Synopsis

At Shinsei High School, soccer is treated like warfare, and new coach Teppei Matsuki is ruthless about winning at any cost. When headstrong delinquent Shingo Tamai and his friend Ohira refuse to be bullied into joining Matsuki's brutal team, they start their own squad instead—initially just messing around and getting stomped by the official team. But as they improve, Shingo and company take on increasingly tougher opponents and develop real skills and strategy. They eventually face off against the powerhouse Asakase High School and its star player Misugi Yan in the championship match. The story gets pretty melodramatic from here. There's a mixed-race player searching for his identity and his mother (who's in prison), old rivalries flaring up, injuries that threaten careers, and Shingo developing into a genuine center forward talent. A visiting Brazilian squad shows up, and even Pelé himself notices Shingo's potential. After a serious injury nearly ends things, Shingo makes a comeback with help from an unlikely ally connected to his old rival Matsuki, and leads his team to victory. Fair warning: this is way more soap opera than straightforward sports anime. It basically pioneered the Japanese soccer drama formula that later shows like Captain Tsubasa would run with. Based on the manga by Ikki Kajiwara and Kosei Sonoda.

Content compiled by AnimeList.moe from publicly available sources.

Genres