7 Best Cycling Anime: Yowamushi Pedal, Over Drive and More

If you want race drama, start with Yowamushi Pedal. If you want road cycling as a hobby, watch Long Riders!, and if you only have an evening, the 47-minute film Nasu: Summer in Andalusia puts you inside the Vuelta a España. Those three cover most tastes, and the other four below fill in the gaps.

The table gives the facts for all seven, and the picks that follow say who each one suits. For a broader look at why these shows resonate with riders, see our cycling anime guide.

The seven cycling anime at a glance

Title	Format and length	Aired	Studio	Source
Yowamushi Pedal	5 TV seasons, 137 episodes, plus animated films	2013 to 2023	TMS Entertainment	Manga by Wataru Watanabe (2008)
Over Drive	26 TV episodes	Apr to Sep 2007	Xebec	Manga by Tsuyoshi Yasuda
Long Riders!	12 TV episodes	Oct 2016 to Feb 2017	Actas	Manga by Taishi Miyake
Minami Kamakura High School Girls Cycling Club	12 TV episodes plus an OVA	Jan to Mar 2017 (OVA May 2017)	J.C.Staff and A.C.G.T.	Manga by Noriyuki Matsumoto
Nasu: Summer in Andalusia	47-minute film	2003	Madhouse	Manga by Iou Kuroda
Hill Climb Girl	Short film	2014	Studio Khara (with Dwango)	Original short
Idaten Jump	52 TV episodes	Oct 2005 to Sep 2006	Trans Arts	Manga by Toshihiro Fujiwara

Which cycling anime should you watch first?

If you want…	Start with	Why
School-team race drama	Yowamushi Pedal	A first-year who has ridden a city bike all his life is recruited into the school racing club for his climbing.
A classic underdog story	Over Drive	A first-year with no sports background joins the cycling club and vows to win the Tour de France.
Road riding as a hobby	Long Riders!	A college student takes up road cycling after seeing a folding bike, then forms her own team.
Relaxed club rides	Minami Kamakura High School Girls Cycling Club	A new student joins the girls’ cycling club; later episodes include touring on the Miura Peninsula.
Pro racing in under an hour	Nasu: Summer in Andalusia	A domestique in the Vuelta a España races through his Andalusian hometown.
Something very short	Hill Climb Girl	A girl races a classmate up the hill on her way to school.
Pure fantasy	Idaten Jump	Mountain bikers are pulled into another world and must win battles to get home.

1. Yowamushi Pedal

Sakamichi Onoda is a shy first-year who loves anime. When his school’s anime club turns out to be disbanded, a classmate notices how well he climbs on the city bicycle he has ridden all his life, and he ends up in the Sohoku High School racing club. The anime has run five TV seasons from 2013 to 2023 (137 episodes in total), plus several films, according to Wikipedia.

It is the longest series here by a wide margin, so it suits viewers who want to settle in. If you finish it and want to argue about the cast, we rank the riders in who the best cyclist in Yowamushi Pedal is.

2. Over Drive

Mikoto Shinozaki has never played a sport when he joins his high school cycling club at the suggestion of a girl he likes, and he vows to become the greatest cyclist in the world and win the Tour de France. Xebec adapted Tsuyoshi Yasuda’s manga into 26 episodes in 2007 (Wikipedia). It is the shortest route to a full-length, race-focused story.

3. Long Riders!

Ami Kurata sees someone ride a folding bike, takes up cycling with a friend, and meets experienced riders who pull her into road cycling. By the end she has formed her own team. The 12 episodes use real-world routes, including the Miura coastline, Yabitsu Pass and the Shimanami Kaidō (Wikipedia). If you are weighing your own first bike after watching, our guide to hybrid bikes for beginners is the practical next step.

4. Minami Kamakura High School Girls Cycling Club

Hiromi Maiharu moves from Nagasaki to Kamakura, meets Tomoe Akitsuki, and joins the girls’ cycling club at Minami Kamakura Girls High School. Later episodes follow club touring on the Miura Peninsula and a school trip to Taiwan. It aired in early 2017 with an OVA that May (Wikipedia).

5. Nasu: Summer in Andalusia

Madhouse’s 47-minute film, directed by Kitarō Kōsaka, premiered at Cannes in May 2003. Pepe Benengeli is a domestique, a rider whose job is to help a teammate win, racing the Vuelta a España through his hometown while his former girlfriend marries his older brother. After overhearing that his sponsor plans to fire him, he defies team orders and races for himself (Wikipedia). A 2007 sequel, Nasu: A Migratory Bird with Suitcase, is set around the Japan Cup road race.

6. Hill Climb Girl

Studio Khara and Dwango released this short in 2014. A young girl is inspired by a Team Sky race win to race a local hill against a brash male rival, and Bradley Wiggins appears in it (BikeRadar). It is a quick watch and a good one to try before committing to a long series.

7. Idaten Jump

This is the one entry that is not realistic. Sho Yamato loves mountain biking, and during a competition for the “X-Zone” he and his friends are pulled into a mysterious world where they must win the Idaten Battles and collect 10 gold emblems to return home. Trans Arts animated 52 episodes from 2005 to 2006 (Wikipedia). Watch it for adventure, not for riding technique.

Cycling anime FAQ

What is the best cycling anime?

Yowamushi Pedal is the most prominent and the longest. Over Drive and Long Riders! are shorter ways in, and Nasu is the pick for a single sitting.

Is there a cycling anime about road racing with real races?

Nasu: Summer in Andalusia is set in the Vuelta a España, and its sequel is set around the Japan Cup. Over Drive centers on a rider’s ambition to win the Tour de France.

Is there a mountain bike anime?

Idaten Jump, but it is a fantasy adventure rather than a realistic look at mountain biking. For real trail riding, see our beginner mountain bike guide.