“Captain Tsubasa,” a globally popular soccer manga series created by Yoichi Takahashi, will end its 40-year run in April 2023, according to an announcement from publisher Shueisha Inc. on January 5th. In a statement, the 63-year-old Takahashi cited changes in the creative environment due to digitization as well as declining health as reasons for ending the series.
“Rather than continue drawing ‘manga’ to the limits of my physical strength, I have decided to stop the serialization so that I can conclude the ‘story’ of ‘Captain Tsubasa’ properly,” he stated. Takahashi added that he intends to continue working on the Captain Tsubasa story world in other formats such as storyboards.
Captain Tsubasa is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yōichi Takahashi, which was originally serialized in Shueisha’s shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine between 1981 and 1988, with the chapters collected into a total of 37 volumes, which was further followed by various manga sequels.
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It was one of the most well-liked manga series by 2023, with over 90 million copies distributed worldwide. Captain Tsubasa went on to become one of the most well-known manga and anime series worldwide as a result of popularizing association football in Japan. Prominent football players like Hidetoshi Nakata, Alessandro Del Piero, Fernando Torres, Zinedine Zidane, Lionel Messi, Alexis Sánchez, and Andrés Iniesta have all chosen to play and make football their career choice because of Takahashi’s Captain Tsubasa. It also had an impact on an Adidas running shoe line and Stephen Chow’s 2001 movie Shaolin Soccer.
In the spring of 2013, a bronze statue of main star, Tsubasa Oozora, was placed in Katsushika, Tokyo, near the home of the anime’s creator. During the 2016 Summer Olympics closing ceremony, Tsubasa and Misaki made an appearance in the video for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. In one scene, Tsubasa and Misaki executed their twin shot, and later, Tsubasa made an independent appearance with his trademark overhead kick. During a FIFA World Cup match in Japan, Japanese supporters of the team displayed a tifo with a manga illustration and several supportive messages.
The Japan Self-Defense Force adorned their water trucks with stickers honoring Captain Tsubasa during the US occupation of Iraq. Simultaneously, the largest television station in the region received a free season of Captain Tsubasa with Arabic dubbing thanks to the Japan Foundation.
Captain Tsubasa Magazine is currently publishing a sequel series called “Captain Tsubasa Rising Sun,” which features Tsubasa competing for an Olympic gold medal as a member of Japan’s national U-23 squad. According to Youichi Takahashi, he might have to continue drawing for another 15 or 30 years if he had to follow his original plans, which included the overall concept up to the last chapter of his original manga Captain Tsubasa.
Takahashi started “Captain Tsubasa: Dream Team” for a mobile game app after concluding “Rising Sin.” Shueisha has revealed that the original Captain Tsubasa story will wrap up in the early April issue of Captain Tsubasa Magazine. The publisher promised to provide details on any upcoming manga or story content as soon as possible.
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In his statement, Takahashi shared that he has outlined for narrative content picking up after the events of Rising Sun, including a final climactic episode. However, he feels that fully illustrating everything he has envisioned would be unrealistic given the scale, as it could take 40 years or more.
Takahashi’s body aged significantly during his twenties due to benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, a condition in which vertigo occurs when the position of the head is changed. This causes him to feel dizzy and causes him to lose his balance when he gets out of his chair. Furthermore, Takahashi’s eyesight has deteriorated to the point where he struggles to focus while drawing simple lines on a sheet of paper.
Equal sports manga legend (and mentor to Takahashi) Shinji Mizushima’s (author of baseball mangas Yakyuukyou no Uta, Dokaben, Ikkyuu-san) unexpected death on January 10, 2022, shook him to his core, forcing Takahashi to reconsider his career and life in general.
He states,
“It was then that the death of Mr. Mizushima Shinji, an author I greatly admired and who had been my role model since I was a teenager (he had inspired me to want to become a mangaka), occurred at the age of 82. Having already formed a friendship with him through amateur basketball, I thought he’d be fit even at over 90 because of his incredible vitality, so I was very shocked. This news made me think about my way of life as a mangaka. Indeed, Mr. Mizushima announced his retirement about a year before his death. I thought about whether I should continue to draw as a mangaka to my physical limits, like Mr. Mizushima, or whether I should consider something else. Every time I heard about the deaths of manga authors such as Mr. Mizushima, I realized that I had no guarantee of being able to test in my current situation for many years to come.”
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In addition, Takahashi intends to write a draft of the final arc in the hopes that another manga author or a “robot” (possibly AI) will finish it for him, allowing Takahashi to realize his dream of having the entire Captain Tsubasa series adapted into anime form.
“Even as a draft, if I left a “story” behind me, perhaps in the future, with the advance of technology, a “robot” could create a “Captain Tsubasa” manga based on scenario. After my death, another mangaka might draw it based on this draft.
What’s more, it could even be adapted to anime. As an author, having the entire “Captain Tsubasa” series adapted to anime is also one of my wishes, and if all the stories up until Tsubasa lifts the World Cup are adapted to anime, that would be something extraordinary.”
Additionally, the author hopes to be able to announce the presentation of the “Captain Tsubasa” story to his readers in the future following the publication of the most recent issue, number 20, of “Captain Tsubasa Magazine.” He has discussed this with Shueisha’s publishers.
Until then, Takahashi will continue to work on the endings to “Captain Tsubasa Rising Sun THE FINAL” and “Captain Tsubasa Memories 4”.
Have you ever seen the anime or read the manga? Let us know what you think in the comments!
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