Custom Player Guide: Creating Your New Star, Positions, Moves and Potential

What the creation screen decides

Bandai Namco’s own list is “appearance, physique, and signature moves”. Reviewers fill in the detail: more than 50 hairstyles, face and eye options, four body sizes from slight to huge, skin tone, long or short sleeves — and how the sleeves are rolled, in a Hyuga style or a Jito style — a voice, and goal celebrations that include one lifted straight from Cristiano Ronaldo. Name and looks can be changed later, so nothing on this screen is a commitment.

The one thing you cannot make is a second player. Tamsoft’s developers told 4Gamer they deliberately limited the game to a single custom protagonist, and there is no New Hero-style second story.

Position is a loadout, not a choice

The official line is that switching moves switches position, and that the player “can now also be switched to goalkeeper”. Position is picked at the start of each story match and cannot be changed mid-match. In practice:

Position	What Bandai Namco says the role is for	What the challenges ask of it
FW	Fire the Shot Move in front of goal	Score, outscore a rival, use a specific shot
MF	Beat players with dribbles and raise the chain	Dribble moves, chain levels
DF	Win the ball with tackles	Successful tackle moves, block shots
GK	Win the six-direction duel	Saves, keep possession and leave the box

Many episode challenges come with position-specific alternatives — “score one as a forward” or “win one tackle as a defender” — so the game rewards rotating your player through roles rather than settling on one. Several matches have more challenges than a single game can hold, and Communitylaunch-weekend walkthroughs recommend forward for the Stuttgart friendly and a left-back with a side-kick block for the Real Japan 7 match.

Moves: two slots and a free super move

Your custom player carries at most two normal moves, while the Super Move slot takes anything you own. Field players’ loadouts cover normal shot, aerial shot, dribble, tackle and super move; a goalkeeper’s loadout is built around saves instead. Moves are swapped in Customize — the same menu the Ultimate Pack cards go into: Multi-menu › Customize › Edit Player Move › Move › Equipped Moves.

Where they come from:

• Player level — your New Star’s level unlocks moves as it rises.
• Missions — cleared missions hand out moves alongside play points.
• Link Scenarios — bonds with rivals and teammates teach their techniques; this is Bandai Namco’s own description and the first one you get is the Beginning Drive Shot.
• Episode challenge rewards — some pay move cards for the New Star directly.

Two move types matter for the loadout. Combi moves can be equipped by many players; Unique moves are locked to specific characters, so a Tsubasa-only card is never yours. And some combination moves only fire when the partner who shares the move is on the pitch at the same time — a card is not enough.

Potential is the growth system

There are no training menus and no stat points. Tamsoft’s producer put it plainly: growth comes “through potential unlocks as the story progresses, not through numbers”, and parameters also shift with the moves you equip. Potential stars come from Link Scenarios and episode challenges — some for named characters, some for your player — and each star raises the performance of the moves that player has equipped.

The consequence for planning: a good early loadout compounds. Equip the strongest unique shot you own, then feed the player potential; swapping moves later does not throw the stars away, because they belong to the player, not the card.

What to do first

1. Play forward through the Brazil and high-school chapters. Scoring challenges are the most common, and the Flying Drive Shot card that drops after the Rio final is the reward you want early even if it is Tsubasa’s.
2. Equip the Beginning Drive Shot as soon as the Link Scenario gives it to you. It is a unique skill, and the Mexico challenge later asks you to score with it.
3. Open every Link Scenario before the next match. They are short, they pay moves and potential, and the Living That Soccer Life! achievement confirms the first one.
4. Replay matches for the position challenges. The game expects it; the reward tables are built for two or three runs per match.
5. Try goalkeeper once the option opens. Some challenges only exist for a keeper, and a keeper run is the fastest way to the Miracle Save achievement’s conditions.

Custom player FAQ

Can I create a goalkeeper?

Yes — Bandai Namco says the custom player can be switched to goalkeeper, by changing the equipped moves. Creation-screen positions are forward, midfielder and defender; the keeper comes after.

Can I change my player’s name or face later?

Yes. Both can be changed after the prologue.

Can I use my custom player online?

Yes, in any unlocked team, as the one addition the game allows to a squad — see the online guide.

Is there a second custom character or a New Hero mode?

No. One New Star, one route. The verdict page covers why that is a launch-week complaint.