Fans Excited as Footballer Zico Acknowledges His Reference in Blue Lock Anime

The excitement for Blue Lock season 2 is at an all-time high, coinciding with its current airing. The manga has achieved remarkable success, ranking as the top-selling manga during the first half of 2023. However, the production quality from studio 8bit hasn’t quite lived up to the series’ soaring popularity.

In an unexpected turn of events, the Blue Lock anime garnered attention from Brazilian football icon Zico, who is Meguru Bachira’s favorite player. He expressed his delight upon discovering his reference in the show, highlighting how proud he felt to be part of the evolution of football in Japan.

Zico Shares His Excitement Over His Feature in Blue Lock

On Thursday, October 17, the legendary Brazilian footballer Zico took to social media, sharing a still from the Blue Lock anime that referenced him. Fans might recall from the first season when Meguru Bachira, while wrestling with his inner Monster, envisioned Zico as a dream teammate.

It appears that Zico recently came across this memorable scene and felt compelled to share his thoughts on Instagram.

Meguru Bachira and Zico as depicted in the anime (Image via 8bit)

Although Zico’s original Instagram caption was in Portuguese, a translation reveals his sentiment:

“I recently stumbled upon this scene in a Japanese anime where I made a brief appearance, and it brought me immense joy! It fills me with pride to have witnessed, and to have been a part of, the growth of football in Japan.”

Furthermore, Zico commented on Brazil’s recent qualifier match against Peru, noting that while their victory was reassuring for fans, enhancements still needed to be made. He suggested that Japan could serve as an inspirational model during this rebuilding period for Brazilian football.

Though it’s unclear whether Zico was alluding to the real Japanese Football Federation or the Blue Lock initiative portrayed in the anime, his words are significant, especially since he has previously served as head coach for Japan.

Fan Reactions to Zico’s Instagram Post

Zico depicted in the anime (Image via 8bit)

The news of Zico acknowledging the anime reference thrilled many fans. Since the reference was part of the first season, many were taken aback that he only recently discovered it. One fan humorously claimed that Zico’s engagement with the anime instantly made it their favorite, despite having never seen a single episode.

“At last, the king recognized the tribute Blue Lock paid him,”one fan exclaimed.

“Zico watching Blue Lock = instantly my favorite anime (never seen an episode),”another commented.

“When discussing icons, Zico is indispensable, and that’s precisely what Blue Lock captured,”another fan noted.

“Be it a slideshow or not, it’s undoubtedly an honor,”a different fan said.

Other fans expressed their gratitude towards the series for including Zico among the celebrated legends referenced. However, not every fan shared the sentiment, as some took the opportunity to humorously critique the series’ animation quality in this second season.

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