The manga is serialized in Shueisha's. The twenty five volumes have collectively sold over 16 million copies in Japan, and the number of children playing American football has almost quadropled and still grows after it was over. The manga is published in English by VIZ Media. The anime version, produced by Nihon Ad Systems, or NAS, and animated by Artland, premiered across Japan on TV Tokyo from April 6, 2005, and ended March 19, 2008, with episode 145. The anime is sponsored. The English dub 'aired' on the free on-demand Toonami Jetstream as a joint effort with NFL Rush December 17, 2007, however it is currently on hiatus, likely waiting dubbing production. It is also aired in Taiwan.
Contents [] Story The plot of Eyeshield 21 revolves around a physically unassuming and non-assertive boy named who enters the high school of his choice, Deimon Private Senior High School, where his childhood friend, one year older than Sena, already attends. His only remarkable physical abilities are his running speed, dodging techniques, and intense agility (perfect for football), the result of a school life spent complying with the demands of bullies (later on it is revealed that he went through training with a classmate in elementary school for running), quickly catch the eye of the high school's American football team captain who then forces Sena to join the team () as the running back. To protect his identity (on the premise that other school sports teams will try to recruit Sena upon discovering his athletic skill) Sena is forced to publicly assume the role of team secretary, and enter the field wearing a helmet equipped with a green-tinted eyeshield in order to hide his features under the pseudonym of '.' The makeshift team initially takes part in the Spring football tournament (at the beginning of the Japanese school year) hoping to win with through the strength of their new 'secret weapon.' But the extremely weak team is eliminated early on by the, a powerhouse football team. Others see the skill of the current White Knights as having declined from the previous 'Golden Generation' but the team members are trying to prove that they have the ability to surpass their predecessors. It is in this game that Sena meets the man he will acknowledge as his ultimate rival,, a talented linebacker.