Grand Blue

A sports manga masterpiece by Inoue Takehiko beginning in 1990. Depicting high school basketball club youth, its complex character relationships, thrilling matches, and emotional narrative represent the golden age of shonen manga. Its anime adaptation was a major hit. Known for elevating basketball's popularity in Japan.

A masterpiece high school basketball manga by Takehiko Inoue. Delinquent Hanamichi Sakuragi discovers his basketball talent in a growth story. Its dynamic game depiction and passionate drama significantly boosted basketball's popularity in Japan.

A manga serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump by Haruichi Furudate. A coming-of-age story of a underdog volleyball team aiming for nationals. With detailed sports depiction and character growth, it has become a sports manga masterpiece with fans worldwide.

The world's longest weekly serialized manga (200 volumes) by Osamu Akimoto. A comedy depicting the daily life of the eccentric police officer Ryo-san at a downtown police box. Serialized without a single break for 40 years from 1976 to 2016, it set a monumental record in Japanese manga history.

A boxing manga by George Morikawa running since 1989. Sustained by realistic boxing depiction and passionate human drama.

A manga by Yuki Suetsugu about competitive karuta, a fast-paced traditional Japanese card game based on the Hyakunin Isshu classical poetry anthology. It follows Chihaya Ayase, an energetic high school girl whose passionate pursuit of becoming Queen (the best female karuta player in Japan) drives the story. This innovative blend of traditional Japanese culture with the intensity and drama of sports manga won both the Kodansha Manga Award and the Manga Taisho. The anime adaptation by Madhouse was critically acclaimed for its exciting match sequences, and the live-action film trilogy starring Suzu Hirose was a box office success. Chihayafuru significantly boosted the popularity of competitive karuta, increasing participation nationwide.