• Captain Tsubasa is known as Captain Majid in the Arab world
• Manga series was first published in 1981 in Weekly Shonen Jump

Akiko Iwata (interpreter) and Manar Elbaz

ABU DHABI: The popular manga character Captain Tsubasa, known as Captain Majid in the Arab world, will be brought to life in other formats, says creator Yoichi Takahashi.

Speaking to Arab News Japan on Sunday, on the final day of the Middle East Film and Comic Con (MEFCC) in Abu Dhabi, Takahashi said he would continue developing the character.

“Even when the manga series ends, there is still the animation (and that’s) where I believe the storytelling can continue, which is why I still fully intend to continue writing the story,” Takahashi said of the manga “Captain Tsubasa,” which was first published in 1981 and serialized in the Weekly Shonen Jump publication.

In January, the iconic manga creator posted a statement on X, where he said the manga series would come to an end because, at 60 years of age, he did not feel he had the “physical” capacity for drawing on a regular basis. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic had affected the staff support he had previously.

“If I do the math, it may take more than 40 years from here on out for all of this concept to be made into a manga,” he said in his statement. “It occurred to me that it might be possible if I concentrated only on preserving the ‘story’ in the form of a name (a kind of storyboard that serves as the basis for the creation of the manga).

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

During his interview with Arab News Japan on Sunday, he said he started considering ending the manga series around a year ago.

“Drawing the stories I have in my head into manga is something that will take a lot of time. I thought that it is better (to stop the manga series, focus on organizing stories in my head, and seek other ways to visualize the stories),” he said. “That will enable me to reach the finale of Tsubasa. That’s the route I have chosen.”

The manga creator hopes that fans will continue supporting Captain Tsubasa in its different formats. “I would appreciate it if (the fans) followed the story wherever it went,” he told Arab News Japan. “The story is not over yet. It will continue. I hope that all (the fans) continue to enjoy it in the future.”

After being dubbed into Arabic, Captain Majid became one of the most popular Japanese anime in the Middle East region. In a YouGov survey conducted by Arab News, 75 percent of the respondents across all age groups cited it as their favorite of all time.

“Soccer is beloved around the world in all nations, not just Japan. The protagonist has a big dream of being the world’s top soccer player,” Takahashi shared, reflecting on why the show became popular in the Middle East.

He thanked his Arab fans during his trip to Abu Dhabi. “To everyone in the United Arab Emirates and in the Gulf region, I want to thank you all for reading and supporting a manga from Japan, even though we are so far away. Thank you so much.”

Takahashi held a meet-and-greet session at MEFCC on Sunday. He also participated in a panel discussion titled “From the Football Fields of Shizuoka to a Global Japanese Icon,” moderated by Amy Teano, where he discussed his inspiration for the manga.