Campione!

Campione! (Italian for 'Champion!') (カンピオーネ!, Kanpiōne!) is a Japanese light novel series written by Jō Taketsuki and illustrated by Sikorsky. 21 volumes were published by Shueisha from May 2008 to November 2017, first under their Super Dash Bunko imprint (which was abolished in 2014) and then under their Dash X Bunko imprint since. It has been adapted into a manga series published in Shueisha's Super Dash & Go!. A 13-episode anime television series, produced by Diomedéa aired on AT-X and Tokyo MX from July to September 2012. Sentai Filmworks released an English dub of the TV series in North America. The novel's story focuses on Godou Kusanagi, a former middle school baseball player who was forced to retire due to injury, as he becomes a Campione after killing the god of war, Verethragna. Hanabee Entertainment later licensed the series in 2014. There is a sequel titled Campione! Lord of Realms (カンピオーネ！ ロード・オブ・レルムズ), and a spin-off based on it, Shiniki no Campiones (神域のカンピオーネス)