In the late afternoon of Nov. 23, Japan made soccer history by beating four-time world champion Germany in the 2022 Qatar FIFA World Cup. An incredible feat for a team that never won a World Cup and only qualified seven times, the victory sent fans of Japanese soccer anime Blue Lock into a frenzy.Serialized since 2018, Blue Lock has just received its anime adaptation and garnered a serious following as one of the most popular anime of the Fall 2022 season. Its premise is simple yet effective -- a group of young Japanese soccer strikers is selected and entered into a training program aimed at turning the best of them into the ultimate champion. It’s the only way -- according to the anime -- to rewrite Japan’s soccer history and finally win a World Cup title. A pipe dream according to many, it suddenly looked much more realistic when Japan snatched its surprise victory against Germany in Qatar. Twitter was inundated by posts from fans of the anime under the hashtag "Blue Lock is real."
Blue Lock Envisions a Path to Glory for Japanese Soccer
When he decides to pass instead of shooting at the goal during a prefectural soccer game, teenager Yoichi Isagi loses the game itself and all hopes of becoming a professional soccer player. A few days later, however, he is summoned by the Japan Football Union and offered a place in the Blue Lock program -- an intensive training program designed to create the perfect striker. Eerily reminiscent of Squid Game, the program is a series of strenuous challenges intended to test, break and rebuild the strikers from scratch as players.
From the very first episode, the story grounds the anime in reality. Ego, the mind behind the program, explains that because of its weaknesses, Japanese football has never really been competitive internationally. Whether these weaknesses are real or not, it is refreshing to see a soccer anime that reflects the reality of the sport as well as Japan’s role in it. Ego’s carefully structured "Blue Lock" machine envisions a relentless but effective path to creating the perfect striker -- and a victorious Japan.
Japan’s Victory Against Germany Makes This Anime Dream a Real-World Possibility
After a painful first half of the World Cup's game against Germany, Japan turned things around in the second, changing tactics. The strategy paid off when, later in the game, Ritsu Doan and Takuma Asano scored within eight minutes of each other (75’ and 83’), securing Japan’s victory. It was as unexpected a result as it was crucial -- Japanese soccer fans seemed to live it as an effective rebirth.
Samurai Blue's victory sparked reactions from fans of Blue Lock in Japan and beyond. It is evident that seeing Japan gain such a momentous victory by virtue of two strikers’ brilliant -- and virtually unexpected -- actions has reminded fans of what Blue Lock anticipates and wishes for. On Twitter, both Blue Lock’s artist and official account have posted about the game, with Yusuke Nomura dedicating his art to the Japanese team’s feat. The official Blue Lock account also noted that both "Japan" and "Blue Lock" were trending on Twitter.
As Japan prepares to fight for the top spot at the World Cup, fans of Blue Lock might be reminded of the power of art to shape and inspire the future far earlier than scientists' and experts’ theories and predictions. Who knows -- perhaps Blue Lock motivated the Japanese soccer team to dream of an impossible victory and turn it into reality.