A manhole cover featuring characters from Yoichi Takahashi's popular soccer manga series "Captain Tsubasa" has been installed in Furano, Hokkaido, a place associated with the series. The cover design features the cover of the 20th volume of the manga, which depicts the fierce battle between Furano Junior High School and Nankatsu Junior High School in the semi-finals of the National Junior High School Soccer Tournament.
The manhole cover features the protagonist Ozora Tsubasa, captain of the Nankatsu Junior High School soccer team, Matsuyama Hikaru, captain of the Furano Junior High School soccer team, and Fujisawa Yoshiko, manager of the soccer team. It was unveiled at the "Captain Tsubasa Cup: Northern Lands Edition," a youth soccer tournament held for the first time in Furano City on October 4th and 5th. It has been installed on the grounds of the Furano Cheese Factory (Nakago Ward, Furano City) and is also on display at the Furano City Government Complex.
"Captain Tsubasa" is a manga that depicts the growth of a talented soccer boy, Ozora Tsubasa, as he competes against unique rivals. A one-shot story was published in "Weekly Shonen Jump" (Shueisha) in 1980, and the serialization began in the same magazine in 1981, sparking a soccer boom. A sequel was also produced, and the manga came to an end in April 2024 after a 43-year run. The series has continued to be serialized in draft form since then, and the latest work, "Captain Tsubasa Rising Sun FINALS," is currently being serialized on the portal site "Captain Tsubasa WORLD."
