Blue Lock Star Kazuki Ura Addresses the Anime’s Global Success

Blue Lock has become one of the biggest anime franchises in the world, sports anime or otherwise. Garnering the title of the highest-selling manga series in 2023, the soccer series might not have world-ending stakes, but the heart-pounding action and character-building has struck a chord worldwide. Recently, we here at ComicBook had the chance to attend this year’s Anime Expo and witnessed Blue Lock star, Kazuki Ura, talk about the franchise’s runaway success worldwide. With season two set to land this October, the future seems bright of the soccer players attempting to be the finest in Japan.

At this year’s Anime Expo, Blue Lock star Kazuki Ura discussed the franchise’s runaway success, especially in countries outside of Japan: “Yes, Blue Lock was originally a very popular manga in Japan, so of course, its anime would be popular. Still, since it is a Japanese story, I wasn’t sure how it would be received by people overseas. Looking at the enthusiasm globally, it seems like it has been accepted by everyone. I was really happy to see that, and it was like a realization. I found once again that the fun of the anime transcends national boundaries. The original work is really interesting, and I think that everyone in the world has an ego – they hide it, they can express it, or they can’t. Blue Lock has a team that is trying to make sure their message reaches everyone around the world, so I’m really happy to be able to see it succeed with my own eyes as it’s finally reaching everyone like this.”

Blue Lock’s Future

Following the popular first season, it came as no surprise that Blue Lock would continue. Earlier this year, the first film of the franchise, Blue Lock: Episode Nagi, arrived in theaters around the world. On top of the theatrical release, this fall will see the television series continue thanks to the arrival of season two on October 5th. 

If you haven’t caught up on Blue Lock, the soccer anime is currently streaming on Crunchyroll. Here’s how the streaming service describes the wildly popular 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 Yoichi Isagi and his fellow football players? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook for all the latest updates on Blue Lock.