egoist a person who is self-centered and focused primarily under our own needs and desires while this generally understood that having self-confidence is important in sports the specific emphasis on being an egoist is a central theme in blue lock it stands out when watching the show but what does it really mean to be one and why does being an egoist specifically seem to matter so much let's set the stage blue lock takes place in a post-world cub Japan after the country's defeat in 2018 Eggo chimpachi the coach and essential game master of Bullock believes that the
root of Japan's defeat in the World Cup was a lack of strong individual scoring ability which he attributes to the country's strong cultural emphasis on filling one's assigned role and working as a cohesive unit chimpachi believes that in order to win the world cup Japan will need a revolutionary scorer who possesses a strong sense of individuality and the ability to go beyond their assigned role on the field according to jimpachi soccer is a sport that requires more than just following orders and fulfilling your assigned role this is why he says originally soccer was a sport
with 11 Strikers because every individual player's goal should be to do what they can to score and thus the player taking the shot should be the player most capable of it as the Show puts it to turn zero into one a single player has to Define themselves as the striker an ego is required to decide for yourself that you will be the striker and the other players will naturally evolve around the striker taking up the other positions on the field to support the striker and score as many points as possible Guerrero isn't drawn it makes
the bow come to it in the world of soccer goalies Defenders and midfielders can be trained but first class Strikers appear where the game is most intense that's because the ego required to be a top-notch striker also attracts players to the highest level of competition it's a never-ending cycle of confidence scale and determination that propels the best players to the top while crushing the players below them the main character of a story is often The Vessel through which the messages and themes are conveyed and isagi the protagonist in blue lock is no exception despite the
first hand coming across as someone soft and maybe unconfident visigi perfectly embodies the idea that ego is a key factor in driving one's abilities isaki's character personality and abilities are all crafted to highlight the idea that ego is what propels a player's success in soccer at the start of the show isagi is a bubble ready to burst we see his internal desire to reach a higher level of competition despite his aspirations he chooses to fulfill the team player stereotype by passing the ball instead of scoring himself which in most Sports Anime would be rewarded a
while you'd assume this statistically is to better play it is essentially shying away from the competition iseki distinctly says I'm going to Nationals not were going to Nationals when he rushes down to goal however when faced with the first selection of blue lag isagi makes a conscious choice to prioritize his ego over his insecurities he attacks players who are stronger than him showing that he has a true desire to compete ryosuke Kira is the opposite of him being more talented and blasting through several Defenders to score a goal in the same match isagi decided to
pass however those Defenders simply weren't as good as he is but when he's in the first election he ridicules the exercise rather than considering it a exciting Challenge and when faced with opposition he gave up despite having the physical and mental capabilities to succeed ryosuke's giving up has nothing to do with willpower Hard Work Talent or anything like that it's simply a lack of a true ego which would have propelled him to dominate The Selection with his talents which is the ego that isagi did have and that made him challenge not just someone better than
him but the best player in the room this dichotomy is most easily displayed even before the start of blue lock being informed of jimpachi's ideology and told that his competition will put their future soccer careers at risk with the goal of Simply becoming the best ryosuke is the first person to reject this notion while isagi is the first to accept it weapon on the field is his spatial awareness which allows him to have a comprehensive view of the field unlike other characters who have easily defined weapons and talents such as boxer as dribbling chiggery speed
or kunigami's PowerShot isagi's vision of the field allows him to control the game rather than dominate it directly when used modestly isagi's spatial awareness makes him a solid defender or a great assist but when used egotistically it allows him to control the game completely circumvent his opponent's strengths and manipulate the game to score goals for himself put together isigi is a genius of adaptability he doesn't just seek out the greatest competition and he doesn't just have a great vision of the game he's willing to use these traits to break himself down and repair himself over
and over again using not just his own strengths but the things he's learned over the course of a game to see adapt to and overcome these challenges I think another character that's a great vessel for the mentality of blue lock is chiggery while chiggery had a gray weapon of his own being his speed after an injury he becomes scared of losing what he has left while this is honestly a perfectly normal way to feel it does kneecap any chance of him developing a future in soccer which he is painfully aware of however chigri's interaction with
isagi serves as a wake-up call and Sparks the Resurgence of his lost ego chicory realizes that his fears have been holding him back and preventing him from reaching his full potential ego in this case is not just a sense of self-importance but a driving force that fuels his Ambitions and desires it's not just a matter of Bravery or willpower but the burning desire of his ego that allows him to rip himself free of the shackles that tied him down to explain why it's specifically ego and not willpower or bravery that allows chicory to do this
his desire isn't to help his team win or to enjoy the feeling of the wind flowing past him or something like that it's a satisfaction he feels out speeding others and leaving them biting his dust which is more important to him than his knee his reputation or even his entire soccer career the ego that drives him to literally stake everything he has on a single moment is the same ego that proudly lets him Proclaim his desire to be the world's greatest Striker all of this is good and well however in a competition specifically designed to
grow players alongside their ego egos will clash and while there are many no worthy characters in this series the most intriguing is itoshi Rin who holds the coveted number one ranking in the competition while Rin is absent for the beginning of the story in fact all characters are ranked numerically leaves the audience interested in finding out who number one is we are introduced to a bunch of incredibly talented prodigies each with their own unique ego and skill set but from the start we know that whoever carried the number one on their shoulder must be better
than these players chimpachi's biased ranking which is heavily influenced by ego would Place one of the most egotistical players at the top and when Rin is finally revealed the audience is left with a sense of subdued anticipation we know that he is the best but we don't know by how much isagi who has an unwavering ego and a strong sense for competition would obviously want to challenge Rin knowing that the third selection will separate the players who stand at the Peak from those who stand at the summit during the match between isigi and rin's teams
we introduced to three new mindset from Rin and his teammates tokumitsu's self-image is so low that it forces a sense of desperation in this play that goes beyond anything we've seen up until now aryu is almost a total opposite of tokimitsu he cares heavily about the spotlight and wants to stand out more than any other player and then there's a ring and we really get to see why he's considered the greatest player in the competition for Rin the stakes of losing are greater than for anyone else he's unobsessed with winning he's obsessed with not losing
while other players stake their dreams reputations and careers on these games for Rin losing his equivalent to death his ego makes him play at a level of confidence and utmost Authority unmatched by anyone else in the competition unfortunately this match doesn't go very well for isagi despite him and his team's best efforts they're unable to overcome the talent and ego of Rin and his team Icarus flew too close to the sun too which shows the importance of not only understanding your own abilities but being able to perceive yourself in comparison to someone else but in
a world of competitive Sports it is an inevitability that even the greatest players will face defeat at some point in their careers the true test of character lies in how One deals with that loss this is where bluelock's philosophy stands out even more while many others shown in a storytelling genres focus on the recovery from defeat bluelock emphasizes the value of Despair and the possibilities it opens up japachi believes that individuals who suffer defeat but have an unyielding never give up mentality are blinded to a reality that is constantly moving away from them instead it's
the players who experience the strongest sense of Despair and disillusionment after a loss that are most likely to find new opportunities for growth and evolution as we've seen already a player's ego is approve part of their identity and their motivation however when that ego is Shattered by defeat it can be a deeply painful and destabilizing experience only the players with the strongest sense of self and the most resilient egos will be able to pick themselves up and move forward the idea of embracing despair may seem counter-intuitive but it is an essential part of personal growth
and development in the world of blue lock it is not enough to Simply have a strong will and determination one must have the courage to confront their weaknesses and embrace the despair that comes with it only then can they emerge as a better stronger version of themselves yisheki himself is no stranger to this kind of struggle throughout the series he faces numerous setbacks and challenges and each time he must claw his way out by relying on his ego however in order to overcome even greater challenges that could lie ahead of him you may need to
confront an even greater sense of Despair and hopelessness only by surviving that clash with his own ego and learning from The Experience can he hope to become the world's greatest Striker anyways blue lock is a story about ego ambition and a pursuit of greatness in the world of soccer it challenges traditional Shonen tropes by focusing on the importance of ego and how it drives the characters to push themselves to their limits I think it's a pretty interesting take on the genre which is why I wanted to delve through it like this this style video is
very different from other things I've done so if you enjoyed the video at all showing it some love would be appreciated so I know to make more like this additionally letting me know your own thoughts on the series or if you think I was off base or incorrect about anything or if you think there are other great examples in the story of ego that I skipped over but with all that being said I hope you have a nice day
