Saiko Hattori

**Saiko Hattori** (*服部最高*) is a professional football player who currently plays as a Left Back for Ubers of the Italian League, and the Japanese National Team.

Initially considered a football prodigy, Saiko was quickly dropped by the media and others because of his rather simplistic play style, which many criticized as a "lack of creativity" and "beautiful plays". Because of that, Saiko grew to hate the so called "creative" style of football, prefering his technical and simple plays and gaining much success as a striker during Middle School. In his second year of High School, Hattori was invited to participate in the Blue Lock Project, becoming part of Team W-1.

Surviving the project through its First Selection, Saiko quickly became angry with all the flashy players that had joined Blue Lock, slowly letting go of his Ego of becoming the greatest striker in the world through his own playstyle.

After the Second Selection, Saiko quickly grew a new Ego, vowing to become the greatest defender in the world and destroy all the "showoffs" who call themselves strikers, while also turning football in its head all by himself.

## Abilities

### Archetype

* **Inverted Fullback:** They are Wingbacks who fulfill a more complex tactical function, helping in the creation plays. They are not players that appear much in the attack, and their function requires them to approach the Defensive Midfielders, reinforcing that defensive line and helping in the distribution of passes, and allowing greater freedom of movement for their attackers, while putting pressure on the middle-opponent field. They need to be very smart, adaptive, with good passing techniques and reading the game, to know when to stay in their original role and when to help build.

Even before entering Blue Lock, Saiko was used to playing defense quite frequently, as he was expected to go back and pressure the other team's midfielders, while looking for a way to steal the ball. For that reason, his transition to full-time defense during the Project was not a hard one, as his previously offensive-minded vision could now be used for defense as well.

As a Left Back, Saiko is constantly the one responsible for watching the field and helping the centerbacks, as playing from a wider position allows for his vision to see far into the opponent's own field. That, combined with his long passes, allow for him to act as a Playmaker as well, aiding the Midfielders and Forwards in the offensive side of the game, exploiting the left flank and creating attacks from there.

Despite all that, Saiko's major strenght is his defense, as he is able to quickly disarm and stop players in front of the goal or in the midfield, rarely committing fouls or hurting other players. Because of that, his feet have been called **The Greatest Wall**.

* Blue Lock
* Currently

### Skills

**Professional Football Technique:** Despite being recognized as a prodigy when younger, Saiko was constantly ignored and criticized by football experts and aficionados because of his rather boring playstyle, prefering to do the simple over the exaggerated or most complicated way. Whatever, because of his technique and disdain for flashy movements, Hattori quickly became a menace for opposing strikers as a Left Back, and his skills quickly grew inside Blue Lock to rival professional players such as Leonardo Luna. Because of that, Saiko became one of the most hyped young defenders in the world, being known as the brain of Ubers defensive system.