Osaka Bluteon

Osaka Bluteon (大阪ブルテオン, Ōsaka Buruteon) is a men's volleyball team based in Hirakata City, Osaka, Japan. It plays in SV.League. The club was founded in 1951.^[1] It is owned by the Panasonic Corporation.

Osaka Bluteon

Founded	1951
Ground	Panasonic Arena (Capacity: 2,500)
Head Coach	Tuomas Sammelvuo
Captain	Akihiro Yamauchi
League	SV.League
2024–25	3rd place
Website	Club home page

History

Osaka Bluteon was established as a volleyball club for Matsushita Electric Industrial (now Panasonic) in 1951 and from 1992 to 2024 was known as the Panasonic Panthers.^[2]

The club would become one of the participating teams of the inaugural 2024–25 season of the SV.League. It adopted its current name and branding in June 2024 ahead of their participation in the new league.^[3]

Names

• Panasonic Panthers (1992–2024)
• Osaka Bluteon (2024–)

Team

Current roster

updated : 7 June 2025^[4]

Team roster – season 2025/26
No.	Player name	Date of birth	Position
1	Kunihiro Shimizu	(1986-08-11) August 11, 1986 (age 38)	Opposite
3	Shunsuke Nakamura	(1999-03-07) March 7, 1999 (age 26)	Setter
4	Kotaro Kaneta	(2002-06-14) June 14, 2002 (age 23)	Middle Blocker
5	Shoma Tomita	(1997-06-20) June 20, 1997 (age 28)	Outside Hitter
6	Antoine Brizard	(1994-05-22) May 22, 1994 (age 31)	Setter[5]
8	Kenyu Nakamoto	(1997-11-21) November 21, 1997 (age 27)	Outside Hitter
10	Akihiro Yamauchi (c)	(1993-11-30) November 30, 1993 (age 31)	Middle Blocker
11	Yuji Nishida	(2000-01-30) January 30, 2000 (age 25)	Opposite
13	Tomohiro Yamamoto	(1994-11-05) November 5, 1994 (age 30)	Libero
16	Kotaro Ikeshiro	(2001-11-15) November 15, 2001 (age 23)	Libero
18	Hiroto Nishiyama	(2003-03-04) March 4, 2003 (age 22)	Outside Hitter
19	Keitaro Nishikawa	(2000-04-14) April 14, 2000 (age 25)	Middle Blocker
23	Larry Evbade-Dan	(2000-08-18) August 18, 2000 (age 24)	Middle Blocker
81	Miguel Ángel López	(1997-03-25) March 25, 1997 (age 28)	Outside Hitter
Head coach: Tuomas Sammelvuo[6]

Former roster

Team roster – season 2023/2024
No.	Player name	Date of birth	Position
1	Kunihiro Shimizu	(1986-08-11) August 11, 1986 (age 38)	Opposite
2	Hideomi Fukatsu	(1990-06-01) June 1, 1990 (age 35)	Setter
3	Shunsuke Nakamura	(1999-03-07) March 7, 1999 (age 26)	Setter
6	Thomas Jaeschke	(1993-09-04) September 4, 1993 (age 31)	Outside Hitter
7	Yuga Tarumi	(2000-11-02) November 2, 2000 (age 24)	Outside Hitter
8	Kenyu Nakamoto	(1997-11-21) November 21, 1997 (age 27)	Outside Hitter
10	Akihiro Yamauchi (c)	(1993-11-30) November 30, 1993 (age 31)	Middle Blocker
11	Yuji Nishida	(2000-01-30) January 30, 2000 (age 25)	Opposite
12	Tomotake Ito	(1999-11-11) November 11, 1999 (age 25)	Libero
13	Tomohiro Yamamoto	(1994-11-05) November 5, 1994 (age 30)	Libero
15	Tatsunori Otsuka	(2000-11-05) November 5, 2000 (age 24)	Outside Hitter
17	Takeshi Nagano	(1985-07-11) July 11, 1985 (age 40)	Libero
18	Hiroto Nishiyama	(2003-03-04) March 4, 2003 (age 22)	Outside Hitter
19	Keitaro Nishikawa	(2000-04-14) April 14, 2000 (age 25)	Middle Blocker
20	Takahiro Shin [ja]	(1991-08-10) August 10, 1991 (age 33)	Setter
21	Yasunari Kodama	(1994-07-24) July 24, 1994 (age 31)	Middle Blocker
22	Yuichiro Komiya	(1992-11-16) November 16, 1992 (age 32)	Middle Blocker
23	Larry Evbade-Dan	(2000-08-18) August 18, 2000 (age 24)	Middle Blocker
Head coach: Laurent Tillie

Honours

Japan Volleyball League/V.League/V.Premier League

• Champions (×6): 1971–72, 2007–08, 2009–10, 2011–12, 2013–14, 2018–19
• Runners-up (×7): 1967–68, 1968–69, 1969–70, 1970–71, 1972–73, 2012–13, 2019–20, 2020–21, 2023–24
• Third place (×1) :2022-23

Kurowashiki All Japan Volleyball Tournament

• Champions (×9): 1964, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1973, 1981, 1998, 2009, 2014
• Runners-up (×1): 2024^[7]

Emperor's Cup

• Champions (×3): 2011, 2012, 2023^[8]
• Runner-up (×1): 2008

Asian Men's Club Volleyball Championship

• Runner-up (×1): 2019
• Third place (×1) : 2010

Notable players

 Japan

• Takahiro Yamamoto (2001–2013)
• Tatsuya Fukuzawa (2008–2014 and 2016–2019)
• Kunihiro Shimizu (2008–present)
• Akihiro Yamauchi (2016–present)
• Yuji Nishida (2023–present)

 Brazil

• Nalbert Bitencourt (2002–2004)
• Luiz Felipe Fonteles (2007–2008)
• Dante Amaral(2013–2014 and 2015–2016)
• Thiago Alves (2011–2012 and 2014–2015)

 France

• Antoine Brizard (2025–)

 Poland

• Michał Kubiak (2016–2023)

 Cuba

• Miguel Ángel López (2024–present)

 United States

• Thomas Jaeschke (2023–2025)

League results

  Champion    Runner-up

League		Position	Teams	Matches	Win	Lose
V.League	1st (1994–95)	7th	8	21	10	11
	2nd (1995–96)	6th	8	21	10	11
	3rd (1996–97)	5th	8	21	10	11
	4th (1997–98)	3rd	8	21	14	7
	5th (1998–99)	4th	10	18	17	1
	6th (1999-00)	6th	10	18	9	9
	7th (2000–01)	6th	10	18	9	9
	8th (2001–02)	6th	10	18	9	9
	9th (2002–03)	3rd	8	21	13	8
	10th (2003–04)	3rd	8	21	12	9
	11th (2004–05)	4th	8	28	15	13
	12th (2005–06)	5th	8	28	16	12
V・Premier	2006–07	3rd	8	28	17	11
	2007–08	Champion	8	28	19	9
	2008–09	3rd	8	28	15	13
	2009–10	Champion	8	28	20	4
	2010–11	4th	8	24	14	10
	2011–12	Champion	8	21	17	4
	2012–13	Runner-Up	8	28	20	8
	2013–14	Champion	8	28	21	7
	2014–15	6th	8	21	13	8
	2015–16	Runner-up	8	30	16	14
	2016–17	5th	8	26	15	11
	2017–18	Champion	8	28	23	5
V.League Division 1
	2018–19	Champion	10	34	28	6
	2019–20	Runner-up	10	28	24	4
	2020–21	Runner-up	10	41	33	8
	2021–22	3rd	10	36	25	11
	2022–23	3rd	10	39	25	14
	2023–24	Runner-up	10	38	33	5
SV.League	2024–25	3rd	10	46	37	9