Who is Michael Kaiser based on in Blue Lock? Explored 

Blue Lock is known for basing most of its characters on real-life footballers. The protagonist, Isagi, is based on Inzaghi, and a handful of his rivals are based on Ibrahimovic, Ronaldinho, and Alessandro Del Piero.

Michael Kaiser, one of Blue Lock’s most captivating characters has been a subject of intense debate among fans on which real-life player he is modeled after. Some have said he plays like an early Thomas Muller, while some have compared him to Franz Beckenbauer.

Since Michael Kaiser is a forward, there are many similarities between him and Thomas Muller. Meanwhile, is commanding presence and attitude are similar to those of Der Kaiser—Franz Beckenbauer, and also shares a nickname with him. While it is unclear who the exact player is, the current evidence leans toward Muller more than any other player.

Disclaimer: This article contains potential spoilers from the manga series and has the author's opinion.

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How is Blue Lock's Michael Kaiser based on Thomas Muller?

Michael Kaiser's role on the football pitch is similar to Thomas Muller(Image via Kodansha)

The first similarity between the two is their nationality, as both Michael Kaiser and Thomas Muller hail from Germany. Apart from that, Michael Kaiser’s club, Bastard München, is based on Bayern München. The club Thomas Muller has played in for most of his senior career.

The manga is known for hinting at the players the characters are based on and as if this hint wasn’t obvious enough, both are clinical strikers. Prime Thomas Muller was unstoppable around the opposition’s box and Michael Kaiser is also similar.

His abilities like Metavision, Kaiser Impact, and Predator's Eye are shown to give him an edge over other strikers. Especially Metavision, which allows him to see everywhere on the pitch. This ability and his constant off-ball movement allow him to pop up in the most advantageous areas for the team.

Due to all his abilities on the pitch, Michael Kaiser can be likened to a Ramandeuter in football, a role invented and played only by Thomas Muller. This makes the Thomas Muller comparisons truer than anything else.

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Why is Michael Kaiser in Blue Lock compared to Beckenbauer?

The comparisons between Beckenbauer and Michael Kaiser are very unlikely(Image via Kodansha)

Michael Kaiser is often compared by fans to Beckenbauer, but the reality is far from that and the comparison is null. However, they bear similarities with the Blue Lock character bearing Kaiser as his surname and Beckenbauer being called Der Kaiser. That’s the only similarity they share.

On the field, the two are opposites, with Michael Kaiser being an attacker and Beckenbauer being a defender. With the roles played by the two, Michael Kaiser is a Ramandeuter, and Beckenbauer is a Libero. They could influence play throughout the entire pitch. Michael Kaiser still gets to score more goals than Beckenbauer.

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What other real-life footballer has been compared to Michael Kaiser?

Michael Kaiser is also compared to Lewandoski and Van Basten(Image via Kodansha)

There have been comparisons with Lewandoski, but that comparison fails due to Noel Noa, a pro footballer in Blue Lock, fitting that description. Other fans have compared him to Erling Haaland, but Michael Kaiser’s lack of monstrous physicality prevents those comparisons from being true.

There are shouts for Van Basten, and those comparisons are not too far off. The Swan of Utrecht lacked a weak foot and could score from any position. What prevents those comparisons from holding water is their temperaments. Van Basten wasn’t demanding and lacked an ego, unlike Muller who is demanding and has a huge ego.

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Final Thoughts

Michael Kaiser is one character in Blue Lock that leaves readers spellbound. He is Kaneshiro’s first three-dimensional antagonist and he serves as a perfect rival to Isagi Yoichi.

The reason why most fans are interested in the player Michael Kaiser was modeled after is due to their adoration for the character. Thomas Muller is the player in real life with the highest resemblance to the Shonen character.

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