When does Ao Ashi Season 2 premiere? The youth soccer drama returns October 4, 2026 — Ashito Aoi's climb through Tokyo City Esperion continues.
Current target date: Sunday, October 4, 2026 (Season 2 premiere). We update this page when studios or publishers move the window.
Season 2 premiere
Sunday, October 4, 2026
October 4, 2026 is a real Sunday slot — not a vague Fall window
Aoashi Season 2 locks to Sunday, October 4, 2026 on NHK E-Tele (afternoon 5:00 p.m. JST for the first cour). That date matters if you are syncing a Crunchyroll or region simulcast alarm to the Japanese broadcast rather than guessing “early October.”
New studio, new director — same Ashito climb
TMS Entertainment takes over from Production I.G. Kazuki Yokoyama directs in place of Akira Satō, with updated character-design credits beside returning Manabu Nakatake. Series composition (Masahiro Yokotani), sound, and Masaru Yokoyama’s music carry over — so the handoff is production DNA, not a soft reboot of Esperion’s roster.
Season 2 at a glance
- Premiere
- Oct 4, 2026 (NHK E-Tele)
- Length
- 24 episodes (cour 1 = 12)
- Studio
- TMS Entertainment
- Director
- Kazuki Yokoyama
- OP / ED (cour 1)
- 10-FEET / Ai Higuchi
- Season 1 studio
- Production I.G (2022)
A Sunday E-Tele soccer drama is a different beast than late-night sports hype shows
Ao Ashi’s NHK Educational slot puts youth-club realism in a family broadcast window, not the usual late-night sports-anime lane. Season 2’s TMS move and 24-episode plan are built for that long-form development tone — Ashito’s Esperion grind, not a death-game selection concept from another soccer title.
Frequently asked questions
Quick answers about this release date.
1When does Ao Ashi Season 2 premiere?
Sunday, October 4, 2026 on NHK Educational (E-Tele), listed for the 5:00 p.m. JST Sunday slot for the first cour. That is the staff-confirmed TV debut day for Season 2.
2Is Production I.G still animating Ao Ashi?
No. Season 2 moves to TMS Entertainment. Production I.G handled the 2022 first season; treating October 2026 as “another I.G sports cour” is outdated.
3How long is Season 2?
Official materials describe 24 episodes total. The first cour is the opening 12 episodes starting October 4, 2026; the second half follows after that cour break on the same NHK plan.
4Is this the same show as Blue Lock?
No. Ao Ashi is Yūgo Kobayashi’s youth-club / Esperion development drama. Blue Lock is a different soccer manga with a different studio pipeline and premise. Shared sport, separate franchises.
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