Why Is Blue Lock Manga Going On Hiatus? Find Out
Blue Lock written by Muneyuki Kaneshiro and illustrated by Yusuke Nomura is taking a brief hiatus. Find out why.
![Blue Lock (PC: Studio Eight Bit, Crunchyroll) Exploring Why Is Blue Lock Manga Going On Hiatus](https://www.pinkvilla.com/images/2024-08/578788053_untitled-design-2024-08-18t091651-924.jpg)
Blue Lock, a popular soccer anime, has become one of the biggest sports anime adaptations in recent years. In 2023, the manga was the highest-selling publication in Japan, showcasing its potential. As fans await the second season, the manga continues to release new chapters regularly, but fans may have to wait longer for the next chapter.
Blue Lock has had a successful year in 2024, releasing its first movie in Japan and North America, Blue Lock: Episode Nagi. The film, which focused on a main character from the "Blue Lock experiment," achieved box office success worldwide, indicating the anime's continued popularity.
Weekly Shonen Magazine announced that Blue Lock creator Nomura Yuusuke would need to take a one-week break from the series due to health issues. The brief hiatus will only push back the next chapter for one week as the series has confirmed that the manga will resume on August 28th. As the manga continues and has no end in sight, the anime adaptation still has quite a bit of material to cover in both its second season and beyond.
The story follows the Japan national team who finished 16th in the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The Japan Football Union hires the football enigma Jinpachi Ego. His masterplan to lead Japan to stardom is Blue Lock, a training regimen designed to create the world's greatest egotist striker. Those who fail Blue Lock will never again be permitted to represent Japan. Yoichi Isagi, an unknown high school football player who is conflicted about his playing style, decides to join the program in order to become the best striker in the world.
The first season of the anime is currently available to stream on Crunchyroll. Here's how the streaming service describes the popular sports anime, "After a disastrous defeat at the 2018 World Cup, Japan's team struggles to regroup. But what's missing? An absolute ace striker. The Football Union is hell-bent on creating a striker who hungers for goals and thirsts for victory, so Blue Lock -- a rigorous training ground for 300 of Japan's best and brightest youth players -- is created. To survive this battle royale, the last striker standing will have to out-muscle and out-ego everyone who stands in his way!"
By August 2020, the manga had over 1.9 million copies in circulation, by January 2021, it had over 3 million copies in circulation, over 4 million copies in circulation by April 202. By August 2021, it had over 5 million in circulation, over 6 million copies in circulation by February 2022, over 8.3 million copies in circulation by March 2022, over 9.3 million copies in circulation by June 2022, over 10 million copies in circulation August 2022.
Over 16 million copies in circulation by December 2022, over 18 million copies in circulation by January 2023, over 21.5 million copies in circulation by February 2023, over 24 million copies in circulation by March 2023, over 25.5 million copies in circulation by April 2023. Over 26 million copies in circulation by May 2023, over 27 million copies in circulation by July 2023;[80] over 28 million copies in circulation by August 2023, over 30 million copies in circulation by November 2023 and over 40 million copies in circulation worldwide by July 2024.
Blue Lock was the best-selling manga series in the first half of 2023, with over 8 million copies sold, while volumes 12–14 and 21–23 were among the best-selling manga volumes from the same period.[85] Volumes 22–24 were among the best-selling manga volumes of 2023. Volume 24 was Kodansha's second-highest first print run manga volume of 2023–2024, with 450,000 copies printed, while the third volume of Blue Lock: Episode Nagi was the fifth, with 210,000 copies printed.
![](https://www.pinkvilla.com/assets/images/newsletter-icon.png)