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Following Germany's huge 2-1 upset at the hands of Japan in the FIFA World Cup 2022, anime fans took over social media, especially those related to the popular series Blue Lock. A number of posts flooded Twitter and other platforms claiming that the project was real and Ego Jinpachi had succeeded in creating a strong Japanese Team.
In the anime, Ego mentions:
"My job is to make Japan a team capable of winning the World Cup. I’ll put it in simple terms. Japan only requires one thing to become the strongest powerhouse in football. And that is the creation of the revolutionary striker."
This egotistic striker may not have emerged but a capable team sure did.
The importance of the Blue Lock Japanese Jersey from FIFA World Cup 2022
Even Takumi Asano, scorer of Japan's second goal, did not believe that the win actually happened. The smaller Japanese player broke past the towering German defender and world champion goalkeeper to smash in a sensational late-grasp goal for his country.
Much like what happens in anime. Shoei Baro from Blue Lock said that a striker "who chokes in front of the goal" doesn't have what it takes to be a striker, and that's something Asano would agree with.
Shortly after Asano shot in the winning goal to sink Germany at Qatar, the Manga’s Twitter account posted: “Awesome! Ego!”
What's more interesting is that Kaneshio's series has a closer relationship with Japan’s football team. Sometime in August this year, the Japanese football team unveiled their jerseys for the FIFA World Cup 2022. It sported a traditional blue color with added Origami elements, the Japanese art of folding paper, a sign symbolizing a prayer for happiness.
The jersey reveal took place in collaboration with football manga Blue Lock and Giant Killing. Thanks to the illustrators of the manga, Yusuke Nomura and Tsujitomo, the characters were seen clad in the new jersey at the launch.
The significance
Anime is not restricted to a certain genre. It stretches from action to adventure to romance to high school to horror and lots more. In the current scenario, it is the sports oriented ones that are shooting up in popularity, in particular, the soccer/football anime.
Earlier, Haikyuu! and Captain Tsubasa were major hits. Now, it is Muneyuki Kaneshiro's manga and the subsequent anime adaptation that are taking over the anime community.
Blue Lock is significant as it reflects real-world scenarios rather than taking things to a fantasy level. It even uses real-life football icons to explain positions and concepts that would otherwise require long-winded explanations.
The anime stands for strong emotions such as the desire to win, a reluctance to give up, team effort and egoism. It seems uncanny that this is exactly what the Japanese team did in their match against Germany. They fought back till the final whistle and refused to give in to the might of the opposition.
It was almost as if when they donned the jersey, the elements Ego wanted to instill in his players came to life on the pitch in Qatar. This win for Japan was historic as it was the 4th time they beat Germany in a World Cup setting. To round it off, millions around the world witnessed Project Blue Lock become reality.
