The official Twitter account for the second season of the BLUELOCK anime, based on Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yūsuke Nomura’s manga, unveiled a video on Wednesday showcasing the upcoming season’s new opening theme song, “Bо̄jaku no Charisma” by Unison Square Garden. The band, known for their contributions to the anime’s first season, returns with this latest theme.
Scheduled to premiere on October 5, the anime will be featured in TV Asahi’s new programming block, IM Animation, airing Saturdays at 11:30 p.m. Additionally, Crunchyroll has secured streaming rights for North America, Central America, South America, Europe, Africa, Oceania, the Middle East, and CIS.
Joining the cast are Eiji Mikami as Yo Hiori, Kakeru Hatano as Nijiro Nanase, Satoshi Hino as Oliver Aiku, and Akihisa Wakayama as Shūto Sendō.
The first season of the anime, comprising 24 episodes, debuted in Japan in October 2022 on TV Asahi under the NUMAnimation programming block, with Crunchyroll streaming the series concurrently, including an English dub.
In related news, the anime film adaptation of Kōta Sannomiya’s BLUELOCK -Episode Nagi- spinoff manga premiered in Japan on April 19, achieving significant success with 337,000 tickets sold and earnings of 463 million yen (approximately US$2.99 million) in its first three days. The film debuted in North America on June 28, focusing on the story of Seishirō Nagi before his involvement in the Blue Lock facility.
Kodansha USA Publishing announced plans to release the BLUELOCK -Episode Nagi- spinoff manga in print starting fall 2024. Currently, Kodansha USA Publishing distributes the original BLUELOCK manga digitally and in print in English.
BLUELOCK, which debuted in Weekly Shōnen Magazine in August 2018, received the Best Shōnen Manga award at Kodansha’s 45th annual Manga Awards in 2021. The story revolves around Japan’s quest for a formidable Ace Striker following their disappointing performance at the 2018 World Cup, assembling 300 of the nation’s top young players to achieve this goal.
This latest season and film adaptation continue to captivate audiences worldwide with their intense soccer-themed narrative and compelling character development.