Kyaputen Tsubasa/Captain Tsubasa/Flashkicker/Oli et Benji/Oliver y Benji/Súper Campeones

Moete, moete ♪♫

No doubt about it, Captain Tsubasa (or whatever name you've called it before) got everything about football right. The term is football not the Americanized "Soccer" because soccer's for suckers and football is the real thing so 'Merica go home!  I grew up watching this show in Chile when it was called "Súper Campeones", which is Spanish for "Super Champions" but both words being cognates make the translation irrelevant for my fellow connoisseurs, I  guess. 

The story focuses on the adventures of a Japanese youth soccer team and its football captain Tsubasa Ozora, whose name literally translates to "Big Sky Wings". The series is characterized by dynamic football moves, often stylish and implausible. The plot focuses on Tsubasa's relationship with his friends, rivalry with his opponents, training, competition, and the action and outcome of each football match.

The Captain Tsubasa manga series was originally serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump comic book magazine between 1981 and 1988, spanning a total of 37-tankōbon volumes. It was continued onto a sequel, Captain Tsubasa: "World Youth" Saga, which was serialized between 1994 and 1997 in Shōnen Jump, spanning 18 volumes, and another sequel,titled Captain Tsubasa: Road to 2002, which was serialized between 2001 and 2004 in Weekly Young Jump, which spanned 15 volumes. The latest sequel, Captain Tsubasa: Kaigai Gekito Hen En La Liga, was serialized in Weekly Young Jump from 2010 to 2012. The Captain Tsubasa manga has sold over 70 million copies in Japan making it one of Shonen Jump's most popular series ever.

Genzo & Tsubasa, two world class footballers.

Legendary!

The original Captain Tsubasa comic series was adapted soon into an TV animation series, produced by Tsuchida Production, whose first season premiered in Japan on the TV Tokyo network between 10 October 1983 and 27 March 1986. This first series tells only the synopsis of the first 25 volumes. 

Four animated movies followed soon, between 1985 and 1986, continuing the storyline. In 1989 a new animation series, Shin Captain Tsubasa, was produced by Shueisha and CBS Sony Group, Inc. and spanned 13 original video animations (OVAs). Shin Captain Tsubasa tells the comic book's synopsis from volume 25 to volume 36. The animation series was followed soon after into a second sequel, entitled Captain Tsubasa J, produced by Studio Comet, which aired between October 21, 1994 and December 22, 1995 in Japan on the Fuji Television network and spanned 47 episodes, as well an OVA series, Captain Tsubasa: Holland Youth, which was published in 1994. The animated series was continued on further into a third sequel, Captain Tsubasa: Road to Dream, AKA Captain Tsubasa: Road to 2002, the latest animated adaptation of the series, produced by Group TAC and Madhouse Studios, which aired in Japan between October 7, 2001 and October 6, 2002.

All of the versions of the Captain Tsubasa animated series has been broadcast by the animation satellite television network, Animax, across its original network in Japan and later across its respective networks worldwide, including East Asia, Hong Kong, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and other regions. It has been broadcast across several other regions over the world, including South America, Europe and the Middle East. The success of the series spurred several Nintendo Super Famicom(the Japanese Super Nintendo for the unaware) video game adaptations. Enoki Films holds the United States license to Captain Tsubasa, under the title Flash Kicker. In a poll conducted by TV Asahi in 2005, the Captain Tsubasa anime series ranked 41 in a list of top 100 anime series.

Tsubasa in action.

Kojiro Hyuga, my favorite character.

Captain Tsubasa (1983-1986)

Tsubasa Ozora is an 11-year-old elementary school student who is deeply in love with football and dreams of one day winning the FIFA World Cup for Japan. He lives together with his mother in Japan, while his father is a seafaring captain who travels around the world.

Tsubasa Ozora is known as the Soccer no Moshigo which translates as "heaven-sent child of football". When he was only barely a year old, he was almost run over by a rushing bus while playing with a football. However, Tsubasa held the ball in front of him which served as a cushion for most of the impact. The force of the bump blew him away, but he was able to right himself with the ball. Hence, Tsubasa Ozora's motto of "The ball is my friend". Ever since he was little, he always went out with a football. His mother concludes that he was indeed born only to play football. At a very young age, Tsubasa Ozora already has amazing speed, stamina, dribbling skills and shotpower, astounding anyone who sees him play.

At the beginning of the story, both of them move to the city of Nankatsu, a town well known for their talented elementary school football teams and where Tsubasa meets Ryo Ishizaki, a football-loving young student who often sneaks out from his mother's public bath houses and chores to play football. He meets Sanae Nakazawa (also known as Anego), his future wife, an enthusiastic girl who also loves football and helps cheer the Nankatsu High team on, and Genzo Wakabayashi, a highly talented young goalkeeper whom he soon challenges to a game in Nankatsu's annual Sports Festival. He also meets Roberto Hongo, one of the best Brazilian footballers, who is a friend of Tsubasa's father, and who arrives in Japan and starts living with Tsubasa and his mother. Roberto becomes a mentor to Tsubasa and helps him to harness his football skills, convincing him to join Nankatsu Elementary and its fledgling high school football team, which Roberto coaches later as he passes his techniques onto Tsubasa.

Tsubasa meets Taro Misaki, who has travelled around Japan due to his father's job and soon joins Nankatsu. The two become the best of friends in the pitch and real life, forming a partnership soon to be renowned as the "Golden Duo" or "dynamic duo" of Nankatsu. Soon Tsubasa and his Nankatsu team start taking on the best of elementary school football, meeting such talented players as Kojiro Hyuga, Ken Wakashimazu, Jun Misugi, Hikaru Matsuyama, and many others. His Nankatsu squad wins numerous youth national championships, and wins the U-17 World Championships for Japan, before leaving the country to play in Brazil...

Genzo Wakabayashi, my other favorite character.

Ken Wakashimazu, another awesome goalkeeper.

Captain Tsubasa J (1994-1995)

Tsubasa leaves Japan for Brazil and starts playing, with his mentor Roberto as the manager, for São Paulo (F.C. Brancos in the anime), in Brazil's premier professional league, Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, winning the final against Flamengo (F.C. Domingos in the anime), 4-3. While in Brazil, Tsubasa gets to meet several talented Brazilian players, such as his teammate and roommate Pepe, who comes from a humble background, and Flamengo star striker Carlos Santana, a prodigious talent.

Enthusiastic football-loving youngster Shingo Aoi, whom Tsubasa once played against while in the high school national championships, leaves Japan to play football in Italy, where he hopes to play for a major Italian professional team. After arriving in Italy, however, Shingo gets tricked by a man who gives him fraudulent promises of getting him selected for an Italian team. After Shingo is taken to a badly furnished field, the man runs away, stealing all his money. Shingo realizes that he is swindled and tries hard to get his money back, doing such jobs as shoeshining, and his enthusiastic attitude catches the eye of one of the coaches of Inter Milan (Intina in the CTJ Anime), who sign him to play for their squad as an attacking midfielder.

The Japan's youth side plays the first phase of AFC Youth Championship without Taro Misaki, Makoto Soda, Hiroshi Jito, Shun Nitta, the Tachibana brothers Masao and Kazuo, and Kojiro Hyuga. After Tsubasa, Wakabayashi and Shingo join the team, it defeats Thailand 5-4 after being 4-1 down at one stage. In the second phase Japan beats Uzbekistan 8-1, China 6-3 and Saudi Arabia 4-1. In the semifinals Japan beats Iraq 3-0. The Japanese win the Asia Youth title beating South Korea 2-0 and qualifying for the FIFA World Youth Championship.

In the first phase Japan defeats Mexico 2-1, Uruguay 6-5 and Italy 4-0. In the quarterfinals, they beat Sweden 1-0 and Netherlands 1-0 in the semifinal. The Japanese win in the "Great Final" the World Youth Championship, defeating Brazil 3-2 after extra time with Tsubasa scoring a hat-trick and the golden goal despite the fact that Brazil used a new player at the extra time called Natureza, who became the third person to score a goal on Wakabayashi from outside the goal area - the first being Karl Heinz Schneider of Germany, and second being Sho Shunko of China.

Tsubasa moves from São Paulo to F.C. Barcelona (FC Catalunya in the anime), in the Spanish Liga, after the end of the FIFA World Youth Championship final, taking his childhood friend and now wife, Sanae. He asked her out before moving to Brazil, and the couple maintained a long-distance relationship before he proposed to her after the World Youth Championship.

The Falcon shot!

Kojiro's unlimited strength.

Captain Tsubasa Road to 2002(2001-2002)

While Tsubasa moves from São Paulo (Brancos in the anime) to Barcelona (Catalunya in the anime), Kojiro Hyuga is bought by Juventus (F.C. Piemonte in the anime). Tsubasa plays very well in training, displaying all his skills, but the Dutch coach Van Saal (Edward in the anime, inspired by Louis van Gaal, who coached Barcelona at the time) demotes him to FC Barcelona B, the reserve team that plays in the second division, because Tsubasa and Rivaul (inspired by Rivaldo) cannot play together whilst Rivaul holds a key position for playmaking.

Meanwhile, Kojiro Hyuga plays for his first game for Juventus (Piemonte in the anime) against Parma in the Italian Serie A but does not score because of his physical imbalance. Juventus coach Carlo Monetti replaces him with David Trezeguet (David Tresaga in the anime), who scores the winning goal as Juventus beat Parma 1-0.

In Germany, Genzo Wakabayashi and his Bundesliga team, Hamburger SV (Grunwald in the anime version), play against Bayern Munich (Routburg in the anime version), led by Karl Heinz Schneider. Wakabayashi makes many great saves, impressing players and coaches from both teams. But in an attempt to win at the final moment despite the coach's decision to aim for a draw, Wakabayashi left the goal area to take a free kick shoot that was stopped at the last second, which give Bayern a chance to counterattack on an undefended goal, allowing them to win 2-1.

The original Nankatsu uniform.

Grown ups.

In Spain the liga championship begins and the match between Barcelona (led by Rivaul) and Valencia (San Jose in the anime) (who have just bought Tsubasa's old rival Carlos Santana) ends 2-2. Tsubasa watches the match from the tribune (in the anime version Tsubasa plays as a substitute in the match and scores a goal).

In the 2nd stage of the Japanese J. League, Júbilo Iwata, led by Misaki, Gon Nakayama (inspired by real player Masashi Nakayama), Ishizaki and Urabe, defeat the Urawa Red Diamonds led by Izawa and Sawada, 2-1. In other J. League matches, F.C. Tokyo, led by Misugi, draws 1-1 with Consadole Sapporo, led by Matsuyama. In Italy, Hyuga and Aoi are bought respectively by Reggiana and Albese.

In Spain, Tsubasa plays three matches with FC Barcelona B and he records 12 goals and 11 assists in three matches. Tsubasa is inserted in the Barcelona lineup because of an injury of his rival Rivaul and the disastrous results of the Barça (one point in four matches), and plays the Súper Clásico against Real Madrid, who have just bought his old rival Natureza. Tsubasa ends the match with three goals and three assists and Barcelona wins 6-5.

Football legends.

World class talent.

Overall, Captain Tsubasa is a true classic from the early 80's era of Animé. The show features a unique story that inspired many knock-offs in the late 80's and to this date. The football facts were mostly based in reality and despite the fact, there were some special super shots, football fans can enjoy it with ease. Behind every match we were introduced to background stories for each of the characters, where poverty and the urgent need to find a goal in life were common ground for most of the characters. The show also spawned a growing need for playing football (ok, soccer for the unaware) through Japan and many world class football stars have stated several times they decided to play football because of the inspiration they got from this awesome Animé. So, if you haven't watched it yet, what are you waiting for? 

Here's the Japanese opening:

Here's the second Japanese opening:

Here's the Spanish opening:

Here's the Latin American opening:

Here's the Captain Tsubasa J opening:

Here's the Captain Tsubasa Road to 2002 opening:

Here's the Captain Tsubasa Road to 2002 second opening: