Aoashi Season 2 starts October 4, 2026, with Ashito Aoi finally playing for Esperion’s A team. The soccer anime returns to Japanese television on NHK E at 5 p.m. JST on Sundays. Crunchyroll has the new season on its fall schedule for viewers in the Americas, Europe and several other regions, though its subtitled release time has not been posted yet.

The official site says Season 2 has 24 episodes in total. Its first part is 12 episodes; the remaining episodes are part of the same season, but the site has not given a start date for that second part. This October premiere is not all 24 episodes arriving at once.

What changes for Ashito?

Season 1 followed Ashito as he joined Tokyo City Esperion’s youth program and fought to move up from the B team. He has earned that promotion. Now he trains beside stronger, faster players, including Akutsu and Kuribayashi, and enters Japan’s youth Premier League.

Official Aoashi Season 2 key visual shows Ashito and Esperion teammates charging toward a soccer ball.
The official Season 2 poster places Ashito among Esperion’s A-team players.

The official story description says Ashito is overwhelmed by the A team’s pace, technique and physical strength from his first practice. He will have to learn quickly, because the youth Premier League brings matches against other strong clubs. The new season follows that adjustment rather than restarting his selection trial from the beginning.

Ashito’s strength has always been the way he sees the field and spots where teammates can move next. The official site calls this his “eagle eye.” The tougher A-team setting gives that skill a bigger test: he has to read the game while keeping up with players who are already faster and more experienced.

Which characters are important?

Who’s who on Esperion’s A team

Kouki Ohsuzu returns as Ashito, Shunsuke Takeuchi voices Akutsu and Yuichiro Umehara voices Kuribayashi, according to the official Japanese cast list. Tatsuya Fukuda, Esperion’s youth coach, is voiced by Chikahiro Kobayashi. Other returning players include Eishaku Otomo and Soichiro Tachibana.

A sweaty Esperion player bends over on the soccer field in the official Aoashi Season 2 trailer.
The main trailer shows the demands of training and play at the higher level.

Where can you watch Season 2?

Crunchyroll lists an October 4 subtitled premiere, with availability in North, Central and South America, Europe, Africa, Oceania, the Middle East, the CIS, India and Southeast Asia. Its fall lineup leaves the exact subtitled time as TBA. It also lists a dub in production without a date. Check the local Crunchyroll page on premiere day for the precise time and language options.

In Japan, NHK E starts the broadcast October 4 at 5 p.m. JST and plans to air it weekly on Sundays. That Japanese TV time is not automatically the Crunchyroll upload time in every region. Crunchyroll already streams Season 1 in its catalog, so newcomers can catch up before October 4 where that season is available.

Who is making the new season?

TMS Entertainment animates Season 2, taking over from Production I.G, which made the first season. Kazuki Yokoyama directs the new season, and Masahiro Yokotani handles the series composition. The anime adapts Yugo Kobayashi’s soccer manga.

A hand-drawn soccer tactics diagram appears in the official Aoashi Season 2 trailer.
The trailer briefly shows the tactical side of the new season.

The first part’s opening is “Fortress Defense” by 10-FEET; Ai Higuchi performs “Triangle” for the ending. Both songs are previewed in the official main trailer. The video also shows practice, new opponents and match action, but it does not reveal the results of the coming Premier League games.

If you are returning after Season 1, the key point is Ashito’s promotion: he starts Season 2 on the A team, not back in the B team. The first 12 episodes begin October 4; a date for the other 12 has not yet been announced.