r/captaintsubasa

The final whistle echoed in Miami. Argentina 3, Cape Verde 2, after extra time. But the scoreboard, once again, was the most beautiful lie football ever told.

Cape Verde did not play as underdogs; they played as lions. Each save by Vozinha, ten in total, five against Messi, was a cry of independence. Each burst forward by Sidny Cabral, who twice leveled the match with a spectacular goal, was a soul lesson. And when Deroy Duarte equalized again in the second half, there was more poetry than any of Messi's chip shots. The smallest nation ever to reach the knockout stage only fell after 120 minutes of battle, with an own goal in the dying moments.

Do you see? It is not about winning. It is about making the world stop and ask: Where did that come from?

And that is when it hit me. Captain Tsubasa has always been about that. About the Japan that no one saw coming. But the world has grown. Today, there are Cape Verde, Vietnam, and Jamaica wanting to step into the manga.

That is why, Yoichi Takahashi, master who gave us the Magic Ball and the endless dream, your new season needs to be an Era of Expansion a World Cup of Forgotten Nations. Imagine a Cape Verdean character with the Sotavento Wind shot, a Nigerian goalkeeper with the Baobab Defense, and a Vietnamese playmaker with the Water Dragon Pass.

The lesson from Argentina versus Cape Verde is that football is an ocean, not a lake. And Tsubasa, who always dreamed of the world, now needs to sail through waters never drawn before.

Because inspiration does not lie in the goal that wins, but in the team that made the favorites sweat their shirts. A new season, Takahashi-sensei. With new heroes, new tactics, and a new cry: The world is bigger than I dreamed. That is what Cape Verde taught us today. That is what the legend deserves.

More than ever the world needs a New Season of this anime ⚽

Source trailer (also JP version on YT in case they take the former down again)

I Know That Very Likely The Final Be Barcelona vs Bayern But I Think It Should Be Barcelona vs Juventus , This One Would Be To Complete The Tsubasa vs Hyuga Final Trilogy After The Elementary school and Middle School Tournaments The Finale Of That Rivalry Being in The Champions League Final Would Be Insane

So that excluded Misaki, Misugi, Wakabayashi, Nitta from the team. So what’s the lineups, what teams can they beat and who do they lose to?

Earlier saw a post by someone here who was showing his retro cartridges collection from Sega (if I'm not mistaken), originally wanted to post there but I lost that post so I thought let's do a full flex for sub to enjoy.

This is my (some of) retro collection. Yes, that's a Nintendo's original Game & Watch OG Donkey Kong. Yes, I'm that old and am an OG vintage gamer that has seen all the gaming evolution which you have not imagined -- from handheld (like DK here) to Atari to TOMY Spacetronic 3D to Sega/Nintendo+Game Boy to CD to Arcades to PC (from Commodore to Mac to IBM) to console (Sega Saturn to PS5 from PS1).

I still have my most of consoles stashed (in working condition). Currently, I'm mostly playing games on my MSI KATANA (the laptop visible over Manba controller).

For the cartridge fans, you may recognize the two of these 10 Nintendo cartridges as originals from 1988 & 1990.

Now, the question comes; who here is as old as me? 😁

Share your own collection in the comments along with their stories, we would love to see those.

This is some peak genderbent fan art

https://hochi.news/articles/20260630-OHT1T51390.html?page=1

On June 30th, the day the Japanese national soccer team was defeated by Brazil in the first round of the knockout stage of the CONCACAF World Cup, Yoichi Takahashi (65), the author of the popular soccer manga "Captain Tsubasa," gave an interview to Sports Hochi and expressed his hope that "this time, I want them to beat Brazil in the World Cup and win the championship." Sugaya of the comedy duo "Cacarroni," who watched the match live in person, also told this newspaper, "Thank you for letting us dream!" and promised to watch the next match in four years.

Yoichi Takahashi revealed that he uses the Brazil match as inspiration for his creative work.

[Attention] Embracing in the World Cup Stands! Defender Shogo Taniguchi & Rika Izumi's "So Hugging I Almost Collapsed" Two-Shot: "So Wonderful," "They Look So Alike," "A Feast for the Eyes" - Sports Hochi

Takahashi watched the long-awaited late-night match on TV with several staff members. When midfielder Kaishu Sano scored the opening goal to take the lead, he got very excited, saying, "They might be able to do it." Although they ultimately suffered a heartbreaking comeback defeat, he praised the team, comparing it to the 1-4 defeat against Brazil in the 2006 World Cup group stage in Germany, saying, "They came so close."

For Takahashi, the World Cup was the catalyst for him starting to draw manga. Brazil has always been an object of admiration, considered the "world's greatest football kingdom." When the serialization of "Captain Tsubasa" began in 1981, the World Cup was a distant dream for Japan, but he reflected that "Japanese football is developing at a faster pace than I ever imagined." Seeing Japan now advancing through the World Cup group stage as a matter of course, he nodded, saying, "We are getting closer to our goal of winning the championship."

Reflecting on the match against Brazil, which was dubbed "Real Captain Tsubasa" due to its matchups reminiscent of the manga, he regretted, "To secure the win, we should have aimed for a second goal, and perhaps we should have been a little braver in connecting passes..." He also acknowledged that the absence of midfielder Kaoru Mitoma and midfielder Takefusa Kubo due to injury had an impact, saying, "If they had been in top condition, I think the result would have been different." He expressed his hope for Brazil to win, believing that Japan's valiant effort would increase its value.

Takahashi retired from manga in 2024, but he continues to serialize the "Captain Tsubasa" story in storyboard (pencil sketch) format on his website. "I'm currently working on a story about Japan vs. Brazil. I'll use this match against Brazil as a reference to make it even more interesting," he said enthusiastically.

Takahashi hopes that the circle of soccer will expand further through his work, which is also enjoyed by players participating in this tournament, such as Messi (Argentina) and Mbappé (France). "I hope to see Japan's characteristic organized play again next time. I want them to beat Brazil and win the World Cup this time," he said, already looking ahead to four years from now. (Yoshihito Horikita)

◆Yoichi Takahashi: Born July 28, 1960, in Katsushika Ward, Tokyo. Age 65. He debuted in 1980 with a one-shot manga "Captain Tsubasa" in Weekly Shonen Jump, and began serialization in 1981. From 1994 to 1997, he serialized the sequel "World Youth Arc" in the same magazine. Since "Captain Tsubasa -ROAD TO 2002-" which began serialization in Young Jump at the end of 2000, he has continued to draw the "Captain Tsubasa" series. He is the owner and representative of Nankatsu SC, a team in the Kanto Soccer League Division 1. In 2023, he was inducted into the Japan Football Hall of Fame.

Brazil vs Japan was one thrilling showdown but hats off Paraguay that made history by defeating one of the champions. Only if Japan was this lucky, it would've been a blast!

Brazil played like champions.

Germany defended like champions.

It was a great day in the 2026 tournament!

The Brazilian national team is the greatest winner of World Cups, with five titles (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002). This hegemony is no accident. It is the result of a culture rooted in the beautiful game, in creativity, and in the ability to develop generations of stars who have left their mark on football history.

When Japan faces Brazil, there is no room for disrespect. On the contrary, the Blue Samurai face the match with the utmost respect, knowing they are up against the historical reference of the sport. For the Japanese, every confrontation is a learning opportunity, a test of evolution against the school that invented "the beautiful game."

Far from underestimating, Japan studies Brazil with tactical rigor and discipline. They recognize the unpredictability, the samba flair, and the ability to decide matches with moments of genius. But they also know that in today's football, tactics and organization can balance the scales.

To underestimate Brazil would be to ignore a history built by Pelé, Garrincha, Zico, Romário, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, and so many others. It would be to dismiss the soul of a people who breathe football. Japan, with its competitive intelligence, would never make that mistake. Instead, they honor the opponent, step onto the pitch to win, and in doing so, elevate the sport even further.

And this is exactly where the magic of Captain Tsubasa comes in. The manga and anime that captivated the world do not only show dribbles and powerful shots. They lay bare the power that football has to transcend borders, languages, and cultures. Tsubasa Ozora, Roberto Hongo (the Brazilian who inspires the protagonist), Natureza, and many other characters symbolize that, within the four lines of the pitch, nationality does not matter. What matters is passion, effort, and the shared dream.

In the Captain Tsubasa universe, Brazilians and Japanese face each other with loyal rivalry, but they leave the field embracing each other, swapping shirts and lessons learned. It is living proof that football is a universal language. It unites children, teenagers, and adults around a common ideal. Brazil taught the world to play with joy. Japan taught the world to play with discipline. And together, they show that sport is a bridge, not a wall.

Respect is not fear. It is recognition. And Brazil, five time champions, remains the mountain everyone wants to climb, including Japan, who with humility and ambition, seeks one day to reach that peak. But as Tsubasa always says, "Football is a friend." And friends do not belittle each other. They lift each other up.

Source trailer

How good was Hanji Urabe as a player where did his career go i remember as a child watching the 1983 series of captain Tsubasa on animax in India and he was one of my favourite characters . He was a midfielder, defensive midfielder and defender who wore squad number 5 for Nankatsu and number 10 shirt for Otomo .

Which real life player resembles his career graph most if Ozora Tsubasa is Lionel Messi and Kojiro Hyuga is Cristiano Ronaldo .

I personally feel Iranian Javad Nekonuam and Australian Mile Jedinak are the closest .