Blue Lock redefines sports anime with its focus on individuality and selfishness over teamwork, influenced by the battle royale and football fanaticism of author Muneyuki Kaneshiro. Pifa's President, Ray Dark, is revealed in chapter #260 as a reference to Inazuma Eleven's antagonist, Reiji Kageyama, with similar traits and a connection to the protagonist. Inazuma Eleven's influence on Blue Lock is evident through Easter eggs and character similarities, showing how both series deviate from traditional sports anime norms.

Warning: Contains spoilers for Blue Lock chapter #260

Blue Lock stands out because of its premise of individuality and selfishness instead of promoting teamwork like most sports anime. This made Blue Lock redefine the shnen genre. Author Muneyuki Kaneshiro's previous work was a battle royale manga, which, along with his football fanaticism, motivated him to create a survival sports story where, when the characters lose, they don't lose their lives but their dreams. Kaneshiro has...