Get Your Head in the Game! Sports and Game-Based Manga Recommendations
Do you want to be the very best, like no one ever was? Have you ever wanted to defeat the final boss or score the winning goal?
Whether you're playing card games on motorcycles or serving it on the court, there’s no denying the rush that comes from the thrill of a high-intensity battle. At the New York Public Library, we love games of all kinds—sports, tabletop, videogames—so we’ve gathered a collection of our favorite game-based manga for you to enjoy! (All summaries adapted from the publisher. Asterisked titles have some volumes only available through interlibrary loan. )
Sports Manga
Cross Game, story and art by Mitsuru Adachi; translation by Ralph Yamada, Lillian Olsen; touch-up art and lettering by Jim O'Keefe, Mark McMurray
This moving drama that is heartfelt and true; yet in the brilliant hands of manga artist Mitsuru Adachi, it delightfully flows with a light and amusing touch. The series centers around a boy named Ko, the family of four sisters who live down the street, and the game of baseball. This poignant coming-of-age story will change your perception of what shonen-manga can be.
Haikyu!!, story and art by Haruichi Furudate; translation by Adrienne Beck; touch-up art and lettering by Erika Terriquez
Ever since he saw the legendary player known as "the Little Giant" compete at the national volleyball finals, Shoyo Hinata has been aiming to be the best volleyball player ever! Who says you need to be tall to play volleyball when you can jump higher than anyone else?
After losing his first and last volleyball match against Tobio Kageyama, "the King of the Court", Shoyo swears to become his rival after graduating middle school. But what happens when the guy he wants to defeat ends up being his teammate?!
Kuroko's Basketball by Tadatoshi Fujimaki; translation by Caleb Cook
Kuroko Tetsuya doesn't stand out much. In fact, he's so plain that people hardly ever notice when he's around. He's just as unremarkable on the basketball court, but that's where his plainness gives him an unexpected edge—one that lets him execute awesome moves without others noticing!
Now that he's a high school student, Kuroko is on a mission to defeat each member of his legendary middle school team, known as the Miracle Generation, with the help of a new transfer student fresh from the U.S.—Taiga Kagami! When incoming first-year Taiga joins the Seirin High basketball team, he meets Kuroko, the mysterious boy who's plain beyond words. But Kagami's in for the shock of his life when he learns the practically invisible Kuroko was once a member of the "Miracle Generation"—the undefeated, legendary team!
Sayonara Football by Naoshi Arakawa; translation, Devon Corwin; lettering, Allen Berry; additional layout and lettering, Belynda Ungurath.
High-octane girls' soccer action mixes with the drama of high school in this cleats-out manga from the creator of Your Lie in April! game on. Midori and Sumire are soccer stars at rival middle schools, destined to collide : one's a striker, the other's a goalie. But the two girls end up in the same high school, with a lazy coach and a bizarre teammate, Nozomi, who brags that she's a soccer prodigy but can't seem to stop kicking the ball into her own goal. To become champions, Midori and Sumire will have to get over their rivalry and work some magic on the field--not to mention the challenges of growing up.
The Prince of Tennis, story and art by Takeshi Konomi
There is a rumor going around that a twelve-year-old boy is going to enter the sixteen-year-old-and-under tennis group. How can someone so young ever hope to compete with kids much older and more experienced than him? This is no ordinary kid: he is none other than Ryoma Echizen, the Prince of Tennis!
Ryoma's father was destined for greatness until he injured himself during a match, ending his career forever. His talent was passed on to his son, who is determined to be the best tennis player in the world. Can the prince gain the respect of his fellow teammates despite his small size and young age?
Toppu GP by Kosuke Fujishima ; translation by Stephen Paul ; lettering by Lorina Mapa.
Toppu Uno never wanted to race motorcycles. He was perfectly content watching his sister ride--with his eagle eyes, he knew her lap times before the stopwatch did. When he's convinced to take a ride on a minibike for the first time, his hours of observation translate into instant skill on the track. But turning a quick lap and winning a race are two very different things, and Toppu's got a long way to go before he's ready for the big leagues--MotoGP, the highest level of two-wheeled road racing.
Welcome to the Ballroom by Tomo Takeuch; translation, Karen McGillicuddy; lettering, Brndn Blakeslee ; editing, Paul Starr.
Feckless high school student Tatara Fujita wants to be good at something - anything. Unfortunately, he's about as average as a slouchy teen can be. The local bullies know this, and make it a habit to hit him up for cash, but all that changes when the debonair Kaname Sengoku sends them packing. Sengoku's not the neighborhood watch, though. He's a professional ballroom dancer. And once Tatara Fujita gets pulled into the world of the ballroom, his life will never be the same.
Whistle!, story and art by Daisuke Higuchi; English adaptation by Marv Wolfman; translation by Naomi Kokubo*
Banned from his school's soccer team for being too short, Shô Kazamatsuri decides there's only one thing left to do: switch schools!
But even a change in scenery doesn't help the David Beckham wannabe. On campus, he is mistakenly introduced to everyone as a hotshot soccer player. When the truth is revealed, Shô drops out of school to practice on his own.
Alone, the spunky teenager must work twice as hard to make his dreams come true. He wants to play soccer so bad he's willing to hustle day and night to make it happen.
Yowamushi Pedal by Wataru Watanabe ; translation: Su Mon Han ; lettering: Lys Blakslee.
Power-pedaling Sakamichi Onoda has long been conquering the steepest slopes and regularly making the ninety-kilometer round-trip to Akihabara on a mommy bike!! But when his bike commute to his new high school lands him in a confrontation with the serious first-year road racer Imaizumi, Onoda has a major showdown on his hands! Can this meek geek really out-pedal the future ace of the school road-racing team?
Tabletop Games
Hikaru No Go, story by Yumi Hotta; art by Takeshi Obata; supervised by Yukari Umezawa (5 dan)
Hikaru Shindo is like any sixth-grader in Japan: a pretty normal school boy with a two-tone head of hair and a penchant for antics. One day, he finds an old bloodstained Go board in his grandfather's attic—and that's when things get really interesting. Trapped inside the Go board is Fujiwara-no-Sai, the ghost of an ancient Go master who taught the strategically complex board game to the Emperor of Japan many centuries ago.
Bakégyamon, story and art by Mitsuhisa Tamura; original concept by Kazuhiro Fujita; translation by Labaaman; English adaptation by Stan!; touch-up art and lettering by Primary Graphix*
Always looking for an adventure, Sanshiro is whisked away to a backwards universe to play BakéGyamon—a game pitting monsters against monsters. Clearing each game with just moments to spare, Sanshiro meets other contestants who aren't as happy that he's succeeding.
Mick will do anything to get ahead—lie, cheat, or steal—and he's out to take advantage of Sanshiro's trusting personality.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Season 1, Volume 1
Legend has it that 5000 years ago, ancient Egyptian Pharaohs used to play a magical game very similar to dual monsters. The ancient game involved magical ceremonies, which used to foresee the future and ultimately decide one's destiny.
Volume 1 includes the first 24 episodes of the classic first season, featuring the series premiere through the three-part faceoff between Yugi and Kaiba.
Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, original concept supervised by Kazuki Takahashi; story and art by Naoyuki Kageyama; translation by Kinami Watabe
Fifteen-year-old Jaden Yuki is off to the exclusive Duel Academy—only he gets stuck in the worst dorm, and he's starting at the total bottom. Now he must fight against all odds to prove to himself and everyone else that he truly can be the best Duelist ever.
Pokémon Adventures 1, story by Hidenori Kusaka; art by Mato; English adaptation by Gerard Jones; translation by Kaori Inoue
All your favorite Pokémon game characters jump out of the screen into the pages of this action-packed manga!
Red doesn't just want to train Pokémon, he wants to be their friend too. Bulbasaur and Poliwhirl seem game. But independent Pikachu won't be so easy to win over!
And watch out for Team Rocket, Red… they only want to be your enemy!
Death Match
Btooom! by Junya Inoue; [translation, Christine Dashiell ; lettering, Terri Delgado].
Ryouta Sakamoto spends most of his time holed up in his room, bombing things into oblivion in his favourite online action RPG. His life is blown to pieces when he is abducted and taken to an uninhabited island, where he soon learns the hard way that he's being pitted against others in an explosives-riddled death match!
No Game, No Life by Yuu Kamiya; translation by Daniel Komen*
Meet Sora and Shiro, a brother and sister who are loser shut-ins by normal standards. But these siblings don't play by the rules of the "crappy game" that is average society. In the world of gaming, this genius pair reigns supreme, their invincible avatar so famous that it's the stuff of urban legend. So when a young boy calling himself God summons the siblings to a fantastic alternate world where war is forbidden and all conflicts—even those involving national borders—are decided by the outcome of games, Sora and Shiro have pretty much hit the jackpot.
But they soon learn that in this world, humanity, cornered and outnumbered by other species, survives within the confines of one city. Will Sora and Shiro, two failures at life, turn out to be the saviors of mankind? Let the games begin… !
Sword Art Online: Aincrad, art by Tamako Nakamura; original story by Reki Kawahara; character design by abec; translation by Stephen Paul; lettering by Lys Blakeslee, Terri Delgado*
In the year 2022, gamers rejoice as Sword Art Online—a VRMMORPG (Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) like no other—debuts, allowing players to take full advantage of the ultimate in gaming technology: NerveGear, a system that allows users to completely immerse themselves in a wholly realistic gaming experience. But when the game goes live, the elation of the players quickly turns to horror as they discover that, for all its amazing features, SAO is missing one of the most basic functions of any MMORPG—a log-out button.
Now trapped in the virtual world of Aincrad, their bodies held captive by NerveGear in the real world, users are issued a chilling ultimatum: conquer all 100 floors of Aincrad to regain your freedom. But in the warped world of SAO, "Game Over" means certain death—both virtual and real…
Log Horizon: The Beginning of Another World by Mamare Touno; illustrations by Kazuhiro Hara; translation by Taylor Engel
Thirty thousand Japanese gamers awake one day to discover that the fantasy world of Elder Tales, an MMORPG that was formerly their collective hobby, has become their cold, hard reality. Severed from their everyday lives, the gamers confront a new horizon filled with ravenous monsters, flavorless food, and the inability to die!
Amid the chaos, veteran gamer Shiroe gathers his friends, the guardian Naotsugu and the assassin Akatsuki, and together they embark on an adventure to change the world as they know it!