Blue Lock Dub: Everything You Need to Know About the Anime Adaptation
If you are a fan of sports manga and anime, you might have heard of Blue Lock, a popular series that follows the journey of Yoichi Isagi, a high school soccer player who is recruited into a ruthless training program to create the ultimate striker. The manga, written by Muneyuki Kaneshiro and illustrated by Yusuke Nomura, has been serialized in Kodansha’s Weekly Shonen Magazine since August 2018 and has over 10 million copies in circulation.
But what about the anime adaptation? When will it be released and where can you watch it? And most importantly, will there be a Blue Lock Dub version for English-speaking fans? Here are some answers to these questions and more.
When will the Blue Lock Anime be Released?
The Blue Lock anime was announced in October 2021, along with a teaser trailer that revealed the main cast and staff. The anime is being produced by Eight Bit, the studio behind popular shows like That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime and The Slime Diaries. The director is Tetsuaki Watanabe, who previously worked on Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai and Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online. The series composition is handled by Taku Kishimoto, who has written scripts for Haikyu!!, Fruits Basket, and Erased.
The anime is scheduled to premiere in July 2023 as part of the summer anime season. It will air on Tokyo MX, BS11, MBS, and other channels in Japan. The exact number of episodes has not been confirmed yet, but it is expected to cover at least the first arc of the manga, which spans 11 volumes.
Where can you Watch the Blue Lock Anime?
The Blue Lock anime will be available for streaming on various platforms worldwide. In North America, the anime will be licensed by Funimation, which will offer both the original Japanese audio with subtitles and the English dub version. In Europe, the anime will be distributed by Wakanim, which will also provide subtitles and dubs in multiple languages. In Australia and New Zealand, the anime will be streamed by AnimeLab. In Southeast Asia and South Asia, the anime will be simulcast by Muse Asia on YouTube.
Will there be a Blue Lock Dub?
As mentioned above, there will be a Blue Lock Dub version for English-speaking fans, courtesy of Funimation. The dub cast has not been announced yet, but it is likely to feature some of the well-known voice actors who have worked on other sports anime such as Haikyu!!, Kuroko’s Basketball, and Free!. Some of the possible candidates for the role of Yoichi Isagi are Justin Briner (Deku from My Hero Academia), Aaron Dismuke (Alphonse Elric from Fullmetal Alchemist), or Clifford Chapin (Bakugo from My Hero Academia).
The Blue Lock Dub will be available for streaming on Funimation’s website and app, as well as on Hulu. The dub release date has not been confirmed yet, but it is likely to follow a few weeks after the Japanese broadcast. Funimation usually releases dubbed episodes within two to four weeks after their original airing.
What is Blue Lock About?
Blue Lock is a sports manga and anime that focuses on soccer, but with a twist. The story begins with Japan’s humiliating defeat in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, which prompts the Japan Football Association to launch a radical project called “Blue Lock”. The project aims to create the world’s best striker by locking up 300 talented high school players in a prison-like facility and forcing them to compete against each other in a survival game. The winner will be selected as Japan’s representative for the next World Cup, while the losers will be banned from playing soccer ever again.
The protagonist of the series is Yoichi Isagi, a second-year student who plays as a forward for his school team. He is scouted by Blue Lock’s mysterious head coach Jinpachi Ego, who believes that Isagi has the potential to become a great striker if he can overcome his weakness of passing the ball to his teammates instead of shooting himself. Isagi accepts Ego’s invitation and