Gagamaru★

Gagamaru initially played as a striker. His strength was his ability to operate in the penalty area: he would stalk crosses and loose balls, and convert half-chances that others missed. This style sometimes earned him the label of "poachers"—players who steal goals at the slightest opportunity.

But after his third tryout at the Blue Prison, the coaches spotted his potential as a goalkeeper. He took the change in stride and quickly settled in. His main assets as a goalkeeper are:
**A springy body and long limbs *allow him to reach far corners and absorb powerful shots.

• Explosive reflexes *– he can calculate the trajectory of a goal (a "super reflex") or leap across the entire goal area at the last moment (an "ultra reflex").
• Flexibility *– helps him perform spectacular saves, such as the "scorpion kick" in the air or the "shachihoko fish kick" (from a handstand).
• Baseball training *helped hone his eye and reaction speed.
• The "Flow" state – at the peak of his abilities, he enters a zone of complete concentration, which is especially valuable in tense moments.

In the story, he played for the Blue Prison team #11 (Eleven) against the Japanese U-20 team, and later for the German club Bastard Munich in the Neo-Egoist League. He also joined the Japanese youth team. His teammates even nicknamed him "The Guardian Deity of Japan."

Gagamaru is laid-back and confident, yet a reliable companion—always ready to help. He's also quite reticent. His considerable eccentricity sets him apart from the crowd.

He eats with his hands *, although the team tried to teach him to use utensils.

• He adores wildlife *. For example, he ties his hair with a ribbon woven from ivy.
• He believes that the best way to spend a vacation is to meditate in a bamboo grove *and talk to mountain animals.
• His favorite animal is a bear *. Incidentally, the three scars on his ear are from a bear attack.
• Among other details: his hometown is Wakayama Prefecture, he started playing football at the age of 12. His favorite footballer is Gareth Bale, and his favorite music is Southern All-Stars. He also doesn't like bento from a convenience store.

**Age: *18.

• Birthday: *January 2nd.
• Height: *190 cm.
• Appearance: A very tall young man with long black hair, which he eventually dyed silver and tied back in a bun. His eyes are completely black, without visible eyelids, which gives his gaze a particularly expressive look.

★ Fears of Gagamaru

In "Blue Lock," Gagamaru doesn't have any overt classic fears like the dark or heights. But there are things that really bother him:

**Animal cruelty. *This deeply angers him—he's openly stated that he's prepared to personally deal with those who harm animals. For him, it's not just a dislike, but almost a moral trigger.

• Artificiality and "unnaturalness. "*He can't stand bento boxes from 24-hour stores because of the preservatives and chemicals: for him, they symbolize something unreal, violating his principle of "everything should be natural."

He also has* weaknesses in his perception of the world *: he has difficulty understanding other people's emotions and social cues, and in situations where he needs to subtly read people's moods, he feels insecure. But this is more of a character trait than fear in the usual sense.

★ Habits (including those that can be called "peculiar" instead of "bad")

Gagamaru has many habits that distinguish him from others:

• He eats with his hands. *The team has repeatedly tried to accustom him to cutlery, but he remains true to his style.
• He loudly calls out his techniques during matches. *For example, he shouts out "Gagamaru's punch!" or "Shachi-hoko!! Handstand block!!" This is not so much a bad habit as his signature theatrical style.
• He meditates in a bamboo grove and "communicates" with mountain animals. *For him, it's a way to reset and restore inner balance.
• He reads manga to better understand people. *He admits that he has difficulty reading emotions and uses manga as a kind of "textbook" of human reactions.
• He thoroughly washes his roots first in the shower *because he's afraid of leaving an "animal smell"—this stems from his close connection with nature and his lifestyle.
• He wears an ivy headband and generally gravitates toward natural, "wild" details in his appearance.

Strictly speaking, he doesn’t have any bad habits in the everyday sense (like addictions)