Nobody talks about this one. Battle Spirits: Burning Soul takes the card game anime formula and strips it down to pure competitive hunger, kids dueling in parking lots and rooftops because the game has become the only thing that matters. The card battles are fast, the stakes escalate with real consequences, and the show understands that for these players, a loss isn't just a game over. It's a kid trying to prove something to themselves. Watch it if you want a sports anime that happens to use cards instead of a ball.

In the near future, the battle card game Battle Spirits has become hugely popular. Its players, called Battlers, challenge each other to duels wherever they go, each fighting with cards sorted by color and carrying different attributes. So many duels break out that the game enters its own Sengoku, or Warring States, era. The show is a 51-episode action TV series from 2015.