View source for The Knight in the Area

{{short description|Japanese manga series and its adaptations}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2023}}
{{Infobox animanga/Header
| image           = The Knight in the Area 9.png
| caption         = Ninth ''[[tankōbon]]'' volume cover, featuring brothers Kakeru (front) and Suguru Aizawa (back)
| ja_kanji        = エリアの騎士
| ja_romaji       = Eria no Kishi
| genre           = [[Sports manga|Sports]]<ref>{{cite web|last=Kimlinger|first=Carl|title=Knight in the Area Episodes 1–25 Streaming - Review|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/knight-in-the-area/episodes-1|website=[[Anime News Network]]|access-date=March 17, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220825105731/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/knight-in-the-area/episodes-1|archive-date=August 25, 2022|date=September 14, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Note: Use and cite reliable sources to identify genre/s, not personal interpretation. Please don't include more than three genres (per [[MOS:A&M]]). -->
| creator         =
}}
{{Infobox animanga/Print
| type            = manga
| author          = [[Shin Kibayashi|Hiroaki Igano]]
| illustrator     = Kaya Tsukiyama
| publisher       = [[Kodansha]]
| publisher_en    = 
| demographic     = [[Shōnen manga|''Shōnen'']]
| imprint         = Shōnen Magazine Comics
| magazine        = [[Weekly Shōnen Magazine]]
| first           = April 26, 2006
| last            = March 29, 2017
| volumes         = 57
| volume_list     = List of The Knight in the Area volumes
}}
{{Infobox animanga/Video
| type            = tv series
| director        = Hirofumi Ogura
| producer        = {{ubl|Motomichi Araki|Tomoharu Matsuhisa}}
| writer          = 
| music           = {{ubl|Yasunori Iwasaki|[[Keiji Inai]]}}
| studio          = [[Shin-Ei Animation]]
| network         = [[TV Asahi]]
| licensee        = 
| first           = January 7, 2012
| last            = September 29, 2012
| episodes        = 37
| episode_list    = List of The Knight in the Area episodes
}}
{{Infobox animanga/Footer|portal=yes}}

{{Nihongo|'''''The Knight in the Area'''''|エリアの騎士|Eria no Kishi|lead=yes}} is a Japanese [[manga]] series written by [[Shin Kibayashi|Hiroaki Igano]] and illustrated by Kaya Tsukiyama. It was  serialized in [[Kodansha]]'s [[Shōnen manga|''shōnen'' manga]] magazine ''[[Weekly Shōnen Magazine]]'' from April 2006 to March 2017, with its chapters collected in 57 ''[[tankōbon]]'' volumes. A 37-episode [[anime]] television series adaptation produced by [[Shin-Ei Animation]] was broadcast on [[TV Asahi]] from January to September 2012.

==Plot==
Kakeru Aizawa is the younger brother to Suguru Aizawa, a soccer prodigy belonging to [[Japan national under-17 football team|Japan's under-15 national team]]. Prior to the series, Kakeru quits his position as a [[Forward (association football)|forward]] after a traumatic experience prevented him from playing with his left leg and settles for a managerial position. After the two are hit by a truck, Suguru dies and has his heart transplanted into Kakeru. With it, Kakeru returns to soccer to achieve his brother's dream of winning the World Cup.

==Characters==
;{{Nihongo|Kakeru Aizawa|逢沢 駆|Aizawa Kakeru}}
:{{Voiced by|[[Yūko Sanpei]]}}<ref name="MediaArts"/>
:Suguru's younger brother. He plays as a forward. As a sixth grader, and after causing an injury on his friend and teammate Hibino by shooting hard the ball with his left foot, he becomes wary of using it which seriously hinders his ability to score and particularly his confidence, to the point that he seems to be unable to score. As a consequence, he starts to play less and less often and starts working more as assistant manager, to the exasperation of his brother, ace Suguru. Nonetheless, he keeps practicing soccer secretly in the park every night.
:Things began to change as his childhood friend and old crush, Mishima Nana, returns to Japan one day and becomes the team's manager. Further, a mysterious masked man appears one night at the park and challenges him to play, which they keep doing every night. This motivates Kakeru to try again at the team, and in a practice match he is the only forward to be able to keep up with Suguru’s sudden and strong passes, but he fails to score because of his fear of using his left leg. Feeling disappointed he tells his brother he’ll give up on soccer just minutes before they’re both hit by a truck. After he recovers from the accident and from the heart transplant he received from his brother as his "last pass", Kakeru discovers that he seems to have inherited some of Suguru’s skills and temperament, and that he can use his left leg again.
:The masked man is revealed to be Nana, who had been asked by Suguru to help Kakeru, and she reveals to him that his transplant came from his brother. After learning that and finding out that his brother’s dream was that both of them would win the World Cup he decides to return to soccer and make his brother’s dream reality.
;{{Nihongo|Suguru Aizawa|逢沢 傑|Aizawa Suguru}}
:{{Voiced by|[[Jun Fukuyama]],<ref name="MediaArts"/> [[Motoko Kumai]] (child)<ref>Credits from {{cite episode|title=I Like Soccer|series=The Knight in the Area|station=[[TV Asahi]]|airdate=January 7, 2012}}</ref>}}
:Kakeru's older brother. Suguru was a genius [[midfielder]] and captain of the school soccer team, who even starred in the U-15 team for Japan. He was expected by many to shoulder the future of Japan's football world. He was aware of his little brother's talent as a soccer player and was irritated by Kakeru's lack of motivation. It is hinted in the manga that Suguru might have somehow predicted his own death, as he started having regular nightmares, which ended the day of his death. After hearing his brother's decision to give up on soccer, he is about to tell him about the great dream he had that morning, when both of them are run by a truck whose driver fell asleep. Suguru had the worse part, and it was soon obvious that he was beyond help. Knowing this and also that Kakeru would need a heart transplant to survive, the doctors and the family decide to have his heart transplanted to Kakeru, who accordingly dreams that Suguru is giving him a final pass. Giving his heart to Kakeru, he also gives him his dream of winning the world cup.
;{{Nihongo|Nana Mishima|美島 奈々|Mishima Nana}}
:{{Voiced by|[[Shizuka Itō]]}}<ref name="MediaArts"/>
:A childhood friend of Suguru and Kakeru, nicknamed Seven. Since returning from Los Angeles, she has become a manager, like Kakeru. She is skilled in soccer and has a relation to Kakeru. She supports and helps him to improve his skills, and later ends up engaged to him in the epilogue.
;{{Nihongo|Kota Nakatsuka|中塚 公太|Nakatsuka Kouta}}
:{{Voiced by|[[Minoru Shiraishi]]}}<ref name="MediaArts"/>
:
;{{Nihongo|Yusuke Saeki|佐伯 祐介|Saeki Yusuke}}	
:{{Voiced by|[[Tarusuke Shingaki]]}}<ref name="ShinEi">{{cite web|script-title=ja:エリアの騎士 ■ キャスト・スタッフ|url=https://shin-ei-animation.jp/2016/knight/staff/|publisher=[[Shin-Ei Animation]]|access-date=March 17, 2023|language=ja|archive-date=March 17, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230317051105/https://shin-ei-animation.jp/2016/knight/staff/|url-status=live}}</ref>
:
;{{Nihongo|Mito Aizawa|逢沢 美都|Aizawa Mito}}		
:{{Voiced by|[[Kei Shindō]]}}<ref name="ShinEi"/>
:
;Aizawa's Father
:{{Voiced by|[[Aruno Tahara]]}}<ref name="ShinEi"/>
:
;Aizawa's Mother
:{{Voiced by|[[Rei Sakuma]]}}<ref name="ShinEi"/>
:

==Media==
===Manga===
{{Main|List of The Knight in the Area volumes{{!}}List of ''The Knight in the Area'' volumes}}
Written by [[Shin Kibayashi|Hiroaki Igano]] and illustrated by Kaya Tsukiyama, ''The Knight in the Area'' was serialized in [[Kodansha]]'s [[Shōnen manga|''shōnen'' manga]] magazine ''[[Weekly Shōnen Magazine]]'' from April 26, 2006,<ref>{{cite web|script-title=ja:創刊時からの作品リスト|url=http://kc.kodansha.co.jp/SEP/02065/special/history/history05.html|publisher=[[Kodansha]]|access-date=March 17, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111203231909/http://kc.kodansha.co.jp/SEP/02065/special/history/history05.html|archive-date=December 3, 2011|language=ja}}</ref> to March 29, 2017.<ref>{{cite web|last=Sherman|first=Jennifer|title=The Knight in the Area Soccer Manga Ends in 5 Chapters|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2017-02-22/the-knight-in-the-area-soccer-manga-ends-in-5-chapters/.112518|website=[[Anime News Network]]|access-date=March 17, 2023|date=February 22, 2017|archive-date=December 1, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221201022211/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2017-02-22/the-knight-in-the-area-soccer-manga-ends-in-5-chapters/.112518|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|script-title=ja:「エリアの騎士」11年の連載に幕！マガジンに「七つの大罪」ゴウセルの外伝も|url=https://natalie.mu/comic/news/226621|website=[[Natalie (website)|Comic Natalie]]|publisher=Natasha, Inc.|access-date=March 17, 2023|language=ja|date=March 29, 2017|archive-date=October 30, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030150903/https://natalie.mu/comic/news/226621|url-status=live}}</ref> Kodansha collected its chapters in 57 ''[[tankōbon]]'' volumes, released from August 17, 2006,<ref>{{cite web|script-title=ja:エリアの騎士（１）|url=http://kc.kodansha.co.jp/product/top.php/1234591715|publisher=[[Kodansha]]|access-date=March 17, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090818031529/http://kc.kodansha.co.jp/product/top.php/1234591715|archive-date=August 18, 2009|language=ja}}</ref> to May 17, 2017.<ref>{{cite web|script-title=ja:「エリアの騎士」最終57巻発売で、月山可也のサイン会開催|url=https://natalie.mu/comic/news/231932|website=[[Natalie (website)|Comic Natalie]]|publisher=Natasha, Inc.|access-date=March 17, 2023|language=ja|date=May 10, 2017|archive-date=May 19, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190519203251/https://natalie.mu/comic/news/231932|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Anime===
{{See also|List of The Knight in the Area episodes{{!}}List of ''The Knight in the Area'' episodes}}
A 37-episode [[anime]] television series, produced by [[Shin-Ei Animation]] and directed by Hirofumi Ogura, was broadcast on [[TV Asahi]] from January 7 to September 29, 2012.<ref name="1stAD-ANN">{{cite web|last=Loo|first=Egan|title=The Knight in the Area Soccer Anime's 1st TV Ad Posted|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-12-20/the-knight-in-the-area-soccer-anime-1st-tv-ad-posted|website=[[Anime News Network]]|access-date=March 17, 2023|date=December 20, 2011|archive-date=February 6, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230206144627/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-12-20/the-knight-in-the-area-soccer-anime-1st-tv-ad-posted|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="MediaArts">{{cite web|script-title=ja:エリアの騎士|url=https://mediaarts-db.bunka.go.jp/id/C14703|website=Media Arts Database|publisher=[[Agency for Cultural Affairs]]|access-date=March 17, 2023|language=ja|archive-date=March 17, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230317050340/https://mediaarts-db.bunka.go.jp/id/C14703|url-status=live}}</ref> The opening theme song is {{Nihongo| ''Higher Ground''|ハイヤーグラウンド|"Haiyā Guraundo"}} by "S.R.S".<ref name="1stAD-ANN"/>

The series was [[simulcast]]ed by [[Crunchyroll]] in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand.<ref>{{cite web|last=Balistrieri|first=Emily|title="The Knight in the Area" Anime Joins Crunchyroll's 2012 Winter Season|url=https://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2012/01/05/the-knight-in-the-area-anime-joins-crunchyrolls-2012-winter-season|website=[[Crunchyroll]]|access-date=March 17, 2023|date=January 5, 2012|archive-date=August 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210817132144/https://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2012/01/05/the-knight-in-the-area-anime-joins-crunchyrolls-2012-winter-season|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Reception==
By August 2021, the manga had over 13 million copies in circulation.<ref>{{cite web|script-title=ja:累計1300万部突破した『エリアの騎士』TVアニメが１ヶ月限定で全話公開！|url=https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000003537.000001719.html|website=PR Times|access-date=March 17, 2023|language=ja|date=August 25, 2021|archive-date=August 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210825235111/https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000003537.000001719.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180211171223/http://www.shonenmagazine.com/smaga/area|title=Official manga website at Magamega}} {{in lang|ja}}
* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180213023229/http://www.tv-asahi.co.jp/knight/|title=Official anime website at TV Asahi}} {{in lang|ja}}
* {{Anime News Network|type=manga|id=10829}}

{{Shin Kibayashi}}
{{Weekly Shōnen Magazine - 2000–2009}}
{{Shin-Ei TV series}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Knight in the Area, The}}
[[Category:Anime series based on manga]]
[[Category:Association football in anime and manga]]
[[Category:Kodansha manga]]
[[Category:Shin Kibayashi]]
[[Category:Shin-Ei Animation]]
[[Category:Shōnen manga]]
[[Category:TV Asahi original programming]]