Kodansha editor Moe Tsuchiya lately shared the story behind the creation of Blue Lock, the soccer manga by Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yusuke Nomura, in an interview with Comedian Natalie.
Tsuchiya first collaborated with Kaneshiro as an assistant editor on Because the Gods Will shortly after becoming a member of Kodansha. Later, when the collection’ sequel started serialization in Weekly Shonen Journal, he turned the primary editor.
After the conclusion of the collection, the 2 started discussing what sort of story to pursue subsequent. And this marked the start of what would finally turn out to be the hit soccer manga Blue Lock.
Based on Tsuchiya, Kaneshiro, who as soon as aspired to be a comic earlier than turning into a manga creator, described himself as an “unorthodox creator” who didn’t simply match into mainstream tendencies. Nonetheless, Tsuchiya was assured that Kaneshiro may create one thing with main business enchantment.
Throughout their brainstorming classes, they mentioned a spread of potential genres, from fantasy to tales about lecturers, earlier than deciding on the concept of a sports activities manga.
Kaneshiro, who enjoys watching sports activities like soccer and tennis, introduced up how Japan’s soccer scene lacked a real “hero-like striker.” That sentiment turned the muse for Blue Lock.
Tsuchiya revealed that each he and Kaneshiro wished Blue Lock to function a big ensemble forged of characters, a deliberate shift from Because the Gods Will, the place characters continuously died. Kaneshiro wished to create a narrative the place readers may proceed to root for his or her favorites with out worry of shedding them, whereas nonetheless preserving the extreme, psychological competitors that outlined his earlier works.
Drawing inspiration from works like Nobuyuki Fukumoto’s Kaiji and Usamaru Furuya’s Teiichi no Kuni, Kaneshiro merged psychological stress with a sports activities setting. The end result was a “soccer loss of life sport” that subverted the style by mixing ego-driven rivalries with shonen-style development.
When Kaneshiro lastly submitted the draft for Blue Lock’s first chapter, Tsuchiya mentioned it was almost excellent from the beginning. “The storyboard he introduced in was virtually equivalent to what we ended up publishing,” he mentioned. “It was so compelling that it blew us away.”
Blue Lock started serialization in Weekly Shonen Journal in 2018. Its chapters have been collected in 35 tankobon volumes as of August 2025.
An anime tv collection adaptation produced by Eight Bit aired from October 2022 to March 2023. An anime movie adaptation based mostly on the Episode Nagi spin-off manga premiered in April 2024. A second season, subtitled vs. U-20 Japan, aired from October to December 2024. A 3rd season has been introduced. A live-action movie adaptation is ready to premiere in Japan in Q3 2026.
Supply: Comedian Natalie
