Chihayafuru
28,110
Always deemed inferior to her elder sister, the strong-willed yet aimless Chihaya Ayase has no dream of her own. In contrast to her, Taichi Mashima, the son of a surgeon, is gifted yet insecure as he is burdened by the heavy expectations of his strict mother, who wants him to be perfect in everything. However, the lives of Chihaya and Taichi soon change as they encounter Arata Wataya, the new transfer student in their class. Inspired by Arata's dream to become the best at competitive karuta—a card game based on the classic anthology of one hundred Japanese poets—Chihaya quickly falls in love with the game. Refusing to lose to the talented Arata, the prideful Taichi joins along and immerses himself in the game, aiming to one day surpass his fated rival. The three friends spend their childhood practicing karuta everyday, until certain circumstances force them to part with each other. A few years later, now in high school, the trio finds themselves reunited through the world of competitive karuta. Alongside their newfound comrades and rivals, they embark on a journey of self-discovery, friendship, and romance. [Written by MAL Rewrite]
The Climber
259,428
Through pain and arduous effort, one can reach the top of the world. Standing where no man has ever set foot before, there is an exhilarating feeling of success. This is what Mori Buntarou trains, works, and lives for. His climb to the top starts when he transfers to a new high school. Despite his lonesome and solitary nature, Mori's classmates persuade him to climb the school building. Without a harness or hesitation, he begins his scale to reach the top. Edging past the point of no return, he halts when he is faced with a final intimidating obstacle—a horizontal overhang. Adrenaline courses through him, and Mori jumps for the final hold at the summit. From there, he casts his eyes upon something that he normally would not have seen—another peak, another goal. With an awakened passion and newfound purpose in life, Mori explores the breathtaking sport of rock climbing. [Written by MAL Rewrite]
One Outs
18,543
Toua Tokuchi, a master of gambling and mind games, holds the remarkable record of 499 wins and zero losses in "One Outs," a simplified form of baseball that consists of only a batter and a pitcher. Visiting Okinawa, Tokuchi's hometown, is Hiromichi Kojima, the star batter of the Saikyou Saitama Lycaons, the weakest team in the Japanese baseball league. Dreaming of leading the Lycaons to winning the championship, and in dire need of a replacement for their injured pitcher during a training camp, Kojima involves himself in a game of One Outs, only to lose to a normal fastball from the seemingly invincible Tokuchi. Mesmerized by his prowess, Kojima recruits Tokuchi to the team after narrowly avoiding defeat in a rematch, believing he might just be their key to victory. However, the greedy owner of the Lycaons refuses to give him a decent salary, leading Tokuchi to suggest an unusual contract: every out he pitches will gain him five million yen, but every run he gives up will lose him fifty million yen. With his fate now tied to that of the team, Tokuchi's fight to bring the Lycaons to victory becomes yet another gamble—the very thing that he does best.
Fighting Spirit
682,275
Makunouchi Ippo is a 16-year-old high school student who helps his mother run the family business. His hefty workload impedes on his social life, making him an easy target for bullies. One day, while being beaten up by a group of high school students, Ippo is saved by a boxer named Mamoru Takamura, and is brought to the Kamogawa Boxing Gym. This afterschool bullying session turns his life around for the better as Ippo discovers his latent talent for boxing and decides to practice the sport professionally. However, Mamoru doubts Ippo's determination and assigns him a task deemed impossible to complete, but the resolute Ippo trains tirelessly to fulfill his mission. Along the way, he finds out what it means to attain true strength while making new friends and fighting formidable foes. [Written by MAL Rewrite]
Real
57,771
Tomomi Nomiya, former captain of his high school's basketball team turned delinquent, decides to drop out of school after he is crushed by the guilt of ruining a young girl's life in a traffic accident. As he dedicates his free time to helping her, he stumbles upon Kiyoharu Togawa, a former sprinter who has lost the use of his right leg and now plays wheelchair basketball as an alternate outlet. After challenging Kiyoharu to a one-on-one game, Tomomi is completely defeated. Inspired by this encounter, he realizes that he can't let his love for basketball die so easily and decides that he will do what he can to help others while striving to become a professional player. Meanwhile, Hisanobu Takahashi, Tomomi's replacement as the high school's team captain, gets into an accident and finds himself permanently paralyzed below the waist. tells the touching tale of these three young men as they struggle to overcome their disabilities and inner conflicts in order to achieve their dreams while igniting a passion that will bring them together. [Written by MAL Rewrite]
Tomorrow's Joe
18,669
Joe Yabuki is a troubled young man who runs away from an orphanage. Wandering through the Tokyo slums, he meets former boxing trainer Danpei. Joe is later arrested and goes to a temporary jail where he fights Nishi, his future best friend and leader of a group of hooligans. He and Nishi then go to a juvenile prison miles away from Tokyo. There Joe meets Rikiishi, a former boxing prodigy, and a rivalry develops between them. They face each other in a match in which Rikiishi dominates Joe until the latter hits him with a cross-counter, resulting in both being knocked out. This inspires the other prison inmates to take up boxing. Joe and Rikiishi vow to fight again. (Source: Wikipedia)
Haikyu!!
900,834
The whistle blows. The ball is up. A dig. A set. A spike. Volleyball. A sport where two teams face off, separated by a formidable, wall-like net. The "Little Giant," standing at only 170 cm, overcomes the towering net and the wall of blockers. The awe-inspired Shouyou Hinata looks on at the ace's crow-like figure. Determined to reach great heights like the Little Giant, small-statured Hinata finally manages to form a team in his last year of junior high school, and enters his first volleyball tournament. However, his team is utterly defeated in their first game against the powerhouse school Kitagawa Daiichi, led by the genius, but oppressive setter dubbed the "King of the Court," Tobio Kageyama. Hinata enrolls into Karasuno High School seeking to take revenge against Kageyama in an official high school match and to follow in the Little Giant's footsteps—but his plans are ruined when he opens the gymnasium door to find Kageyama as one of his teammates. Now, Hinata must establish himself on the team and work alongside the problematic Kageyama to overcome his shortcomings and to fulfill his dream of making it to the top of the high school volleyball world. [Written by MAL Rewrite] Volume 14:
Slam Dunk
231,022
Hanamichi Sakuragi, a tall, boisterous teenager with flame-red hair and physical strength beyond his years, is eager to put an end to his rejection streak of 50 and finally score a girlfriend as he begins his first year of Shohoku High. However, his reputation for delinquency and destructiveness precedes him, and most of his fellow students subsequently avoid him like the plague. As his first day of school ends, he is left with two strong thoughts: "I hate basketball" and "I need a girlfriend." Haruko Akagi, ignorant of Hanamichi's history of misbehavior, notices his immense height and unwittingly approaches him, asking whether or not he likes basketball. Overcome by the fact that a girl is speaking to him, the red-haired giant blurts out a yes despite his true feelings. At the gym, Haruko asks if he can do a slam dunk. Though a complete novice, Hanamachi palms the ball and makes the leap...but overshoots, slamming his head into the backboard. Amazed by his near-inhuman physical abilities, Haruko quickly notifies the school's basketball captain of his feat. With this, Hanamichi is unexpectedly thrust into a world of competition for a girl he barely knows, but he soon discovers that there is perhaps more to basketball than he once thought. [Written by MAL Rewrite]
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