Blue Lock: Episode Nagi Vol. 04

Blue Lock: Episode Nagi Vol. 04

The new prequel manga to the smash-hit soccer action series Blue Lock! How does a listless slacker who thinks everything’s a huge pain turn into one of Japan’s top scorers? Find out, as high schooler Reo Mikage sets out to fan the flames of ambition in future soccer prodigy Seishiro Nagi, in Blue Lock: Episode Nagi.

Second-year high school student Reo Mikage wants nothing more than to escape his illustrious family’s shadow by becoming a soccer star and winning the World Cup. The only thing that’s missing is a talented diamond in the rough who can help him achieve his dream. That’s when he sets his sights on Seishiro Nagi, a notorious slacker whose quick reflexes are the only hint of athletic ability. Can Reo find the switch to awaken the beast inside Nagi?

Biographical Notes:

Muneyuki Kaneshiro broke out as creator of 2011’s As the Gods Will, a death game story that spawned two sequels and a film adaptation directed by the legendary Takashi Miike. His latest work is the stylish and twisted soccer battle manga Blue Lock.

Manga artist Kota Sannomiya has worked on Seishun Soukanzu and Tesla Note, a spy thriller published by Kodansha that received an anime adaptation in 2021.

Manga artist Yusuke Nomura debuted in 2014 with the grotesquely cute cult hit alien invasion story Dolly Kill Kill, which was released digitally in English by Kodansha. His latest work is the soccer battle manga Blue Lock.

Title Notes:

Blue Lock was the best-selling manga in Japan in 2023, beating out Jujutsu Kaisen and One Piece. New anime releases and continually rising sales will keep it foremost in fans’ minds in 2024.

Nagi is a fan-favorite character, and readers will delight in watching the lazy, directionless boy grow into Isagi’s eventual rival-turned-friend.

Following up on the success of the first season of the Blue Lock anime, which began airing in Fall 2022 in the United States, the prequel anime film BLUE LOCK: Episode Nagi will release in Japan in April 2024.

Matches features all the frenetic, deathmatch-like energy fans have come to know and love from Blue Lock.