I’m not someone who usually watches anime. But when the live-action film adaptation of Blue Lock was announced, I decided to check out the anime as preparation—and to my own surprise, I got completely hooked. In this column, I’ll share the elements that personally struck a chord with me.
A Fresh Death Game Setup That Leads to a Surprisingly Heartwarming Sports Story
The death-game aspect of Blue Lock is well known, but I went in without even knowing that. The opening “oni-gokko” (tag) sequence felt like a soccer battle royale—I was thrilled. The original creator, Kaneshiro Muneyuki, also wrote Kamisama no Iu Toori, so his skill at pushing characters to their limits is evident. After that, the first selection is a round-robin league among five teams, where players desperately try to survive alone, leading to utter chaos. Yet gradually, teams begin to form bonds, and the way characters build friendships and camaraderie is genuinely heartwarming. For a series that seemed so intense, finding this bedrock of classic sports spirit was a pleasant surprise.
Action Sequences Like a Battle Manga, and Stunning Physical Expression
Passes, dribbles, and shots aren’t just ordinary skills—they are visually depicted as if each player wields their own unique weapon or special ability. It feels like watching a hero or action series, making every moment compelling. What personally captivated me most, though, is the physical expression and dynamic movement of the characters. The muscles flexing as they kick the ball, the suppleness of their bodies—it is beautifully drawn and utterly mesmerizing.
Like a Shoujo Manga? The Protagonist Is Surrounded by Charismatic Rivals
Blue Lock has no romance, yet it somehow feels like a shoujo manga. Protagonist Isagi Yoichi appears to be popular: although he doesn’t stand out as a soccer player at first (he actually has a special talent), a team gradually forms around him—starting with Bachira Meguru, then Kunigami Rensuke, Chigiri Hyoma, and others. That alone might just make him a charismatic protagonist, but the real shoujo-like turn comes with Nagi Seishiro and Itoshi Rin. Nagi, inspired by Isagi, abandons his “perfect couple” partner Mikage Reo and goes to Isagi. Rin, who only plays soccer to defeat his brother Itoshi Sae, also chooses Isagi out of rivalry. This mirrors a scenario where a plain protagonist suddenly gets pursued by the top handsome guys in school. Rin’s lines—“You will stay closest to me and watch me become number one” and “You only look at me”—sound like obsessive possessiveness toward a loved one. It’s beyond just heart-fluttering; it’s lethal coolness.
The “tormented” characters are also fascinating. Reo, having lost his “treasure” Nagi, suffers immense damage and loss. Seeing him mope with lingering attachment makes you want to cheer for him. Then there’s Rin, whose obsession with Sae is on a completely uncontrollable level. Reo’s pain is cute compared to Rin’s—and later, it leads to something shocking.
Unexpected Horror Elements and One of Anime’s Scariest Characters
The second season arc “Blue Lock vs. U-20 Japan” is a life-or-death match: if the Blue Lock team loses, the project is terminated. This culmination of everything so far boasts top-tier animation and is a visual feast. But the biggest highlight is the brother rivalry between Sae and Rin. Here, Rin’s abnormal obsession with Sae and his inability to play solo (while everyone else unites) finally triggers a character collapse. His pupils dilate, his tongue lolls out with drool—the infamous “Bero Rin” is born. The direction from this point is terrifying, almost horror. It’s shocking to see a cool, handsome character break down so completely (some viewers reportedly quit being Rin fans after that scene). This unexpected plunge into horror is truly astonishing.
Incidentally, according to the official Blue Lock character book, Rin’s favorite movies are “horror in general, especially The Shining,” and his weekend activity is “playing horror games or watching horror movies.” The reason behind his love for horror is revealed in the novel Blue Lock – Before the Battle, We.—which is also a little sad (not detailed here).
Blue Lock and the 2026 World Cup
As mentioned, the characters’ moves resemble those of a battle action series. This season’s World Cup might actually feature some of them. As a former soccer player (striker, to be precise), many of the techniques in Blue Lock seemed unrealistic to me. But when I saw Kaoru Mitoma score a brilliant goal in an FA Cup match for Liverpool—strikingly similar to Nagi’s “two-step fake volley” from episode 20—I couldn’t stop shaking. A quick search reveals many other videos of players performing moves like Bachira’s dribbling or Rin’s direct-corner-shot technique. No matter how hard you train, you can never fire a Kamehameha, use breathing techniques, or expand a domain in reality. But with Blue Lock, you might actually see those dream moves recreated on the pitch—even at the World Cup.
Most importantly, even though it’s fiction, Blue Lock exists on the same continuum as the World Cup. At the point when the U-20 match ends, the story is still about teenage boys who haven’t yet faced the world. Yet it gives you the dream that Japan might one day win the World Cup.
(C)金城宗幸・ノ村優介・講談社／「ブルーロック」製作委員会
