Gathering their bearings after a disastrous World Cup loss in the past, the Japanese decided to build a system that would allow them to build the most powerful star player possible in true anime fashion. That's the essence of Blue Lock, a football/soccer-based anime series where some of Japan's best young players compete in an initiative solely for the best breeding.
It asks each player if they have the ability and most importantly, the ego, to make it out on top. The series features many talented players with skill sets that match some of the best players we've seen in real life. Here are 5 Blue Lock players who have similarities with real footballers.
5 Meguru Bachira – Neymar Jr
Bill paying skills
The Blue Locks may be a Japanese line-up of young players looking to be part of their country's national effort to win a future World Cup, but one of the most intriguing players has a Brazilian flair if ever there was one.
A player who loves the thrill of the game more than anyone else, Bachira dazzles the audience with his dancing feet that will be reminiscent of many accomplished Brazilians who have made a huge impact on the world stage. The most recent of which is Neymar Jr. Like Neymar, Bachira's height is on the average side, standing at 5'9”. Like Neymar, Bachira is adept at showing off his excellent dribbling skills and flair on the pitch and isn't afraid to flick the rainbow here and there.
His roulette and flicks and dyed
Blonde hair definitely puts off the image of a young Brazilian hotshot. His archetype of player is known as the dribbler, as he is the best thing like Neymar, his run to the ball is the most interesting part of his game.
4 Rin Itoshi – Robert Lewandowski
Skilled strikers
From Rin Itoshi's first introduction, both the audience and the other characters around him knew they were dealing with a very intense player and opponent for our heroes. A cold, hard, and above all, serious player who only cares about his efficiency as a striker. From the way he plays, a resemblance to one of the most brutally efficient players around, Robert Lewandowski.
Like Lewandowski, Rinne stands at 6'1”, a good height for a striker, especially considering the hold-up game and potential aerial duels. Rinne also feels as ridiculously dominant as Lewandowski, averaging two goals per game during the third qualifier.
Rin's player archetype has been described as a playmaker striker, further drawing parallels between the two. Rinne has vision and ball control that allows him to develop quality goal-scoring opportunities. And while Lewandowski is not defined by his ball control, it is an underrated part of his game. He may not be at the level of Messi, Ronaldo and Neymar in terms of dribbling skills in his prime, but he knew how to hold and control the ball in search of scoring opportunities, just like Rin Itoshi did. series.
3 Shoei Baro – Zlatan Ibrahimović
Big player big ego
If there was any player in world football with a larger-than-life personality and an even bigger ego, it was the dashing Swede Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The same can be said of Shoei Baro, a charmingly arrogant and domineering player who has captured the attention of everyone at Blue Lock since the beginning of the series.
Zlatan was quite the bombastic player, wholeheartedly believing in his own greatness (and having the skills to back it up) and often referring to himself as a Ferrari or a lion. Barrow is very similar in this regard, referring to himself as “The King” and treating the pitch as his glorious stage. Both men are strikers who stand at impressive heights, with Zlatan at 6'5″ and Baro at 6'2″, much taller than many of his fellow players.
Baro is a complete forward, as was Zlatan. He has an incredibly powerful shot, able to hit the ball like a rocket and send it flying like a bullet. He has great technical ability for someone of his size, a trait Zlatan was often praised for. And, of course, as a product of his size, he is able to use his superior physicality to threaten other players off the ball.
2 Hyoma Chigiri – Gareth Bale
Fast as lightning
With injury speed and past issues, there are many players who can compare Chigiri to football past and present. For this article, the most famous of these potential players has been chosen, who despite injuries was able to have a great career as one of the fastest and best players in the world – Gareth Bale.
The most obvious similarity between the two is their speed. Fans of Blue Lock will remember Chigiri's iconic scene in Season 1 where he leapt through the metaphorical chains with injuries tied around his ankles and carried an entire team of players with unstoppable speed. That kind of run was Gareth Bale's bread and butter, with plenty of clips of him on the internet, such as his iconic goal against Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final.
Viewers can get the satisfying feeling of seeing a pacey player take on multiple defenders with a heavy touch forward and bounding steps forward like an engine on the pitch, just as fans have for years watching Bale.
1 Yoichi Isagi – Filippo Inzaghi
looking for a place
This is a better comparison than any other on this list, considering the actual player in question is one who hasn't played the game in over a decade, retiring in 2012. But many fans on social media have pointed out. , Filippo Inzaghi is the player upon whom Blue Lock's main protagonist, Yoichi Izaghi, was based.
Both players are not the most entertaining strikers to watch, but they are strikers, however, both are doing the best of their ability, creating chances, scoring goals, and pushing their team to victory. Isagi's key skill, identified in the Blue Lock, is his ability to find space on the pitch and exploit it by either occupying it himself or picking the right time for the right team-mate to do the same. Similarly, Inzaghi's style of play was defined by opportunism, with his goals often coming from taking advantage of opposition mistakes and finding himself in a world of space to operate.
Isaghi's knack for finding the pocket and Inzaghi's ability to capitalize quickly leaving space make them both interesting players. It is no coincidence that their names are also very similar.
