Blue Lock watch order
To build a striker who can win Japan the World Cup, the football association locks 300 high school forwards in a facility and has them knock each other out until one is left. Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yusuke Nomura's manga, animated by Eight Bit: two TV seasons, a film from Nagi's side, and a third season announced.
First time? Watch Season 1, then Season 2. Add the Episode Nagi film between them if you want Nagi and Reo's side of the story.
First-timer order
Just the two TV seasons. The film mostly repeats Season 1, so nothing in Season 2 depends on it.
- Blue Lock
Isagi enters Blue Lock. The First Selection fills episodes 1–11 and the Second Selection most of the rest; the season ends as the Third Selection begins and Ego announces a match against Japan's U-20 team.
- Blue Lock Season 2: VS. U-20 Japan
Episodes 25–38. Finishes the Third Selection, then the whole Blue Lock XI vs. U-20 Japan match, which takes up most of the season.
Story order
The film runs alongside Season 1 and its credits scenes lead into Season 2, so it fits between the two seasons, which is also where it came out.
- Blue Lock
Isagi enters Blue Lock. The First Selection fills episodes 1–11 and the Second Selection most of the rest; the season ends as the Third Selection begins and Ego announces a match against Japan's U-20 team.
- Blue Lock the Movie: Episode Nagi (optional)
Optional. Opens with new scenes of Reo discovering Nagi at school, then retells Season 1 from their side. Watch it after Season 1, never before: its two credits scenes jump ahead to the build-up to the U-20 match.
- Blue Lock Season 2: VS. U-20 Japan
Episodes 25–38. Finishes the Third Selection, then the whole Blue Lock XI vs. U-20 Japan match, which takes up most of the season.
Release order
Everything, including the four cinema shorts.
- Blue Lock
Isagi enters Blue Lock. The First Selection fills episodes 1–11 and the Second Selection most of the rest; the season ends as the Third Selection begins and Ego announces a match against Japan's U-20 team.
- Blue Lock the Movie: Episode Nagi (optional)
Optional. Opens with new scenes of Reo discovering Nagi at school, then retells Season 1 from their side. Watch it after Season 1, never before: its two credits scenes jump ahead to the build-up to the U-20 match.
- Episode Nagi: Additional Time! (optional)
Skippable. Four one-minute chibi comedy shorts that played after the film in Japanese cinemas, a different one each week.
- Blue Lock Season 2: VS. U-20 Japan
Episodes 25–38. Finishes the Third Selection, then the whole Blue Lock XI vs. U-20 Japan match, which takes up most of the season.
Explained
Do I need to watch Episode Nagi?
No. It adapts the Episode Nagi spin-off manga, and most of its 91 minutes retell Season 1 from Nagi and Reo's point of view. The new parts are the opening, which shows how the two met, and two short credits scenes set during the 50 days before the U-20 match. Fans of Nagi will enjoy it; everyone else can skip straight to Season 2. It streams on Crunchyroll, dubbed in English and several other languages.
Why does Season 2 look worse?
Season 2's early episodes drew heavy criticism for still frames and choppy action, with some viewers calling episode 2 a slideshow, and reviewers linked it to production trouble. The story is unaffected, and it's still the only way to see the U-20 match animated.
Where do I start the manga after the anime?
Season 2 ends around chapter 149, so start at chapter 150 (volume 18). If you stopped after Season 1, Season 2 begins at chapter 95.
What's next?
A third season, Blue Lock: Neo Egoist League, was announced in September 2025 and given its title and key visual in June 2026. No premiere date had been announced as of October 2026. A live-action film opened in Japan in August 2026; it's a separate retelling.
What are the Additional Time! shorts?
Short chibi comedy clips. Besides the four that played with the film, the TV seasons had a set of one- to two-minute web shorts released on YouTube alongside the episodes. None of them matter to the story.