In recent years, significant progress has been achieved in the creation of innovative functional materials for energy storage and conversion. Due to their distinct physicochemical characteristics, ultrathin nanosheets composed of common layered transition metal sulfide materials (MoS₂) have demonstrated promise as high-capacity anode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Nevertheless, their practical application is severely limited by the tendency of monolayer nanosheets to restack due to strong van der Waals forces, dramatic volume changes during successive cycles, and low intrinsic conductivity. Recent research advances have shown that composite structures and nanowire morphologies with specific morphologies effectively overcome these issues. This paper reviews the recent research progress on molybdenum disulfide-based composites as anode materials for LIBs and discusses in detail the structural characteristics of pure molybdenum disulfide and other composite forms of molybdenum disulfide. In addition, the phase engineering, defect engineering, and lithium storage mechanisms of molybdenum disulfide and the synthesis of molybdenum disulfide-based nanocomposites by different preparation methods are focused on. Finally, we review the design (structure), recent developments, and challenges of novel anode materials and consider their electrochemical performance in Li-ion batteries.