Most In-Form defenders in J1 League 2027

The most in-form defenders in J1 League in 2027, ranked on Field Insider.

Most in-form goalkeepers in J1 League Most in-form midfielders in J1 League Most in-form attackers in J1 League Best defenders in J1 League Top-scoring defenders in J1 League Most valuable defenders in J1 League

At a glance

R. Handa of Gamba Osaka is the standout for raw talent across defenders in J1 League, with a Field Insider Rating of 56.5, and T. Koga has been the form player this season, grading 69.2, and Y. Kimoto leads the scoring with 2 goals.

The numbers a scout watches are the year-on-year jumps: T. Koga has improved his Season rating most, up +45.3 on last season, while R. Handa's scouting Rating has risen fastest, +3.7 over the same span. Those are the players whose trajectory is bending upward fastest.

By our market-value index, R. Handa of Gamba Osaka is the most valuable name in this group at 20.7.

Gamba Osaka · 24/25→25/26

Most improved

T. Koga+45.3SsN

Kashiwa Reysol · 24/25→25/26

48 players · ranked by best this seasonCustomise →

	Player	Team
1	T. Koga Centre-back	Kashiwa Reysol	27	69±0%	50±0%
2	H. Taniguchi Centre-back	Kawasaki Frontale	26	57±0%	515.2%
3	H. Araki Centre-back	Sanfrecce Hiroshima	30	54±0%	35±0%
4	S. Sasaki Centre-back	Sanfrecce Hiroshima	36	51±0%	22±0%
5	N. Ueda Full-back	Kashima	31	50±0%	34±0%
6	G. Shōji Centre-back	Machida Zelvia	33	47±0%	25±0%
7	R. Handa Full-back	Gamba Osaka	24	4666.1%	577%
8	T. Yamakawa Full-back	Vissel Kobe	28	45±0%	44±0%
9	D. Hall Centre-back	JEF United Chiba	27	3818.5%	39119.1%
10	Matheus Thuler Full-back	Vissel Kobe	27	35±0%	45±0%
11	S. Nakatani Full-back	Gamba Osaka	30	35±0%	34±0%
12	Y. Tatsuta Centre-back	Fagiano Okayama	28	33±0%	38±0%
13	Y. Suzuki Centre-back	Kyoto Sanga	34	32±0%	2411.1%
14	H. Sugai Centre-back	Shimizu S-pulse	27	32±0%	455.9%
15	Y. Miyamoto Centre-back	Urawa	26	29±0%	492%
16	K. Sato Full-back	Kyoto Sanga	26	29±0%	47±0%
17	K. Anzai Full-back	Kashima	31	2733.5%	2634.8%
18	H. Omori Centre-back	Fagiano Okayama	24	2717.3%	4973%
19	T. Deng Centre-back	Yokohama F. Marinos	29	2627.5%	3123.9%
20	J. Quiñónes Centre-back	Yokohama F. Marinos	29	22±0%	31±0%
21	R. Yamahara Full-back	Kawasaki Frontale	27	22±0%	443.5%
22	Diego Full-back	Vissel Kobe	31	22±0%	281.4%
23	S. Hatanaka Centre-back	Cerezo Osaka	31	21±0%	3212.2%
24	A. Scholz Centre-back	FC Tokyo	33	20±0%	16±0%
25	K. Matsubara Centre-back	Yokohama F. Marinos	33	191.1%	1641.4%
26	D. Sugioka Full-back	Kashiwa Reysol	28	18±0%	4012.4%
27	R. Ogawa Full-back	Kashima	29	18±0%	31±0%
28	S. Muroya Full-back	FC Tokyo	32	17±0%	19±0%
29	M. Yamane Full-back	Urawa	32	1612.4%	160.6%
30	T. Oka Centre-back	FC Tokyo	25	15±0%	472.9%
31	T. Mase Full-back	Mito Hollyhock	28	13±0%	283.4%
32	K. Chida Centre-back	Tokyo Verdy	31	1258.5%	1846.3%
33	S. Omori Full-back	Mito Hollyhock	27	12±0%	35±0%
34	D. Suzuki Centre-back	JEF United Chiba	36	1278.5%	1054%
35	S. Nagano Centre-back	FC Tokyo	20	10	27
36	T. Inoue Full-back	Yokohama F. Marinos	23	106.6%	4620.3%
37	Pedro Romano Centre-back	Kawasaki Frontale	25	9	47
38	H. Fujii Centre-back	Nagoya Grampus	25	8±0%	43±0%
39	Y. Kimoto Centre-back	Mito Hollyhock	33	87.1%	915.3%
40	Dion-Johan Cools Centre-back	Cerezo Osaka	30	8±0%	24±0%
41	E. Gyotoku Centre-back	Nagoya Grampus	21	8	26
42	R. Inoue Centre-back	Cerezo Osaka	29	7±0%	27±0%
43	Y. Matsunagane Full-back	Kawasaki Frontale	22	6215.8%	3034%
44	Y. Ozaki Centre-back	Vissel Kobe	23	4600%	3816.2%
45	K. Suwama Centre-back	Yokohama F. Marinos	23	4	44
46	K. Suzuki Centre-back	Tokyo Verdy	24	3±0%	422.2%
47	R. Hatsuse Full-back	Gamba Osaka	29	3±0%	27±0%
48	Y. Suzuki Full-back	Fagiano Okayama	28	0	27