You know one thing that’s especially incredible about anime? There’s always something for everyone. There will be a moment to laugh, to cry, to be frightened and even to sit on the edge of your seat.

That said, I would like to introduce you to one of my most favorite animes, one which will make you obsessed with the story and the opening songs and the characters – especially the characters.

Story

Despite all the other schools in Japan competing to be the best soccer team in the whole country, Raimon Middle School’s soccer club only comprises of seven members. As a result, the club is on the verge of being disbanded. Fortunately, our cheerful and always- persevering goalkeeper, Endou Mamoru, takes up the challenge of whipping the long neglected club back into shape.

And that’s not all! Our dear captain is determined to bring his team to compete against players from different countries, aiming to become the world’s best soccer team, no matter the cost. However, do you think his passion and determination will be enough to revive an ailing club and realize his dream?

Whether he succeeds or not, the most essential and heart-touching aspects of this anime are all the hurdles faced by the soccer team’s fellow members and how, with his unyielding perseverance, Endou can help and support his companions.

Setting

Inazuma Eleven revolves around the world of football. If you are not a fan of the sport, then don’t worry, neither am I. But I guarantee that just one episode will be enough to make you fall in love with anime and football. This is not the eleven-a-side ball game we are used to. In typical anime style, the players in Inazuma Eleven are able to perform special hissatsu techniques.

The hissatsu techniques are special moves that are widely used in the world of the anime and they can be divided into five basic types: shoot, dribble, block, catch and skill.

• Shoot: It refers to those techniques that are used to score goals. And of course, when talking about the shoot hissatsu, we cannot forget the legendary “Fire Tornado” by Gouenji Shuuya, which is literally an intense fireball from out of the sky. Some of the other best shoot hissatsu are, of course, the famous “Eternal Blizzard” created by Fubuki Shirou and “God Knows” by Afuro Terumi, another character that will leave you spellbound with his elegant and artistic style.

• Dribble: This category of hissatsu includes passes, dodges, feints, and charges to evade the opposition team and one of the most famous dribbles is the “Illusion Ball.” It is when the player makes three copies of the ball around them and confuses the opponent, who tries to figure out which ball is the real one. And during this distraction, the player dribbles through the opponent with the real ball. And who do you think could come up with such a smart trick? None other than our genius playmaker, Kidou Yuuto!

  But there is indeed another smart player who uses “Heaven’s Time” to actually freeze time and steal the ball and it is none other than the extremely attractive and desirable Afuro.

• Block: This is a defense hissatsu that makes use of tackles to capture the ball from an opposing player. “Shinkuuma” is a block hissatsu technique that tears the sky and the ball is then sucked into the void. And, as shocking as it can be, the player to develop this technique is none other than Tobitaka Seiya. Yes, the guy with purple hair who is always seen with his trademark hair-comb.

• Catch: This one uses catching, dives and even punches to prevent a shot from reaching the goal. And of course, that’s the task of our dear captain, Endou. With different catch hissatsu techniques such as “God Hand”, “Majin The Hand”, “God Catch” and “Seigi no Tekken”, Endou has always managed to prevent the opposing team from scoring. And remember when he was playing against The Zeus, all of his team members had lost all hope but he was the only one still standing and stopping the ball every time with his own body. Oh, my poor and beloved Endou, defending with his body.  That is why he is considered as one of the best goalkeepers in the world. And also, as the biggest soccer freak.

I know there is much more that I need to share with you but let’s keep it for next time. So, please tell us what do you think of this anime in the comment section below.