

© Eight Bitcrunchyroll.com
Blue Lock is a high-stakes "battle royale" sports anime. Following a crushing defeat at the 2018 World Cup, the Japan Football Association hires the eccentric Jinpachi Ego to create a radical training program. He gathers 300 of the nation's best high school strikers and traps them in a high-tech facility called "Blue Lock."
The goal? To destroy their teamwork-oriented mindsets and birth the world's most selfish, "egoist" striker. The story follows Yoichi Isagi, a player who must devour his rivals' talents and evolve his "metavision" to survive. If a player is eliminated from Blue Lock, they are banned from representing Japan forever. It is a cutthroat race to the top where only the most ambitious will survive.
Produced by Eight Bit (That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime), Blue Lock feels more like an action thriller than a traditional sports show.
The matches are as much about mental dominance and "crushing" an opponent's spirit as they are about scoring goals.
The animation uses sharp, jagged lines and "aura" effects to represent the players' evolving egos, making the high-speed soccer feel like a supernatural battle.
It is refreshing to see a show that celebrates individual greed and the desire to be the best, subverting the "let's all do our best together" clichés of the genre.
Following the U-20 match, the series introduces international stars from European clubs, raising the stakes to a professional, global level.
Voice: Shun Horie
Voice: Yuki Kaji
Voice: Takuya Eguchi
Voice: Junya Enoki
Voice: Kazuya Nakai
Eight Bit
Yusuke Nomura
Kodansha
Kodansha, Bandai Namco Filmworks, Lantis, Eight Bit, Chiptune, Kadokawa





No! While it references real players (like Messi and Ronaldo), Blue Lock is a fictional "battle royale" scenario. However, its popularity has led to real-world collaborations with the Japan National Team!
Blue Lock Season 3 is expected to premiere in late 2026. Official trailers are rumored to drop during the 2026 World Cup.
Currently, Rin Itoshi is the Rank 1 player in Blue Lock, but international players like Michael Kaiser (introduced at the end of Season 2) represent the next level of strength.
You can stream both seasons and the Episode Nagi movie on Crunchyroll.
Yes! Kakegurui (Gambling) and Food Wars! (Cooking) are great anime like blue lock because they treat their respective hobbies like life-or-death battles.