Sports anime has become a big ticket item in the medium, with series like Blue Lock, Haikyu, Hajime no Ippo, and Slam Dunk routinely claiming major headlines. While some series might get lost in the shuffle with some of the bigger movers and shakers of the genre, there is certainly a place for all stories that exemplify the spirit of this growing medium. Unfortunately, one of the biggest sports manga series around is coming to a close shortly with a surprise announcement from its mangaka that might throw fans for a loop.
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Ao Ashi first debuted as a manga from creators Yugo Kobayashi and Naohiko Ueno. The soccer anime debuted years prior to the arrival of Blue Lock and followed the story of its protagonist Ashito Aoi as he attempted to take his middle school team to the top. Unlike Blue Lock, which featured soccer players attempting to join Japan’s biggest team in the face of losing it all, Ao Ashi had much lower stakes but that didn’t stop the series from becoming a major representative of the sports anime genre. The manga first debuted in 2015, with an anime adaptation arriving in 2022 thanks to Production I.G., ironically the same studio responsible for the volleyball anime series Haikyu.
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Goodbye Ashito Aoi
In a new letter to readers of the beloved sports anime, manga creator Yugo Kobayashi confirmed that the “Barcelona Match” would be the final storyline of the series. Breaking down his thought process, Kobayashi felt that this match was the perfect place to bring about the conclusion of the manga. Here’s what Yugo had to say when it came to the shocking announcement,
“To all supporters of Ao Ashi. I am the author of Ao Ashi, Yugo Kobayashi. Thank you for always supporting me. Ao Ashi will reach its final episode with the conclusion of the ongoing Barcelona match. When Ashito joined A-Team in Volume 11, the following opponents were Kashiwa, Tokyo V, Funabashi, Aomori, and Barcelona, all of which were already decided at that time (I was just wondering whether to include the Ganon-Osaka match or not), and I think I will be able to finish this story, which has progressed along with the growth of Ashito, with everything fully depicted.”
Kobayashi’s Message to The Fans
Yugo’s message to Ao Ashi’s manga readers continued, “The total number of volumes is 40, which is also a nice round number. I will do my best to put all my enthusiasm into the next two volumes, so please stick with me until the end. It is thanks to you, the readers, that Ao Ashi has grown so much.”
Ironically enough, despite the manga running for over a decade, the anime adaptation from Production I.G. only scored one season when it debuted in 2022. Housing twenty-four episodes, there are plenty of stories from the source material to adapt should I.G. be willing to hit the soccer field once again. Fingers crossed that the rising popularity of sports anime gives Ao Ashi the opportunity to adapt more of its story in the future.
Want to stay up to date on all the stories that arise thanks to sports anime? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest updates on Ao Ashi and feel free to hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.
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