Staff Picks: Top Sports Anime to Watch as Medalist Heats Up Winter 2026

The Winter 2026 anime season has put figure skating back in the spotlight, prompting our staff to review the best sports series currently available. The major new entry is Medalist Season 2, which premiered January 25th on Hulu and is already drawing significant attention following its strong first season debut.

It is impossible to discuss sports anime without mentioning Haikyu!!. Its volleyball matches are legendary for stretching across multiple episodes, keeping fans completely engaged. With four seasons and a movie already released, it is the perfect binge while waiting for updates on rivals like Heated Rivalry Season 2.

Then there is Blue Lock, which takes soccer and transforms it into a high-stakes survival game full of wild character designs and intense rivalries; fans can stream that series on Crunchyroll or Hulu.

For those looking for court action, Kuroko’s Basketball features near-magical prodigies, centering on the invisible-pass master battling the Generation of Miracles crew. Those heated matchups are streaming on Crunchyroll and Netflix. If baseball is preferred, Ace of Diamond tracks pitcher Sawamura Eijun fighting for his spot at the powerhouse Seido High, available on Crunchyroll.

We also selected Birdie Wing -Golf Girls' Story-, which mixes underground golf chaos with shoujo drama, and Stars Align, which handles soft tennis motion so well it hooks even casual viewers. Do not overlook Run With the Wind, which captures the sheer grit of relay racing, mirroring real events like the Hakone Ekiden. These shows prove why the genre works: raw emotion, fantastic animation, and that essential rivalry rush.