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So the story behind why I decided to watch this show was an interesting one. At Matsuricon 2024 I got a chance to talk with one of the actors of the show, Kamen Casey, and I enjoyed the conversation with him so much I decided to marathon the show. Blue Lock is a soccer anime staring Yoichi Isagi. Isagi is one of 300 strikers that were selected for a training program called Blue Lock where the goal is to create the perfect striker to represent Japan; however, anyone cut from the program will never have an opportunity to represent Japan ever again.

At a glance it’s very easy to underestimate the complexity of the story. The goal is to create a perfect soccer striker but then you start to look at how they are going about it and that adds a lot of depth. Our characters are presented with various challenges where defeat is not an option. These various challenges have unique ways of pushing the characters to their very limits. In doing so they also teaching very specific skills that prove to be vital for their budding soccer careers. A lot of the reasons behind the challenges involve story spoilers. One I can go into is where our characters eventually get a chance to play a game where their skills are tested against the best in the world. This was meant to show them the pinnacle of what they are trying to achieve and motivate them to push beyond their current mental and physical abilities. Each test is so targeted that once the story reveals the purpose of the test I ended up marveling at the ingenuity.

The players themselves are also all very exciting with a unique take on character development. I first want to note how well the show balances time with such a vast character roster. While Isagi is the main character there’s a lot of attention given to a majority of the cast. Many of them are given stand out personalities and back stories that show their motivations. Where this show deviates from conventional anime troupes is how it’s clearly not a winning by the power of friendship kind of anime. Only one can make it to the top and while they have to play as a team there is a constant reminder that the top spot has no room for friends. Only the person with the strongest ego will make it. The story often requires the characters to work together but who they work with fluctuates with each challenge. An enemy in one challenge could be an ally in the next. As we see so many characters grow we also end up having to say goodbye to so many of them and there’s not a shred of remorse. Isagi pushes past them sometimes even being the reason why his teammates turned adversaries lost their dreams in the first place. This change in the mindset of the main character’s motivation compared to most anime I’ve watched is something that I really enjoyed watching because it was a refreshing change of pace.

I also really like Isagi as a character because he’s clearly not overpowering his opponents. Time and time again he’s faced with insurmountable adversaries that can outdo all of his physical abilities. As Isagi grows he develops a clear understanding of what his real talents are and how to use them. He soon realizes his talents involve his ability to assess and react to the ever changing dynamic of the soccer game. As he grows he is tested in situations that address whatever happens to be his greatest weakness at his current level. Whether that’s his ignorance to his skill, dependency on his team, or how to keep control of the game, Isagi is a puzzle that he is constantly undoing and putting back together to craft the ideal soccer player and every time he goes through this process the situations are different everytime making each one an entertaining moment of growth.

The soccer games themselves are also very entertaining as each character has their own skills and gets plenty of time to shine on the court. Whether it’s a long range shot, ball control or speed the games make great use of the individual characters and their differences to create fun action packed games that often come down to the wire.

Overall Blue Lock is a show that really took me by surprise as it has a depth of complexity that far surpassed anything I expected. Every situation our characters face test a very key skill needed if they are truly going to be the best of the best. These tests are both mental and physical as they push the characters to show their real ego to take the top spot even if it means ruining the dreams of someone who previously helped you to advance to the next stage of Blue Lock. This show, much like the player Blue Lock hopes to create, is well executed in it’s story, characters and action making an experience I plan to continue as soon as season two drops.