Top 10 anime to watch like Blue Lock

Following Blue Lock’s growing success (and ahead of its upcoming 2024 film), here are top 10 similar anime series you need to watch.

Blue Lock debuted to immense success at the end of 2022, but no one could have expected that the sports series would go viral once again almost a year later in October 2023. Remember the “Who in the Blue Lock?” trend?

With Blue Lock’s highly-anticipated film adaptation set to premiere in April 2024, and a second season on its way, you might wonder what you can watch to fill the football-sized hole it left behind.

Some of the most overlooked and underrated anime can be found in the sports genre. So, if you’d like to take a break from terrifying monsters or overpowered heroes, and Blue Lock has piqued your interest, here are our top 10 similar series for you to watch.

Top 10 anime like Blue Lock

From High School sports to terrifying mind games, check out these similar anime series that are perfect for fans of Blue Lock.

10. Aoashi

We’re kicking off this list with another popular soccer (football, if you’re outside of the US) anime series: Aoashi.

Based on the recent manga series of the same name, written by Yugo Kobayashi, Aoashi follows the story of a junior high school student called Ashito Aoi.

Aoi is well-known for his soccer skills. But, like many middle school stars, his arrogance gets the better of him and he forgets how to be a team player, which costs his team their spot in the championship tournament.

Losing the tournament causes Aoi to lose confidence. That is until a coach tells him that the only thing holding him back is his bad attitude. Because of this, Aoi joins and new team and decides to finally apply his talents. But can he learn to be a team player or will he keep making the same mistakes?

Available to watch on: Crunchyroll

9. Tomodachi Game

This entry on our list has nothing to do with soccer, but this thriller is a survival game story like no other.

Based on Mikoto Yamaguchi and Yuki Sato’s hit shonen manga series, Tomodachi Game has the same school-type setting of Blue Lock. Its plot revolves around a group of friends, Yuuichi Katagiri, Yutori Kokorogi, Tenji Mikasa, Shihi Sawaragi and Makoto Shibe.

Their class is preparing to go on a school trip, but when the funds are stolen, a rift forms between the friends which is worsened when they receive some mysterious letters.

This is where they mystery deepens. The group are knocked unconscious and wake up in a room where they meet someone called Manabu-kun, who tells them that they can pay off the 20 million debt by playing games. Similar to Squid Games, the these games are simple, although the consequences aren’t. Who will be the ultimate winner?

Available to watch on: Crunchyroll

8. Inazuma Eleven

It’s time to get back to soccer with Inazuma Eleven.

The story revolves around the soccer team of Raimon Middle School, which is on the verge of disbandment following disappointing results and lack of funds.

To save the club, Mamoru Endou, the captain of the team and grandson of Inazuma Eleven’s first goalkeeper, decides to recruit some new players. He soon finds Shuuya Gouenji, a great player who has fallen out of love with the beautiful game. Can Mamoru change his mind?

Available to watch on: Prime Video

7. All Out!

It’s time for a change from soccer with this highly-underrated rugby series.

Based on Shiori Amase’s long-running manga series, this 2016-2016 anime from Madhouse follows high school student Gion Kenji who decides to join the school rugby team after watching them practice.

Perfect for sports fans everywhere, watch as Kenji helps transform the team from mocked underdogs to serious championship competitors, as they battle through hardships together to work towards a common goal.

Available to watch on: Crunchyroll

6. Hajime No Ippo

Now onto one of the greatest sports anime series ever made: Hajime No Ippo.

As the plot of the anime unfolds, you can follow Makunouchi Ippo’s journey from average joe to the top of Japan’s lightweight boxing division.

High school student Makunouchi Ippo used to find himself regularly bullied and taken advantage of by his classmates. However, everything changes when he meets heavyweight boxer Takemura. Inspired by Takemura’s strength and courage, Ippo decides to turn his life around and begin boxing. And, as you’ll discover in the series, he has a hidden talent for it.

Available to watch on: Netflix

5. Tokyo Revengers

Seeing this entry on our list, you’re probably wondering what Tokyo Revengers and Blue Lock have in common. However, with fans on social media begging for a crossover with the series, they might be more closely linked then you think.

Based on Ken Wakui’s manga, this 2021 anime adaptation follows the story of Takemichi Hanagaki, a bored 26-year-old temp worker without much going on in his life. That is until his ex-girlfriend Hinata Tachnibana dies in a dispute with the Tokyo Manji Gang.

The next day, Takemichi gets pushed off a subway platform and somehow ends up jumping twelve years back in time. Upon this discovery, he decides to do everything he can to prevent her death.

With similar animation vibes and even characters that resemble each other, if you’re a fan of the Blue Lock visuals then this could be an anime for you.

Available to watch on: Crunchyroll

4. Kakegurui

Blue Lock is known for its competitive spirit, and so is Kakegurui.

Set in the Hyakkaou Private Academy, a school for elite students, the school gets transformed into a gambling haven overnight. These high-stakes betting games help determine the students’ status and hierarchy within the school, whoever wins live like kings and the losers have to bear the consequences.

The story follows the story of Yumeko Jabami, a transfer student who is quickly integrated into the rigorous curriculum of gambling. Highly intelligent (and competitive) she soon teaches the other students what a high roller really looks like.

Available to watch on: Netflix

3. Kuroko’s Basketball

Onto yet another brilliant and popular anime sports series.

Kuroko’s Basketball revolves around the life of a former member of a top basketball team in Japan called the Generation of Miracles. The team’s players were unstoppable on the court. However, being unchallenged at the top for so long made them become complacent and eventually the team split up.

One of the few members who retained a love for the game is Kuroko, who decides that he needs to restore order and get his teammates back together. Just like Blue Lock, Kuroko’s Basketball focuses on the team aspect of the sport, as well as some dazzling feats of sporting success.

Available to watch on: Crunchyroll

2. Chainsaw Man

Blue Lock and Chainsaw man both debuted in the same year, and both are fantastic anime series in their own right.

Filled with phenomenal fights, character development and high-quality animation, Chainsaw Man stands apart from many other shonen series in the same way that Blue Lock stands apart from sports series.

The plot follows a young man called Denji who was transformed into a powerful demon-human hybrid after his dog-like chainsaw demon saved his life. He’s soon enlisted into an organization dedicated to hunting other demons, with the use of his impressive chainsaw.

So why are the series similar? Just like Blue Lock, the characters are driven, battling against each other to become the best in their world, with a strange organization above them that likely doesn’t have the protagonist’s best interests at heart.

Available to watch on: Hulu, Prime Video and Crunchyroll

1. Slam Dunk

The final entry on this list is a classic anime series that reached international acclaim. The story of Slam Dunk follows the Shohoku basketball team on their long journey as they strive to become the best in Japan.

The plot revolves around a first-year student called Hanamichi. Hanamichi joins the basketball team because he’s desperate to get a girlfriend. But there’s a catch: he doesn’t like basketball.

Although he has no interest in the sport, he does have impressive physical abilities that make him a great asset to the team. So, while he might not end his romantic rejection streak, he could find a new love in a sport instead.

Available to watch on: Crunchyroll

There you have it. From high-takes mind games where friends become enemies to survive, to internationally-acclaimed sports dramas, here are our top 10 series that you need to watch if you’re a fan of Blue Lock.

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