# Learn Japanese with Blue Lock

> How hard its Japanese is, real words from it with kana and romaji, where to watch it, and what to watch before and after.

[Anime by Japanese level](https://ikkimi.app/anime-by-japanese-level/) › [N3](https://ikkimi.app/anime-by-japanese-level/#n3)

**The short answer:** Ikkimi rates **Blue Lock** N3 for learning Japanese: football words, shouting. **Good for a beginner? With some help.** It sits in the middle of Ikkimi’s levels. A beginner can follow it with kana and romaji on every word, but it is easier after one or two simpler shows.

Ikkimi lists Blue Lock on Crunchyroll and Netflix. What each service carries varies by country. On Crunchyroll, Ikkimi finds a Japanese subtitle file for the episode in Jimaku’s catalogue and lines it up for you. On Netflix, turn on Japanese subtitles and every word becomes clickable.

The Ikkimi web app and Chrome extension come on one plan. The iPhone app is coming soon.

## How hard is the Japanese in Blue Lock?

Ikkimi rates Blue Lock at **N3** (everyday Japanese at full speed). What sets its level: football words, shouting. Of the 192 anime Ikkimi rates by hand, 44 are easier and 80 are harder.

Levels follow the Japanese Language Proficiency Test, from N5 (easiest) to N1 (hardest). They are Ikkimi’s estimate of how hard a show’s Japanese is to follow, from how fast people talk, how many unusual words there are and how clear the voices are. They are not official JLPT ratings.

| Fact | Blue Lock |
| --- | --- |
| Ikkimi’s level | N3 (everyday Japanese at full speed) |
| Why | football words, shouting |
| Japanese title | ブルーロック |
| Format | TV series |
| Episodes | 24, about 25 minutes each |
| First aired | 2022 |
| Genres | Action, Drama, Sports |
| Where to watch | [Crunchyroll](https://www.crunchyroll.com/search?q=Blue%20Lock), [Netflix](https://www.netflix.com/search?q=Blue%20Lock) |

Format, episodes, year and genres are from [AniList’s entry](https://anilist.co/anime/137822), which may cover only the first season.

## The words in the title

The Japanese title, ブルーロック, is a first lesson in itself. Its 2 words, as a dictionary lists them:

| Word | Kana and romaji | Meaning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| ブルー N1 | ぶるー buruu | blue |
| ロック | ろっく rokku | lock |

## How to learn Japanese with Blue Lock

Ikkimi lists Blue Lock on Crunchyroll and Netflix. What each service carries varies by country. Ikkimi does not stream anything: you watch on your own account, in Chrome on a computer, and Ikkimi adds a Japanese line you can click on top of the player.

### On Crunchyroll

Crunchyroll rarely has Japanese subtitles. On a Crunchyroll episode, Ikkimi looks for a matching Japanese subtitle file in Jimaku’s public catalogue, loads it and lines it up with the episode by itself. If Jimaku has no file for an episode, you can search by hand in the Ikkimi popup or load a subtitle file from your computer.

### On Netflix

On Netflix, turn on Japanese subtitles in the player, where your country’s Netflix has them for this title, and Ikkimi makes the line clickable. If there are none, open the Ikkimi popup, choose Find Japanese subtitles, and search Jimaku’s catalogue or load a file from your computer.

1. Add Ikkimi to Chrome: Get the extension from the [Chrome Web Store](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/ikkimi-%E2%80%94-learn-japanese/kknpmodmojiodjhbgapdgpabdehpnfcb) and sign in.
2. Play an episode: Open Blue Lock on Crunchyroll or Netflix. The Japanese line appears on top of the video.
3. Click the words you keep hearing: The video pauses and the word opens: kana, romaji, meaning, JLPT level and a recording by a native speaker where one exists (never a computer voice; otherwise the line from the show plays again). Keep three to five words an episode, the ones that come up again.
4. Review them later: Kept words come back as flashcards on the Ikkimi website, with the scene and the line they came from, just before you would forget them.

## Easier and harder shows

Shows within a level of Blue Lock, with the most genres in common first.

### Easier

| Show | Level | Why | Where |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **[Digimon Adventure](https://ikkimi.app/anime/digimon-adventure/)** デジモンアドベンチャー | N4 to N3 | children talking, monster names that repeat | Crunchyroll |
| **[Spirited Away](https://ikkimi.app/anime/spirited-away/)** 千と千尋の神隠し | N4 to N3 | a film, some old-fashioned speech | Netflix |
| **[Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You](https://ikkimi.app/anime/kimi-ni-todoke-from-me-to-you/)** 君に届け | N4 to N3 | school romance, a polite lead | Netflix, Crunchyroll |

### Also N3

| Show | Level | Why | Where |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **[ONE PIECE](https://ikkimi.app/anime/one-piece/)** | N3 | loud and clear, pirate words that repeat | Crunchyroll, Netflix |
| **[Naruto](https://ikkimi.app/anime/naruto/)** NARUTO -ナルト- | N3 | clear voices, ninja words that repeat | Crunchyroll, Netflix |
| **[Assassination Classroom](https://ikkimi.app/anime/assassination-classroom/)** 暗殺教室 | N3 | classroom talk, a teacher who explains | Crunchyroll |

### Harder

| Show | Level | Why | Where |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **[Tokyo Ghoul](https://ikkimi.app/anime/tokyo-ghoul/)** 東京喰種トーキョーグール | N3 to N2 | dark inner monologue, invented terms | Crunchyroll, Netflix |
| **[Chainsaw Man](https://ikkimi.app/anime/chainsaw-man/)** チェンソーマン | N3 to N2 | rough casual speech, short lines | Crunchyroll |
| **[Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-](https://ikkimi.app/anime/re-zero-starting-life-in-another-world/)** Re:ゼロから始める異世界生活 | N3 to N2 | fast emotional monologues, fantasy words | Crunchyroll |

See [every N3 anime](https://ikkimi.app/anime-by-japanese-level/#n3) or all 192 [anime by Japanese level](https://ikkimi.app/anime-by-japanese-level/), and read [how to learn Japanese by watching anime](https://ikkimi.app/learn-japanese-with-anime/) from zero.

## Questions

### Is Blue Lock good for learning Japanese?

With some help. Ikkimi rates it N3 (everyday Japanese at full speed). What sets its level: football words, shouting. It sits in the middle of Ikkimi’s levels. A beginner can follow it with kana and romaji on every word, but it is easier after one or two simpler shows.

### What Japanese level is Blue Lock?

N3, on Ikkimi’s scale from N5 (easiest) to N1 (hardest). Of the 192 anime Ikkimi rates by hand, 44 are easier and 80 are harder. The level is Ikkimi’s estimate, not an official JLPT rating.

### Where can I watch Blue Lock with Japanese subtitles?

Ikkimi lists Blue Lock on Crunchyroll and Netflix. What each service carries varies by country. Crunchyroll rarely has Japanese subtitles, so Ikkimi looks for a matching file in Jimaku’s catalogue and lines it up with the episode. On Netflix, turn on Japanese subtitles in the player where they are offered, and Ikkimi makes every word clickable.

### What does the title ブルーロック mean, word by word?

ブルー (buruu) means “blue”; ロック (rokku) means “lock”.

### How many episodes does Blue Lock have?

AniList’s entry lists 24 episodes of about 25 minutes, first aired in 2022. Later seasons may be listed separately.

### What should I watch before Blue Lock?

Shows a little easier than Blue Lock, with genres in common: Digimon Adventure (N4 to N3), Spirited Away (N4 to N3) and Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You (N4 to N3).

Sources: show details from [AniList](https://anilist.co); meanings from JMdict (EDRDG, CC BY-SA 4.0); readings and word splits from kuromoji.js with IPADIC; JLPT word levels from Jonathan Waller’s unofficial lists. See [Credits](https://ikkimi.app/credits/). Spotted a mistake? Tell us at [hello@ikkimi.app](mailto:hello@ikkimi.app).

Tonight’s episode is a lesson.

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Source: https://ikkimi.app/anime/blue-lock/ · Updated 2026-10-30 · Contact: hello@ikkimi.app · More: https://ikkimi.app/llms.txt