There's a lot of football manga out there. These 4 are my picks for the few that I believe are truly worth reading, based on what I have read. I tend to enjoy these since I play the sport, watch it, and obviously am a literate weeb. So yes. Anyway, follow me on Instagram!
1) Blue Lock:
A battle royale like none other, Blue Lock is all about what it takes to make it to the top: ego. With a nigh-impossible task at hand, can the Blue Lock project truly nudge Japanese football towards winning the World Cup?
Blue Lock is the hottest sports manga in town. This is a very opinionated statement, but Blue Lock literally never stops serving. If there is one shounen manga that you want to read, it's Blue Lock. The same goes for psychological thrillers or sports series, the answer is always Blue Lock. What Blue Lock does well is that it has very few flaws. With its compelling yet borderline insane story and plot developments mixed in with the psychological tension the players are under, Blue Lock creates a unique trope where the sports genre and battle royale structure of fights mesh into perfection. And I'm yet to even talk about the sublime art. Oh fuck me, the art is straight fire and genuinely just helps so much with the build-up.
2) 1/11: Juuichi Bun no Ichi:
An anthology of stories based on one player, Andou Sora, as the center of all events. The manga pays attention to Sora's life events and how they affect those around him as his football career and life progresses.
My absolute favourite from this list of 4 is 1/11: Juuichi Bun no Ichi. The most essential reason is that it's a slice of life approach that many sports manga don't have at this level. A series that shows us a bird view of the happenings in the life of Andou Sora at different periods of time, 1/11 is a manga that has the X factor of pulling in non-sports fans into a world they didn't know they needed. The characterization of Andou is essential as he develops a full-fledged personality early on and gets off to a solid start. He is a likable character whilst maintaining his self-worth and ego. The series shines because of the people that Andou interacts with, how he enables them to bring about changes in them and somehow always leads to a positive development in the lives of the characters. It's a soft one that'll make you smile, laugh, cry and feel passionate.
3) Giant Killing:
A long-running sports manga that covers the events over the course of one season in the sport, Giant Killing shows to us in detail the several challenges one must overcome on the path towards glory. Follow Tatsumi Takeshi's East Tokyo United as they embark on a journey to not only regain his honour but also to establish the club as a top club within the league.
In the nicest of ways, Giant Killing is a slow burn. As hardcore as the first 40 chapters are, the reality of Giant Killing is that ETU is a club in a bad place. They can't afford superstars, heck they're barely afloat, they're not the only club in the area, their sponsors have no trust in them and their fans have certain sections that didn't believe in Tatsumi. Giant Killing leverages parts of football that you would only otherwise experience if you were a week-in-week-out supporter of a club. It looks at two main perspectives - what goes on while on the pitch and everything going on in the back. Giant Killing has this one tiny catch to it, though. It's absolutely massive and there are still maybe another 120 chapters left. And it's going strong with a massive fanbase.
4) Days:
Days is your quintessential "I picked up this sport in high school" manga. Witness how Jin and the world of football change the outlook Tsukushi has on life, as he grows to be a character you want to get behind. The story is also fascinating because our main character is a tactically adept box-to-box midfielder rather than the usual "ace" striker.
Days is the only series from this list that is completed but all chapters aren't out yet. Days is a very fun manga when it comes to the cast of characters that you get to see. The true essence of Days is how football acts as a fulcrum for Tsukushi to leverage and truly grow. The story also follows several other football teams with their own characters making Days a mini verse in and of itself. The good thing is that the series goes about world-building really well. At the start, the series establishes the dynamics of the team and hurdles they must pass, and of course the training arcs. As things progress for them, Days starts building upon a hundred other things while also growing these. I do have one criticism for it though, there comes a time in the late 200s where the detail on opposing teams becomes heavy, and as essential as it is to give an in-depth introduction, it is also badly handled with the info dumps.
These rankings are based on a few factors, the most important one is character establishment. Within sports manga, we come across several characters throughout the time, be it players, opponents, coaches, significant non-playing teammates, or even family. To keep a track of many characters is tough, especially if the manga isn't helping you out in that. These 4 series make it here partly because of how memorable most of these characters are made, even though football is just one sport with 11 positions. Hopefully, you found what you were looking for! And if you've got something to say about my choices, do let me know in the comments below!
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