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Blue Lock, a captivating Japanese manga and anime series, has gained global recognition for its unique storyline. Crafted by Muneyuki Kaneshiro and illustrated by Yusuke Nomura, the series' popularity soared, particularly in the wake of the FIFA World Cup.
The series follows the journey of Yoichi Isagi, a talented soccer player, and explores the concept of a training program called Blue Lock. The program is designed to create the world's greatest egotistical striker.
One contributing factor to this series's rise to fame is its collaborations with various brands and organizations. The series has partnered with Pizza Hut, as well as Inter Milan and Liverpool FC, expanding its reach and bringing the world of this series into real-life experiences.
Blue Lock Collaborations with different brands
1) Collab with Adidas for Japan national team
The Blue Lock anime started airing in September 2022 and the run time managed to overlap with the Fifa World Cup 2022. The series was getting quite a lot of momentum throughout its run but it went viral after Japan's surprising victory against Germany with a score of 2-1 during the group stage. The series' fans came together on Twitter and flooded it with memes about the series and Japan's victory.
This was one of the moments that pushed this into mainstream popularity. At the same time, it also helped draw attention to the fact that the Japan national team's jersey was inspired by Blue Lock along with Giant Killing. It also garnered attention to the fact that their design involved the illustrators from both the mangas.
2) Collab with Pizza Hut
Blue Lock also had a collab with Pizza Hut, one of the biggest pizza chains in the entire world. The news of the collab was released on November 11, 2021, via Pizza Hut Japan's Twitter profile. The profile had brand-new collaborative illustrations with Isagi, Bachira, Rin, and Nagi wearing Pizza Hut uniforms. Pizza Hut launched a campaign in collaboration with this series in order to commemorate its anime broadcast.
The campaign continued from November 14, 2021, to December 18, 2022, and offered an A5 clear file with collaborative illustrations. During the campaign, participants were given opportunities to win goodies like illustrated sports towels along with a complete set of Blue Lock volumes and signed postcards. Unfortunately, Pizza Hut has yet to announce a similar campaign worldwide.
3) Collab with Liverpool FC
In 2021, news about a partnership between Liverpool FC and Kodansha broke out via Twitter. The partnership was signed in the spring of 2021 with the intention of inspiring younger generations by giving them an opportunity to express themselves via storytelling.
After the Japanese publisher, Kodansha became the official publication partner of Liverpool FC, posters of Blue Lock characters wearing Liverpool FC's uniform started circulating.
Along with posters, limited edition uniforms were also revealed. Additionally, Kodansha and Liverpool extended their contract to incorporate the women's team as well to ensure the continued growth of Liverpool FC Women. The new extension would allow their program to expand into the USA and make an impact similar to the UK.
4) Blue Lock Collaboration with Inter Milan
Leaks regarding Blue Lock's collaboration with Inter Milan started surfacing on Twitter after the friendly match between Inter Milan and Al Nassr on July 27, 2023. It was initially leaked by Twitter user and leaker @RayugaX101. They uploaded an illustration depicting the series's cast, namely Rin, Nagi, and Isagi wearing Inter Milan's home kit.
The series's fans and football fans alike were ecstatic after the leaks. Soon the official Twitter account of Inter Milan posted an illustration with the series's popular characters wearing Inter Milan uniforms. This was done before their Match against Paris Saint-Germain which Inter Milan won via a score of 2-1.
Many fans have been speculating about possible teasers of the manga plot points from these collaborations. This series has previously referred to a few real-life football teams like PSG as well as Borussia Dortmund. Few fans even theorize that this collab hints towards Isagi Yoichi's transfer to the series's version of Inter Milan.
