Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New Champions

Lore & Background

The game follows two distinct plotlines. Episode Tsubasa retraces Tsubasa Oozora's goal to achieve a three-peat at the 16th National School Tournament. The story begins with Tsubasa training with Nankatsu MS, including players such as Ryo Ishizaki, Yuzo Morisaki, Shingo Takasugi, and the Shutetsu Trio. They are interrupted and defeated by the Otomo Quartet, then encounter Kojiro Hyuga, a forward for Toho Academy who swears to defeat Nankatsu after losing the two previous tournaments. Nankatsu defeats Otomo in the Shizuoka Prefecture Finals and advances to the national tournament, where Toho beats Musashi 3-2. Hyuga develops his Tiger Shot skill in Okinawa but is benched by his coach Makoto Kitazume for the tournament.

Episode New Hero allows players to create a character and level up in a fashion similar to FIFA's Player Career mode or Pro Evolution Soccer's Become A Legend mode. Players can choose to represent Nankatsu Middle School, Furano Middle School, Toho Academy, Musashi Middle School, Otomo Middle School, or Hanawa Middle School before playing in the Junior Youth World Challenge, an international U-16 tournament. The game was developed by Tamsoft, produced by Tsuzuki Katsuaki, and described as similar to arcade soccer games.

Reader's Guide

Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New Champions holds significance as a faithful adaptation of the 2018 anime series, offering both a narrative retelling and a create-a-player mode that mirrors career modes in major soccer franchises. The game's release strategy included a simultaneous international launch one day after the Japanese release. Its marketing included a partnership with the Ligue de Football Professionnel in April 2021, making kits from 17 of the 20 2020-21 Ligue 1 clubs unlockable through a two-week event. Reception varied by platform: the Microsoft Windows version received generally positive reviews, while the console versions received mixed or average reviews according to Metacritic. OpenCritic assessed that the game received fair approval, recommended by 59% of critics. Commercially, the Nintendo Switch version was the sixth highest-selling retail game in Japan during its first week with 16,678 copies, while the PlayStation 4 version sold 13,828 copies, ranking eighth. By September 2020, over 500,000 physical and digital copies had been sold worldwide, indicating solid market performance for a licensed anime sports title.

Did You Know?

• The game was developed by Tamsoft and produced by Tsuzuki Katsuaki.
• Episode New Hero lets players create a character and choose from six middle schools before competing in an international U-16 tournament.
• The Nintendo Switch version sold 16,678 copies in its first week in Japan, ranking sixth.
• A partnership with the Ligue de Football Professionnel made kits from 17 Ligue 1 clubs unlockable in April-May 2021.