The Knight in the Area

Kakeru Aizawa is the manager for his middle school soccer team and younger brother to soccer prodigy Suguru Aizawa. His childhood friend, Nana Mishima, returns from America and enrolls into his class. That night, Kakero secretly practices soccer at the park and is challenged to a match by a masked stranger. The next day, Suguru has Kakeru enter a soccer match for the chance to join the regulars as a forward.

Kakeru displays his skills as a forward by predicting and receiving Suguru's skilled passes. Whenever Kakeru has a chance to score, he changes his footing and hits the ball with his right leg reducing the power of the shot and prevents him from scoring. That night, Kakeru meets the masked stranger and explains how he injured a classmate with his left leg during a soccer match which is the cause to his playing style. That morning on the way to school, Suguru attempts to tell Kakeru he is the only forward able to receive his passes. In the middle of the conversation, they are hit by a truck.

In the coma, Kakeru relives the day he, along with Suguru and Nana, promise to join Japan's national soccer team. Meanwhile, Suguru is pronounced brain dead and his family agree to the hospital's decision to transplant his heart into Kakeru to save his life; Nana happens to overhear the decision. After several days, Kakeru is discharged from the hospital and resigns from the soccer team. At the park, a girl is almost hit by a car but is saved when Kakeru kicks a ball and stops the driver.

Kakeru is unable to recall what happened when he kicked the ball, leading Nana to suspect Suguru's heart is the cause. At the hospital, Suguru's sport counselor, Ayaka Mine, examines Kakeru and reminds him to exercise for his heart. She secretly tasks Nana to watch for Suguru-like behavior from Kakeru possibly resulted from the transplant. That night, Kakeru learns that the masked stranger is Nana and that he received a heart transplant from Suguru. As Kakeru reads through Suguru's dairy, he discovers his brother's frustration with the forwards in Japan's national team and how he desires Kakeru to fill that position. The next day, Kakeru tells Nana he will enroll in Enoshima High where Ryuichi Araki, a passer with skills like Suguru, is located.

A year passes and Kakeru and Nana are now students in Enoshima High school. They enroll in a soccer club, discovering that their club is the school's unofficial soccer team dubbed FC. They learn that before nationals tournament, FC competes with the official soccer team, dubbed SC, to determine who represents the school. Kakeru and Nana remain on the team after realizing FC's unconventional training is more effective than SC's. Meanwhile, Kakeru attempts to persuade Ryuichi to rejoin FC, who quit soccer and become overweight after losing to SC. Ryuichi explains the same frustration he felt as Suguru about the lack of skilled forwards to accept his passes but is inspired by Kakeru who offers to accept that position.

The match between FC and SC to decide who will represent the school for nationals begins. Ryuichi fails to show up during the match and the team plays without him. After the first half, SC leads by two points. A player on FC is injured and is forced to stop playing. Kota Nakatsuka, Kakeru's middle school friend, quits the SC team and joins the FC team to sub for the player. The game resumes and Kakeru scores a goal as does SC ending the second half with 1:3 lead by SC. Ryuichi, having lost weight, joins FC and subs in for a player for the final half of the game.

Ryuuichi dribbles by his opponents and scores a goal in the first few minutes. He leads the FC to create an opening allowing Kakeru to score a second point, tying the match at 3:3.

Kakeru`s final shot fails to enter the goal post and the game ends in a tie. FC`s coach, Teppei Iwaki, discusses the future of the representation team with SC`s coach, Coach Kondou, and the two decide to have Iwaki merge the team and select new regulars. A few days later during practice, Araki regained his lost weight. Consequently, Kakeru and Nana has Araki`s mother put him on a diet. After receiving advice from Araki, Nana helps Kakeru overcome his habit of looking at the ball when dribbling.

Coach Iwaki arranges the team and sends them to a soccer training camp. Meanwhile, Nana subs in for a player in Japan`s national team during an exhibition game and helps them win against Miami Hurricane, a team from America`s female pro league. She later returns to the camp where Iwaki arranges a game of courage which quickly concludes.

During gym class, Nana is assigned to play soccer with the boys where displays her skills and wins the match. When Kakeru and Nana practice soccer at the park, she scolds him for his aloof attitude on improving his schools and reminds him the two, along with Suguru, promised to play in the nationals. The next day, Nana`s recruitment to Japan`s national team becomes public knowledge. Kakeru and his friends attend Japan`s exhibition match against a team from German women`s Bundesliga, which concludes in a draw. Kakeru becomes depressed, realizing he is the one out of three who has yet to become a national player. Nana later cheers him up and tells him to reach his goal at his own pace.

Team FC`s laxed training regime causes the three of the members from the SC club to quit. During practice, a scuffle between Matoba Kaoru and Michiro Takase occurs. Later, Kaoru has Kakeru and Nana accompany him so he can apologize to Takase. There, they learn about Takasa`s past from his siblings, and how he had to abandon basketball for soccer in order to attempt the pro leagues to support his family. Kaoru decides to drop his apology after concluding Takasa is playing soccer for money. That night, Kakeru see`s Takasa practicing soccer at the park and calls Kaoru where the three practice together. The next day, during practice, they discover most of the SC members have quit.

With the Soccer club still split the former Coach Kondu has returned to talk to his former players. He will show the unsatisfied players the rhyme and reason behind Coach Iwaki’s management.

Enoshima first match is against Shonan High, a team they lost to in the 2nd match. Kakeru former school mates have come to cheer him on. Will the knight get his chance on the field?

Coming down off their first win, Kakeru lack of dribbling skills has become the topic of conversation. Does he have what it takes to be a true striker? Later, while practicing at the park, he is confronted by Hibino…

Enoshima has never played against such an unorthodox team before. Tsujidou’s physically strong and defensive style of play is cause for concern. Can the Enoshima players get control of the game before one them explode?

After a fierce tackle, Kakeru gets back up a new man. His skills and footwork are eerily similar to those of a past player. Both teams want the win and continue pushing themserlves to the breaking point.

Suguru is alive within Kakeru is what a few people think. Mine his therapist, believes it’s the answer to new found wants and skills. Leonardo Silva believes it’s true, so his rivalry against Suguru can continue.

Nadeshiko Japan is having a sendoff match against JWSL. The new player Mai views Seven has her rival and it is causing a team breakdown. Can the new coach of Nadeshiko Japan pull the team together?

After a dashing first goal by Araki, Shonan has successfully locked down Enoshima offense. When Kakeru is put into the game he must face Hibino.

Kakeru took the full force of Hibino’s free kick to the head. Will the force of the blow bring back the Suguru personality from before or something worse?

The team is currently on edge, to relax them Coach Iwaki has given them the day off. A festival nearby is the perfect place. While there Kakeru is pulled away by Mai-chan, and the rest of the team tries to win an exclusive prize.

The match between Enoshima and Yoin begins. Yoin quickly begins forcing Enoshima into offside traps. Seeing no choice, Kakeru is put into the game 20 minutes into the First Half. Kakeru uses the Phi Trick to get past Asuka and passes the ball to Araki, who uses a scorpion kick to put Enoshima up 1:0. Yoin quickly rebounds though. Asuka begins marking Kakeru and forces him to turn the ball over. The ball is passed to Haruki Onimaru who dribbles to Enoshima's corner. He fakes Enoshima out with what appears to be a pass to Asuka, but in reality it's a twisting shot. With no chance to stop the shot, Enoshima finds themselves tied 1:1, and now Coach Iwaki must come up with a new dangerous plan if Enoshima is to succedd. All this time Silva, Mai, and Kakeru's old teammates watch the game from the stands along with Kakeru's family and Ayaka.

The match against Yoin continues and they are proving to be a well-trained team, able to counter any strategy Enoshima throws at them. The team is waiting for a miracle.

The goal that should have happened, didn’t. With the score 3 to 1, it’s time for an old player to make his comeback.

The battle is over, one team will walk away winners and the other team will have a player carried out.

Kakeru goes to watch Silva's semi-final match with Syuku High. There he meets Araki, who asks him to prevent Suguru from interfering with his games and focus on his abilities as a striker. Meanwhile, Nadeshiko Japan's training camp was moved to Kamakura allowing Mai to spend more with the Enoshima soccer team. On the way home, Mai sees a man he knows and ends up hiding in fear. The next day, Araki reveals that he has regained his weight to continue his cardio training.

Kakeru and other members of Eno High School decide to use their summer vacation to work part-time at a beach house run by Yakumo's relatives. Everyone is excited by the scorching sun and swimsuit girls. However, Shinobu, the owner of the beach house, was waiting for him to discover something shocking! ? And Araki falls in love with Shinobu's daughter, Momoka... What did Oda do then??

The final between seniors between Kamakura and Shukyu begins. Kamakura leads by a point at the end of the first half and ties during the second half. The game goes into time loss, where Silva scores the winning goal.

Mai is not melding well with her team, Nadeshiko Japan, and is jealous of any attention given to Seven. Meanwhile, Iwaki has revamped the team’s workout schedule much too every ones dismay.

Over 100 players have been invited to the U-16 Representative Training Camp, but there is only space for 30. The players only have 15 minutes to demonstrate they have what it takes to be there.

USA vs. Japan, this game will decide the fate of those who stays for team Japan.

The soccer club has agreed to help the theater club put on their production of Romeo and Juliet.

Kamakura is hosting a 2 day training camp for Enoshima soccer club. This is their last time to play as a team before Arakai leaves for the under 16 training camp and the start of the winter championship.

Enoshima first match for the championship is against Keisei, and the results are shocking.

After much practicing, Enoshima can only hope that after much practice, they will be ready for Atsukikita.

Atsukikita’s ball hunting is wearing down Enoshima physically and mentally. Unless the secret of new Total Football is found, Enoshima is will not make it to the half time.

Kakeru, Araki, and Seven have their own individual battles on the field to finish.