Summary
Many sports manga and anime are inspired by real athletes, as the creators are fans of the sports they base their series on. Although far from the sports genre, Hajime Sayama dedicates characters to famous wrestlers in Attack on Titan. Characters from various sports shows resemble iconic athletes, such as Rock Lee from Naruto who bears a striking resemblance to the legendary Bruce Lee.
The The sports genre in manga and anime has been popular since the early days of the industryand many creators have roots in the world of sports. They admired teams and athletes growing up, which led them to create characters inspired by them.
Japan is a multi-sports country, with many popular sports such as soccer, basketball, tennis, etc. These different choices have resulted in many great characters being born from athletes. from all walks of life, ensuring that outstanding athletes from many sports will be recognized in Japan.
10. The Armored Titan’s brutal power was inspired by Brock Lesner
Attack On Titan created by Hajime Isayama; The anime adaptation is produced by Wit Studio & MAPPA
Although Attack On Titan is not a sports manga, this still does not stop Hajime Isayama from dedicating one of the series’ most epic Titans to WWE entertainer Brock Lesner. In fact, he said in an interview that Attack On Titan was heavily inspired by WWE and that when designing the characters, he drew them with wrestling stars in mind. Fans noticed the similarities between the two even before Isayama confirmed it, showing how close the manga creator came to copying one of his favorite wrestlers.
9 Sena is based on the legendary LaDainian Tomlinson
Eyeshield 21 was created by Yusuke Murata & Riichiro Inagaki
Shy and agile Sena Kobayakawa, the main character of eye protection 21influenced by NFL Hall of Fame running back LaDainian Tomlinson. The entire series is inspired by the retired American football star, but Sena has taken his qualities. Both a lightning-fast runner and a running back, Riichiro Inagaki ensures that the protagonist perfectly represents the man who inspired his best and greatest work.
8 Nomiya is obsessed with Kobe Bryant
REAL was created by Takehiko Inoue
Although Nomiya used to imitate Allen Iverson a lot, he had a crush on the late icon Kobe Bryant. He may not dunk or score like him, but he loves basketball with a burning passion and works very hard at his craft, just like the Black Mamba. He even grew his hair in an afro to look like Kobe during his early NBA days, and later shaved it all off like his idol. It’s great to see Inoue giving one of his best characters to a man loved by the world and who is greatly missed.
7 Murasakibara and Shaq are both beasts
Kuroko No Basket was created by Tadatoshi Fujimaki; The anime adaptation was produced by Production IG
There are very few players as threatening and unstoppable as Murasakibara, the purple-haired introvert of Shaquille O’Neal and Kuroko No Basket, who attempted to recreate this aspect of his play. No one could score when he was there, and his blocking and rebounding skills were outstanding. Kagami had to stay in his zone to take down Murasakibara, and even then, it was still a tough pitch. Not only do Shaq and Murasakibara share similar playing styles, but they are also very goofy and sometimes cocky.
6 Julian Loki is Kylian Mbappé’s clone
Blue Lock created by Muneyuki Kaneshiro & Yusuke Nomura; The anime adaptation is produced by Eight Bit
Blue Lock is about a Japanese team recovering from a humiliating defeat in the 2018 World Cup, and the winning team in this event is France, led by superstar Kylian Mbappé. Therefore, it is not a coincidence that a young striker from France was brought by Ego along with other players to challenge the members of Blue Lock. Besides looking the spitting image of Mbappé, Loki also has a similar pace of play and has been described as a prodigy; all the things that the French phenomenon has. Although he is a supporting character, Loki is such a great addition that fans hope he returns in the future.
5 Ushiwaka plays like Yuji Nishida
Haikyu!! created by Haruichi Furudate; The anime adaptation was produced by Production IG
Hinata and Karasuno’s biggest hurdle on the way to the national team has a very similar playing style to the explosive ace of the Japanese national team, Yuji Nishida. Both are 6’1, left-handed, play the same position and are absolute monsters on the ball. Both are also aces of their respective national teams, although Ushiwaka was on the U-19 team. Haruichi Furudate may not have confirmed it, but the similarities between the two are striking points fans in the right direction on how to create Shiratorizawa’s leader.
4 Muhammad Alai is a copy of Muhammad Ali
Baki was created by Keisuke Itagaki; The anime adaptation is produced by TMS Entertainment
Baki’s ridiculous and over-the-top plot is at it again, bringing to life one of the most iconic and beloved athletes of all time, Muhammad Ali, to fight against monsters. objects in the program. The show is about strong men fighting and there couldn’t be a better character to introduce and add to the series’ bizarre ensemble of characters. Alai is very strong and honorable, he earns Yujiro Hanma’s respectstrongest character in the series, and then went on to provide a suitable challenge to his son, Baki Hanma, even though he was not at his best.
3 Killer Bee is the twin brother of Hulk Hogan
Naruto was created by Masashi Kishimoto; The anime adaptation is produced by Studio Pierrot
There are some suggestions that are hilarious The Eight-Tails’ Jinchuuriko was inspired by Hulk Hogan, the menacing WWE star. Kishimoto has said that one of his wrestling-loving editors at the time influenced the character design of a certain character, and that the ninja in question also used wrestling moves. While he doesn’t explicitly mention that Killer Bee is a character inspired by Hulk Hogan, there are clear signs pointing in his direction. They look very similar, with their characteristic yellow beards and mustaches.
2 Rock Lee is Bruce Lee personified
Naruto was created by Masashi Kishimoto; The anime adaptation is produced by Studio Pierrot
The hard-working and lovable Rock Lee is one of the most famous characters in the Naruto series and he shares a lot of similarities with the most famous martial artist ever, Bruce Lee. Besides their names, they both have the same hairstyle, wear the same jumpsuit and are both experts in martial arts and hand-to-hand combat. Bruce Lee suffered a career-ending injury from which he recovered after hard training, and Rock Lee also suffered a similar injury that left him incapacitated but still had to train until he recovered.
1 Rukawa Kaede is modeled after Michael Jordan
Slam Dunk was created by Takehiro Inoue; The anime adaptation was produced by Toei Animation
Slam Dunk’s Shuhoku team is based on the 1990s Chicago Bulls team, wearing the same jerseys and each character imitating players in the same position. However, Rukawa is the closest to being inspired by their real-life counterpart, the greatest player of all time, Michael Jordan. They are both excellent goal scorers and have saved their teams when it was needed most. Playing as a shooting guard, Rukawa uses the black armband popularized by MJ and has the exact same shooting form that Jordan uses. Inoue is a huge fan of basketball, Slam Dunk and REAL are both heavily influenced by real athletes and teams.
Shuhoku’s opponent, Ryonan, is from the Los Angeles Lakers, the same team that the Chicago Bulls once faced.