Although otaku Sakamichi Onoda hoped to join the anime club to make friends in high school, he sadly finds it disbanded. To cheer himself up, he decides to bicycle to Akihabara – a 90km round trip he has been doing since elementary school on his mommy bike. When determined, competition-minded cyclist and fellow first year student Shunsuke Imaizumi is practicing peddling up an incline at the school’s rear entrance, Onoda’s effortless skill at climbing on an inferior bike it baffles him enough to challenge him to a race. It is this race, and the fire it ignites that fuels Onoda to put his dreams of reviving the anime club on the back burner in order to join the school’s cycling club.
Yowamushi Pedal is proof that with the right characters and right approach, even riding a bike can be interesting. If you are looking for more anime recommendations like Yowamushi Pedal, then ready, set, pedal down below.
Anime Like Yowamushi Pedal
For Fans of Cycling
Long Riders
After being enamored with a collapsible bicycle she saw, university student Ami Kurata empties her account and buys a bicycle. Now with her friends, she enjoys weekend bicycle trips with that changes her view of the world completely.
Yowamushi Pedal is more about the competitive side of cycling, but it also takes the time to take in the small joys of it. This series is more chill and showcases some great scenery.
Minami Kamakura High School Girls Cycling Club
Hiromi has just moved to Kamakura and rides her bike to school everyday. It is this activity that introduces her to Tomoe, the leader of the girls cycling team and sees her dragged into the club herself.
Did you wish that perhaps the characters in Yowamushi Pedal were… Cuter? And also girls? Well, here you go. This series isn’t as competition-oriented, but it is a great series about the joys of cycling.
Over Drive
One day, after it being suggested to him by his crush, Mikoto decides to join the cycling club. However, he doesn’t know how to even ride a bicycle.
While the synopsis if kind of bare bones, of all the series on this list, Over Drive is probably the most similar to Yowamushi Pedal. Not just because it is a cycling anime, but it has a lot of the same plot points and tropes. You wouldn’t be wrong in assuming some parts were perhaps gleamed a little from this predating manga series.
For Fans of Beginners in Sports
Baby Steps
In order to work on his health, honor student Eiichirou Marou decides to spend his free time playing tennis. There he meets Natsu, another student who is determined to become a professional tennis player due to her love for it. Her passion begins to rub off on him, but as he continues to play, the more fascinated by it he becomes.
Both main characters in these series end up taking up a sport for non-competitive reasons. However, through the meeting of particularly passionate people, they find themselves pulled in deep, but also have to work to get to the top.
Eyeshield 21
As a shy and frequently bullied kid, Sena is accustomed to running away. However, after Hiruma, the captain of the American Football team, sees his skill at running, he goes to great lengths to recruit Sena as a running back in order to turn the team’s lackluster record around.
Originally, Onoda rode his bike to get places and in Eyeshield 21, Sana ran fast to escape bullies. Yet, both of these characters ended up being built for a particular sport by their outside actions, and when brought into the world by another player, they embraced their talents.
Hajime no Ippo
Makunouchi Ippo has been bullied his entire life, but dreams of changing himself. One day, he is saved by Takamura Mamoru, who happens to be a boxer. After Ippo faints from his injuries, Mamoru takes him to his gym where Ippo asks to be trained in the sport of boxing.
Both series start by the main characters being discovered by a person that is already deeply enthralled in their particular sport. They note the talents, and then they start to nurture those talents in a focused way.
For Fans of Racing
Initial D
Takumi Fujiwara is a spacey high schooler that works as a nighttime delivery guy. While his friends are car nuts, he doesn’t know a thing about them. Yet, one night, Takumi driving his old AE86 through the mountain pass of Akina on a delivery manages to blow past one of the drivers in the Akagi Red Suns. This infamous team of street racers has planned to conquer every race course in Kanto and they are in disbelief when their aces are shown up by Takumi driving the same tired route he drives every night.
While Initial D is about cars, you will find a lot of similarities here. They both are new to the sport, but have a sort of talent for it. Yet, the real similarity is how they make these seemingly lackluster races into something intense and engaging.
Capeta
After losing his mother, Taira Kappeita put on a tough front for his father, but was actually lonely. One day, his father brings some spare parts home and builds a go-cart. The pair decide to head to a circuit and take it for a test. There, they discover the frame is bent, yet despite this, Taira’s technique managed to not only drive it, but almost surpass the fastest cart driven by Minamoto Naomi. Seeing this, Naomi’s mother encourages him to enter the official race.
Go karts and cycling, both are sports that seem not very exciting to watch but would probably be more fun to actually do. Yet, Capeta and Yowamushi Pedal make them both seem so exciting in the way they are animated and written.
Do you have more anime recommendations like Yowamushi Pedal? Then let fans know in the comments section below.
