Updated on April 6, 2:32 p.m. (GMT+8): Added season 2 details.
“Japan only requires one thing to become the strongest powerhouse in soccer. And that is the creation of a revolutionary striker.” — Ego Jinpachi
The popular Weekly Shonen Magazine manga, Blue Lock, is getting an anime adaptation in 2022. Featuring 300 boys and a man who wants to create the ultimate striker for the Japanese national soccer team, viewers can expect high-stakes action and a lot of hot, sweaty, and muscular young men.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Blue Lock anime adaptation, including its story, release date, characters, seiyuu (voice actors), and status of the manga.
What is Blue Lock?
Blue Lock is a Japanese manga written by Muneyuki Kaneshiro and illustrated by Yusuke Nomura, serialized in Kodansha’s Weekly Shonen Magazine since August 2018.
After the Japanese national soccer team crashed out in the quarterfinals of the 2018 World Cup, a mysterious man named Ego Jinpachi is hired by the Japan Football Union to improve Japan’s World Cup performance. His plan is to bring 300 U-18 forwards to the newly created Blue Lock facility and create the best striker in the world through a rigorous and brutal training regimen.
Only one forward will earn the right to be Japan’s next national striker, however—the 299 losers will never be allowed to represent Japan’s national team. One of the chosen 300 is Yoichi Isagi, who’d just come off a heartbreaking loss at the National High School Football Qualifiers after he passed to a teammate instead of taking a shot himself.
The series follows Yoichi Isagi and the other strikers in their competition to cultivate their ego and become the best forward in the world.
Release date of Blue Lock anime series
The first season of the Blue Lock anime series premiered on October 9. Season 1 of the anime aired its final episode on March 25, 2023.
The anime is animated by Eight Bit studio, known for That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, and directed by Tetsuaki Watanabe. Music will be provided by Jun Murayama, while Taku Kishimoto is handling series composition and the script.
On March 26, the Japanese animation studio made an announcement regarding Blue Lock, revealing that the series will be renewed for a second season, accompanied by its first animated movie entitled “Episode Nagi.” However, Eight Bit has not disclosed any details regarding the release dates as of yet.
Read our Blue Lock anime review here.
Where to watch the Blue Lock anime
You can catch the show on streaming platforms Netflix, Crunchyroll, or Disney+.
Characters of the Blue Lock anime, seiyuus and voice actors (VAs)
Here’s a quick rundown of the series’ main characters and their seiyuu/VAs.
| CHARACTER | DESCRIPTION | SEIYUU/VA |
| Yoichi Isagi | A forward who’s initially ranked as the second-worst striker in Blue Lock, with less physicality than many others. | Kazuki Ura |
| Hyōma Chigiri | A speedy forward who after sustaining an injury becomes fearful of playing soccer to his full ability. | Soma Saito |
| Meguru Bachira | An eccentric player who relies on his instincts to dribble and outwit defenders. | Tasuku Kaito |
| Rensuke Kunigami | A left footed striker who’s able to shoot well and has a strong moral code. | Yuuki Ono |
| Gin Gagamaru | A tall forward who excels in scoring goals inside the penalty box. | Shuugo Nakamura |
| Wataru Kuon | The main strategist of Team Z who often puts his own interests above everyone else’s. | Masatomo Nakazawa |
| Okuhito Iemon | A kind-hearted goalie who spends most of his time teaching strategies to other teammates. | Ryuunosuke Watanuki |
| Gurimu Igarashi | A bright-eyed teenager who leaves his temple to pursue his football dreams. | Aoi Ichikawa |
| Yuudai Imamura | A lightning-fast striker who has an undying love for football. | Shoya Chiba |
| Ryousuke Kira | A high school forward who played against Yoichi Isagi before joining Blue Lock. | Kenichi Suzumura |
| Asahi Naruhaya | A blonde forward who’s an expert in disrupting the enemy team’s formation. | Daishi Kajita |
| Jingo Raichi | A hot-headed footballer who has a penchant for trash talk. | Yoshitsugu Matsuoka |
| Jinpachi Ego | The cold-blooded coach, trainer, and manager of the Blue Lock facility. | Hiroshi Kamiya |
| Anri Teieri | A new member of the Japan Football Association who was behind the implementation of the Blue Lock Project. | Eri Yukimura |
Status of the manga
The Blue Lock manga is currently ongoing, with weekly releases in Weekly Shonen Magazine and Kodansha since 2018.
23 volumes and around 203 chapters have been released in English so far.
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