Who will become the number one striker in the world? The popular soccer manga series Blue Lock, written by Muneyuki Kaneshiro and illustrated by Yusuke Nomura, has garnered many fans since its debut in Kodansha’s Weekly Shonen Magazine in August 2018. As of July 2024, the manga has over 40 million copies in circulation worldwide, making it one of the best-selling manga series of all time.

The anime adaptation of Blue Lock, which premiered in October 2022, is currently airing its second season. Season 2, subtitled vs. U-20 Japan, premiered on October 5th, 2024, and follows Yoichi Isagi and the remaining 34 players who survived the first two grueling Selection arcs. In this next challenge, the players are up against Japan’s U-20 team, which includes Sae Itoshi, Rin Itoshi’s brother. Lose, and the program will be shut down for good. Win, and they get to represent Japan as the new U-20 national team. With such high stakes, fans are in for a rollercoaster ride of nail-biting moments!

Today’s feature includes fan art of the members from Blue Lock, such as Yoichi Isagi and Rin Itoshi, as well as Oliver Aiku and Sae Itoshi of Japan’s U-20 team. Have a look at the incredible fan art below and see how many of your favorites made the cut!

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Who will become the number one striker in the world? Blue Lock, a Japanese manga series written by Muneyuki Kaneshiro and illustrated by Yusuke Nomura, features a host of passionate soccer players hell-bent on becoming the world’s greatest egoist striker by undergoing an intense training regimen by the same name. It has been serialized in Kodansha’s Weekly Shōnen Magazine since August 2018, with an anime series adaptation airing from October 2022 to March 2023. Additionally, the series’ first-ever anime film adaptation, Episode Nagi, premiered on Friday, April 19th, 2024, much to the delight of many fans!

Today’s article features Seishiro Nagi, the lethargic and unmotivated titular protagonist of the spin-off Blue Lock: Episode Nagi, and Reo Mikage, the charismatic and ambitious heir of the Mikage Corporation. While the two couldn’t be more different in terms of personality, the two best friends both strive towards a common goal, and the obstacles they face along the way only serve to strengthen their friendship.

Enjoy the following illustrations that perfectly encapsulate the duo’s spectacular dynamic!

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Award-winning manga Blue Lock has been enjoying quite a meteoric rise to popularity since its debut in Kodansha’s Weekly Shonen Magazine in August 2018.

The soccer-based manga introduces Ego Jinpachi, who’s been hired by the Japan Football Association after the national team took 16th place in the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Ego decides that the only way to get Japan to the top of the ranks is to implement the Blue Lock training regimen, specifically designed to create the world’s greatest egoist striker. Anyone unable to tough it out will forfeit the chance to ever represent a Japanese team again.

Enter Yoichi Isagi, a high-school soccer player who joins the program due to feeling conflicted about his own playing style. Yoichi is determined to not only make it through Blue Lock, but also become the world’s best striker.

However, Yoichi is just one of the many players vying to earn that coveted title. Blue Lock features a host of passionate players giving it their all on the pitch. Yoichi becomes a member of Team Z, which includes Meguru Bachira, Rensuke Kunigami, Hyoma Chigiri, Gin Gagamaru, Jingo Raichi, Wataru Kuon, Yudai Imamura, and Ryousuke Kira, and others.

Of course, that’s just the beginning of the roster for this sports anime that makes the power of teamwork shine so brightly. Have a look at the amazing fan art and see if many of your favorites made the cut.

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