Eyeshield 21

Eyeshield 21 (アイシールド21, Aishīrudo Nijūichi?) is a Japanese manga series written by Riichiro Inagaki and illustrated by Yusuke Murata. The series tells the story of Sena Kobayakawa, a introvert boy who joined the American football club. Initially he joined the club as secretary, but after being coerced by Hiruma, turns out to play wearing a eyeshield and the number 21, under the pseudonym of "Eyeshield 21". Riichiro Inagaki chose American football as a central theme for Eyeshield 21 after realizing that it fit perfectly with the idea he had in mind for the series.

The manga was originally serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump from July 2002 to June 2009. The series consists of 333 chapters collected in 37 tankōbon volumes. In North America, the manga was released for Viz Media from April 2005 to October 2011. An anime adaptation consisting of 145 television episodes was directed by Masayoshi Nishida and Shin Katagai, and co-produced by TV Tokyo, NAS, and Gallop. The television series originally aired on Japan's TV Tokyo network from April 6, 2005 to March 19, 2008. It was later licensed in North America by Toonami Jetstream as a joint effort with NFL Rush and aired on December 17, 2007, but no more episodes was dubbed, as the Toonami Jetstream video-streaming service shut down. The anime series was streamed in English by Crunchyroll. The Eyeshield 21 franchise has spawned two original video animations (OVAs), audio albums, video games, and other merchandise.

In Japan, the Eyeshield 21 manga has been popular, selling over 20 million volumes as of June 2009. The manga and anime have been featured, at various time, in Top Ten of their respective media. The Eyeshield 21 anime has been watched by a large number of television viewers in Japan. Publications for manga, anime and others have commented on Eyeshield 21 manga. Positive response have focused on the artwork and characters from the series, while negative responses concern the non-football scenes.