Embers chapter 1: Haitani's fists find a new purpose in football

Embers chapter 1 was expected to introduce its protagonist Noboru Haitani and see what motivated him to pursue football. The series premiered on February 2, 2025, and introduced Haitani as the strongest fighter in his school who was getting tired of his everyday life. However, one day after fighting someone, Haitani was challenged by his teacher for a one-on-one duel in football.

As expected, Haitani was outclassed by an old man because the protagonist had never played football. However, this enflamed the passion for football inside him, and, at the request of his teacher, Haitani participated in a Prefectural match. Even though Haitani's side brutally lost in this match, this gave the protagonist a clear picture of his future, and he decided to become a footballer.

Disclaimer: This article contains potential spoilers from Embers chapter 1.

Embers chapter 1: Haitani's life changes from a brawler to an aspiring athlete

Haitani as seen in the manga (Image via Soutarou Nishii and Kai Kurumazaki/Shueisha)

Embers chapter 1, titled Noboru Haitani, started with a monologue that stated that the greatest soccer stars are created through talented athletes. However, are these talented players the elites or a bunch of delinquents? Embers chapter 1 then commenced with a focus on Haitani, who was challenged by another person for the title of the 'strongest person of the school.'

The chapter then shited to the staff room where students were calling a teacher to come and stop Haitani from fighting. As the teacher reached the scene, he saw Haitani easily dodging the challenger's fists. The teacher then called out Haitani whose focus shifted. This gave the challenger a chance to land a hit on Haitani, but the protagonist knocked the challenger without looking.

As Haitani was about to finish his opponent while boasting about his power, the teacher interrupted him and challenged the protagonist to a duel. However, the duel was not what the protagonist was expecting because it was on the football field. Haitani was to steal the ball from the teacher, but as he had no experience playing football, he couldn't do so.

After 5 days and continuous rematches between the protagonist and his teacher, Embers chapter 1 didn't see Haitani succeed once against an old man. During their final match-up, the teacher commented how his battle against Haitani always ended up on the corners of the field, hinting that the protagonist had impressive defensive abilities.

As Haitani was leaving, the teacher saw a footballer inside his student and requested him to play in the upcoming Prefectural Preliminary Match. As Haitani took his request to his friends (as he needed a team of 11 players for this), they asked the protagonist's feelings about this. As expected, the flower of bud football had already bloomed inside Haitani.

As they were reaching the staff room to register their team, Embers chapter 1, a teacher ridiculed Haitani because his matches had injured the teacher. However, the teacher defended Haitani and stated that the protagonist was still ripening and that anything that had happened to him was not because of the protagonist's malice.

Haitani reprimanding his teammates (Image via Soutarou Nishii and Kai Kurumazaki/Shueisha)

A month later, Embers chapter 1 saw the Prefectural match commence between Haitani's school, Itadai High, and Aota Academy. Funnily enough, some members of Itadai High had brought bats with them, as most of this school's members were delinquents. However, Haitani maintained a decorum by berating them. The opponent team mocked Itadai for these actions, but Haitani kept his cool.

The match finally commenced with a chance for Haitani to prove his worth. As expected, Aota Academy was taking the lead with their ace, Yuga Takami. As the player was crossing Haitani, the protagonist jumped and blocked him. Surprisingly, the whole match passed with Takami hardly making a move due to Haitani continuously blocking him.

Takami's goal as seen in the manga (Image via Soutarou Nishii and Kai Kurumazaki/Shueisha)

As Itadai High was seven goals down, Embers chapter 1 saw Takami calling Haitani 'dumb' because the match was in its final seconds and no miracle could save them from defeat. However, Haitani looked at his team of misfits, all trying their best, and stated that he wouldn't stop until the match ended.

In a last move, Takami rushed, prompting Haitani to move. However, this move was just a feint, and Takami pretty easily crossed Haitani. In a last stretch, hoping to score a goal, Haitani tried blocking his opponent, but Takami scored and the match ended 8-0 against Itadai High.

After the match in Embers chapter 1, Takami told Haitani his name and stated that he would score more than one goal in their next match. In his response, Haitani, teary-eyed, followed suit and claimed to win in the next match. A few days later, the teacher told others that Haitani was accepted into Kosei University-affiliated High School as they frequently qualified for prefectural matches.

Embers chapter 1 then shifted to Haitani, who was entering his new high school. As he walked through the school, everyone looked at him with scary eyes, saying that he was probably a thug. The last panel saw Haitani reaching a desk, which was presumably hiring new students for the football team.

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Edited by Tiasha