It's Reo-kun!
Oh, Reo!
Reo-kun, over here!
Mikage-kun's grades are impeccable.
Oh, yes. That boy does everything perfectly.
Wow, three in a row! Are you for real, Reo? Too awesome!
Hakuho Festival
Up to now, I've gotten everything I've ever wanted.
But...
There might be things in this world that are out of my reach.
At last, I've made it this far.
At last, I can play alongside you.
Hey, Nagi.
Keep your eyes on me.
Yeah. Let's go.
(Episode 28 Chameleon)
This goal...
At first, I pretended I was going this way, but then I stepped inside Karasu,
and slipped into Otoya's and Rin's blind spots...
Hold up, hold up. Question!
Did ya start moving after you'd thought all that through?
Well, it was more like I was reacting while moving and thinking, I guess?
And last of all, I squeezed between Rin and Shidou and took a shot.
Wow, you're something else, bro.
So you felt all that instantly?
Uh, yeah, but I don't think I've ever made such complicated movements before.
I didn't think ya would actually score there, either.
I crossed it thinking either Rin-kun or Shidou-kun would get on the end.
Looking back and analyzing yer own play like this is important for ya, Isagi-kun.
Why'd you tell me to think as a reflex?
Well...
S'like... Ya know them falling blocks games, yeah?
They start off slow, so ya can think carefully about where yer placing the blocks.
But as the pace picks up, ya don't get time to think.
Playing at a pace to coexist with Rin-kun and Shidou-kun is as difficult as that.
Huh. Makes sense.
Doing things the way I always do would've been too slow.
How're the blocks piled up?
Which block are ya holding in reserve?
What's the shape of the next block?
Ya grasp this information, think about it, then act.
(Skilled gamers: Grasp, Thinking, Action) Skilled gamers can process all of that at an incredible speed.
They keep pressing the optimal combinations of buttons reflexively.
It's the same with soccer.
I see.
At that moment, I could see where the others were and what they were trying to do,
as well as the weapons I had available and where the next pass was coming from.
I could process all of my skills at super high speed...
which is how I got to the ball in prime shooting position first.
That's right. But that's thanks to everythin' ya built up so far.
From the outside, it's like ya suddenly did something amazing.
But in reality, it's just yer speed that shot up 'cause what ya can do has been condensed.
So it ain't actually a new skill. Software's the same, but the hardware got upgraded.
Yup. It's like yer cell phone service going from 4G to 5G.
So that's what caused that sensation?
Being so completely in the zone, I almost lost myself. A trance.
But I could only do it because a load of things aligned.
Rin and Shidou were competing, so it was easy to slip behind them.
More importantly, I couldn't have done it without you two.
Thanks, Nanase and Hiori.
Well, to be honest, my dude, I couldn't keep up with anyone else.
How do you mean?
This may sound rude, bro,
but Rin-kun's and Shidou-san's movements were so outta this world, I couldn't follow them.
But I felt I could keep up with you, Isagi-san, if only barely.
I see. Well, thanks to you, my range of options over what I could do increased, so it's all good.
In fact, it was huge for me.
And Hiori-san was on the money, too.
I just played like I usually do.
Isagi-kun's goal allowed me and Nanase-kun to show our worth,
so I think the three of us did what we could.
Yeah, I did all I could. I have no regrets, either.
Same here. Now we just hafta wait for the results.
Great job on the tryouts, bros!
Ouch, that hurt.
My bad.
I've now unlocked this new sensation, though I haven't completely mastered it.
If I can increase the reproducibility of that trancelike sensation and use it at will,
I can aim even higher.
Ain't the next game about to start?
The second match!
(3rd Selection: Tryouts) (2nd Match)
I've grown a little stronger since you picked someone else.
To catch up to you, I've scrabbled my way up.
But...
You're still ahead of me.
So I'm gonna prove right here and now...
that I'm the one who should be standing next to you.
Oh?
Huh? He's even faster now.
That Number 10...
I will mark him.
That spot there, Nagi?
The type of pass you want, the timing of it...
I know it all better than anyone!
Good pass.
Nope, not really.
S-So tall.
The tallest high school soccer player, Ishikari.
That was a bit low for me.
Aw, man.
It went to him.
Okay, let's counter!
Pass it, you long bottom lashes jerk.
Use me, Rin!
I'm what people call a "useful monk."
I-It came to me! A pass from the No. 1 in the rankings!
I-I'm totally pulling off an awesome counterattack with the No. 1!
Hold it, Igaguri.
I'll turn you into a useless monk.
Not making it easy for me, huh?
Either way, I can't take the ball nearer the goal.
This needs to be a telling final ball.
But who do I pass to?
Which genius should I follow?
I'm at the crossroads of my destiny.
Which genius is gonna yank me up to the next stage?
What the hell are you doing?!
Want me to crack open your skull, Igaguri?!
Namu!
Aw, hell.
I panicked and passed to Shidou.
This way, Topknot.
Crap. You're going around behind me, Mr. Antenna?
But I can...
still just about reach it.
Wow, cool.
The hell? Stop getting in our way!
Show me what you've got, No. 5.
Drag scissors.
You shift your opponent's center of gravity, then dribble past at top speed.
He's explosive!
The No. 1 is being treated like a child one-on-one!
Soccer is fundamentally played one-on-one.
In one-on-one situations, I'm confident there's no one better than me in Japan.
That's the good shit!
Now do it to me, Goggle Man!
Yukimiya.
Despite his looks, he's an infighter who relies on his speed and physique.
While Bachira's dribbling relies on technique and creativity to sneak past...
This way, slowpoke.
...this guy's all about forcing his way through with power and speed.
This is the No. 5, Yukimiya Kenyu...
the One-on-One Emperor.
We can't beat him alone. Let's team up, Ishikari!
I don't like you ordering me around.
But I'll do it.
Use this side, Yukimiya!
Nope, nah, not a chance.
It'll all resolve peacefully if I score.
A mid-range shot from there?
But wait. He has no sight of goal.
A miskick!
I'm a pacifist.
What's with that trajectory? It's dropping sharply and curling.
A gyro shot?
I have arrived.
Wow! Nice!
Oh? There's another one, isn't there?
Yikes.
That's got weight.
Nagi.
You controlled it, huh?
Nicely done, No. 6.
The top guys are playing at a hyperdimensional level.
You're not the Nagi I used to know.
Sorry, Mr. Four-Eyes.
I stole your goal.
There's no way I could've scored a goal like that.
Such a powerful yet precise shot.
They're not coordinating,
but they enhance each other by hurling super plays around.
Good control, Nagi-kun.
Nice shot, Mr. Four-Eyes.
Let's do this, um...
Yukimiya.
You can call me Yukki.
At my level, I can't reach you.
I'm not good enough to satisfy you anymore, Nagi.
Look at you having fun.
You're a totally different person from the bored guy I used to pass to.
Jerk.
You're not mine anymore, are you?
Time for a counterattack.
Get moving, antenna-head.
Don't boss me around, Rin-Rin.
I live my life how I want.
Who are you calling "Rin-Rin," pest?
The Top 6 really are on another level.
They have outstanding weapons that go beyond 100%
where normal people can't reach, however hard they try.
And then, there's me.
A balanced all-rounder.
No matter how much I improve the quality of my play, the max I can manage is 99%.
With my specs,
how am I supposed to go up against the Top 6?
Pass it here, Rin!
Yup, No. 1. A wise choice.
Ack, so high!
One more time.
Two giants in a towering coalition government.
They're way out of reach!
The chemical reaction of monsters like them...
You weasel. You went for height so it'd be outta my reach that whole time.
Hmph. I'm just streamlining the field.
A pest like you needs exterminating.
I'd like to see you try, virus buster.
To be the best striker in the world...
They don't want anything else.
Or rather, nothing else excites them.
These batshit idiots.
That pisses me off.
Let's go again.
That's why they shine so brightly.
I'm not like that.
Even if I lose here and get sent home, I'll live.
Reo, you're my successor.
What can I get you?
You were top of your grade again.
Go to a top university and become a top businessperson.
No. Forget it.
You were born to surpass me.
Only a chosen few can be soccer players.
There's no way you can be one.
We're saying this for your sake.
For...
...your sake.
Bullshit.
Going back there means going back to a life of boredom.
What I want is right here.
No. It's nowhere but here.
If my dream's going to shatter miserably and fade away,
I'll throw it all away...
and become an idiot!
Here I go.
I'm gonna—
Not so good at two-on-ones, Glasses?
Gosh, you're a charmer.
Second ball!
If my skills are capped at 99...
Bring it.
If my talent is to deftly pull off any play...
then I should be proud of that and lean into it!
Incoming pass into the area!
Watch out for Mr. Control.
I am no longer a jack-of-all-trades.
Call me the master of all trades.
I'll take you all on with everything I've got.
To me, Reo. Right here.
Not happening, Nagi.
He's not passing?
Huh? A shot?
Just like you're changing at Blue Lock,
I'll change into whatever color I want!
He messed up! It's a miskick!
That trajectory...
It's the same as before?
For real? Did he just copy Yukimiya's shot?
This is my new play style: the Chameleon.
Amazing!
Reo's goal just now used his copying ability, taking full advantage of his deftness.
That's the answer Mikage Reo has found to survive in Blue Lock.
Wow. Copying plays? Bro's invincible now.
Nah, it's still a copy.
No matter how well he copies a move, the reproduction's 99% at best.
So against a formidable 100%-or-higher original move, it ain't winning out so easily.
That's true. Even if he can copy a move, it'll always be inferior to the original.
Plus, things like speed and height are physical attributes that can't be copied.
I can't see how he'd deal with that.
This means Reo's new copying ability is still under development.
(Tryouts, 2nd Match)
I'm still not good enough to beat the Top 6.
But I now know the path to take to evolve.
We lost, Reo.
But that was a nice goal.
I like your choice of copying the weapons of other strong players. It's very you.
But...
It's still not enough.
It's not the soccer you want to play.
Right.
Then, leave me alone. Look down on me and wait.
I'll become someone you can't help but chase after.
Got it.
I'll get what I want at all costs.
(Tryouts, 2nd Match)
Oh, if it isn't Itoshi Sae-kun.
Thank you for coming to this meeting.
Nice to meet you, Mr. Genius.
(Itoshi Sae's Agent) Hey, Sae-chan, don't just walk in.
Who's the beer belly and the incompetent-looking loser?
What? That's the chairman and the manager.
In that case, that makes this easy.
I watched the video of the U-20 or whatever that was,
and in a word, they're shit.
Especially the forwards. They're bunglers stewed up into vomit.
I accepted your offer because it meant playing the guys in Blue Lock,
but if my team's no better than a school team, that's it. I'm out.
- Wait, can you stew bunglers up into vomit? - Is he insulting my team?
Come now. You need to be the adult in the room, Hoicchan.
I-Itoshi Sae-kun. You don't like the forwards, huh?
Then, we can get someone else, no problem.
An overage player. Or even a legend.
Can I have anyone I want?
Yes, sure. As long as they're Japanese. It can be Ramos. Or Kazu.
In that case...
There's an idiot in Blue Lock I want to team up with.
(Blue Lock Additional Time) Blue Lock Additional Time.
(Episode 28 You Remind Me of...)
(Nagi Seishiro) (Yukimiya Kenyu)
You know, you kind of remind me of a sloth, Nagi-kun.
Huh?
You think? I don't see it.
Yeah, just like that.
On the other hand, Yukki reminds me of...
a psychopath tarsier.
Uh, because I wear glasses? Really?
Some other guys here wear glasses,
(Tarsier, because it has glasses in its name.) like Zantetsu, your former teammate.
(I don't know if he's the smartest monkey around.) like Zantetsu, your former teammate.
Nah, Zantetsu doesn't remind me of a tarsier.
It's not the glasses. That's too simplistic.
Then, what is this comparison based on?
I-I see.
Then, how about Reo-kun?
Hm, Reo's a chameleon, I guess.
Oh, I can totally see it.
Copy, copy.
And Aryu-kun's like a stick insect, yeah?
Glam!
Or a stick glam-sect.
As for Isagi...
He's a rhinoceros beetle.
You donkey.
Because of his hairstyle.
Barou's a boss gorilla, I think.
Donkey, ook.
That's pretty much just his face.
Oh, yeah. Tokimitsu's a female gorilla.
Ook-a!
He and Barou-kun are a couple.
Ook.
(Itoshi Rin) Then, what about Rin-kun?
Huh? He's a...
Hm...
A sludge monster?
Half-baked. Half-baked.
Oh, like the sad result of a failed experiment?
Yeah. If you touch it, you get poisoned.
Half-baked. Half-baked.
Who's "sludge," hm?
Ah.
Crap.
And Isagi isn't a rhinoceros beetle.
That antenna sprout makes him a larva that gets eaten by a bird.
I'm getting to a good part, genius!
Oh, that's true.
That's why you're No. 1.
Let's stop this game.
No one gains from this.