Summary
Blue Lock(stylized asBLUELOCK)is a sports animethat first aired in October 2022, gaining attention and popularity as it broke typical sports anime tropes and even seemed to predict the World Cup that year (up to a point). The anime had a very successful first season, running for both the Fall and Winter 2022 anime seasons before finishing with an impressive 22 episodes. It also finished with a score of 8.24 on MyAnimeList.
Now, two years after the series' first premiere,Blue Lockis back for more. The second season of the soccer anime is set to debut on October 5th, 2024. CalledBlue Lock vs. U-20 Japan, it is going to follow the next significant arc from the manga.Many of the characterswill be making a comeback for the new season. What do we know aboutBlue Lock vs. U-20 Japanso far? What willBlue Lockbe about, and how many episodes will it have?
October 5th, 2024
8bit
What is Blue Lock Season Two About?
Which Part of the Manga Does it Follow?
The first season ofBlue Lockcovered 11 volumes, or around 90 chapters, of the manga, which was at the time about half of what was published. It introduced the main characters and the Blue Lock system, which was aspecial training facility meant to produce the best strikerfor Japan’s national soccer/football team. That player would redeem Japan’s reputation for being a mediocre team, finally scoring goals and leading the country to victory.
At the end of season one, the main characters had all advanced into what was called the Third Selection, having passed through the first two selections and managing to avoid elimination. The Third Selection sees the potential winners narrowed down to the top 35 strikers, who are about to go into the next challenge knowing little more than it will bring them face-to-face with other young players from around the world. Based on the titleBlue Lock vs. U-20 Japan, we can guess that the season will focus largely on the arc that involves the U-20 Japan team.
During this arc in the manga, the 35 players' goal is to make it to the final 11, which will form a team that will have to take on Japan’s current U-20 national team. This involvesmany extreme and unique challenges, even more crazy than those in the first season, that will push the characters to their limits as they fight to be in the final 11. The final match will eventually be televised, so the pressure is on all the characters. The 11 strikers will have to work together to play against a balanced team of Japan’s current best players - while still trying to come out on top, because only one striker will be able to win Blue Lock in the end.
What Characters Will Be in Blue Lock Season Two?
Many Old Faces, and Some New Ones, Too
Based on the manga,DigitalSpyreports that many of the same characters and voice cast are likely to return, including
• Jinpachi Ego – Hiroshi Kamiya (Japanese), Derick Snow (English)
• Seishiro Nagi – Nobunaga Shimazaki (Japanese), Bryson Baugus (English)
• Shōei Barō – Junichi Suwabe (Japanese), Matthew David Rudd (English)
• Rin Itoshi – Kouki Uchiyama (Japanese), Matt Shipman (English)
• Jyubei Aryu – Katsuyuki Konishi (Japanese), Bradley Gareth (English)
• Aoshi Tokimitsu – Shinnosuke Tachibana (Japanese), Jordan Dash Cruz (English)
• Rensuke Kunigami – Yuuki Ono (Japanese), Alex Hom (English)
Just a few weeks ago, some new cast members were also announced, including Eiji Mikami as Yo Hiori, Kakeru Hatano as Nijiro Nanase, Satoshi Hino as Oliver Aiku, and Akihisa Wakayama as Shūto Sendō. These characters will be new forBlue Lock vs. U-20 Japan, and will be making their debut soon. Additionally, the opening song will be “Bо̄jaku no Charisma,” performed by Unison Square Garden, the same band who performed thefirst and second ending songsin season one.
When and Where Will Blue Lock Season Two Air?
Get Ready to Stream Blue Lock
The first season ofBlue Lockaired from October 2022 to March 2023, and a second season was announced immediately after the first season ended. Thanks to the popularity of the first season and the ongoing popularity of the manga, making a second season made sense from a business perspective. To hold fans over while they waited for a new season, a spin-offprequel movie calledBlue Lock: Episode Nagiwas released on April 19th, 2024. The movie aired first in Japan, but also came to theaters in the US and UK later that year in both subbed and dubbed formats.
No one was sure exactly when the new season would come out until May 2024, when the official X (formerlyTwitter) account for the anime announced that it would air in October of this year. The announcement even came with a special illustration from the manga’s illustrator, Yusuke Nomura. Then at Anime Expo 2024, theCrunchyrollindustry panel confirmed that the new season would air on Crunchyroll alongside its release in Japan. Now, the air date has been confirmed as October 5th, both in Japan and internationally on Crunchyroll. It will be 14 episodes long.
There are only a few weeks left until the new season ofBlue Lockairs, and after two years of waiting, fans are getting hyped.Blue Locknever lost its popularity in Japan during the past two years, with collaborations continuing to occur at businesses and events across the country. The ongoing manga is probably to thank for that, as even in the drought between anime seasons there have been new chapters of the manga. But now the wait for more anime is almost over, and in just a few short weeks,Blue Lockwill be back for more.
Catch up onBlue Lockseason one now onCrunchyroll.Blue Lock vs. U-20 Japanwill air on October 5th, 2024.
