Fans have been waiting for Blue Lock: Episode Nagi to come out in cinemas. Based on the manga Blue Lock: Episode Nagi, this prequel and spinoff follows our two favorite prodigies, Nagi Seishiro and Reo Mikage.
These two friends would first meet in high school and swear to win the soccer national championship and, eventually, the World Cup. Before Nagi became the soccer genius we’ve come to know, he was initially a laidback high schooler until Reo and the Blue Lock Project.
The good news: Blue Lock: Episode Nagi is coming out on April 19, 2024! Less good news for U.S. and other international audiences: It’s coming exclusively to Japanese movie theaters. There’s currently no international release date, but we can expect news after the movie is available for viewing in Japan.
If you’re new to Blue Lock, it’s recommended that you visit the first season of the anime. Forget what you think you know about soccer because the power of teamwork and camaraderie is going to be sidetracked by the Blue Lock Project.
It’s all about who can score the most points to win the World Cup. Being too considerate is apparently a bad thing in this team sport, which is a complete subversion of all the sports anime I’ve watched in the past two decades. Even Yoichi Isagi, the protagonist of the mainline anime, drove this point home. He missed the chance to compete nationally because he prioritized passing the ball to a teammate who failed to score.
Comparisons are often made between Nagi and Yoichi, since they’re both talented protagonists in Blue Lock. It’s easy to become complacent when you’re labeled as talented, but Nagi will be placed in a room with other players who have just as much potential. Aside from looking into Nagi’s past and friendship with Reo, Blue Lock: Episode Nagi will also look into his motivation for becoming a passionate soccer player.
(featured image: Studio 8Bit)
