Blue Lock has quickly risen to prominence as one of the most popular new sports anime. The show expertly displays top-notch soccer matches with rich characters and plenty of truly wacky sports fun. But what really sets Blue Lock apart from most modern sports anime is the ways in which it defies many of the standard tropes of the genre.
Whether you like savvy genre dissections or just want to watch some truly off-the-wall, sports-adjacent action, there are several anime to enjoy that can either give off Blue Lock vibes or highlight the tropes that the show is tearing apart.
What if Blue Lock were actually just about soccer and friendship? In many ways, Aoashi is the light side version of the show in question. The main character’s special skill is nearly identical, but Aoashi’s protagonist Ashito Aoi uses it to support his team, whereas Blue Lock’s Yoichi Isagi learns to use it as selfishly as possible.
The big twist in Aoashi’s first season would have been handled quite differently in Blue Lock, and it is a joy to experience both the parallels and the sharp ways in which these two series diverge.
While it can be easy to forget amidst the madness, Blue Lock is far more focused on training and skill improvement than it is on actual soccer matches. The same is very much true for Ace of Diamond. Just like in Blue Lock, the series’ hero Eijun Sawamura is a raw, undeveloped talent who spends more time developing his talent than he does playing in games — especially in the first season. The show also takes a few jabs at genre conventions, though it doesn’t swing quite as hard as Blue Lock.
Although it may be the most wholesome sports anime ever created, the games in Big Windup! have a lot in common with Isagi’s challenges in Blue Lock. So much of the focus mid-game is on Isagi’s thoughts as he searches for ways to utilize his weapon.
The games in Big Windup! have a similarly cerebral nature as the catchers and coaches play mind games to get the most out of their pitchers’ talents.
It’s easy to forget when the kids are actually playing soccer, but Blue Lock’s entire premise is absolutely insane. Ego is chewing through the scenery every time he’s on-screen, and the stakes feel so high during every match. Sk8 the Infinity takes a similar approach to skateboarding, focusing on underground competitions with a truly wild, Yu-Gi-Oh!-style villain at the end.
Blue Lock’s mad engineer truly does behave as if Seto Kaiba was obsessed with soccer instead of card games. The transforming, high-tech facility is exactly the sort of thing Kaiba would have created — complete with holograms that impact the playing field. There is a similar energy coming from the mob boss in Birdie Wing -Golf Girls’ Story-, who has constructed a giant underground facility that can transform at the push of a button to create an endless variety of golf holes. If Blue Lock is a 9 on the crazy scale, Birdie Wing goes to 20.
Just like Blue Lock, Chainsaw Man is an excellent show entirely on its own merits. The fights, animation, and characters are phenomenal. But what sets Chainsaw Man apart from so many other Shonen battle series is the way it picks apart battle manga conventions.
The main character’s motivations are entirely selfish, the power of friendship does not win the day, and the strange, creepy, aloof boss behind it all probably doesn’t have the protagonist’s best interests at heart.
One of the greatest genre dissections of all time, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, belongs on nearly any list of great anime, particularly those that have a creepy or intense bent to them. If examined through a real-world lens, what’s happening inside Blue Lock very much recalls the horror, exploitation, and abuse discussed in Madoka Magica.
While it takes a bit more time with it than Blue Lock, the series also does an excellent job of establishing a standard, trope-filled premise before tearing it apart.
Blue Lock spends much of its time focused on the singular weapon each player has — a talent that sets them apart from the other contenders. Kuroko’s basketball presents its main players in a similar way. Each of the Miracle Generation has a particular skill that defines their entire playstyle. The excitement in the series comes from watching the heroes hone their own weapons while developing strategies to counter those of their opponents.
In order to fully enjoy a genre dissection, it’s important to familiarize oneself with the standard tropes. Yowamushi Pedal is the quintessential modern example of a sports anime convention. From the newcomer with a hidden talent to the dedication to winning for your senpai to the endless emphasis on teamwork and trust, this series is built around every point that Blue Lock looks to tear down.
Every moment where a character in Yowamushi Pedal would lean on their friends as the music swells is a point where a Blue Lock character would go, “and now I need to get even more selfish!”
The series that crystallized the high school sports anime conventions, Eyeshield 21 is the classic premiere example of a softer “power of friendship” sports anime. Every standard trope is represented, and the power of friendship takes the Devil Bats far beyond where any of their skills could have reasonably gone.
That said, the series still has a bit of that zany, edgy energy that Blue Lock built for its success. Whether it’s Hiruma’s gunplay and extortion or the absurd nature of some characters’ special moves, there are certainly some Blue Lock vibes in a few of Eyeshield 21’s best moments.
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