Now, I’m not saying that I think Seishiro Nagi is my secret favorite character in Blue Lock, but the writing is on the wall here. Blue Lock has an entire army of characters, both likable and unlikable in equal spades. And while, yeah, I would gravitate towards the main characters mostly, the side characters are what are proving to be more worth my time. Don’t get me wrong, I like Yoichi Isagi and his ascent to greatness as much as the next fangirl. But Seishiro is something special.
Seishiro Nagi is one of the supporting characters in Blue Lock, a participant in the Blue Lock project helmed by Jinpachi Ego. And in a way, he’s one of the ideal candidates for the program, thanks to his predilection for the sport and surprising capability of excelling in it too. But instead of being highly motivated, he seems much more laid back, only there to support his friends. But of course, that attitude doesn’t remain forever.
Because if there is one thing Blue Lock does well, it’s breaking its characters down to nothing, only for them to build themselves back up. No sir, this is not your average sports manga, with a penchant for teammate support and the Power Of FriendshipTM. Blue Lock doesn’t have time to waste on frivolities and it focuses on individuality instead. It’s best to say that the series is more Shounen-esque in nature, with a Battle Royale theme. And you need to have strong characters to survive that level of brutality. Which, yeah, Seishiro Nagi does.
But the weird thing is that a lot of fans actually don’t like Seishiro Nagi. Like, there is heavy debate on whether the things he does are justified or not, because the guy did pull some shady antics. But there’s always some backstory to a character’s decision in Blue Lock, and he is no exception. So today, let’s try seeing what Seishiro Nagi all is about, his motivations (or lack thereof.), and, yes, his abilities. Welcome to Seishiro Nagi, unfiltered.
Who Is Seishiro Nagi?
Despite all the outcry from his recent actions, Sieshiro Nagi remains a fan favorite. He starts as yet another contender for Blue Lock, one of the hundreds of aspirants applying for the program. But what set him apart from the rest was how talented he was.
This, again, is funny because for how good he is at the sport, he seems the least bit interested in any aspect of it beyond playing it to support his friends. Much to the annoyance of his peers, Seishiro Nagi doesn’t care about pleasing others in the field. He doesn’t even know who the top-ranking players are, nor does he care about it. So, for a character like him to get his spinoff manga, Blue Lock: Episode Nagi? Like, that’s wild.
But here’s the truth: Seishiro Nagi is great at playing football, but he only started because his friend, Reo Mikage, was interested in it. The two met when Reo accidentally hit Nagi with a ball at school one day, and he was baffled by how good the latter was without any proper training. And so, the lonely Reo found a companion in Nagi and forced him to play alongside him. Nagi only agreed because Reo would bribe him often.
And that sets the tone for the kind of character that Seishiro Nagi is in Blue Lock. He’s the one that doesn’t have to make an effort or be overtly passionate about Football. No, all he wants is to live a good life without stress or having to put too much thought into anything. And you have to respect that when every other peer of his is wrecking their brains to build up their Ego, the thing that Blue Lock bases its entire philosophy. Simply put, Nagi knows he’s talented and if you’re not worth his time, he won’t remember you. He’d rather play video games, honestly.
So, when that hubris is taken down a notch during the First Selection arc and with his experience in Team V, you see the first crack in his shallow shell. As someone who had never had to experience loss, at all. It’s confusing, a strange and alien feeling that he realizes he has to go through alone. Losing to Yoichi Isagi and Team Z made him realize his motivations and that’s where we see a turning point.
And we see him become the Egoist that he truly is once he gets past his friendship with Reo, and ends up becoming the Rightwing for Manshine City. In the Neo-Egoist League, we see a much more focused and ambitious Seishiro Nagi.
Finding Your Individuality Can Cost You:
At the beginning of Blue Lock, where Seishiro Nagi went, Reo Mikage was not far behind. The two were best bros, honestly. They met in school and quickly became friends but there was always something unbalanced about their relationship.
Even during the Blue Lock project, you could see how Seishiro Nagi was playing second fiddle to Reo Mikage, who was the more serious between the both of them when it came to Football. Seishiro would regularly set up the field in a way that would make sure Reo got all the goals, lining everything up for his win instead of his own. It’s like his sole purpose in Blue Lock was to make sure Reo Mikage shone. And it helped that he wasn’t as passionate as Reo was about the sport, even if he showcased himself to be more talented.
But that’s not a healthy dynamic. That’s not how friendship works. So, when the loss against Team Z happens, we see Seishiro Nagi take a step back and distance himself. He goes through an awakening of sorts, where he finally finds the motivation in surpassing and improving himself further to beat Yoichi Isagi. But that’s a hard sell because it means Seishiro has to divert his path from being beside Reo’s side and becoming the best together.
Of course, that doesn’t go over well with Reo. Initially, the two were amiable enough, but it got to the point where Seishiro Nagi had to be much harsher to him about their different journeys, about how Reo Mikage just wasn’t putting enough effort to keep up with Seishiro himself. And Seishiro Nagi wanted to finally come into his own, instead of being there to help Reo Mikage shine.
And, well, that was really it, the nail in the coffin. After the Three VS Three match during Second Selection, we got to see what Seishiro Nagi meant by evolving in Blue Lock and not staying stagnant. We also saw fracturing in their symbiotic relationship. However, despite the grievances between both of them, Seishiro regards Reo as a friend still.
But it’s hard to be friends with someone who excelled at a sport that they weren’t even into until you came along, right?
Seishiro Nagi Is Unnaturally Talented:
Speaking of excelling, let’s talk about Seishiro Nagi’s stats in Blue Lock. Much like Rin Itoshi, Seishiro happens to be something prodigy at the sport. He is uncannily adept at playing Football, to the point where he fits the ideal Egoistical candidate requirement of the Blue Lock project. That is without any prior motivations or goals.
Since Seishiro started as support for Reo Mikage, he still incorporates the same playing style. Seishiro is a Creative Midfielder, someone who creates opportunities for other players to score goals, especially when the situation feels impossible or hard to manage. They are good with their On-The-Ball intelligence, thanks to their exceptional control over the ball, and use their vision to map out the best course of action.
And Seishiro Nagi takes this to the next level, thanks to his unparalleled skill in the sport. He is what some call a Creative Playmaker because he has made some of the wildest goals in the history of Blue Lock. With his heightened strength and polished ball-trapping skills, his playing style has evolved toward a much more individualistic flair.
Nagi’s Skillset
His Perfect Ball Control is one of his most talked about skills, with his ability to set up traps inevitably leading him to scoring goals with scary accuracy. When the ball is on the court, it’s how you finesse it that gets you in the lead, so it is also one of those abilities one must perfect anyways. And we see Seishiro take it to the next level, constantly scoring high-pressure shots while also having the ability to fake a lot of them and psyche his opponents out. Even Tabito Karasu and Rin Itoshi have trouble keeping up with their antics in that regard.
However, it is his Trapping skills that are the real weapon here. It’s how Reo Mikage recognize his potential when he was able to trap a cell phone in mid-air. He maneuvers his entire body to trap something, often with deadly efficiency. Nothing escapes his grasp, just as long as he gets the opportunity to round up on it. Some of his most notable Trapping attacks include the Black Hole Trap, where he can catch a ball mid-air and kill its momentum. Or the Trap Shot, which is his most used skill where he traps a ball only to make a pinpoint shot of it himself.
However, he does lack in his Flow State. While he has entered the hyper-focused trance before, it always ends up feeling a little unfinished and doesn’t have the same polish as his peers. However, he made the Fake Volley Shot during one of those periods, so it isn’t like he’s completely out of control during it.
What Seishiro Nagi Means For Blue Lock:
So, remember how I said people didn’t like Seishro Nagi in Blue Lock? Well, there’s a two-fold issue here. Oftentimes, we see characters from this sense of morality that, yeah, makes sense for an anime. But the context is all wrong.
Seishiro said some stuff to Reo post-Team V losing that wasn’t all that well received. Because it felt like he was being ungrateful or a bad friend to Reo. But the truth is, this show isn’t about friendships or finding an everlasting bond through a shared interest. Blue Lock is all about that individuality and that’s what it showcases. That it doesn’t matter if your teammate is your friend or your rival/enemy. Because in a match, what matters is they don’t drag you down.
Seishiro Nagi is that selfishness of an Ego coming to fruition. This means that post Third Selection, we see his growth come full circle. His character is interesting enough to warrant his own side story for a reason. And I for one, am looking forward to it immensely.
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