Why are sports anime about girls so rare?

There are over 700 sports anime, but very few of them have female protagonists. This can be due to a number of reasons, but the number will increase.

Sports anime and manga have grown to the point where it’s odd that any new anime season doesn’t have at least one series on its roster. The newly-started 2023 winter lineup is no exception, as archery-themed title Tsurune returns for a second season and the female judo anime Mou Ippon! debut.

However, it is difficult for fans to find a major sports demographic, especially in anime – even though Mou Ippon! can help fix it. While there are countless cartoons to choose from, it’s extremely rare to have a sports cartoon featuring a female protagonist or featuring a female team.

Female-led sports anime rarely fit the demographic Shonen is usually targeted at

As of January 2023, MyAnimeList boasts a total of 749 anime tagged as a sports series. However, one does not need to study the entire collection to see the disparity. Within the first 50 only, less than ten entries feature female protagonists. Three of these entries are individual installments of Chihayafuru, a josei series featuring the Japanese card game karuta. If all three of these seasons count as one entry, the numbers are even worse. For anime fans who love sports and want to see female-led stories, there are few options. There could be several reasons for this, but a few stand out from the crowd.

One of the biggest reasons for the lack of female characters in sports series is the audience the creators have for them. While sports titles can be found across all demographic groups, the majority of their anime and manga fall under the shounen demographic, targeting middle and high school boys. . Thus, the most common protagonist in shounen is someone the target audience can relate to: a boy of the same age.

When it comes to other demographics, the choices can be very slim. Seinen has the next highest number, which includes titles like All Out!! and Hanebado!. Shojo has a sizable collection of sportswear, but most of them were made more than 30 years ago. Josei has the fewest sports series, with the only popular entry being Chihayafuru. Different demographics have the ability to tell stories from different perspectives, and several other genres have received this treatment. There are romances and coming-of-age stories about girls, so shojo and josei sports should also be on the lookout.

Women’s sports deserve more respect – and more cartoon adaptations

Unfortunately, this disparity highlights the sad fact that women’s sports are not as popular or respected around the world. Men’s games are generally more widely consumed than women’s, even when they play the same sport. Female athletes are paid less than their male counterparts, and stories about their achievements get less coverage in the media. While these numbers are improving, the reality is still there — and may also contribute to why female sports anime is less popular.

Another big problem is that, in some of the existing female-led sports series, the focus isn’t on the sport they’re playing. Keijou!!!!!!!!!! is a good example of this. It’s a critically acclaimed sports series about an all-girls team, but it’s not as critically acclaimed as a sports anime like Slam Dunk or Haikyuu!!. To the anime community in general, Keijo!!!!!!!!!! is a fan-service anime that happens to include a sport where the focus is on the characters’ bodies. The same goes for shows like Harukana Receive and Bakuon!!, where the sport is used as a way to get girls into a stimulating pose more than anything else. They may discover the sport, but that’s not why most spectators watch.

Of course, this can also apply to sports anime with a male lead. Swimming-themed series Free! most famous for this, but other titles like Yuri!!! on Ice and Tsurune continue the trend. That said, there are many sports anime with male leads without the female gaze. Stories like Slam Dunk focus on the sport and the characters improving their skills. The same should be said of sports anime led by girls, but currently it is not possible.

This problem isn’t solved as simply as fixing the fan service elements, but more numbers tend to lead to more variety. If you’re lucky, series like Mou Ippon! and other future female-led sports anime will continue to raise their popularity to whole new levels.

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