Having read the manga before the anime adaptation, I couldn’t have been more excited to see Isagi’s passion and ego develop on the field. But the Blue Lock anime far exceeded my expectations and often had me at the edge of my seat. The 24-episode run of the first season of Blue Lock ended with the anticipation of Rin getting a chance to face off against his brother, Sae. But it also sprang a huge twist on the fans and introduced us to a new character. Now, if you’re eager to find out what happens next, you have come to the right place. We’ve discussed where to start reading the Blue Lock manga after watching the anime.
Spoiler Warning: This article contains spoilers for the first season of Blue Lock, along with hints at what to expect from the second season. So make sure to watch the anime to avoid ruining your experience.
How Many Manga Chapters Did Blue Lock Anime Cover?
The first season of Blue Lock ended on manga chapter 94, setting the stage for Season 2 of the anime. Studio 8bit did a fantastic job with the animation, showing off the ego of the best Blue Lock players, the chemical reactions, football skills and dribbling, and more.
Blue Lock Season 1 covered 11 manga volumes (or four story arcs), adopting around four chapters per episode. The finale episode adopted the first two chapters of the fifth arc, giving us a taste of the Third Selection arc and the challenges that Isagi and the boys will face next in the Blue Lock facility. To elaborate, the first season of the Blue Lock anime covered the following arcs in order:
- Introduction arc (chapters 1-4)
- First Selection arc (chapters 5-38)
- Second Selection arc (chapters 39-86)
- World’s Best arc (chapters 87-92)
- Third Selection arc (chapters 93, 94)
Where to Start Reading Blue Lock Manga After Anime
The section above should make it plenty clear from where you should read the Blue Lock manga once you finish watching Season 1 of the anime, but hear me out. You should start reading the Blue Lock manga from Chapter 94 itself after episode 24 of the anime. The anime did adopt the story up to chapter 94, exactly up to the last page, but it skipped some manga panels to keep a tight lid on the fate of one of the fan favorite characters, Kunigami.
Just like Isagi, if you can’t fathom reality and are left questioning, “Where’s Kunigami?”, or “What happened to Kunigami?” Well, in that case, I would suggest reading chapter 94 of the manga. However, if you don’t wish to spoil yourself on Kunigami’s future in Blue Lock, you should pick up the manga from Chapter 95 (also the beginning of volume 12).
Blue Lock Season 2: What Manga Chapters Will It Adapt?
Blue Lock Season 2 is already confirmed (via Twitter) to be coming in 2024, but what should we expect from the next season? How many manga chapters will the second season adapt? Let’s find out.
If we take into account the first season, assuming that Blue Lock season 2 will also have a 24-episode run and adapt up to 4 chapters per episode, then it should adapt the manga from chapter 95 to chapter 185. However, that will likely not be the case. The second season of Blue Lock will adapt around 60 chapters. It will first focus on the Third Selection arc, where the top 35 players shortlisted in the second selection will compete for a spot among the starting eleven that will face the Japan U-20 team.
The storyline will then shift to the U-20 arc, where we will see Team Blue Lock take on the Japan U-20 team and Sae Itoshi. And finally, like the first season, we believe the last two episodes of Season 2 will set the stage for the next season, which will see Ego taking the Blue Lock project international. How? You will have to read the manga to find out.
At the time of writing this article, 226 chapters of Blue Lock have been released. To wrap things up, here are the Blue Lock manga arcs I expect to be adapted in Season 2:
- Third Selection arc (chapters 95-108)
- U-20 arc (chapters 109-151)
- Neo Egoist League arc (chapters 152-155)
Though Blue Lock focuses more on individual egos as opposed to the team, something that’s considered essential in a game like football, this sports anime has still amassed a huge fan following. We expect the fans to further connect with each character’s egos, and see them play together as a team. Will Team Blue Lock win against Rin’s brother? Start reading the manga to find the answer!
Ajith Kumar
