Tsubasa plays his last game for the Brancos, Brazil, and reminisces his old days in the elementary school. Meeting Ishizaki after he transferred school, challenging Genzo for the first time, playing with Taro who became his partner as the golden duo, playing his rival players such as Hyuga, Jun, Ken, in the Boy's National Championship and farewell to Roberto. Tsubasa continued playing soccer, grew up in the field, and now he feels one with his rivals and friends through soccer.

Tsubasa, Genzo, Hyuga, Taro in Europe get offers to be on the Japan national team to play a training match against Holland. They find out all the other candidates are from the world junior youth champion team. However, they hear a rumor that Holland is not pleased with the Japanese selection of the young players...

Roberto Hongo loses his career as a soccer player for an eye injury. He is friends with Tsubas's father who is a captain of a ship, and comes to stay at Tsubasa's house in Japan. Nankatsu members find out he is a great soccer player in Brazil and ask him to coach them. The first thing Roberto teaches them is to "be friends with a soccer ball." The team is stunned to see Roberto's overhead kick performance.

After Tsubasa wins the boy's national soccer championship, Matsumoto, Toho School's scout, comes to make him an offer. Tsubasa is surprised to find out Hyuga will play for Toho. He's also shocked to learn that Taro is leaving for France and Genzo for Germany. Tsubasa feels lonely, and Roberto teaches him a new shot. Roberto tells him he'll need the shot someday, and leaves Tsubasa's house the next day...

Tsubasa hurts his shoulder in the first game of the championship but goes to the semi-final. Nankatsu plays a tough game against Furano, led by their captain Matsuyama who're determined to break the jinx of northern teams which cannot win the championship. Furano plays as a team rather than dependent on individual skills, and they wear bandannas made by the team assistant Yoshiko. The bandanna she made for Matsuyama also has a special message for him.

For the first test match in Europe, Japan junior youth team challenges Wakabayashi's FC Gurenbald. Genzo has now become a great goalkeeper and Japan team cannot score. Also, Schneider scores a hat trick in the first half. When Japan team's spirit is down, Tsubasa shows up. He came out of his injury and Japan team is excited for the expectation. However, coach Mikami declares he can't use Tsubasa for the game.

After the Holland match, Japan national team members go back to their club teams to retrain themselves for the coming international cup games. Hyuga goes to Okinawa, Tsubasa to Hawaii. The Holland match made them realize the high world standard.

The coach tells Tsubasa to play for Catalunya B in division 2 instead of the top team. Tsubasa's old teammates gets the news all over the world. Hyuga tells him to go to Italy but he refuses by saying he can't run away. Tsubasa runs in the streets of Barcelona to fight the pain and renews his hope on a hill looking over the city.

Tsubasa's last national junior high school soccer championship opens. Tsubasa's worried about Hyuga not playing for Toho school. Nankatsu plays their first game against a big guy, Jito's Hirado junior high. Jito charges at Tsubasa for power defense.

Dr. Stein permits Tsubasa to play half of the final game. Toho's Hyuga gives a challenge to his coach Kitazume. Hyuga and his teammates bow to apologize and Kitazume decides to use him as a starter. On the day of the final, Hyuga rushes out to the field, but Tsubasa is not there.

Tsubasa goes back to Spain to join F.C.Catalunya's camp. On the first day, Tsubasa challenges Rivaul to a one-on-one match and gets beaten completely. In Italy, F.C.Piemonte's physical coach, Mazzantini calls Hyuga a failure as a soccer player for his unbalanced body.

On the second day of F.C.Catalunya's camp, the coach sets up a training match. Tsubasa was knocked down by Rivaul the day before, but he gets to play Rivaul again behind two tops in B team. Tsubasa gets knocked down but he keeps challenging.

Hyuga plays Piemonte's opening match of the Italian league against A.C.Emilia as a starting member. The match kicks off and Hyuga cuts in Emilia's defense but defense makes him lose balance. However, he uses wit and lets the other forward, Franchesco, score the first goal for the team. The fans are happy about Hyuga's first assist but the referee blows a whistle.

The annual Nankatsu city soccer tournament opens. Tsubasa's Nankatsu elementary school practices hard and plays Wakabayashi's Syutetsu elementary school in the final. Nankatsu plays good defense and shuts out Syutetsu in the first half. Frustrated Wakabayashi makes a stunning long shot in the second half, and Syutetsu starts playing their game. Ishizaki goes out for an injury and Nankatsu almost loses the match. Then, a boy shows up at Nankatsu's bench...

Nankatsu lost their first game but won the rest, and plays the semi-final game against Musashi FC, led by a great player, Jun Misugi. Jun dominates the game but Musashi FC's assistant, Yayoi, is worried. When Tsubasa and Jun struggle for the ball, Tsubasa elbows Jun's chest and....

Tsubasa's shoulder condition worsens after the semi-final game against Furano, and his doctor tells him not to play in the final. Genzo visits him from his team, which happens to be staying in Japan for a training match. Genzo takes Tsubasa to his team doctor, Stein, who's famous in the field of sports medicine. Tsubasa also learns of the high level of Genzo's team. Tsubasa gets the diagnosis.

Japan plays the International Junior Youth's first match against Italy. Japan plays a tough match against Italy's goalkeeper, Hernandez and gives up a score. However, Taro goes in as a substitute and Japan ties by Taro and Tsubasa's combination play. Italy restructures defense under Hernandez' direction and time passes by with no score. At the last minute, Tsubasa's shot is blocked by Hernandez, but Hyuga rushes to the ball...

Hyuga goes to F.C. Piemonte's home stadium in Italy. He joins the players' individual practice before a camp, and declares he'll aim for the leading scorer. Willem of the Dutch national team stands in his way.

Nankatsu city forms a representative team for the boy's national soccer championship. While the players are not playing together as a team at the start of practice, a boy jumps in. He is Kojiro Hyuga, the captain of Saitama's best team, Meiwa FC. Hyuga shoots a powerful shot to test Genzo Wakabayashi's skill. Misaki, a former teammate of Hyuga, tells the team of Hyuga's aggressive personality and how good Meiwa FC is. Tsubasa and Nankatsu FC players get renewed spirits toward the championship.

Nankatsu and Syutetsu combo team, Nankatsu FC, plays their first regional match in Shizuoka. Kisugi, Izawa and Taki don't like Nankatsu players and don't pass them the ball. Genzo gets frustrated and orders them to pass to Tsubasa. They do it reluctantly at first, but as they exchange passes through Tsubasa, Nankatsu FC starts penetrating the defense easily. Nankatsu FC starts playing together and makes it to the final.

Tsubasa is shocked to find out about Jun's heart disease. Jun plays great, although holding his chest. Tsubasa, though, is so worried about Misugi that he can't play. Tsubasa agonizes but when he realizes that Jun expects him to play his best, he starts playing his game.

Tsubasa's Nankatsu junior high wins the national soccer championship two years in a row, and now they practice to win the third. Hyuga's Toho loses to Nankatsu two years in a row. Hyuga has a burning desire to beat Tsubasa, however the gap between Toho coach Kitazume's vision and Hyuga's is widening. That's when Hyuga's old coach Kira shows up.

Tsubasa scores a game tying shot at the end of the second half of the final game against Toho, but he passes out for his shoulder pain. He wakes up in a doctor's office, determined to play in overtime despite of the doctor's warning. Huega is stunned at Tsubasa's fighting spirit. Both teams play hard. The time is running out...

Katagiri visits Taro who has been living in Paris with his father since he left Nankatsu. Katagiri offers him to play for the Japan team, but Taro has concerns. Tsubasa goes to see him, and the duo reunites. Taro talks to Tsubasa about his concerns and decides to join the Japan team. Japan team with the Golden Duo enters the International Junior Youth Tournament's opening ceremony

The soccer cyborg, Santana, threw away everything else but soccer. But as he plays Tsubasa in the game, he loses his machine-like accuracy. Leo, who grew up with Santana, now sees the change in Santana and expects Tsubasa to melt Santana's cold heart. The game is in injury time, and it's the last play. Tsubasa and Santana rush to the loose ball.