Haikyuu!! The Dumpster Battle proves sports anime is finally having its moment

I can safely say that Haikyuu!! The Dumpster Battle is the most excited I’ve ever been about volleyball, and considering the upcoming anime on the way, I’m going to be saying that about several other sports as well.

In Haikyuu!! The Dumpster Battle, two high schools who’ve been itching to face each other finally get to in a national volleyball tournament. The title refers to the fact one team, Karasuno High School, are the Crows, whereas their opponents, Nekoma High School, are the Wildcats.

What do crows and cats generally fight over? It’s quite clever. Anyway, the whole anime movie follows the match, from the opening whistle to the closing maneuvers and post-game celebration and commiserations (You can read more about it in our Haikyuu!! The Dumpster Battle review).

Haikyuu!! is about more than volleyball

©2024”HAIKYU!!”Project ©H.Furudate / Shueisha

For the most part, the play-by-plays provide the action, with a subtle narrative web gradually spreading out to provide each player’s backstory. Susumu Mitsunaka intertwines their lives with what’s happening on the court to the point that they become totally symbiotic and inseparable.

Swift, hard-hitting spikes are slowed down by the internal struggle of those competing. Shoyo Hinata, the franchise protagonist, struggles as Kenma Kozume’s keen strategizing starts to get under his skin, their back-and-forth depicted as quasi-kaiju animals gnawing at each other.

The Dumpster Battle pivots on the intrinsic, human drama of high-level sports but continually acknowledges the unique personal circumstances that have brought each player to that match. Then, those elements are mixed together by thrilling, fluid set pieces that demonstrate the strength, flexibility, and sheer determination that’s going into every move.

Anime shows all aspects of sports

2024 HAIKYU!! Project H.Furudate/Shueisha

It’s an alchemy made possible by the medium itself, unbound from the laws of human bodies and editing in live-action and untethered by the pacing of live sports. Watching The Dumpster Battle, I didn’t just develop an appreciation for volleyball; I understood why others like it, too.

That’s no mean feat, and it’s something that’s happening across sports anime this year. Football anime Blue Lock is looking to score twice this year, first with a film that comes to international territories in June and then the second season, coming in October 2024.

Named after a rigorous method of training players to become all-star strikers in order for Japan to win the World Cup, Blue Lock covers just about every power fantasy any footie-loving fan can think of. There’s a no-nonsense manager changing everything, a main character who’s plucked from obscurity to be the next team hero and an all-or-nothing approach to team-building.

Blue Lock scores every goal

Crunchyroll

The first season, produced by Eight Bit, is what you’d expect from an expertly made football anime. Scenes on the pitch put any soccer video game to shame, and then the outside narratives create urgency and emotional depth.

If you remain unconvinced by any pals or family members trying to convince you to watch Match of the Day or an afternoon of the Bundesliga or the Premier League, Blue Lock might just be the ticket — at the very least, it’s a well-written underdog story.

They’re joined by Rinkai!, an anime and manga that quietly arrived this past April about women’s cycling. A different lane to Blue Lock and Haikyuu!!, each of Rinkai!’s characters hail from a distinct region of Japan, and they all have their own sponsorships.

Part of the show is the collective struggle, even though they’re all in it for themselves. Cycling can be harsh on the body, and marathons can feel so long that the actual desire to win can fade into simply avoiding crashing or failing to finish. At seven episodes, it’s short but sweet and something not to miss if you want a sports story that’ll perk up your day.

Slam Dunk was the first three-pointer

Toei Company

Really, these are all piggybacking on the success of The First Slam Dunk in 2022, a sports movie that proved not only that anime’s audience is growing, but that people will still show up if you tell the right story. Time was, these productions were either aimed at your dad, in features such as Remember the Titans and Rocky, or had a stronger focus on disrupting the sport in question, with the likes of Happy Gilmore, The Mighty Ducks, or even Moneyball.

Haikyuu!!, Blue Lock and Rinkai! prove that just isn’t the case. They’re for everyone, and they’re attracting fervent audiences that mainstream sports often fail to. I’m not saying I actually went out and joined my local volleyball club after The Dumpster Battle, but I definitely considered it for a split second as the credits rolled.

Your mileage may vary on that impulse. But you’ll definitely get why others do have that drive, and you might just find yourself sincerely asking how your friend’s team is doing in the Champions League sometime, too.

Haikyuu!! The Dumpster Battle is in theatres now. Check out our guide to the Haikyuu!! manga, and our list of the best anime on Crunchyroll for more home viewing.