40 Best Blue Lock Players (Sorted by Positions)

Blue Lock is a Japanese manga series. Focusing on the sports genre, specifically football, the series is set after the results of the Japan soccer team after the 2018 World Cup. In this article, we are going to present the main characters from Blue Lock, but based on some specific criteria. Namely, we are going to present the numerous best Blue Lock players based on the four main positions (goalkeeper, defender, midfielder, attacker), which means that you are going to get a list of the 40 best Blue Lock players.

The characters in question are not going to be ranked based on their quality between them, but rather just listed because they are the very best in their positions within the whole franchise. This was done to avoid confusion as, objectively, it is quite difficult to evaluate the skills of these characters between themselves, especially because the manga is still relatively new and there will be more time for the characters to prove themselves later on. It’s going to be a very fun list nevertheless, so please enjoy reading it!

Best Blue Lock strikers

Noel Noa

Noel Noa is a French footballer, considered the strongest in the world, raised in bad neighborhoods, football was the only way for him to emerge and achieve success. He is Isagi’s favorite player who more than anything else wants to get to the level of him. He is considered to be one of the best attackers in the world.

Rin Itoshi

Rin Itoshi is Blue Lock’s strongest footballer. He has black hair and green eyes and speaks English very well. He always applies mascara to his eyes. His older brother is called Sae, and he is believed to be Japan’s strongest footballer in the Under-20 scene. What he most wanted was to be able to play with him and win the World Cup alongside him, until Sae humiliated him after changing his mind and accused him of not having what it takes to become the best as well as being an insignificant presence to him.

As a result, Rin has become an introverted boy with a cold temper, obsessed with the goal of becoming the strongest striker in the world. He warms up easily when provoked, and he takes football with the utmost seriousness; for him, a match is like a battle in which only winning is important, and he is a point of reference for the other Blue Lock players.

He possesses speed, technique, physicality, and tactical intelligence. He also knows how to give space to other strikers, his shooting accuracy allows him to kick excellent curved balls, and he can score not only free-kick but also kick directly from the corner. He has the ability to predict the moves of his opponents in advance.

What makes him different from Isagi is that while he tries to combine his skills with those of his teammates to optimize play strategies, Rin instead manipulates both his teammates and the opponents, trying to take advantage by keeping in mind the strengths and weaknesses of each of them. Rin initially considers Isagi a mediocre player, but in light of the latter’s improvements, he will begin to see him as a formidable rival.

He will be the captain of Blue Lock Eleven, playing against the experimental formation of Japan Under-20 where he will play against his brother Sae, managing to beat him and get a place in the squad of the national team.

Ryusei Shido

Ryusei Shidou is the strongest player in Blue Lock after Rin; between the two there is a deep mutual dislike. Shidou is an angry, arrogant, and violent boy. He is an attacker with physical prowess and speed, he can cover even the longest areas in a few moments, catching his opponents by surprise; moreover, he is very good at knowing how to score and possesses considerable shooting power.

When he performs the overturn he manages to land on his feet giving the impression of flying. He is so superb that he doesn’t think his playing skills are the result of talent, but a simple biological factor. He does not feel threatened by the strength of other players, on the contrary, he appreciates players with great skills.

He joined the experimental formation of the Under-20 national team after Ego had excluded him from the Blue Lock Eleven squad fearing that with his angry temper, he would only earn yellow cards; during the match against his former colleagues, he will enter the field in the second half and at the beginning, he will give the impression of being able to lead his team to victory. Isagi and Rin will be able to turn the tide of the game allowing the Blue Lock Eleven to win the match.

Yoichi Isagi

Yoichi Isagi is the protagonist of the manga. He is from Saitama prefecture, he is not particularly tall, and has blue eyes and hair. This promising footballer has no aggression in the attack phase: during the match for the qualifiers for the high school national championship, his team loses precisely because Isagi had preferred to pass the ball to a less capable teammate instead of attempting the goal himself.

He is an admirer of Noel Noa, a famous French footballer. When he enters the Blue Lock project, his evolutionary path begins, just when he believed he had no chance of making a career as a footballer. Playing in the Blue Lock, in fact, he was presented with the opportunity to realize his dream, which is to become the best striker in the world. What he wants is to lead Japan to victory in the World Cup.

He will quickly develop an increasingly competitive nature, and find no incentive to defeat rivals weaker than him, as he always aims to beat the stronger opponent, which will lead him to become a formidable striker. He always draws inspiration from his teammates and his opponents to learn to play better and better.

He is also instinctive but at the same time has a total vision of the pitch, and as a leader, he can think quickly knowing how to combine his qualities with those of the other members of his team to finish, using what he calls “chemical reaction”, as well as knowing how to kick a fast ball.

Ego considers Isagi’s strategic skills miraculous. Entering the Blue Lock, he is placed in the Z team, revealing himself to be a real leader. He is able to show himself more and more by rivaling the strongest of the institute such as Meguru Bachira, Hyoma Chigiri, Rensuke Kunigami, Shoei Baro, Seishiro Nagi, Eita Otoya, Tabito Karasu and Rin Itoshi, earning a place among the Blue Lock Eleven and aspiring to a position in the squad of the National Under-20 team. During the final challenge between the two teams, Isagi himself will lead his team to triumph by scoring the winning goal.

Meguru Bachira

Meguru Bachira is a Z team player. He has black hair and yellow eyes. He comes from Chiba prefecture, is a bizarre and extravagant person, and has a habit of humming when he speaks. He has a friendly personality but when he plays, he becomes ruthless. He has always loved football since he was a child, but his passion was not fully shared by his peers, so much so that he was made fun of as being considered a strange child.

To compensate for his loneliness, he has therefore created an imaginary friend whom he calls “Monster”. One of his favorite footballers is Zico. A quick player, he is an excellent assist man, and in offensive action, he makes excellent use of his sophisticated dribble.

In the high school leagues, he was unable to emerge as he was unable to fit into the playing patterns of his teammates, but not for lack of talent: on the contrary, Bachira’s football has always been at a higher level than that of his peers who therefore couldn’t keep up with his pace. He immediately becomes friends with Isagi, but when they play in different teams in the second phase of the selections, he will become a dangerous rival: playing against Isagi, he “abandons” the Monster, having now found in Isagi a worthy teammate with whom to share his love for football.

Rensuke Kunigami

Rensuke Kunigami is a footballer for the Z team. He has orange hair, is a left-footed forward, and is one of the best on the team, although not at the level of Isagi, Bachira, and Chigiri. He strongly believes in loyalty, he wants to play to become a “Superhero of football”, believing that there is nothing nobler than the competitive success obtained with hard work.

In the second phase, in the 3v3 challenge, he will join Mikage and Chigiri who will form a fearsome trio of scorers but will be beaten by Isagi’s team. He will abandon the intention of joining the Blue Lock Eleven after the humiliating confrontation with Shidou, in the face of the latter’s superiority. Instead of moving away from Blue Lock, he is invited to join a secondary program of the academy, the “Jolly” with which he returns fully among the candidates for the selection for the National Under-20 having undergone a hard training regime to maximize the physical prowess.

The Jolly’s goal was to readjust Kunigami’s style of play in order to make him more similar to that of Noel Noa, the strongest footballer in the world, with the result that he is now faster, as well as being more decisive and aggressive in attack, among other things he seems to have improved his shot with the right foot.

Kenyu Yukimiya

Kenyu Yukimiya is one of the best players in Blue Lock. When he played in the high school leagues, he had already proven himself to have the skills to play for the national team, not only for his talent but also because he is a charming and handsome boy, having also posed as a model. He is forced to wear eyeglasses due to incurable progressive optic neuropathy which risks leading him one day to permanent blindness. To prevent this from happening, he undergoes treatment to limit the damage as much as possible. Despite this, he is a very talented footballer. By controlling the ball, he manages to dribble the opponent, making him unbalanced with his body.

Eita Otoya

Eita Otoya, nicknamed The Ninja, according to Hiori really comes from a family of ninja. His hair is white with some dark green locks. Very sure of himself, he plays in a relaxed way, and among his qualities as a player must be listed his running speed, combined with an excellent sense of position. Teaming up with Karasu in the various Blue Lock selection matches, Karasu and Otoya’s play combination proved to be among the best in the academy.

Shoei Baro

Shoei Baro is the strongest player on team X. He was Isagi’s first rival at Blue Lock, nicknamed King. Since childhood, he has always shown an extraordinary talent for football. He has excellent dribbling and exceptional shooting power, with which he is able to score by kicking even from a distance of over 27 meters from the goal. Both by nature and technique, his game is extremely individualistic.

He undergoes hard training every day to keep fit. According to Isagi, he is one of the few Blue Lock players who can pose a threat to Rin as Baro’s instinct-based game is not easily predictable for him, forcing him to give up his strength (Rin being good at predicting and reacting to the moves of his challengers).

He is very attentive to order and hygiene. He considers himself the strongest, but even if his pride in him does not allow him to admit it, he sees in his rivals an incentive to improve; for example, by recognizing the superiority of Isagi and Nagi, he was able to awaken his latent potential.

Hyoma Chigiri

Hyoma Chigiri is a footballer on team Z, probably the most talented of the group after Isagi. His eyes, like his hair, are pink. He sees Isagi as a worthy rival as both of them aim to become the strongest strikers in the world. In the past, he injured his knee, and despite recovering, for fear of being injured again, he was not able to fully exploit his skills as a striker.

In the first phase of Blue Lock, in the match that ends in a draw against his W team, he will be able to his fear of getting injured, and will return to play at the maximum of his strength, proving his incredible achievement skills. His best weapon is his running speed – no one at Blue Lock can run as fast as he can. Because of his feminine hair, the others call him “Princess”.

Keisuke & Junichi Wanima

Keisuke Wanima and Junichi Wanima are two twin brothers who play in team W. Keeping short distances between them, they are able to advance, passing the opposing defense thanks to their exchange of passes. The two have an excellent understanding, but they are not talented players. They tend to become vindictive, angry, and violent when their plans do not go the way they hoped; in fact, they start beating Kuon when he fails in the plan to make them win against Team Z, getting only a draw. They were schoolmates of Chigiri.

Wataru Kuon

Wataru Kuon is a member of team Z. On the surface, he seems to be a kind and helpful person; even at the beginning, he was practically the one to keep the group together, but in reality, he is sneaky and manipulative. In the match against team W, he tried to betray his teammates by trying to concede the victory to the opponents, only in the hope of showing himself as the best scorer of his team.

He has always taken football seriously, but not finding anyone who shared his aspirations, he became selfish, but repented for his betrayal, seeing the commitment of Isagi and the rest of the Z team. Seeing in them the ambition that once also drove him, will redeem himself in the victory against team V, sacrificing himself by being expelled in order to prevent his opponents from taking the lead.

Ryosuke Kira

Ryousuke Kira is the footballer who defeated Isagi in a match where the latter did not have the courage to shoot and score in the high school championship of Saitama prefecture. He is successful with the girls. He is kept under observation by the Japan Under-18 national team; among his favorite players are Keisuke Honda and Shinji Kagawa.

He too is selected for the Blue Lock, immediately finding himself in disagreement with Ego and his way of conceiving football. He finds himself in team Z, but is eliminated and kicked out of Blue Lock, failing the first test, after being beaten by Isagi. This leads to the abrupt end of his career on the national team, as being eliminated at the first test of Blue Lock means that he would not get a call to the team, although Kira was considered a young prodigy of his country.

If in the beginning, he treated Isagi with kindness, he will end up despising him since he himself has put an end to his future as an international footballer. This experience will make Isagi understand that to fulfill one’s dreams. one must be ready to destroy those of others.

Nijiro Nanase

Nijiro Nanase is among the less gifted players of Blue Lock. He is a decidedly humble and kind person, and even if he is not very strong, he plays without sparing himself. This is because, as he himself says, even a weak player can still give valid support in the game by helping the most capable comrades.

Asahi Naruhaya

Asahi Naruhaya is a footballer of the Z team. A blond-haired boy, his parents are dead, and he aims to become a professional footballer to give him and his brothers a better standard of living. He is very aware of his limits, and in fact, even if he does his best, he knows very well that he is not a talented footballer.

In the second phase, he will join Baro in the 2v2 challenge that will see Isagi and Nagi as his opponents; losing after a hard-fought game, he ends up being removed from Blue Lock, recognizing Isagi’s superiority by admitting that the latter is adaptable to the game superior to his, even though Naruhaya tried to emulate his style of play to defeat him.

Aoshi Tokimitsu

Aoshi Tokimitsu is one of the strongest players in Blue Lock and, together with Rin and Arya in the second phase (in the 3v3 challenge), they proved to be an unstoppable trio. Although he easily gives in to nervousness, he is able to channel it to give his best during the game. He is fast and has incredible explosiveness when shooting. He has a servile character, and always speaks with a trembling voice. He knows practically every piece of information about the best players playing in the European leagues.

Zantetsu Tsurugi

Zantetsu Tsurugi is a footballer of team V. Tall with black hair, he is the best scorer of the team after Mikage and Nagi, with whom he shares a strong sense of fairness, but unlike the two, he was unable to show off like them with the progress of the tests. He has a great shot but is not very fast Unlike his two companions, he is more attentive and meticulous.

Teru Kitsunezato

Teru Kitsunezato is a footballer who, despite not being so strong in attack, prefers to limit himself to contributing with his passes by helping his teammates to advance in attack, believing that the best way is to avoid dispersive actions. He has black eyes and brown hair, and has a cheerful and smiling expression; among other things, his strange face resembles that of a squirrel.

Kento Cho

Kento Chou is a striker. A guy with short black hair, he is a person of few words; he is not particularly expressive, and there is always a rather melancholic expression on his face. He is not a striker who is considered to be fearsome by others.

Shuto Sendo

Shuto Sendo is a striker. Rather self-centered, he does not tolerate being overshadowed by anyone, not even his teammates. He dislikes Sae, as he is a more talented footballer than him. He plays in Japan’s first football division as a professional. Both in life and in football, he is driven by great ambitions; he aims to become one of the best footballers internationally.

By his own admission, he would like to marry a Hollywood actress when he becomes an established athlete. While his teammates find his aspirations ridiculous, it is also true that it is the reason why he knows how to be appreciated by them.

Lavinho

Lavinho is a Brazilian international footballer who plays as a forward. He plays for Spain’s FC Barcha and has a very eccentric personality both on and off the field.

Julian Loki

Julian is a French international footballer who is considered to be one of the best strikers in the world. He is a player for PXG. He takes football very seriously and has a very professional approach to every match.

Best Blue Lock midfielders

Sae Itoshi

Sae Itoshi is Rin’s older brother. Unanimously he is considered the strongest Japanese footballer in the Under-20 age group, he and Rin in the past were much more united, just Sae encouraged him to devote himself to football seeing his talent. He plays in the youth teams of Real Madrid and is not very attached to Japanese football, in fact, he has no interest in playing for the J-League, and he is not even interested in evolving football in Japan.

For this reason, he and Rin have split since Rin never abandoned his resolve to lead Japan to football glory by becoming the strongest forward in the world. Sae only wants to play for a European team and win the UEFA Champions League. His position is that of an attacking midfielder, his passes are not only precise but also very fast, and he plays with such ease that he can score even by hitting a lob even from an awkward angle, Sae and Rin are practically at the same level.

Reo says that he had never met anyone more talented than the two of them. Sae does not like to score the goal himself, not considering it a task suited to his position. He is even more haughty and pretentious than Rin, he demands to play only with those he considers to be equal to him, although unlike his brother Sae he has more self-control.

When he plays in the experimental formation of the Japan Under-20 to face the Blue Lock Eleven to compete for the right to play in the youth world cup, he will lose by competing against his brother Rin, but this defeat will lead him to reconsider his position on Japanese football, above all he will learn to esteem Isagi believing that he is the only one who can change their country’s football.

Reo Mikage

Reo Mikage is a V-team footballer. He has purple eyes and hair and comes from a very wealthy family with assets of 705,800,000,000 yen. He has always been successful in all sports, but, having lived a life of privilege, he has always had everything served to him. This is why he wants to win the World Cup (the most coveted football trophy), precisely for the satisfaction of earning something with hard work, but his parents never shared his passion as they wanted him to go to college and inherit the family business.

As a footballer, he doesn’t excel at anything, but his individual skills are well-balanced. He is referred to as a “chameleon” because he is able to copy another footballer’s style of play just by looking at it. Having discovered Nagi’s talent, he is possessive towards him, having always played alongside him; also, for this reason, he is a bit envious that Nagi considers Isaki a better teammate. In the second phase of Blue Lock, he will have Nagi as an opponent and this will prompt Reo to rely more on his abilities alone.

Seishiro Nagi

Seishiro Nagi is a footballer from team V. He has white hair and green eyes. He and Reo have known each other since their school days, and it was the latter who convinced him to play football, seeing in him great potential. He almost always has a dull look, and it seems that nothing is able to thrill him. He is a very valuable striker with excellent ball control, so much, in fact, that he is able to intercept passes on the fly with his legs and feet even from the most difficult positions.

In the first phase, his team seemed the strongest, but Isagi, leading team Z, will manage to beat him and team V in the last game. In the second phase, he decides to join Isagi: the two will prove to be winning two, and he will learn to put more commitment and dedication into football. He has a rather conflicted relationship with Baro, as the two often get to argue.

Tabito Karasu

Tabito Karasu is a midfielder, and certainly one of the best players in Blue Lock, considered the best after Rin and Shidou. His hair has a purple / dark blue color. He is endowed with an excellent analytical sense; he always tries to find the weak point of the opposing team, directly facing the less capable player considering it the best way to make his way through the opponents. He is nicknamed The Hitman.

Karasu has exceptional ball control and is able to overcome opponents with his feints, finding the goal by kicking from a short-medium distance, as well as protecting the ball well, keeping his opponents away with both hands and arms, finding the right moment to pass the ball or go directly to the net. Arrogant and bossy, he likes to provoke others, but he is not cold-blooded; in fact, when things don’t go according to his plans he gets angry easily.

Haru Hayate

Haru Hayate is a defensive midfielder, a thin guy with blond hair and big brown eyes. An imperturbable expression always appears on his face, almost giving the impression of always being distracted, even in the face of problems he does not seem to care at all.

Yo Hiori

Yo Hiori, while not a striker on the level of many others at Blue Lock, nevertheless proved to be a good assist man. His passing is fast and precise, and in the attacking phases, he manages the lead of the game very well. He and Karasu are good friends, they have known each other since before their entry to Blue Lock. In a short time. he makes friends with Isagi, unlike most of the Blue Lock players, because of his kind character. He comes from the Kyoto prefecture.

Tatsuki Wakatsuki

Tatsuki Wakatsuki is a low-level footballer, who has black eyes and long black hair. Among the players of the Under-20 national team, he is probably the weakest given that Shidou is preferred to him. He is a defensive midfielder.

Jingo Raichi

Jingo Raichi is a footballer for the Z team. A white-haired boy, he is a brawler and often expresses himself with vulgarity. He gets angry easily; for him, every pretext is good to show himself as a footballer. He is always looking for the goal although he is not gifted with great finishing skills.

Best Blue Lock defenders

Oliver Aiku

Oliver Aiku is the captain of the experimental formation of the Under-20 national team, he plays as free, he is a very arrogant person, he has confidence in his means and this leads him to underestimate his opponents, but when he recognizes the value of his rival he feels stimulated to fight, giving the best of himself. Because of his heterochromia, his left eye is green while his right eye is purple.

From a young age, he was considered a very promising footballer. In the beginning, he was a forward and wanted to become the best, but what he aims at now is to become the strongest defender in the world. Because of his talent, he is kept under observation by Serie A. Aiku is quite strong, in fact, he manages to overwhelm Shidou during one of his attacks of anger, revealing himself to be one of the few capable of keeping him in check.

While playing against the Blue Lock Eleven to determine which team will play in the Under-20 World Cup, in the beginning, he will not consider Isagi an opponent worthy of consideration. This evaluation will cost him the victory since, precisely for having left him unmarked, Isagi will be able to score the winning goal by decreeing the defeat of Aiku and his team. This will lead Aiku to esteem him.

Miroku Darai

Miroku Darai is a footballer who plays as a defender. His appearance is very exotic and his face does not seem to reveal any emotion. He is so fast that his speed of movement is comparable to that of Otoya. Together with Niou, Aiku, and Neru, he forms the defensive block known as the Iron Wall Quartet.

Ikki Niko

Ikki Niko is a player from team Y. His eyes are almost always covered with hair. It is he who secretly leads his team, creating scoring chances. In the beginning, his style of play is identical to that of Isagi at the beginning of the manga: focusing only on the steps but without putting grit into it.

After losing to Isagi and team Z, he will decide to become more competitive, so much so that he becomes the best finalizer of their team, which earned him a promotion to the second phase. Although Ego sees him as one of the best forwards in the academy, he thinks he is more suited to the role of a central defender as Niko has a very good view of the pitch.

Jyubei Aryu

Jyubei Aryu is one of the best players in Blue Lock. He is tall and has long black hair, and his nails are dyed black too. His height is decisive for him in his offensive actions, having in fact an excellent aerial deadlift, and also always tries to accompany his performance with his own personal style of play, based on the elegance of the movements.

Kazuma Niou

Kazuma Niou is a defender, a quick-tempered guy who struggles to stay focused when faced with difficult situations. As Nagi points out, he is quick to the point of being able to exert strong pressure on the rival attacker in a short time when he receives the ball. Competitive both in football and in more playful activities, he always reacts to defeat (in a comic key) with rancor.

Teppei Neru

Teppei Neru is a defender. He does not give the impression of being particularly threatening, on the contrary, he has a funny appearance, has blond hair that is pulled up and thick eyebrows, with large brown eyes without pupils. In the defensive game, he focuses on speed. He always has a joyful and friendly expression on his face, moreover, he tends to compliment his teammates but also his opponents when he notices their football skills.

Best Blue Lock goalkeepers

Gin Gagamaru

Gin Gagamaru is a very tall guy with black and yellow hair. He played in team Z, he is a kind person who puts the maximum effort into matches. He boasts good acrobatic skills. When he enters the Blue Lock Eleven he is assigned the role of goalkeeper. When he plays in the Neo Egoist League, Noa also encourages him to play in the middle of the poles considering him perfect for this position.

Okuhito Iemon

Okuhito Iemon is a footballer of the Z team. A tall black-haired boy, Iemon is a kind and caring person. He does not have great aptitudes, but in the first phase, he played the role of goalkeeper with quite appreciable results.

Gen Fukaku

Gen Fukaku is a goalkeeper. He has brown eyes and hair. He was not very reliable in his role as an extreme keeper; even Gagamaru, who, before the game against the Japan Under-20, was lacking in knowledge about the role of goalkeeper, turned out to be more skilled than Fukaku.