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 R. Kikuchi leads the scoring with 2 goals.

The numbers a scout watches are the year-on-year jumps: J. Sumiyoshi has improved his Season rating most, up +29.2 on last season, while Kim Tae-Hyeon'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.

Kashima · 24/25→25/26

Most improved

J. Sumiyoshi+29.2SsN

Shimizu S-pulse · 23/24→25/26

27 players · ranked by best this seasonCustomise →

	Player	Team
1	R. Handa Full-back	Gamba Osaka	24	4666.1%	577%
2	J. Sumiyoshi Centre-back	Shimizu S-pulse	28	38331.8%	3914.4%
3	D. Tagami Centre-back	Fagiano Okayama	33	35330.5%	215.9%
4	S. Fukuoka Centre-back	Gamba Osaka	30	3219%	3321.7%
5	Kim Tae-Hyeon Centre-back	Kashima	25	3178.4%	527.6%
6	T. Shichi Centre-back	Sanfrecce Hiroshima	32	29750%	257.6%
7	M. Tashiro Centre-back	Avispa Fukuoka	33	2839%	1743.1%
8	T. Kamijima Centre-back	Avispa Fukuoka	29	2824.2%	3225.1%
9	K. Anzai Full-back	Kashima	31	2733.5%	2634.8%
10	T. Deng Centre-back	Yokohama F. Marinos	29	2627.5%	3123.9%
11	M. Yamane Full-back	Urawa	32	2222.5%	173.1%
12	Y. Nagatomo Full-back	FC Tokyo	39	2131%	1014.9%
13	Y. Maruyama Centre-back	Kawasaki Frontale	37	20304.1%	1122.2%
14	K. Matsubara Centre-back	Yokohama F. Marinos	33	191.1%	1641.4%
15	Kim Min-Tae Centre-back	Machida Zelvia	32	1732.1%	2616%
16	T. Oka Centre-back	FC Tokyo	24	15±0%	47±0%
17	Y. Takahashi Centre-back	Shimizu S-pulse	33	1465.4%	1461.8%
18	Kim Ju-Sung Centre-back	Sanfrecce Hiroshima	25	1446.3%	472.3%
19	M. Yuzawa Full-back	Avispa Fukuoka	32	1316.9%	1730%
20	K. Inoue Full-back	Shimizu S-pulse	28	138.3%	3516.7%
21	R. Kikuchi Centre-back	Machida Zelvia	29	1358%	2922.8%
22	K. Chida Centre-back	Tokyo Verdy	31	1258.5%	1846.3%
23	D. Suzuki Centre-back	JEF United Chiba	36	1278.5%	1054%
24	E. Gyotoku Centre-back	Nagoya Grampus	21	8	26
25	K. Takahata Centre-back	V-varen Nagasaki	25	7106.2%	3717.6%
26	Y. Matsunagane Full-back	Kawasaki Frontale	21	6215.8%	3034%
27	Y. Ozaki Centre-back	Vissel Kobe	23	4600%	3816.2%