An anime adaptation was lined up for a 2022 debut with the soccer manga Blue Lock. The series saw an October 8th, 2022 debut in Japan and the folks at Crunchyroll streamed the two-cour series. In March 2023, it was confirmed that we’d be getting a second season along with a feature film. The film side has dominated the discussion for a while and it was expected that once that hit that we’d start to hear more about the show itself.
The second season was recently announced as BLUE LOCK vs. U-20 JAPAN and saw a formal October 5th premiere date with a fourteen-episode run. Now, as the show is underway, Crunchyroll has brought out a new clip from the thirty-third episode where they’re just like normal siblings. The second season features the opening theme song is “Bojkau no Charisma” as performed by UNISON SQUARE GARDEN while the ending theme song is “One” by Snow Man.
The project has Tetsuaki Watanabe directing it with Shunsuke Ishikawa assisting. Taku Kishimoto is handling the scripts for it while Masaru Shindo is serving as character designer and chief animation director. 8-Bit is handling the animation production for it.
The Japanese cast includes Tasuku Kaito as Meguru Bachira, Kazuki Ura as Yoichi Isagi, Yūki Ono as Rensuke Kunigami, Sōma Saitō as Hyōma Chigiri, Masatomo Nakazawa as Wataru Kuon, Yoshitsugu Matsuoka as Jingo Raichi, Shoya Chiba as Yudai Imamura, Shugo Nakamura as Gin Gagamaru, Daishi Kajita as Asahi Naruhaya, Ryunosuke Watanuki as Okuhito Iemon, Aoi Ichikawa as Gurimu Igarashi, Kenichi Suzumura as Ryosuke Kira, Eri Yukimura as Anri Teieri, Junichi Suwabe as Shouei Broue, Kazuyuki Okitsu as Tsurugi Zantetsu, Natsuki Hanae as Ikki Niko, Ryōta Suzuki as Junichi Wanima and Keisuke Wanima, Takahiro Sakurai as Sae Itoshi, Koki Uchiyama as Rin Itoshi, Katsuyuki Konishi as Jyubei Aryu, and Shinnosuke Tachibana as Aoshi Tokimitsu.
Second season cast additions include Eiji Mikami as Yo Hiori and Kakkeru Hatano as Nanase Nijiro.
The English dub had Jonathan Rigg directing it and Jordan Dash Cruz assisting as they work from scripts by Bonny Clinkenbeard and Clayton Browning. The English cast includes Ricco Fajardo as Isagi, Derick Snow as Ego, Drew Breedlove as Bachira, Alex Hom as Kunigami, Aaron Dismuke as Chigiri, Lee George as Gagamaru, Alejandro Saab as Sae, Matthew David Rudd as Baro, and Kasi Hollowell as Anri.
The series comes from Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yusuke Nomura which began in 201 as serialized in Weekly Shonen Magazine. It has fifteen volumes out and 4.5 million copies in print as of the announcement.
Check out the official site and Twitter.
Plot Concept: After a disastrous defeat at the 2018 World Cup, Japan’s team struggles to regroup. But what’s missing? An absolute Ace Striker, who can guide them to the win. The Japan Football Union is hell-bent on creating a striker who hungers for goals and thirsts for victory, and who can be the decisive instrument in turning around a losing match…and to do so, they’ve gathered 300 of Japan’s best and brightest youth players. Who will emerge to lead the team…and will they be able to out-muscle and out-ego everyone who stands in their way?
Previous promos and visuals:
