Manga First Impression: Embers

A new title was added to Shonen Jump’s lineup this past weekend. Joining its ranks is Embers by Kei Kurumazaki and Sotaro Nishii. While there are several exorcist, comedy, and action titles already in serialization, there is only one other sports manga which is the sports/romance series Blue Box. 

Official Summary

Middle school brawler Noboru Haitani has never lost a fight. But the bitter taste of a soccer defeat gradually warms him up to the sport, until one day Haitani finds himself in a match against a team featuring middle school soccer prodigy Takami. An outlaw fights his way into the world of soccer! 

Quick Information

Mangaka: Kei Kurumazaki and Sotaro Nishii 
Published: February 3, 2025
Genre: Sports
Rating: Teen

First Impressions

While there have been series trying to take the sports slot in Shonen Jump titles like Nine Dragons' Ball Parade, Martial Master Asumi, and most recently Two on Ice, none of these titles have had staying power and end up canceled. Will Jump's newest soccer manga be able to change that? Only time will tell, but the first chapter has at least left me hopeful.

Embers is about a middle school student named Haitani, who has never lost in a fist fight. However, fighting has become tedious and easy. One day a teacher stops Haitani’s fight offering a new challenge. If the teacher can beat him, no more fighting at school.

However, the challenge is not a brawl, but rather a simple objective of taking a soccer ball away from the teacher. While Haitani loses the match, the teacher gives him a small task of juggling the ball five times, if he can do that, then he can challenge him again. Each time Haitani completes the task and challenges the teacher again, he fails but continues to try. And slowly Haitani starts to enjoy soccer.

Some of the stand out themes for the story for me have been watching a directionless kid find something he enjoys and subsequently wants to get good at. Sometimes just that one interaction can make someone find their passion. All they need is a little nudge in the right direction. It reminds me of Real in that sense. 

While Haitani is by no means a sudden soccer star, this first chapter plants the seed of the path he has chosen for himself. I also found it interesting that Haitani is not the forward on the team obsessed with scoring goals like other soccer manga, but rather he is a defender. 

The art style lends itself well to the gritty roughness of Embers’ cast of characters and their intensity. While I haven’t read Blue Lock, another soccer manga, it looks like Sotaro Nishii is an assistant for the manga. Perhaps this experience will lend itself to help Embers in the long run. 

The concept of a delinquent finding purpose in sports isn’t exactly a brand new trope for manga, however, there is enough in this first chapter to make Embers stand out and leave readers waiting for the next chapter. Sports fans, let's hope this first chapter kick-start’s the series in a positive direction.