What is Embers manga about? Shueisha’s latest sports manga, explained

Modified Feb 26, 2025 17:30 GMT

Embers manga and all the details about it (Image via Shueisha).

The Embers manga is currently the talk of the amount since it started publication with Weekly Shonen Jump a few weeks ago and has, as of this writing, four chapters that have been well-received. It tells the story of a high school student named Noboru Haitani, who is a known delinquent and ends up developing an interest in the game of football despite not knowing much about the sport.

There is no denying that the Embers manga takes clear inspiration from some legendary sports series of the industry, such as Haikyuu!! and Slam Dunk, but is centered around football. Moreover, this series was written by Kei Kurumazagi and drawn by Nishi Sotaro, Yusuke Nomura's assistant, when making the Blue Lock manga.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the series. Any opinion expressed here belongs to the author and not Sportskeeda as a publication.

Explaining the Embers manga, its influences, and style

Noboru Haitani as seen in the manga (Image via Shueisha).

As mentioned earlier, Noboru Haitani has a reputation in middle school as a delinquent who gets into many fights, and he is quite strong, but one of his teachers decides to punish him by making him play football. He eventually develops an interest in the sport, and Haitani decides to join the Kosei University High School, kickstarting his journey in the story.

The delinquent angle and Haitani's rash and outspoken personality made the Embers manga receive a lot of comparisons with the legendary sports manga Slam Dunk and its protagonist, Hanamichi Sakuragi. This is further emphasized by the fact that both characters don't know much about the sports they are a part of and have to rely on their physical strength at the beginning of the story.

As mentioned earlier, this series is also compared to Haikyuu!!, which inspired the character of Yuga Takami, a talented striker who defeated Haitani in middle school and became teammates in high school. This is a very similar introduction to the one Tobio Kageyama had in the popular volleyball series, to the point that both characters start their journeys dealing with some self-confidence issues.

More details of this series

Haitani in action as seen in the manga (Image via Shueisha).

The Embers manga, as mentioned earlier, started publication in Weekly Shonen Jump in February of this year and has, as of this writing, four chapters published thus far. Nishi Sotaro, the artist in charge of this project, has also gained recognition in recent weeks for having worked as Yusuke Nomura's assistant on Blue Lock, with the latter prompting people to read this series.

Regarding the general perception of the series, the Embers manga has been praised for its art direction, which is complemented by its combination of highly detailed panels and more dynamic ones. Moreover, some have praised the clear and simple direction of the plot and how it takes heavy inspiration from some of the juggernauts of the spokon variety.

Final thoughts

There is no denying that Weekly Shonen Jump has had a rather difficult time getting a new hit sports series since the conclusion of Haikyuu!! in 2020, which is why the Embers manga has received so much attention. Combining a rather classic premise and taking on the most popular sport in the world, there is an argument to be made that it could break that curse in Shueisha's market.

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Edited by Maithreyi S