[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/yowamushi_pedal.png]]

->''"I'd never join a sports club even if they asked me to."''
-->-- '''[[AccidentalAthlete Sakamichi Onoda]], our protagonist.'''

[[PunnyName Sakamichi Onoda]] is your [[OrdinaryHighschoolStudent everyday teenage]] {{otaku}} just starting high school. Having [[ClosetGeek hidden his otaku tendencies]] while he was in middle school, he dreams of joining this school’s anime club in order to indulge in his passions. And hey, if he can [[TrueCompanions make some friends]] on the side, [[IJustWantToHaveFriends that’ll be a bonus!]]

...Unfortunately, his hopes are crushed when he finds out the club [[ClubStub has closed due to a lack of members]]. Though this doesn’t deter him for long, and he soon sets out to gather enough people to restart it.

Meanwhile, two talented road cyclists are also entering the same school. For Shunsuke Imaizumi and Shoukichi Naruko, bicycle racing is very much SeriousBusiness. In fact, their goal for the upcoming year is to [[TournamentArc reach]] the [[TheBigRace Road Race Interhigh]], and [[ToBeAMaster rob the victory podium blind.]]

The paths of these three intersect after Imaizumi and Naruko run into Onoda making his [[ChekhovsSkill weekly commute to the otaku capital of Akihabara]], a whopping 90 km [[note]]55 miles![[/note]] round trip on some of the steepest slopes around... on nothing but a [[TheAllegedCar beat up mommy-bike.]] Recognizing his [[AccidentalAthlete incredible potential]] for road racing, the duo attempt to corral Onoda into abandoning his beloved anime club in favor of the bicycle racing club, much to the latter’s horror.

And thus begins ''Yowamushi Pedal'' ("The Weakling's Pedal"), a manga by Watanabe Wataru, published in ''[[Magazine/ShonenChampion Weekly Shonen Champion]]'' since 2008. A Creator/TMSEntertainment-produced anime was released as part of the Fall 2013 lineup, follow by a second season called ''Grande Road'' in 2014, a third season called ''New Generation'' in 2017, and a fourth called ''Glory Line'' in 2018.

A [[http://yowapeda-movie.com/ feature films]] were released in Japan in August 2015.
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!!This show provides examples of:

* TwoDVisualsThreeDEffects: The bikes alternate between hand-drawn and CGI, as does Makishima's hair during a race.
* ActionPrologue: The show opens with a shot of the cycle club, Onoda included, in the middle of a heated race. Which makes pre-cycle club Onoda's [[TemptingFate comments]] even funnier.
* AnimalMotifs: A few characters are strongly associated with animals:
** Naruko: Tiger
** Kinjou: Snake
** Tadokoro: Bear
** Makishima: Spider
** Arakita: Wolf
** Imaizumi and Shinkai: Rabbit
* ApologyGift: [[spoiler:Fukutomi gives Kinjou Hakone steamed buns as a way to [[MustMakeAmends start to apologize]] for injuring him during the previous year's Interhigh.]] [[ObsessedWithFood Tadokoro]] thinks it's a very acceptable gift.
* ArtEvolution: The art style takes 5 volumes or so to stable out. Many of the characters' designs change drastically over that time as well.
** Makishima's hair grows incredibly quickly.
** Fukutomi's hair changes after a flashback.
** Imaizumi's eyes become smaller and he starts to look older.
* BattleAura: Of the metaphoric variety.
* BetterThanSex: Naruko puts winning races above kissing girls or touching their boobs.
* TheBigRace: The Interhigh, which takes place every year.
* BlandNameProduct: In the anime.
** The majority of the cast own recognizable brand name bikes and gear, except with one letter changed (such as Scott to Sco'''l'''t). However, the brand names are not censored in the manga.
** Similarly, any existing anime/manga that are referred to by name in the manga are modified for the anime. For example, ''Doraemon'' becomes ''Nekoemon''.
** Both the anime and manga have popular soft drinks Bepsi and Cole.
** Averted with Pocari Sweat. see ProductPlacement below.
* CastOfSnowflakes: Especially apparent when you realize that Imaizumi and Arakita have the same hair color, eye color and a near identical hairstyles but look nothing like each other.
* CherryBlossoms: All over the place during the opening chapters. Justified in that the story begins during the start of the school year[[note]]Japanese schools start in spring[[/note]] which is right around the time that they bloom.
* ChromaticArrangement: [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/xyz_288.png The freshmen trio]] fit this perfectly. Imaizumi, who tends to be as cool as a cucumber, is heavily associated with blue. The [[HotBlooded extremely passionate]] Naruko tends to be represented by red. And Onoda, the [[GenkiGirl most cheerful]] of the lot, is linked to bright, sunny yellows. For bonus points, their bikes, cycling clothes and everyday wear follow this theme too.
* CombatCompliment:
** Imaizumi compliments Onoda's skills during their first race.
** Fukutomi tells Kinjou he's "not bad" during their second-year race.
** This occurs a lot... though it's mostly followed by an explanation of why the complimenter is better.
* CoolBike: {{Inverted}}, as the bicycles are portrayed to be more cool than motorized vehicles like mopeds. However, everyone except Onoda has a very cool (and expensive) bike.
* CrashIntoHello: Imaizumi and Onoda first run into each other after the former's car nearly mows the latter over.
* DagwoodSandwich: Tadokoro enjoys these often and tries to serve one to Onoda.
* DefeatMeansFriendship: Subverted with Onoda and Imaizumi. Onoda was not able to defeat Imaizumi during their first race, but they became friends anyways as [[DefrostingIceQueen Imaizumi started opening up to Onoda]].
* DidYouActuallyBelieve: Midousuji says this to [[spoiler: Imaizumi, when the latter loses a race after the former (falsely) informs him that his mother had died after being hit by one of the other competitors.]]
* DietEpisode: Parodied. In one of the omakes, Makishima thinks Tadokoro is eating too much and should diet, but decides that [[SickAndWrong would be bad]].
* DoItYourselfThemeTune: The 3rd OP is sung by Team Sohoku, and Team Hakone sings the 3rd ED. In the 4 season, Glory Line, the 1st ED is sung by the New Generation of Sohoku, while the 2nd ED is sung by the New Generation of Hakone.
* DownToTheLastPlay: A staple. Happens in almost every segment of every race.
* EnemyMine: Cooperation between opposing teams is common, though obviously temporary, in road race.
** Sohoku and Hakogaku adopt it during the third day of Interhigh for a while.
** And in the next year IH, the new Sohoku and Hakone cooperate in the 3th day again.
** [[spoiler:Onoda]] races along with [[spoiler:Arakita and Manami]] so the three of them can drop the pack and go after [[spoiler:Hiroshima Kureminami]]. The trope is notably PlayedStraight here since they team-up against a common opponent.
* FamilyBusiness: The Kanzakis run a bike shop that Sohoku uses.
* {{Fangirl}}: Several characters have them.
* FreudianTrio: The freshmen trio, with Naruko as TheId, Imaizumi being TheSuperego and Onoda fitting in as TheEgo.
** The Senior trio also fits into this, with Tadokoro as TheId, Kinjou as TheSuperego, and Makishima as TheEgo.
* GlassesPull: Shingo dramatically removes his sunglasses when [[spoiler: Onoda]] wins the second stage of the welcome race, and when the first-years and second-years are sprinting for the finish line on the third day of training camp.
* GoryDiscretionShot: Implied and [[PlayedForLaughs Played For]] [[EvilLaugh (Evil)]] [[PlayedForLaughs Laughs]] when Kinjou volunteers Imaizumi for his magic trick and Imaizumi screams right as the omake ends.
* GraduateFromTheStory: All the third year characters at the end of the first Interhigh, though they still have the occasional cameo.
* GrayRainOfDepression:
** Happens when [[spoiler:Onoda's pedal breaks]] during the training camp.
** Also in Toudou and Makishima's backstory, when [[spoiler:Makishima gets a flat tire and can't race Toudou. Toudou tries to get him to ride on the rim and keep going with the other tire, but Makishima informs him that ''is'' what he was doing - now he has two flat tires.]]
* HeterosexualLifePartners: Teshima and Aoyagi. Onoda and Naruko are convinced Teshima is psychic because he can hold seemingly one-sided conversations with [[TheSilentBob Aoyagi]], even when texting each other.
* HuddleShot: Sohoku has one.
* IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming: Each episode title has Race instead of Episode.
* ImageSong: Everyone on Sohoku and Hakone gets one.
* ImagineSpot:
** Makishima when he imagines Tadokoro gaining or losing weight.
** Onoda has one when he tries to figure out how Naruko will "pull him along" while they're riding, imagining a coupler attaching their two bikes together.
* InSeriesNickname: Most characters have these.
** Naruko: Speed Star of Naniwa
** Kinjou: Snake of the Stone Path
** Makishima: Peak Spider
** Tadokoro: Rampaging Human Bullet
** Toudou: Sleeping Beauty (self-proclaimed), Mountain God
*** Apparently everyone else calls him Ninja of the Forest behind his back, which he finds uncool.
** Shinkai: Hakone's Straight-Line Demon
** Shinkai Yuuto: Peak Hornet
%%* JapaneseSchoolClub
* KeepingSecretsSucks: Kinjou tells Makishima about how and why he altered Onoda's bike. Despite Kinjou's orders, Makishima feels bad for Onoda and tells him anyways, deciding he's just talking out loud to himself and Onoda just happens to be standing there.
* LetsFightLikeGentlemen: Kinjou and Fukutomi [[spoiler: after their last encounter that led to Kinjou's GameBreakingInjury]].
* LikeAnOldMarriedCouple: Makishima and Toudou.
* MirrorCharacter: Imaizumi and Naruko, to the point of [[SpeakInUnison Speaking In Unison]] - much to their discontent.
* MoodWhiplash: The ending omakes are always happy, which can be pretty jarring if the end of the episode wasn't.
* MusicForCourage: Onoda gets Tadokoro to [[spoiler: sing the [[ShowWithinAShow Love Hime]] theme song with him to motivate them both to catch up to the rest of the team. Tadokoro reluctantly agrees to join in but finds it to be very effective.]]
** Aoyagi [[spoiler: use the song to keep Kaburagi concentrated after the rookie feelt overwhelmed with pressure in the 2nd day of IH. "The power of the Song" helped Aoyagi to get Kaburagi out of the pact and give them the opportunity to reunite with the team again]]
%%* OddFriendship: Makishima and Toudou.
* OfficiallyShortenedTitle: Crunchyroll shortens the series name to ''Yowapeda''.
* OldHeroNewPals: As [[GraduateFromTheStory graduation]] effectively [[PutOnABus writes the entire third year cast out of the plot]] after the first Interhigh, going into the second Interhigh a brand new set of characters (in the form of new first and second years) are introduced to serve as their replacements.
* {{Omake}}: The end of each anime episode features a one or two minute side-story about the characters.
* PassingTheTorch: [[spoiler:After the 41st Interhigh, the third years in all the schools graduate and move onto college, so positions within all the cycling clubs change to some degree; such as Kinjou passes [[TheCaptain the captain title]] to Teshima, and likewise at Hakone, Fukutomi makes Izumida TheCaptain.]]
%%* PastelChalkedFreezeFrame
* ProductPlacement: There are posters with the cast advertising Pocari Sweat. Pocari Sweat even shows up in the anime (season 1, episode 12).
* ThePromise:
** Between Toudou and Makishima.
** Between Kinjou and Fukutomi [[spoiler:to determine the true winner of their race honorably, after Fukutomi causes the crash with Kinjou]].
** Manami and Onoda, like their senpai, also promise to duke it out at the Interhighs.
** Teshima and Aoyagi, as first years, promised to go together to the IH in their 3th year. Since they got the position taken away in their 2nd year, their little promise became a reality in their 3th year indeed.
* RealMenTakeItBlack: Parodied in an {{omake}}, where Naruko tells Onoda how real men drink their coffee black. Only to subvert it by asking for milk as soon as Onoda went to the bathroom.
* ReasonYouSuckSpeech: Midousuji whips this out on occasion.
** He belittles Imaizumi for being "weak" when he [[spoiler: gives up his position in a race because Midousuji told him that Imaizumi's mother had been hit by a car]].
** He gives Imaizumi another one on the second day when [[spoiler: Imaizumi briefly thinks about joining forces with Kyoto Fushimi to reach the front.]]
** He criticizes Shinkai for letting something as "simple" as [[spoiler: the memory of running over and killing a rabbit prevent Shinkai from passing Midousuji]].
** And again, Midousuji give a big one in front of all the public in the 42th IH after winning the race in the 2nd day.
* RedOniBlueOni:
** Naruko is the red to Imaizumi's blue.
** Tadokoro (red) and Makishima (blue) also form a pair.
** Toudou is also the red to Makishima's blue.
* RestrainedRevenge: [[spoiler: Tadokoro [[MyFistForgivesYou only punches]] Fukutomi after he finds out Fukutomi was the one who caused Kinjou to crash.]]
* SayMyName: Too often to count.
* SecondPlaceIsForLosers:
** Imaizumi's view on previously finishing second in a major road race.
** Beautifully subverted during the Freshman Race, to the point of encroaching into SecondPlaceIsForWinners territory. Sure, [[spoiler:Onoda]] had to be [[spoiler: retired from the race]] and thus automatically came in [[spoiler:last]] place... but he ''did'' reach the top of a difficult mountain summit well before the more seasoned riders, an achievement which is greatly applauded by the rest of the club. [[spoiler:In the next year, Onoda is considered to something of a living legend for this.]]
* SecretTestOfCharacter: During the training camp, Kinjou alters Onoda's bike so that it's more difficult to climb hills. He doesn't tell Onoda about the change saying that he should learn how to face adversity and figure it out on his own. Note that this is ''despite'' Onoda being the most inexperienced member of the club. Makishima states though that Kinjou knew that if he told Makishima in detail what he did, Makishima would eventually inform Onoda, which he does after Onoda struggles through 25km.
* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: Makishima and Tadokoro, respectively.
* SeriousBusiness: Cycling.
* ShoutOut:
** Izumida's pecs are named after the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fr%C3%A4nk_Schleck Schleck]] [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Schleck brothers]], famous cyclists.
** TheStinger of episode 26 has one to Manga/BlackButler. Onoda is watching a movie scene in which a HornedHumanoid in butler outfit says "I'm just a sheep" [[note]]In Japanese sheep (hitsuji) sounds like butler (shitsuji)[[/note]]
** Shinkai's FingerGun could be a reference to [[http://cdn.media.cyclingnews.com/2012/09/09/2/stage_21._contador_pistolero_600.jpg Alberto Contador's]] VictoryPose.
* ShowWithinAShow: ''Love Hime''. [[spoiler: Even has a movie.]]
* ShownTheirWork: The manga and anime represent cycling extremely accurately, and correctly explain the strategy and mechanics behind it. Although some aspects are over-the-top (such as Makishima's dancing), and there is a warning after each episode saying that some of the more dramatic stuff can be dangerous to do in real life and to practice safe cycling.
* SignatureMove: Lots of characters.
** Makishima: Spider climb
** Onoda: High cadence climb, as well as singing to perfect the rhythm of his pedaling and timing of his gear shifts.
** Tadokoro: Human bullet train, [[OverlyLongName Mach-Speed Oxygen-Burning Human-Bullet]]
** Midousuji: Forward leaning riding style
** Naruko: Rocket Sprint
** Toudou: Sleeping Climb
** Aoyagi and Teshima: Synchronized Straight Twin
* SingingInTheShower: Imaizumi and Onoda both sing the ''Love Hime'' song in [[ShowerScene two separate omake]], though Imaizumi is much more embarrassed about it.
%%* SoProudOfYou: Multiple people say this throughout the series:
%%** Touji to Tadokoro.
%%** All of Sohoku to Onoda.
%%** Tadokoro to Aoyagi and Teshima.
* SpeedStripes
* SpotlightStealingSquad: Many fans of the series noticed that in Day Two of Interhigh, Hakone had much more prominence than Sohoku (this was mainly due to Sohoku being divided because of Tadokoro not being able to properly start and Onoda going back to retrieve him), some tumblr users have made comments that Hakone "could be confused to be the main characters" during that time period of the series. Once Sohoku catches up, they reclaim their roles as the main protags.
* TheStinger: After the ED, there is usually a short comedic scene. Sometimes involving [[ShowWithinTheShow Love Hime]].
* SurprisinglyCreepyMoment: Midosuji loves pulling these. It helps that he sports a near-permanent SlasherSmile, but he has a knack for showing up suddenly with his insanely creepy looking face.
* TeamSpirit: Heavily comes into play during the Inter-High arc.
* TearsOfJoy: Teshima and Aoyagi shed a few when [[spoiler: Tadokoro wins the first checkpoint against Izumida and Naruko.]]
** And at the end of IH, after Onoda beat Manami in the last sprint, Teshima was crying tears of joy while hugging a tired Onoda.
* ThemeSongPowerup: PlayedWith. They have a theme song, and it powers them up, it's just... [[ShowWithinAShow Love Hime]]'s theme song, rather than their own.
* ThrowingTheFight: [[spoiler:Fukutomi tells Kinjou that he would lose the race if Kinjou asked him to. Kinjou [[LetsFightLikeGentlemen refuses his offer]].]]
* TieInNovel: The series has one focusing on Makishima and Toudou's past.
* TrainingFromHell: The cycling camp. 1000km[[note]]620 miles[[/note]] in four days. And Imaizumi, Naruko and Onoda all have handicaps.
* TrashTalk: Gets thrown around a lot.
* UnnecessaryRoughness:
** [[spoiler:Fukutomi unconsciously grabs Kinjou's jersey in desperation during a race, causing them to both fall. Fukutomi comes out of it relatively unscathed, but Kinjou breaks some of his ribs and is bleeding through his jersey by the end of the day's race.]]
** [[spoiler:Midousuji tries to knock over Imaizumi on purpose, but he managed to stay upright.]]
** [[spoiler:Koga treats Teshima pretty rought in their third year training camp. He tried to knock him out a lot of times and talks to him very harsh for someone that used to be his friend. Yet in the end, Teshima beats him in one last sprint and Koga returns to be friendly with Teshima and all of the Sohoku team]]
* VariationsOnAThemeSong: The lyrics for the ''Love Hime'' theme song in the manga were adapted into two different versions of the song. The first version of the song was used in the stage adaptation and live-action television series, while the second version was used for the anime.
* VitriolicBestBuds: [[RedOniBlueOni Naruko and Imaizumi]] fall into this dynamic pretty quickly. On the track, they're practically blood brothers. Off it, it's made very clear that Imaizumi is perfectly willing to let Naruko drown in his own bath.
* WhosWatchingTheStore: Touji spends an awful lot of time helping with team practices and races, using the store's van no less. It is most likely their parents own it; ''someone'' must have been doing the work when they were kids.
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