The Ao Ashi anime returns for a second season in October 2026, adapting the story from manga volume 12 onward, with a new main visual and theme song artists announced.
The soccer manga Ao Ashi, written and illustrated by Yūgo Kobayashi, concluded its original run in Weekly Big Comic Spirits in 2025 after a decade of serialization. The manga has sold over 25 million copies. The first season of the TV anime adaptation aired from April to September 2022 on NHK E-TV, covering 24 episodes that adapted roughly the first 12 volumes of the manga.
Season 2 was confirmed to pick up from volume 12 onward, following protagonist Ashito Aoi's promotion to the Tokyo City Esperion Youth A team and his entry into the Premier League. The first cour of the second season is scheduled to premiere on NHK E-TV on October 4, 2026, airing Sundays at 17:00. Animation production is handled by TMS Entertainment, with Kazuki Yokoyama directing. The main visual for the first cour was released on June 26, 2026, centering on Ashito and eight members of the A team. The opening theme will be performed by the band 10-FEET, and the ending theme by singer Higuchi Ai.
In the lead-up to the new season, the franchise engaged in real-world marketing tied to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The August issue of DIME magazine, released June 16, 2026, featured a collaboration with the manga, including interviews with former Japan national team players and Kobayashi himself, plus a bonus backpack. An extra edition of Nikkan Sports distributed on June 26 at three Tokyo locations carried ads for Ao Ashi and its spin-off Ao Ashi Brotherfoot, among other soccer manga, commemorating Japan's advancement from the World Cup group stage.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the cited Yomimono stories below, each itself sourced, then editorially reviewed. Every fact links the story it came from.
Structured graph also available as JSON at /public/entities/ao-ashi.
CC BY 4.0.
When a claim about Ao Ashi was confirmed, debunked, or disputed against open-web sources. The record stays even after a claim drops off the facts list.
An extra edition of Nikkan Sports featuring ads for five soccer manga, including Yugo Kobayashi's Ao Ashi and its spin-off Ao Ashi Brotherfoot, began distribution on June 26 at three Tokyo locations. The edition commemorates the Japanese national team's advancement from the group stage in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The extra edition will also appear in the June 27 Tokyo edition of Nikkan Sports.
The main visual for the first cour of the TV anime "Ao Ashi Season 2" was released on June 26, 2026. The opening theme will be performed by the band 10-FEET, and the ending theme by singer Higuchi Ai. The visual centers on protagonist Aoi Ashito, surrounded by eight members of the Tokyo City Esperion Youth A team: Nagisa Akutsu, Haruhisa Kuribayashi, Yuma Motoki, Taira Nakamura, Yoichi Kirigi, Eita Takasugi, and Enshin Akiyama. Handwritten comments from three voice actors were also published. Kosuke Ōsuzu, who voices Ashito, wrote "Soccer at a more 'professional' level!!" Shunsuke Takeuchi (Nagisa Akutsu) wrote "Check out the cool buzz cut!!" and Yūichirō Umehara (Haruhisa Kuribayashi) wrote "Anguish." The second season adapts the arc following Ashito's promotion to the A team. The original manga by Yūgo Kobayashi ran in Weekly Big Comic Spirits from 2015 to 2025 and has sold over 25 million copies. The first season aired from April to September 2022. The first cour of season two is scheduled to premiere on NHK E-TV on October 4, 2026, airing Sundays at 17:00. Animation production is handled by TMS Entertainment, with Kazuki Yokoyama directing.
The August issue of DIME magazine, out June 16, features a collaboration with Yugo Kobayashi's soccer manga Ao Ashi. The issue includes interviews with former Japan national team players Yasuhito Endo, Kengo Nakamura, Takashi Fukunishi, and Kazuyuki Toda, as well as coach Mihailo Petrović and Kobayashi himself. A bonus Ao Ashi backpack is included.
The Ao Ashi TV anime aired its first season in 2022, covering 24 episodes that adapted roughly the first 12 volumes of Yūgo Kobayashi's original manga. Season 2 is scheduled to air from October 2026 and will continue the story from volume 12 onward, following protagonist Ashito Aoi's promotion to the A team and his entry into the Premier League.