The beer is so cold! In honor of Opening Day in the United States, I decided to compile a short list of great baseball anime that every fan of the sport should watch at some point this summer, including a series that will begin airing this April. So lace up your shoes and grab your rosin bag because it's time to play ball!
Ace of the Diamonds
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Ace of the Diamond (Diamond no Ace) is the most famous baseball anime on the list and is animated by Production IG studio and Madhouse. This series is a long series but it is worth it. The series' appeal comes from its countless baseball references, slang, and ability to teach viewers a lot about the game itself in a fun and engaging way like Haikyuu! Have.
Best of all, Ace of the Diamond has some of the best character development in sports anime with a great cast of characters and plenty of exaggerated moments. Ace of the Diamond is the ideal baseball anime for all fans of the game and sports anime in general.
The first season titled Ace of the Diamond (2015) has a total of 75 episodes. The sequel Ace of the Diamond: Second Season (2016) had a total of 51 episodes while the third season Ace of the Diamond: Act II (2016, animated by Madhouse) had 52 episodes. There are also two more OVA episodes. In total, the viewing order will be OVA Part 1, OVA Part 1, OVA Part 2, OVA Part 2 and then Act II. All current episodes are streaming on Crunchyroll.
The anime is based on the manga series written and illustrated by Yuji Terajima which ended in 2022. Kodansha USA digitally publishes the manga in English and describes the series as follows:
Eijun Sawamura has put his heart and soul into the national junior high baseball championship. But his team was eliminated thanks to a wild pitch made by Eijun himself. He plans to enter high school with his teammates and try again next year when he is recruited by the famous Seido High School baseball team. As he tours the campus, he finds himself about to receive a baptism of fire! The experience of forming a team with promising catcher Miyuki ignited his passion for baseball!!
Oblivion Battery
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Next on this list is the upcoming baseball anime Oblivion Battery (Boukyaku Battery) made by the widely famous studio MAPPA. The series begins airing on April 9, a day filled with baseball history such as the first game played at iconic Fenway Park (1912), the 800th stolen base of Ricky Henderson's career (1989), the Colorado Rockies had their first win as a franchise and set a league attendance record (1993), and my favorite team, the Baltimore Orioles, recorded a three-game first first in the history of major tournaments (1959).
Makoto Nakazono will direct his anime television series debut with Oblivion Battery. He previously worked as an episode director for other major projects animated by MAPPA such as Jujutsu Kaisen and Chainsaw Man. This anime is based on the manga currently written and illustrated by Eko Mikawa and has a total of 17 volumes published.
The series will air on Crunchyroll and the anime description is:
Iron-armed pitcher, Haruka Kiyomine, and astute catcher, Kei Kaname, aka “The Great General,” were considered a monstrous battery duo unparalleled in the world of middle school baseball . Both were sought after by many major high schools across the country, but somehow, both of them ended up at Kotesashi High School in Tokyo, which is not famous for baseball. On top of that, other star players who lost to that duo in the past and completely lost their way from baseball also happened to enroll in that school, and… Their meeting set things in motion again once again. Their high school baseball story begins now!
Princess Chin
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There are no cries in baseball! This glorious sport isn't just for boys. So if you're looking for a classic yet golden baseball anime from the golden year of 1998 that focuses on Japan's first all-girls high school baseball team, look no further than Princess Nine. An inspirational story that begins with the daughter of a legendary Japanese pitcher who wants to compete with all the other boys' teams to win the national high school baseball championship. The team faces challenges that a typical all-male team would not.
So if you're a fan of the baseball movie A League of Their Own and anime with a great cast of characters, then give Princess Nine Hours! The series is directed by Tomomi Mochizuki, who directed several episodes of Ranma ½ and is directing the upcoming anime series Kaii to Otome to Kamikakushi.
Crunchyroll is currently streaming all 26 episodes of the series. anime and series description is as follows:
In the male-dominated sport of baseball, a group of high school girls are about to turn the world upside down! Ryo Hayakawa, the daughter of a legendary pitcher, has been chosen to lead Japan's first “Princesses” women's baseball team. They don't want to play in a separate league – they're playing the boys at their own game. And their goal? None other than Koshien, the national high school baseball championship! But for all the challenges they face on the field, the toughest battles are those that take place behind the scenes.
One Outs
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Another baseball anime gem from studio Madhouse, One Outs is different from the others here. Catering more to a mature audience, this series delves into a different perspective on the sport as it follows the main character, Toua Tokuchi, who is more interested in the money that can be made from baseball is the sport itself and Hiromichi Kojima, a legendary baseball player willing to put anyone on his team to win.
With plenty of mature themes and character development, this would be a perfect baseball anime for people who don't necessarily care much about baseball, but would still enjoy a good sports anime involving people. big, gambling and psychological aspects. It also caters to baseball fans as it shows off the business side of it that you won't see in others on this list. So if you're a fan of series like Kaiji but want something a little baseball related, One Outs might be perfect for you.
The anime is based on the manga series written and illustrated by Shinobu Kaitani, for whom legendary manga author Eiichiro Oda (One Piece) even worked as his assistant. Unfortunately, this 25-episode anime series is not available to stream on any legal streaming service other than Netflix Japan.
Goodreads describes the story as follows:
Kojima Hiromichi is the ace hitter of Lycaons – a baseball team known for being weak and often ranked last. Determined to lead the team to victory before retiring, Kojima takes a trip to a training camp in Okinawa in hopes of discovering the elements that Lycaon lacks. There, he stumbles into a game called “One Outs”—a gambling game derived from baseball—and is soundly defeated by a blonde pitcher named Tokuchi Toua , who reportedly never allowed a hit in any of the 499 games he played. Kojima realizes he has found the 'missing element' and makes a bet with Tokuchi. Little did anyone know that the outcome of this gamble would decide the fate of Lycaons and everyone associated with the team.
Big Windup!
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The big ending! DVD trailer
Are you a fan of stories where the incompetent protagonist is an outcast from his old setting and then overcomes new obstacles along with new people in a positive setting to become part of the something great? Then Big Windup! might be the perfect baseball anime for you to watch. With a great supporting cast, solid production from renowned studio A-1 Pictures, and relative ease of enjoyment, this seinen anime series is another solid recommendation for anime fans sports in general.
It can be said that this series has some of the best voice actors along with Ace of the Diamond. Take a look at some of them below:
Ren Mihashi: Tsubasa Yonaga (Nagisa Hazuki – Free!)Takaye Abe: Yuuichi Nakamaru (Gojo – Jujutsu Kaisen )Yuuichirou Tajima: Hiro Shimono (Zenitsu – Demon Slayer)Azusa Hanai: Kishou Taniyama (Chuuya – Bungo Stray Dogs)Kousuke Izumi: Jun Fukuyama (LeLouch – Code Geass)Junta Takase: Noriaki Sugiyama (Sasuke – Naruto)
Big wind! There are only two seasons, 38 episodes in total. Unfortunately, only the first season is available to watch on Crunchyroll. The film is directed by Tsutomu Mizushima, who is famous for directing hit films such as Another, Prison School, Shirabako, Girls and Panzer, and Blood-C. The anime is based on the award-winning manga series written and illustrated by Asa Higuchi. There are currently 36 volumes published.
Summary of Anime Corner:
Ren Mihashi is the runner-up for his old middle school baseball team. Unfortunately, the team did not play well and neither did Mihashi's pitching skills. When he switched to playing baseball in high school, Mihashi always doubted himself and didn't believe he would be able to play baseball again. However, current player on the school's baseball team, Takaye Abe, encouraged Mihashi to join the team after realizing there was something special about him. In a new, positive environment, Mihashi learns to achieve new levels of confidence as he becomes the player Abe thought he could be, leading the team to new heights.
©Yuji Terashima/Kodansha/“Ace of Diamond” Production Committee/TV Tokyo
