The famous animated football stories "Captain Tsubasa," known in the Arab world as "Captain Majid," have been published for the last time today, Thursday, in Japan, after 43 years since their initial release. However, the creator does not intend to completely abandon its characters. The manga author Yoichi Takahashi wrote on his account on the platform 'X', "Now that I have finished drawing the last episode of the series, I feel relieved that I have completed everything and feel liberated because I will finally be able to live my life without being tied to any publication deadlines."
While announcing his "retirement from drawing the stories," the pioneer of the manga story, which was first published in 1981 in the Japanese weekly magazine "Shonen Jump," indicated that he would continue to create adventures for the football stars in his story online, in the form of story sketches. The series has been adapted in many forms over the decades, including animated series and video games, and even inspired statues in the neighborhood where Takahashi was born in Tokyo. The exploits of "Captain Majid" have inspired football legends during their childhood, including Zinedine Zidane, Kylian Mbappé, and Lionel Messi.
The animated series has been broadcast in over a hundred countries, with about 90 million copies of its story format sold worldwide, according to the specialized website "Manga-Zukan." However, in January, the 63-year-old artist announced the end of the series in April, attributing it to deteriorating health and the evolution of the manga industry. He wrote in a message to readers, "It was not easy to make this decision, which may disappoint and sadden those who enjoy reading Captain Tsubasa, but I hope you understand my decision."
