You know, everyone talks about Nagi's elimination in the NEL, how shocking it was he didn't make it. Or Igaguri, because he was literally the last one.
But no one talks about literally ever other character that got eliminated and it's a crime. Like Tokimitsu? Poor anxiety baby didn't make it, and people don't even seem fazed... I will say, he got rather far in the big scheme of things, good for him.
Dude, Junichi Wanima was carrying not only his dream, but his brother's too and now it's over. He's out. Just the fact only one could continue past first selection was sad, but now we've lost the other one. Reminder that these two are like the one healthy brother relationship in the whole manga btw.
And there's all those other side characters that we barely know a thing about most of them, mainly knowing just their name and little else. It's a shame none passed and we don't get to learn anything more about them during the World Cup, because that could interesting.
But what saddens me the most is actually the former Japan U-20 players. Ego had them join the NEL and ranked them with the Blue Lock players, they were being tested too. Of all the former U-20 players, only the three that were in Ubers passed... and Fukaku probably only made it because the team needs a reserve goalkeeper and he's literally the only other goalkeeper character around. But like, Darai, Niou, my man NERU (did he even play any game??? He was in Bastard Munchen, and I swear I never saw anything that said he played a single NEL game), Kitsunezato, Hayate, etc. They were the U-20 before the Blue Lock players came around and took their places, and now they no longer are. Who knows what will come of them now, because they are great players, they wouldn't have been Japan's U-20 otherwise. But I swear everyone, including the author, is sleeping on them.