Characters / Captain Tsubasa Foreign Rivals

Argentina

Juan Díaz

Voiced by: Takeshi Kusao (Shin Captain Tsubasa), Mamoru Miyano (Tatakae Dream Team smartphone game), Yoshitsugu Matsuoka (Rise of New Champions videogame and 2023 anime); Claudio Velásquez and Rafael Pacheco (Road to 2002), Damian Núñez (2023 anime) [Latin American Spanish dub], Ricardo Escobar (Road to 2002) [European Spanish dub]

• Bash Brothers - Heterosexual Life-Partners: With his childhood friend Alan Pascal. To the point that when he got the chance to join a big team, the only condition he put on the table was having Pascal as his teammate.
• The Bus Came Back: As of 2016, the Argentina team has returned to the action in Rising Sun. Díaz, logically, is their leader.
• Fatal Flaw: He's a great player, to the point Tsubasa even acknowledges his superiority. However, other than Pascal, he doesn't have a great level of trust in his teammates, which results in Argentina's loss to Japan.
• He's Back!: In Rising Sun, it turns out that Díaz suffered an extremely serious injury to his groin (which included hip damage) that required surgery and having him out of activity for half a year - which is why he wasn't present in WYC, story-wise. As soon as he came back, he helped Boca Juniors to win the Copa Libertadores and sealed a deal with the Napoli from Italy, so now he wants to reaffirm his return by beating Tsubasa.
• No Celebrities Were Harmed: Diaz's name is a reference to Ramon Angel Díaz, however his character is based almost completely on Diego Armando Maradona (sans the drug addiction and the attitude problems, of course).
• Street Urchin —> Self-Made Man: He and Pascal are from a humble Buenos Aires suburbia, probably inspired by the famous La Boca.

Alan Pascal

Voiced by: Masami Kikuchi (Shin Captain Tsubasa and Tatakae Dream Team smartphone game), Daiki Yamashita (Rise of New Champions videogame and 2023 anime); Diana Pérez and Alan Fernando Velásquez (Road to 2002), Alejandro Graue (2023 anime) [Latin American Spanish dub]

• The Bus Came Back: In Rising Sun, alongside the whole Argentinian team.
• Jack of All Stats
• The Lancer: To Díaz, for pretty much all his life.
• Self-Made Man: Just like Díaz, he comes from a humble neighborhood of Buenos Aires.

Gabriel Galvan

• Alliterative Name
• The Bus Came Back: In Rising Sun, alongside the whole Argentinian team.
• Lightning Bruiser: He's fast, for a player of his height.

England

Robson

Voiced by: Shinobu Matsumoto (Tatakae Dream Team smartphone game), Ryota Takeuchi (ZERO and Rise of New Champions smartphone game)

• The Ace: Of the English team.
• Adaptation Dye-Job: Blonde in the manga and games, brown-haired in the OVA.
• The Cameo: Has an appearance without any lines in the Shin Captain Tsubasa OVA.

Steve

Voiced by: Shinya Otaki

• The Ace: Of the English team.
• Adaptation Dye-Job: The first movie makes him blond-haired. The anime and the rest of the movies have him brown-haired, although the exact tone varies.
• Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy: He looks down on the Japanese team and engages in verbal brawls with both Wakabayashi and Hyuuga upon their arrival.
• Canon Foreigner: Was created for the first anime and the films, where he fulfills Robson's role.
• Evil Counterpart: He looks basically like an evil foreign version of Jito.
• Lightning Bruiser: He is giant and burly, but very fast as well.
• Only One Name: In the original, he's just Steve. Several dubs add him a surname, like Montgomery, Molby or Young.
• Politically Incorrect Villain: In some dubs, he speaks to the Japanese team in slightly racist terms.

Richard

Voiced by: Hisao Oyama

• Canon Foreigner: Was created for the first anime and the films.
• Only One Name: Like Steve.
• Satellite Character: He's basically Steve's henchman.

France

Pierre "Elle Sid" Leblanc

Voiced by: Kenyū Horiuchi (original series and Shin), Akira Ishida (Tatakae Dream Team smartphone game), Kengo Kawanishi (Rise of New Champions videogame and 2023 anime); Ricardo Mendoza (Captain Tsubasa), Alfredo Gabriel Basurto (Road to 2002), Oscar Lopez (2023 anime) [Latin American Spanish dub], David Robles (Road to 2002) [European Spanish dub]

• The Ace: Handsome, charismatic, proud but kind-hearted, and an amazing player.
• Adaptation Dye-Job: In the original TV series he has curly brown hair, whereas in all the other continuities his hair is blonde, straight and much longer. His appearance in J, interestingly, is a combination of the two: he has brown hair, as in the original anime, yet has it long and straight, as in the rest.
• Chick Magnet: Very aware and pleased, he interacts directly with his fangirls.
• Cool Horse: In Road to 2002, has a scene where he rides to the stadium on one.
• Lonely Rich Kid: Was one as a child, and started playing soccer to solve it. According to Pierre himself, people either bullied him or sucked up to him for his wealth and prestige, so he took up soccer since there are no distinctions and the rules are for everyone.
• Lovable Jock: Huge soccer star, super popular with girls, and rather nice to his fans and rivals. As well as not afraid to call out those who step outta line in the French team.
• Mr. Fanservice: With a Shower Scene and Instant Fanclub, to boot!
• Phenotype Stereotype: In Road to 2002.
• "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Deals a HUGE one to Napoleon in the manga, after slapping him.
• Worthy Opponent: To Misaki.

Louis Napoleon

Voiced by: Yasunori Matsumoto (Shin Captain Tsubasa), Nobuhiko Okamoto (Tatakae Dream Team smartphone game), Yuki Ono (Rise of New Champions videogame and 2023 anime); Eduardo Curiel (Road to 2002), Kaihiamal Martínez (2023 anime) [Latin American Spanish dub]

• Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy: Is infamous in-story for being an extremely talented, but arrogant player prone to explosive bouts of anger and violence that brought him many red cards. In the France vs. England match, in which the coach put him on the side for much of the game so he can get to know better the team and adapt himself to it, Napoleon instead never ceases to belittle his teammates and to boast that he alone would be enough to secure France's victory.
• Blood Knight: No qualms about violence on the fields.
• Boisterous Bruiser
• Break the Haughty: Gets massively bitchslapped by karma thrice. First he gets slapped across the face for bragging about how he provoked Souda into fouling him and doomed him to get kicked out the fieds, then he violently fouls Izawa which invalidates a really nice goal from his team and allows Misugi to play, and later... see below.
• Evil Counterpart: To Soda.
• French Jerk: The straightest example in the team.
• I Work Alone: He thinks he's the best, and that working together with his teammates is beneath him. However, he's actually excellent at playing in combinations with other players when he wants to, as shown with his near-symbiotic teamworks with Misaki and Pierre.
• Manly Tears: In the manga, after not only Wakashimazu blocks his shot and France is eliminated because of that, but Pierre and his companions don't blame him for the loss, even telling him he did his best. It softens his image quite a bit.

Germany

Karl Heinz "The Kaiser" Schneider

Voiced by: Keiichi Nanba (Captain Tsubasa), Ryō Horikawa (Captain Tsubasa J), Hiroshi Shimozaki (Road to 2002), Takahiro Sakurai (Tatakae Dream Team smartphone game), Jun Fukuyama (Rise of New Champions videogame and 2023 anime); Marcos Patiño (Captain Tsubasa TV series), Ricardo Mendoza (Captain Tsubasa movies), Carlos Íñigo (Road to 2002), Edson Matus (2023 anime) [Latin American Spanish dub); Pablo Sevilla (Captain Tsubasa) [European Spanish dub]

• The Ace: Maybe the greatest player in the series, not counting Tsubasa.
• Adaptational Jerkass: His 1983 anime portrayal makes him haughtier and angrier than his sweet main version.
• Adaptation Dye-Job: Downplayed. In the original anime and films, he had dark blonde hair. In all the other continuities, he has pale blond hair, with a longer haircut resembling Tsubasa's.
• Adaptation Personality Change: His anime and movie version is significantly more emotional than his main portrayal; he is usually confident to the point of arrogance, yet at the same time tenses up quickly if things are not going his way. In the rest of continuities, he is an incredibly chill guy, almost a Perpetual Smiler, and it takes much more to truly frustrate him.
• Big Brother Instinct: Adores his cute little sister Marie.
• Childhood Friends: He refers to Wakabayashi as such in Road to 2002, and some flashbacks in the Bayern Munchen vs. Hamburg game show that Genzo and Kaltz remember their shared past fondly. Ironically, that match ends up with them almost getting into a fight, which concludes with Kaltz getting kicked out of the game.
• Confusion Fu: His moveset includes feints in all continuities, misleading opponents about where and when will he attack.
• Demoted to Extra: In WYC, since Santana takes the main The Rival spot there.
• Didn't Think This Through: In Rising Sun, before the match between Japan vs Germany, he makes a bet to Wakabayashi that if Germany beats Japan, Wakabayashi will join Bayern Munich the next season, when Wakabayashi ask him what would happen if Japan win, Schneider say that he did not think of that at all.
• I Am Not Left-Handed: Almost literally; he can shoot with both his legs, and he switches from one to another before the shoot to confuse the goalie.
• Identical Stranger: Karl is quite taller than Tsubasa, as well as a clear-eyed blond rather than dark-haired/eyed, but otherwise, they're very physically similar.
• No Celebrities Were Harmed:
  • Schneider evokes the image of Miroslav Klose in his youth.
  • Also, his name is a reference to Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, a legendary forward who scored over 200 goals during his years as a Bayern Munich player.
• Parents as People: His parents are very kind people, but their relationship hasn't the best for a while already. In Shin CT, Karl angsts a LOT at the possibility of the Schneiders getting a divorce. They don't, thankfully.
• Phenotype Stereotype: Light blond hair, blue eyes, like a stereotypical German.
• The Rival: Not to Tsubasa, but to Wakabayashi, though Karl makes it clear he would like it better if they were teammates.
• Stage Dad: Subverted. While his father Rudi is also his coach and boss as well as an ex-player, they're very close and love each other very much.
• Sugar-and-Ice Personality: As said above, he's a kind-hearted guy who's also very proud and seemingly cold.
• Strong and Skilled:
  • His Fire Shot is prove of that And he could score 1 out of two shots outside of the penalty area to Wakabayashi in before Road to 2002 series.
  • This has been established in Captain Tsubasa J video game where Schneider can use different shooting techniques: a powerful straight shot or a tricky curling shot.
• You Don't Look Like You: He normally looks like a blond Tsubasa, but the original anime series and films had him with a darker hair color and a much shorter haircut.

Hermann Kaltz

Voiced by: Kenta Miyake (Rise of New Champions videogame and 2023 anime); Rubén León (Road to 2002) [Latin American Spanish dub]

• Boisterous Bruiser: He's always ready for a good match
• Eyes Always Shut: One of his defining features.
• Hot-Blooded: Which backfires BADLY in the Road to 2002 series, when he starts shouting at Schneider in the Bayern vs. Hamburg match and almost beats him... so he gets a red card.
• Oral Fixation: Has a toothpick between his teeth most of the time. When he spits it out, you better hope your team is having a good day.
• Pint-Sized Powerhouse: He's the shortest player in the German team, but damn he's very effective.

Dieter Mueller

Voiced by: Nobuyuki Furuta (Shin), Yasuyuki Kase (in Road to 2002), Kenta Miyake (Tatakae Dream Team smartphone game); Gabriel Gama (Road to 2002) [Latin American Spanish dub]

• Achilles' Heel: Almost literally, as his only weak spot is the reaching zone between his legs, so the Japanese team's first goal is scored by aiming a low shot by Tsubasa. It gets subverted when it turns out he is still skilled enough to cover for the spot afterwards; his real weak spot turns out to be his proneness to gain hand injuries.
• Adaptation Dye-Job: The original manga make him a blue-eyed blond. Meanwhile, the Shin and Road to 2002 anime series give him brown hair and purple eyes instead, just like the character of Otto Heffner who was created to replace him in the first anime (thus making his anime self an aesthetic version of a Composite Character). The games are a mixed bag, as some portray him as blond and some as a brunette.
• Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy: To the extent of throwing the ball back to their opponents in order to challenge them further.
• Beyond the Impossible: In his first match against the heroes, he did things that were unimaginable up to that point, including stopping a combined shoot by Tsubasa and Hyuuga and defeating the latter in an arm-vs-leg duel.
• The Brute: Big, mean (in the fields, as he isn't particularly jerkish otherwise) and absurdly good in his job.
• Charles Atlas Superpower: He became probably the best individual keeper in the series through an equally insane training regime. This turns out to be a deconstruction, though, as it is revealed that his training has made him stronger than his own body, meaning that even although he can resist almost every shot, his hand muscles cannot.
• Defeating the Undefeatable: His feats as a keeper are unparalelled in the series. He stopped the Japanese team's best individual techniques, managed to frustrate a combined shoot by Tsubasa and Kojiro of all people, overcame his own weak spot on the fly after it was discovered, and generally made both Wakabayashi and Wakashimazu look like total novices. The only real reason the German team lost the match was that Mueller's hand muscles broke in a very extreme moment and were the final straw to allow two hard-fought goals.
• Dub Name Change: Known as "Reinhardt Bauer" in Italy and "Dieter Miller" in Spain.
• Glass Cannon: Despite all his might, it turns out his hands are prone to injuries, which Levin capitalizes it to break him.
• Hero Killer: In a sport perspective. While he wasn't the first keeper to frustrate the efforts of Tsubasa, Kojiro and company, he was the first and only to do it to all of them put together and practically at will.
• The Juggernaut: An interestingly reversed example: he can stop everything.
• Killer Gorilla: One of his manga nicknames is "King Kong".
• Knight of Cerebus: The tone of the match changes completely when Mueller reveals what he can do.
• Lightning Bruiser: The Japanese thought he was a Mighty Glacier. They were completely wrong. Cue the Oh, Crap!.
• One-Man Army: Unlike most goalies in the series, Mueller will simply not concede a goal if facing a single player, whoever he is, which forces his opponents to basically gang on him through teamwork. Exceptions are done by Tsubasa and Levin by finding weak spots on him.
• Puzzle Boss: A non-videogame example. After Mueller's goalkeeping exhibition, Tsubasa and pals realize that Mueller is simply too good to be traditionally beaten and that they have to find all together a way to score him. Their first answer to the puzzle, a weird weak spot that Mueller happens to have, is successful only for one goal, as Mueller then adapts to it. The second and final solution comes only by a combination of high-level teamwork, heavy pressure and an opportune injury by the German.
• Red Baron: "Phantom Keeper", "Steel Giant" and "King Kong".
• Strong and Skilled: Played to the extreme. He has insane reflexes and his arm is stronger than Kojiro Hyuga's shooting leg.
• Training from Hell: Was mentioned to be going through this in the mountains before joining the team.
• The Worf Effect: By cortesy of Levin's injuring shoots.
• Worf Had the Flu: In a way. His hand gets injured while trying to catch a shot by Hyuuga, which proves decisive for the match.
• "X" Marks the Hero: Adaptations like to give him a X-shaped scar in his cheek. Subverted in that he is an antagonist.

Otto Heffner

Voiced by: Kazuki Yao

• Anime Hair: Has a cartoonishly prominent toupee that sticks out more than one foot long over his face. In a series full of improbable hairdos, he has possibly the most absurd of all.
• Canon Foreigner: His character was created for the first anime and the movie series, where he plays Dieter Mueller's role.
• Diabolus ex Nihilo: Unlike Schneider, who was hyped some episodes before his debut on the field, Heffner was more or less unknown to the heroes right until their match, even although he would turn out just as dangerous as Scheinder himself. The only pre-match scene that hinted at his skill was a brief training spot with Schneider that did not even introduce him formally.
• Dub Name Change: Known as "Gustav Heffner" in Germany and "Hugo Heffner" in Italy.
• Evil Counterpart: Continuing the trend of the evil foreign versions of established players, he is one to Wakashimazu, being an excellent but unknown goalkeeper with bangs who shows up as backup for the arrogant main rival of the arc and who eventually gets scored by way of a Twin Shoot. The movies amp up the similarities by having Heffner use the Sankakugeri Defense.
• Flat Character: Very little is shown about him, and even his personality is relatively anodine compared to his more quirky colleagues of the All Europe.
• One-Man Army: It takes teamwork by the Japanese team to beat him, including a combined shot by Tsubasa and Hyuga and a triple assisted overhead by the former.
• Perpetual Frowner: Most of the matches' time is seen frowning or focused, although he does smile out of the field.
• Power Copying: He copied Wakashimazu's Sankakugeri Defense in the second movie.
• Suspiciously Similar Substitute: He is a retroactive example to Dieter Mueller, having the same aura and role in the story. Ironically enough, he was much easier to defeat despite lacking Dieter's Achilles' Heel, and was beaten precisely by way of a Twin Shoot by Tsubasa and Kojiro, a technique Mueller would laugh at in his own appearance.
• The Worf Effect: Despite having outperformed both Wakabayashi and Wakashimazu, Heffner is easily beaten by Diaz and Victorino in the fourth film to show their skill.

Franz Schester

Voiced by: Kappei Yamaguchi (Shin), Takahiro Mizushima (Tatakae Dream Team smartphone game), Jun'ya Enoki (Rise of New Champions videogame and 2023 anime); Víctor Ugarte (Road to 2002), Javier Olguín (2023 anime) [Latin American Spanish dub]

• Chick Magnet: He has his legion of fangirls.
• The Smart Guy: Nicknamed "The Computer" due to his smarts and his talent for Indy Ploying.

Italy

Gino Hernandez

Voiced by: Masami Kikuchi (Captain Tsubasa J), Kazuyuki Okitsu (Rise of New Champions videogame and 2023 anime); Roberto Mendiola (Captain Tsubasa J); Roberto Molina (Road to 2002), Alejandro Orozco (2023 anime) [Latin American Spanish dub]

• The Ace: He's Italy's goalkeeper, and a pretty good at his job.
• Adaptation Dye-Job: The original manga and most adaptations portray him as blond. However, the J anime gives him brown hair instead.
• Big Brother Mentor: To Shingo.
• Diving Save: He first appears when he pulls one to save a little girl from being hit by a car. That girl is Marie, Schneider's younger sister.
• Dub Name Change: In the Italian dub his name is variously translated. He is named either "Dario Belli" or "Luis Hernandez" and also "Gino Buffetti".
• Inconsistent Spelling: While "Gino" is the officially recognized Italian name, some subs and videogame adaptations spell it as "Zino". His surname also alternates between "Fernández" and "Hernández" (as both are similarly pronounced in Japanese).
• Nice Guy: He can be ruthless in the field, but he's really this. He shows this during his interactions with Aoi Shingo.

Salvatore Gentile

• Break the Haughty: He subjects this to Aoi Shingo, ridiculizing his game style and mocking him around. It was because of this that Aoi became so determined in beating him, even to the point of designing a strategy for Gentile.
• Jerkass: Later becoming a Jerk with a Heart of Gold.
• Kick the Dog: Being extremely rude and racist to Shingo during the WYC opening gala, calling him "a monkey".
• No Celebrities Were Harmed: Of Claudio Gentile, who played for Juventus and was noted for his rough man-marking.

China

Shou Shuunko/Xiao Jung Guang

• The Ace
• Animal Motifs: The dragon
• Boisterous Bruiser
• Counter-Attack: His Signature Move, Han Dou Shuu Soku Jin Hou ("Superspeed Kickback Cannon"), consists of him kicking the ball right when his opponent does with the right timing, thus returning it with his own power added to the mix.
• Drama-Preserving Handicap: His legs can only withstand limited pressure coming from his playing style.
• Keet: Always cheerful, friendly and energetic.
• Lightning Bruiser
• V-Sign
• Worthy Opponent

Thailand

Faran, Chana and Sakun Konsawatto

Voiced by: Yasunori Masutani (Sakun, Captain Tsubasa J), Tsutomu Kashiwakura (Faran, Captain Tsubasa J), Yusuke Numata (Chana, Captain Tsubasa J)

• Big, Thin, Short Trio: Chana being the smallest, Faran being the middle of the road height, and Sakun being the biggest around the trio.
• Red Baron: The Sepak Takraw Brothers.

Bunnark

Voiced by: Wataru Takagi (Captain Tsubasa J)

• All Asians Know Martial Arts: Or rather, All Thais Know Muay Thai.
• Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy: This was his attitude in the game against Japan.
• The Big Guy: He's just 18 and is already 7 feet tall?!
• Combat Pragmatist: He'll do whatever it takes to nullify the aces of the opposing team. This was clearly showcased in the match against Japan when marking Tsubasa throughly.
• Emotional Bruiser: He's a big bruiser, but he showcases this after Thailand lost to Japan in the WYC Asian Preliminaries.
• Jerkass / Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He's such a mean person against opposing players, but he's also the captain of the team, in which his partners can trust when Bunnark is around.
• Lightning Bruiser: The biggest player in the Thailand team, a very strong player all around, but he also has the speed and movement due to his Muay Thai training.

Saudi Arabia

Prince Mark Owairan

Voiced by: Yoshimasa Hosoya (Tatakae Dream Team smartphone game)

• The Ace: The captain of the team and a very versed player all around.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Owairan is a fair defender who relies on his capability to read the game instead of brute force, but a play-off match between Saudi Arabia vs. South Korea to determine the second Asian representative for WYC shows him using two-legged tackle on Cha Inchon who hasn't completely recovered from his past injury. Granted, Owairan didn't raise his studs and he went for the ball, but it's still a drastic method compared to his usual game.
• Red Baron: "Desert Prince"
• Sheltered Aristocrat: Was like this until he started playing soccer. In fact, this happened the first time he managed to leave his family's palace as a child: he saw a bunch of kids playing soccer in the streets, was fascinated by the sport and started to practice, winning his place as the Saudi Arabia captain through his own effort
• Tall Darkand Handsome
• Worthy Opponent: He's this to Tsubasa, Misaki and Misugi.

South Korea

Cha Inchon

• The Ace
• Bash Brothers: With Lee
• Game-Breaking Injury: He has a serious injury that keeps him from playing at full strength.
• Hot-Blooded
• Long-Haired Pretty Boy
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: Red to Lee's Blue

Lee Young-Woon

• The Ace
• Bash Brothers: with Cha
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: Blue to Cha's Red

Mexico

Ricardo Espadas

Voiced by: Takuma Terashima (Tatakae Dream Team smartphone game)

• Break the Haughty: And holy crap, HOW!
• Fingore: At the receiving end, when he fails to catch Hyuuga's shot that seals the Japanese victory.
• Heel Realization: Has one in at the end of the match against Japan, which resulted in Ricardo becoming nicer overall.
• Jerkass: Loud, arrogant, racist, bitter, etc., the whole nine yards. Until he faces Tsubasa and remembers how he used to be far less of a jerk in his past.
• No Celebrities Were Harmed: Of Jorge Campos, down to the extravagant shirts.
• Street Urchin: His and his teammates's collective Freudian Excuse. It still does not justify Espadas's prejudices and racism.
• Put on a Bus: After the Japan/Mexico match. He reappears in the Rising Sun manga, and is noticeably nicer and more mature.
• Used to Be a Sweet Kid: As an urchin from the Mexico DS.'s slums, he used to sincerely love soccer and enjoy being with his friends nevermind how harsh their lives were. But with time, the hardships he faced left him totally embittered.

Uruguay

Ryoma Hino

Voiced by: Masaya Onosaka (Captain Tsubasa J); Marcos Patiño (Captain Tsubasa J) [Latin American Spanish dub]

Hino: "Doragon shūto!"

• But Not Too Foreign: Half Japanese (like the author and characters), half Uruguayan. He first plays in the Real Japan 7, then refuses an offer to stay in the Japanese team to both honor his Uruguayan side and to keep his budding rivalry with Hyuga.
• Expository Hairstyle Change: Or rather, Expositore Hair Dye, since he sports blond hair in the World Youth Cup
• Hot-Blooded: Can give Hyuga a run for his money at this.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Very harsh and arrogant when playing, but a more or less decent guy otherwise. i.e, he gets a rather literal Pet the Dog moment when he's jogging and meets up with a little boy and his adorable puppy.
• Worthy Opponent: To Hyuga

Ramón Victorino

• Abnormal Limb Rotation Range: He can turn his upper body 180° to feint the opposition.
• The Ace: As The Captain to the Uruguayan team.
• Red Baron: "The Black Panther of Latinamerican Soccer"

Sweden

Stefan Levin

Voiced by: Ryōhei Kimura (Tatakae Dream Team smartphone game)

• Broken Ace: A brilliant and well-respected player, but one that went through horrible heartbreak and is shattered on the inside by the time he appears.
• Broken Bird: A Rare Male Example, lampshaded by a scene where he's thinking of Karen's death and refers to himself as "[a bird with] only one wing". Complete with a panel that shows him as a winged humanoid with a single wing.
• Crippling the Competition: His signature move, the Levin Shoot, sacrifices speed for power, as he developed specifically to injure his rivals.
• Defrosting Ice King: He went through a soul-shattering loss few before the story started, which broke and froze his heart. The Japan/Sweden match is the start of his recovery.
• Emotionless Girl: Another Gender-Inverted Example, which is lampshaded by the Swedish Team's doctor:
  Dr. Mikhael: "His data never changes. The brainwaves don't look like they belong to a sports player... It's like they come from someone who has been deeply wounded in his heart. Like someone who has completely lost the feeling of joy".
• Diabolus ex Machina: A year before the WYC, Levin told his teammates that he had planned to propose to Karen, marry her and take her to live with him in Germany where he was about to land himself a great contract. Right after that, in the same day when he became the Swedish champion? Karen was hit by a truck and killed. O U C H!
• It's All My Fault: The guilt he feels upon Karen's horrible death (she was hit by a truck while on her way to his last match in Sweden) has totally corrupted Levin's mind and soul. And it's the "fuel" behind his best shot, the "Levin Shot" that he uses to harm his rivals — including people like Wakabayashi, Müller, and Akai.
• Kick the Dog: His treatment of Mueller, while off-screen, is quite bad. He was this close to treat Tomeya Akai that way as well, if not worse, but he realized that and stopped himself, kicking the ball out so Akai could get medical treatment.
• Love Makes You Crazy: He promised his girlfriend Karen to be the best player ever as she lay dying. Little did she know what he would do to fulfill his word...
• Super-Strength: A very dark example. He has developed his "Levin Shoot" specifically to priorize impact over speed, has toughened himself up via Training from Hell to inhuman levels to get the strength he needs to do so, and proves it via destroying the statue of the Maiden Goddess that Karen was praying to... few minutes before her death.
• Tragic Keepsake: A locket with a picture of Karen.

Brazil

Carlos Santana

Voiced by: Kazuhiko Inoue (old movies), Tomokazu Seki (Captain Tsubasa J), Jin Nishimura (Road to 2002), Hiroyuki Yoshino (Tatakae Dream Team smartphone game); Yamil Atala (old movies), Marcos Patiño (Captain Tsubasa J), Luis Daniel Ramírez (Road to 2002) [Latin American Spanish dub], Rafael Alonso Naranjo, Jr. (Road to 2002) [European Spanish dub]

Brazil's Captain for the World Youth Cup and Tsubasa's rival. Turned Professional and played for Flamengo before a transfer to Spain's CF Valencia.

• Abusive Parents: His stepfather, the owner of the Bara FC, was this to him, shaping him up to be the "Soccer Cyborg".
• Adaptation Name Change: In the Rise of New Champions videogame, he still goes the Bara surname.
• Break the Cutie: As a child.
• Break the Haughty: As an adult.
• Broken Ace: He plays magnificently, is handsome and popular... but he cannot not enjoy soccer anymore thanks to his Dark and Troubled Past.
• Broken Bird: He suffered severe, severe emotional damage in his past, reducing him to a beautiful and talented yet near emotionless "perfect player".
• Defrosting Ice King: After his Break the Haughty incident, he learns his lesson and becomes a proud yet much kinder person. Which makes him an even better player since recovering his love of soccer lets him interact better with his companions, improving his playing style and the level of the Brazilian team as a whole.
• The Dog Bites Back: Once he grew old enough, he made public during a press conference all the abuse his stepfather Barsole submitted him to, and announced he was reassuming his original family name.
• Doorstop Baby: Was abandoned by a teenaged mother in a soccer field.
• Earn Your Happy Ending: In the WYC manga, after losing to Tsubasa again but taking it much better, he finds his long lost mother.
• Expository Hairstyle Change: Has short hair in the beginning, later lets it grow and keeps it in little braids.
• Morality Pet: His Only Friend Luciano Leo plays this role for him.
• No Celebrities Were Harmed: If Rivaul is inspired by Rivaldo, then Santana is inspired by Romário.
• Parental Abandonment:Was abandoned by his mother as a baby. His kind adoptive parents died when he was around 10 years old. Reversed in WYC, where he meets his Missing Mom...and takes her in immediately, crying happy tears. In the original movie, however, he did have his parents... but was raised in a favela.
• Power Copying: He copies Tsubasa's Dynamic Shoot right after seeing it.
• Red Baron: "The Soccer Cyborg" and later "The Son of the Soccer God".
• Tall, Dark, and Snarky
• Tyke Bomb: His abusive stepfather raised him as the "perfect player" to profit from him.

Luciano Leo

Voiced by: Alfredo Leal and Eduardo Garza (Road to 2002) [Latin American Spanish dub]

• Alliterative Name: His name and surname starts with L.
• Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Santana
• Morality Pet: Santana's. He's pretty much the only person he actually listens to.
• Nice Guy
• Only Friend: Because out of the friends Santana once had as a kid before being broken, Leo is the only one who has stayed with him through the years.
• Tall, Dark, and Handsome
• Undying Loyalty: To Santana.

Pepe

Voiced by: Carlos Hugo Hidalgo (Road to 2002) [Latin American Spanish dub]

• Bash Brothers: With Tsubasa
• Fire-Forged Friends: At first, he took a dislike to Tsubasa for being better off than him. After they play together in the same team for the Sao Paulo tryouts, Tsubasa assists him in so he can score two goals, and the two quickly become friends.
• Green-Eyed Monster: At first, to Tsubasa. After they both pass the tests to get into their team, they become fast friends.
• Nice Guy: Once he goes past his prejudice against Tsubasa, he turns out to be this.
• Self-Made Man: Comes from a poor village and aims to become this. Looks like it's working.

Naturezza

Voiced by: Yūki Kaji (Tatakae Dream Team smartphone game)

A player for Brazil at the World Youth Cup, he becomes Tsubasa's rival at the Road to 2002 Arc. Currently playing for Real Madrid.

• Breaking the Fourth Wall: Occassionally in the manga for comic relief, similar to Ishizaki and Urabe.
• Broken Win/Loss Streak: In Next Dream, he finally defeats Tsubasa in a match (their previous encounters had been defeats or at best a draw), when the Real Madrid beats Barcelona FC 4-1!
• Chekhov's Gunman: First seen as an unnamed player in the Amazonian Rainforest sent in a video Roberto sent to Tamotsu Ide. He makes his full introduction in the WYC finals.
• Child Prodigy: Naturezza was around 10-12 years old when he was discovered teaching himself how to play soccer.
• Country Mouse: He and his brother come from from a small village in the Amazonas. In fact, when Roberto went to recruit him, Naturezza objected to this proposal since he wasn't super thrilled with the idea of living in the polluted, noisy cities. He changes his mind at the end of WYC, since his love of the sport itself is stronger.
• Expy: Of Coimbra from the Tecmo games.
• Fatal Flaw:
  • He's a very skilled player, but terrible in regards to teamwork. Hence why his coach Roberto Hongo got him benched until the end of the WYC.
  • His teamwork was certainly improved for the time of the Road to 2002 manga, where his individual playing, plus his teamwork along with the Real Madrid FC, caused a lot of problems to Tsubasa and the other players in Barcelona FC in the Spanish Derby.
• My Hero, Zero: Unusually, he always wears a #0 jersey, even when playing for Brazil^note In real life, international matches dictate that players must be numbered 1 to 23.
• No Celebrities Were Harmed: He is similar to Ronaldo.
• Only Known by Their Nickname
• Red Baron: Known by many as the "Soccer King".
• Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: With his older brother Cario, a man in white who dresses like a Santeria believer.
• Skilled, but Naive: One of the most talented players in the story, but up until few ago he had no formal training. He actually taught himself how to play with broken balls, and was discovered training like this near a river.

Julio Salinas

Voiced by: Yūichi Nakamura (Tatakae Dream Team smartphone game)

• Hair Color Dissonance: Is he a blond, a light brunet...?
• Long-Haired Pretty Boy
• No Celebrities Were Harmed: of Cláudio Tafarrel, Brazilian legendary goalkeeper

Netherlands

Bryan Cruyfford

Voiced by: Daisuke Ono (Tatakae Dream Team smartphone game)

• The Ace: He's hyped as the best player in the team and Wakabayashi has him in high regards.
• Chekhov's Gunman: He was showcased as the key player of Netherlands, however, he wasn't shown that much in the main manga series. He returns to being relevant in the Rising Sun manga and he's as much of a threat as he was hyped about.
• Dark and Troubled Past: He lost his older brother Stijn, who was also a very talented player himself, due to a road accident. Made even more tragic by the fact that it happened shortly after Netherlands had won the World Youth Cup.
• No Celebrities Were Harmed: Johann Cruyff, who else? He even wears the #14 jersey.
• The Unfought: In the movie, apparently due to an injury. However, the Rising Sun miniseries puts him into the spotlight.

Luther Kleinstmeif

• The Big Guy
• Demoted to Extra

Caesar Guilt

• Ambiguously Brown: He's notoriously darker than his teammates. Then again he's inspired by dark-skinned Dutch players like Franklin "Frank" Rijkaard or Ruud Gullit, both of Surinamese origins.

Spain

Michael

• Bash Brothers: With Raphael.
• Dark and Troubled Past: During a match, he accidentally kicked his rival Saul in the face, leaving the latter blind. He almost quit soccer as a result of the guilt, thinking that his left leg was "possessed by the Devil".
• Doorstop Baby: He was left at the doors of the Monserrat Church, and raised by the local priest and nuns.
• Expy: Of Mihael from the Tecmo videogames, more specifically from his Captain Tsubasa V appearance.
• Meaningful Name: He's named after Archangel Michael, who in Christian tradition is said to clear away fears and stressors that may be adversely affecting health.
• Stepford Smiler: Father Juanito encouraged him to smile in front of everyone to heal their hearts, even if he had to show his pain in private.

Raphael

• Bash Brothers: With Michael.

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