David Production's adaptation of the hit soccer manga, Captain Tsubasa has on its 52nd episode with no sequel in sight. This is disappointing for many who hoped that the series would at least adapt all 3 arcs of the original manga, instead of only 2. It is possible that David Production announces a new season in the future, but considering just how little advertised this reboot was, I wouldn't count on it. So if you're hooked with the Captain Tsubasa story, and want to see Tsubasa actually achieve his footballing dreams, then read on.
If you want to have a good canonical experience, you will have to read the manga. If you watched Captain Tsubasa (2018), you'll want to start reading the I am Misaki Taro one-shot since it wasn't adapted in the 2018 version. This takes place between the first and second arc. Then read the J Boys' challenge arc of the original manga. After that, follow it up with The strongest opponent! Netherlands Youth one-shot and then, the Battle for World Youth arc. Continue on with the Millenium Dream one-shot, Road to 2002 arc (manga, not anime), Golden 23 arc, Overseas Fierce Fights arc and finally the Rising Sun arc. Sometimes there are additional one-shots within the arcs themselves, so you might not find out about them if you read the arcs on a manga reading site. This is why I recommend you to actually download the manga chapters instead, from the site I linked here or the bottom of the article.
I'm going to list each manga arc in chronological order and the various anime adaptations they received for reference. As with all adaptations, keep in mind that there are big modifications to the source material and I do not recommend you watch them before reading the arc in question.
This arc covers Tsubasa's first attempt at winning the national elementary school tournament. This is where he's going to meet his iconic rivals such as Hyuga, Misugi, the Tachibana Brothers and so on and also makes new footballing pals such as Ishizaki, Wakabayashi and Misaki among others.
Captain Tsubasa (1983): Episode 1 to 57
Captain Tsubasa J: Episode 1 to 33, 34 (Recap)
Captain Tsubasa Road to 2002: Episode 1 to 11, 12 (Part recap)
Captain Tsubasa (2018): Episode 1 to 28
This is a special one-shot that focuses on Misaki's familial woes. Misaki's mother, who has divorced his father, briefly appears in the 2018 anime during the match between the final match between Nankatsu and Meiwa but is never seen again.
Captain Tsubasa (1983): Episode 66
After a time skip, this arc covers Tsubasa's attempt at winning the middle school national tournament for the third time. Old pals are now Tsubasa's rivals such as Urabe. New rivals opposing Tsubasa's ascend show up such as the likes of Nitta, Soda and Jito etc.
Captain Tsubasa (1983): Episode 57 to 97, 105 to 125. 98 to 104 is an anime-only European tour arc, 125 to 128 is mostly recapping the series with some additional information for the next arc.
Captain Tsubasa Road to 2002: Episode 13 to 19
Captain Tsubasa (2018): Episode 28 to 52
So far, Captain Tsubasa (2018) has only covered these two manga arcs in 52 episodes. The third arc titled J Boys' Challenge continues Tsubasa's ambition.
After an arduous battle against Hyuga in the last middle school tournament, Tsubasa has recovered from his injuries and is now ready to tackle the whole of Europe with his former rivals and teammates, who are now representatives of Japan's national Junior Youth soccer team. The likes of Misaki and Wakabayashi are also back in the team. As always, new foreign rivals such as Hernandez, Diaz, Pierre and Schneider seek to prevent Japan Junior Youth from winning the Paris Tournament.
Shin Captain Tsubasa: Episode 1 to 13
Captain Tsubasa Road to 2002: Episode 20 to 31
This one-shot was Takahashi's return to the world of Captain Tsubasa. It recounts the matches that took place in Japan after Tsubasa has left for Brazil. Nankatsu now with Misaki and Nitta on the team attempted to defeat Hyuga's Toho in the high school tournaments but ended being the runner ups 3 years in a row. Following high school, a new Japanese Youth team was formed in order to compete in the World Youth. Test matches were held against Netherlands Youth in order to strengthen the team.
Captain Tsubasa Saikyo no Teki! Holland Youth OVA: This OVA only covers the matches against Netherlands Youth and not the Japanese high school matches.
Captain Tsubasa Road to 2002: Episode 37 to 42 (This was an anime-filler arc that utilised elements of this one-shot but is otherwise unconnected as it happens during the Road to 2002 era)
Following Japan's participation in the Paris Tournament, Tsubasa has now settled in Brazil and plays for the soccer club, Sao Paulo FC. The Japanese Youth team's next objective is to win the World Youth. New rivals show up once again, including those in their own country. For the first time, our Japanese players will also be competing against the whole of Asia and eventually the world. Additionally, newcomers to the Japanese team will also make their presence known. Under new and strong management, Tsubasa and his friends will undergo genuine hardships in order to have a shot at winning the world title.
Captain Tsubasa J: Episode 35 to 47 (Incomplete, only goes up to the match against Uzbekistan)
Captain Tsubasa Road to 2002: A good portion of the anime is told in flashbacks as Tsubasa plays for FC Brancos (Changed from Sao Paulo FC for legal reasons). Episode 32 to 35 (Sao Paulo FC /FC Brancos vs CR Flamengo/Domingos 1904), episode 39 (Shingo Aoi's story in flashback, the newcomer). Anyway, the chronology of this anime is really messed up.
This is a one-shot that is set in the future of Captain Tsubasa. It's not canonical, but it does show events that will probably happen unless Takahashi changes his mind. Essentially, consider it as a prototype to the Olympics arc.
Following World Youth, our Japanese players are now playing in professional football clubs, both at home and abroad. Tsubasa will make his move to Barcelona while Hyuga will go to the Juventus and Wakabayashi will remain in Hamburg. Misaki and the rest will stay behind in Japan to improve the J-League.
Captain Tsubasa Road to 2002: Episode 43 to 52
Unfortunately, after Road to 2002, no other arcs have received any animated adaptations. They are the following:
This arc follows Japan's participation to qualify for the Madrid Olympics. Similarly to the first round of World Youth, Japan will have to fight its way through the Asian preliminaries without many key players. Additionally, Tsubasa will continue his own journey in the Liga. Also like World Youth, this arc also introduces new Japanese players who will compete for a spot in the team.
This arc is divided in two parts. The first part (Overseas Fierce Fight in Calcio) is a match between Hyuga's AC Regianna against Aoi's FC Albese. The second part (Overseas Fierce Fights en La Liga) deals with Tsubasa's Barcelona against Natureza's Real Madrid.
This is the current ongoing arc. Japan has qualified for the Madrid Olympics and is now aiming for the Gold medal. Tsubasa and other overseas players have come back to strengthen the team.
That's it. This is the entire Captain Tsubasa series. As you can see, if you try to watch the anime series while following the manga's order, you can end up being very confused. If you want to watch the anime fillers, you can do so as well, since the 2 of the anime adaptations (1983 and Road to 2002) are full of them. This guide, however, was made purely for those who want the manga canon.
You can download the entire manga here on the scanlator's website: captaintsubasafan.free.fr
Keep in mind that Shinji, the administrator has spent the last 12 years scanlating the entire series, so all credits go to him and his collaborators.
