The staff of the television anime of Yūgo Kobayashi’s Aoashi manga revealed a new visual and the theme song artists for the anime’s second season on Friday. 10-FEET will perform the opening theme song for the first half of the second season (first 12 episodes), while Ai Higuchi will perform the ending theme song. The titles of the theme songs remain unrevealed.
Image courtesy of Thirty Three
©Yugo KOBAYASHI, Shogakukan / Aoashi Project Season2
In addition, the staff announced that the anime will have a panel at Anime Expo on July 3. The panel will show a behind-the-scenes look at the anime, and preview footage of the second season.
Image via Aoashi anime’s website
©小林有吾・小学館／「アオアシ Season2」製作委員会
The second season will debut on NHK Educational on October 4.
Kazuki Yokoyama is replacing Akira Satō as the director. Asami Taguchi (Lupin Zero) and Junko Yamanaka (Lupin III vs. Cat’s Eye) are now credited as character designers alongside returning character designer Manabu Nakatake, with previous character designers Asuka Yamaguchi, Saki Hasegawa, and Toshie Kawamura no longer credited. The rest of the principal staff members, including script supervisor Masahiro Yokotani, sound director Shōji Hata, and composer Masaru Yokoyama, are returning. As previously announced, TMS Entertainment will animate the second season instead of Production I.G.
The manga centers on third-year middle school student Ashito Aoi, who lives in Ehime prefecture. Ashito has a strong talent in soccer, but he tries to hide it. Due to his very straightforward personality, he causes a disaster that serves as a huge setback for him. Then, Tatsuya Fukuya — a veteran of the strong J-Club team Tokyo City Esperion and coach of the club’s youth team — appears in front of Ashito. Tatsuya sees through Ashito and sees his talent, and invites him to try out for the youth team in Tokyo.
The first season of the anime premiered in April 2022. Crunchyroll streamed the anime as it aired in Japan.
Akira Satō (Release the Spyce) directed the first season at Production I.G. Masahiro Yokotani (Free! – Iwatobi Swim Club, All Out!!, Tropical-Rouge! Precure) was in charge of the series scripts. Manabu Nakatake, Toshie Kawamura, Asuka Yamaguchi, and Saki Hasegawa were all credited for character design, with Natake and Yamaguchi also credited as chief animation directors. Naho Seike, Yukiko Watabe, Miho Daidouji, and Eisuke Shirai were credited as sub-character designers. Kenichi Takeshita, Jun Soga, and Kenji Iizuka were credited for soccer supervision. Masaru Yokoyama composed the music.
Kobayashi (Fermat no Ryōri) launched the Aoashi manga in Weekly Big Comic Spirits
in January 2015, and ended it with its 40th volume in August 2025. Naohiko Ueno is credited for research and original story collaboration up to the manga’s 17th volume. The series won the Best General Manga at the 65th Shogakukan Manga Awards in 2020. Titan Manga is releasing the manga in English in omnibus format, and it released the first 3-in-1 omnibus volume on June 9.
The manga won the Best General Manga at the 65th Shogakukan Manga Awards. The series has over 15 million copies in circulation.
Sources: Press release, Aoashi anime’s website, Comic Natalie
