Nagisa Akutsu

Aoashi is one of the most respected soccer stories in manga. Yugo Kobayashi's series ran in Weekly Big Comic Spirits from January 2015 to June 2025 and filled 40 volumes. By March 2026 it had more than 25 million copies in circulation. It won the 65th Shogakukan Manga Award in 2020. The first anime season, made by Production I.G, aired from April to September 2022 with 24 episodes. This second season premieres on October 4, 2026, and also has 24 episodes. A different studio, TMS Entertainment, is animating it this time. The hero is Ashito Aoi, a teenage boy from a small town in Ehime Prefecture, on the island of Shikoku. He is poor, loud, and stubborn, but he has a rare talent. He can see the whole field in his mind, almost as if he were looking down from above, and understand where every player is. After a bad incident ends his middle school career, a coach named Tatsuya Fukuda notices his vision. Fukuda runs the youth program of Tokyo City Esperion, a professional club in the J-League, Japan's top soccer league. He invites Ashito to try out in Tokyo. Ashito moves to the big city and joins Esperion's youth academy. He quickly learns that his talent is not enough. Many of the other boys have had expert coaching since childhood, and he does not even know basic tactics. The first season follows his hard climb, his rivalries and friendships with teammates, and a big turning point: Fukuda decides that Ashito should stop playing as a forward and become a defender, a side back. For a boy who dreamed of scoring goals, this is a painful change. Along the way he is supported by Hana Ichijo, Fukuda's younger half-sister, who studies to be a sports nutritionist. In season 2, Ashito has been promoted to Esperion's elite A team, the club's top youth squad. He soon finds out how much harder life is at this level. The players are faster and smarter, and the pressure is higher. He must prove again and again that he belongs there. What makes Aoashi special is its realism. It is less about superpowers and more about thinking: reading the game, communicating with teammates, and learning how a real team works. It also shows the emotional side of youth sports, such as self-doubt, family money worries, and the fear of being left behind. Soccer fans often praise how clearly it explains tactics. Watch the first season before starting this one.