A Perfect Game in Blitzball! Datto Scores 28 Goals in His Debut

October 17, 2026

Blitzball is solved! At least, one question that has vexed me for years is: what's the most goals you could score in a single game, assuming everything goes right? We now have a definitive answer: 28. In a wild twist, the circumstances that make it happen are far easier than I originally thought.

Years ago I managed a 13-goal half, and a combined 25-goal game, using the Final Fantasy X / X-2 HD Remaster's half-time autosave. It felt like more was possible; a 30-goal game seemed doable. It took me a few years to revisit it, but thanks to modern AI, some awesome existing tools, and a bit of time digging into the game's underlying code, we got our answer.

So if you want the long explanation of what's happening and how it works, follow along! If not, you can just watch the synthetic run above, with the real odds of what it would take to make it happen.

What is Blitzball?

Blitzball is the underwater water-polo minigame in Final Fantasy X. It's part sports game, part turn-based RPG, with a general-manager layer on top (signing free agents, levelling players, learning techniques), which makes it an oddly niche and shockingly fun minigame.

The turn-based part gives it an interesting dynamic: whenever an action happens, the clock stops. If all the right actions happen, a lot of goals can be scored very quickly, and making those exact actions happen is the key.

How a possession works

Kickoff, or after a goaltoss: a team catches it Carrier swimsclock running Encounterdefenders close in: clock stops Breakcarrier picks 0 or more defenders;each one picked tries a tackle Every tackle failscarrier picks a move A tackle landsthe defense has the ball Shootdefenders in the wayblock: BL cuts power Passdefenders in the wayblock: BL cuts power Dribbleswims on, but only ifevery tackle was dodgedand no defenders remain Keeper's rollgoal: other team tossessave: keeper's team Catcha teammate takes it, ora defender cuts it out Yellow: the clock is stopped. Shots and passes fly on a running clock.

The key numbers

StatWhat it does
AT (attack)How hard a player tackles.
EN (endurance)How well the ball carrier stands up to tackles.
PA (pass)Pass strength: how far a pass carries before it can be cut out.
SH (shot)Shot strength.
BL (block)How much a defender takes off a shot or pass that goes through them.
CA (catch)The goalkeeper's stat for stopping shots.
SP (speed)How fast a player swims.

The math (don't worry too much about it)

RollFormulaExample
Tacklewins if AT/2 + random(AT) ≥ ENAT 12 vs EN 7: 11 in 12
Powershot: SH + technique; pass: PA + techniqueVenom Shot from SH 25: 28
Distanceevery 100 units, loses power/5 (at least 1)28 → 23 → 19 → 16
KeeperCA' = CA + random(10)CA 6 → 6 to 15
Savesaves if CA'/2 + random(CA') ≥ powerpower 19: 96.6% goal

On top of the stats, players can learn techniques: special moves that cost part of a player's HP and make a tackle, shot, or pass stronger (Venom Tackle, for example, adds 3 AT; Venom Tackle 2 adds 5).

For our purposes, the key fact is that while a player is being tackled, time is frozen. When they pass or shoot, the clock moves. So to score as many goals as possible, we need every tackle to land on defense and good shots on offense. But, like most RPG things, we're at the mercy of a random number generator and the game's AI decisions, either of which can ruin a good attempt.

More to come: the configuration, the timing, and the odds. Be sure to check back!