Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road, the latest entry into the long running anime football series, reveals a release window planned for this year
The long-awaited and long-rumored football-themed JRPG Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road, based on the legendary franchise of the same name, has finally come back to the public eye after numerous delays, renames, and more complications galore. Now, developers Level-5 have confidently released a brand new trailer that touts a release on iOS and Android coming later this year.
Inazuma Eleven is a long-running series in Japan that has hopped across various media spheres, ranging from anime to games and even some manga adaptations. It’s a series based around the lovely sport of football, or soccer to us Westerners, and takes after quite a few different classic sports anime series like Captain Tsubasa and similar ilk.
If you’re familiar with the genre, you more or less know what to expect; stories of friendship persevering through tough matches and rivalries, creating a true “teamwork makes the dream work” vibes all across the board. While there have been various anime series and spin-offs, Inazuma Eleven has primarily been a handheld series on consoles such as the 3DS and other Nintendo platforms, finally expanding out to mobile with this particular entry.
Much like the Captain Tsubasa games, Inazuma Eleven is a fantastical way to experience football, playing the traditional sport while utilizing special unconventional abilities that each team mate has that are all quite flashy and useful within the match. Tournament legal? Unlikely. Cool as all can be? Absolutely.
The biggest selling point for this series is the massive amount of characters you can collect, with nearly 1000 touted in the first game alone. That roster has only increased in size since the first title in the franchise, and will only expand further with Victory Road.
So, come whenever this 2023 release date may be, everyone will get to experience the high-octane thrills of anime football alongside a lovely cast of characters and a beautifully uplifting main storyline that is sure to entice fans of the genre. Check out the official English website for more information in the meantime!
