35 Best Anime About Cars and Racing
If you like anime and are looking to watch the ones that include cars and racing, then you are in the right place. We are bringing you the best anime about cars and racing you can find out there.
Some of the anime on our list are maybe older, but they are still amazing for lovers of cars and racing, but we also have a few new cars and racing anime worth watching, so check them all out below and choose your next anime to watch.
F-Zero: Farukon densetsu (2003–2004)
The year is 2201 and across the universe, rabid fans flock to F-Zero tracks everywhere. The prizes are enormous and the stakes grow even higher when the outlaws compete to win – at any cost. But the Elite Mobile Task Force, a team of high-risk racers, stands at the ready. Driven by a need for speed and a thirst for victory, the Task Force is determined to keep the prize money out of evil hands by defeating the menacing Black Shadow and bringing peace to the entire galaxy.
Futari Daka (1984-1985)
When Sawatari Taka and his mother were heading home after having dinner, they were attacked by a motorcycle gang. However, they got saved by a mysterious young man. The next day, Sawatari learns that the young man is a professional racer who has the same first name, Toujou Taka.
In a race, Sawatari loses control when entering a curve, nearly killing Toujou. After the event, the two become rivals as they compete against each other with their racing skills.
Future GPX Cyber Formula (1991– )
Future GPX Cyber Formula is a 37-episode anime television series by Sunrise. It originally aired in Japan between March 15, 1991, and December 20, 1991.
Directed by Mitsuo Fukuda, Cyber Formula is a show about Formula racing in the future, when race cars are equipped with computer support systems called ‘Cyber Systems’.
Free! (2013– )
Free! revolves around members of a high school boy’s swimming team. Four boys-Haruka, Makoto, Nagisa and Rin-all participated in a swimming tournament shortly before graduating from elementary school and later parted ways.
Years later, they reunite when Rin challenges Haruka to a race and wins. Nagisa decides to get Haruka and Makoto back swimming together and add a new recruit named Rei to form the Iwatobi High School Swimming Club.
Goddamn (1990)
A talented but disaster-prone rally-car driver is offered a sponsoring deal by a big-shot car company, which he has to earn through a tough race through Kenya.
F Formula-1 – Engines On The Track (1988)
Gunma Akagi, a teenager from the countryside, frequently causes a ruckus with his turbocharged tractor, much to the chagrin of his father, aspiring politician Souichirou Akagi, who urges the family to set a good example to ensure his success. One night, while Gunma is driving his tractor on the highway with his best friend Tamotsu Oishi, the two are suddenly overtaken by a speeding car.
Gunma interprets this as a challenge and tries to outpace his opponent, only to fail in a spectacular fashion. The defeat sparks a fire within him, and Gunma becomes determined to win against this mysterious foe at all costs. Soon after, he leaves the peaceful countryside behind and moves to the bustling city, aiming to become the next Formula One star!
Run Fast! Ruben Kaiser (1977–1978)
A race car driver competes around the world in a race car left to him by his father.
Dash! Yonkuro (1989–1990)
The story is a succession of races in fancy routes (pyramids, labyrinths, etc.) and tracks fit to make the cars race. During the series run, many characters will appear, like Momotaro (and his Mini 4WD, Crimson Glory, DashWarriors’last obstacle towards the final victory), Sabu Kinjiro (Aero Solitude) and also Jin that will race the Hell Rally with a new Mini4wd, the Proto Emperor ZX (the previous one was the Dash-X1 Proto Emperor, defeated in the regional finals by Yonkuro’s then new mini4wd, the Dash-01 Super Emperor).
The tracks become always harder and the stories unlikely (in a volume of the manga, is mentioned that even the prehistoric children used mini4wd-like cars built with natural materials like wood and leaves that would be pushed by the wind), the story always focuses even more on which one would be the true “Emperor”, it will be discovered are many mini4wds with this title that will confront against Yonkuro’s Emperor, until the epilogue, in the epic challenge of the Hell Rally.
In this race, Yonkuro will challenge a group of delinquents that want to take advantage of the best mini4wd racers to manage to recover a treasure hidden during World War II by the nazis. Between his opponents there will be a revived Ken Hinomaru, ready to challenge the son and test his abilities with his new mini 4wd, the Dash-0 Infinite Boundless. In the end, Yonkuro, helped by his teammates (now far from racing, but always bound by a deep friendship), triumphs with his new car, the Liberty Emperor.
Blassreiter (2008)
The story is set in a fictional Germany and centers on the outbreak of biomechanical creatures called “Demoniacs”, who rise from corpses and attack people savagely. The Demoniacs have the ability to merge with most technology including cars and motorcycles, not only gaining control of them but also enhancing their performance greatly.
Against them is a group of people known as XAT, Xenogenesis Assault Team, who police these Demoniacs in an attempt to keep the peace and discover the reasons for the “Demoniac” change. All the while, a number of human-turned-Demoniacs appear. Some use their powers for good, others for evil. One will rise above all other Demoniacs to become known as the “Blassreiter”.
Baribari Densetsu (1986– )
Earlier parts of the story focus both on high school life as well as street racing. At first, the characters are illegal street racers that race on public roads, particularly on the winding mountain roads known as tōge.
Those kinds of racers were called “rolling-zoku”, a type of bōsōzoku, and were seen as a social problem in Japan. Later parts of the story revolve around professional motorcycle racing events held on road circuits like the All Japan Road Race Championship.
Bakusou sâkitto roman Twin (1989)
The movie “Bakusou sâkitto roman Twin” is an 85-minute long animated film from 1989. In the main roles, we see Hideyuki Tanaka, Koji Totani and Yuriko Yamamoto.
Air Gear (2006– )
A new fad by the name of “Air Treks” (a futuristic evolution of aggressive skating) has swept the nation’s youth and all over gangs are being formed that compete in various events using their A-Ts. Ikki is a middle-school boy who is the toughest street-fighting punk on the east side of town and part of the gang “The East-Side Gunz”.
He lives with four adopted gorgeous sisters who took him in when he was a kid. But what Ikki doesn’t know is that the girls are part of one of the most infamous A-T gangs, “Sleeping Forest”. It does not take long before Ikki finds out about the world of Air Treks and is propelled into a fate he had not foreseen, learning about his past and making a number of storm-riding allies on the way.
Yowamushi Pedal (2013– )
Sakamichi Onoda is an otaku who has just entered high school. In middle school, Onoda did not have any friends with whom he could talk about his interests, and hopes to change that by joining his new school’s anime club. However, he is crushed when he discovers the anime club has been disbanded due to a lack of interest, and in order to reestablish the club, four new members must join.
Since he was a little boy, Onoda has ridden his city bicycle (referred to as a “mamachari”, meaning “Mommy Bike”, in the anime)—a simple and bulky bicycle designed for short rides—for transportation and fun. A fellow freshman, and much more serious cyclist, named Shunsuke Imaizumi notices Onoda riding his mamachari and mocks him inwardly until he sees Onoda riding up a steep hill with little effort.
Another student named Naruko visits Akihabara to get some plastic Gundam models for his younger brothers and meets Onoda, who catches his attention because of his cycling skill on the mamachari. Later on, both Naruko and Imaizumi try to convince him to join the bicycle racing club at their high school, Sohoku.
IGPX: Immortal Grand Prix (2005–2006)
The Immortal Grand Prix is a tournament between teams of gun-wielding mechs. As Team Velshtein is injured, the random drawing chooses Team Suzaku, led by pilot Takeshi Noa, as the one to face Team Sledge Mamma, a trio of cybernetically-enhanced cyborgs. At first, Team Suzaku does not have weapons because their mechanic U-Matsu forgot them.
Amy delivers weapons from Velshtein, but Team Suzaku has a hard time controlling them. Amy’s cat co-pilot Luca takes control and knocks Timmer out of his mech. Liz, out of ammo, uses her capoeira image training. She is eventually at the mercy of an opposing pilot and surrenders. The Sledge Mamma mechs shoot at Takeshi, but Amy jumps in to save him and is knocked out of the game. After being kicked around by the Sledge Mamma mechs, Takeshi reveals his plan.
Using his ninjatō and shuriken, he knocks Dimmer and Yammer out of their mechs and wins. However, the series ends on a bitter note as Velshtein’s owner Hamgra blackmails Team Suzaku to merge their teams and allow him to add cybernetic enhancements to their pilots, or else he will make them pay for the weapons they borrowed. This conflict is never resolved due to the end of the micro series.
Nasu: A Migratory Bird with Suitcase (2007)
Legendary bicycle racer Marco Rondanini dies as team Pao Pao Beer is set to race in Japan. Team member Ciocci, a close friend of Marco, starts to think about quitting. Under heavy rain, Ciocci and Pepe must put that aside as Team Pao Pao struggles to reach another victory.
Pepe continues to ride his bicycle both in competition and training. He often spends time with his other teammates while they train in the beautiful scenery in Japan. While in Japan a local girl helps out the team before and during the race.
Uma Musume: Pretty Derby (2018– )
In a world very much like our own, great racehorses of the past have a chance to be reborn as “horse girls”—girls with the ears and tails of horses as well as their speed and endurance. The best of these horse girls go to train at Tokyo’s Tracen Academy, hopefully moving on to fame and fortune as both racers and idols.
The first season features Special Week, a high school horse girl from the countryside, who has just transferred to Tresen. She’s determined to fulfill her promise to her mother to become the best horse girl in Japan. On her way to school, she visits the race track and instantly falls in love with Silence Suzuka’s style, becoming determined to race on the same team as her.
The second season features Tokai Teio as the main character, and draws focus to other side characters such as Mejiro Mcqueen, Rice Shower, and Mihono Bourbon. Like the horse she is based upon, she suffers multiple injuries and struggles to remain one of the best racers.
Initial D: First Stage (1998)
Unlike his friends, Takumi Fujiwara is not particularly interested in cars, with little to no knowledge about the world of car enthusiasts and street racers. The son of a tofu shop owner, he is tasked to deliver tofu every morning without fail, driving along the mountain of Akina. Thus, conversations regarding cars or driving, in general, would only remind Takumi of the tiring daily routine forced upon him.
One night, the Akagi Red Suns, an infamous team of street racers, visit the town of Akina to challenge the local mountain pass. Led by their two aces, Ryousuke and Keisuke Takahashi, the Red Suns plan to conquer every racing course in Kanto, establishing themselves as the fastest crew in the region. However, much to their disbelief, one of their aces is overtaken by an old Toyota AE86 during a drive back home from Akina.
After the incident, the Takahashi brothers are cautious of a mysterious driver geared with remarkable technique and experience in the local roads—the AE86 of Mount Akina.
Redline (2009)
The most dangerous and exciting car race in the universe is held only once every five years. And that’s tonight. The competitors are lined up at the starting block. In his vehicle, JP, the most daredevil driver on the circuit, is ready for the green light. Female driver Sonoshee, with whom he is secretly in love, is also on the starting line. She will stop at nothing to get onto that podium.
In this race, not only is anything possible, but also anything is allowed. In fact, their adversaries have modified their vehicles to equip them with highly destructive weapons; with such participants, it is hardly surprising that Redline is forbidden by the authorities, who will try anything to halt the proceedings.
Appare-Ranman! (2020)
Set around the start of the Meiji era in Japan, an eccentric inventor and second son of a respected merchant family, Appare Sorano, decides one day to set off on an adventure. However, the samurai Kosame Isshiki is tasked with keeping Appare’s eccentric behavior in check. While trying to drag Appare back to Japan, Kosame accidentally strands them both at sea, until they are saved at the last moment by a passing American steamship.
Now stuck in Los Angeles with no money and no easy way to return to Japan, Appare and Kosame decide to enter the “Trans-America Wild Race,” where Appare gets the chance to build a custom automobile and Kosame gets the opportunity to earn enough money to return home. The two of them will have to work together while fighting off other rival racers, bandits, and other challenges as they try to win the race.
Machine Hayabusa (1976)
Ken Hayabusa is a racing driver, the son of Engineer Hayabusa, the designer of the Hayabusa Special racing car and its interchangeable engines. Ken runs for the Sayongi stable aboard the car built by his father and participates in mixed races between rally and endurance. His fiercest rivals are the members of the Black Shadow stable (“black shadow”) and above all his owner and “patron”, the mysterious Ayab Mobil Dick.
Oban Star Racers: The Always Cycle (2006)
In the year 2082, Eva Wei, a girl whose mother Maya died in a tragic race accident ten years prior, flees boarding school to see her father, Don Wei, who is heralded as the greatest race manager on the planet. When Don doesn’t recognize her due to their long absence from each other, Eva takes on the name of “Molly” to hide her identity and becomes his mechanic.
It is then that Don’s team is chosen as Earth’s representative in an intergalactic racing competition known as the Great Race of Ōban, with the planet’s survival depending on Wei’s team winning the “Ultimate Prize” that can supposedly grant any wish before the evil Crog Empire can. When the Earth team’s star pilot Rick Thunderbolt is unable to race following an act of sabotage, Molly ends up becoming the pilot of the team’s ship, Whizzing Arrow, alongside gunner Jordan Wilde.
Thus Molly becomes determined to win the competition, not just to save Earth from the Crogs, but also to win the Ultimate Prize and potentially bring her mother back.
Capeta (2005–2006)
The series consists of three separate arcs. The first is about Capeta’s first experiences with kart racing at the age of 10. The next arc, which starts four years later, deals with Capeta trying to handle his growing financial issues due to the high cost involved in kart racing. The third is about Capeta trying to realize his dream of beating his rival and becoming a professional racer, venturing through into a more senior category: Formula Three.
Both the anime and manga feature numerous references and homages to Initial D and Best Motoring International, as well as Formula One. In addition to this, there are many karting and racing references that not only add flesh to the story, but are also factual (such as comments about racing lines, tire usage, slipstreaming and general commentary on the world of four-wheel racing).
Wangan Midnight (2007–2008)
The series revolves around street racing on Tokyo’s Bayshore Route, as well as other roads on the Shuto Expressway network. The story begins with high school student Akio Asakura encountering a black Porsche 911 Turbo nicknamed “Blackbird” on the Wangan. Akio attempts to give chase, but is unable to keep up with the Blackbird, which is driven by a medical doctor named Tatsuya Shima.
Determined to drive a faster car, Akio visits a junkyard and is drawn to an old blue Nissan Fairlady Z (S30) with a highly tuned L28 engine. He learns that the car is supposedly “cursed,” being extremely difficult to drive and having a history of multiple accidents, earning it the name “The Devil Z”. However, this does not dissuade him, and he restores the car back to its former glory.
When racing with Blackbird, Akio tries to win, only to crash his Nissan multiple times. He also gets to meet Eriko Asakura, the sister of the original driver who shares the same name as the current Akio, who previously died in a car accident while racing with Blackbird.
As he develops his career as the infamous owner of the Devil Z, Akio meets many other racers and tuners along the way, such as fashion model and TV host Reina Akikawa, who drives a grey (later white) Nissan Skyline GT-R R32, and Jun Kitami, the original creator of the infamous Devil Z and Blackbird. The central plot revolves around the rivalry between Devil Z and Blackbird for Wangan superiority as Akio tries to remain his loyalty to the car and control it from crashing, with other racers trying to compete against both of them who are also seeking to oust their record.
The new story arc, Wangan Midnight: C1 Runner, features the new adventures of a new main character, Shinji Ogishima (who debuted in the last chapters of the original manga), and his friend, Nobu Setoguchi. They are part of the GT Cars project, which is in dispute and conflict, and must drive Mazda RX-7’s along Shuto Expressway to settle these problems along with meeting Tatsuya Shima.
Pui Pui Molcar (2021– )
The series is aired as a two-minute-plus short animation segment on the children’s variety program Kinder TV. Each short focuses on a world where people drive sentient vehicles that are hybrids between guinea pigs and motor vehicles.
Though each episode’s story varies, the core focus of the series focuses on the Molcars’ antics and sometimes a bit of solving problems for their friends and their drivers. Episodes sometimes include parodies of famous movie genres for comedic effect.
The Racing Brothers, Lets & Go (1996–1997)
Mini 4WD racing is an interesting hobby where kids and adults compete using customized motorized miniature cars. Every year, competitions revolving around the hobby circulated around the world, where kids and adults test out their spirit and passion for racing, with companies developing new technologies and innovations for Mini 4WD cars.
The story revolves around the competitive Seiba Brothers: Go and Retsu, who were once constantly arguing with each other to see who between them is the best racer. However, one day after a community-sponsored race they both met Dr. Tsuchiya, the head of the Tsuchiya Racing Factory who gave them two Mini 4WD Cars from the prototype Saber Series: Sonic Saber and Magnum Saber.
With his advice to customize them for the upcoming race, they are now determined to win, race to victory and set off on the wildest race of their lives while meeting both friends and enemies in the Mini 4WD Racing world.
Speed Racer (1967–1968)
Teenager Gô Mifune aspires to be the world’s best race-car champion with the help of his friends, family and his father’s high-tech race-car, the Mach 5.
Yoroshiku meka dokku (1984–1985)
Three young mechanics open a sports car preparation workshop and experience numerous motoring adventures. One of them is also a pilot and will make his way into the world of Japanese racing.
With them a nice gang of kids, a policewoman, a grandfather and grandson who run a bar and a nice granny who demolishes cars!
Idaten Jump (2005–2006)
The show follows the exciting adventures of Sho Yamato, a boy who loves to race his Idaten mountain bike and ends up getting lost, along with his friends, in a mysterious place called the X-Zone.
The inhabitants of the X-Zone engage each other in Idaten battles where they race against each other on their mountain bikes. The kids get involved in many action-packed racing adventures as they try to unlock the secret to getting home.
Tailenders (2009)
Premiered in Sapporo Short Fest 2009. The destiny of Tomoe Shiro, a formidable racer with a very promising career, experiments with a U-turn when a serious accident puts his life at stake. He recovers miraculously, though, when his heart is replaced with the engine of his own racing car.
However, because of that very reason, race regulations demote him to the category of a mere mechanical part of the vehicle and is deprived of the right to participate as a pilot in regular races.
Only in a far away colonial planet, along with a multitude of other charismatic pilots also vetoed from participating in regular competitions, he will be given the opportunity to race for his pride and the money of the prize. And so this exciting rally starts!!
F-Zero GP Legend (2003–2005)
Based on the classic Nintendo series, GP Legend tells the story of Rick Wheeler, a detective who wakes up from a cryogenic sleep from an accident while pursuing an escaped villain named Zoda. He discovers that he is alive in the year 2201. He ends up competing in the F-Zero racing tournament where many beings from across the galaxy compete.
He also joins the Mobile Task Force, a special police force that investigates crime in the F-Zero circuit. While Rick is competing in the races, he’s also to capture a dangerous villain named Black Shadow and his Dark Million Organization.
That organization also was responsible for cryogenically evolving Rick’s old enemy Zoda, who is the other reason why Rick’s on the team. Sometimes, he’ll have an encounter with the legendary racer and bounty hunter named Captain Falcon.
eX-Driver (2000–2001)
In the distant future people no longer drive cars themselves, instead relying on AI (artificial intelligence) computers to drive their cars for them. But when these AI systems start losing control and running wild somebody has to stop them. éX-Drivers are the people who are able to operate the older mechanical non-AI dependent cars who chase down the AI cars and stop them.
A good amount of future and near-future technology is featured throughout the series, including automated highway systems and A.I. (Artificial Intelligence) technology. Automated highway systems have been proposed as a solution to the traffic congestion problems.
In the series, anybody, regardless of age, can be an éX-Driver as long as they possess the required skills. For example, one of the main characters is only 13 years old and drives. The premise of the show is that there are éX-Drivers all over the world but the focus is on the team operating in Japan.
Cars used by éX-Drivers are marked with an éX-D decal. Typically an éX-Driver car would be an older mechanical type car and almost always would be rear-wheel drive with the exception of an AWD (4WD) Subaru Impreza WRC since éX-Drivers usually employ techniques such as drifting when bringing down runaway cars, which is much more difficult with front-wheel drive (FWD) cars and in an all-wheel drive (AWD) car.
Two Car (2017)
The story follows Yuri Miyata and Megumi Meguro, a pair of sidecar racing team members living on Miyake Island, where they take on other rival motorcycle sidecar teams.
Arrow Emblem: Hawk of the Grand Prix (1977–1978)
The story is about a young man named Takaya Todoroki who dreams of becoming an F1 racer. He puts all his energy into winning a beginner’s heat in stock cars, but slips on oil when in the lead due to a momentary loss of focus and has an accident. This makes Takaya lose his confidence and initially swear to give up racing.
Then a masked stranger appears by his bedside in the hospital and introduced himself as the world-famous driver “Nick” (Niki Lauda in other languages). He encourages him to dust himself off and try driving a new prototype. Before long, he is a team member of “Katori Motors”, hoping to become a world F1 champion, driving the “Todoroki special”, a car built to his own design.
Monkey Turn (2004)
The series follows Kenji Hatano, a young man who sets out to master the world of kyōtei (hydroplane racing). Over the course of the series he develops a serious rivalry with fellow racer Hiro Doguchi.
Prince of Stride: Alternative (2016– )
The series revolves around the extreme sport “Stride”, a sport where a team of 5 plus a relationer runs relay races in towns. Nana Sakurai, a first-year Hōnan Academy high school student decided to join the Stride club after she watch the Best Stride Ever video two years ago alongside her classmate, Takeru Fujiwara and Riku Yagami.
Upon learning the Hōnan Stride club has been inactive for two years following a violent incident. They decided to try to re-establish the school’s “Stride” team by recruiting 6 members. Both Takeru and Riku asked Nana to become a relationer as well as a manager. Their goal is to join other schools to compete and win Eastern Japan’s top Stride competition, the “End of Summer” as well as develop friendships with Saisei academy stride club who also an idol group called “Galaxy Standard”.
