火ノ丸相撲

HINOMARU-ZUMOU

ANIME

STATUS
COMPLETE
EPISODES
24
RELEASE
March 29, 2019
LENGTH
24 min

DESCRIPTION

It is a divine ritual, a martial art, a combat sport—it's sumo!!

A "small" new student, Ushio Hinomaru, appears before the weak little sumo club of Oodachi High School! The words "big" and "heavy" are the rules to this sport, which does not fit this newbie any inch, but this guy goes and does what...!? Ushio and the small sumo club climbs its way to the top!

The goal is Hinoshita Kaisan (A title for the highest rank in professional sumo, equivalent of Yokozuna)!

A fired up high school sumo tale—no retakes allowed!!

(Source: MangaHelpers)

CAST

Ushio Hinomaru
Atsushi Abe
Yuuma Gojou
Kentarou Kumagai
Shinya Ozeki
Fukushi Ochiai
Chihiro Kunisaki
Takuya Satou
Reina Gojou
Mikako Komatsu
Kirihito Tsuji
Takuma Terashima
Kei Mitsuhashi
Ayumu Murase
Sousuke Kuze
Shunsuke Takeuchi
Shidou Tennouji
Ryouta Takeuchi
Mizuki Sada
Kaito Ishikawa
Chizuko Hori
Rui Tanabe
Norihiro Saenoyama
Tarusuke Shingaki
Gennosuke Araki
Daisuke Namikawa
Masaomi Shuutou
Ryouta Suzuki
Tsuyoshi Kanamori
Subaru Kimura

EPISODES

Dubbed

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RELATED TO HINOMARU-ZUMOU

MANGA ActionHinomaru-Zumou

REVIEWS

Svenkos
60/100
A modest anime that wins you over through its lovable cast, genuine teamwork, and respect for the sport it represents.
Before talking about the anime itself, I think it's important to explain why I decided to watch Hinomaru Sumo in the first place. Living in Argentina makes it surprisingly difficult to follow professional sumo. Tournaments usually happen at inconvenient hours, and it's not exactly a sport that gets much attention here. Thankfully, thanks to Twitch and a few dedicated streamers, I've been able to watch quite a bit over the years, and it has become a sport I genuinely enjoy. Since I'm also a big fan of sports shounen, this felt like the perfect combination of two things I already liked.

Going into the series, though, I had one major concern. Sumo matches are incredibly short, sometimes lasting only a few seconds, so I couldn't imagine how an entire anime could build emotional investment around something that ends so quickly. I wondered how they would develop rivalries, explain techniques, or make each match feel meaningful.

Luckily, those doubts disappeared almost immediately.

Instead of relying only on the sport, the series spends its early episodes introducing the team and giving each member enough personality that you naturally begin rooting for them. By the time the competitions become the main focus, you're no longer watching because you want to see who wins. You're watching because you genuinely care about the people stepping into the ring.

Hinomaru is an excellent protagonist from the very beginning. His determination and confidence make him easy to support, and as the season progresses we slowly begin to understand more about who he really is and why achieving his dream means so much to him. That gradual development ended up being one of my favorite parts of the story.

Even so, my favorite character ended up being Kunisaki. I really enjoyed his personality and the way he grows alongside the rest of the team. To be honest, that's one of the biggest strengths of Hinomaru Sumo. Every member of the club has something that makes them memorable. Some are funny, others are inspiring, and others simply become easy to root for. Watching them improve together is just as satisfying as watching the matches themselves.

I also think the anime delivers one of my favorite messages in sports stories. While Hinomaru is the central character, the series constantly reminds us that success isn't something you achieve entirely on your own. Having teammates who push you forward, support you when you're struggling, and grow together with you is just as important as individual talent. It never tries to make one person feel larger than everyone else, and I really appreciated that.

That said, the series isn't without its flaws.

The pacing is easily its biggest weakness. There's a noticeable stretch in the middle where the story settles into a rhythm that feels repetitive. It never becomes boring, but it loses some of the excitement that the opening episodes had. There were several moments where I felt scenes could have been more concise, and while I always wanted to keep watching, I wasn't constantly left with that feeling of "I need to start the next episode right now."

Fortunately, the final part of the season rewards your patience. The last tournament features some of the strongest and most emotional matches in the entire series. By that point you've spent enough time getting to know these characters that every victory and every defeat carries real emotional weight. Those matches reminded me why the slower character-building at the beginning was so important.

From a production standpoint, I think the anime does a respectable job. The animation isn't anything groundbreaking, but considering the studio behind it, I thought it was more than good enough for the type of story it wanted to tell. The soundtrack also fits the atmosphere well. It may not have many unforgettable tracks, but it complements both the quieter moments and the intensity of the matches without ever feeling out of place.

Compared to other sports anime I've watched, I wouldn't put Hinomaru Sumo among the genre's absolute best. At the same time, I don't think that's what it was ever trying to be. It doesn't reinvent the formula, introduce revolutionary ideas, or completely change how sports anime are written. Instead, it understands its limits, embraces what works, and tells a straightforward story with confidence.

Sometimes that's more than enough.

Knowing that the manga is already finished and another season is very unlikely, I could definitely see myself reading it someday just to experience the ending. It's not at the top of my priority list, but it's a world and a cast I'd be happy to spend a little more time with.

██████□□□□ (60 / 100)
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