Blue Box Manga Volumes: Full List & Reading Guide
Blue Box Has 26 Volumes in Japan and 20 in English — Here’s the Full Breakdown
Blue Box currently has 26 volumes in Japan and 20 volumes in English, published by VIZ Media, the company that translates and releases many popular Japanese manga in English for Western readers. The series is ongoing — it hasn’t wrapped up yet, and with chapters continuing to publish weekly, it appears to be in its later stages.
The manga has been serialized — meaning published chapter by chapter — in Weekly Shonen Jump since April 2021, written and illustrated by Kouji Miura (三浦糀). It follows Taiki Inomata, a badminton player, and Chinatsu Kano, a basketball player, as they navigate both their sports ambitions and their growing feelings for each other. It’s a sports romance manga at its core, and that dual identity is a huge part of what makes it special.
Because VIZ Media’s English releases trail behind the Japanese publication schedule, there’s currently a gap between the two — 26 volumes in Japan versus 20 available in English. If you’re reading in English, more volumes are on the way. VIZ typically releases new Blue Box volumes every two to three months, so the English edition is steadily catching up.
Content rating: The content is lighthearted overall — no graphic violence or mature content — making it appropriate for teen readers and up.
Complete Blue Box Manga Volume List
The table below covers all 26 Japanese volumes with their release dates where confirmed. Volumes 1 through 20 are available in English from VIZ Media.
A note on this table: Most Japanese release dates are confirmed from publisher records. Volumes 18 and 20 have approximate release dates based on the series’ publication cadence but could not be independently verified to an exact date. Volumes 25 and 26 have been released in Japan but their exact street dates were not confirmed in our sources at the time of writing. All volumes marked “Available” in the English column are published and on sale now. English-specific release dates vary by retailer, so check your preferred store for exact availability.
| Volume | JP Release Date | English Availability |
|---|---|---|
| Vol. 1 | August 2021 | Available (VIZ Media) |
| Vol. 2 | October 2021 | Available (VIZ Media) |
| Vol. 3 | January 2022 | Available (VIZ Media) |
| Vol. 4 | March 2022 | Available (VIZ Media) |
| Vol. 5 | June 2022 | Available (VIZ Media) |
| Vol. 6 | August 2022 | Available (VIZ Media) |
| Vol. 7 | October 2022 | Available (VIZ Media) |
| Vol. 8 | December 2022 | Available (VIZ Media) |
| Vol. 9 | February 2023 | Available (VIZ Media) |
| Vol. 10 | May 2023 | Available (VIZ Media) |
| Vol. 11 | August 2023 | Available (VIZ Media) |
| Vol. 12 | October 2023 | Available (VIZ Media) |
| Vol. 13 | December 2023 | Available (VIZ Media) |
| Vol. 14 | March 2024 | Available (VIZ Media) |
| Vol. 15 | June 2024 | Available (VIZ Media) |
| Vol. 16 | August 2024 | Available (VIZ Media) |
| Vol. 17 | October 2024 | Available (VIZ Media) |
| Vol. 18 | Early 2025 (approx.) | Available (VIZ Media) |
| Vol. 19 | March 2025 | Available (VIZ Media) |
| Vol. 20 | 2025 (approx.) | Available (VIZ Media) |
| Vol. 21 | July 2025 | Not yet in English |
| Vol. 22 | October 2025 | Not yet in English |
| Vol. 23 | December 2025 | Not yet in English |
| Vol. 24 | February 2026 | Not yet in English |
| Vol. 25 | 2026 (date unconfirmed) | Not yet in English |
| Vol. 26 | 2026 (date unconfirmed) | Not yet in English |
Reading the Table
A few things worth noting:
- Volumes 1–20 are all available in English. If you’re starting fresh, that’s a substantial amount of story to work through before you’d need to wait for new releases.
- Volumes 21–26 are currently only available in Japanese. English editions for these will follow as VIZ continues their release schedule.
- The series is ongoing, so Volume 26 may not be the last. Additional volumes could be announced depending on how many chapters — individual installments originally published week by week in the magazine — remain in the final arc.
The early volumes establish the characters, their living situation (Taiki and Chinatsu end up under the same roof), and the dual sports setting. As the series progresses, both the romantic tension and the competitive stakes build steadily. The pacing is one of Blue Box’s biggest strengths — it never feels like it’s rushing the romance or sidelining the sports.
What Sports Does Blue Box Actually Cover?
If you’re coming to Blue Box because you love sports manga, here’s what to expect: the two central sports are badminton and basketball.
Badminton
Taiki Inomata is a member of his school’s badminton team, and badminton serves as one of the main athletic throughlines of the series. Matches are depicted with enough detail and intensity to feel genuinely engaging — you get a sense of the speed, the footwork, and the mental game involved. It’s not as hyper-detailed as a dedicated badminton manga might be, but the sport is treated with real respect.
Basketball
Chinatsu Kano plays basketball, and her dedication to the sport is a core part of her character. Basketball scenes carry real weight in the story — they’re not just background decoration. You see her compete, struggle, and push toward her goals in ways that feel authentic to anyone who’s played team sports.
The Balance Between Sports and Romance
Blue Box is genuinely both a sports manga and a romance manga. It doesn’t lean heavily on one while neglecting the other. The sports give the characters structure, motivation, and conflict. The romance grows out of shared experiences — practicing in the same gym, pushing each other to improve, understanding the pressure of competition.
If you’re expecting detailed breakdowns of every match, Blue Box might surprise you with how much emotional weight it carries. And if you’re expecting a pure romance, the sports elements add a groundedness that keeps the story from feeling disconnected. For readers who want character-driven storytelling wrapped around competitive sports, Blue Box is one of the strongest entry points in current manga.
Is Blue Box Finished or Still Ongoing?
As of now, Blue Box is ongoing. With 26 Japanese volumes in print and chapters still being published week to week, the series appears to be in its later stages — though no official end date has been announced. There’s likely more story to come.
The Anime and Where to Continue in the Manga
Blue Box received an anime adaptation — an animated TV series based on the manga. The first season aired from October 2024 to March 2025, bringing in a wave of new readers who wanted to continue the story beyond what the show covered. A second season has been confirmed and is set to premiere on October 4, 2026.
If you watched the anime and want to pick up the manga where the show left off, the first season covers roughly the events of the first several volumes. The precise point where Season 1 ends has not been officially confirmed — the cutoff depends on pacing differences between the adaptation and the source material. If you’d rather wait, Season 2 arrives in fall 2026. That said, starting from Volume 1 is always worthwhile — the manga includes details, inner monologues, and quieter character moments that any adaptation naturally condenses.
What This Means for New Readers
If you’re starting Blue Box now, here’s the practical picture:
- 20 English volumes are available right now — that’s a substantial amount of reading
- More English volumes will follow as VIZ continues catching up, typically every two to three months
- The series appears to be in its later stages, so you’re not committing to a manga that might run for another decade
- You’ll likely be able to read the complete story in English within a reasonable timeframe
That last point is worth highlighting. Starting a long-running manga can feel daunting when there’s no end in sight. With Blue Box, you’re getting into a series that has a clear trajectory toward its conclusion.
Where to Buy Blue Box Manga Volumes in English
Blue Box is published in English by VIZ Media in standard single-volume manga format. There are no collected editions that bundle multiple volumes together, no box sets, or deluxe formats announced at this time, so individual volumes are the way to go.
Physical Copies
You can find Blue Box volumes at most major online retailers and physical bookstores that carry manga. Larger chain bookstores typically stock popular titles from VIZ’s lineup, and Blue Box has enough momentum that it’s usually available on shelves rather than being special-order only.
Volume 20 is the latest English release, so if you’re buying the full run, you’re looking at 20 individual volumes. Starting with Volume 1 is the natural recommendation — the story builds carefully and rewards reading from the beginning.
Blue Box
Digital Options
If you prefer reading digitally, Blue Box is available through multiple platforms:
- VIZ Media’s own website and apps carry the digital volumes
- Other major digital manga retailers also stock the series
- Individual chapters can be read through the Shonen Jump app (a subscription-based reading app from VIZ that gives access to a large library of manga for a monthly fee) and Manga Plus (a free app and website run by Shueisha, the Japanese publisher, where you can read select chapters), which are particularly useful for keeping up with the latest chapters as they release in Japan
The Shonen Jump app is worth highlighting for value — a subscription gives you access to a large library of titles, including Blue Box. If you want to sample before committing to physical volumes, it’s a solid way to read the first several chapters and see if the series clicks for you.
Collecting Advice
Since Blue Box doesn’t have a box set or collected edition, building your collection means buying volumes individually. A few things to keep in mind:
- Start with Volume 1. With 20 English volumes available, some readers are tempted to jump ahead to where the anime left off. The manga is worth reading from the start — you’ll pick up on details the show doesn’t cover.
- Watch for restocks. Popular manga titles occasionally go out of stock at specific retailers, especially after an anime boosts demand. If a particular volume is temporarily unavailable, it almost always comes back — VIZ keeps popular series in active production and available for purchase.
- Digital fills gaps. If you’re collecting physical volumes and one is temporarily hard to find, digital versions are always available and let you keep reading without interruption.
Blue Box is the kind of series that earns a spot on your shelf. Whether you grab the physical books or read digitally, you’re getting a manga that handles both sports and romance with real care and warmth — and with the finish line in sight, now is a great time to start.
