Captain Tsubasa (Japanese: キャプテン翼, Hepburn: Kyaputen Tsubasa) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yōichi Takahashi since 1981. The series mainly revolves around the sport of association football focusing on Tsubasa Oozora. The series is characterized by dynamic and exciting football moves, often stylish and implausible. The plot focuses on Tsubasa’s relationship with his friends, rivalries with his opponents, training, competition and the action and outcome of each football match. Across the multiple Captain Tsubasa series, the plot shows Tsubasa’s and his friends’ growth as they face new rivals. Takahashi decided to create the manga inspired by the 1978 FIFA World Cup in Argentina.

The Captain Tsubasa manga series was originally serialized in Shueisha‘s Weekly Shōnen Jump comic book magazine between 1981 and 1988, with the chapters collected into a total of 37 tankōbon volumes. This was followed by numerous sequels. Captain Tsubasa and its sequels have sold over 80 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling manga series. The original manga series was adapted into a TV anime series, produced by Tsuchida Production, whose first season premiered in Japan on the TV Tokyo network between October 1983 and March 1986. Numerous movies and television series have followed with the latest one airing between April 2018 and April 2019.

Captain Tsubasa became one of the most memorable manga and anime worldwide, most notably in Japan due to how it popularized association football. Multiple real life players have been inspired to become professionals after seeing the series. In a poll conducted by TV Asahi in 2005, the Captain Tsubasa anime series ranked 41 in a list of top 100 anime series.

Captain Tsubasa
Cover of the first tankōbon volume, featuring Tsubasa Oozora.
キャプテン翼 (Kyaputen Tsubasa)
Genre	Sports
Manga
Written by	Yōichi Takahashi
Published by	Shueisha
Imprint	Jump Comics
Magazine	Weekly Shōnen Jump
Demographic	Shōnen
Original run	April 13, 1981 – May 9, 1988
Volumes	37 (List of volumes)