Blue Lock/Eight-Bit-Crunchyroll Collection YouTube
The release date and voice cast for the upcoming Blue Lock anime adaptation have just been confirmed alongside a new PV trailer.
The 2022 Fall anime broadcasting slate is shaping up to be one of the best seasons in recent memory.
Scheduled shows include My Hero Academia, Spy x Family, Bleach, Chainsaw Man, To Your Eternity, Mob Psycho 100 and Uzaki-chan; however, it will also include the upcoming football (soccer) anime Blue Lock.
Today, the release date for episode 1 of Blue Lock was finally confirmed alongside a brand-new PV trailer – so when will the anime premiere and what do you need to know about its production?
BLUE LOCK NEW KEY VISUAL 🔵🖤#bluelock pic.twitter.com/TrU8Peb0xk
Blue Lock is a sports thriller series, originally serialised as a manga by author Muneyuki Kaneshiro and published by Kodansha.
In 2018, the Japanese national football (soccer) team finished 16th in the World Cup, leading to the nation’s governing body to take drastic action to avoid such an embarrassment in the future.
They decide to trial a new programme called ‘Blue Lock’ under the guidance of former professional athlete and now controversial coach, Ego Jinpachi – their goal is to create the world’s greatest egotist striker (forward).
Yoichi Isagi is a high school student with dreams of playing for the Japanese national team, but with conflicting feelings about pursuing the sport as a professional career, decides to join this mysterious ‘Blue Lock’ programme.
The pressure is certainly on for Isagi, as those who fail the ‘Blue Lock’ programme are never again permitted to represent their country on the world stage.
“Selected to join this risky project is Yoichi Isagi, a striker who failed to bring his high school soccer team to the national tournament. After choosing to pass to a teammate who missed instead of scoring on his own, he could not help but wonder if the results would have been different had he been more selfish. Using this golden opportunity given by the Blue Lock Project, Yoichi aims to clear his doubts and chase his ultimate desire—to become the greatest striker in the world and lead Japan to World Cup glory.” – Blue Lock synopsis, via MyAnimeList.
As of August 2022, 20 volumes of the original manga series have been published in Japan, with 14 of those currently available to purchase in English via Kodansha US.
An anime adaptation of the Blue Lock series was announced back in August 2021, with Studio Eight-Bit in charge of bringing the hit manga to life – TenSura, The Slime Diaries and The Irregular at Magic High.
Today, August 12th, the official Japanese website for the Blue Lock anime series shared a brand-new trailer for the upcoming TV adaptation, alongside confirmation that the release date had been set for October 8th.
Crunchyroll has previously confirmed that the platform will be simulcast streaming the series in “North America, Central America, South America, Europe, Africa, Oceania, the Middle East and CIS.”
However, fans should note that Blue Lock will actually premiere at 1:30 AM on Saturday, October 8th in Japan – meaning that the series could be simulcast Friday evening for international fans in certain territories.
The following production staff have been confirmed to be working on the upcoming Blue Lock anime adaptation:
The majority of the main voice cast has also been revealed:
You can find a full cast list here.
By Tom Llewellyn – [email protected]
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