Captain Tsubasa

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Captain Tsubasa
First tankōbon volume cover, featuring Tsubasa Oozora
キャプテン翼 (Kyaputen Tsubasa)
Genre	Sports
Manga
Written by	Yōichi Takahashi
Published by	Shueisha
English publisher	JP: Shueisha (bilingual)
Imprint	Jump Comics
Magazine	Weekly Shōnen Jump
Demographic	Shōnen
Original run	March 31, 1981 – May 9, 1988
Volumes	37 (List of volumes)
Further information Anime television series Directed by Hiroyoshi Mitsunobu Produced by Hiromichi Shigegaki Hyota Ezu Masao Kodaira Music by Hiromoto Tobisawa Studio Tsuchida Production Licensed by NA: Enoki Films Original network TV Tokyo Original run October 13, 1983 – March 27, 1986 Episodes 128 (List of episodes) Anime film Captain Tsubasa: Europe Daikessen Directed by Hiroyoshi Mitsunobu Produced by Hiromichi Shigegaki Written by Yoshiyuki Suga Music by Hiromoto Tobisawa Studio Tsuchida Production Released July 13, 1985 Runtime 41 minutes Anime film Captain Tsubasa: Ayaushi, Zen Nippon Jr. Directed by Hiroyoshi Mitsunobu Produced by Hiromichi Shigegaki Written by Yoshiyuki Suga Music by Hiromoto Tobisawa Studio Tsuchida Production Released December 21, 1985 Runtime 60 minutes Anime film Captain Tsubasa: Asu ni Mukatte Hashire Directed by Noriyoshi Nakamura Written by Yoshiyuki Suga Music by Hiromoto Tobisawa Studio Tsuchida Production Released March 15, 1986 Runtime 35 minutes Anime film Captain Tsubasa: Sekai Daikessen!! Jr. World Cup Directed by Tatsuya Okamoto Written by Yoshiyuki Suga Music by Hiromoto Tobisawa Studio Tsuchida Production Released July 12, 1986 Runtime 57 minutes Original video animation Shin Captain Tsubasa Directed by Osamu Sekita Produced by Kaname Sakamoto Masaki Sawanobori Written by Satoshi Namiki Music by Osamu Totsuka Studio Animate Released July 1, 1989 – July 1, 1990 Episodes 13 (List of episodes) Manga Captain Tsubasa: World Youth Written by Yōichi Takahashi Published by Shueisha Imprint Jump Comics Magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump Demographic Shōnen Original run April 18, 1994 – August 25, 1997 Volumes 18 (List of volumes) Original video animation Holland Youth Directed by Yoriyasu Kogawa Produced by Kyotaro Kimura Michihisa Abe Minoru Ohno Written by Yoriyasu Kogawa Music by Takeo Miratsu Studio J.C.Staff Released November 6, 1994 Runtime 48 minutes Anime television series Captain Tsubasa J Directed by Hiroshi Fukutomi Produced by Etsuko Komatsu Hidetaka Ikuta Koji Kaneda Music by Michihiko Ohta Studio Studio Comet Original network Fuji TV Original run October 21, 1994 – December 22, 1995 Episodes 47 (List of episodes) Manga Captain Tsubasa: Road to 2002 Written by Yōichi Takahashi Published by Shueisha Magazine Weekly Young Jump Demographic Seinen Original run December 21, 2000 – May 13, 2004 Volumes 15 (List of volumes) Anime television series Captain Tsubasa: Road to 2002 Directed by Gisaburō Sugii Produced by Masao Maruyama Shinsaku Hatta Susumu Matsuyama Written by Kaoru Kurosaki (screenplay) Music by Akifumi Tada Yasunori Iwasaki Studio Group TAC Licensed by NA: Enoki Films Original network TV Tokyo Original run October 7, 2001 – October 6, 2002 Episodes 52 (List of episodes) Manga Captain Tsubasa: Golden-23 Written by Yōichi Takahashi Published by Shueisha Magazine Weekly Young Jump Demographic Seinen Original run October 6, 2005 – April 24, 2008 Volumes 12 (List of volumes) Manga Captain Tsubasa: Kaigai Gekitō-hen Written by Yōichi Takahashi Published by Shueisha Magazine Weekly Young Jump Demographic Seinen Original run May 7, 2009 – April 5, 2012 Volumes 8 (List of volumes) Manga Captain Tsubasa: Rising Sun Written by Yōichi Takahashi Published by Shueisha Magazine Grand Jump (2013–2019) Captain Tsubasa Magazine (2020–2024) Demographic Seinen Original run December 28, 2013 – April 4, 2024 Volumes 20 (List of volumes) Anime television series Directed by Toshiyuki Kato (S1) Katsumi Ono (S2) Written by Atsuhiro Tomioka Music by Hayato Matsuo Studio David Production (S1) Studio Kai (S2) Licensed by NA: Viz Media Original network TV Tokyo English network US: Primo TV Original run April 2, 2018 – present Episodes 69 (List of episodes) Related media Captain Tsubasa video games

Captain Tsubasa (Japanese: キャプテン翼, Hepburn: Kyaputen Tsubasa) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yōichi Takahashi. The series mainly revolves around the sport of association football focusing on Tsubasa Oozora and his relationship with his friends, rivalries with his opponents, training, competition, and the action and outcome of each football match. Across the multiple Captain Tsubasa series, the plot shows Tsubasa's and his friends' growth as they face new rivals.

The Captain Tsubasa manga series was originally serialized in Shueisha's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump between 1981 and 1988, with the chapters collected in 37 tankōbon volumes. It was followed by various manga sequels. The original manga series was adapted into an anime television series by Tsuchida Production and broadcast on TV Tokyo from 1983 to 1986. Numerous movies and television series have followed with the latest one airing between 2018 and 2019; a second season premiered in 2023.

By 2023, the overall manga had over 90 million copies in circulation worldwide, making it one of the best-selling manga series of all time. Captain Tsubasa became one of the most popular manga and anime series worldwide, most notably in Japan due to how it popularized association football. Multiple real life players have been inspired to become professionals after seeing the series. In a poll conducted by TV Asahi in 2005, the Captain Tsubasa anime series ranked 41st in a list of top 100 anime series.

Plot[edit]

Captain Tsubasa[edit]

Tsubasa Oozora is an 11-year-old elementary school student who is deeply in love with football and dreams of one day winning the FIFA World Cup for Japan. He lives together with his mother in Japan, while his father is a seafaring captain who travels around the world. Tsubasa is known as the Soccer no Moshigo which translates as "heaven-sent child of football". When he was only barely a year old, he was almost run over by a rushing bus while playing with a ball. However, Tsubasa held the ball in front of him which served as a cushion for most of the impact. The force of the bump blew him away, but he was able to right himself with the ball. Hence, Tsubasa's motto of "The ball is my friend". Ever since he was little, he always went out with a ball. His mother concludes that he was indeed born to only play football. At a very young age, Tsubasa already had amazing speed, stamina, dribbling skills and shooting power – he astounded anyone who saw him play.

At the beginning of the story, Tsubasa and his mom both move to the city of Nankatsu, a fictional town in Shizuoka Prefecture well known for their talented elementary school football teams and where Tsubasa meets Ryo Ishizaki, a football-loving young student who often sneaks out from his mother's public bath houses and chores to play football. He meets Sanae Nakazawa (also known as Anego) an enthusiastic girl who also loves football and helps cheer the Nankatsu high school team on and Genzo Wakabayashi, a highly talented young goalkeeper whom he soon challenges to a game in Nankatsu's annual sports festival. He also meets Roberto Hongo, one of the best Brazilian footballers in the world who is a friend of Tsubasa's father and who starts living with Tsubasa and his mother in order to train Tsubasa. Roberto becomes a mentor to Tsubasa and helps him to harness his football skills, convincing him to join Nankatsu Elementary School and its fledgling elementary school football team, which Roberto later coaches as he passes his techniques onto Tsubasa.

Tsubasa meets Taro Misaki, who has travelled around Japan due to his father's job and soon joins Nankatsu. The two become the best of friends on the pitch and real life, forming a partnership soon to be renowned as the "Golden Duo" or "dynamic duo" of Nankatsu. Soon Tsubasa and his Nankatsu team start taking on the best of elementary school football, meeting such talented players as Kojiro Hyuga, Ken Wakashimazu, Jun Misugi, Hikaru Matsuyama and many others. Tsubasa's Nankatsu squad wins numerous youth national championships and he wins the U-17 World Championships for Japan by defeating Italy 2–1, Argentina 5–4 in the group stages, France 4–4 (5–4 p) in the semifinals and eventually defeat West Germany 3–2 in the finals before leaving the country to play in Brazil.

World Youth[edit]

Tsubasa leaves Japan for Brazil and starts playing, with his mentor Roberto as the manager, for São Paulo^[1] (F.C. Brancos in the anime),^[2] in Brazil's premier professional league, Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, winning the final against Flamengo (F.C. Domingos in the anime) 4–3. While in Brazil, Tsubasa gets to meet several talented Brazilian players, such as his teammate and roommate Pepe, who comes from a humble background, as well Flamengo star striker Carlos Santana, a prodigious yet emotionless talent.

Enthusiastic football-loving youngster Shingo Aoi, whom Tsubasa once played against while in the high school national championships, leaves Japan to play football in Italy, where he hopes to play for a major Italian professional team. After arriving in Italy, however, Shingo gets tricked by a man who gives him fraudulent promises of getting him selected for an Italian team. After Shingo is taken to a badly furnished field, the man runs away, stealing all his money. Shingo realizes that he is swindled and tries hard to get his money back, doing such jobs as shoe-shining, until his enthusiastic attitude catches the eye of one of the coaches of Inter Milan (Intina in the anime), who sign him to play for their squad as an attacking midfielder.

The Japan's youth side plays the first phase of AFC Youth Championship without Taro Misaki, Makoto Soda, Hiroshi Jito, Shun Nitta, the Tachibana brothers Masao and Kazuo and Kojiro Hyuga. After Tsubasa, Wakabayashi and Shingo join the team, it defeats Thailand 5–4 after being 4–1 down at one stage. In the second phase, Japan beats Uzbekistan 8–1, China 6–3 and Saudi Arabia 4–1. In the semifinals, Japan beats Iraq 3–0. The Japanese win the Asia Youth title beating South Korea 2–0 and qualifying for the FIFA World Youth Championship.

In the first phase, Japan defeats Mexico 2–1, Uruguay 6–5 and Italy 4–0. In the quarterfinals, they beat Sweden 1–0 and Netherlands 1–0 in the semifinal. The Japanese win in the "Great Final" the World Youth Championship, defeating Brazil 3–2 after extra time with Tsubasa scoring a hat-trick and the golden goal despite the fact that Brazil used a new player at the extra time called Natureza, who became the third person to score a goal on Wakabayashi from outside the goal area – the first being Karl Heinz Schneider of Germany and second being Sho Shunko of China.

Tsubasa moves from São Paulo to FC Barcelona^[3] (FC Catalunya in the anime), in the Spanish Liga, after the end of the FIFA World Youth Championship final, taking his childhood friend and now wife, Sanae. He asked her out before moving to Brazil and the couple maintained a long-distance relationship before he proposed to her after the World Youth Championship.

Road to 2002[edit]

While Tsubasa moves from São Paulo (Brancos in the anime) to Barcelona^[3] (Catalunya in the anime), Kojiro Hyuga is bought by Juventus FC (F.C. Piemonte in the anime). Tsubasa plays very well in training, displaying all his skills, but the Dutch coach Van Saal (Edward in the anime, inspired by Louis van Gaal, who coached Barcelona at the time) demotes him to FC Barcelona B,^[3] the reserve team that plays in the second division, because Tsubasa and Rivaul (inspired by Rivaldo) cannot play together whilst Rivaul holds a key position for playmaking.^[2]

Meanwhile, Kojiro Hyuga plays for his first game for Juventus (Piemonte in the anime) against Parma in the Italian Serie A, but does not score because his physical imbalance is exposed by Parma defender Thoram (inspired by Lilian Thuram). Juventus coach Carlo Monetti replaces him with David Trezeguet (David Tresaga in the anime), who scores the winning goal as Juventus beat Parma 1–0.

In Germany, Genzo Wakabayashi^[4] and his Bundesliga team, Hamburger SV (Grunwald in the anime version), play against FC Bayern Munich (Routburg in the anime version), led by Karl Heinz Schneider. Wakabayashi makes many great saves, impressing players and coaches from both teams, but in an attempt to win at the final moment despite the coach's decision to aim for a draw, Wakabayashi left the goal area to take a free kick shot that was stopped at the last second, which gave Bayern a chance to counterattack on an undefended goal, allowing them to win 2–1.

In Spain, the Liga begins and the match between Barcelona (led by Rivaul) and Valencia CF (San Jose in the anime) (who have just bought Tsubasa's old rival Carlos Santana) ends 2–2. Tsubasa watches the match from the tribune (in the anime version, Tsubasa plays as a substitute in the match and scores a goal).

In the second stage of the Japanese J.League, Júbilo Iwata, led by Misaki, Gon Nakayama (inspired by real player Masashi Nakayama), Ishizaki and Urabe, defeat the Urawa Red Diamonds led by Hayato Igawa and Sawada, 2–1. In other J.League matches, FC Tokyo, led by Misugi, draws 1–1 with Consadole Sapporo, led by Matsuyama.^[5] In Italy, Hyuga and Aoi are bought respectively by A.C. Reggiana and A.S.D. Albese.

In Spain, Tsubasa plays three matches with FC Barcelona B and he records 12 goals and 11 assists in three matches. Tsubasa is inserted in the Barcelona lineup because of an injury of his rival Rivaul as well as the disastrous results of the Barcelona (one point in four matches) and plays the Súper Clásico against Real Madrid C.F., who have just bought his old rival Natureza. Tsubasa ends the match with three goals and three assists and Barcelona wins 6–5.

Go for 2006[edit]

This is the epilogue of Captain Tsubasa Road to 2002 and it is composed of five chapters. This manga follows Kojiro Hyuga and Shingo Aoi in Italy. In this manga, Kojiro Hyuga was loaned out to Reggiana while Shingo Aoi was loaned out to Albese. Kojiro Hyuga makes a hard training and he makes his debut scoring a hat-trick.^[6]

Golden-23[edit]

While Tsubasa plays for Barcelona against Real Valladolid, recording a goal and an assist in a 2–0 win, the 23 players of Japan's U-22 national team ("The Golden-23") are convoked to play two friendly matches against Denmark and Nigeria in preparation for Summer Olympics. Two futsal players, Kazami and Furukawa, who previously played for Japan national futsal team, join the national U-22 football team and display great skills, scoring two goals in a training match. Meanwhile, the Japan U-20 side led by Takeshi Sawada win the AFC Youth Championship, defeating South Korea 6–5 on penalty kicks in the final. In Brazil, Minato Gamo, the former coach of the U-20 national team, tries unsuccessfully to convince Soga, a Japanese player who plays in CR Vasco da Gama, to join the national team. Meanwhile, Tsubasa's wife Sanae informs him that she is pregnant. In Japan, the match with Denmark ends 4–2 with the following scorers: Misaki (J), Haas (D), Nitta (J), Nitta (J), Matsuyama (J) and Haas (D). In Germany, Hamburger SV plays a Bundesliga match and Genzo Wakabayashi is not in the line up because of the bad relationship with the coach Zeeman, starting rumors that Wakabayashi would leave Hamburger SV. A lot of teams were interested in signing Wakabayashi such as ACF Fiorentina, A.S. Roma, Bayern Munich and SV Werder Bremen.

Meanwhile, Minato Gamo wants to convince Igawa, a player who can play in all the roles (goalkeeper, defender, midfielder and forward), to join the national team. Also in Spain, Barcelona plays a league match against Real Betis and Tsubasa scores two goals and makes an assist for Rikaar. In Japan, Wakabayashi joins the national team.

The match between Japan and Nigeria begins and Nigeria plays very well, as it has two champions Ochado (who plays in Paris SG, based on Jay-Jay Okocha) and Bobang (who plays with Shingo Aoi in Albese). After some minutes from the beginning of the match, Nigeria has the first great opportunity to score the first goal in the match with a penalty kick, but the Japanese goalkeeper Genzo Wakabayashi saves in corner kick. Wakabayashi saves another shot and makes a