Devourer Concept

The Blue Lock tournament is a soccer kodoku where the sole survivor becomes the national team's striker.

In Blue Lock, the titular facility is described as a prison-like setting where three hundred talented high school soccer players from all over Japan are forced to participate in a 'soccer kodoku.' The overall winner, who is explicitly called the 'sole survivor,' will earn the right to become the national team's striker and those who lose will be banned from joining the team forever.

Did You Know?

The term 'kōdoku' refers to a poisonous magic found in Japanese folklore, derived from Chinese gu magic.
To create kōdoku, sorcerers historically mixed several insects in a jar and let them kill one another until only one survived.
The concept of kōdoku involves feeding the surviving spirit or insect, with neglect causing it to devour its owner.