Blue Lock Editor Reveals the Original Idea Behind the Hit Manga

Blue Lock has became a massive hit in the anime world as the sports anime grew in such popularity that its manga become the top selling manga of 2023. Thanks to the recent release of the first movie of the franchise, Blue Lock: Episode Nagi, the anime adaptation is in a good spot for the release of the second season this October. Recently, we here at ComicBook had the opportunity to chat with Blue Lock editor Megumu Tsuchiya about what helped bring the soccer series to life. 

At this year’s Anime Expo, Blue Lock editor Megumu Tsuchiya revealed the origins of the wildly popular soccer series, “I get energy from all you fans. I feel like the speed that Blue Lock’s artists are creating has become faster than ever recently, so thank you so much. I’m really happy. The first idea behind Blue Lock was about how Japanese people are bad at asserting themselves and struggle to put their own ego forward, so I was really curious to see how people overseas would respond. I was curious, but as I was overseeing the anime, I wanted to make it possible that even if you don’t understand soccer or sports culture, Blue Lock was cool and interesting. I think the fact that it’s been accepted by fans in this way means that the simple coolness of Blue Lock is being conveyed, and I feel a little relieved.”

Blue Lock Leads The Sports Anime Charge

Recent years have been essential in pushing forward sports anime in the anime industry. On top of Blue Lock’s success, sports anime like Haikyu, The First Slam Dunk, Yuri on Ice, and Hajime no Ippo are helping to push the genre forward. Blue Lock’s second season might be arriving in a crowded fall anime season this fall, but it’s sure to still have plenty of eyes on it. 

If you haven’t seen the first season of Blue Lock, you’re in luck because it is streaming on Crunchyroll. Here’s how the streaming service describes the popular sports anime, “After a disastrous defeat at the 2018 World Cup, Japan’s team struggles to regroup. But what’s mising? An absolute ace striker. The Football Union is hell-bent on creating a striker who hungers for goals and thirsts for victory, so Blue Lock — a rigorous training ground for 300 of Japan’s best and brightest youth players — is created. To survive this battle royale, the last striker standing will have to out-muscle and out-ego everyone who stands in his way!”  

Want to see what the future holds for Japan’s next generation of anime soccer players? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook for the latest updates on Blue Lock.