Completed
“Childhood swim teammates reunite in high school, reigniting rivalry and forming a new team to settle old scores.”
Free! - Iwatobi Swim Club
Free!
7.32
2,927 rank · 842,773 viewers · 9,730 favorites
Sports
School
Would You Love or Hate This?
AI-powered analysis tailored to your taste
Based on your preference for character-driven stories with layered emotional arcs, this title's exploration of identity and belonging would deeply resonate. The pacing mirrors series you've rated highly, and its thematic depth aligns with your appreciation for nuanced storytelling...
However, the slow initial episodes might test your patience given your history of dropping shows that don't hook you early. The art style shift in the middle arc could also be a concern...
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Synopsis
Childhood swim teammates reunite in high school, reigniting rivalry and forming a new team to settle old scores.
Haruka Nanase has a love for water and a passion for swimming. In elementary school, he competed in and won a relay race with his three friends Rin Matsuoka, Nagisa Hazuki, and Makoto Tachibana. After claiming victory at the tournament, the four friends went their separate ways. Years later, they reunite as high school students; however, Rin couldn't care less about returning to the way things used to be. Not only does he attend a different school, but the sole thing important to him is proving that he is a better swimmer than Haruka. After the bitter reunion, Haruka, Nagisa, and Makoto decide to form the Iwatobi High School Swim Club, but they will need a fourth member if they hope to take part in the upcoming tournament. Enter Rei Ryuugazaki, a former member of the track team whom Nagisa recruits. As the time to compete draws near, the four develop a close bond while training intensely to come out on top and settle things between Haruka and Rin once and for all.
What people say
Community consensus
Derived from 154 sampled reviews
7.8
/10
What 154 viewers settled on.
93%
recommend
Score distribution
median 8
mode 8
σ 1.60
Agreement
Mostly aligned
σ 1.60 · some divergence
The polarity gap
4.4 pts
Recommenders 8.4 · others 4.0
Yes
No
Score over time
↑ 1.75
Running avg · Sep 2013 → Jul 2025
Snap verdicts
· shortest highly-rated reviews
- 9 “"Okay okay, this anime is for fujoshi ONLY. so boring" This word was from my one of the male friend who loves Kyoto animation studio. Some months later, "Oh my gosh I misunderstood Free! so much...”
- 8 “If you are looking for some cool guys, both Kuroko no Basket ( Including season 2) and Free! are series to look for..! Both series consists of a cast of male characters with a dominant personality...”
- 7 “I liked how fluent and beautiful animation was and how the characters facial expressions were done. I loved the characters eyes. What I disliked was the character development of everyone except...”
Verbosity
Short · 35%
Medium · 38%
Long · 27%
Watch Order & Related
Explore the Free! - Iwatobi Swim Club universe
Cast
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See all →Made by
See all credits →Production slate
A Tv Production · Summer 2013
Kyoto Animation.
in association with
Lantis · Iwatobi High School Swimming Club
- Format 12 × 23′ eps × min
- Total runtime 4h 36m all episodes
- Aired Jul 2013 – Sep 2013 Summer 2013
- Source Tv media type
- Rated PG 13 - Teens 13 or older
- Ref. BS-7878 catalog
Produced by
- Lantis Producer
- Iwatobi High School Swimming Club Producer
- Asahi Broadcasting Producer
- Pony Canyon Producer
Licensed by
- Funimation Licensor
- Discotek Media Licensor
- Crunchyroll Licensor