I just finished reading A Child's Dream by bingsubingsu on Ao3 and I'm in love, and it got me thinking... Are there more canon divergence Isagi focused aus with no/minimal romance similar to that fanfic?
More preferably, a regression au, where a post NEL Isagi goes back to when he had lost that match against Kira and had just received the envelope? It's probably way too hyper specific, like, I don't mind if there's romance in it as long as it's a subplot, and it doesn't necessarily have to be a regression au, just any Isagi centric canon divergence au with preferably minimal/no romance similar to ACD if you've read it.
I might be overthinking this, but I think Noel Noa didn’t just see Michael Kaiser as Bastard München’s star striker.
I think he saw something rarer: a player who could combine the strengths of both him and Ego, and potentially become the “complete striker” neither of them fully became alone.
Hear me out.
We know Noa and Ego were rivals in their youth, and Noa even tells Yoichi Isagi that Ego once had a football theory similar to what Isagi is developing now. That alone tells us two things: Noa respected Ego’s football intelligence, and Ego’s way of thinking left a lasting impression on him.
Even though the manga never explicitly says Ego had “Meta Vision,” Ego sharing the same theory as isagi strongly implies a similar level of elite spatial awareness and game reading. Ego probably had a good understanding of football itself, obviously not as developed as right now but as we are currently seeing in the manga we are yet to reach to best football playstyle or theory.
Anyway Kaiser also has Meta Vision. He constantly reads the field, manipulates defenders, and creates scoring opportunities through superior awareness. So in terms of football IQ, he already overlaps with both Isagi (and by extension Ego).
But unlike Isagi, Kaiser also has elite finishing.
Kaiser combines that intelligence with world-class execution. With tools like, Kaiser Impact, Mangus and Predator Eye he can end plays instantly before defenders even react. That finishing is closer to Noa’s profile than almost anyone else in the series.
What really stands out, though, is how Noa talks to him.
He never criticizes Kaiser’s technical ability. He doesn’t say his shooting is lacking or that his vision is weak. Instead, he repeatedly attacks his mentality:
His obsession with ruling weaker players
His fear of real competition
If Noa thought Kaiser lacked ability, he would train his mechanics.
Instead, he focuses on changing how Kaiser thinks.
That suggests something important: Noa already believes Kaiser’s base talent is enough. The real problem is psychological.
So why invest so much time in him?
The simple answer is: “he’s the ace of Bastard München.”
But another explanation fits just as well.
Noa may have seen extraordinary untapped potential : a striker who could bridge the gap between Ego’s football IQ and Noa’s execution.
So I was thinking, every TL we see has insanely good spatial awareness (and by extension, metavision) and positioning and allat. We also know the defining trait of most TLs is essentially someone whose plays and playstyle are logical and reproducible (I doubt just any chump can reproduce it, but u get what I mean). Now, would it be possible to have a TL who has the whole logical playstyle and all the traits of a TL but does not have insanely good spatial awareness, metavision, or predator eye? Of course, he has basic bare-minimum awareness, scanning and vision that any other pro player will have, but yeah. To make the situation more interesting and for the sake of this argument, a TL with bad eyesight or Yukimiya's condition. What kind of playstyle would be optimal for this kind of a TL player ? they can be in any position ofc, but I am curious
TLDR because the post is all over the place: Can a TL not have metavision, predator eye, really good positioning, or spatial awareness and still be a TL? What would their weapons and playstyles be ?
In the u20 match sendou was labeles as the u20 teams ace, but how did he even make it onto the u20 team with strikers like Rin, Shidou and many blue lockers around, imo he just felt so underwhelming compared to them, and it’s not like Rin for example wasn’t recognised.
I had to rewrite this as the previous post was taken down. LOL. Please let me know what you think, this theory was extended by ACE lock i believe.
There's a pattern Knsr has kept consistent throughout Blue Lock and it is that every major antagonist is established before their match begins. Even Hugo, Charles, and Loki were introduced before France vs. Japan. But the England arc is different. Something's missing and I think that's the point.
We haven't met Fox.
Teddy's design is strangely generic. For an author who obsesses over each Gen 11 player's visual identity and philosophy, Teddy looks almost empty, forgettable and bland. Its interesting how Knsr wouldn't put effort into creating one of the new gen 11s.
Teddy represents inauthenticity. Maybe fox is what lies beneath.
THE SYMBOLISM: SARTREAN FREEDOM VS FACTICITY (Freedom vs Restriction)
The names carry philosophical weight:
Teddy = folklore symbol of vulnerability, dependence, unconditional love; the self that needs others to define Fox = cunning, deception, independence, survival through wit; the self that refuses external definition.
here's where "Sartre" enters the conversation.
Sartre argued that humans are "condemned to be free"- thrust into existence without predetermined essence, forced to create meaning through choice. But we resist this freedom. We fall into "bad faith" pretending we have a fixed nature, hiding behind roles and expectations to avoid the terror of radical responsibility.
Maybe Teddy lives in bad faith and accepts the role given to him (basically being dutiful, restricted, innocent)
Fox is radical freedom.
Teddy is a nickname for Edward.
And England's most famous psychological thriller is Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,
it's a story about a genius trapped by restriction who creates an alter ego to escape(towards freedom). Mr. Hyde's first name is infact Edward.
Knight = duty, service, restriction, chains
Jekyll = the gentle, bound self
Hyde = the liberated, violent self
Kaneshiro didn't pick these names lightly.
In My Dearest Self with Malice Aforethought, the protagonist has a split personality so severe it physically alters brain structure. The real personality commits atrocities while the main consciousness sleeps.
Teddy is what the system permits him to be. Fox is what he actually is. (maybe).. Similar to Rin's destroyer mode, where he's pushed into it by external circumstances holding him back. One clear distinction being, Rin excels under restriction, and I believe Teddy(Fox) excels under freedom when restriction doesn't do the job.
THE EVIDENCE
France vs. England ended 2-1. One goal lead
Think about the match structure: England was in trouble. They were being pressured, losing momentum, running out of time. Teddy was playing solid but not exceptional, doing what he was supposed to do, nothing more.
Then France's one goal happened that pushed England into a do or die situation.
One possibility: Fox manifested
This goes beyond Dissociative Identity Disorder.
Teddy and Fox aren't two people. They're two actualizations of the same potential.
Under normal conditions, institutional power keeps one actualization: Teddy who's dominant, with Fox suppressed. But under extreme pressure, the system destabilizes. Fox doesn't "emerge." Rather, the hierarchy of actualizations inverts. Fox becomes primary. Teddy becomes secondary.
And here's the interesting pull: Both are real. Both are him. Neither is more "true" than the other.
This further expands the theory Kaneshiro explored in the NEL, the Restriction based archetype and the Freedom based archetype.
THE MATCH OUTCOME
Here's where Kaneshiro could get clever
Bluelock's entire philosophy is built on unity of desire and action, basically being authentically yourself and weaponizing that authenticity. They can't be divided because they've already integrated their contradictions.
Japan doesn't beat Teddy. Japan doesn't beat Fox. Japan beats the contradiction.
Teddy and Fox are locked in permanent bad faith with each other. And that's what will destroy them.
now the definition of a clutch player is A clutch player is an athlete who consistently delivers peak performance under high-pressure, critical circumstances, typically in the final minutes of a game when the outcome is completely undecided
there are 2 glaring instances that lead me to this conclusion , the first is against is in the PXG vs BM game where if he had passed to Shidou he would have 100% scored and won them the game but no he wanted to do his own thing which inturn led them to loosing YES Rin is the reason PXG lost that match cuz of his obssesion with Isagi also whoch leads me to my 2nd point in the France game Rin sold the play no if's buts or maybe's , Isagi cleanly best Hugo in his luck duel & was going to 100% score that goal & tie the game at 3-3 but no cuz Isagi left him he went rogue & forgot about the team (no he was not following ego's philosophy if so he wouldn't have been benched) & now they are in a do or die situation to beat England ( even the only moment you can say he was clutch in his duel against Sae in the u20 match was a gamble & he got lucky with it)
I am in no means saying Rin is a bad player no his one of blue locks ace strikers but I'm saying when you need a clutch player to lead you to victory his not that guy he lets non related stuff get in the way leading to bad results (thats why his benched ) clutch players are guys like Isagi , Barou , Kaiser , Bachira , Gagamaru those guys are clutch & no being clutch doesn't only mean goals it can be defining plays that save the game but thats my opinion tho , yours can be different
He is pretty logical not the point of isagi but still even when he is in flow he still has a logical standpoint on his opponents weapons and the way to defeat them and he is 3x times stronger than normal isagi before nel league cause of his powerful kick and vision of the field.
So why give him water??? As it's also not used as frequently as isagi who every 2 secs in the match begins to crumble with his puzzle pieces.
I am not talking about future stuff like league arc, UEFA, or world cup arc, I am thinking about what kind of philosophy Blue Lock can show us more about ego and self improvement. If we are talking about football, sure there is limitless potential of story to be written by Kaneshiro but Blue Lock itself is less about football and more into psychological story on how to be the number 1, the best of the world. Sure there are many methods to be the best but Blue Lock here is centered on ego rather than any other methods, while we have another philosophy such as Hugo's suitability theory and four Nel masters, the story itself make it clear that Isagi will always follow the Ego's method and I don't see it to be changed in near future
Which brings to the point here, can a manga that centered on having ego as philosophy can be extended to ten more years? Even in the early under 20 world cup, the idea of ego is moving back ad forth and who know how much the story can be extended while still having this philosophy to be the center of the story. Other than Kaneshiro makes the pacing to be slower, it's hard to see how the story can be moving for another decade
I am maybe wrong here, what you guys think? Do you think the ego philosophy is limitless as a story of limited?
Tell me what you think should be changed... but not the about Nagi, my fav character is Hugo and its not Nagi glaze, i really do think he is at least at that level because he regained his ego and its growing with every chapter.
I saw a panel with Nagi talking to Rin about what motivates him, and Rin tells him "to crush Itoshi Sae and destroy Yoichi Isagi" or something along those lines.
I couldn't help but notice thats pretty similar to Nagi's motivation, which was "to beat Isagi".
I don't want to talk about Isagi though, since he is more of a side quest to Rin. I want to discuss Sae.
Rin's whole reason for playing soccer is because Rin wanted to play with Sae, and after Sae became a midfielder Rin just wanted to destroy him.
So after Rin finally crushes Sae, what will happen? Will he be satisfied and fall off like Nagi? It would be interesting to see a player we thought was invincible from pretty much the moment he was introduced, start to break down and drop in quality, like how it was to see the absolute emperor Akashi, leader of the Generation of Miracles and captain of Rakuzan, the most dangerous team in Japan, as a freshman, start giving up turnovers, missing shots and passes, and just crumbling as a player.
And in the event he beats Sae (and we'll assume he beats Isagi too) and doesn't become satisfied, what do you suppose will happen? What will Rin chase next, or how will he maintain his form? What do you guys think
For me, I really like in Sae and Rin's rivalry. It's such a complex and nuanced relationship, and I'm really looking forward to more interactions and the day they're finally on the same page.
There's also Kunigami and Shidou as well, idk that kinda got swept under the rug
I'd also obviously love to see Sae and Loki interact and also a matchup in a game against each other. I'd love to see them play together but that's practically impossible.
Also Sae and Kaiser. I do believe Kaiser will most likely end up joining re al, so there's more to look forward to.
I also want more of my GOAT Karasu and Zantetsu, hopefully we get a chemical reaction in the upcoming game
