Latest Posts by fraybury - Page 8

Cover art of the Inazuma Eleven GO: Bonds Beyond Time Drama CD (イナズマイレブンGO ドラマCD 時を超える絆) including an extra art to commemorate the Inazuma Eleven GO vs Danball Senki W popularity poll

When I'm in the pretty princess competition and my opponent is GO!Sakuma

(under read more because i'm embarrassed but i really want to add this)

sakuma's so pretty even when his face isn't shown... what is this sorcery......

No one owes artists anything.

But existence is lonely and sometime you throw hours and hours of effort into a void, on the slim chance it will say something back.

Soccer isn't the problem in the inazuma eleven universe. It's automobiles. And gravity.

i think it'll be a while before it all comes together but i can't stop thinking about how Ave Mujica plays off of MyGO's themes of like. Communication and failure to communicate? And how music factors into all of that?

MyGO ultimately is about discommunication, how words and action and conversation can fail, but music, because it is raw, earnest, open, and one-way, can pierce through any of that. Tomori spends the show unable to communicate properly, being misunderstood, being spoken for without her consent, being shouted down and convinced into doing things. but when it comes down to it, Tomori can express herself by singing everything she has as loud as she can. her raw emotion is able to pierce through everyone's fog and bring MyGO together in the end, because they all realize that they all felt lost all the same.

meanwhile have you kinda noticed that like. Ave Mujica really isn't a fucking band anime at all. like. at all at all. we haven't gotten any new songs, there's been more made about the times they aren't performing and are failing to perform than anything else. they aren't letting themselves be heard, they aren't communicating with each other, they aren't having that level of honest communication with each other. they aren't even singing for each other. Mutsumi falls asleep dreaming of singing, and the band never sings again. It's heartbreaking.

i think that's why the end of episode 5 is the first time i've felt genuine hope - Tomori reaching out, begging Sakiko to take back have that emotional honesty that Sakiko once forced upon an unwitting Tomori. Tomori asks Saki to join a band. It means something, goddamnit

these readings... no... little beepo's misery! this cannot be!! little beepo's misery is reaching unprecedented levels!!!!

The T-Shirt

kisaku for christmas

Shin Teikoku arc has really good animation and storyboarding in general; this particular scene has cleverly drawn frames where Sakuma's hair was positioned to look like how he normally looks until he fully turns at Kidou and you can see the the black eye

I don't have frames that are of 1:1 comparison but I hope you get the gist

Shin Teikoku arc has really good animation and storyboarding in general; this particular scene has cleverly drawn frames where Sakuma's hair was positioned to look like how he normally looks until he fully turns at Kidou and you can see the the black eye

I don't have frames that are of 1:1 comparison but I hope you get the gist

Analysis and rambles to be written and rewritten on tumblr

I'm currently planning to rewrite analysis I had posted on Twitter and Bluesky and making new ones... lot of them are pretty old (from 2024) so I definitely not only need to rephrase them to blog post format but also adding new information and thoughts to them

Lore Analysis

Gouenji and self-sacrifice (Gouenji and Kidou comparison)

Kidou and his (lack of) feelings over being put on pedestal

Kidou is kind of a prick actually (Kidou's selfishness)

Sakuma as a character who is defined by his love for another

Sakuma's emotional intelligence in Team K arc

Why did Sakuma say "I can't see your world?" in Shin Teikoku arc?

Nishiki's cultural gap experience

Kazemaru's mental breakdown in S2

Sakuma and Kidou's shared eye symbolism

Penguin symbolisms (likely need to make separate posts for them LOL):

Emperor penguin No.1's recoil damage is a symbolism of hate

Emperor penguin No.3 as a symbolism of the trio breaking themselves away from abuse and the cycle

How the penguins evolve and their metaphors

Character Design Analysis

Why is Hiroto so pale?

Sakuma's design analysis using color and shape theory

Analysis of GO's Raimon character designs (groups by school years and Break Trio)

Headcanons

Butch lesbian Kirino

Sakuma's family background

Hello. Tens of Palestinians have contacted me to share their campaigns to the world, so I've decided to compile a Google Sheets -table of all of them. Link to it down below!!!

Google Docs

VETTED GAZA DONATIONS

Feel free to add tags to this for reach!

Hi! First of all I’m sorry for using the characters JP names as i’m accustomed to them than their dub ones, and I can’t give screenshots as proofs as i’m too busy to rewatch as for this moment

I believe Kageyama’s actions would make sense if one considers that despite everything and for all his obsession for Kidou, Kageyama is attached to him akin to how a parent is towards their child. If he wants to commit on revenge he can simply do whatever, but he chose to manipulate Kidou to go back to him and refer to him as his creation because Kageyama actually sees Kidou as a son figure to him. They love each other, even if it’s twisted and complicated.

I’d recommend to check out Italy arc of FFI both Team K and Italy matches (episode 90 to 106) as they revealed so much about Kageyama, hopefully it’ll help clear things up for you! ^___^

Shin Teikoku arc has really good animation and storyboarding in general; this particular scene has cleverly drawn frames where Sakuma's hair was positioned to look like how he normally looks until he fully turns at Kidou and you can see the the black eye

I don't have frames that are of 1:1 comparison but I hope you get the gist

i just got to the FFI arc and i wanna believe sakuma absolutely rants about how much fudou pisses him off to genda during breaks

Adding to this post with my analysis of the emotional implications of this scene because it gets even crazier when one tries to visualize from Kidou's POV

You can see that Kidou was standing behind Sakuma in the initial composition of the scene's frame. It then switches to Sakuma's close up, which is more or less should be similar to what Kidou's point of view. So what possibly could be going on in Kidou's mind when it happened?

The close up of Sakuma's face ends when he fully turns his head, revealing the eye that's normally covered by his eyepatch and the disheveled hair his Shin Teikoku arc design has.

As one can see on the first post, looking closely Sakuma was drawn in a way that makes him look like his original design with the pulled forward hair and the eyepatch covered right eye, it was what Kidou saw!

What Kidou (and the viewers) initially saw was the Sakuma he knew, the one who played soccer together with him, the Sakuma who is his best friend. But something about it is uncanny, until Sakuma's entire face was shown and it was Shin Teikoku Sakuma that Kidou was seeing. It wasn't the Sakuma Kidou knew.

Even if their scope of love in their writings are different (Sakuma loves Kidou, while Kidou loves EVERYONE including Sakuma) Sakuma and Kidou care deeply towards each other. And it was Kageyama's actual purpose in the arc, to not win the match but rather to inflict as much trauma he could on Kidou by manipulating and hurting (mentally and physically) his best friends against him.

Shin Teikoku arc has really good animation and storyboarding in general; this particular scene has cleverly drawn frames where Sakuma's hair was positioned to look like how he normally looks until he fully turns at Kidou and you can see the the black eye

I don't have frames that are of 1:1 comparison but I hope you get the gist

Animage September 2017 Special Feature - Rebellious Individual, Fudou Akio

Since it was just August, the 8th month, let’s support all players with the shirt number 8! A special feature about everyone’s beloved Fudou-san! 

Fudou Akio 

CV: Kaji Yuuki 

At first he was said to be a proudly independent rebellious individual, but through personal hardships he’s gradually demonstrated his character development. Basically, he’s not a bad guy. 

-Fudou from the Super Dimensional Dream Match. Was he the one who taught Hakuryuu and Baddap how to use Koutei Penguin #2? 

-Photo collection from Inazuma Japan’s victory. Someone wearing a number 8 shirt is shaking hands with a mysterious guy in a red cape. 

-Fudou from Ares no Tenbin. He’s wearing a horizontally striped t-shirt and a purple cardigan. It’s the same style as his clothes from GO - is this his preferred fashion style? 

-According to Coach Kudou’s strategy, he became a bench warming joker during the Asian preliminaries. 

-He says more with his eyes? Fudou is a very blunt person but in actual fact he makes a variety of expressions. From a suspicious face, to a face full of contempt, to a shocked face - his expressions are more honest than you might think! We’ve highlighted some of his expressions in this feature.

 In the previous IE series, Fudou Akio made his debut with a guest appearance during the Shin Teikoku Gakuen arc. During the formation of Inazuma Japan he made a sudden second appearance as the number 8 player and he continued to wear number 8 as a member of the Battle Eleven. At the beginning he was quite an outrageous character. 

However while he did nothing but bench warm during the Asian preliminaries, fans laughed along with his wisecracks. He’s had a rivalry with Kidou too, but while they fought together the distance between them had shrunk and in the end you can even catch a fleeting glimpse of them shaking hands. In the GO series he makes several appearances as a helpful character to the kids. Though he may seem board and contrary, he is a firmly loved character.

 Finally in the new series Ares no Tenbin since Aliea Gakuen’s take over no longer exists in this parallel world, his role and relationship with Teikoku is still unclear. In any case, he still wears the same mohawk as his Inazuma Japan self (white streak included) but what will his personality be like this time? Does he have any friends? What’s the financial situation of his family like? We’re super interested in everything about him! 

-Expressions from when he was a member of Inazuma Japan in the previous series. Compared with his Ares self, has his expressions gotten a little bit softer?

-In the previous series, while he was under the influence of the Aliea meteorite he made several psychotic expressions… 

-He’s not the only one! Here are some number 8 players from the previous series! 

 Matsukaze Tenma (Raimon Junior) 

Carrot Boy (Raimon Junior) 

Teikoku Shrimp (Teikoku Gakuen)

I just finished reading just now despite already having this on two browser tabs because I'm forgetful 😂😂 I'm sorry!

This fic caught my eye because Saginuma and Genda are the combination I hadn't thought before, so I'm glad I read it because it gives me new perspective about their characters!! I love it, I rewatched Neo Japan mini arc last night before I continued reading

“Why do you hide them?”

Genda just sighed - deep and tired and pained - and Saginuma remembered the segment on the news. Beast Fang. He shivered at the thought.

“It’s… a painful reminder.” Genda held a tight grip on his comforter, still it did nothing to stop the shaking of his hands. “Just something I’d rather forget about. …It’s shameful.”

Saginuma blinked at that. He couldn’t think of a world where the proud “king of keepers” and “shameful” could exist in any proximity to each other.

Although, he remembered catching glimpses of Genda looking down at his hands with disdain in the short moments he had to himself during training. Saginuma had always chalked it up to frustration at his injuries, but hearing that word come out of Genda’s mouth recontextualized it.

His heart felt heavy at the realization, imagining their otherwise proud keeper carrying that feeling of shame. Something about it felt absurdist, like Saginuma was starring in a comedy skit written by someone who expected him to believe that Genda Koujirou had ever felt flustered or humiliated in his time on Earth.

Or, Saginuma sees Genda’s scar, and shows him his own.

I’m not following Orion right now, heck I didn’t even finish Ares yet, but seeing so many posts on characters analysist and the thing makes me so happy!

And because I’m a noisy dumb gremlin I will hop on the analysist cart and do something I’ve always dreamed of doing…

Kageyama Reiji: why is he so bad? - an analysis

This is gonna be a long post, so I’m gonna continue it under the cut.

Aaaaaaaaaaah, Kageyama Reiji… The first villain, the big bad wolf, the one who traumatized the children.

But why he’s like that? Well, that’s simple, he’s a traumatized child himself! Let me explain.

We know that he attended the Raimon and was part of the original Inazuma Eleven 40 year prior to the first series event.

And the Raimon is a middle school, that means that he was between 13!yo and 15!yo at the time. But we can’t stop here.

We need to talk about Kageyama’s father. We know he was kicked out of the national team and then he started to lose every match he played. I think he had some sort of writer block, but for soccer. And fans started to hate him.

We know this from what Onigawara says in episode 22. But I want to point out something he says before all these things…

“It started 50 years ago.”

This means that Kageyama was between 3 and 5 years old when this all started. Basically his first memories were of people mad at his dad on a fucking game. We even get a shot on him as a kid watching as the people around him throws shit and insults his dad.

Pretty traumatizing, uh? But that’s not all! We also know that his father left the family, his mother died from illness and he was left alone.

And the fact that he “was left all by himself” bothers me. It’s oddly specific. This is just a theory of mine, but maybe that’s linked to the fact that many minors in Japan are abandoned by their caretaker.

And this all happened before he joined the Raimon, that means that this happened before he was 13 years old.

But we’re not done yet, oh no.

I think Kageyama developed a phobia of losing after all of this. Because not only his methods are extreme, he cheats even when he doesn’t need to! And in the games we know that even as a teen he would do anything to win, it’s not a trait he develops as an adult. And in the end his fears are in some ways confirmed when the Zeus loses to the Raimon. He had a pretty nice job, a good reputation, enough money to have a chauffeur, and then a bunch of kids shows up and he loses everything. He even gets arrested and had to fleed the country after he evades. I’m not saying he didn’t deserve it, but that must have been really bad for his mental health.

And then there’s Garshield… We know really little about him. We don’t know how much he’s old or where is he from, but we know one thing

Garshield helped Kageyama with the sabotage of the Inazuma Eleven’s bus. Remember that Kageyama was between 13 and 15 years old at the time, he was a child. A problematic child with behavior problems and with no one watching over him. And Garshield took advantage of him and groomed him to do his dirty work. Even after 40 years Kageyama still worked for Garshield, he was always his puppet.

That obliviously doesn’t justify all the evil deed he has done, he harmed children in many ways, but he’s not so different from Fudou or Tsurugi and the others “bad” children in this anime. The difference between then and Kageyama is that Reiji was helped by the wrong person, a person that wanted to use him.

Yeah I don’t know how to end this… I just love Kageyama as a character, he’s something more than the “bad guy” we usually see and I explained why.

Thanks for the attention, byeeee

Kazemaru Ichirouta: a Study in Character

That title might or might not be a Sherlock reference. Oh well.

Anyway, I love this boy so much and I’d love to share some of my thoughts about him and his character development with you! :D All right, let’s get started!

Keep reading

I initially made this account for art archive purpose but blog posting is actually really fun??? I definitely will do more in future

Shin Teikoku arc has really good animation and storyboarding in general; this particular scene has cleverly drawn frames where Sakuma's hair was positioned to look like how he normally looks until he fully turns at Kidou and you can see the the black eye

I don't have frames that are of 1:1 comparison but I hope you get the gist

Edit: added alt text!

Genda Koujirou Analysis

I’d like to start by thanking dear @gracyfangirl2020 for requesting me this analysis, Genda is one of my favourite character after al,l and I hope to give him justice.

Genda is such a caring, reliable, down to earth friend, he inspires trust in others and despite being a supporting character, he often plays an important role. His first real appearance is during Raimon’s second match against Teikoku, ep 12, where he’s shown to be the only one worried about Kidou’s wellbeing and what he was up to.

We can see just how much he cares and how he’s ready to just stop his friends from doing anything that could bring them harm 

BUT, here’s the second most important thing about Genda: he follows orders. Despite his will to protect Kidou, he won’t defy an order from the higher ups.

He reminds me of the yakuza, honestly, he’s passionate but knows when to restrain himself, obedient and loyal, he’d make the perfect right hand man for a yakuza’s boss and anyway I believe he was born and raised in a very traditional/strict family.

But despite all this, he’s a person with a rooted moral sense and we can see, both in the original series and in Ares, just how much he despises Kageyama for his action. Even if he has to recognize him as his Coach again and again he won’t be silent about his disapproval.

He’s fierce and passionate and in the original series

his role as the emotional pillar for his friends is as clear as day.

It is no coincidence that during the Aliea arch he and not Sakuma was the one directly pursued by Fudou. If you weaken the one peoples rely on, it’ll be easier to bring the others down as well.

And yet, even with the Aliea Stone that enhanced his negative emotions, he was still able to care and worry for Sakuma, that shows just how big his heart truly is. Stronger than hatred, stronger than its dark side itself.

A similar situation happened in Ares as well. By putting him on bench, Kageyama knew he would upset the team, damaging its emotional balance and performances. And only when he came back on the field did they unite once more as a whole oiled machine.

Not only he gave stability to his team, he even acted upon his own moral code and judgment, ripping the captain’s band from Shimerigawa 

to give it back to whom he believed worthy of wearing it (Sakuma),

without asking first to the one that should’ve been in charge of such a decision. He follows orders, yes, but he also has limits.

Deeply disgusted by disrespectful people

Always supportive of his friends in all their decisions, like when Kidou switched to Raimon and wanted to take Zeus down

or when he went to Kidou’s graduation ceremony

A heart so big that makes him constantly worry for his team

but for others as well

In conclusion I’d say that he’s one of the few characters I’d go to for advices and I know I’d be greeted by an heart-warming smile.

Hope this was a good analysis and what you expected <3

Sakuma Jirou Analysis

I’m trying to work as fast as I can but I want to write good analysis for you guys so bear with me please ;;

This one is for @psychochangerx, hope is what you were looking for!

Keep reading

Fudou Akio analysis

Hello dearies! This is my first post on this new blog and I’ve decided that it will be a character analysis of Fudou Akio, hope you’ll enjoy!

Since I love studying characters I am often baffled by the lack of understanding when it comes to the ones that are a tad more complex than your regular everyday do-gooders. And when it comes to Fudou Akio I see a LOT of misunderstanding: he’s either an ass or a tsun tsun. Excuse me while I try not to barf. So, for the love of everything that I hold dear and my sanity, lets dive into a step-by-step analysis of the amazing character that is Fudou Akio.

We will start from the Inazuma Japan arch, hence him not being his true self in the Aliea Stone’s arch (everyone seems to forget how he too was wearing the stone and thus having his negative side taking advantage of him). Let’s go chronologically so we can all see how his true character unravels before our eyes and gradually morphs.

The first important scene they gave us and that we should pin point is during Ep71 “Raise the curtain! A challenge to the world!”. The coach gives precise instruction not to leave the building and for everyone to stay in their rooms, to which the general response is unhappiness and concern. Then we have Fudou, completely calm and slightly annoyed at the other’s antics “if you’re going to lose confidence just ‘cause you can’t practice for two days, then give up being a national!” as if he was full of confidence in his own abilities and while yes, he knows he’s good, we are showed a short sequence of him laying on his messy bed, with the wall next to it covered in ball’s marks and dirty clothes on the floor. It’s obvious that he was training until few moments ago, sweating like there was no tomorrow (and he probably was at it far before anybody else, since when the others are training, he’s already trying to rest).

Conclusion? He cares a lot but doesn’t trust anyone enough to show it. But why is that? Well the answer is very clear in Ep82 “The perfect strategy! Perfect zone press!”, his first official game against the Fire Dragon, and it’s given to us through a flashback. His father was a weak, inept man that left him and his mother struggling against debt collectors and his mother, although not with ill intentions, told him the one thing that would shape his way to see things and people: “grow into a powerful man so you can get back at people”. Saying this to a six years old child, whose father just abandoned and that basically lived on the streets, would obviously bring him to believe that “the strong feed on the weak in order to survive” as he will state during the match. It’s a twisted conclusion and surely not what his mother was trying to say, but his past, the things he had seen and the habitat in which he had to struggle not only to survive but to get to the top, surely didn’t help him grow into a trusting, happy pre-teen. And we have a confirmation of his untrusting nature in Ep83 “Get up captain!”, where Fuyuka states “I don’t think that person believes in anyone. That’s why no one tries to believe in him”. And here’s the interesting thing. It’s true that Fudou doesn’t trust others and it’s also true that he doesn’t care weather or not others trust him on a normal basis, but after seeing that his passes are not working because his teammates don’t trust him and his judgment on the field, then that’s a thing that really annoys him. He even looks kind of hurt.

And this is a situation we will see in several occasion (like during the match against Team K, when the Italy’s representative was having difficulties to follow his directions).

But back to ep83, we have the BIGGEST step forward for his character development! While he’s using some unorthodox methods to test and understand the rival team, getting a hand of what he’s after, Kidou decides to do the one thing he has to, in order to re-establish balance: being the first to trust Fudou. “His plays are trying to bring out the best of YOUR abilities too!” says a very clever Endou and his theory is proven by the first pass to Kidou going smoothly. “Maybe Fudou’s been working hard while we weren’t watching” that sure as hell is correct! Ever asked yourself what was he doing all the time you practiced together? Studying you, of course! So that he could lend the perfect passes and help the team wins. In the end he is still pretty detached from the others but they’re starting to slowly catching on: “what’s with that attitude?” “That’s Fudou Akio”.

So now Inazuma Japan is more prone to trust him during a match, but do they trust him as a person? Not yet. In Ep91 “Teikoku’s curse part2!” he is accused of betraying them and working with Kageyama, but what is his reaction? He laughs, without denying anything and that’s because, again, you can think whatever you want of him, it’s not his business and he seems pretty used to people not trusting him. That’s probably because to him the world works like this: no one should ever trust anyone in order to survive. He’s so used to it that when Endou says “I trust Fudou” he’s the most surprised by far.

Have you noticed anything suspicious tho? Like, for example, how easy it is to understand his true emotions just by looking at his face? It’s all written there: anger, disappointment, surprise, concern. He doesn’t hide behind a mask of indifference, he constantly shows genuine emotions through his eyes and here’s a piece of the article dedicated to him in the Animage September 2017: “He says more with his eyes. Fudou is a very blunt person but in actual fact he makes a variety of expressions. From a suspicious face, to a face full of contempt, to a shocked face – his expressions are more honest than you might think!” Is he aware of it? Does he not care? Are people always so blinded by prejudice that he thinks no one will ever notice?

Surely enough, after understanding how he wears (consciously or not) his heart on his sleeve, we can start to actually see how much he’s beginning to care for his teammates. The first indicator is the deep shock we can read on his face after Kidou “almost gets hit” by a bunch of wooden boards.

Later, on Ep92 “Terrifying! Another Kidou!” he tries to wake Kidou from his fear induced trance “stop being buried in the past already!”

(Here I would like to add how this phrase is probably referred to himself too, hence the following “you’ll be the one landing me a hand” muttered in response to Kidou’s help request “lend me a hand. Fudou, Sakuma!”. And related to this whisper of his, there’s an interesting thing his VA, Yuuki Kaji, stated in an interview on the Animage October 2010: “I had to record that line about ten times. This line in particular needs to be said gently, without any harshness”. And why should Fudou gently whisper something like this, hoping not to be heard, if he wasn’t talking about how he too was struggling to leave the past behind him and with it the old core of his existence: the hunger for power?)

Back to us! After stealing the ball from Kidou, thus helping him to weak up, he is again accused of betrayal. But this time… this time he answers. “And here I was trying to put an end to his plan by myself”. This phrase right here is another big step forward, he’s admitting that he was trying to work alone to destroy Kageyama and you could say “yes, because of personal revenge!” and the answer is: at 50%, yes. He really does want to beat him in order to move on with his past, but he is also furious with him for trying to destroy his team: “if Kageyama says he’s going to destroy Japan’s team, then I’ll bring him down with soccer!”

See? No one ever asked him to, no one expect for him to care that much, maybe not even you that are watching the show, but did you notice how he started to work with Kidou? Against Fire Drason first, then the private practice just the two of them, plus his constant watch over the other teammates, everything in order to bring the team to victory, not only himself. He is exactly what the creator intended him to be when they gave him his name. The name Fudou Akio (不動 明王), in fact, originate from Fudō Myōō (不動明王) which is the Japanese name of the deity Acala. Acalanātha means “immovable protector” and in Japan is also known with the name “Wisdom King Acala”, he is invoked in Buddhist rituals to “frighten gods, titans, men and destroy the strength of demons”, and he slays all ghosts and evil spirits. He is also oftentimes drawn with intense facial expression and demeanor. So, a fierce god with intense expressions, that protect others and is particularly used against demons, mmhhh does this ring any bell to you? Like, I don’t know, a certain someone always there to fight against anything and anyone ill willed? Someone with a brilliant mind? That helps others escape from the control of an evil spirit? And that will be very mad during a specific game against an army of so called demons? No?

Let’s move on.

Back to ep92 he is also very pleased when Kidou actually comes back to his senses, he even smiles and for the first time accept that working on his own just won’t do.

After that, in Ep93 “Strongest Confrontation! Penguin vs. Penguin!!” we are showed again how he looks down on his past self when Demonio goes “Commander has given us the power to fight against the world. If this is the price I have to pay for power then I can endure this level of suffering” and Fudou comments, almost as if the thought slipped through his lips, “Power, eh…” Demonio reminds him of how power hungry he was and it’s clear at this point that Fudou has bidden farewell to the words his mother said and it’s ready to close that chapter of his life once and for all after the match against Team K.  

Now we can really say that his character has reached at a turning point.

From the seemingly indifferent lone wolf that decided to come alive only during matches to a silent guy who’s able to smile with contempt alongside his teammates even off the field, like at the end of Ep95 “Desperate! Inazuma Japan Defeated!?” He doesn’t even care about victory as much as he wanted us to believe in the first episodes.

Then we got another insight on Ep96 “Fuyuppe’s Secret” where he states, “looks like his leg injury wasn’t light anyway”, thus showing his close attention to the well-being of all the others and another fundamental thing! Why didn’t he tell anything to the coach if he knew Kurimatsu was injured? Well, because he respects him, his guts and his pride and in Ep107, “Grandpa’s Last Note!”, we have the confirmation of this theory when he is shown to have the “Heart #11: the heart to persist even if one hits rock-bottom, Warrior’s Pride”. So, being a proud warrior himself, he couldn’t, wouldn’t ever have outed Kurimatsu on something like that.

He is also making new friends aside from Kidou and Sakuma. In Ep105 “Decisive! Endō vs. Fidio!!” he high fived Someoka when switching during the match (and he also showed again just how much he trusts Kidou)

and during Ep110 “Demon Army Z!” he’s pretty pleased to have the helping hands of both Tsunami and Tobitaka while being the driving force against the hated “demons”. He is just so mad at them (*cough*ThinkOfHisName*cough*) he even takes one for the team, literally, by blocking a fierce shot with his body despite being hurt and full of bruises.

And if you’re still having doubts about him caring for the others, just watch at how he sneaks into Gouenji and Toramaru’s training to simply lend a hand and even quotes Sakuma! Also, Sakuma’s words may imply how Fudou is trying to hide his real feelings of affection for the team.

He’s gradually toning down, losing completely that poisoned tooth (even if he keeps his sassiness, thank god), when he’s around those that we can now call his friends. Because yes, they are, they know that he has that certain attitude and, as Hiroto states in Ep111 “The Devil’s Decent! Dark Angel!!”, “He shows what he means through actions. That’s Fudou Akio”, and this is fine by them, they accept him, even if he’s still so surprised when someone apologizes and is nice to him (but he’ll get used to it, he’ll eventually understand that he is worthy enough of affection).

It’s also important to state that when Coach Kudo calls their names during Ep122 “Inazuma Japan’s Final Battle!”, and everyone’s having a flashback of their first crucial step as better players, for Fudou it’s the moment when he decided to trust and cooperate for the first time, generating his first hissatsu with Kidou.

We can also see his changes by the enthusiasm he expresses after a victory. At first, he was distant, unaffected, then he started to smile a bit but while still keeping a bit of a distance, now, at the end of Ep125 “Final Truth! Number One in the World!!“, he just run smiling with the others, happy as he should be and with no problem in showing it to the others.

He also shows up to the Raimon final match at the end of the graduation’s ceremony in Ep127 "Kick-off to Tomorrow!”.

And finally, his speech to Tsurugi during “Inazuma Eleven GO Movie, The Ultimate Bonds Gryphon”: “Tsurugi, listen up! Friends are those you can depend on, and those who can depend on you!” This shows just how much he was able to change and mature over the years thanks to his friends!

And with this, my dearies, I salute you, hoping it was somewhat useful to you for a deeper, better understanding of an amazing character with a wonderful development!

Doodles are whats keeping me sane at this time.(also why dose fukaze look so lesbian.whatever that means.)

Shin Teikoku Sakuma piece from 2024 when I was trying to analyze Sakuma's feelings in the arc (I keep forgetting to repost it outside twitter, oops)

Explanation under read more

The idea for the piece is to convey what Sakuma actually felt in the arc. What the aliea meteorite did was amplifying his negative emotions and converting them to hunger for power. Like how Kazemaru originally only started seeking power in a bout of deteorirating mental health; Sakuma (and Genda) only seeked the meteorite because he felt that Kidou abandoned him / them because they weren't good enough. So the idea here is to convey sorrow.

Unfortunately I'm very bad at writing analysis post in Tumblr's blogpost format as I'm very used to Twitter and Bluesky's thread style of writing; so I perhaps will revisit and rewrite this explanation.

Sakuma with covered eyepatch

Based on this frame from the end of episode 38, after he came to his senses:

The windows

Sakuma is wearing the same patient outfit as he did in episode 37's flashback

The sequence of closing the curtains is to express "closing one's heart off" (accepting the meteorite, going back to Kageyama, cutting ties with Kidou; etc etc anything works LOL). Also a reference to how Fudou entered their hospital room from the window lmao.

The eye

Should be self explanatory. It's also a reference to eye as a common symbolism used in Sakuma's character, which... he has... because Kidou himself has eye motif. gay ass.

my fave kisaku compilation (also sakuma gayboy compilation)

Reuploading a 2024 1 hour drawing but with better colors