The Blue Lock live-action film has had one of the strongest anime adaptation openings of the year — and as the box office celebrates, the production has finally revealed who will be playing the franchise’s most electric rivals.

Rin Itoshi Has a Face: Yusei Yagi Cast as Blue Lock’s Rival Number One

Announced on 10 August, three new cast members join the film to bring the second-selection rivals to life. Yusei Yagi, best known as a member of FANTASTICS from EXILE TRIBE, takes the coveted role of Rin Itoshi — Isagi’s cold, supremely talented mirror image and the character many fans consider the franchise’s true engine. Keisuke Watanabe steps in as the flamboyant striker Jyubei Aryu, while Taiko Natsuo plays the gentle giant Aoshi Tokimitsu. All three figures appear on screen in Team V’s signature black kit — which, if the behind-the-scenes stills are any guide, looks genuinely menacing in live-action.

Opening Weekend: ¥277 Million and Counting

The film — as we covered when the release date was confirmed — opened in Japan on 7 August 2026 across approximately 350 screens, directed by Yusuke Taki and distributed by Toho. It wasted no time making an impression: the opening three days (7–9 August) brought in 188,212 admissions and ¥277,648,800 (roughly $1.7 million USD) at the box office. By the following Monday, the official website had already announced an appreciation stage-greeting event on 17 August, signalling that the production considers the debut a genuine hit.

The film stars Fumiya Takahashi as Yoichi Isagi and Japan Academy Film Prize winner Masataka Kubota as the eccentric architect of the Blue Lock programme, Jinpachi Ego. The theme song, “Monstro” by Ado, is available to stream from 7 August.

Enhanced Screenings and What Comes Next in Japan

From 21 August, the film expands to MX4D, 4DX, and Dolby Cinema formats. A special cheer screening — where audiences are encouraged to shout, cheer, and wave glow sticks — ran on 14 August at five theatres. These extras are Japan-only at this stage, but they signal a franchise confident enough in its fanbase to invest in the theatrical experience well past opening day.

Update: Singapore Release Date Confirmed — 24 September 2026

This section replaces the original “When Will Singapore Fans Get to Watch?”, which said no local date had been announced. It has been announced. The live-action Blue Lock film opens in Singapore on Thursday, 24 September 2026 — a standard Thursday opening day here — with Malaysia getting it the same day. The date came out of the film’s international rollout announcement, reported by Cinema Today on 17 August and Oricon on 18 August (both Japanese).

That puts Singapore roughly seven weeks behind the Japanese opening on 7 August — a shorter wait than the anime films managed, and ahead of Hong Kong and Macau, which get it on 1 October.

What is not confirmed yet: which chains are taking it, when tickets go on sale, and whether the Japan-only extras travel. As of writing there are no Golden Village, Shaw, Cathay or The Projector listings up, and the official Japanese site still carries only the domestic schedule. The MX4D, 4DX and Dolby Cinema expansion and the cheer screenings described below remain Japan-only for now — no local equivalent has been announced. There is also no streaming date for Singapore; this is a theatrical release, and nothing has been said about a platform debut here.

Practical read for local fans: pencil in the weekend of 25–27 September, and watch the local chains’ social feeds in the week or two before — anime titles here often go on sale only about a week ahead. We will update this post again when SG ticketing opens.

Update: The Full 30-Country Rollout, and Where Singapore Sits in It

Singapore’s date is one line in a much bigger release plan. Distribution outside Japan is being handled with French sales agent Goodfellas / Round12, and the film is confirmed for more than 30 countries and territories — with more expected to be added.

The overseas run started on 12 August in Taiwan (across 69-plus screens) and the Philippines, followed by Serbia and Montenegro on 13 August, Sweden on 14 August and the Czech Republic on 20 August. September brings Thailand, Brazil and the UAE on 10 September, Bulgaria on 11 September, then Singapore and Malaysia on 24 September. October covers Hungary, Romania, Hong Kong and Macau on 1 October, a Latin American block (Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Bolivia and Peru) on 8 October, Ecuador on 22 October and Mexico on 29 October. South Korea, Vietnam, Indonesia and Mongolia are also on the list without dates yet, alongside the Nordics and several Middle Eastern markets.

Fumiya Takahashi and producer Shinzo Matsuhashi took the film to Taipei on 14 and 15 August for a press conference and five stage greetings — Matsuhashi told the crowd the project ran close to five years from concept to completed film, as reported by Oricon (Japanese). Several territories, including Taiwan, Thailand, Sweden, Brazil and the Czech Republic, have had their own posters made; whether Singapore gets localised artwork or the standard international key visual is still unknown.

The read-through for Singapore: this is a genuine wide international release rather than a token one or two markets, and the Southeast Asia dates are clustered close together — Thailand on 10 September, Singapore and Malaysia on 24 September, with the Philippines already showing since 12 August. If you have friends in the region posting spoilers, the two-week gap is the one to watch out for.

Update log — 25 August 2026: added the confirmed Singapore release date (24 September 2026), the full international rollout schedule, and the Taipei promo-tour details. Originally published 11 August 2026.

For more anime and pop-culture news from Singapore and Japan, check out our Manga Anime coverage.