The Anti-Shonen: How Blue Lock Completely Redefines Classic Shonen

The shonen genre is characterized by jaw-dropping action, unbelievably tense fight scenes, and most importantly, teamwork between comrades. However, there is one modern-day shonen series that does not fit into this framework, and that is Blue Lock, created by Muneyuki Kaneshiro. While most shonen animes place collaboration and working together at the forefront, Blue Lock subverts expectations of what the genre should be.

Blue Lock centers around Isagi Yoichi, the high school protagonist who found himself at a crossroads in life and his career. He was struggling with a deep lack of confidence, especially in his soccer abilities, as he and his soccer team had just lost a crucial game.

However, Isagi was picked back up from his devasation by Jinpachi Ego, the mastermind who orchestrated the Blue Lock project, where he took 300 talented soccer players and devised a competition in which they’d compete for the title of world’s best striker. Once he entered Blue Lock, Isagi had to dramatically revamp his soccer playing style.

Although Blue Lock Is A Sports Shonen, It Differs Significantly From The Rest

Other sports anime heavily assert the importance of teamwork, but Blue Lock takes the opposite approach

In order to win the Blue Lock competition, Jinpachi Ego explains, the best player will possess an unshakable and self-focused “ego,” rather than a team-focused philosophy. Although there are numerous challenges in the contest that require participants to play on teams, the primary focus is always on individual talent, motivation, and growth. Prior to Blue Lock, Isagi and many of the other players had grown accustomed to valuing teamwork over everything, so it was necessary for these characters to completely reframe the way they thought about soccer and their own playing styles, or else risk getting eliminated rather quickly.

Each Blue Lock player possesses a unique talent that sets him apart from the others. For example, Isagi is able to “sniff out” a goal from any area of the field, Bachira is a dribbling mastermind, Barou is a muscular powerhouse, and Chigiri’s kicking is overpowering and unstoppable. However, having one special gift is not enough to lead a Blue Lock player to ultimate success. While these standout abilities help these characters in team settings, to grow into the world’s best players, they must perfect every aspect of their skill set, never relying on another player to carry them to victory.

Individual Talent And Growth Is Highlighted In Blue Lock, Rather Than Team Victory

There is a lot of team play featured in Blue Lock, but at its core, it is an every-man-for-himself competition

Only one player will win the Blue Lock tournament, making it pivotal for the participants to either continually improve at soccer or be kicked from the competition and lose their chance at making soccer history worldwide. Many players, such as Isagi and Reo, realized they were using other players as a crutch to win games and had to learn to leave this tendency behind and stand firmly on their own as soccer experts. Many characters faced setbacks such as Chigiri’s injured leg, but they had to figure out how to overcome roadblocks and adversity on their own in order to win.

Almost every other shonen series, from more general action and fantasy animes like Jujutsu Kaisen and Attack on Titan to more realistic sports shonens like Haikyu!! showcase characters who must learn to rely on others, work hand in hand with teammates, and generally spread the message that collaborating with others to reach a common goal is the best approach. Blue Lock is one of the first shonen animes of its kind, to completely turn this lesson on its head and assert the significance of growing and maturing as an individual, winning completely on one’s own, and overall independence.

Blue Lock Truly Stands Out Due To Its Unique And Rare Premise

The characters in Blue Lock often become rather selfish, only prioritizing their own goals and ambitions and bowling over anyone who may stand in the way of their victory in the Blue Lock competition. Isagi morphs more and more into this type of character with each episode, and this works out in his favor, bringing him continual success and allowing him to continue traveling upwards on the leaderboard. The reality is that those who are unable to shed their previous team-focused soccer style simply cannot win in the Blue Lock project. Only the players who realize this will advance in the competition.

There is no other anime series this individualistic, leading Blue Lock to develop a wide fanbase of people intrigued by the show’s previously unseen premise. Blue Lock has broken the constraints of what a shonen anime should be, proving that teamwork does not have to be the primary message of a series for it to be successful and well-written. Perhaps new shonen series, in the sports genre and otherwise, will follow in Blue Lock‘s footsteps and try this new approach, differing from the norm and offering a host of innovative new anti-shonen stories that are unlike anything the genre has produced before.

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