The Blue Archive anime is finally set for an official release in North America, sparking curiosity about the potential for an English dub. Despite the game's significant following, the anime will initially only have English subtitles and the original Japanese audio.
Produced by Yostar Pictures, known for adapting other gacha games like Arknights and Azur Lane, Blue Archive the Animation follows the trend of turning popular gacha role-playing games into anime.
The Blue Archive game, launching in Japan in February 2021, features a host of notable voice actors who will also reprise their roles from the anime. However, unlike the global version of the game, there is no English dub for the North American release.
This has led to speculation that the anime may also not receive an English dub, mirroring the situation with Arknights, which remains undubbed since the anime launched in October 2022.
If an English dub for Blue Archive is eventually produced, it could take considerable time, possibly over a year.
This is not without precedent; older anime like Tsume's Book of Friends received dubs long after their initial release. Despite the uncertainty of the dub, fans can look forward to an official English release of the anime.
Blue Archive's official English X (formerly Twitter) account announced the anime's premiere date: May 24 at midnight UTC (May 23 at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT).
Episodes will be available on Blue Archive's official YouTube channel. Fans have speculated on Reddit that licensing costs or images of guns in the anime's school setting could be the reason for the delayed release.