With the hype ramping up around Blue Lock, people have been speculating about showrunner Yoichi Isagi and the many superior players he has to take down. And somewhere near the top of that list is Michael Kaiser. After all, Kaiser is wildly regarded as a genius, a prodigy that happens to be on the same team as Isagi, who has only really just started on his journey as a player. But both share the same goal: to be the best Striker in the world.

So, which one is closer? Will Isagi be able to take down Kaiser? I mean, it feels like that’s where the manga is headed! But to be honest, it’s hard to believe because of how abysmally OP Kaiser has been portrayed. Like, the guy is the current ace of the Bastard München, the very team that Isagi is part of during the Neo Egoist League. He’s the secret weapon, playing in the coveted position of the Main Striker. And, well, Kaiser knows his worth. But here’s the thing: Yoichi Isagi has grown as a player. A lot.

And it isn’t hard to see how everything might shape up. It isn’t even a matter of if Isagi will take down Kaiser, but when. Kaiser might have seemed untouchable before, but we’ve followed Isagi’s journey from the start and he has improved so much, even being able to beat Rin Itoshi, of all people. So, it isn’t too farfetched to imagine that he might just have a leg up on Kaiser in the long run. I mean, Kaiser has the experience, for sure. But how much does that matter when Isagi has the drive?

Could complacency be Kaiser’s downfall? Will Isagi take down Kaiser solely based on his hubris? I mean, Blue Lock is a sports anime after all. And if there’s one thing, I’ve learned binging most of them, it’s that you never underestimate the underdog. So, let’s discuss how Yoichi Isagi might just score a win against Michael Kaiser, of all people, in another segment of Character Versus!

Michael Kaiser: Genius With Main Character Syndrome?

So, where do we start with Michael Kaiser? Well, before we can discuss if Isagi can take down Kaiser, we need to break down what Kaiser brings to the table. And, I’m not going to lie, he is extremely formidable. If Rin was several classes above Isagi, then Kaiser is in a whole different league.

Because, yeah, the guy’s superiority complex actually has some basis in the truth. Michael Kaiser is just that good. You don’t become part of the New Generation World 11 if you don’t have the skills and wins to back it up. And, well, Kaiser has those in spades. Even Noel Noa, the current best Striker in the world, has admitted how his Kaiser Impact move could blindside him if he hadn’t been careful. Like that’s high praise!

Kaiser is a Clinical Finisher, meaning they need very few opportunities to score a goal, thanks to their extremely precise striking abilities. They handle the ball with almost surgical precision, leaving no room for error. And it helps that his football IQ is so high, enabling him to take full advantage of his Meta Vision and pick up information about the players he’s against, while on the field. That’s highkey impressive.

But perhaps Kaiser’s biggest boast is having the fastest kick speed in the entire world. Yes, not even seniors in the same field could rival how insanely wild Kaiser’s kick goes, blasting by anyone before they could block it. It’s definitely something that gives him a huge edge over the competition. It’s the basis of the Kaiser Impact, a volley attack where the ball’s velocity is so fast, you don’t even catch it as it zooms to the goal, let alone have time to stop it.

But you know what they say: The higher they are, the harder they fall. And because of how Kaiser views himself as the star of the production, with everyone else playing spares, it’s much easier to believe that he will be brought down from his pedestal. After all, no one stays on top forever.

Yoichi Isagi: Playing the Long Game?

One thing you can say about Yoichi is how organic his growth has been. Ever since he entered the Blue Lock Program, fans have been cheering for him and how steady his path has been. So, it’s no wonder that Isagi is being pitched as the one to take down Kaiser.

Though, I can understand why people are skeptical. It’s because when we compare Isagi to Kaiser, we’ve seen more of Isagi not being the best VS Kaiser always being on top. So, it’s easy to disregard Isagi as lesser or not quite there. Which is fair, he isn’t. But the fact is, he is steadily making his way to the top.

At the point we are in the manga, Isagi has shown tremendous potential, and made good on said potential. He isn’t just a big-eyed newbie anymore, he is firmly in the big leagues, competing against the likes of Itoshi and coming out victorious. That is something that shouldn’t be disregarded because it unveils to us something that Kaiser doesn’t have: the element of surprise. Isagi has shown to be extremely adaptive in his playing, and he’s only going to grow more so, as he gains more experience.

Isagi’s Spatial Awareness allows him to counter Kaiser’s Meta Vision, making predictive plays on how Kaiser will make his moves. That’s the first thing in his corner. The second is how he can maneuver his teammates, getting the best point to score a goal from and using everything to his advantage. Even Sae Itoshi has commented on his growth, saying that he is the very heart of Blue Lock.

And as of the Neo Egoist League, even Jinpachi Ego, the creator of the Blue Lock Training Program, has given his kudos to Isagi being the new ace of Blue Lock.

Winner: Isagi Will Take Down Kaiser (And It’ll Be Glorious)

When you can turn your critics into commending you, you know you’ve already won. Isagi has become a transformed player, no longer held back by his lack of Ego. He might not be what we expect, but seeing how he’s evolved, it’s safe to say we can expect a lot from him in the upcoming chapters.

He might pull a completely different play set from anything else we’ve seen before, blind-siding Kaiser completely.

But one thing is for sure, Isagi will take down Kaiser, and it’s going to be a moment for the books!