An anime television series adaptation produced by Eight Bit aired from October 2022 to March 2023. An anime film adaptation based on the Episode Nagi spin-off manga premiered in April 2024. A second season, subtitled vs. U-20 Japan, aired from October to December 2024.
By July 2024, the manga had over 40 million copies in circulation worldwide, making it one of the best-selling manga series of all time. In 2021, Blue Lock won the 45th Kodansha Manga Award in the shōnen category.
Plot
The Japan national team finished 16th in the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The Japan Football Union hires the football enigma Jinpachi Ego. His masterplan to lead Japan to stardom is Blue Lock, a training regimen designed to create the world's greatest egotistic striker. Those who fail Blue Lock will never again be permitted to represent Japan. Yoichi Isagi, an unknown high school football player who is conflicted about his playing style, decides to join the program to become the best striker in the world.
Part of the losing team that failed to qualify for the high school nationals, he was nonetheless accepted into the Blue Lock program after being uniquely handpicked by Ego himself. He was initially within one of the lowest ranked players of all the 300 players of the Blue Lock program but would begin to demonstrate his value within Team Z via his vision and quick thinking, allowing him to analytically scan the field for openings to score goals. He would also strongly promote "chemical reactions" with his teammates, presenting an opportunity for stronger plays, easier collaboration and for more opportunities to score goals. During the second selection, he would eventually triumph through after experiencing two losses as he would later make the starting XI for the match against Japan U-20 as he would score the winning goal in the match after a series of plays by Rin. He would continue this success within the Neo-Egoist League with Bastard München as a starter and holds one of the highet bids in the league.
Growing up without many friends in his life due to his social mannerisms and personality, this led him to develop a "monster" inside his head as a way to find rivals whilst playing matches and to score goals. He is amongst the first to befriend Isagi in Team Z and is primarily defined by his dribbling abilities as this allows him to quickly bypass many of his opponents. He is usually in high spirits and energetic, not being someone to engage in confrontations. Conversely, he is prone to not fully understand social cues and norms whilst off pitch. He later develops his own skills and personality during the Second Selection with a far more optimistic attitude and confidence when making plays. This has allowed him to enjoy consistent success within Blue Lock as he would play in the Blue Lock program and having one of the highest bids in the Neo-Egoist League during his tenure with FC Barcha.
A self-described "football superhero" with strong morals regarding football, he emphasizes fair play on field whilst maintaining tact with his striking power. He also maintained a calm and kind personality towards others off-pitch and was generally seen as an older brother figure to his teammates. Despite being initially eliminated in the second selection following a loss to Shidō and Igaguri, he would return via the Wild Card program with a significantly more introverted and serious attitude towards his teammates and football in his newfound efforts of becoming the best striker in the world. He currently plays for Bastard München in the Neo-Egoist League as a starter.
Nicknamed "Princess" due to his long red hair, frequent attention and care to his appearance and feminine looks, he was initially more arrogant and introverted towards his teammates when discussing about his weapon. This was due a previous game in his high school career where he previously tore his ACL. Despite making a recovery, his doctor would alert Chigiri that if he were to tear it again, it would potentially end his football career prematurely. This would result in Chigiri playing in half-speed with this new style of play becoming the subject of bullying by the Wanima brothers who were his teammates. The match against Team W would see Chigiri overcome his physical and emotional weaknessees and gain a new confident yet sassy personality with his utilization of acceleration becoming more utilized as his primary form of attacking. He would later progress through the second and third selections, playing in the exhibition game against Japan U-20 despite being injured and subsequently substituted for Hiori and currently play for Manshine City in the Neo-Egoist league as a starter.
Despite being immensely passionate for football and finding immense success during his high school career, he found himself to be the only serious player in the entire time with many considering him to be a killjoy. Entering the Blue Lock program, his primarily abilities were his jumping power as well as leadership abilities as he took up leadership responsibilities as well as being initially the main strategist when it came to the formations of Team Z. This would all change as he would later sell out Team Z out to Team W where despite the match ultimately ending in a tie due to Chigiri initially not wanting to unveil his weapon, he would earn a negative reputation for being a sellout with this carrying on to the second selection despite his attempt at redemption as he would ultimately be eliminated after teaming up with Imamura and Iemon.
Known for his highly aggressive personality on and off field and his shark-like teeth, he was often seen as an intimidating player who primarily shouts and frequently engaging in arguments at both his teammates and his opponents. Over time, he would be more accepting of cooperating with his teammates as well as be a source of inspiration for his teammates to persevere in the direst moments with his high stanima. During the second selection, he would team up with Gagamaru and Junichi Wanima as all three would later make the cut for the third selection. He currently plays for Bastard München after appearing as a substitute for the match against Japan U-20.
Joining the Blue Lock program, he was primarily defined by his desire to pick-up girls through his self-described abilities of speed and technique. Despite this, he never gained many opportunities to show off his skills as he would later be eliminated in the second selection alongside Kuon and Iemon as his teammates.
A tall and physically gifted player, Gagamaru is known for his ability to use himself as a spring to cover long distances with this method being often used to score goals for his team. After passing the second selection alongside Raichi and Junichi Wanima, he was selected to play as a goalkeeper for both the Blue Lock XI in the Japan U-20 match as well as for Bastard München during the Neo-Egoist league, utilizing his bodily capabilities to make many normally impossible saves.
Hailing from a family in poverty following the premature deaths of his parents, Naruhaya aspired to become a professional football player to earn a significant amount of money to help out his sister in attaining funds. Despite his efforts and his weapon of quick footwork, he would ultimately be eliminated from the second selection following a defeat to Isagi and Nagi as they would choose his teammate Barō over him.
Okuhito Iemon (伊右衛門 送人, Iemon Okuhito)
Voiced by: Ryūnosuke Watanuki[5] (Japanese); Anthony DiMascio[3] (English)
Despite playing as a forward alongside the rest of the participants of the Blue Lock program, he was selected to play as the goalkeeper of Team Z. He would later be eliminated in the second selection alongside his teammates Kuon and Imamura.
Nicknamed and more commonly known as Igaguri (毬栗), he descends from a family of monks and is set to inherit the temple from his father. His desire to evade life as a monk serves as his sole motivation to play professional football as he is infamously the lowest rank player in the entirety of the Blue Lock Program with his main weapons being through his perseverance and tendency to foul other players. During the Second Selection, he teams up with Shidō after narrowly avoiding elimination but has since only appeared as a reserve for the U-20 match as well as in the Neo-Egoist League where he plays for Bastard München.
Part of the same team that had beat Isagi's team in the qualification for the high school nationals, Kira was nicknamed the "Crown Jewel of Japan" due to his talents as he would later befriend Isagi after both were accepted into the Blue Lock program. He was a notable critic of Ego's philosophy on what made a good striker and chose to enter to prove him otherwise. He was one of the first players eliminated from Blue Lock after an unexpected kick from Bachira and Isagi despite initially being the highest ranked player amongst the twelve players of Team Z.
Formally a player who played alongside Noel Noa who is recognized as being the best striker in the world, Ego seeks to improve Japanese football through unconventional means with the creation of the Blue Lock program. This is primarily done through his own philosophy on what made a good striker and that they should ideally play for themselves rather than traditionally collaborate in a team-effort, instead prioritizing themselves to advance their careers and reach their maximum potential based on existing strikers whilst simultaneously having genuine passion for the sport rather than play for purely monetary means. He is often blunt when giving advice and typically expects strict training requirements and exercises to the participants of the program alongside wanting them to strive for ambition and greater potential through events such as the first selection and the U-20 match. His ultimate goal is to see a complete restructuring of the Japan U-20 team to win the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup as well as the senior team to win the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Seen as someone who was incredibly ambitious but unrealistic when it came to her dreams of wanting Japan to win the FIFA World Cup despite improvements on the international stage, she is one of the key figures who created Blue Lock program and chose Ego to become the manager despite being a previously unknown name to the rest of the Japan Football Union. Throughout the program, she regularly keeps track on the progress and statistics of the players in order to give Ego recommendations on who is currently the most promising player.
Known for his incredibly selfish and egotistical attitude, Barō desires to be the center-stage and main star of the field, caring for only himself and showing little regard and respect towards others such as his persistent refusal to pass to his teammates. After being the sole survivor of Team X from the first selection due to being the club's top scorer, he gained further motivation with this philosophy upon losing to Isagi and Nagi during the second selection, devoting his plays solely to become Isagi's "villain" fueled by his desire of revenge. Conversely, he is known to be devoted to cleaning and enforcing good conduct on public spaces off pitch. Following appearing as a substitute for Otoya in the U-20 match and scoring a goal, he currently plays for Ubers as a starter.
Written by Muneyuki Kaneshiro and illustrated by Yusuke Nomura [ja], Blue Lock started in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine on August 1, 2018.[20] Kodansha has collected its chapters into individual tankōbon volumes. The first volume was released on November 16, 2018.[21] As of December 17, 2024, 32 volumes have been released.[22]
In January 2021, Kodansha USA announced that they had licensed the manga for English digital release in North America, starting on March 16, 2021.[23] In January 2022, Kodansha USA announced that they would release the manga in print.[24]
A spin-off manga focusing on Seishiro Nagi, titled Blue Lock: Episode Nagi, began serialization in Kodansha's Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine on June 9, 2022.[25] The spin-off is written by Muneyuki Kaneshiro and illustrated by Kōta Sannomiya.[26] Its chapters have been collected in six tankōbon volumes as of November 15, 2024.[27] Kodansha has published the series in English on its K Manga service.[28] In October 2023, Kodansha USA announced that the manga is planned to be published in print.[29] The first volume was released on October 15, 2024.[30]
An anime television series adaptation was announced on August 12, 2021. The series is produced by Eight Bit and directed by Tetsuaki Watanabe, with Shunsuke Ishikawa serving as assistant director, Taku Kishimoto overseeing the series' scripts, Masaru Shindō providing the main character designs and serving as chief animation director, Hisashi Tojima serving as a chief action director, and Jun Murayama composing the music.[2] The series' first season ran for 24 episodes from October 9, 2022, to March 26, 2023, on TV Asahi's NUMAnimation [ja] programming block.[31][2][5][c] The first opening theme song is "Chaos ga Kiwamaru" (カオスが極まる, "Chaos Reigns"), performed by Unison Square Garden, while the first ending theme song is "Winner", performed by Shugo Nakamura.[11] The second opening theme song is "Judgement", performed by Ash Da Hero, while the second ending theme song is "Numbness Like a Ginger", performed by Unison Square Garden.[33][34]
Following the end of the first season, a second season was announced.[35][14] Titled vs. U-20 Japan, the season aired from October 5 to December 28, 2024, on TV Asahi's brand new IMAnimation [ja] block.[17][36][37][38] The opening theme song is "Bōjaku no Charisma" (傍若のカリスマ, Bōjaku no Karisuma), performed by Unison Square Garden,[39] while the ending theme song is "One", performed by Snow Man.[40]
English release
Crunchyroll has licensed the series for streaming and premiered an English dub on October 22, 2022.[41][3] The company released the series on two Blu-ray Disc sets on November 14, 2023, and May 28, 2024.[42][43]
At the end of the first season, an anime film adaptation of the Episode Nagi manga was also announced.[14] The film features the staff and cast reprising their roles, with Shunsuke Ishikawa, who served as assistant director for the first season, assigned to direct the film and manga writer Muneyuki Kaneshiro supervising the story.[47] It premiered in Japanese theaters on April 19, 2024.[48]Nissy and Sky-Hi performed the film's theme song, "Stormy".[49]
In April 2024, Crunchyroll announced that they had acquired North American and select international theatrical rights to the film. The film was released in the United States and Canada on June 28.[50] In the Philippines, the film was released by Pioneer Films on July 31.[51][52]
Stage plays
A stage play adaptation of the manga was announced by Kodansha in December 2022. It ran on May 4–7, 2023, at Osaka's Sankei Hall Breeze and on May 11–14 at Tokyo's Sunshine Theater. The play was directed and written by Naohiro Ise. The cast included Ryōhei Takenaka as Yoichi Isagi, Nobunaga Satō as Meguru Bachira, Shōta Matsuda as Rensuke Kunigami, and Ryō Saeki as Hyōma Chigiri.[53]
A second play, subtitled 2nd Stage, ran on January 18–24, 2024, at Kyoto Theater and on January 25–31 at Hulic Hall Tokyo. The play was again directed and written by Ise, and Kōhei Nagata joined the cast as Rin Itoshi, with the other cast members returning to reprise their roles from the previous stage play.[54][13]
A third play, subtitled 3rd Stage, ran on August 9–12, 2024, at the Higashi-Osaka Cultural Creation Hall Dream House Great Hall and on August 17–25 at Tokyo's Theater H. The new cast members including Ryono Kusachi, Gaku Matsuda, Kosuke Asuma, and Kairi Miura.[55]
A fourth play, subtitled 4th Stage, is scheduled to run on May 15–25, 2025, at Tokyo's Theatre Milano-Za and on May 30–June 1 at the Higashi-Osaka Cultural Creation Hall Dream House Great Hall.[56]
Video games
A smartphone game based on the series, titled Blue Lock: Blaze Battle, was released on March 1, 2024 for both iOS and Android devices. A promotional video for the game, featuring Hey! Say! JUMP's Ryosuke Yamada, was released.[57][58][59] Another smartphone game, titled Blue Lock Project: World Champion, was released in English for both iOS and Android devices on April 23, 2024.[60]
In March 2024, Konami announced a collaboration with the series for their eFootball 2024 game.[61]
Novel
A prologue novel, titled Blue Lock: Tatakai no Mae, Bokura wa. Aryū, Barō, Yukimiya (ブルーロック 戦いの前、僕らは。 蟻生・馬狼・雪宮, lit.'Blue Lock: Before the Fight, We are Aryu, Barō, Yukimiya'), penned by Momo Moegi and Yusuke Nomura, was published on July 17, 2024.[62]
Reception
Manga
By August 2020, the manga had over 1.9 million copies in circulation;[63] by January 2021, it had over 3 million copies in circulation.[64] over 4 million copies in circulation by April 2021;[65] by August 2021, it had over 5 million in circulation;[66] over 6 million copies in circulation by February 2022;[67] over 8.3 million copies in circulation by March 2022;[68] over 9.3 million copies in circulation by June 2022;[69] over 10 million copies in circulation August 2022;[70] over 16 million copies in circulation by December 2022;[71] over 18 million copies in circulation by January 2023;[72] over 21.5 million copies in circulation by February 2023;[73] over 24 million copies in circulation by March 2023;[74] over 25.5 million copies in circulation by April 2023;[75] over 26 million copies in circulation by May 2023;[76] over 27 million copies in circulation by July 2023;[77] over 28 million copies in circulation by August 2023;[78] over 30 million copies in circulation by November 2023;[79] and over 40 million copies in circulation worldwide by July 2024.[80]
Blue Lock was the best-selling manga series in the first half of 2023 (the period between November 2022 and May 2023), with over 8 million copies sold,[81] while volumes 12–14 and 21–23 were among the best-selling manga volumes from the same period.[82] Volumes 22–24 were among the best-selling manga volumes of 2023.[83] Volume 24 was Kodansha's second-highest first print run manga volume of 2023–2024 (period from April 2023–March 2024), with 450,000 copies printed, while the third volume of Blue Lock: Episode Nagi was the fifth, with 210,000 copies printed.[84]
The series was recommended by manga author Hajime Isayama of Attack on Titan fame, for whom Yusuke Nomura previously worked as an assistant.[85]Blue Lock was one of the Top 3 Sports Manga Series of the "Nationwide Bookstore Employees' Recommended Comics of 2020" by Honya Club.[86]Blue Lock won the 45th Kodansha Manga Award in the shōnen category in 2021.[87][88] In 2022, the series was nominated for a Harvey Award in the Best Manga category,[89] and the Youth Selection category at the 49th Angoulême International Comics Festival.[90]
Rebecca Silverman of Anime News Network, in her review of the series' first two volumes, called the "dystopian sports" concept something that makes it stand out among other sports series; however, she said that it is so "blatantly absurd that it doesn't entirely work". Silverman praised its art, noting Tite Kubo's overtones, and concluded that while the first two volumes are not perfect, there is enough going to make her want to read more.[91]
Anime
Bamboo Dong of Anime News Network described the first half of the first season, saying that while the superhuman abilities provide a good chuckle, the characters also go a long way in broadening the series' appeal for anime fans who didn't know or care about soccer. Dong praised the action scenes, noting that these plays are a "genuine thrill to watch", although she felt there are times when the consistency and quality dip. Nonetheless, she concluded that "Blue Lock is a really good time, especially if they have a high tolerance for camp and absurdity. [...] Action fans will enjoy the strategy sessions and head-to-head showdowns, while soccer fans will enjoy the impassioned and mildly angry love story to the sport, like armchair quarterbacking brought to life."[92]
Writing for The O'Colly, Baylor Bryant praised its dynamics in games, calling them both "strong" and "compelling." Baylor wrote that Blue Lock has flaws and is still a sports anime, while its climactic moments are still just soccer matches. However, the games are interesting, filled with their own storylines, and each match showcases new and unique strikers with their own style and narrative they bring to the story. The writer described the animation, noting that "it has moments, but with players moving around the field playing a game of soccer, it's not always clean and crisp." Nevertheless, despite its limitations, the anime was more enjoyable for viewers who wanted more comedy and avoided reading the manga.[93]
Rafael Motamayor of IGN compared the show to 2021's Squid Game while describing it as "a fairly typical sports anime." Rafael said that the anime does have some interesting things to say about sports, their competitiveness, and what it means to be a great athlete. The animation was criticized, saying that the use of 3D computer animation, and particularly the back-and-forth between CG and traditional 2D animation, became "jarring" to watch compared to Haikyu!!, which is full of fluid movements. However, he concluded that it compensates for uneven CG with striking keyframes and fantastic use of visual metaphors.[94]
In 2023, Blue Lock won the New Face Award at the Japan Character Awards by Japan's Character Brand Licensing Association (CBLA).[95] The series ranked second behind Oshi no Ko in the anime category of the Yahoo! Japan Search Awards, based on the number of searches for a particular term compared to the year before.[96]
The second season received backlash for its drop in animation quality.[97]
See also
Tesla Note, another manga series illustrated by Kōta Sannomiya
Notes
^Credited as Assistant Director (副監督, Fuku Kantoku).
^Soccer Manga Blue Lock [Official] [@bluelock_wm] (August 23, 2020). 『ブルーロック』最新10巻 発売ホヤホヤです！！ (Tweet) (in Japanese). Retrieved August 12, 2021 – via Twitter.
^Soccer Manga Blue Lock [Official] [@bluelock_wm] (March 30, 2022). ✨㊗️全巻大重版㊗️✨🎊累計830万部突破🎊 (Tweet) (in Japanese). Retrieved March 30, 2022 – via Twitter.
^Soccer Manga Blue Lock [Official] [@bluelock_wm] (January 27, 2023). ✨🎊全巻重版1800万部突破🎊✨ (Tweet) (in Japanese). Retrieved January 27, 2023 – via Twitter.
