Ghost of Slave Labor, or, Your Japan World Cup Preview

Oh good, we’re off to the races with a Ghost of Tsushima joke. Which, after hearing about the premise and reading the history, I can tell you with certainty after watching Senorita Weaselo play about 3 hours and then getting sidetracked with another game (twice), ends in the original definition of the kamikaze, literally the “divine wind.” That’s not spoilers, that’s just extrapolating the actual Mongol invasions of Japan and knowing where this is going. (I do not know if this is correct, someone who’s actually played it can verify.)

Okay, let’s do this, because the tea master called me a professional samurai thanks to knowing the teamaking movements because they’re similar to samurai movements, and by gum, I’m gonna take that one to the grave.

Country: Japan
Where is that? …Seriously?
Capital: Seriously?
Nickname: Samurai Blue
Mascots: Karappe and Karara, two Yatagarasu (mythical three-legged crow that represents/acts as envoy for the Sun and is on the team’s badge)
Current FIFA Ranking: 24th (2nd in AFC)
Notable accomplishments: Qualified for last 7 World Cups (since 1998); 4-time champions of AFC Asian Cup (’92, ’00, 04, ’11), defending runners-up (’19); 1-time runner-up in Confederations Cup (’01, co-hosts); Bronze medal, 1968 Olympics; 1st team outside the Americas to compete in the Copa América (’99 and ’19, withdrew in ’11 and ’15)
Best World Cup result: Round of 16 (’02, ’10, ’18)

Kit which won’t embed. But goddamn, those blues are nice. The whole kit is origami inspired, including the sleeves on the white road unis and the tangential stuff (warmups and the like).

Do I know anyone on this team? Well, if you follow German footy or the J-League, probably. I count eight players playing for German teams, plus others for Belgium, Spain, Portugal, and defender Tokehiro Tomiyasu who plays for the Water Pistols. Their big name and chief goalscorer of Cups past, Shinji Okazaki, may no longer be active for the Samurai Blue though he’s still playing in Belgium, and their other big scorer, Yuya Osako, was left off the World Cup roster. So, it seems to be a young, less experienced squad for Hajime Moriyasu to field. This screams transitions to get ready for 2026, as with the exception of the goalkeepers, there are four players in their 30s on the roster (Shogo Taniguchi-31, Hiroki Sakai-32, Gaku Shibasaki-30, and the captain, Maya Yoshida-34). In contrast, 11 players on the squad are 25 and under.

Who do they play? Oof. They get Germany, Costa Rica, and Spain in Group E. That’s rough. That’s the 11th, 31st, and 7th ranked teams. That may be a bit of pain, though who knows, upset?

Nah, probably not. I say a draw against Los Ticos and that’s it, a disappointing single point, continuing the pattern of alternating between going out in the group stage and the round of 16. (We’ll see what happens next cycle when the field expands.) Not alternating is the Japanese supporters being the tidiest fans in the field, as they are known to not just pick up their trash but any other trash they may see after matches. The cleaning staff thanks them, as as a result they might stay away from any accidents that may occur while in the stadium.

Now for the important questions!

Pick an anime: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
Pick a JRPG: As a series, Fire Emblem. Although avoiding the permadeath is always a scary prospect. (Though in more recent games they’ve given options to play without the feature.) As a game, I’ve only mentioned Persona 5 a thousand times, so that.
Pick a Miyazaki film: Crazy as this sounds because it’s not one of the ones everyone knows… The Wind Rises.

Listen, I’m a big fan of the intimacy of the soundtrack. It’s certainly not as bombastic as Howl’s Moving Castle or as feel-good as Ponyo or My Neighbor Totoro and didn’t get the accolades of Spirited Away and isn’t as hilarious as Porco Rosso, but it’s a heartfelt movie. And there are airplanes.

Pick a Japanese baseball player: (non-Ohtani/Ichiro/Godzilla edition) Munenori Kawasaki
Pick a JDM car: R34 Skyline GT-R or Impreza WRX. Yes, in blue. Yes, I was 6 when the first Gran Turismo game came out, however did you know?
Pick a style of sushi: Much to the chagrin of Senorita Weaselo, I still don’t eat fish. Hey, she pulls that off, the parentals will be begging me to put a ring on it. It would be that big of a deal.
MXC or Iron Chef? Yes. Speaking of, they’re apparently rebooting Takeshi’s Castle. No news on whether MXC will also get a reboot.
Pick a Hi-Chew flavor: Watermelon, with cola second.
Pick an underrated/less known drink: Hojicha. As opposed to other Japanese teas, the tea leaves are charcoal roasted instead of steamed. It’s definitely an unexpected taste compared to your standard green tea/matcha.
Pick an NPB team: I mean, I have no rooting interest, but points to the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. Nippon Ham is the name of the owning company. Mets legend Tsuyoshi Shinjo is the manner *holds finger to ear piece* Sorry, he goes by Big Boss now. *re-holds finger to ear piece* Sorry, it’s stylized as BIGBOSS. And he does this sort of shit.

In conclusion… someone take me to an NPB game. Please? Also Japan is a land of contrasts.