Overview
Captain Tsubasa is Yoichi Takahashi's football manga about Tsubasa Ozora, a boy obsessed with football who dreams of leading Japan to a World Cup title. In Vietnam it is published by Kim Dong as Tsubasa - Giấc mơ sân cỏ.
OtaHub's take
According to Al Jazeera, players such as Andrés Iniesta, Fernando Torres, David Villa and Lukas Podolski have said their love of football began with this series. According to FC Barcelona, one of the main characters later represents a fictional Catalan club inspired by Barça.
Takahashi announced the end of serialised work in 2024, when Captain Tsubasa Magazine released its final issue. Captain Tsubasa: Rising Sun FINALS continued as storyboards on the Captain Tsubasa World website from July 2024, went on hiatus in May 2026 and was announced to resume on 6 October 2026. On 5 October 2026, Takahashi visited FC Barcelona and drew Lamine Yamal in manga style.
Verdict
Captain Tsubasa is essential reading for sports manga fans and for football fans who want to understand why the series is seen as a cultural bridge between Japan and world football.
