The Blue Lock anime is returning for its second season later this year. Announced on the show's official Twitter account, the sports-themed anime will debut its sophomore season this October 2024.
No specific date has been announced yet, but the release window is exciting enough for fans eager to return to the pitch.
The announcement was accompanied by a commemorative illustration by manga artist Yusuke Nomura, who also illustrates the manga that the series is based on.
Based on the Japanese manga written by Muneyuki Kaneshiro and illustrated by Yusuke Nomura, Blue Lock begins with Japan suffering yet another elimination from the World Cup. The loss in the 2018 FIFA World Cup prompts the Japanese Football Union to start a program that scouts high school students for training in preparation of the 2022 World Cup.
This controversial training program, known as Blue Lock, is led by football enigma Ego Jinpachi. The program puts 300 young forwards in a prison-like institution where they undergo rigorous training to create "the world's greatest egotist striker." One of these forwards is high schooler Isagi Yoichi, a talented young player conflicted about his playing style.
The Blue Lock manga has been serialized in Kodansha's Weekly Shonen Magazine since 2018. As of November 2023, Blue Lock had over 30 million copies in circulation, making it one of the best-selling manga series of all time.
The anime television series, which aired from October 2022 to March 2023, was met with critical acclaim as well. The first season of the series currently sits at an impressive 87% on Rotten Tomatoes.
The Blue Lock anime series is produced by Eight Bit (That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime) and directed by Tetsuaki Watanabe (Haikyu!! episode director). Shunsuke Ishikawa serves as assistant director, Taku Kishimoto oversees the series' scripts, Masaru Shindō provides the main character designs and serves as chief animation director. Jun Murayama composes the music.
All 24 episodes of the first season of Blue Lock are currently streaming on Crunchyroll, available in various subs and dubs. Crunchyroll will also likely be the home of Season 2 when it arrives later this year.
In addition to the anime series, there's also Blue Lock The Movie -Episode Nagi-, which release in Japan in 2022. The film follows the events of Blue Lock through the perspective of Seishiro Nagi and acts as both a prequel and a side story that helps flesh out the anime before Season 2. It is due to release in theaters across the United States on June 28th.