Representations of sports teams and players playstyles manifesting in sports anime is my kink

Like the last one? Asahi literally tearing through the vines that have been restricting his team and forcing his way through them as the Ace, clearing a path for his team? Out fucking standing. Tell me that doesn't get you hype as all hell.

How do you make a Wide Receiver seem unstoppable? Make their nickname "Iron Horse" and compare them to a steam engine on a team thematically tied to cowboys and the wild west and have him BARREL OVER A CHARACTER

Introducing one of the strongest dudes you'll ever put in your comic? Oh casually make him MANIFEST A T-REX WHENEVER HE'S ON SCREEN and also have him take out your pre-established team made of big bois like it ain't no thing

Someone feeling trapped? Caged? Under serious intense observation and their team mascot happens to be a bird? BAM

Then when they manage to break free of an oppressive playstyle? SECOND BAM

Bonus points if you can stretch your team theme into more than one example. The dinosaurs have the T-Rex on the line, along with a Velociraptor and a Pterodactyl on defence like damn what a FEAST

The Shinryuji Nagas have so much of this in their arc it's insane. Truly makes them seem unstoppable. Agon particularly commands this type of storytelling as he gets multiple covers all to himself, one of which literally makes him a Grim Reaper equivalent which is pretty on point

Even Shokugeki no Soma did this at times, portraying all the Spices as cards is fun and also cute and Kurokiba just shy of going fucking "you've activated my trap card" is a good way to build up to his retort in a series about cooking battles of all things

Like maybe the mangaka just really wanted to draw some samurai shit but swords representing Somas experiences and trials along the way and literally giving him new "weapons" to cook with? And each tailored to the character he learned from? Inject that goodness right into my veins

Ojou became a favourite of mine when their White Knight theme expanded and Murata started treating them like a LITERAL ARMY rushing you on the field, complete with an assortment of medieval weaponry to take to battle like

GAWD DAMN

god this thread got me so hype sports anime really is the fucking bees knees eh I really should dive back into my hockey comic that's collecting dust in google drive so I too can weeb out over themed teams