Arab News Japan

DUBAI: Creator of Japan’s infamous football manga “Captain Tsubasa” Yoichi Takahashi said he will finish the series in April, ending a 43-year run in which it captivated children and even professional footballers around the Arab world.

Tokyo publishing house Shueisha Inc. said the series will end with its last issue of Captain Tsubasa Magazine Vol. 20, to be released in early April.

Takahashi, 63, said in a post on X on Jan. 5 that he has a rough idea of how the series will end. He also said that because he is now over the age of 60, his pace in drawing has “declined.”

Notice regarding the end of “Captain Tsubasa Magazine”

Thank you for all of your support of the “Captain Tsubasa” series.
2024 is the 43rd year since “Captain Tsubasa” was first serialized in “Weekly Shonen Jump” in 1981. For the past few years, I have always been thinking

— 高橋陽一 Yoichi TAKAHASHI (@0728takahashi) January 5, 2024

However, Takahashi added that he will consider producing more Tsubasa stories on an ongoing basis in a rough storyboard format widely called a “name” in the manga industry.

The first episode of “Captain Tsubasa,” or Captain Majid as it is known in the Arab world, was printed in the Shukan Shonen Jump weekly in 1981.

In the manga, Tsubasa plays for local clubs in Japan’s Shizuoka Prefecture and national youth teams before joining Barcelona FC of Spain, one of the world’s most popular clubs.

The series has been adapted for anime and games in more than 50 countries and regions.

Fans from all over the world responded on X with their support and gratitude to Takahashi for creating a series that touched the young hearts of many.