Blue Lock was a huge hit because of its superpower implementation in football. The intense matches were amazing winning the hearts of anime and football fans across the globe. The second season received a lukewarm reception but it was still great. However, the second season ended without any sequel announcement. So, instead of waiting, you can watch anime like Blue Lock, handpicked from the organic farms on our watchlist.
Table of Contents
1. Ao Ashi
- MAL Rating: 8.17
- Episodes: 24
- Where to Watch: Crunchyroll, Prime Video, Apple TV
Besides being sports anime about football and having Blue in their titles (Ao Ashi literally translates into Blue Feet in Japanese), both Ao Ashi and Blue Lock are two sides of the same coin.
Both the protagonists’ (Ashito and Isagi) special powers are vision-related: Eagle Eye and Meta Vision, respectively. Interestingly, in both anime, the protagonists become part of a team that aims to be the world’s best. But, in Ao Ashi, Ashito is asked to get over his self-centered approach to become a team player, unlike Blue Lock, where Isagi is asked to abandon being a team player and become an egoist. Two teams, two protagonists, but opposite approaches to become the world’s best; which one is better? You decide.
2. Kuroko’s Basketball
- MAL Rating: 8.05
- Episodes: 75 (3 seasons + 1 movie)
- Where to Watch: Netflix, Crunchyroll, Prime Video, Apple TV
If you love abilities showcased as superpowers, high-octane matches, last-minute miracles, and a rivalry of egos in Blue Lock, then go no further because Kuroko’s Basketball is the perfect match.
With a team of prodigies, the Teikou Middle School Basketball team, also known as the “Generation of Miracles,” once dominated the entire nation. But they went their separate ways in high school. Meanwhile, one of these prodigies, Kuroko, ends up enrolling in Seirin High School in hopes of taking down the teams of the former Generation of Miracles. He is joined by another natural-born for basketball, Taiga Kagami.
3. Ace of Diamond
- MAL Rating: 8.11
- Episodes: 178 episodes (3 seasons + S4 announced)
- Where to Watch: Crunchyroll, Prime Video, Apple TV, Roku
In both Ace of Diamond and Blue Lock, the protagonists’ (Sawamura and Isagi) journey from the very bottom to the top is strikingly similar. Both Sawamura and Isagi lose an important match and get recruited by a high-profile team, where they find that they aren’t the big dawgs anymore. Both confront their weaknesses and work on them to become the best in their respective sports.
Eijun Sawamura is a left-handed pitcher whose final pitch resulted in them losing the middle school tournament. He then promises to win the high school tournament with them. But, when he gets recruited by the prestigious Seidou High, Sawamura attends their practice session and discovers another first-year named Furuya. He is miles better than him and is already part of the playing roster.
4. One Outs
- MAL Rating: 8.32
- Episodes: 25
- Where to Watch: NA
One Outs takes the psychological aspect of a sport to the next level, which is one of the foundations of Blue Lock. Another similarity between One Outs and Blue Lock is egoism. It’s very much present in the baseball anime. So, if you enjoyed these aspects of Blue Lock, One Outs is the one for you.
Toua Tokuchi finds a kick in gambling in “One Outs”, a duel between a pitcher and a batter, where the winner takes it all. He could’ve been a pro player but isn’t interested. But he gets scouted by a team looking to become champions from being the renowned underdogs, an image that helps rake in millions for the boss. Unhappy with Toua’s addition, the boss makes a deal – Toua wins 5 million yen for every out and loses 50 million yen for every run conceived. Just like Blue Lock, it’s either do or die.
5. Kaiji: Ultimate Survivor
- MAL Rating: 8.26
- Episodes: 52 (2 seasons)
- Where to Watch: Crunchyroll, Netflix, HIDIVE, Roku
Deceit, betrayal, and mind games are the way to survive in both Kaiji and Blue Lock. As the title suggests, this anime is based on “survival of the fittest.” Similar to Blue Lock, where a player gets their right invoked to become a professional player after losing, in Kaiji, if you lose, you become a slave forever; there’s no escaping the reality.
Kaiji gets set up by his friend when he disappears after cosigning a loan. Unable to pay the debt, Kaiji is forced to board the ship, where he can clear the entire debt in one night by playing a game where you win it all, and if you lose, you become a lifelong slave.
