The manga “Captain Tsubasa”, better known as “Olive and Tom”, is ending, but its author wants to continue

Forty-three years after its debut, soccer manga “Captain Tsubasa” appeared for the last time on Thursday morning in Japan. This manga is known as “Olive et Tom” in French. But fans can rest assured, its creator Yoichi Takahashi has no intention of completely abandoning his characters.

“Now that I’ve finished drawing the final episode of the series, I’m relieved to be done and relieved to finally be able to live life without publication delays” should be respected, mangaka Yoichi Takahashi wrote on Wednesday, April 3, on his X account.

But while he was announcing his “retirement as a designer”the father of manga, first published in 1981 in a Japanese weekly Shounen jumpspecified that he will continue to create the adventures of his football stars on the Internet in the form of storyboards. “The story of Captain Tsubasa it’s not over yet!” assures in this post.

Inspirational manga

The exploits of his hero, the young football prodigy Tsubasa Ozora, inspired future football legends such as Zinédine Zidane, Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi. And the franchise, known as Holly and Benji in Italy and Super Champions in Latin America, he experienced numerous adaptations, in cartoons or video games.

The animated series has aired in more than 100 countries, and the manga has sold around 90 million copies worldwide, according to specialist site Mangazenkan. But in January, the 63-year-old cartoonist announced the end of the saga for the month of April, citing the deterioration of his health and the evolution of the manga industry. “This decision was not easy to make and may disappoint and sadden those who love to read Captain Tsubasabut I hope you will understand my decision,” he explained.

However, on Wednesday he tried to reassure his fans by saying that he intends to continue with “creative activities”. “The story of Captain Tsubasa it’s not over yet! That’s a fact.” he wrote. “Since I don’t have a deadline, page count, or manuscript size to meet, I think I’ll be able to offer you entertainment in a more liberal way,” Yoichi Takahashi promised.