FEATURE: 11 Players, 1 Goal — How BLUELOCK's Cast of Antiheroes is its Greatest Strength

 

NOTE: The following article contains spoilers for BLUELOCK up to Episode 7.

 

Throughout the history of storytelling one constant has remained largely intact: there are heroes and villains with diametrically opposed values and intentions whose conflict drives the narrative forward.

 

As sentiments shifted and evolved, areas of gray began to form. Character actions that appeared altruistic at first glance would become muddied by less-than-virtuous motivations. Sometimes the divide is so unclear you’re left asking yourself: what is a hero, anyway?

 

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In the case of the cerebral shonen sensation, BLUELOCK, all bets are off. You might see a temporary display of good sportsmanship here and there, but you’re equally as likely to watch some sadistic behavior unfold. And you know what? It makes for pretty damn good storytelling.

 

BLUELOCK centers around a scandalous initiative put in place by the Japanese government that encourages 300 young soccer players to become self-centered egoists in order to maximize their potential as strikers. One will emerge as a demon-like prodigy while the rest will be forbidden from ever joining the national team.

 

 

Those brave enough to accept the challenge are placed in dormitories within Blue Lock alongside similarly ranked players, working collaboratively to defeat other teams while still pursuing the same singular goal. This premise creates a compelling dynamic, wherein partnerships will last only as long as they are convenient and profitable. Any potential amity or camaraderie will be terminated the moment one’s own position is in jeopardy. Double-crossing is inevitable, and trying to convince eleven players hardwired toward the same playstyle to work in tandem is a tall order.

 

Of course, some of the Blue Lock denizens are less nefarious than others. The lead character, Yoichi Isagi, is communicative with the other members of Team Z, working hard to better understand their talents. He tries to build a good rapport, encouraging reserved teammates like Hyoma Chigiri to believe in themselves.

 

 

That being said, his evolution as a striker directly embraces the principles of Blue Lock; in order to succeed, he must shed his instincts to be a team player unless it will ultimately lead to him taking the final shot. In his mind, his previous failures as an athlete were directly caused by a lack of killer instinct.

 

Now, he must kill or be killed. In a soccer sense, of course. It’s much less violent... unless your name is Jingo Raichi, who may very well murder everyone.

 

 

Surrounding Isagi is a group of players who act simultaneously as comrade and foe. In these early stages of BLUELOCK we are still getting to better understand who they are, both on and off the field. Rensuke Kunigami appears levelheaded and rational, a stabilizing force for the fledgling squad. Okuhito Iemon seems to put his own agenda aside for the greater good, settling for the unnatural goalie position in absence of a better alternative. Meguru Bachira is a wildcard who has no concept of personal boundaries whatsoever.

 

While they are working in tandem this all looks promising. There’s more to each of them bubbling below the surface, however, and their tenuous bond will most certainly come crashing down before long. What makes it so great is that you’re never quite sure who will suddenly revert to pure villainy, and when. Further, because their aspirations are no less noble than Isagi himself, it’s really up to the viewer to establish who is actually the antagonist.

 

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For example, the de facto captain of Team Z, Wataru Kuon, had all the makings of a mentor figure. He was a soft-spoken strategist, running the team meetings and desperately attempting to bring harmony to the madness. Then, in a critical matchup against a higher-ranked opponent, he sells his friends out by divulging Team Z’s tactics in exchange for being allowed to score a hat trick, which is when a player scores three goals in the same match. Kuon's reasoning is that Team Z lacks the talent to survive the knockout stage, but if he is the team’s leading goal scorer, he will safely continue his soccer journey.

 

Right from the offset, we can see that this is selfish corruption — Kuon, you swine! We trusted you! — and yet, it is well within the rules of Blue Lock and, in fact, could be seen as an act of tactical brilliance.

 

 

For this shrewd decision, Kuon is not only estranged from Team Z but later derided when he attempts to repeat the process with the next opponent. Whatever line exists in this competition he has crossed it. Did he have this kind of wickedness within him right from the start, or has the pressure created a new monster — one who lost himself to his ambition?

 

 

Stepping back from the optics, here we have a character who was encouraged to selfishly put himself first becoming a pariah for thinking outside the box. It’s a bit unfair, but as viewers, we understand that he’s a villain.

 

RELATED: BLUELOCK Episode 1 Puts the 'I' in Team and I Love It

 

Though Kuon might be bad news, he may not actually be that much worse than anyone else striving for success in Blue Lock. Is Yoichi Isagi a hero since he’s the main character? It’s easy to anoint him as such, especially when compared to the machiavellian methods of Kuon, but he is not exactly innocent, either.

 

During the knockout stage his personality has shifted wildly whenever the stakes have been against him. We’ve seen him become treacherous, vindictive and even violent, summoning a monstrous motivation focused only on scoring. In some cases, it has meant the difference between winning and losing. Such duality makes him a compelling character as it meshes the standard qualities typical of a sports anime protagonist — hardworking, reserved, likable — and adds a layer of uncertainty to it. Conventional wisdom indicates that, as the story progresses, he will harness this internal beast without losing his soul, but you can’t exactly be sure. This is a subversive anime in every sense of the word; so much was made clear in the very first episode when Isagi’s dark side was revealed in his ruthless elimination of poor Ryosuke Kira.

 

 

The set-up of their dynamic had been treading familiar ground, lulling us into a false sense of security. It felt safe and conventional. They were going to learn and grow together, harnessing the power of friendship, right? Wrong! Isagi swiftly ended the man’s whole career, terminating the presumed deuteragonist from contention. I didn’t see that betrayal coming. Neither did Kira, literally or figuratively, as Isagi wondered why he was so excited about what he’d just done.

 

This formula of ephemeral cooperation makes each episode of BLUELOCK downright unmissable. Survival in this brutal atmosphere is only guaranteed by individual success so who is going to be the next one to show their true colors? If it’s Isagi himself, will we view him in the same negative context as Kuon? How much moral rope does an MC deserve, exactly? It’s expected that teammates will bump heads throughout a sports anime, but when the consequence for failure is eternal elimination from the sport itself it carries a certain weight, flipping the beautiful game completely on its head.

 

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It’s a fascinating insight into the psychology and pressure behind sports — even in the real world. We celebrate swagger when it works, never really questioning what’s going on underneath it all or wondering when the line between competition and conflict is blurred. I’m certainly watching soccer with a more analytical view from this point forth.

 

If you want to unlock that egoist spirit yourself, make sure to check out BLUELOCK and brush up on the fine art of aggression. It’s currently airing right here on Crunchyroll and yes, it is absolutely amazing. That’s what my bro says!

 

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