseman cut short due to an injury in WW2. With his father’s guidance and his own ambitions, Hyuma joins the prestigious Tokyo Giants. From tough training sessions to strong rivalries, Hyuma has to step up his game.

Star of the Giants presents a very realistic view of becoming a baseball star, considering the extent to which such hard training really takes a heavy toll on one’s body physically and mentally. With tangles of injuriees, setbacks, and personal sacrifices, the story comes close to the real-life struggles professional athletes normally face.

8 Bungo

Goes Into Great Detail About The Effort Needed To Play Baseball Successfully

• Writer: Ninomiya Yuuji
• Original Run: 2014 – Now
• Number of Chapters: 89

Living in a town without a baseball team, Bungo Ogata, an unrefined gem, does not do much else than throw a ball at the wall day after day — all this changes when he meets Yukio Noda, a youth baseball prodigy. The two enroll in Shizuo Senior with the sole aim of taking the team to Koshien. But Bungo realizes that talent is not all it takes, and he must build on his raw talent, along with the help of his teammates, to reach his dream.

What really sets Bungo apart is the rather realistic way it portrays the commitment and hard work that go into successful baseball. The manga emphasizes the mental, technical, and physical components of the sport while highlighting how those development processes are so often laborious.

7 Oblivion Battery

Finding Purpose Amidst Lost Dreams

Oblivion Battery revolves around Haruka Kiyomine and Kei Kaname, a once-feared middle school baseball pitcher-catcher duo. However, their future was looking bleak as Kaname lost his memories and turned into a class clown. Now attending Kotesashi High, a school with no baseball to speak of, the two find themselves in a dilemma about rekindling their dreams.

The series focuses on the dynamics of teamwork, talent, and lost potential as freshman Taro Yamada, once defeated by the duo, tries to re-spark their passion for baseball. Oblivion Battery captures the emotional and psychological features of the sport, going into detail about the struggle to overcome personal setbacks, finding purpose once more, and working toward mutual dreams.

6 Gurazeni: Money Pitch

Business Meets Baseball

• Released: April 6, 2018
• Writer: Yuji Moritaka
• Number of Episodes: 24

Gurazeni is a different and realistic look at professional baseball, focusing much more on the business side of it than on the games themselves. The story follows Natsunosuke Bonda, a left-handed relief pitcher for the Jingu Spiders. After eight years of being on the field, Bonda has become one of the highest-paid players in the league, hailing from his obsessive nature toward salaries and trying to be on top of his peers.

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Gurazeni focuses on contract management, player retirements, and the nuances involved with the minor league dynamics, with on-field action still being in the mix. This is the kind of anime/manga that would entice those who find sports manager games enjoyable.

5 Major

Chasing Dreams And Baseball

As a baseball whiz whose love for the sport of baseball was unlike any other, Gorou Honda dreams of becoming a professional player just like Shigeharu, his father. Having passed through little league and high school baseball, Gorou goes through different stages of the sport and becomes a professional player, playing both in Japan and in the United States.

With the series spanning six seasons, it extensively shows the progress of Gorou both as an athlete and a person, alongside the dedication it takes to commit to a sport. On top of that, it also features themes of family, friendship, and the ability to make the necessary sacrifice to thrive in a sport one loves.

4 Rookies

A Heartfelt Story About Redemption And Discipline

• Writer: Morita, Masanori
• Original Run: 1998 – 2003
• Number of Chapters: 233

Rookies tells the story of the notorious Futakotamagawa High School’s baseball team, a bunch of delinquents who have lost all interest in baseball since their suspension following a violent fight. However, upon the arrival of the new Japanese teacher, Koichi Kawato, the team begins to regain hope as he shows them a new dream, Koshien.

Although having no experience with baseball, Kawato’s passion and belief in second chances slowly inspire the team to turn their lives around. Rookies is not just about baseball, but redemption, both on the field and off. It excellently portrays personal growth and discipline in redeeming oneself from a bad name.

3 Last Inning

Satonaka’s Comeback With Fresh Leadership

• Writer: Nakahara, Yuu
• Original Run: 2004 – 2014
• Number of Chapters: 440

Keisuke Hatogaya, a baseball enthusiast who somehow lost interest in the sport, ends up being framed by his company and gets sent to jail. His former coach and now principal of Satonaka High School bails him out, and in exchange, Hatogaya has to coach the school’s struggling baseball team to reach the Koshien tournament.

Unlike most baseball manga, the protagonist of Last Inning is the coach, which gives a different overview of the sport, showing the mental and managerial challenges of leading a team. Hatogaya emphasizes the importance of leadership and decision-making in sports, showing very minute details of how teams often win waging battles outside the field of strategy.

2 Big Windup!

Revived Passion With Teamwork

Ren Mihashi, once a timid, self-doubting pitcher and Ace of his middle school baseball team, transfers to Nishiura High with the intention of dropping baseball completely. However, he was recruited for the school’s newly formed baseball team as their starting pitcher not long after. Initially reluctant, a ray of hope shines on Mihashi as his team’s catcher, Takaya Abe, recognizes his talent and is determined to help him regain his confidence and develop into a true Ace.

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Big Windup! (aka Ookiku Furikabutte) focuses more on the strategic elements of baseball, diving deep into the details of games and the trains of thought of the competing teams. It also displays the concepts of teamwork, perseverance, self-belief, and fan support.

1 Diamond No Ace

Where Baseball Dreams Take Center Stage

Ace of Diamond is a lively baseball anime centered around Eijun Sawamura, a determined and passionate pitcher who dreams of making his team the best high school team in Japan and leading as its Ace. After being scouted into Seidou High, an elite baseball school, Eijun finds himself surrounded by skilled teammates, pushing him to improve himself to attain the position of Ace.

Ace of Diamond focuses heavily on the game of baseball, displaying intense action, character development, teamwork, and the mental aspects of the game. The series does not cut the games short either, with single matches spanning over several episodes. It is one of the most realistic baseball-centered anime that fans can check out.

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