Blue Lock

Blue Lock (ブルーロック) (stylized as BLUELOCK) is a Japanese manga series written by Muneyuki Kaneshiro and illustrated by Yusuke Nomura (manga artist). It has been serialized in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine since August 2018, with its chapters collected in 29 volumes as of May 2024.

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 manga premiered in April 2024. A second season is set to premiere in October 2024.

By November 2023, the manga had over 30 million copies in circulation, making it one of the best-selling manga series of all time. In 2021, Blue Lock won the 45th Kodansha Manga Award in the category.

Plot
The Japan national team finished 16th in the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The Japan Football Union hires the football enigma Ego Jinpachi. His masterplan to lead Japan to stardom is Blue Lock, a training regimen designed to create the world's greatest egotist 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 in order to become the best striker in the world.

Characters

 * Yoichi Isagi (潔 世一)


 * Meguru Bachira (蜂楽 廻)


 * Rensuke Kunigami (國神 錬介)


 * Hyōma Chigiri (千切 豹馬)


 * Wataru Kuon (久遠 渉)


 * Jingo Raichi (雷市 陣吾)


 * Yūdai Imamura (今村 遊大)


 * Gin Gagamaru (我牙丸 吟)


 * Asahi Naruhaya (成早 朝日)


 * Okuhito Iemon (伊右衛門 送人)


 * Gurimu Igarashi (五十嵐 栗夢)


 * Ryōsuke Kira (吉良 涼介)


 * Jinpachi Ego (絵心 甚八)


 * Anri Teieri (帝襟 アンリ)


 * Shouei Barou (馬狼 照英)


 * Zantetsu Tsurugi (剣城 斬鉄)


 * Seishirō Nagi (凪 誠士郎)


 * Reo Mikage (御影 玲王)


 * Ikki Niko (二子 一揮)


 * Junichi Wanima (鰐間 淳壱)


 * Keisuke Wanima (鰐間 計助)


 * Sae Itoshi (糸師 冴)


 * Rin Itoshi (糸師 凛)


 * Jyubei Aryu (蟻生 十兵衛)


 * Aoshi Tokimitsu (時光 青志)


 * Ryūsei Shidō (士道龍聖)


 * Tabito Karasu (烏 旅人)


 * Eita Otoya (乙夜影汰)


 * Kenyu Yukimiya (雪宮剣優)


 * Ranze Kurona (黒名 蘭世)


 * Yo Hiori (氷織 羊)


 * Nijiro Nanase (七星 虹郎)


 * Oliver Aiku (オリヴァ 愛空)


 * Shūto Sendō (閃堂 秋人)


 * Julian Loki (ジュリアン・ロキ)


 * Leonardo Luna (レオナルド・ルナ)

Manga
Written by Muneyuki Kaneshiro and illustrated by Yusuke Nomura (manga artist), Blue Lock started in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine on August 1, 2018. Kodansha has collected its chapters into individual volumes. The first volume was released on November 16, 2018. As of May 16, 2024, 29 volumes have been released.

In January 2021, Kodansha USA announced that they had licensed the manga for English digital release in North America, starting on March 16, 2021. In January 2022, Kodansha USA announced that they would release the manga in print.

The manga has also been licensed in France by Pika Édition; in Germany by Kazé; in Taiwan by Tong Li Publishing; in South Korea by Haksan Publishing; in Italy by Panini Comics; in Spain by Planeta DeAgostini; in Thailand by Vibulkij Publishing; in Indonesia by Elex Media Komputindo; and in Argentina by Editorial Ivrea.

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. The spin-off is written by Muneyuki Kaneshiro and illustrated by Kōta Sannomiya. Its chapters have been collected in five volumes as of July 17, 2024. Kodansha has published the series in English on their K Manga service. In October 2023, Kodansha USA announced that the manga is planned to be published in print starting in Q3 2024.

Anime
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. It ran for 24 episodes. The series aired from October 9, 2022, to March 26, 2023, on TV Asahi's NUMAnimation programming block. The first opening theme song is "Chaos ga Kiwamaru" (カオスが極まる) by Unison Square Garden, while the first ending theme song is "Winner" by Shugo Nakamura. The second opening theme song is "Judgement" by Ash Da Hero, while the second ending theme song is "Numbness like a ginger" by Unison Square Garden.

Crunchyroll has licensed the series and has streamed an English dub starting on October 22, 2022. Medialink licensed the series in Asia-Pacific.

Following the end of the first season, a second season was announced. The season is set to premiere on October 5, 2024, on TV Asahi's brand new IMAnimation block, and will run for 14 episodes.

Film
At the end of the first season, an anime film adaptation of the Episode Nagi manga was also announced. 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. It premiered in Japanese theaters on April 19, 2024. Nissy and Sky-Hi performed the film's theme song, "Stormy".

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.

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.

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.

A third play, subtitled 3rd Stage, is scheduled to run 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.

Video game
A smartphone game based on the series, titled Blue Lock: Blaze Battle, is set to be released in 2024 for both iOS and Android devices. A promotional video for the game, featuring Hey! Say! JUMP's Ryosuke Yamada, has been released.

In March 2024, Konami announced a collaboration with the series for their eFootball 2024 game.

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), penned by Momo Moegi and Yusuke Nomura, was published on July 17, 2024.

Manga
By August 2020, the manga had over 1.9 million copies in circulation; by January 2021, it had over 3 million copies in circulation. over 4 million copies in circulation by April 2021; by August 2021, it had over 5 million in circulation; over 6 million copies in circulation by February 2022; over 8.3 million copies in circulation by March 2022; over 9.3 million copies in circulation by June 2022; over 10 million copies in circulation August 2022; over 16 million copies in circulation by December 2022; over 18 million copies in circulation by January 2023; over 21.5 million copies in circulation by February 2023; over 24 million copies in circulation by March 2023; over 25.5 million copies in circulation by April 2023; over 26 million copies in circulation by May 2023; over 27 million copies in circulation by July 2023; over 28 million copies in circulation by August 2023; and over 30 million copies in circulation by November 2023.

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, while volumes 12–14 and 21–23 were among the best-selling manga volumes from the same period. Volumes 22–24 were among the best-selling manga volumes of 2023. 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.

The series was recommended by manga author Hajime Isayama of Attack on Titan fame, for whom Yusuke Nomura previously worked as an assistant. Blue Lock was one of the Top 3 Sports Manga Series of the "Nationwide Bookstore Employees' Recommended Comics of 2020" by Honya Club. Blue Lock won the 45th Kodansha Manga Award in the category in 2021.  In 2022, the series was nominated for a [[Harvey Award in the Best Manga category, and the Youth Selection category at the 49th Angoulême International Comics Festival.

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.

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."

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.

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 has a full fluid of movements. However, he concluded that it compensates for uneven CG with striking keyframes and fantastic use of visual metaphors.

In 2023, Blue Lock won the New Face Award at the Japan Character Awards by Japan's Character Brand Licensing Association (CBLA). The series ranked second 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.