Throughout the history of mankind, the brutality of war, the merciless strikes of plagues and the unbearable occurrences of famine were and still are the grim reapers who engraved their dreaded emblems in our books, with shockingly tangible ink. Each war had a sole hero, each plague had a sole eradicator, and each famine had its sole eraser. Although we may have given full credit to those who are mentioned by the historians, we must never tend to forget those who paid their lives as an expense for victories and eradications, when their numbers could not be grasped by even the most prolific imagination.

Although this seems to be a blunt(or bleak for that matter) analogy, the above fact intermingles quite harmoniously with the concept of a soccer match. Hence we observe the instincts of  tyranny that each soccer titan exercises over his enslaved teammates, blind to the fact that they are the primary means of paving his path to the victory he had ever craved for, the dream which he lived and fought for...

I feel it is vital to concentrate my analysis over specific and therefore doubtlessly active players, for  the manifestation of facts and evidence.

Four players came into my consideration, and they are as follows:- Hajime, Izawa, Kisugi, and Morisaki. I hope that I will be able to cast a message through them on the behalf of the other forgotten heroes, who only got their faces shown on TV for one or two episodes. I couldn't even help noticing how boorishly most of them were drawn.

It is always a positive step to commence with the diversity of each player's skills and strategic tactics. I, with the use of  a random approach, will embark with Morisaki.

If Hyuga is said to be "The Lone Tiger" of Japan, then Morisaki is definitely "The Shining Armor of Nankatsu". He always struggles to become the best, and sets Wakabayshi and Wakashimazu as his idols of Goal Keeping. I totally agree when it comes to his lack of defensive techniques, but he is a very determined individual, believing that flawless success and international recognition are yielded via the result of miraculous training and the exuberance of his effort towards his motives.
He was constantly looked down upon by his teammates as a waste, thinking of him as an unavoidable disappointment. Even though that was the case, Tsubasa knew, or rather felt the power Morisaki contained within his soul. Morisaki is still thankful to Tsubasa for giving him the chance to defend his goal from 110 shots delivered by the sturdy legs and feet of his teammates. A forgotten hero, true, but not by me. That is for sure.

I find convenience in joining Izawa, Kisugi and Hajime as a sole tactician. Their "Caging Maneuver" had really caught my eye quite easily. He who falls in their pestilent stratagem, will unquestionably perish due to the guaranteed confusion he will be struck by. I believe it to be a philanthropic tactic for winning a game with incredible grace. Along with their lethal personal skills, such as:-

1)Hajime's superb Wing Balance with the ball abreast of  the play field's side lines.

2)Izawa's unparalleled Head-Butt Shots and his remarkable jump height level.

3)Kisugi's confident play and appalling Counter-Attacks, along with his precise long passes and accurate shots.

In succinct terms, these players were the main keys to success for Wakabayashi and Tsubasa after him. Deplorably, they weren't given the proper importance that they rightfully deserved. Instead, they were left envying and cussing behind Tsubasa's back, because he was the only one in the whole team who had the vigorous stamina to rip the opponent's net. A very sad, and yet an avoidable situation, but Takahashi did not bother to do anything. He thought it was in the best interest of the series to continue developing the main characters, rather than introducing the secondary players as an effective mechanism to winning.

The unfair truth of forgotten heroes is still to be dealt with, not only does the Captain Tsubasa series approve it, but our history contexts and time lines as well...The fact that the "Tactical Trio" and the "Shining Armor" are oppressed to a certain degree introduces the controversy over whether the secondary players are the means to the goal according to their premieres or not.

I have said what had to be said, and I am all ears for your fruitful contentions.

This is Hesham Al-Emadi reporting from the Tsubasa Intelligence Agency in Bahrain.

** The "Crystal Clear" picture of Kisugi is courtesy of  Raquel, a good friend of mine on the Captain Tsubasa Cool List. Arigato Raquel!