# Tsugi no Ashiato

Tsugi no Ashiato (次の足跡, "The Next Footsteps") is the third studio album by Japanese idol girl group AKB48. It is the second AKB48 double-album, and was released in Japan on January 22, 2014 by King Records. It debuted at number one in the weekly Oricon Albums Chart, selling over 960,000 copies. On February 6, the album became AKB48's second successive album to sell over one million copies.

## Promotion and release

On 24 November 2013, it was announced that AKB48 would release their 5th studio album, their first in over a year. It was revealed that the album would have 25 songs, including songs such as Manatsu no Sounds Good! and Koisuru Fortune Cookie from their previous singles. The album title, cover and tracks were subsequently reviewed on 21 December 2013. It was also announced that 15 of the tracks were written for this album, and that many of the songs were sung by different units within AKB48. This album is marketed under the catchphrase Our footprints are ahead of us.
The album was released in Japan on January 22, 2014 under King Records in Japan, in several editions: Type A limited, Type A regular, Type B, and Theater. The albums consist of 2 CDs. The Type A limited contains a bonus DVD. The Theater edition is only sold at the AKB48 theater and only contains the first CD.
The first CD (CD1) includes seven of AKB48's singles that were released in 2012–2013, from "Manatsu no Sounds Good!" to "Koi Suru Fortune Cookie". It includes original songs performed by Team Kenkyusei, as well as songs that were B-sides of singles. The second CD (CD2) has different track lists for Type A and Type B. It contains more B-side singles as well as original songs by AKB48 members. The limited edition has a DVD which shows a short documentary of the group members at a concert.
The seven singles and their B-sides were also sung by and with famous members, currently graduated from AKB48 Tomomi Itano, Mariko Shinoda, Sayaka Akimoto, Tomomi Kasai or Atsuko Maeda. Therefore, these members are not credited in the album.

## Track listing

All songs performed by the AKB48 title track singers except as listed below.

## Personnel

After rain
* Team A : Minami Takahashi, Yui Yokoyama, Mayu Watanabe
* Team K : Yuko Oshima, Rie Kitahara
* Team B : Yuki Kashiwagi, Haruna Kojima, Haruka Shimazaki
* Team 4 : Minami Minegishi
* SKE48 Team S / AKB48 Team K : Jurina Matsui
* SKE48 Team S : Anna Ishida
* NMB48 Team N / AKB48 Team B : Miyuki Watanabe
* NMB48 Team N : Riho Kotani
* HKT48 Team H : Aika Ota, Rino Sashihara
* JKT48 Team J / AKB48 Team B : Aki Takajo
* JKT48 Team J : Haruka Nakagawa
* SNH48 Team SII / AKB48 Team A : Mariya Suzuki
* SNH48 Team SII : Sae Miyazawa
* Graduated Members (not credited) : Tomomi Itano, Mariko Shinoda
Boy Hunt no Houhou Oshiemasu (Centers: Haruka Shimazaki and Rino Sashihara)
* Team B: Haruka Shimazaki
* SKE48 Team S: Yuria Kizaki
* NMB48 Team: M: Fuuko Yagura
* HKT48 Team H: Rino Sashihara
JJ ni Kitaramono (Centers: Minami Takahashi and Asuka Kuramochi)
* Team A: Minami Takahashi
* Team K: Rie Kitahara, Asuka Kuramochi
* SKE48 Team KII: Akane Takayanagi
* NMB48 Team M / SKE48 Team KII: Nana Yamada
Shower no Ato Dakara (Center: Haruna Kojima
* Team B: Yuki Kashiwagi, Haruna Kojima
* SKE48 Team E: Rena Matsui
10 Krone to Pan (Center: Sayaka Yamamoto)
* Team A: Yui Yokoyama
* Team B: Reina Fujie
* HKT48 Team H / AKB48 Team K: Haruka Kodama
* SKE48 Team E: Nao Furuhata
* NMB48 Team N / AKB48 Team K: Sayaka Yamamoto
Kakushin ga Moterumono (Center: Mayu Watanabe)
* Team A: Rina Izuta, Anna Iriyama, Karen Iwata, Ryoka Oshima, Rina Kawaei, Ayaka Kikuchi, Haruka Kodama, Marina Kobayashi, Yukari Sasaki, Sumire Sato, Mariya Suzuki, Juri Takahashi, Minami Takahashi, Yūka Tano, Sakiko Matsui, Ayaka Morikawa, Fuuko Yagura, Yui Yokoyama, Mayu Watanabe
Tsuyosa to Yowasa no Aida de (Center: Sayaka Akimoto)
* Team K : Yuko Oshima, Kana Kobayashi
* Team B : Ayaka Umeda
* SNH48 Team SII: Sae Miyazawa
* Graduated Members (not credited) : Sayaka Akimoto, Megumi Ohori, Tomomi Kasai, Kayo Noro, Yuka Masuda, Natsumi Matsubara
Note = This song commemorated Sayaka Akimoto's graduation from AKB48 in August 2013
Smile Kamikakushi
* Artist: Tentoumu Chu! (てんとうむChu！)
* Team 4: Nana Okada, Mako Kojima, Miki Nishino
* SKE48 Kenkyuusei : Ryoha Kitagawa
* NMB48 Kenkyuusei : Nagisa Shibuya
* HKT48 Kenkyuusei : Meru Tashima, Mio Tomonaga
Ponkotsu Blues
* Team A : Anna Iriyama, Rina Kawaei, Juri Takahashi
* Team K : Maria Abe, Haruka Shimada, Mariya Nagao
* Team B : Rena Kato, Haruka Shimazaki, Miyu Takeuchi, Suzuran Yamauchi
* AKB48 Team B / SKE48 Team KII: Mina Oba
* AKB48 Team B / NMB48 Team N: Miori Ichikawa
* SKE48 Team S / AKB48 Team K : Jurina Matsui
* SKE48 Team S : Yuria Kizaki
* SKE48 Team E : Kanon Kimoto
* HKT48 Team H : Anna Murashige
Ichi Ni No San
* Team K: Yuko Oshima, Mariya Nagao
* Team 4: Minami Minegishi
* SKE48 Team KII: Airi Furukawa
* JKT48 Team J: Aki Takajo
Kyōhansha
* Team K: Maria Abe, Mayumi Uchida, Yuko Oshima, Rie Kitahara, Asuka Kuramochi, Kana Kobayashi, Amina Sato, Haruka Shimada, Shihori Suzuki, Rina Chikano, Chisato Nakata, Mariya Nagao, Rena Nozawa, Rina Hirata, Nana Fujita, Nao Furuhata, Ami Maeda, Miho Miyazaki, Tomu Muto
* SKE48 Team S / AKB48 Team K: Jurina Matsui
Dōki'
* Team B: Haruka Shimazaki
Kanashiki Kinkyori Renai
* Team B: Haruka Ishida, Miori Ichikawa, Misaki Iwasa, Ayaka Umeda, Mina Oba, Miyuu Omori, Shizuka Ōya, Yuki Kashiwagi, Haruka Katayama, Rena Kato, Natsuki Kojima, Haruna Kojima, Haruka Shimazaki, Aki Takajo, Miyu Takeuchi, Miku Tanabe, Mariko Nakamura, Wakana Natori, Misato Nonaka, Reina Fujie, Suzuran Yamauchi, Miyuki Watanabe
Chireba Ii no ni...
* Kenkyuusei: Manami Ichikawa, Rio Ōkawa, Nana Owada, Haruka Komiyama, Kiara Sato, Makiho Tatsuya, Seina Fukuoka, Mion Mukaichi, Ami Yumoto

## Release history

| Date | Version | Catalog | Format | Label |
| January 22, 2014 | Type-A | First Press Limited Edition (KIZC-90240~2) | 2CD+DVD | King Records |
| January 22, 2014 | Type-A | Regular Edition (KICS-3014～5) | 2CD | King Records |
| January 22, 2014 | Type-B | (KICS-3016～7) | 2CD | King Records |
| January 22, 2014 | Theater | (NKCD-6655) | CD | King Records |

## Charts

| Chart | Peak position | Sales (copies) |
| Oricon Weekly Chart | 1 | 961,531 |
| Oricon Year-end Chart | 1 | 1,041,355 |
| Taiwan(G-Music) | 13 | |

### Certifications

| Certification | Sales (copies) |
| RIAJ physical shipping certification | Million |

## Release history

| Region | Date | Format | Label |
| Japan | January 22, 2014 | CDdigital downloadstreaming | King Records (YOU BE COOL division) |
| Hong Kong, Taiwan | January 22, 2014 | CDdigital downloadstreaming | King Records |
| Philippines | November 6, 2015 | CD (limited release)digital downloadstreaming | PolyEast Records (Galaxy division)King |
| South Korea | July 27, 2018 | digital downloadstreaming | Stone Music EntertainmentGenie MusicKing |