Ananime television series adaptation produced byEight Bit aired from October 2022 to March 2023. An anime film adaptation based on theEpisode Nagi spin-off manga premiered in April 2024. Asecond season, subtitledvs. U-20 Japan, aired from October to December 2024. A third season has been announced. Alive-action film adaptation is set to premiere in Japan in Q3 2026.
By September 2025, the manga had over 50 million copies in circulation worldwide, making it one of thebest-selling manga series of all time. In 2021,Blue Lock won the 45thKodansha Manga Award in theshōnen category.
TheJapan national team finished 16th in the2018 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 competing against 299 other players to become the best striker in the world.
Written byMuneyuki Kaneshiro and illustrated byYusuke Nomura [ja],Blue Lock started inKodansha'sWeekly Shōnen Magazine on August 1, 2018.[2] Kodansha has collected its chapters into individualtankōbon volumes. The first volume was released on November 16, 2018.[3] As of November 17, 2025, 36 volumes have been released.[4]
In January 2021,Kodansha USA announced that it had licensed the manga for English digital release in North America, starting on March 16, 2021.[5] In January 2022, Kodansha USA announced that it would release the manga in print.[6] In July 2025, Kodansha USA announced that it would publish the manga in anomnibus edition starting in Q2 2026.[7]
Aspin-off manga focusing on Seishiro Nagi, titledBlue Lock: Episode Nagi (ブルーロック-EPISODE 凪-), was serialized in Kodansha'sBessatsu Shōnen Magazine from June 9, 2022, to July 9, 2025.[8][9] The spin-off is written by Muneyuki Kaneshiro and illustrated by Kōta Sannomiya.[10] Its chapters were collected in eighttankōbon volumes, released from October 17, 2022, to August 12, 2025.[11][12][13] Kodansha has published the series in English on itsK Manga service.[14] In October 2023, Kodansha USA announced that the manga is planned to be published in print.[15] The first volume was released on October 15, 2024.[16]
Ananime television series adaptation was announced on August 12, 2021. The series is produced byEight 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.[17] The series' first season ran for 24 episodes from October 9, 2022, to March 26, 2023, onTV Asahi'sNUMAnimation programming block.[18][17][19][c] The first opening theme song is "Chaos ga Kiwamaru" (カオスが極まる; "Chaos Reigns"), performed byUnison Square Garden, while the first ending theme song is "Winner", performed byShugo Nakamura.[21] 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.[22][23]
Following the end of the first season, a second season was announced.[24][25] Titledvs. U-20 Japan, the season aired from October 5 to December 28, 2024, on TV Asahi's brand newIMAnimation block.[26][27][28][29] The opening theme song is "Bōjaku no Charisma" (傍若のカリスマ,Bōjaku no Karisuma), performed by Unison Square Garden,[30] while the ending theme song is "One", performed bySnow Man.[31]
On September 28, 2025, a third season covering the "Neo Egoist League" story arc was announced at the "Blue Lock Egoist Fest 2025" event.[32][33]
Crunchyroll has licensed the series for streaming and premiered an English dub on October 22, 2022.[34][35] Thecompany released the series on two Blu-ray Disc sets on November 14, 2023, and May 28, 2024.[36][37]
At the end of the first season, an anime film adaptation of theEpisode Nagi manga was also announced.[25] 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.[41] It premiered in Japanese theaters on April 19, 2024.[42]Nissy andSky-Hi performed the film's theme song, "Stormy".[43]
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.[44] In the Philippines, the film was released by Pioneer Films on July 31.[45][46]
In September 2025, it was announced that the manga will receive alive-action film adaptation set to premiere in Japan in Q3 2026. Credeus is producing the film with CK Works and will be distributed byToho.[32][33]
A stage play adaptation of the manga was announced byKodansha 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.[47]
A second play, subtitled2nd 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.[48][49]
A third play, subtitled3rd 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.[50]
A fourth play, subtitled4th Stage, ran 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.[51]
A stage play based onEpisode Nagi spin-off manga is scheduled to run on November 20–30, 2025, at Theatre G-Rosso. The cast included Takamichi Satō as Seishirō Nagi and Shūji Kikuchi as Reo Mikage.[52]
A smartphone game based on the series, titledBlue Lock: Blaze Battle, was released on March 1, 2024 for both iOS and Android devices. A promotional video for the game, featuringHey! Say! JUMP'sRyosuke Yamada, was released.[53][54][55] Another smartphone game, titledBlue Lock Project: World Champion, was released in English for both iOS and Android devices on April 23, 2024.[56]
In March 2024,Konami announced a collaboration with the series for theireFootball 2024 game.[57]
In a 2021 collaboration withFC Tokyo, artist Yusuke Nomura illustratedBlue Lock characters wearing FC Tokyo jerseys, while players such asDiego Oliveira,Adaílton, andWeverson Leandro Oliveira Moura appeared in promotional artwork.[59] In November 2024,Liverpool FC and Kodansha held aBlue Lock exhibition atComic Con Liverpool. The collaboration featured Liverpool players reimagined in the style of the series. The event included appearances by former playerDavid James and mascot Mighty Red, with activities for LFC Foundation participants.[60]
In June 2025,Blue Lock teamed up withConcacaf to produce exclusive content and limited-edition merchandise—marking the first-ever collaboration between a sports manga and a major football confederation.[61]
By August 2020, the manga had over 1.9 million copies in circulation,[62] with growth in subsequent years.[63] By September 2025, it had over 50 million copies in circulation.[64]
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,[65] while volumes 12–14 and 21–23 were among the best-selling manga volumes from the same period.[66] Volumes 22–24 were among the best-selling manga volumes of 2023.[67] Volume 24 wasKodansha'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 ofBlue Lock: Episode Nagi was the fifth, with 210,000 copies printed.[68]
The series was recommended by manga authorHajime Isayama ofAttack on Titan fame, for whom Yusuke Nomura previously worked as an assistant.[69]Blue Lock was one of the Top 3 Sports Manga Series of the "Nationwide Bookstore Employees' Recommended Comics of 2020" by Honya Club.[70]Blue Lock won the 45thKodansha Manga Award in theshōnen category in 2021.[71][72] In 2022, the series was nominated for aHarvey Award in the Best Manga category,[73] and the Youth Selection category at the 49thAngoulême International Comics Festival.[74]
Rebecca Silverman ofAnime 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, notingTite 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.[75]
Bamboo Dong ofAnime 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."[76]
Writing forThe O'Colly, Baylor Bryant praised its dynamics in games, calling them both "strong" and "compelling." Baylor wrote thatBlue 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.[77]
Rafael Motamayor ofIGN compared the show to 2021'sSquid 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 toHaikyu!!, which is full of fluid movements. However, he concluded that it compensates for uneven CG with striking keyframes and fantastic use of visual metaphors.[78]
In 2023,Blue Lock won the New Face Award at theJapan Character Awards by Japan's Character Brand Licensing Association (CBLA).[79] The series ranked second behindOshi no Ko in the anime category of theYahoo! Japan Search Awards, based on the number of searches for a particular term compared to the year before.[80] In 2025, three international voice actors were nominated in theBest Voice Artist Performance category at the9th Crunchyroll Anime Awards: Julien Chaaya (Yoichi Isagi) and Mohammed Sami (Rin Itoshi) inArabic, and Ranjit R Tiwari (Isagi) inHindi.[81]
The second season received criticism for its drop in animation quality, mainly in the second episode. Writing forAnime News Network, MrAJCosplay criticized the episode for its direction and the use of still frames, and calling it a bit "disorientating" between the characters' movements.[82] Rayan Sayyed ofIGN pointed out that an animator who is involved for its second episode, noting the working conditions about fluid animation and movements that results to production issues faced by the studio, while comparing it toMAPPA's controversy during thesecond season ofJujutsu Kaisen.[83]
Anime and manga portal
