'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAMDAwMDAwQEBAQFBQUFBQcHBgYHBwsICQgJCAsRCwwLCwwLEQ8SDw4PEg8bFRMTFRsfGhkaHyYiIiYwLTA+PlQBAwMDAwMDBAQEBAUFBQUFBwcGBgcHCwgJCAkICxELDAsLDAsRDxIPDg8SDxsVExMVGx8aGRofJiIiJjAtMD4+VP/AABEIAAUACgMBIgACEQEDEQH/xABjAAEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAgcQAAICAwACAwAAAAAAAAAAAAECAwQABQYRMRIhIgEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAURAAEDAwUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEAAgQDUVIFERMhI//aAAwDAQACEQMRAD8ArQ9TzfUS9rpl5GhSl08ctprkcjNJYerMkBDfIflXH2QD7zUNXwGkv6ylbZShsVopSoJPguobx7xjAalFoGaAW9cdzkVRjSq7IxLX7elhiF//2Q=='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
According to fans, Blue Lock and Haikyu!! are considered some of the best contemporary sports anime series. The two anime shows have shown a major spike in the popularity of soccer and volleyball, respectively. However, they also share something else, a crucial theme of selfishness. As it happens, both Haikyu!! and Blue Lock showcase selfishness differently.
While Blue Lock defines selfishness and ego as good things, provided they don't mess everything up, Haikyu!! interprets selfishness in a more straightforward way. This distinction is fascinating for other types of sports anime, and this article will focus on the ways these two highly popular sports anime define selfishness.
Disclaimer: This article will contain spoilers for both Blue Lock and Haikyu!!. Any opinions therein are reflective of the author alone.
Trending
An examination of how Blue Lock and Haikyu!! define selfishness
Haikyu!!
Haikyu!!'s version of selfishness is typical and boilerplate. The anime doesn't like glory hounds and the characters who think of themselves as king of the volleyball court. It may take individual effort to improve, but that doesn't typically mean everyone relies on one player. That usually brittles the team, as Haikyu!! proves.
Some fans have attempted to demonstrate that main character Hinata is fundamentally selfish, but in a better way than most characters, as his selfishness doesn't end up actively hurting others and he develops over time. His goes far into trying to get the best player designation, but doesn't look down on people. The anime shows that braggarts who use underhanded tactics like Suguru Daishō are often looked down upon.
The idea of being selfish and not inherently bad is at play, provided it doesn't harm anyone. Again, the "protagonist" and being the best player doesn't equate to volleyball as a sport where the entire team needs to participate. It didn't matter that Hinata was a good player in the beginning, his team didn't work together well, which is why they lost.
Hinata may be inherently selfish with his desire to become King of the Court, but he's not ill-intentioned, and his communication skills are sharp. Ambition isn't the problem, it's when that ambition comes at the cost of making everyone else miserable in their pursuit. That's what Haikyu!! defines selfishness as.
Blue Lock
Blue Lock may encourages the same kind of arrogance and egotistical playing that appears to introduce a villain-protagonist/anti-hero. However, so much artistic license taken as a common source of complaint among people who play professionally, it's not so shallow when looked into closely. Sure, it encourages individual play, but the team isn't treated like dead weight.
Selfishness is initially presented as the only way to compete in the sport, considering the titular project carries the penalty of never competing professionally for the losers. However, it also shows why trying to be a "star" player isn't a good idea, as this can lead to missed shots, bad attacks, and selfish actions like betraying the team.
The core theme of Blue Lock can be summarized as: soccer is a team sport that isn't meant to be fully played alone, but that doesn't mean that one may throw away their individuality for the team. Basically, don't try to be the "star" or else it will affect the team. However, the series encourages to not hesitate in showing oneself off. In fact, in the story, there's a good reason for this.
The reason why the program even exists is that Japan's professional team had stagnated from being too reliant on the team, leaving individual players weak when trying to work one-on-one against other pros. Project manager Ego got interrupted in his plans to make his pet project a "winner-take-all" system because having only one good player would have backfired. Moreover, the players were going through hell before their parents stepped in.
Selfishness as a gain vs. a loss
The two anime define selfishness in opposite ways. While Hinata, the protagonist of Haikyu!!, might be seen as a fundamentally selfish person, the rest of the team isn't, emphasizing teamwork and rigorous practice over individual glory. Blue Lock, on the other hand, embraces that sense of egotism and selfishness to improve players abilities.
In Haikyu!!, despite any attempts to become the best player, Hinata is forced to communicate with his teammates and play with them. Attempts to solo an entire team don't work here because the players are only as good as their teams are. Rivalries are encouraged but never escalate into real heat off the court.
The entire idea for Ego's project was based on examples of other highly successful foreign teams. Specifically, the notion that their success owed itself to a single player who fancied themselves the star of the show and their teammates as just stepping stones to success. All of the Blue Lock contestants' training is designed to get them in touch with that egotism to improve themselves.
The trouble is that, later on in Blue Lock, such a mentality is also criticized. In essence, a player that is aiming for the MVP of the group and selfishly working to make themselves look good isn't a reliable asset on a team and plays predictably. The contestants face several teams where this is the case and have more than a few on their side that trip everyone up.
In conclusion
Both Blue Lock and Haikyu!! are opposites when it comes to selfishness. Haruichi Furudate's manga series has a more straightforward and blunt view of it, while Blue Lock has a more nuanced view. Whichever principle fans prefer is completely up to them, as both shows offer radically different viewpoints in the anime sports genre.
Crucially, the idea that the individual is just as important as the team is a common thread throughout both anime. The fact that soccer and volleyball are completely different sports is likewise a factor to consider when watching both anime. If readers want to contribute to this discussion, they may do so in the comments.
