Summary
Almost two years ago now, a new sports anime started airing that went on to become incredibly popular,BLUELOCK. The soccer anime was unique for the sports anime genre, twisting and ignoring tropes that often permeate other sports anime, and consisting of a huge cast of eccentric characters. It alsoaired alongside the World Cup for several weeks, a tournament in which the Japanese National Soccer Team did unprecedentedly well.
It comes as no surprise that the popular soccer anime has been green lit for a second season, especially after the success of themovieBLUELOCK: Episode Nagiwhich released in April 2024. Just this week, new information was released via a press release and reported by AnimeNewsNetwork. This includes several new details and teasers for the upcoming season, including new visual images, the title of the season, and what everyone was really waiting for - its official release date.
BLUELOCK Season Two Details
Everything We Know So Far
The latest details for the second season ofBLUELOCKcame directly from the anime’s staff this past Sunday. They announced the official name of the new season, which will beBLUE LOCK vs. U-20 JAPAN. Atthe end of the first season, the Under 20 Japan team was introduced as the next challenge that the main characters would be facing, and a few of the upcoming characters were briefly introduced as a teaser for viewers. It seems that the next season is going to focus specifically on the match between those who have survived the Blue Lock facility so far, and the Under 20 team.
BLUE LOCK vs U-20 JAPANwill be 14 episodes long, so significantly shorter than the first season, which had 24 episodes in total. Additionally, the team announced that it will be part of the Fall Anime 2024 season, and will begin airing on October 5th. That is just a little over two months from now, so fans don’t have to wait too much longer to see what will happen next after patiently waiting over a year since season one concluded. The anime will be streamed outside of Japan viaCrunchyrollagain.
The anime’s staff also revealed several new key visuals for the upcoming season. The first is a promotional poster, seen above, featuringthe main character, Yoichi Isagi, front and center. They also revealed four more character visuals depicting the Blue Lock team members in their new U-20 season uniforms. There are twenty characters pictured in total, including many that will be instantly recognizable from the first season, like Hyoma Chigiri, Jingo Raichi, Gin Gagamaru, and Meguru Bachira.
Finally, a few new cast members were announced for the new season. These include Eiji Mikami as Yo Hiori, Kakeru Hatano as Nijiro Nanase, Satoshi Hino as Oliver Aiku, and Akihisa Wakayama as Shūto Sendō. All of these characters will be newly introduced for theBLUE LOCK vs U-20 Japanseason, though readers of the manga will likely recognize at least a few of the names. The new season’s opening song was also announced, “Bо̄jaku no Charisma,” performed by Unison Square Garden. The band also performed the first opening and second ending songs of the first season.
BLUELOCK Season Two Predictions
What to Expect Moving Forward
IfBLUELOCKfollows the pattern of other sports anime, now that it has an established viewership, it may switch to having shorter seasons that can be concluded in one anime season. These seasons will probably focus on one major arc from the manga, withother smaller stories (like flashbacksand character interactions) sprinkled in between. It may also take shorter arcs and continue to make them into movies instead of anime seasons, much like was done with the spin-off manga that becameBLUELOCK: Episode Nagi. With only 14 episodes announced in this upcoming season, this seems likely.
Season one ofBLUELOCKgained a lot of attention for doing something new in the sports anime genre,breaking through common stereotypes and tropesto deliver something new in its story. Instead of focusing so much on teamwork, and if everyone works together, they can do their best, it shows ruthlessness, selfishness, and failure. It had betrayal, lying, and backstabbing. Sometimes, it was surprisingly violent for a sports anime. In some ways, it was a much more realistic look at human nature, while also being just enough of a level of ridiculous to keep things fun.
It definitely sets the bar high for what viewers will expect from the new season. Focusing mostly on what will be one long match for 14 episodes will give the season time to get really deep into soccer strategy (something the first season was known for) but may do it at the expense of character interactions. Hopefully, it can strike a good balance between sports action and character development, especially with such a unique and fun cast. The bar was set high, and time will tell ifBLUE LOCK vs U-20 JAPANwill be able to reach it again.
