Inazuma Eleven (manga)

Inazuma Eleven (イナズマイレブン) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tenya Yabuno based on a series of video games created by Level-5. The manga has been published by Shogakukan in CoroCoro Comic since the June 2008 issue. The manga series won the 2010 Kodansha Manga Award and 2011 Shogakukan Manga Award in the Children's Manga category.

Plot
Endou Mamoru is a cheerful goalkeeper at Raimon Jr High, who has six other players on his team. The team is threatened with disbandment unless they can win a match against the Teikoku Gakuen, the best team in Japan. Endou tries to save the team by gathering four more players. In the second series, Endou and his team have to gather players to defeat the new enemies, Aliea Gakuen. In the third series, the Football Frontier International is announced and Inazuma Japan is assembled; it is coached by Kudou Michiya.


 * Endou Mamoru (円堂 守) (Mark Evans) (Captain, Goal Keeper, Libero) – Endou a cheerful goalkeeper.
 * Gouenji Shuuya (豪炎寺 修也) (Axel Blaze) (Forward) – Gouenji is the ace striker and voice of reason of the team.
 * Kidou Yuuto (鬼道 有人) (Jude Sharp) (Midfielder) – Kidou wears goggles and a red cape.
 * Fubuki Shirou (吹雪 士郎) (Shawn Froste) (Forward, Defender) – When the Raimon Eleven team first meets him, he is the captain of Hakuren Junior High School's Football club in Hokkaido, and is both an excellent defender and the team's ace striker.
 * Kazemaru Ichirouta (風丸 一郎太) (Nathan Swift) (Defender) – Originally a member of the track team, Kazemaru is convinced by Endou to become a player on the football team.
 * Kabeyama Heigorou (壁山 塀吾郎) (Jack Wallside) (Defender) – Despite his height, he is a really shy person.
 * Domon Asuka (土門 飛鳥) (Bobby Shearer) (Defender) – Domon used to live in America with Aki, but did not care for football because of an accident involving one of his best friends.
 * Ichinose Kazuya (一之瀬 一哉) (Erik Eagle) (Midfielder) – Ichinose is childhood friends with Domon and Aki.
 * Kino Aki (木野 秋) (Silvia Woods) (Manager) – Aki is the team manager. She used to play football but stopped after experiencing a horrible trauma.
 * Otonashi Haruna (音無 春奈) (Celia Hills) (Manager) – Originally from the school paper, after seeing Raimon play against Teikoku she became a big fan and decided to be a manager.
 * Raimon Natsumi (雷門 夏未) (Nelly Raimon) (Manager) – She is the daughter of the chairman of the school and is the student council president. She becomes a manager because of Endou's passion for football.
 * Shourinji"Shourin" Ayumu (少林寺 歩) (Timothy "Timmy" Sanders) (Defender) – Another member of Endou's original team, usually playing as a defender.
 * Endou Daisuke (Fake name: Araya Daisuke) (円堂 大介) (David Evans [Fake name: David Arrows]) (Supporter, Goal Keeper, Coach) – Endou's grandfather and the original Inazuma Eleven's coach.
 * Handa Shinichi (半田 真一) (Steve Grim) (Midfielder) – Another of Endou's teammates. He usually plays as a defender, but sometimes he plays in a forward position.
 * Megane Kakeru (目金 欠流) (William "Willy" Glass) (Forward) – A little pretentious and later becomes a manager.
 * Kageno Jin (影野 仁) (Jim Wrath) (Defender) – Kageno joined the team to help and get people to know him.
 * Sakichi Shishido (宍戸 佐吉) (Sam Kincaid) (Midfielder) – Another of Endo's teammates. Shishido is versatile and often does a little of everything.
 * Kūsuke "Max" Matsuno (松野 空介) (Maxwell "Max" Carson) (Midfielder) – Another one of Endo's original teammates.
 * Teppei Kurimatsu (栗松 鉄平) (Todd Ironside) (Defender) – Like Shourin, Kurimatsu is one of the shortest members of the team. He has a bucktooth and a bandage across his nose.
 * Touko Zaizen (財前 塔子) (Victoria "Tori" Vanguard) (Defender) – She is the daughter of the prime minister and the captain of the Eleven In Black.
 * Yūya Kogure (木暮 夕弥) (Scott "Sneaky Scotty" Banyan) (Defender) – Kogure is a small character with a prankster attitude.
 * Rika Urabe (浦部 リカ) (Suzette "Sue" Heartland) (Forward) – Rika is on a girls' football team in Osaka.
 * Jousuke Tsunami (綱海 条介) (Hurley Kane) (Defender) – Tsunami loves to surf and is the oldest in the team at 15.
 * Yuki Tachimukai (立向居 勇気) (Darren LaChance) (Midfielder, Goalkeeper) – He is a big fan of Endou, and also the second goalkeeper of Inazuma Japan.
 * Hiroto Kiyama (基山 ヒロト) (Xavier Foster) (Midfielder) – Growing up in an orphanage, the only 'parent' he knew was an elderly man who frequently visited the orphanage.
 * Ryuuji Midorikawa (緑川 リュウジ) (Jordan Greenway) (Midfielder) – He is the captain of Gemini Storm, the second rank team of Aliea Academy and the best friend of Hiroto Kiyama.
 * Toramaru Utsunomiya (宇都宮 虎丸) (Austin Hobbes) (Forward) – He is a new character introduced in the FFI Arc.
 * Seiya Tobitaka (飛鷹 征矢) (Archer Hawkins) (Defender) – He is a new character introduced in the FFI Arc.

Volumes
The Inazuma Eleven manga series, based on the video game series of the same name, was written and illustrated by Tenya Yabuno. It began publication in the June 2008 issue of the Shogakukan magazine CoroCoro Comic and ended in the September 2011 issue. A total of ten tankōbon (bound) volumes of Inazuma Eleven have been released in Japan between September 26, 2008 and October 28, 2011.

Anime television series
The animated series, Inazuma Eleven (イナズマイレブン Inazuma Irebun, lit. "Lightning Eleven"), was produced by OLM, Inc. and Dentsu Inc., and directed by Katsuhito Akiyama. 127 episodes aired on TV Tokyo from October 5, 2008 to April 27, 2011.

The series was available for video on-demand streaming via Toon Goggles.

The second series, Inazuma Eleven Go! (イナズマイレブンGO!), adapted from the manga of the same name, began airing on May 4, 2011.

Guidebooks
A series of three guidebooks to the first anime series have been published by Shogakukan. The books detail the television episodes and include player information and uniform catalogs.

Reception
Inazuma Eleven won "Best Children's Manga" at the 34th annual Kodansha Manga Awards.

According to Kogyo Tsushinsha, the first film, Inazuma Eleven Saikyō Gundan Ōga Shūrai, debuted in second place at the Japanese box office for the weekend of December 25 and 26, 2010. By February 6, 2011, the film had grossed US$ 21,099,188 by its seventh week of screening in the country.