By the time Blue Lock‘s first season wrapped up in 2023, it had become one of the biggest series around. Blue Lock‘s manga even became the top-selling manga in Japan in 2023—the first Kodansha series to ever do so. Meanwhile, the anime was so popular, they made a freaking movie in the same year the second season came out.
And yet, after all that hype, season 2 was a bit of a let down. Perhaps because the Episode Nagi movie was in production at the exact same time, both the movie and season 2 suffered as a result. The animation quality of the series’ second season noticeably dropped, to a degree which made many fans feel it was a major letdown. (I, for one, couldn’t motivate myself to finish the season.)
For the uninitiated, Blue Lock is essentially the combination of a classic sports anime with Squid Game. The series follows a group of teenage soccer players locked inside a giant facility called Blue Lock. They participate in a number of games and challenges, with the goal of one of the hundreds emerging at Japan’s new “ultimate striker.” Once you lose, you can never play soccer in Japan again.
Quite the hook, right? Still, the Blue Lock anime’s drop from grace has fans wondering whether or not whether a third season will happen—or not.
Will There Be a Third Season of Blue Lock?
Blue Lock‘s third season has not been confirmed as of March 2025. The lack of an announcement is slightly peculiar, because both season 2 and the movie were announced right at the conclusion of season 1.
By contrast, the final episode of season 2 aired in the first week of January 2025. Anime Japan has come and gone, and yet—we still know nothing. It’s possible they’re saving the announcement for Anime Expo, which takes place on the first week of July.
After the smash success Blue Lock‘s first season, the idea that production studio Eight Bit wouldn’t finish out the series was unthinkable. But after the double letdown of Episode Nagi and season 2, there’s some concern about the anime’s future. Not just whether it will have a future, but whether a third season of Blue Lock could be a return to form.
I hope so. In the meantime, for those—like me—who didn’t finish season 2, or who just want to know what happens, the manga is still going strong.