This is it. This is the one you've been waiting for. When adidas launched the Predator 20+ Tormentor last week with a design inspired by the 2002 "Japan Blue" Predator Mania, all it did was, well, make us want a re-make of the 2002 "Japan Blue" Predator Mania and now we've got it in all its red tongued, rubber finned glory.
Dropping as the latest limited re-make from the Predator Mania series, and following on from the red Mania in December 2019, the "Japan Blue" edition is a modernised version of the boot worn by adidas-contracted Japan players at the 2002 World Cup which they co-hosted with South Korea – a boot that had an added desirability factor due to its rarity in Europe. The Three Stripes have been teasing us with their archive offerings throughout 2019, as part of their 25th anniversary of the Predator celebrations, but the party hasn't stopped yet as more Mania magic arrives for the first time in 2020.
Re-releasing the most loved Predator of all time is a pretty route one way to guarantee success, but adidas have nailed this. After releasing the "Tormentor" colour update on the Predator 20+ last week, adidas have followed it up and wrapped up the "Tormentor Pack" with a trip back to the original. That tongue, those swerved rubber fin elements. If you know, you know. For a younger generation this will all be shiny and new, but for anyone kicking a ball around in 2002, the Mania will forever heralded as one of the best Predators of all time. If it ain't the best, then it's 100% top 3.
While this isn't the first Predator Mania re-make we've seen, it is the first since the introduction of the Predator 20+ Mutator and therefore is the first re-make to feature the new Predator 20 soleplate and heel construction, which injects a more aggressive stance into the aesthetic of the boot. The "Japan Blue" Mania had an aura of exclusivity about it 18 years ago with it only dropping in the Far East, and it'll have that exclusive factor around it again this time as adidas have only released a limited number of pairs.
Below: Japan Captain Tsuneyasu Miyamoto wearing the original "Japan Blue" Predator Mania as he celebrates a 2-0 win over Tunisia to reach the last 16 of the 2002 World Cup.
Pick up the adidas Predator Mania Tormentor football boots at prodirectsoccer.com
