After Japan's national team finished 16th at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, the Japan Football Association brings in an eccentric coach, Jinpachi Ego, with a radical plan. Gather 300 of the country's best young strikers in a facility called Blue Lock, make them compete ruthlessly, and turn the one who survives into the world's greatest egoist striker.

Blue Lock is one of the fastest-growing series in our shop, and we have a good spread of Kodansha's volumes. Here is our guide to the manga, the anime and the volumes worth knowing. Browse our Blue Lock manga.

Where Blue Lock came from

Writer Muneyuki Kaneshiro, known for intense psychological stories, teamed up with artist Yusuke Nomura for Blue Lock, which launched in Weekly Shōnen Magazine in August 2018. Its starting point is a real disappointment, Japan's World Cup exit that summer, and a provocative question: what if Japanese football's problem is that its players are too team-minded?

The story: survival of the most selfish

Yoichi Isagi is a talented but self-doubting striker who arrives at Blue Lock after missing a chance to score in his high school's big match. In the facility, strikers are ranked, pitted against each other in brutal team selections and eliminated if they fall behind. Isagi discovers his own gift for reading the field and devouring the talents of his rivals.

Blue Lock plays like a battle manga with football. Each player has a signature "weapon" and the matches are full of dramatic awakenings, with later arcs pitting Blue Lock against Japan's U-20 team and then top players from around the world.

From page to screen: the Eight Bit anime

Eight Bit's anime first aired from October 2022 to March 2023, followed by a second season, vs. U-20 Japan, from October to December 2024. A film based on the spin-off manga Episode Nagi, which tells the story from the point of view of the genius Seishiro Nagi, premiered in April 2024. We often have Episode Nagi volumes in stock too.

Yusuke Nomura's art

Nomura's art captures speed and intensity, with distorted perspectives and glowing eyes when players reach their peak. The way he draws Isagi's "spatial awareness" moments, with the pitch mapped out like a chessboard, is one of the series' trademarks.

Why Blue Lock matters

Blue Lock won the 45th Kodansha Manga Award in the shōnen category in 2021 and passed 65 million copies by August 2026. It has drawn a whole new audience to football manga, including plenty of readers who had never picked up a sports series before.

Where to start reading Blue Lock

Start at Vol. 1. We currently stock several volumes, including Vol. 5, Vol. 21 and Vol. 28.

Blue Lock manga & anime timeline

Key characters in Blue Lock

Curiosities collectors should know

Blue Lock volumes worth knowing

• Vol. 1

  Blue Lock Vol. 1

  2022 · Kodansha Comics

  Isagi enters Blue Lock and the competition begins.

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• Vol. 5

  Blue Lock Vol. 5

  2023 · Kodansha Comics

  The first selection stages push Isagi to his limit.

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• Vol. 11

  Blue Lock Vol. 11

  2024 · Kodansha Comics

  Blue Lock prepares to take on Japan's U-20 team.

  Browse our Blue Lock manga
• Vol. 21

  Blue Lock Vol. 21

  2025 · Kodansha Comics

  The story heads into a new, global stage of competition.

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• Vol. 28

  Blue Lock Vol. 28

  2026 · Kodansha Comics

  A later volume where the stakes have never been higher.

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Blue Lock covers through the years

A look at the covers across the English-language run. Tap a cover to find it in our shop.

Vol. 1 Vol. 2 Vol. 3 Vol. 4 Vol. 5 Vol. 7 Vol. 8 Vol. 9 Vol. 10 Vol. 11 Vol. 12 Vol. 13 Vol. 14 Vol. 15 Vol. 16 Vol. 18 Vol. 19 Vol. 20 Vol. 21 Vol. 22 Vol. 28 Vol. 29 Vol. 30 Vol. 31 Vol. 32 Vol. 34 Vol. 35 Vol. 36 Vol. 37 Vol. 38

Blue Lock on our shelves right now

Here are some of the volumes we currently have in stock. Every copy is checked and graded before it is listed.

Vol. 1 Vol. 5 Vol. 21 Vol. 28 Vol. 35

You can also browse every Blue Lock book we stock.

Frequently asked questions about Blue Lock

Condition grades on our listings follow our comic & book condition guide. Have Blue Lock books of your own you would like to sell? Email us at contact@siomiccomics.com. Blue Lock and all related characters are trademarks of Muneyuki Kaneshiro, Yusuke Nomura / Kodansha. Cover images are shown for reference.