Just like the games in question, some of these shows are far more fun to experience than others. Those looking for must-watch shows about the board games they love should be sure to check these out.
9 After School Dice Club
While most anime focus specifically on one game After School Dice Club shows off several different kinds of tabletop experiences. It focuses on Miki, a shy and withdrawn girl who has never really had fun before. In a fortunate twist of fate, she ends up in a board game shop called Saikoro Club and gets to try out a board game from Germany. She finally gets to break out of her shell and truly have a great time in this happy comedy anime.
8 Chihayafuru
Chihayafuru covers an extremely unique board game that most outside of Japan wouldn’t know — Ura-garuta. Simply called Karuta in the anime, the game features 100 cards with classic Japanese poetry written on them. The goal of the game is to listen while someone else reads the poems and to be able to place your hand on the matching card before the opponent.
Chihayafuru follows Ayase as she tries to become the greatest Karuta player she possibly can be. With the game being considered a sport in Japan, this could even be counted as a niche sports anime as well.
7 March Comes In Like A Lion
March Comes In Like A Lion is as much a serious emotional drama as it is a board game anime. Rei is among the most elite shogi players in the world which causes severe pressure on him. Wanting to live his own life, he moves out on his own at age seventeen. Unfortunately, he lacks the skills and motivation to take care of himself well or to learn how to socialize.
Luckily for him, a trio of sisters and their grandfather decided to try and step in to help make sure he’s cared for. The entire group has various traumas, and they slowly build a familial bond as the series continues.
6 Akagi
Named after its titular character, this anime focuses on games of mahjong and the gambling that takes place around it. Akagi is suddenly thrust into the shadiest parts of society in a game against the mafia where they all quickly realize he is a natural-born gambler. With such innate skills, Akagi slowly becomes a legendary gambler and mahjong player. This anime oozes suspense and is perfect at keeping viewers on the edges of their seats.
5 The Ryuo’s Work is Never Done!
Shogi is a Japanese board game similar to chess and the greatest shogi player in the world is granted the title of Ryuuou — the dragon king. After Yaichi becomes the youngest Ryuuou of all time, many in the community consider him to be undeserving of the title. What’s worse is that he forgot a promise to teach a young girl to play the game if he ever achieved the esteemed ranking.
In the end, the two team up together, one trying to harness her hidden talent for the game, and the other trying to prove that he does have the skills to deserve to be called the dragon king.
4 Saki
Saki starts with its main character actually hating the game they are extremely talented at playing, making it stand out a bit from the crowd. After its titular character, Saki is dragged to her school’s mahjong club, she’s unable to hide her talent for the game as she usually does as the other members spot her unusual playstyle. She eventually is convinced to join the club and eventually warms up to its club members and the game itself as time goes on.
3 Weiß Survive
Weiß Schwarz, commonly spelled as Weiss Schwarz, is a unique card game that features characters from various anime and cartoons while allowing them to face off against one another. With its extremely unique appeal to anime fans, a show created specifically to teach how it’s played is a perfect combo.
Takeshi is transported to the Weiss Schwarz Battle Space and will only be able to return home once he wins enough card battles. Despite not knowing how to play, a girl named Michi by his side helps him to learn the ropes as he tries to return home.
2 Shion no Ou
A combination of mystery anime and board games, Shion no Ou is a unique beast. Shion’s parents were murdered in front of her at age five, and she was challenged to a game of shogi. The murderer told her that if she wanted to stay alive, she should never speak ever again and forget what happened that night.
She eventually becomes a professional shogi player, and as she gets more attention for her skills, her memories start to slowly come back to her about what happened that fateful night.
1 Hikaru no Go
Hikaru no Go may be the most iconic board game anime of all time. Focusing on the ancient board game Go, Hikaru ends up being haunted by a legendary Go instructor named Sai. He starts playing games of Go to be kind to Sai, but ends up finding that he deeply loves the game himself. The story follows him as his skills grow and he aims to become one of the greatest Go players of all time.
More: Anime That Focus On Japanese Folk Tales
