While the WWE may be choking out its raspy death knell, wrestling as a form of entertainment is still a rather popular sport around the world even if it isn’t as popular on television anymore.
Certainly people have flocked to the lower pageantry, less staged nature of MMA fighting, but the old school style of Pro Wrestling emphasizing both athleticism and entertainment still has little hubs where it thrives. Mexican has the famous Lucha wrestling, America and Europe both have many thriving smaller wrestling leagues, and Japan has its domestically popular Strong-style Professional Wrestling alongside the famous cultural sport of sumo.
While anime loves to emphasize martial arts, wrestling anime akin to Pro Wrestling leagues is rather niche. Even in the Pro Wrestling sphere, there are a number of different styles of wresting, but this list of wrestling anime recommendations is focused more on grappling-style wrestling and not martial arts anime.
Best Wrestling Anime
Tiger Mask
Tiger Mask and its more modern iteration, Tiger Mask W, are staple wrestling anime for Pro Wrestling fans. It is so beloved that you can also see its roots in other wrestling anime as well.
The original Tiger Mask follows a wrestler named Tiger Mask that played the heel, or villain, in his American wrestling league. When he returned to Japan, he is dismayed when a boy from the orphanage he grew up in says he wants to grow up to be a heel wrestler too.
Not wanting a kid to aspire to be a villain, Tiger Mask decides to become a heroic wrestler. This angers the mysterious organization that trained Tiger Mask to be a heel and they send assassins after him.
While the original Tiger Mask is an older anime, it is perhaps one of the most fun wrestling anime. You can also watch the more modern Tiger Mask W series with no knowledge of the original, but while prettier, it is not quite the same level of both serious and silly.
That said, Tiger Mask W does more closely resemble modern Pro Wrestling in its presentation of the sport. It even has guest appearances from the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) league, so each series has its charms.
Ultimate Muscle
Older anime fans may remember Ultimate Muscle from their childhoods. However, if you are looking for a more serious wrestling anime, Ultimate Muscle, also known as Kinnikuman, is likely not for you.
Most people don’t remember Ultimate Muscle for the plot. They remember it for the wrestling-tinged anime weirdness, big silly action, and Kinnikuman’s plump lips. However, Ultimate Muscle follows a rather unremarkable superhero that discovers he is an alien prince and must save his planet from evil attackers while also fighting in tournaments for money and acclaim.
If you like fun wrestling-themed anime, Ultimate Muscle is a surprisingly lengthy anime series that will keep you busy for awhile.
I Wanna Be The Strongest In The World
As I Wanna Be The Strongest In The World is always marketed tits-first and has a silly plot about an idol quitting being an idol to be a wrestler because she lost at wrestling, you might expect it to be absolutely ridiculous.
And yes, I Wanna Be The Strongest In The World is absolutely ridiculous.
But it is also – surprisingly – really educational about the finer points of Professional Wrestling.
Most of I Wanna Be The Strongest In The World is what you would expect – anime girls grappling each other and moaning. However, while they are doing that, it is also inserting knowledgeable exposition on why the wrestlers are doing that particular hold and what they are trying to accomplish.
I suppose no one ever said “edutainment” can’t be lewd while it is being educational and entertaining.
Kemono Michi
I always say that the all-consuming cash-grab disease that is isekai anime comes for every genre, but not one person expected it to slither into wrestling anime.
Ominous wording aside, Kemono Michi is actually one of the more fun isekai anime specifically because it is about a pro wrestler.
In Kemono Michi, a wrestler is sent to another world on the eve of a big match right before he is set to retire and pursue his dream of opening a pet shop. In this other world, the princess who summoned him tasks him with slaying evil beasts. Passionate animal lover that he is, he angrily suplexes her and heads off to start a pet shop for fantasy creatures.
The series is balanced between the main character being very inept but passionate at running a pet shop and him using his wrestling talents to solve problems. However, just because it focuses on his cuter passion doesn’t mean it stops throwing in a lot of wrestling flair either, it is present throughout. He even builds a ring for it in the previously wrestling-free world.
Hinomaru Sumo
Sumo may be a cultural sport of Japan, but that doesn’t mean it gets a lot of love in anime. However, while Hinomaru Sumo isn’t the only sumo anime on this list, it is the one that most modern anime fans are likely to enjoy the most.
Hinomaru Sumo focuses on a main character passionate about sumo, but not quite up to the size requirement in terms of his height. You watch him show off immense skill in high school sumo while trying to find ways to qualify for tournaments in order to be able to have a shot at getting into a professional league.
Hinomaru Sumo presents the sport in a way that is not only interesting and overflowing with manly anime passion, but educational as well. Most people familiar with sumo know it as two large men in a ring, but there are different styles of sumo as well as a myriad of different rules to the sport.
Ah Harima-nada
This older sumo anime is perhaps more of what you might expect from a sumo anime. Very large men overflowing with manliness and throwing around their large frames.
Ah, Harima-nada follows a man that enters the sumo ring in a novelty mask and proclaims that he shall break the run of 69 consecutive victories of another wrestler or retire immediately if her fails. His general arrogance sends the sumo world into an uproar and makes every wrestler into his enemy.
Roughneck Sumo Wrestler!! Matsutarou
Roughneck Sumo Wrestler Matsutarou is unique in that it looks like one of those older sports anime, what with it being based on a manga from the 70’s, but it isn’t actually that old. This anime from 2014 lacks a particular depth of plot or educational element like newer sports anime, but it does wedge in a ton of sumo.
Roughneck Sumo Wrestler Matsutarou follows a wildly strong sumo wrestler who never had to work hard for his talent due to his strength, but his greatest weakness is his rather carefree personality.
When you have a sports anime where the protagonist doesn’t actually need to improve physically, it is a strange phenomenon. Instead you watch him just be kind of a skilled derp.
There isn’t a ton of wrestling anime out there, but if we missed one that you think deserves to be on this list, let fans know in the comments section below.
