The Jump Festa ’26 event on Sunday confirmed that the television anime adaptation of Blue Box (Ao no Hako), based on the manga by Kōji Miura, will return for a second season in fall 2026. The new season is scheduled to air on TBS.
Alongside the announcement, the event revealed the first key visual for the upcoming season, referred to as the “Blue visual,” illustrated by Rei Katō. While story details for the second season have not yet been shared, the announcement confirms that the anime’s coming-of-age sports romance will continue following its well-received debut.
The first season of Blue Box premiered on Japanese television on October 3, 2024, airing on TBS and 28 affiliated networks. The series began streaming weekly on Netflix the following day. Season one aired for two consecutive cours, with its second half beginning on January 2.
The anime features a large ensemble cast led by Shōya Chiba as Taiki Inomata and Reina Ueda as Chinatsu Kano. Other cast members include Akari Kitō, Chiaki Kobayashi, Yūma Uchida, Shōgo Sakata, Anna Nagase, Asaki Yuikawa, Yūki Ono, Kenshō Ono, Kana Ichinose, and Yūki Kaji.
Direction for the anime is handled by Yūichirō Yano, with series composition overseen by Yūko Kakihara. Character designs are by Miho Tanino, while animation production is led by Telecom Animation Film, with planning and production managed by UNLIMITED PRODUCE by TMS.
The manga is published digitally in English through MANGA Plus, which describes the story as a blend of sports, romance, and youth, centered on Taiki Inomata, a badminton player who develops feelings for basketball star Chinatsu Kano as they train together at a competitive sports school.
Miura first introduced Blue Box as a one-shot in Weekly Shonen Jump in 2020 before beginning full serialization in April 2021. The manga continues to see strong success, with more than 6.2 million copies in circulation to date. Viz Media publishes the series in English, with its most recent volume releases arriving late last year.
With a second anime season now officially on the way, Blue Box is set to continue its steady rise as one of Shueisha’s most prominent modern sports romance titles heading into 2026.
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