The Fall 2022 anime season is already stacked and thanks to the latest Blue Lock anime announcement, it appears even sports anime fans will be getting some love, too.
The Blue Lock tv series will be based on the Kodansha manga of the same name and is set to premiere in October 2022.
The television adaptation was announced back on the official website in the Summer of 2021 but there was no release date at the time.
Now the official Twitter has released a new key visual and promotional video, giving potential viewers a deeper glimpse into the series. It contained clips directly from the anime and announced additional cast members as well.
If the video is anything to go off of, the series definitely looks like it’s going to be intense, but you can take a look and decide for yourself:
What is Blue Lock’s story about?
If you’ve never read the Blue Lock manga, you might be wondering what the anime is going to be about.
When translated from the official website, the synopsis reads:
If you are not the best egoist in the world, you cannot be the best striker in the world.
In order to develop strikers who will lead Japan to the World Cup Title, the Japan Football Union has launched a plan. It is called, the “Blue Lock” project.
300 high school students were gathered. Moreover, they are all forwards. Who will be the striker to sacrifice the lives 299 football players and revolutionize Japanese football?
Now, the hottest and craziest soccer anime of all time is about to begin!
With a synopsis like that, the stakes definitely sound pretty high!
Who is in the Blue Lock cast?
With so many characters, fans shouldn’t be too hard-pressed to find a voice actor they recognize in the cast list.
Kazuki Ura will voice Yoichi Isagi, one of the main characters. He doesn’t have an extensive list of credits yet, with only World’s End Harem having aired so far. He does have several upcoming anime projects lined up for 2022.
Meguru Bachira will be voiced by Tasuku Kaito. His only other credit so far is Ensemble Stars!!: Road to Show!!
Yūki Ono will play Rensuke Kunigami. He is known for his work on shows like Beastars Season 3 and The Devil is a Part-Timer! Season 2.
Finally, rounding on the main cast is Souma Saito as Hyōma Chigiri. Fans should recognize his voice from series like Haikyuu!! and Ace of the Diamond, two other popular sports anime franchises.
The supporting cast has also been announced, with a number of voice actors filling out other popular roles:
- Masatomo Nakazawa (Given) as Wataru Kuon.
- Yoshitsugu Matsuoka (Mob Psycho 100 Season 3) as Jingo Raichi.
- Shōya Chiba (Classroom of the Elite Season 2) as Yūdai Imamura.
- Shugo Nakamura (Zombie Land Saga) as Gin Gagamaru.
- Daishi Kajita (High School of the Dead) as Asahi Naruhaya.
- Ryūnosuke Watanuki (Mob Psycho 100) as Okuhito Iemon.
- Aoi Ichikawa (Darling in the Franxx) as Gurimu Igarashi.
- Kenichi Suzumura (Free!) as Ryōsuke Kira.
- Hiroshi Kamiya (Attack on Titan) as Jinpachi Ego.
- Eri Yukimura (A Certain Magical Index III) as Anri Teieri.
Who is on the Blue Lock anime staff?
Along with the cast, the staff on the project has been announced as well.
- Director – Tetsuaki Watanabe (Haikyuu!!)
- Assistant director – Shunsuke Ishikawa (Sword Art Online: Alicization)
- Screenplay – Taku Kishimoto (Haikyuu!!)
- Main character designer – Yuu Shindou (Fruits Basket)
Studio Eight Bits will be adapting the story written by Muneyuki Kaneshiro and illustrated by Yusuke Nomura.