Blue Lock surpasses 65 million copies and its live-action film hands out new illustrations

Blue Lock has reached 65 million copies in circulation. The figure comes just three months after the manga surpassed 60 million on June 9. A pace of 5 million per quarter that makes it clear the franchise is at its commercial peak.

The live-action film, released in Japan on August 7, is also pulling in numbers. In its first 31 days it drew 838,360 viewers and grossed 1,206,756,400 yen. To celebrate, starting November 12 a new gift is being handed out to attendees: a double-sided illustrated card drawn by Yusuke Nomura, the manga's artist.

Three combinations to collect

The cards are distributed randomly and there are three versions. Each one pairs two characters: Isagi Yoichi with Bachira Meguru, Chigiri Hyoma with Kunigami Rensuke, and Nagi Seishiro with Mikage Reo. They are theater-exclusive editions, so there will be no other way to get them.

For those who don't follow the series, Blue Lock has been published in Weekly Shonen Magazine since 2018. The premise is as simple as it is twisted: the Japan Football Union locks 300 high school forwards in a facility called Blue Lock. Only one will survive as the ultimate striker who leads Japan to win a World Cup. The rest are out of the national team forever.

A franchise that doesn't stop

The anime arrived in October 2022 with a first season that ran until March 2023. The second aired between October and December 2024. A continuation is already in production. The jump to other media was quick: a video game in 2022, a stage play in 2023, and now the live-action film.

The film is handled by CREDEUS, the studio behind the live-action versions of Kingdom and Golden Kamuy. Fumiya Takahashi plays Isagi Yoichi, the protagonist.

The manga is keeping a sales pace that few sports series achieve at this stage of their serialization. Adding 5 million copies in three months speaks to an active reader base that keeps buying the new volumes while discovering the older ones.

Have you seen the film or are you up to date with the manga? Tell us in the comments what you think of this stage of the franchise.