#bachira meguru meta

[fyeahbachisagi]

On Bachira’s Rankings

Warning: This post will contain a lot of manga spoilers!

Season 1 of the anime just finished. I reread a few chapters of the manga starting from where it ended, and I noticed something strange…

How on earth did Bachira rank #7 after the Third Selection?

Like, I know he’s amazing, but considering how the ranking was determined…

... Bachira's rank may be less of an indication of how amazing he is and more of a deliberate narrative choice by the author.

The panel above is of Ego answering Yukki’s question about the difference between him and #1. Essentially, the standard used to determine the Top 6. Let’s extend that standard to the lower ranks.

The ranks are determined by:

Goals scored since First Selection

World Five's personal judgment

Ego's judgment

Just on that first factor, you really have to wonder how Bachira ranks higher than Barou, one of the top scorers in their First Selection wing. Throughout the entire First Selection, Bachira scored only one goal, and that was in the match against Team V.

In the Second Selection, Bachira only participated in two matches: the 3v3 with Isagi and Nagi against the Top 3, and the 4v4 when Isagi came to steal him back.

In the Second Selection, Bachira also only scored one goal, and that was even with Rin manipulating him:

Bachira had an awesome awakening arc, but he didn't score a goal then because of Isagi blocking it, so it doesn't count.

In the Third Selection, only Rin scored in their team

So, the First, Second, and Third Selections combined, Bachira only scored two goals.

Not really indicative of a striker, don't you think?

Bachira’s #7 rank could only be largely because of those second and third factors. Considering the importance Ego places on scoring your own goals, I’m inclined to think that it’s more of the former: the World Five’s assessment of him.

Specifically, Pablo Cavasoz’s assessment of Bachira.

Pablo’s first words to Bachira were of praise:

Bachira even got past him on his first try. Granted, Pablo was still underestimating them here; he just got caught off guard.

Then, his second words were of criticism:

The scene above was not included in the anime, by the way.

This seems to be the only time in the match where a World Five player criticizes a bluelocker without being condescending about it.

It may be that Pablo is just nice, but compare it to the criticism that Isagi and Rin received:

It’s not so obvious with Loki, but I personally find being asked if my move is okay to be mildly insulting.

And unlike Loki’s criticism of Isagi and Luna’s criticism of Rin, Pablo’s criticism of Bachira is actually constructive. He first points out what Bachira is doing right (“Your rhythm is dynamic”) before pointing out what he’s doing wrong (“but you don’t have enough patterns”).

Overall, Pablo seems to have a good impression of Bachira, and he must’ve said a lot of good things about him to Ego.

As for Ego’s judgment of Bachira… I’m not really sure what he thinks. As I said, Bachira had scored only two goals. Most of the time, he played more like a midfielder than a striker. If there’s one thing that could make Ego think highly of Bachira, then it’s probably Bachira’s ability to go through the enemy’s entire defense all by himself. He exhibited this in the Team V match as well as in the 4v4 match.

Now, with the post-Third-Selection ranking out of the way, let’s talk about how Bachira is ranked in other times…

Bachira’s rank has always been “high, but not too high”

At the beginning, Bachira is ranked #290, the highest in Team Z, second only to Kira, who was then eliminated.

At chapter 24 of the manga, Bachira’s rank was #270.

This was before the match against Team V, and Bachira hasn’t scored a goal yet, so of course he is ranked lower than those who have scored more goals. Rankings then were determined solely on number of goals. At this point in the story, Bachira was also still just playing with the monster and hasn’t awakened his own ego yet.

After the Second Selection’s First Stage, Bachira was ranked #16, placed right after Isagi.

Now, this is sus. How could Bachira finish faster than Chigiri?

If you remember, after Isagi entered the First Stage, the rest of Team Z decided the order through rock, paper, scissors.

Chigiri went in first, followed by Bachira. And you’re telling me that Chigiri, known for his speed and who was definitely more egoistic than Bachira at this time, actually finished later than Bachira despite having the early-start advantage?

It could only be because the author is deliberately choosing their ranks for the narrative and not basing it on their actual skills.

I mean, at chapter 58, Chigiri is shown to be ranked #44.

And in the Neo Egoist League arc, we are shown the significance of this number 44 to Chigiri.

Now, in the NEL arc, we have two ranks for Bachira so far. In chapter 170, he was ranked second, placed right after Rin. Not everyone has played in a match yet, but I still think this rank is quite impressive. He ranked higher than Shidou, the former #2.

Then in Chapter 204, he was ranked #3. If I remember correctly, Rin’s team hadn’t played a second match yet, so the rankings aren’t that accurate, but I still think it’s impressive. Bachira scored a goal in Ubers, a team known for their defense. If it weren’t for Nagi’s “miracle” goal, he could’ve maintained second place.

Conclusion

Apart from the rank #270 in the First Selection and the #16 in the Second Selection, Bachira has always ranked higher than Isagi. In both aforementioned cases, Bachira’s state was still that of being satisfied in just getting to play with Isagi. His ego hadn’t awakened yet, so it’s only natural that his performance suffers.

However, after his awakening, he has consistently ranked higher than Isagi. Somehow, I don’t see anyone talking about this. Bachira is often overlooked by the readers and also by the characters in-universe.

Even Isagi, the person who believes in Bachira the most, doesn’t really think of him as a threat:

He honestly thought that he and Bachira were about the same level.

And he was so surprised of Bachira’s level-up in Chapter 160:

“You just keep going past my expectations.” So to say, Isagi’s expectations of Bachira were actually lower. (I know Isagi doesn’t actually look down on Bachira, but just looking at it objectively, he really does not think of Bachira as a threat.)

And it’s not just Isagi who’s like this, but other characters as well.

Raichi couldn’t believe it:

And so did Igaguri:

Both Raichi and Igaguri are a terrible judge of skill, though. Raichi thinks Kaiser’s success was just because of Bastard Munchen’s system. And Igaguri didn’t even know Shidou was so amazing despite being on the same team with him during the Second Selection. So, whether their opinions count or not is up to you.

There’s also this line by Chigiri in the 4v4 match:

Chigiri thinks everyone else is slow, though, so again, not much weight in those words.

But it’s interesting to note that Isagi, Chigiri, Raichi, and Igaguri were in the same team as Bachira during the First Selection, yet they all don’t take Bachira that seriously.

It probably won’t be that long before they, especially Isagi, actually start seeing him as a threat.

Above is a panel of Isagi’s reaction to Bachira’s offer in the NEL arc in c204.

And remember what I said about their rankings being a deliberate narrative choice instead of an actual indication of their skill? What do you think the author is trying to say with Bachira’s rankings?

Before, I thought it was to set up Bachira as Isagi’s final boss, the last player Isagi has to devour before he can truly be the #1 striker. But now I think it could also be to set up Bachira as Isagi’s right-hand man. Not as a servant like how Ness is to Kaiser and how Reo is to Nagi, but as a partner who can fight side-by-side with Isagi.

Thoughts?

[miyamiwu]

I have some unpopular opinions. Sorry that they're long and became a bit ranty.

I like Igaguri and the Wanima brothers.

I wish Reo got more meaningful interactions with characters besides Nagi, it feels like atm he has no friends outside of Nagi (RIP Zantetsu, Chigiri is Nagi's friend but hasn't been shown as being more than "friend of a friend" with Reo). He's one of the best-written characters (especially whenever Nagi isn't in the scene), it's sad how he's so often reduced by some fans to just being a Nagi simp whose entire world revolves around Nagi and who will die if Nagi spends even a millisecond breathing the same air as Isagi.

Nagi and Chigiri's friendship is underrated and I wish we got to see more of it. It's just a genuine normal friendship, Chigiri is Nagi's first normal friend with no strings attached, they just became friends by fooling around. They even continue hanging out (with Bachira too) after Isagi leaves to see Tada-chan despite Nagi saying he was going to leave too.

Rin-Isagi is the most boring of all the rivalries in the series. Their personalities, designs and playstyles don't clash enough for what is seemingly set up as being the story's main rivalry. It also doesn't help how one-sided it is for most of the story and we don't get to see any of it after Rin acknowledges Isagi as a rival. They feel too similar atm, so it comes across more as a minor rivalry (like Niko-Isagi) instead of a major one (Kaiser-Isagi, Shidou-Rin).

Speaking of Rin rivalries, Rin-Bachira could have been a great one. Bachira needs a proper rival, he's pretty friendly with most of the relevant cast and outside of Isagi, none of his relationships with the rest of the cast really stand out except for him being a bit passive-aggressive with Rin and Shidou. He has a lot of personality, design and playstyle clashes with Rin that it would have been fun to watch/read. A bit of a wasted opportunity.

Hey @08theverysmallhuman here’s a fellow Igaguri fan. As for the Wanima brothers, I don’t really have much of an opinion on them. We haven’t seen big bro in a while.

And Reo is friends with Isagi! We don’t see them together much, but these two has had several meaningful conversations. This one is my favorite:

We’ve also seen Reo reach out to Kunigami:

I agree with you though that Reo deserves more friends! He’s more than just a Nagi simp.

And oh, I’d love to see more of Nagi and Chigiri just hanging out. Maybe we’d get to see more of it if the manga shows us the aftermath of the Germany vs England match on nagireo’s side. I think Nagi and Reo are gonna have another conflict soon. When that happens, Chigiri can be there for Nagi.

As for the Rin-Isagi rivalry, I actually think it’s similar to Kaiser-Isagi but of a lower level since Kaiser is on a higher level. Both the Rin and Kaiser rivalries are similar in that Rin and Kaiser are basically just better versions of Isagi. What Isagi learns from both of them is a more advanced way of seeing the field–improved spatial awareness, so to speak.

And actually, I don’t think Rin is Isagi’s main rival. Rin is only the main rival in the Second Selection and u20 arc. In the NEL arc, the main rival is Kaiser.

After ch202, I think we’ll see more variety in the Isagi rivalries where it isn’t just Isagi vs Better Isagi. Isagi has achieved metavision, which is probably the peak of his spatial awareness weapon. Now, he needs to work on his physical skills to really be the best striker.

May I also push my agenda that Isagi’s main rival/final boss is going to be Bachira? Bachira is a very skilled player, and skills are what Isagi lacks the most. Not to mention the contrast in how they operate: logic vs intuition. There’s a lot of build-up for it too. I’m gonna have to write a meta on it someday.

And yesss, I also really want Bachira to have his own rival. Rin-Bachira would be interesting, but so is Kaiser-Bachira. But those two are already Isagi’s, so I hope the rival is a new character or a character not yet explored much. I’m hoping it’s Aomori’s Messi, Nishioka, who we are yet to see. Bachira-Ness and Bachira-Kurona would be good if author wants to explore Bachira’s midfielder potential. But personally, I prefer if it’s a striker vs striker rivalry. And seriously, among the list of possible striker rivals, only Bachira-Isagi has been built up a lot.

[rirururu]

They're partners uwu

Source

[just-some-sorta-person]

Nagi's "Hidden Path"/ Loophole

*featuring Isagi, Bachira, and Rin analysis*

I've been thinking a lot about how Nagi represents a "hidden path" in Bluelock, and the ways in which it seems the main manga and episode Nagi disagree on whether he should succeed- the key issue being his relationship with Reo. He plays soccer for their collective dream in a manga where depending on another character for your motivation is treated as soccer suicide, which should doom him, but his own manga starts with the statement that his genius is shaped by Reo - framed as a good thing.

I've said in the past that maybe Nagi will succeed by Episode Nagi's standards, but fail by Blue Lock standards, and I still think that would be an interesting path to take, but rn I wanna discuss the alternative that Nagi succeeds by both standards, even if to a lesser extent in the main manga since Isagi is the MC. And we're assuming here that his relationship with Reo isn't permanently severed in a way that makes him more similar to every other Bllk character bc that would make him much less interesting and also remove the "hidden path" aspect that we're expecting here.

So for him to succeed by both standards, I think what essentially needs to happen is that Nagi represents a loophole or caveat in Blue Lock's philosophy. And to understand why that would be the case, we'd have to understand WHY playing for anyone but yourself is a bad thing in Blue Lock. And there are plenty of examples to draw from.

Isagi and "All for One"

We can start with the "One for all, all for one" team Isagi was in- the most extremely dependent soccer we see. I'll be drawing from Isagi's Light Novel for this, because it really just spells it out. First, let's look at the reasoning for that "all for one" given in response to Isagi's request to shoot more:

“Up until now, You could have won matches with your individual skills, but high school isn’t a piece of cake... We win together, and become stronger together! If you do that, then you'll have double the joy! And half the sorrow!”

The reasoning given here isn't that the resulting soccer is better at winning games - rather there is an emphasis on safety. "the world is tough", "If we stick together, there's half the sorrow". And within that emphasis, is the implication that the individual isn't enough.

We can also see complacency in this ideaology. When Ichinan loses, the coach says

“You fought well. It’s frustrating, but this is what Ichinan is capable of now. The third years are leaving after this… and some of you might quit soccer after today but you can be proud of the days you fought together as a team." "To me, Ichinan’s soccer team…is the best team in Japan!!!”

Within this dream doping that Ego rants about later on, we can again see the acceptance on the individual not being enough - "You fought well... but this is what Ichinan is capable of now." We also see within the dream doping the injection of safety and lack of perceived agency. Because we are one unit, there is no blame, no frustration, no need for improvement. The point is the team, not to win, so be proud.

Most damning is the way we see this reflected in Isagi

There’s no need to take a risky battle. If they lose, it will be his fault and he will feel bad for the team. He makes an exquisite pass to Tada's feet. A perfect last pass.

What's emphasized here is the risk in making an egotistical decision for the whole team in believing himself good enough to make that shot himself. What essentially happens here is a devaluing of the self - " I'm not good enough on my own, its safer to trust others, trust the system, not your instincts" And that forces Isagi to not live up to his fullest potential, to chase what he wants. Until Blue Lock that is.

Bachira and the Monster

Bachira is probably the character most directly "punished" in the narrative for playing for someone else. Though I feel like punish is the wrong word because this problem with his ego reared its head and was resolved in the same game - once he realized the problem, Bachira resolved to solve it

According to Bachira's explanation

"...Until now, I was afraid of playing soccer by myself. I guess I wanted you to come save me. But, once I tried fighting on my own, like I'd done as a kid, I realized...

And so the problem with his habit of looking for another player when playing instead of focusing on himself was again the perceived lack of agency, and devaluing of the self. Longing for someone to play soccer with led to a dependency that negatively impacted his decisions on the field

So that's why his moment of growth was breaking through all on his own to steak back Isagi and win - ignoring the idea that he should wait for someone else to help him. He needed to believe in his own agency/value to prove himself on the field and achieve his goals.

Rin and Sae

I recently took a look at Rin's Light Novel and there was a line that stood out as kinda similar to Bachira's old habit of passing to an imaginary monster before coming to Blue Lock

he understood why things were not going well. Neither their coach nor his other teammates have the slightest idea of Rin’s image of play in his head. (If it was Nii-chan, he would have made a pass here……) he thought so many times during today's practice. He jumped out in front of the goal to a position where I said, “Here!” but his teammates were like, “Huh?” “There?”

So whether you're passing or shooting, a reliance can develop, huh...

(How do Bachirin shippers feel about this parallel? haha. And what does this say about what Rin says to Bachira "But afraid of fighting alone. It is a soccer looking for someone. That luke-warm ego won't make my heart dance". Cus it seems Rin is criticizing Bachira for doing the same thing he did. What does this mean about how Rin feels about himself? (I mean.. he did already call himself lukewarm later but was he thinking about himself in that moment?))

In the light novel, I think it becomes clear one reason why Sae is so against Rin using him as his reason for soccer - it definitely affects how Rin plays when Sae is away. And since Sae becomes aware of the competition outside Japan during his time abroad, he knows that Rin's mentality as it was wouldn't be enough and thus wanted to spare him the suffering and have him give up. And this is in combination with the idea of "I've found out, that I'm not strong enough to hold you up. If you rely on me you'll fail" At least, this is my interpretation of it - but moving on-

With Rin’s last pass, they score a shot. If his Nii-chan had been there, he would have passed the ball to him in front of the goal and he would have scored it directly….. He stopped thinking. No pass is coming. That is now the reality. Anyway, the team won for the first time in a long time.

We see a lack of agency and a reliance on others once again - "If only Nii-chan was here". Like with Bachira, Rin is waiting for someone to "save" him, which limits what he chooses to attempt and stifles his potential because of how it limits his perceived agency.

We can also see this limitation in how he wants to be 2nd best after Sae - not best (de-valuing). It causes Rin to seal off his ego in order to catch up to Sae, by being more similar to Sae instead of developing according to his own unique talents/ego.

In order to catch up with his Nii-chan he saw off at the airport, he has to make the team’s victory his top priority. To do so, he must hold himself back. Hold back the you who was trying to steal the goal with everything you have using that sense of smell for the goal and assemble an attack as a team play.

Even after Sae's return he's always on Rin's mind, and this still limits his soccer. It's only after Rin declares himself lukewarm and rejects the stories others create through their relationship with him that he is able to go all out by embracing his own personal style, rather than focusing on others.

Back on Topic!

So in summary, what is wrong with depending on others? What causes Blue Lock to default to individualism? Ultimately it seems like its the resulting lack of perceived agency - the idea that you can't do things without other people present. By constraining yourself into a narrative with other people, you limit what you can do, and you limit what you think you can do by molding yourself to their vision. Thus, your potential is stifled.

How can Nagi and Reo become an exception to this reasoning? Well, maybe Nagi's decision to leave Reo during 2nd selection is part of the key.

We know from Episode Nagi and Manshine that Nagi wants to improve for the sake of his and Reo's collective dream. And he (correctly) identifies following soccer that challenges/excites him as the proper way to improve.

Here, Reo identifies them playing together as a must, but Nagi corrects him and saying that them being the best in the world together is a must, saying (in his head T-T) that he likes being with him, but that in order to protect their dream, Nagi needs to change.

It's actually pretty much spelled out here. Nagi says he's fine with Reo playing with other people, but insists that Reo stay with him till the end. Its ok to play soccer with others, but keep me in your heart always. In other words, I don't mind not playing together, but you and our end goal is always in my heart.

This is different from Isagi, Bachira, or Rin's situation because in those cases, the team/monster/Sae were considered as key to success. However, in Nagi's case, success is key to Reo. It's completely reversed. It's that nuance of "I play soccer to play soccer with you, to win with you" vs. "I play soccer for you, I win for you". Because "playing together" is not a requirement for winning, it no longer acts as a constraint that restricts agency. Nagi's concept of being together separate from playing soccer together saves their partnership from being the same as the others and frees him to (for example) join Isagi to improve.

You can see more of this in epinagi

The Tag Game

You might say this is a bad example because Nagi relies on Reo to get him un-eliminated, but by Nagi's "I figured you'd do that, Reo..." we can guess that this was more from laziness than a belief that he needed Reo's help. Indeed, when Reo's in danger of being eliminated himself, when their dream is in any real danger, Nagi takes it upon himself to solve the issue

They didn't solve the problem relying on teamwork/partnership or anything. Nagi solved the problem because they're partners.

Playing Against Barou

The next time their dream is "Challenged" is when Barou says "Becoming the world's best striker means you'll be alone until you die", essentially a challenge to the viability of Nagi and Reo's dream. Nagi's response to that is to run off and instigate a 1v1 with Barou

So again, rather than deny Nagi options, his partnership with Reo provided the motivation to act out on his own.

Playing against Team Z

Even when they play against team Z, we see this in action. Nagi plays a more reliant soccer, his dream/Reo is challenged when he sees Reo's face, and Nagi decides to act out on his own.

Nagi will rely on Reo for the sake of laziness, but when it comes to their dream, there's this pattern of deciding to rely less on Reo, take destiny into his own hands, and make an effort. It's really that nuance of doing something to be with someone vs. doing something for someone.

Beyond 1st/2nd Selection

Brief mention here of Nagi's eyes shining when Reo says "But it's not enough" when Nagi praises him. I think this might be Nagi thinking its a sign that Reo in fact has not forgotten their promise and is also working to achieve it - consistent with the idea of being together without necessarily playing together (Whereas Reo is thinking the other way round - improving for the sake of playing together because that's the only way to be together)

So, where this theory hits its roadblock is the Manshine City Arc, where Nagi asks for Reo's help. But because of all the ominous foreshadowing afterwards, in addition to Ego's words that Nagi's deep ego (implied by timing of skull imagery +all the scenes I just listed to be Reo/dream-centric) is about to be tested, I think their dynamic is bound to change in some direction within the next game. So, their relationship is still in development and the theory isn't necessarily debunked.

**edited in addition** I think the key is that regardless of their behavior, the core of their partnership (ie their internal feelings) isn't dependency, but rather reciprocated faith and commitment, though especially with Nagi's communication and introspection issues, it may take some time for them to figure that out because Reo has no idea the faith that Nagi has in him. Reo actually assumes that their partnership can't exist without dependence - assumes its over when that dependence fades because Nagi will have no reason to stay with him, but this is him insecurely misinterpreting Nagi's intentions. They also can't really flourish until Nagi figures out his ego/motivation, though that's luckily foreshadowed to be addressed. I think with how Reo misinterprets Nagi's motivations on a shallow level in 207, and how Nagi's motivation is foreshadowed to be addressed soon, we will get nagireo communication soon timeline wise (not real life lol). And hopefully with that communication, Reo's insecurity + Nagi's motivation can be addressed and they can begin to figure out a functional partnership within Blue Lock. But really the key here is that faith and devotion don't necessitate playing with only each other in mind, while dependence/reliance does.

In terms of what will happen, I think we might finally get a confirmation of what Nagi's ego is - it certainly fits with their conversation in 207, where Reo tries to give a substitute that doesn't really fit. I'm not sure what would happen once Nagi and Reo have the clarity of understanding what Nagi's ego is though...

In Any Case!

I'm running out of fuel but just to let ya'll know I was thinking really hard about what the difference was between Nagi and Reo's dynamic in comparison to partnerships or teamwork criticized by the main manga and I did not expect the difference I came up with to be the difference between reliance and devotion. "I am not enough by myself" vs. "I will make myself enough for you". I still wonder if I'm just biased?

Plz lmk ur thoughts

link to a continuation of these thoughts - Hiori's Words, Reo's Insecurity, Nagi's Enforced Indifference

[mathematical-apprentice]

I think it's sort of understandable why Bachura seems to have become a lot more low key in the Neo Egoist League. Isagi's Ego is more focused towards becoming the best striker in the world, hence the focus on scoring goals further down the line.

Bachira, however, doesn't seem too focused on that. He seems to be searching for a higher play.

[rose-tinted-vision]

I've been thinking a lot lately about Bachira's skills as a football player, and honestly, his range is insane.

Manga spoilers ahead

Firstly, let's take a look at the time before the second selection:

Bachira was perfectly content to fill in the role of goal assist, because he finally had people to play football with, so his ego came second to playing with Isagi Team Z.

In fact, one of our first introductions to Bachira has highlighted how he wasn't as caught up as the others in surviving in Blue Lock:

In the match against Team X, he didn't join his other teammates in stealing the ball from each other to score their own goals

(This was a while back so context: this was from the first arc where they had round robin matches within their own stratum, and only the player with the most goals gets to survive if they lose. Hence the infighting).

Sure, he can step up when needed and score by himself, like during the match against Team ReoNagiTetsu V where he took on a 1v5, but he was arguably content with just supporting Team Z with his dribbling and passes, until he realised that wasn't enough for Isagi.

It wasn't even really about Blue Lock to Bachira. In my opinion, when he saw Rin and Isagi leaving him behind, he realised that if he wanted to keep his friends, he had to survive in Blue Lock.

And survive he did. Bachira evolved in the same match where he realised his current playing style wasn't enough, he knew he was capable of scoring on his own and took the risk.

(In my opinion it seems kind of like a desperate all-or-nothing to prove himself in response to Nagi's provocation).

The Bachira timeline as I see it, from the first chapter up till now, was about being accepted making friends > being able to play with other people to his full potential > then eventually about growing his ego as a player.

And it's amazing to watch him grow into himself, because we have seen glimpses of how he's a force to reckon with before. But now that he has a team who is willing to play around him and let him figure out his playstyle, he's allowed to break free from the role of dribbling/assist (I don't know if there's an official term for goal assist?) and step into the spotlight to show just how good of an all-rounder he is.

(Also, with Bachira defining himself more, we get more smug feral Bachira expressions, I love it.)

Tldr, Bachira Meguru is such a well-rounded player as a whole, with tremendous potential and we should talk more about it. Like, come on, he had the second highest offer after the FC Barcha VS Bastard Munchen match, how is no one acknowledging that??

[natsuslover]

bllk boys as american high school stereotypes ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

notes— bc i miss being a senior in high school watching bllk every saturday while working on college apps :(

ft. yoichi isagi, seishiro nagi, meguru bachira, reo mikage

warnings: none :)

yoichi isagi - the accomplished nerd

you cannot tell me this kid wouldn’t at least be ranked top 6% or smth

like he would definitely have his whole high school life and college career planned out using his meta vision or whatever

he would “devour” all of his tests, quizzes, concept checks, etc.

and not to mention that he plays soccer

i know for a fact dude would milk the soccer thing for all it’s worth on his college apps

like in every other sentence on his college essay he would be talking about his soccer trauma lmao

he would also be a part of so many other clubs just to have a stacked resumé

i feel like he would study a lot too like just because he wants to do well in school in general

he’s one of those nerds that’s not necessarily popular but everyone knows him because people talk about his grades and his rank and they look up to him and stuff

was definitely cancelled for a bit for calling one of his classmates a slur after getting a bad grade on a group project…

seishiro nagi - the “invisible” kid

he’s not actually invisible he just never shows up to class lmao

he shows up occasionally to get the bare minimum of school hours so he can graduate, and also shows up for test days because making up work is a pain

he usually just sits in the back of class and is either sleeping or blatantly playing on his phone but the teachers never say anything because they lowkey forget he exists

but somehow he still has perfect grades??

he doesn’t think he has a lot of friends because he thinks it’s too much energy to keep up with a social life

and yet he’s still pretty popular and was somehow dragged into a huge friend group without even trying

a lot of girls have hallway crushes on him and try to flirt with him but he doesn’t even notice

and if he does he just pretends he doesn’t.

he couldn’t care less about school and just goes because he has to and internally complains about wanting to go home the entire day

meguru bachira - the weird kid

i’m sorry i love bachira but he’d definitely be that one kid people laugh at in the hallways

not necessarily in a “he gets bullied” way but just like, he’s weird and he knows it, everyone else knows it, and he’s genuinely funny

he’s like the weird kid that everyone’s friends with if ykwim

but it’s also kind of sad because he has no real friends

his grades are good enough i suppose; he doesn’t really try but he’ll get into a pretty decent college so he’s fine

doesn’t take school all that seriously

definitely the class joker

and is the subject of teacher gossip pretty much everyday because they find him incredibly tiring to deal with

other kids have seen him talking to himself in the hallways so they’re kind of creeped out by him

he’s completely aware that people talk about him behind his back but he doesn’t really care because he like being able to make people laugh

reo mikage - the rich kid

this one is obvious lol

he’s always wearing luxury brand names to school like it’s nothing

like catch this man in the hallway in gucci shoes, a louis vuitton jacket, prada sunglasses, and spraying his chanel perfume everywhere because the hallway smells like shit

people become friends with him just in the hopes that he’ll buy them super bougie stuff for their birthdays or whenever

he’s literally a nepo baby so he doesn’t even have to do well in school to get into a good college

has girls falling for him left and right but he knows it’s just because he happens to be wealthy and genetically fortunate

definitely would be a popular kid that gets along well with everyone

he’s really modest about his wealth but also not modest at all at the same time

the teachers try to suck up to him because they’re adamant that he’s going to be successful in the future (and he probably will)

blows money on his friends every time they hang out and throws the best parties with expensive ass alcohol

[magicalwitchbread]

Now that the U-20 world cup arc is nearing and prompted by this tweet, I started wondering who the starting players would be and who would take the captaincy.

So I personally would put them on a 3-4-3 system.

The offense would consist of a clear 9 and two wingers with different abilities to create variety in attack patterns.

In the striker position, to no one's surprise, we have Blue Lock's number one, Rin Itoshi. It really needs no explanation, becsuse he's one of the only "pure" strikers in the Blue Lock project and he has also demonstrated the highest level of abilities throughout the project.

On the left wing, I'd put Manshines red panther, Chigiri Hyoma. His speed is extraordinary and his stamina and physicals have improved since the match against the Japanese U-20, so to me, it's a clear choice.

On the right wing, I'd place Blue Lock's wildcard survivor, Rensuke Kunigami. His left shot would be able to flourish and his physical stats would be a nightmare for any defender.

The midfield would get two centers to control the second third and two wingers to build up plays.

One of the central midfielders would be the crow, Karasu Tabito. He's is literally good at everything and can exploit any weakness in a one-on-one situation because of that. His analytical abilities also allow him to set up great offensive plays and exploit any defensive weaknesses. Also, his ball keeping abilities will grant him control of the second third, and he will be able to dictate the pace of the match.

The other central midfielder would be Bastatd München's anti-heart, Hiori Yo. He has already proven during the NEL that he is an elite passer who can set up ingenious plays. Also, his preexisting relationship with Karasu Tabito would make their chemistry skyrocket. Thus granting them easy control of the midfield.

These picks are made assuming Itoshi Sae will choose not to represent Japan. If he does, I'd have Karasu fall to a more defensive position, but still in the midfield, and have Sae take up more space to control on the second and third thirds. Hiori would join the bench.

On the left wing, I'd have FC Barcha's only recognized player, Bachira Meguru. His dribbling will allow him to set up great offensive plays. He'd also be able to join the offense to overwhelm opposing team's defenses numerically.

On the right wing, I'd place the only person in Blue Lock who would not work in a Macdonalds had their football career not taken off, Kenyu Yukimiya. His one-on-one skills are the beat in Japan so he is probably on world class level. He will expoit these to build up offensive plays, while leaving the defense hanging.

The Japanese defence would consist of a clear full back and one left and right back to each of his sides. Karasu Tabito would occasionally fall back, if needed, joining in the defensive formation.

The full back, would be the captain of the former Japanese U-20 team, Oliver Aiku. His physic, paired with his meta-vision, would make him a great defender for multiple styles of strikers as we have seen in both the NEL and the match against the Blue Lock XI.

The position of left back would be filled by Blue Lock's youngest player, Niko Ikki. He has also acquired meta-vision while playing for the Ubers, a defense-based team in which he has become a starting player, in the NEL. His small stature will be balanced out by Aiku's physic.

On the right back side, I'd put the most glam player in any field he's been in, Jyubei Aryu. He has proven that he is an elite defender during both the match against the Japanese U-20 team and the NEL, in which he also managed to start for Ubers consistently. Plus he needs no physical reinforcement from Aiku thus balancing the back line.

The goalkeeper was a clear and easy choice for me, Gin Gagamaru. His reflexes are unreal and he has proven to be suitable for the position on both the match against Japan's U-20 team and during the NEL.

The twelve players that would make up our bench, in order of most to least likely to actually get playing time, are: Reo Mikage, Isagi yoichi, Nagi Seishiro, Baro Shoei, Otoya Eita, Raichi Jingo, Kurona Ranze, Nanase Nijiro, Kazuma Nio, Haru Hayate, Aoshi Tokimitsu,

Shido Ryusei (If Sae Itoshi does choose to participate, he would realistically start over Rin Itoshi, but otherwise, a nuke would have to fall on everyone else before he got off the bench)

Now, for me, the captain's armband has two possible recipients: Oliver Aiku or Karasu Tabito.

They are both the same age out of the field and incredible mature players on it. They both possess the ability to analyze the opposing teams' strategies and plays with relative confidence and have great footballing skills regarding their position.

Aiku, on the one hand, has had experience in the exact position and probably knows how to handle the stress and expectations.

Karasu, on the other hand, is the one who will be coordinating and connecting the team on the field play-wise. He is also more familiar with the players on his team, both their play-style and their ways of thinking, since the majority have come out of Blue Lock. He also brings fresh blood to the team, which is worth being given a chance to be the captain.

So I'll give the edge, and the armband, to Karasu. Also, I like him way more than Aiku.

If Itoshi Sae had been on the team this would not have been a debate. He would have been selected captain unanimously.

[fyeahbachisagi]

On Bachira’s Character Design

Okay, I know it’s BachiSagi Appreciation Day, but this post has been sitting in my drafts for a while and I still haven’t decided what to do for bachisagi, so I’ll just do Bachira’s event first. I’ll post something for bachisagi on Wednesday instead. Now, onto the post---

I really, really love Bachira's character design.

The blunt bangs and the bob cut with the ends curling outwards—it’s a hairstyle that’s common among little girls. Dye aside, I myself had such a hairstyle when I was a kid. On Bachira, it makes him look androgynous—but not the bishounen type of androgynous either (like Chigiri), and I think that’s refreshing.

And like Bachira’s childhood bullies, I too thought that the hairstyle was weird. I have a round face, and such a hairstyle made my face look even rounder.  The other kids would also tease me and call me Dora because of it. 

With all those above, just from his hair, this is the impression Bachira gives: child-like, visibly queer, and "weird."

One other eccentric sports anime character I know that has a similar hairstyle would be Midousuzi from Yowamushi Pedal. His hair is drawn rather spiky, though, making him appear menacing, as he should. In contrast, the soft lines on Bachira’s hair just makes him look cute. Pair it with bright, round eyes and a nice smile, and he’s practically harmless.

Oh, and Bachira is very much known for his smile. In his spin-off novel, his smile was often described. But if you just draw his smile a little bit wider... bam! We get his creepy look.

Now, let’s talk about the dye. It’s what gives a touch of wildness to Bachira’s “cute and harmless” design.

In some Asian countries, dyed hair is generally frowned upon. Some schools in Japan would even force students to dye their hair black even though their natural hair color is brown. (I know this is an anime and they can have all sorts of hair colors, but hear me out.)

Bachira could’ve been designed in a way that his entire hair was yellow or some other color, and that would’ve been considered his “natural” hair color in this anime world. But they didn’t. Instead, they gave him an underdye, making it clear that it’s not natural.

The dyed hair makes Bachira look like a rebel—and he kinda is, actually. Even though he was often told to stop making those wild passes in his former team, he still went ahead and did them.

Bachira's design really works, okay? And that's why I love it.

[rirururu]

I definitely think they might end up playing for different teams in the end. It depends on which teams they think they can grow the most in. But I feel like they’d always gravitate towards each other. Whenever they happen to be in the same province or even country, they always meet up during their short breaks between airplane flights and games and spend every waking moment they can with each other. The World Cup and Olympics would be both Bachira and Isagi’s favourite time because that’s when they’re on the same team again and it’s just like old times at Team Z. It’s really bittersweet but that’s how they accomplish their dreams together.

Oh but when they retire? They are definitely moving in with each other. 

Its been on my mind lately but how does everyone think post-bllk or at least a slight time skip bllk look like? In my mind, the current bllk boys would get an opportunity to go train overseas with their chosen club like an internship? (Can u tell idk much abt football) instead of being cooped up in blue lock(prison).

And since I'm a bachisagi stan (sue me/j) what would that look like for those 2? I doubt that they would join the same club i think. But I'm craving angst and the angst potential from separation and long distance always hits me in the feels.

Alas, I'm not very eloquent so my ability to ever write something decent for myself. I guess i want to see some discussion going on if it's possible. (I might even write about it to train myself eventually)

[miyamiwu]

4S Blue Lock Ego Classification v2

@mathematical-apprentice left some insightful suggestions on v1, and I’ve been pondering over them to see how I can improve the classification system. Although I think their idea for a major class and sub class is good, I decided to keep all the classes on the same level for the sake of simplicity. @mathematical-apprentice has also pointed out that the Striver and Supporter classes are too broad, and I think this was just because I didn’t define them well. What v2 will include, then, is better definitions on the different categories to make them more specific, limiting their scope. Additionally, I will be changing the name of Striver to Savant because I think it better captures the idea I have for that class. More examples for each class will also be included.

Moreover, I would just like to clarify that this system is meant to classify character egos based on what a character desires and what would bring them fulfillment (i.e. what would boost their ego). It does not refer to how a character plays.

Lastly, all characters strive to improve in one way or another, but how they measure their improvement varies. This is also partly why I decided to rename the Striver class because it sounded like they’re the only class who cares about self-improvement when that isn’t the case at all.

Strategist

A Strategist is fueled by the desire for success through careful planning and problem-solving. They find fulfillment in being in control of the situation and having others revolve around their vision. They may have metavision, but it is not a precursor to be assigned to this class. (Metavision is a tool that any character of any class can use; it is simply a means to an end.)

Characters with this ego: Isagi, Hiori, and Snuffy

(Too lazy to find a panel for Snuffy, but I don’t think I need to prove this. You get it.)

Isagi is the very obvious example of this for reasons I don’t have to explain.

Then as mentioned in v1, Hiori is so close to falling under the Supporter class because of how he desires to “produce the world’s best striker.” However, I opted to put him under the Strategist class because he is not bound to any one striker, nor is he supporting anyone for the mere sake of seeing them succeed. And in a way, Hiori is a lot like his parents.

Savant

A Savant is fueled by the desire to win through their weapon (or personal style, in the absence of a clearly-defined weapon), as they greatly think of it as a part of their identity and not just a tool that can help them win. They focus a lot on sharpening their weapon and may follow a training regimen that targets its enhancement.

Characters with this ego: Bachira, Chigiri, Yukimiya, Kaiser, Lavinho, and Chris

(Once again too lazy to find relevant panels for the coaches…)

Bachira’s and Chigiri’s developments in the NEL arc centered on them improving their weapons and making a name for themselves based on it (i.e. Ginga x Monster or just Monster, and Red 44)

Yukimiya’s Sword Screw (alt. tl, “Sword Pierce”) shot is a direct improvement of his previously blocked shot, but it didn’t come out of nowhere. He took inspiration from Chris’ shot, understood it, then made it his own. This shot is also an assertion of what he believes in, the “sword” piercing through his fate (“I won’t hand my fate or my ego over to god!” –c202)

In v1, Kaiser was tentatively put under the Strategist class, as it wasn’t clear yet in the manga what his ego type should be. But after c266, it is now apparent that Kaiser is a Savant. His magnus shot was something he thought of and carefully crafted, and him executing it was an assertion of his identity, a callback to the young!Michael Kaiser. (Heck, his own weapon is even called Kaiser Impact.)

Saboteur

A Saboteur is driven by the desire to destroy and disrupt, as it is a way for them to mark their presence in the world. They find fulfillment in undermining their enemies’ plans and obliterating their efforts.

Characters with this ego: Aiku, Niko, Lorenzo, Sae, Rin, and Barou

Niko, Sae, and Rin all have metavision, so it can be easy to confuse them as Strategists. But as aforementioned metavision is just a tool, and these three have decided to use it as a means for destruction.

To better understand the difference between Strategist and Saboteur, just look at the Isagi-Yukimiya winning goal in the match against Manshine City. This play shows how Isagi is a strategist through and through, as he found pleasure in defeating Kaiser not through direct destruction but by outwitting him.

You may also wonder why I put Rin under Saboteur and not Strategist. This is because Saboteur is his true ego. Right now, he’s acting like a Strategist, still obsessed with planning and calculating, but that’s not where his true strength lies. Sae knows this, so he keeps provoking Rin in order to bring out his Saboteur ego. And to be a Saboteur, you must have someone you want to destroy. In the beginning, Sae used himself as a target for Rin, but after Rin defeated him in a 1v1 during the U20 match, he then shifts the target to Isagi so Rin can still have the drive to destroy.

Now, for Barou, I previously put him under the Striver/Savant class, but after @mathematical-apprentice pointed out that they should be a Saboteur instead, I realized that they were right. Barou’s new weapon is even called predator eye, and he’s obsessed with hunting/killing.

Supporter

The class that nobody should hate because Supporters have done nothing wrong ever.

A Supporter is fueled by the desire to see their partner succeed. They find fulfillment in providing valuable assistance and thrive on the positive impact they have on their partner. Their development thus revolve around how they can become more useful to their partner.

Characters with this ego: Ness, Nanase, and Kurona

With ego often interpreted to be equivalent to selfishness, it can be easy to dismiss Supporters as having no backbones or in need of a development arc to evolve into a typical bluelocker who’s strong and independent. But I believe that there’s also strength and beauty in being content with oneself and seeking instead to serve others. Not everybody has to want to be a star.

Besides, without Supporters, a lot of strikers won’t be able to do much. (Especially you, Isagi!)

Kunigami gets me. (And idk what class Kunigami should belong to, but for sure he’s no Supporter.)

Characters I’m not sure how to classify...

Nagi - Although Nagi is in football because of his shared dream with Reo, I don’t think he’s actually a Supporter. I think he should either be a Savant or a Saboteur.

Reo - Most likely a Supporter, with how obsessed he is in seeing Nagi succeed. But I’m gonna have to see how the MC vs Barcha match plays out to decide for sure. He may also be a Strategist.

Kiyora - He needs more screentime coz I honestly can’t tell. But I think he’s either a Supporter or a Saboteur

Kunigami - Savant/Supporter before his emo era. I don’t know what’s up with him right now, but I’m leaning into Kunigami being a Saboteur post-development (if he ever gets one coz he’s been cooking for too long now…)

Hmm… I should make a uquiz of this sometime...

But for now, take this and go!

[rirururu]

Their dialogue matches 🥺

More proof that Isagi being there to catch Bachira's kick at the end of second selection was meant to parallel their first meeting, except this time it's him believing in Bachira instead of the other way around.

[la2yn0va]

Blue lock and Sonic characters and their HSR gameplay style.

Isagi Yoichi:

5-Star Quantum—Erudition

Basic attack: A kick to a single enemy that then causes a small explosion, damaging the targeted enemy and adjacent enemies.

Skill attack: using meta vision, Isagi lowers every enemies attack power, then sends a powerful attack to all enemies with multiple powerful kicks.

Technique: Before battle, Isagi can use his meta vision to lower the enemies attack permanently! He also adds a permanent element weakness based on who’s the DPS of the team!

Talent: If 3 enemies are debuffed after isagis attack, he will restore 30 extra Energy, while his teammates gain a an energy regeneration buff for 3 turns! This effect can stack twice.

Ultimate: Isagi uses his meta vision to its fullest potential! Adding a permanent attack debuff to all enemies along with the incoming waves! He will then verbally assault the enemies adding a taunt effect before slamming a soccer ball so hard it bounces to every enemy at least twice before exploding!! While the taunted enemies attack Isagi, he will continue to add debuffs to the ones who attack him. This last 4 turns.

Rin Itoshi:

5-Star Physical—Destruction

Basic Attack: Rin kicks a soccer ball into the face of a single enemy, causing massive damage

Skill Attack: Rin kicks a soccer ball that explodes upon contact, causing damage to the targeted enemy and adjacent ones.

Technique: Before battle, Rin can activate his technique, causing a taunt effect on the enemies. Rin will also gain a speed and attack buff before proceeding to destroy his enemies.

Talent: After gaining 6 stacks of ‘Destroyed Dreams’ Rin activates his destruction eyes, causing massive damage to ALL enemies.

Ultimate: Rin activates his eyes of destruction. Causing his action to advance forward 120%. All enemies will attack Rin and he will proceed to counter all attacks while destroying the enemies defense permanently. After all enemies attack, Rin will let out a massive attack, causing a base damage of 100k to all enemies. If only one enemy is one the field the base damage increases to 500k.

Oliver Aiku:

5 Star Imaginary—Preservation

Basic Attack: Aiku attacks one enemy with two basic punches before suplexing the enemy to the ground.

Skill Attack: Aiku will put up a shield on himself, when enemies attack him he adds 500 shields to his teammates.

Technique: Before a battle Aiku will add 250 shield to himself and his teammates, and gaining 3 stacks of ‘Cops n’ Robbers’

Talent: When Aiku gains 12 stacks of ‘Cops n’ Robbers’ Aiku will completely destroy the enemies attack power and add 800 shields to himself and teammates. Oliver will also jump infront of attacks meant for his teammates, taking all attacks for 3 turns.

Ultimate: Aiku will add a full bar of shields to himself and teammates while blocking the enemies attacks and redirecting them back at the enemies.

Bachira Meguru

5 Star Wind—Hunt

Basic Attack: Bachira will speed around a singular enemy and kick three soccer balls into them.

Skill Attack: Bachira attacks the enemy with multiple soccer balls, kicking the balls to the enemies legs, gut, chest, then ending with a kick to the face.

Technique: Bachira will increase his own speed and his allies attack before a battle. This can be stacked three times.

Talent: Bachira will has a 50% base chance to send a FuA to an enemy with the highest heath and/or attack power once the enemy is attacked.

Ultimate: Bachira will awaken his monster and send multiple speedy yet powerful attacks to a singular enemy. Once finished Bachira’s talent will increase to a 120% base chance for 5 turns.

Nagi Seishiro

5 Star Ice—Nihility

Basic Attack: Nagi sends a soccer ball into the face of a single enemy

Skill Attack: Nagi kicks a ball to every enemy, adding a slow debuff to every enemy.

Technique: Nagi adds an ice weakness and defense weakness to all enemies before battle.

Talent: after 3 turns Nagi will switch paths and follow the path of the hunt. Nagi will be hard set on the enemy whom attacked him and send multiple soccer balls of ice into the targeted enemy.

Ultimate: Nagi seishiro will become motivated, upping his stats to become the strongest on the field. He attacks all enemies and inputs a freeze and attack debuff to every enemy. Nagi will follow the path of the hunt once ultimate is finished, charging his attacks to become more aggressive and powerful.

Sonic

5 Star Wind—The Hunt

Basic Attack: Sonic attacks a single enemy with his famous dash attack, spinning into the enemy and have a 25% fixed chance to add wind shear.

Skill Attack: Sonic spins around the targeted enemy, causing a tornado attack and adding both wind shear and daze debuff on the enemy for 3 turns.

Technique: Before battle, Sonic will taunt the enemy causing all enemies to attack Sonic, but when they attack Sonic will dodge their attacks and counter with a much stronger attack. This last for 3 turns and enemies will continue to attack Sonic until they hit him once making the taunt disappear.

Talent: Sonic has a 25% chance to send a FuA when teamed up with characters not from his universe. 50% chance when teamed up with one person, 75% with two, and 100% chance when in a team full of Sonic characters.

Sonic also has different FuA’s with different characters. For shadow, him and Sonic will barrage the enemy with high speed attacks.

For knuckles, he will start with an uppercut, then Sonic will respond with an axe kick from the sky, slamming the enemy into the ground and making them bounce up long enough for Sonic to hit the ground. Sonic then charges a punch with his speed and knuckles coats his fist with fire/chaos energy before both slamming their fist into the enemy.

Tails will simply blast the enemy while Sonic attacks them. Eggman will do the same, however he’ll be aiming for Sonic, who’ll dodge all the blast while attacking the enemy, ending the FuA by taunting Eggman.

Ultimate: Sonic attacks all enemies in his super sonic form! Flying at light speed he attacks every enemy before ending with a colossal chaos blast, damaging all enemies.

Shadow

5 Star Imaginary—Erudition

Basic Attack: For shadows basic he attacks three enemies by moving at lightspeed, ending by blasting the enemies with the fire from his air shoes.

Skill Attack: For his skill, shadow jumps in the air and sends multiple large chaos spears to every enemy, ending with an explosion.

Technique: before battle, shadow can summon one of the seven chaos emeralds, causing different effects for himself, allies, and enemies.

The green will up his speed majorly and his allies.

The blue will allow himself and teammates to counter attacks for 2 turns

The white will cause a confusion debuff for enemies, making them attack themselves and their allies for 3 turns.

The yellow will add a full bar of shields for himself and allies.

The red will cause a taunt effect on enemies for 1 turn. Enemies who attack shadow will multiple his attack power by 4. Once all enemies attack shadow he will release a chaos blast on all enemies with 250% crit damage.

The cyan will cause a basic freeze effect on enemies and will back shadow invulnerable for 3 whole turns.

The purple will cause shadow and his allies to gain 100% energy regeneration rate for the entire battle.

Talent: when shadow’s health reaches below 50% he will gain a random chaos emerald effect permanently. This will disappear once he is healed above 50% or is knocked down.

Ultimate: Shadow removes his inhibitor rings before releasing a large chaos blast, then using chaos control to teleport all enemies into space and look up to be attacked by the Space Colony Ark’s laser until they reach the planet below and the attack ends with a final explosion. (Call me Micheal fucking Bay) causing the enemy burn and imprisonment.

Knuckles

5 Star Fire—The Hunt

Basic Attacks: Knuckes attacks one enemy with two jabs then an uppercut so hard he causes the air molecules to explode

Skill Attack: Knuckles gains an attack buff from the master emerald—then attacking the enemy and decreasing their speed and de-advancing them to the bottom of the turn. This attack buff stacks three times and last for 5 turns

Technique: Before battle, Knuckles will become more aware of his surroundings to protect the master emerald. This allows him to send counter attacks for the whole battle.

Talent: After getting 7 stacks of ‘Chaos’ knuckles will enter into his Hyper Knuckles form for 7 turns. When in this form knuckles defense will be lowered completely but his attack and speed will increase 6x, and he will attack ever enemy on the battle field.

Ultimate: Knuckles will attack everyone with his ultimate. Landing infront of the master emerald and vowing to protect it. Only for Eggman to steal it and cause angel island to crash into the enemies.

Tails

5 Star Quantum—Harmony

Basic Attack: Tails sends a ring bullet into a single enemy.

Skill attack: Tails attacks three enemies, spinning his tails so fast he cuts their bodies causing a wind shear and bleeding debuff.

Technique: Tails will up all his allies defense, attack, speed, and ERR for 3 turns.

Talent: When tails is teamed with sonic, he will change his battle style to support his allies attack, when tails is paired with knuckles he will support his allies defense. When teamed with both he will add a chaos emerald effect from shadows technique. This will last for 3 turns.

Ultimate: Tails will use the power of the chaos emeralds to recover all skill points and allowing allies to use their skills without consuming any skill points for 2 whole turns.

Dr. Ivo Robotnik Eggman

5 Star Quantum—Destruction

Basic attack: Eggman will send a blast and punch from his mecha. Attacking one enemy with a punch and three enemies with the blast.

Skill attack: Eggman will send multiple rockets to attack all enemies while adding a random debuff.

Technique: Before battle, Eggman will summon one of his many robots allowing for a 5th ally to enter the battle! Each robot follows a different path, but all will focus on adding as many debuffs as possible.

Talent: when Eggman is hit with a killing blow, he will revel a chaos emerald! Using it to swap his health with the enemies health and sending a comedically large boxing glove into the face of the enemy.

Ultimate: Using the stolen master emerald, Eggman will summon his most capable and deadly robot! Metal Sonic! With eggman’s genius he will use the master emerald to turn Neo Metal Sonic into SUPER Neo Metal Sonic! Before commanding the death of the enemies! Eggman will then be switched out for Super Neo Metal Sonic until the mechanical menace is defeated. Eggman will have also recovered all health and rid himself of all debuffs.

———

This was fun to make. What do yall think?

[cosmicallylyss]

Blue Lock Baseball AU

Hello everyone I am a baseball/softball enjoyer and would like to share my thoughts about what positions I think the Blue Lock boys would play! This will be multipart as ideas will come to me sporadically, with analysis under the cut.

Characters included in this part are: Egoist 4, Raichi, Barou, Aryu, & Aiku

Isagi Yoichi:

Left fielder. Now you might be saying "lyss why are you putting the protagonist in the outfield??" and to that I say 1) this is baseball not soccer 2) if you don't think this position is important you don't know the sport. If a ball is headed for the outfield it's most likely headed somewhere between LF/CF and those players will need good communication in order to coordinate who's going for what. Despite Isagi being a beast on the field to his rivals, we know he can do teamwork exceptionally well. Left field also requires great knowledge of the game, and his meta-vision being able to predict what the runners will do will be able to help him by making the perfect throws to the infield for a given situation. He's got a great view of the entire field and although he probably won't be making any outs aside from outfield catches (which he can make a lot of!!!) he is indispensable when it comes to holding off the runners from advancing.

Bachira Meguru:

I want to put him at second base. The middle infield has him bouncing around a lot, as he'll have to cover both second and first base depending on which way the ball is hit, and I am solid in my belief that Bachira can handle that. As a technical player, I really like putting him in this position as I imagine him getting a lot of contact with the ball and being a playmaker for the team. Tagging runners, getting a cut from the outfield, and just generally getting a read of the field by being in the middle of it has me solid that he'll be able to make great plays from this position. I imagine that Bachira's monster/instinct has him making a lot of double plays. He'll be able to get someone out at second and then make a great, yet unexpected throw to first or home for another out.

Chigiri Hyoma:

He's so centerfielder to me. With how well he's performing in Manshine right now it makes sense to me to give him a sort of "leadership role" in the outfield. He'd definitely be the player in the outfield who has to move around the most and I think his speed would be best utilized here. Whether its for making amazing running/diving catches or running in to pick up a ground ball that manages to slip past second and short, I think putting Chigiri in centerfield gives him the opportunity to use a lot of his potential. Of course pinch runner Chigiri would be fun to see as well, maybe he's not in the batting lineup but when the pitcher or catcher gets on base he subs in for them to run the bases. Honestly thinking about CF Chigiri was what got me wanting to write this whole thing, he means so so much to me.

Kunigami Rensuke:

Third baseman. Yes I'm foaming at the mouth about this thought. Sue me. Not only does Kunigami's strength make him a great person to put here because of his ability to make great throws to both first and home, I think it's best to have your more physically dominant players toward the last bases. As the opponent progresses along the bases, it becomes more and more vital to get them out before they can make it home (duh). I think Kunigami, especially post-wildcard would be really aggressive on the base (occasionally to his detriment), enjoying tagging out players rather than going with an easier route of just stepping on the bag. He's probably also a clean-up hitter or at least close to the top of the lineup. I want to imagine he's also a lefty batter, maybe he's a slap hitter and it annoys everyone else. But yeah I really want to see him dominating third base and the whole foul line honestly.

Raichi Jingo:

He would be such a great shortstop okay just listen to me. The nature of middle infield is running around a lot (covering third, covering second, backing up second) and although it's not a lot of distance to cover, you're alternating between these positions a lot and Raichi definitely has the stamina to keep up with the demands of middle infield. We've seen it. I also think his tenacity is great for making him an awesome shortstop. He'll fully throw himself in front of a line drive to catch it (this works most of the time), ignoring the sting in his hand. I also imagine if a runner is about to steal third and Raichi is in possession of the ball, he'll charge at the runner to fully scare them back into staying at second before getting the ball back to the pitcher.

Barou Shouei:

The most egotistical pitcher you will ever meet dear god. His whole king shtick with the whole field revolving around his playstyle??? You literally can not put him in any other position. He's a menace on the field, trash talk both to his team and his opponent, but his money is where his mouth is. His great physicality would lend itself to fast, accurate pitches, but I imagine pre-development his short temper would lead to a lot of outbursts that affect his accuracy. He will get angry every time he doesn't pitch a no-hitter. Every time he's reminded that he has a whole team behind him to back him up if the batters hit, he'll bark that it's just him versus the batters and he will strike them out. Barou is the guy you don't wanna hit against, because he's good and he's annoying about it.

Aryu Jyubei:

This is a first baseman. Hear me out. First base gets quite a bit of action so Aryu's got the opportunity to be flashy and get a lot of notice, but that's like 10% of why I'm putting him here. Functionally, we see him dominate in air battles and with his long limbs it makes the most sense to put him on such a pivotal base. He's gonna get thrown to a lot, and it's undeniable that some shitty throws will be sent his way. His height/limbs will allow him to still catch virtually any ball sent his way even if it's far from the bag/overthrown while still keeping a foot on the bag to hopefully get an out. He's got the bag on lockdown but also a good few-foot radius around it.

Aiku Oliver:

Alright everybody act surprised when I say catcher. I know it's the obvious choice but that's because it makes so much sense. Obviously whenever your team isn't at bat you're on defense, but catcher is definitely the most defensive position one can think of, and that's where Aiku excels. I think his strength will be an asset behind the plate, as it'll be easy for him to throw to any base necessary, and he could also be a pretty formidable player to run toward for any opponent trying to steal home. I think his leadership that shines as captain of the U-20 team would also allow him to sync nicely with whatever pitcher he's teamed up with, and I also think his game sense will allow him to make quick decisions on where to throw the ball if he doesn't try to throw out someone stealing and just send the ball back to the pitcher.

[boinin]

Flairs on /r/BlueLock

A meta commentary/shitpost. I'm not sure which.

For Tumblr-onlys: Reddit allows users to add a flair beside their usernames, much like Tumblr allows badges. Flair are unique to individual subreddit, and only appear when that user comments or posts in that subreddit. The Blue Lock subreddit allows users to set custom text flairs, which may include a selection of emojis or character thumbnails.

This post contains adult humour/explicit references.

I posit that there's three categories of user flairs on Reddit.

The first category is what I refer to as normie flairs.

These include much of what you'd expect, if you maintain the false assumption that enjoyers of football shounen are straight, well-adjusted young men. Many users take this opportunity to represent their appreciation for a particular character (i.e. "Isagi Yoichi"). Admirable, but ultimately boring.

Much like Tumblr has its microcosms and meta humour, so does /r/BlueLock. In flairs, users make reference to fandom in-jokes (e.g. "Red Keys #1 fan", or "#1 Paralympic Footballer" next to a thumbnail of Yukimiya Kenyu). Other flairs reference quotes from the manga that inspire them (e.g. "Shut the fuck up Ness", "There is a monster inside me"). Although edgy in tone, these flairs are still reasonably explicable, should their parents check their browsing activity.

A recurring theme among this user group is a desire to distance themselves from homosexuality. Although excessive gayness is canon in Blue Lock, some users are defiant in their assertion that the series is about ball handling and nothing else. Hence, the existence of flairs such as "Miss Me With That Gay Shit" and "I'm just here to talk football dude".

For these users, the most relatable character in the series is Adam Blake: Mr. "I have no interest in male bodies" himself.

True martyrs. We salute them.

On to the second category.

Again, this is a loose category in terms of content and theme. You may question why I've chosen to differentiate these from the normie flairs. However, while all of these users are expressing admiration for the characters, the way they do so is hornier than a bunch of imprisoned football virgins. They are more worked up than Shidou, when he scores a goal.

I introduce this grouping as… the down bad flairs. There's a lot to unpack. Take your time.

We cannot infer that all the flairs in this group are the result of users biting their lips and moaning whenever a certain character appears. There may be a innocent explanation for why someone would designate themselves "King Barou's Chair" or "Muscle Mommy Kunigami's Squat Bar Pad".

Perhaps they simply kin as furniture.

Users among this group embrace the fruity nature of the series. Although it's untrue to say all Redditors are male basement dwellers and thus, in gay denial. There's evidence that women also frequent the subreddit to thirst over pretty manga boys, using the broadband their parents paid for. At least, this is what flairs such as "Kenyuu's beloved waifu" and "Impregnate me, Shidou!" suggest. There's even straight men present, if "Drinking Anri Mommy Milkies" and "Bachira's Mom's boyfriend" are anything to go by. Forgive them their sins, they know not how to play along.

But cis-heteronormativity is a scourge, something Blue Lock fans understand better than most. After all, no particular gender is required to become "Noel Noa's sugar baby" or "Isagi's personal toe sucker".

In terms of distribution, no one is safe from the thirstiness of /r/BlueLock users. Nearly every character has a thirst flair to their name. The ones that seem to inspire the most unhinged flairs are Shidou "dress sluttily, I can fight" Ryusei, Michael Kaiser ("Reincarned as Kaiser's Wet Underwear") and Bachira Meguru ("Bachira's leaking rosebud").

As the protagonist, Isagi naturally attracts a lot of favour. Some flairs highlight his prowess (e.g. "I love it when isagi shoots from behind", or the more possessive "isagi meatrider get out kaiser"). These users are, unfortunately, deluded. I regret to inform them that there is no universe in which Isagi is a top. He'd be devouring your dick, not the other way around.

To the conclusion. If you are a /r/BlueLock veteran (my condolences), you will have noticed a conspicuous absence among the second flair group. You may be thinking, is this chick blinder than Yukimiya? Can they even read?? They missed the worse ones.

To this I say: Do not cite the deep flairs to me bitch. I was there when they were written.

One image lies below the cut. Unlike the other two, the third category of user flairs has an obvious theme.

However, there is no returning beyond this point. Once you have borne witness to this forbidden knowledge, you will be irrevocably changed. It may ruin your life... or awaken something in you. Either way, a price must be paid.

Consider this my final warning. You may yet walk away from this post unscathed. Even with the words "Devouring Aiku's Hairy Ass" branded on your psyche.

But if you are determined—if you have steeled your mind (and your eyes), open this video in another tab and read on.

Anyone who guessed horny Chigiri flairs, take 1,000 Jeopardy points and a shot of something strong.

I'm not going to invent pseudo-intellectual commentary for this. Y'all came this far, see for yourself. I can't justify some of these, nor begin to explain them—and I write Blue Lock fanfiction. These users are in another dimension of Chigiri worship, one I can never bridge.

Source and references: this

[fyeahbachisagi]

Man, here's another one of those times I wish I knew Japanese... If the subtitles are inaccurate, then my meta is flawed as well

Anyways, those are some great points @rirururu !

But yeah, regardless of how Bachira wants to steal Isagi back is interpreted, it shouldn't have been removed at all...

I really hope they don't mess up episode 23 😩

Blue Lock anime on BachiSagi + How the anime ended up redefining Bachira’s ego in Episode 22

I’ve been thinking a lot about how the anime removed Bachira’s iconic gay line in Episode 22. After the initial anger, I’ve calmed down and thought about how it couldn’t be as simple as removing the gay. After all, Studio 8Bit has been adding extra gay in the First Selection arc. The Come Steal Me scene was also gayer than in the manga. And although Isagi’s feelings for Bachira were toned down in the first cour, they’ve also been emphasizing it in the second cour (example).

I then noticed a pattern. The Blue Lock anime is playing with contrast in portraying Bachira and Isagi’s relationship.

Prior to Bachira’s awakening, we see his feelings for Isagi emphasized a lot. The anime would even add scenes that weren’t there in the manga. It could be a very minor thing like 2 seconds of Bachira staring at Isagi, or a big thing like replacing Igaguri in his interactions with Isagi (example 1, example 2).

The same is true for Isagi’s feelings for Bachira, but in reverse. Prior to the Come Steal Me scene, the anime removed some of Isagi’s minor interactions with Bachira.

I’m no animator, so I don’t really understand the purpose of this approach. Perhaps 8Bit thought that by increasing the contrast of their feelings before and after emotional turning points would make it more obvious to the viewer?

The Come Steal Me scene is a clear emotional turning point for Isagi. It’s basically Isagi thinking, “Shit, I love him.”

I remember how caught off guard I was when I reading that part in the manga when Isagi said “I felt like I just lost something important…” I had to go back some chapters to find “proof” of Isagi’s feelings. [I don’t know how it is for people who first experienced that scene through the anime, though. Please tell me your thoughts in this poll. Not putting the poll in this post coz then I won’t be able to edit this later…]

Isagi’s feelings are very subtle, so the anime removing what was already barely there just felt like a disservice. And although they’ve been kinda making up for it by executing all the Isagi-to-Bachira moments after this very well, it doesn’t feel enough.

Now, for Bachira… This is difficult because his emotional turning point isn’t as clear-cut as Isagi’s. The anime, however, decided on this scene:

And I absolutely hate this decision.

Because in the manga, the lines were actually a declaration of what exactly Bachira’s voice/ego is. And that ego is: “I’ll win if it kills me and take back Isagi!”

They even cropped out Isagi’s face in the anime to make it solely about Bachira...

This was such a big BachiSagi moment. Bachira is explicitly telling us here that he will win so he can stay by Isagi’s side. And it’s not exactly him striving just for Isagi, either. It’s more like a reference to Isagi’s words to Reo before: “Don’t be the one who gets chosen. Be the one who gets to choose.”

And before this scene in the anime, they even added this part:

Bachira reaching out for Isagi, but only to draw it back...

Such a big disservice there… Bachira’s awakening was complex. He’s saying goodbye to Isagi not only because he wants to be strong enough to stay in Blue Lock, but also because he wants to keep him, even if they can no longer be friends. In a way, it’s a self-sacrificial act. Literally, “I don’t care if I’ll be sad as long as I can stay by his side!”

Adding that underwater hand thing on top of the changed lines turned Bachira’s awakening arc from being deeply rooted in love to one of mere individuality. The anime has completely missed the point...

There are 2 more episodes left, and the next one has another crucial BachiSagi moment. Let’s see how 8Bit wraps up their relationship before I give my final verdict.