Haizaki and Kidou's relationship: Ares/Orion anime VS Ares manga (Part 1)
Warning: Long post incoming. My goal with this post is not to change anyone's mind, but simply to show what I found in the Ares manga because I found it so baffling when I first came across it.
I'll preface this by saying that I am aware that most of the fandom perceives Kidou and Haizaki as "father-son" or "older brother-younger brother". I was a proponent of the "father-son" dynamic because that's what the Ares/Orion anime led me to believe (and then I rewatched it after reading the Ares manga... so I had to change my opinion to something else).
Then I thought of something : does Ares have a manga? I read the original manga and the Heir of the Penguins manga, so it wasn't unnatural for me to think that Ares would have a manga as well.
It turns out that yes, it does. The version I was able to access is in Spanish. As far as I know, there is no available English translation (but I will translate the screenshots that I will provide).
No, it doesn't save Inakuni Raimon. They are as annoying as ever. The manga tried to turn Inamori into another Manga!Endou and it didn't work because Endou is actually a good character unlike Inamori.
Eisei, Hakuren, and Zeus don't appear. So this means no "on-screen" Kira Hiroto, Kiyama Tatsuya, Fubuki Atsuya, Fubuki Shirou, and Aphrodi. However, Kidou alluded to them when he brought up "strong people" across the country.
Seishou is still as strong ever and is the "top dog" because Kidou raised them.
Now that we've gotten the context out of the way...
The biggest difference between the Ares anime and the Ares manga is Haizaki and Kidou's relationship. That is because their characters in the manga – while not completely different from their anime counterparts – are definitely more unhinged, unrestrained, and villain-coded. Those who have read the original manga know that Manga!Kidou (or as the Japanese fandom calls him: Yabuki) is extremely violent and generally lacks morals compared to his anime counterpart (likely due to Haruna's absence in the manga).
On Haizaki's side, Anime!Haizaki is what I would qualify as a tsundere. He is combative, yet emotional. More importantly, he has learned to put trust in his teammates and took his lesson to heart as he amply demonstrated in Orion.
Who are Haizaki's most important people in the anime? Let's list them:
Miyano Akane, his childhood friend whom he is avenging
Haizaki Mitsuko, his mother
Kira Hiroto, his rival and best friend
Mizukamiya Seiryuu, his team's captain
Kidou Yuuto, his soccer mentor and his light (as Haizaki states in Orion)
Now you may ask "Why aren't you including Inamori in this list?" Because Orion!Haizaki confirms that Kidou is his light even though Kidou attempted to set Inamori up as Haizaki's light for the entirety of the Ares anime (that plan is jokingly called "Gaslighting Haizaki" by the fandom, but Kidou should have realized that he shouldn't project his situation with Endou onto Haizaki and Inamori). Episode 7 of Orion also completely destroys any relationship there is between Inamori and Haizaki because Kidou was taken away (I'd love to discuss Haizaki's breakdown in that episode in-depth, but that's for another post).
Before diving into Anime!Haizaki's relationships with these five people, it's important to mention Haizaki's dismissive father. When Haizaki was playing inside the house with the soccer ball, his father scolded him, saying in a dismissive manner that he doesn't want the dirty ball inside the house. This is the only interaction that we get between Haizaki and his father. In present day, the father is nowhere to be seen.
Breaking down Haizaki's relationships in the anime
Let's start with Akane. She is obviously set up as a love interest for Haizaki from the beginning, fulfiling the classic trope of "Damsel in Distress". At the end of the Ares anime, Akane seems to drag Haizaki on a date to the amusement park, which Haizaki decidedly does not like because he cannot stand rollercoasters. However, Akane is completely absent from the Orion anime even though Orion is the sequel to Ares. Essentially, Akane is a plot device, but she gives Haizaki a purpose : revenge. That's the reason Haizaki plays soccer in the Ares anime. He wants to go about it alone because he can't bear to be vulnerable to anyone else after losing Akane to the Balance of Ares program. That's why he had to put his walls up: he's sensitive at heart.
Then, Haizaki's mother, Haizaki Mitsuko, appears very briefly in Haizaki's flashback. She seems to be a loving mother (and – a little headcanon of mine – I think Haizaki grew his hair out to resemble his mother). Good parents in Inazuma Eleven tend to generally stay in the background, so we don't know much else about Mitsuko.
Next, we have Kira Hiroto, the God Stri– Sorry, I meant Eisei Academy's ace striker. Haizaki starts butting heads with him after Gouenji gets injured and benched in Orion because the spot for the number one ace striker on Inazuma Japan has now been left vacant. Tatsuya scolds both Haizaki and Hiroto for fighting each other when they are currently teammates. Then, we find out why Haizaki is being difficult: Haizaki instantly recognized that Hiroto's level is close to his and that Hiroto still has room for improvement. Thus, he shows a lot of impatience, which Kidou notices (refer yourselves to Inazuma Eleven Orion episode 4). In episode 6, where the "Oops, my hand slipped" moment happened, Haizaki and Hiroto bond over beating up Ichihoshi under Kidou's orders. After Kidou's arrest, they decide to continue Kidou's work of eliminating Ichihoshi without butting heads at all. Endou stops them from going any further, having noticed the hidden cameraman. Endou also asks them later on to stop antagonizing Ichihoshi and treat him as a teammate in the locker room. Hiroto looks down on Endou's point of view, essentially saying that Endou is naïve but Haizaki doesn't say anything in response. Haizaki and Hiroto may be similar in many ways, but they have diverging opinions at times. In short, Haizaki has a relationship of equal standing with Hiroto.
As for Mizukamiya, he is Seishou Academy's captain, and the only other person on the team who didn't want Haizaki to be pushed out. He strongly opposes Kidou's decision to put Haizaki as a goalkeeper, but Kudou agrees with the plan so there is nothing he can do about it. We do not get much development between him and Haizaki in Ares while Orion gives us a glimpse of development in their relationship where Mizukamiya says that he'd want to be nicknamed "Tamer of the Demon of the Field" and Haizaki gets mad at that because he doesn't want to be tamed. Mizukamiya was saying it in jest, though. Mizukamiya also delivers this line: "As for me, you are where I belong." Thus, he declares his loyalty to Haizaki. When I watched it for the first time, I was confused on where it came from because there hasn't been any buildup to it. Fortunately, Inazuma Eleven : Heir of the Penguins (which I consider adjacent to the Ares anime, and not a separate mangaverse) explores Haizaki and Mizukamiya's relationship in Ares where Mizukamiya shows how much he wants to understand and connect with Haizaki. Haizaki, in return, was very much against it until he sufficiently softens up to the point of offering an earbud to Mizukamiya so they could listen to music together on the bus. There is also Mizukamiya stalking Haizaki, and Haizaki kabedon-ing Mizukamiya. Overall, Haizaki perceives Mizukamiya as his captain while Mizukamiya wants to be more than just that for Haizaki.
Finally, we have Kidou Yuuto, Haizaki's soccer mentor and light. Many in the fandom perceive Kidou as Haizaki's "father" or "older brother" – all valid interpretations. What we know for certain is that Kidou commands authority over Haizaki despite being players on the same team. That's because Kidou came to Seishou as a Reinforcement Committee member in Ares. RC members possess more authority than the rest of their team (even above the captain if the RC member is not the captain), only below the coach. Kidou avoids abusing his authority by ensuring that Mizukamiya still commands respect over his team as captain and by not assisting them in every match. He raised their level and avoids the possibility of having the players being dependent on him.
Then, you, the reader, would ask me: "Sure, Kidou has authority as a Reinforcement Committee member, but when has Haizaki ever given a crap about authority? He's the Demon of the Field. He won't be tamed by anyone."
I'd answer with "Yes, you are right, but... Kidou isn't just anyone."
In the Ares timeline, this is the first interaction that we get between Haizaki and Kidou (courtesy of the InaPen manga):
Haizaki nicknames Kidou "four-eyed cape dork" to make fun of him, but Kidou interrupts him (notice that a part of his speech bubble is over Haizaki's) by correcting him. Notice how Haizaki immediately switches to "Kidou" the moment Kidou corrects him? It's still disrespectful because Kidou is his senior, and as such, Haizaki should call him "Kidou-san"; however, it's a far cry from the nicknames that he gives his teammates to demean them and to show them that they are all below him to the point where their names are not worth remembering. Calling Kidou without an honorific is essentially Haizaki's last stand at defying Kidou's authority. However, it's clear that Haizaki knows his place because this is how he perceives Kidou:
In the anime, the hint at Kidou and Haizaki's relationship drops when Haizaki name-drops Kidou at the end of episode 1 when he says "I think I understand... what you call the 'light', Kidou." So we get the idea that Kidou is somehow mentoring the player called the "Demon of the Field".
What does their relationship look like in action? The first interaction we get between Kidou and Haizaki in the anime is during the fanservice shower scene in episode 2. When I first watched it, I didn't think much of it. I was just happy to see Kidou. Then I went to rewatch it and it was clear that I had missed signs. Having the context of the InaPen manga helps greatly to understand this scene as well.
Kidou asks Haizaki to play in the next match (against Inakuni Raimon). Haizaki is at first unbothered and replies that he does things in his way and he won't have anyone, even a RC member like Kidou, tell him what to do. Kidou insists on it, saying "You will play." Haizaki then opts to mock Kidou for the suggestion by sarcastically calling him "Kidou Yuuto-sama" (in Orion, he tells Kidou that he's not his mom) because Kidou is interested in a crappy team. Haizaki finishes his shower and is about to leave, but Kidou asks him to wait. Even though Haizaki said that he won't have anyone tell him what to do, his actions don't match up with his words because he actually obeys Kidou and stops in his tracks to listen to him. Then Kidou goes on one of his "light" speeches to convince Haizaki to play against Inakuni Raimon, and the flashback ends there. Haizaki is contantly questioning what Kidou's objective was to have him play against Inakuni Raimon, especially because Kidou is nowhere to be seen in that game.
During Ares, Kidou focuses on dealing with Haizaki. He attempts to set up Inamori as Haizaki's light (which didn't lead to anywhere in the end because Haizaki considers YOU as his light, Kidou). The Kidokawa Seishuu match is pivotal to develop Haizaki as an ace striker whose teammates can rely on, with the help of Gouenji and Kidou. Haizaki goes past his limits to reach Kidou's pass (Kidou intercepted a pass to Gouenji beforehand), which was so shocking that even Gouenji had to stop in his tracks.
In Orion, Haizaki has developed sufficiently as an ace striker on his own, but with Gouenji having to leave the team, he starts butting heads with Kira Hiroto (as mentioned in Kira's section of this post). Haizaki confides his issues with Hiroto to Kidou after Kidou notices Haizaki's impatience. Haizaki and Kidou have grown sufficiently close enough for Haizaki to open up like that.
At the end of episode 4 of Orion, Haizaki and Kidou look at the sunset together. Kidou speaks of his own light, Endou, thus explaining why he was attempting to get Haizaki to find a light of his own to guide him. Kidou also says that he believes that Haizaki has what it takes to be Inazuma Japan's ace striker (which is high praise coming from Kidou, who has played with Gouenji), surprising Haizaki.
Episodes 5 to 7 reveal to us just how much Haizaki values Kidou. Episode 5 delivers us this line from Haizaki: "Kidou... you were like a light to me too... to the point that it blinded me." (I recommend watching this sequence for the facial expressions - from Haizaki's eye squinting as if Kidou was truly blinding him with his light to Haizaki's relieved smile.) Kidou himself cannot see beyond his own darkness, so Haizaki acknowledging Kidou's efforts in helping him is heartwarming. Episode 6 has the infamous "Oops, my hand slipped" scene, but most importantly Haizaki, along with Hiroto, goes along with Kidou's orders. On episode 7, Kidou gets arrested and what ensues is what I would call a mental breakdown for Haizaki. Haizaki pins Ichihoshi up to the wall and is about to beat him up until Endou interferes and tells him that Kidou would be sad if Haizaki gets taken off the team as well, and that stops Haizaki. Ichihoshi leaves after gloating to the team, and Haizaki points at Inamori (a rude gesture in Japan) and goes off on him for protecting Ichihoshi. He then proceeds to flip over two tables and punch Goujin in the face for holding him back. In the next episodes, Haizaki adopts Kidou's mentality of "eliminating" Ichihoshi from the team and has his bestie Hiroto on board. Unfortunately, it doesn't get anywhere because Endou interferes (as explained in Kira's section of the post, again).
I've said the essentials for the anime. Now onto the part that you're all probably curious about...
What is it that's so different about Haizaki and Kidou's relationship in the Ares manga?
As stated close to the beginning of the post, Haizaki and Kidou's characters in the manga are a bit different. Both Manga!Haizaki and Anime!Haizaki exhibit sadistic tendencies in the first chapter/episodes. However, Manga!Haizaki's level is cranked up to eleven. In the anime, Haizaki has five people with whom he can be considered close to. What about the manga?
Who are Haizaki's most important people in the manga?
Kidou Yuuto. And only him. Akane doesn't exist and Haizaki's mother is nowhere to be seen. He never gets to interact with Kira Hiroto either because there is no Orion manga, and Eisei doesn't make an appearance. Haizaki in the manga also completely dismisses Mizukamiya. What caused such a jarring change?
Why does Manga!Haizaki only end up having Yabuki as a close person?
Allow me to guide you through the important tidbits of the Ares manga related to Haizaki and Kidou, starting with Manga!Haizaki's character establishing moment: his sheer sadism towards Inakuni Raimon.
Haizaki: "Get up... We're going to continue playing!"
This is Haizaki's reaction after severely injuring Inamori.
All we know about Haizaki in the first chapter is that he is sadistic and completely unmanageable. He doesn't even respect his captain:
Mizukamiya: "Haizaki, come! Get in line!"
Haizaki, walking away: "Tch! Shut up!"
Remember that in the anime, he doesn't ditch his team after the match ends. He talks to Kudou about how Inakuni Raimon's eyes got him irritated. We can already see a diverging path between Anime!Haizaki and Manga!Haizaki.
After this match, we don't see Haizaki for a couple of chapters. However, at the end of the Inakuni Raimon VS Teikoku Academy match, there is a small panel showing a certain someone's shadow:
(Apologies for the strange formatting) Indeed. It's the horror legend himself: Manga!Kidou, otherwise known as Yabuki.
The next page causes nothing short of a mental whiplash after witnessing Haizaki's behavior in chapter 1:
Kidou: "Even when the going gets tough, they always look ahead to grasp victory. It seems that they have improved a little… Am I right… Haizaki?"
Haizaki: "You still haven't reached my level... Inamori Asuto."
Kidou taunts Haizaki without fearing repercussions because he knows that Haizaki won't be able to do anything against him. While Haizaki looks to be the most aggressive and dangerous, Kidou is the one in control. In addition, this scene is framed like the typical villain anime scene when you find out that there is a villain (Kidou) behind the villain you met first (Haizaki).
Haizaki, addressing Genda: "You've got this big name... 'King of Goalkeepers'."
Haizaki sees Inakuni Raimon as weaklings, so he might be confused at how Genda conceded goals from such a weak team...
Haizaki introduces himself in a dramatic fashion to both Inakuni Raimon and Teikoku Academy. Notice the last panel where Haizaki's jacket looks a lot like a flowing cape...
Genda: "The ball went so fast... that I wasn't able to see it."
Kozoumaru: "W-What... What are you doing here?"
???: "We only came to see... your match."
Michinari: "Kidou Yuuto?! They say that he's the best midfielder of Japan!"
Goujin: "The best midfielder..."
Hiyori: "... of Japan?!"
Kidou: "Your next match is against us."
Kidou: "Seishou Academy."
Kidou: "In the previous match we scored 10 goals... but in this one, we will score 20!"
Haizaki and Kidou laugh evilly together.
Haizaki: "In the next match, you will taste true despair... We'll crush you until you can't get up!"
Haizaki: "What's going on with you? Are you so scared that you can't even speak?"
Haizaki and Kidou look like a villainous couple here. We know that Kidou would have a special interest in witnessing Inakuni Raimon VS Teikoku Academy, but Haizaki has NOTHING to gain from watching it. He only comes because Kidou probably told him to. Haizaki also takes care of targeting Genda because of his title "King of Goalkeepers". Haizaki is essentially showing off to Kidou – showing that he is stronger than Teikoku Academy.
Next up, we have the training scene at Seishou:
"Seishou Academy training grounds"
Mizukamiya: "Haizaki hasn't come to train today either."
Kidou: "..."
Kidou leaves Seishou's training grounds to find Haizaki.
Haizaki: "Damn it..."
Haizaki: "I will crush you... Tch... Inamori Asuto..."
Kidou, smirking: "Hah!"
Kidou knows that Haizaki has been training and knows where he is training as well while the rest of Seishou team has no idea about Haizaki's whereabouts. After finding Haizaki, Kidou is very much amused by what he is seeing even though Haizaki is causing property damage. Haizaki is fired up and motivated; that's what matters to Kidou.
We have the rematch between Inakuni Raimon and Seishou Academy where we witness Haizaki's progression to a mental breakdown:
Norika: "Guys!"
Zhao Jinyun: "Hu hu."
Haizaki, gripping his hair: "All of them have… those eyes that leave me with rage. The same as that guy…"
Middle panel
Haizaki: "I will crush every single one of you, until the very last!"
Bottom panels
Mizukamiya: "Haizaki!"
Haizaki: "Give me the ball. I'll finish with this once and for all!"
It's a jarring change from Inazuma Eleven : Heir of the Penguins, where Mizukamiya and Haizaki have a very good relationship (though Haizaki will act tsundere about it). In the Ares manga, Haizaki is completely dismissive of Mizukamiya. In the anime, he at least tries to explain himself when Orio, Shiratori and Mizukamiya confront him after school.
Middle panels
Orio: "What's going on, Kidou-san? We're currently having a match that's harder than predicted and you continue to still be on the bench."
Yabuki: "It's not my turn yet…"
Last panel
Yabuki: "Not until Haizaki realizes something…" (Screenshot 20)
Yabuki then goes on to narrate Haizaki's backstory, which means that Haizaki has confided in him. Remember that in the anime, Haizaki doesn't start opening up to Kidou until Orion.
Middle panel
"The match ended… with an overwhelming defeat of 5-0."
Bottom panel
"Despite the defeat, the boys had enjoyed the match… Haizaki, seeing the faces of his teammates, was unable to understand what was happening."
Young Haizaki: "Why are they happy when they lost the match? There is only one reason to play football… (with a crazed eye) and that's victory!"
Yabuki, in present time: "It's for that reason that Haizaki became the 'Demon of the Field'…"
Haizaki was isolated as a youngster because he was too strong and had a terrible attitude. Haizaki's subservience to Yabuki is likely because Yabuki showed him what's what and Haizaki had no choice but to accept him as his soccer senpai. As for why Yabuki would have interest in Haizaki, it's pretty simple: Yabuki saw potential in him and took him in because he noticed that Haizaki was alone and needed guidance (now, Yabuki's intentions and Anime!Kidou's intentions may not necessarily align here...).
Haizaki: "This is good... let's see what they're capable of."
Haizaki, grinning: "Even if you go forward... with this football, you'll never be able to surpass me!"
Amano: "Haizaki! What do you think you're doing?"
Haizaki: "Don't touch me! I'll redirect the shot and I'll put the ball in the opponent's net at the same time!"
Middle panel
Amano: "Are you pulling my leg or what?! Take this match seriously!"
Yabuki: "Amano! Leave this to Haizaki."
Amano: "But Kidou-san..."
Amano: "Urgh..."
Yabuki: "Sit this one out."
Here is a major difference between the anime and the manga: Kidou in the anime scolds Haizaki for underestimating Gouenji (Seishou was playing against KIdokawa Seishuu in the anime) and against Inakuni Raimon, Kidou once again warns Haizaki of doing things on his own. What we see in the manga is the opposite: Yabuki enables Haizaki's behavior. Amano protests a bit, but Yabuki becomes very harsh and Amano accepts to sit on the bench. (24)
Haizaki, staring crazily at the ground: "You really think that I enjoy football?!" (Another major difference: Manga!Haizaki doesn't like football due to being isolated for his strength; Anime!Haizaki loves football from the start because he has a purpose of using it for revenge)
Yabuki: "… Get up, Haizaki."
Haizaki perks up.
Yabuki: "It's time for you to show your true strength!"
Again, Yabuki motivates Haizaki with mere words. It's like he can flip a switch within Haizaki to obey his command.
Haizaki: "Kidou..."
Haizaki: "What did you mean earlier?"
Kidou: "When the second half starts... you'll understand."
Manga!Haizaki is completely submissive with Yabuki; in contrast to the anime, where Haizaki has the audacity to grab Kidou's shirt, lift him up, and threaten him.
Here we see Yabuki playmaking and making line-breaking passes.
Haizaki: "What are you doing, Kidou?! Pass me the ball at once!"
Haizaki: "Why, Kidou? Why aren't you passing me the ball?"
Yabuki: "It's simple… It's for you to become… a true forward…"
Anime!Haizaki would have likely grabbed Kidou's shirt for not passing him the ball. Manga!Haizaki here simply lets Yabuki walk past him while Yabuki explains his reasoning. Again, it's a sign of submission.
Then we get the forced evolution of Manga!Haizaki:
Image 1
Zhao Jinyun: "He [Kidou] kept the match going without passing the ball to Haizaki-kun… in order to find the moment in which all of us left him unmarked." (Even Zhao Jinyun is terrified of Yabuki's mind.)
Middle panel
Yabuki: "… This is a pass… from the whole team!"
Bottom panels
Yabuki: "A pass… in order for you to become a true forward!"
Yabuki: "The height, the power, and the effect… This is a perfect pass… This pass is the result of the work of all of them…"
(Haizaki responds with his strongest shot "Perfect Penguin", but unfortunately I don't have the space to include the image here.)
Yabuki: "It seems that, in the end, you are a true forward… Now yes… victory in this match is guaranteed." (No, Yabuki. It's not. There's something called "plot armor" for Inakuni Raimon unfortunately.)
Yabuki is happy that Haizaki is living up to his potential.
Seishou end up losing to Inakuni Raimon, and also to Outei Tsukinomiya later on to establish Outei Tsukinomiya as a threat (I can make a whole post of how Nosaka's character in the Ares manga is actually better than in the anime because he gets to be a full villain in the manga, but again, that's for another post).
I've reached the limit of 30 images for this post, so I will link you to the second part of the post where I discuss what I consider to be the best scene in the entire manga : a scene that is only between Haizaki and Kidou.