I am a striker!
Someone once said:
"In the world of soccer,"
"you can train first-rate goalkeepers, defenders, and midfielders,"
"but strikers are different."
"A first-rate striker will find where the soccer is most intense..."
"and suddenly appear there."
Episode 2
Monster
Bitter Disappointment
A Place in the Quarters Slips From Their Grasp
Let me be blunt.
If things carry on the way they are,
Japan will never win the World Cup. Not in a million years.
Japan Football Union New Member of the Team
Japan Football Union Special Adviser
We're making plenty of dough, so what do we care? After all, soccer's a business.
Anri-chan, surely you don't really believe Japan has a chance of winning the World Cup?
Of course I do, you money-grubbing rodent.
It's my goddamn dream!
"If we just play our soccer, we can win"?
"Japan's possession soccer is good enough for the world stage"?
That kind of thinking is exactly why we never make it past the last 16!
Well, you came up with this idea, laid the groundwork, and put it all in motion.
So if it doesn't work out, I know whose head will roll.
I truly believe the only person who can break down Japanese soccer
and forge a player who can lead this country to a World Cup win...
is this man right here!
Ego Jinpachi.
Isagi-kun?
What are you doing?
Wait, what is this? What just happened?
I'm sorry. It's just... The ball came at me out of nowhere and...
Huh? Don't give me—
Diamonds in the rough, only results matter here.
Losers lock off.
Kira Ryosuke, you are disqualified.
This is bullshit.
How is it possible for my future career to lie in tatters...
all because of some stupid game?!
I'm Japanese soccer's jewel in the crown!
You telling me Igaguri and Isagi-kun are more talented than me?! Huh?!
Why does this silly game of tag even matter?!
What does it have to do with soccer?!
In Blue Lock, everything has something to do with soccer.
Look around you, Mr. Mediocre Elite.
The room you are in...
is the same size as the penalty area.
Roughly 75% of all goals are born within these confines.
If you can't do your work in this space, you have no talent as a striker.
S-So... So what?
Tag is nothing like soccer!
If you're the one running away,
you need a keen sense of interpersonal space, tactics, and positioning.
If you're the one doing the chasing,
your dribbling and aim must be precise, and the quality of your kicks must be high.
That makes it an excellent soccer training drill, wimp.
Even so, how can you know anything about me in just two minutes?
A soccer match is 90 minutes!
On average, the total amount of time any player spends on the ball in a 90-minute game
is about 136 seconds.
You wasted the chance that was afforded to all of you equally.
B-But nothing could be done in those last ten seconds—
Would you say the same thing if this was a match?
When the ball hit you, there was still one second left on the clock.
You could've survived if you'd blasted it at the immobile Igaguri. But you didn't see it.
In a way, it was the last play right before the final whistle.
The moment your teammate's shot hit you, you gave up and accepted defeat.
That's why you didn't see it.
You missed your chance at victory by not taking that extra step.
Whoever is "it" in this game of tag might be the loser if he holds onto the ball for too long.
But he might also be the winner, as only he has the power to choose who is hit next.
A striker shoulders that responsibility and fights until the very last second.
Isagi Yoichi targeted someone ranked higher than him, not the fallen Igaguri.
Bachira Meguru stole the ball off him and went after the strongest guy.
That's a selfish obsession with victory that isn't affected by the group's common sense.
That's the egoism of the striker that I'm looking for.
You lost because you ran away from it.
Kira Ryosuke, lock off.
But... B-But he came at me...
Bachira came outta nowhere...
Bachira came at me outta nowhere!
Kira-kun...
This isn't right.
It... can't be.
Why did I kick it? Did I just end Kira-kun's soccer career?
Then why...
Why am I so pumped up?
That guy...
Why did you pass it to me?
If I hadn't kicked it, you would've lost.
Hm? Because I knew you'd kick it. It was written on your face.
Huh?
"Only results matter here," right?
So I believed in you, and I won, right?
This guy's totally crazy.
Is this ridiculousness going to continue?
"Ridiculousness"?
You're right. That's the world of "win or lose."
Those world-class strikers you so casually adore
put their lives on the line like this every day.
How does it feel to fight for your career for the first time?
Does it scare you? Does it excite you?
This is normal in Blue Lock.
Are you shaken up? Did it make you go, "All right! I survived!"?
That's what victory feels like.
Etch that into your brain.
Every time you get a taste of that pleasant sensation, your ego grows.
And that will elevate you to the height of world's greatest striker.
Congratulations. You have passed the admission exam for the Blue Lock dorm.
All right!
There are eleven of you in this room.
You eleven will be living together.
At times, you'll work together. Other times, you'll betray each other.
You will be rivals who wreck each other's dreams.
Blue Lock...
Team Z.
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Training Room
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Day 3
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Running Test
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Isagi! Igaguri!
How can you talk about becoming the world's greatest striker looking like that?!
Running at
Time
You mere mortals should go home before I make you cry!
Running at
Shut up—
Time
Don't mind him.
Isagi-kun, do you want some water?
Thanks, Kuon.
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Jumping Test
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Ready, go!
Aw, hell, this guy's super athletic, too.
Isagi-kun, are you not at your best today?
Oh, well, you know...
That was actually my max.
Talk about crushing your spirit.
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Building 5
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Cafeteria
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At the cafeteria, you get rice and miso soup,
but your side dish changes depending on your ranking.
Natto
Huh, natto. Must be nice.
All I've been getting is pickled radish.
Chin up, Igaguri.
I'm jealous of the higher-ranked guys.
I mean, just look.
Seriously? Man, that looks tasty.
Is he a caveman?
I'm stealing your dumpling!
Hey, pipsqueak. Give that back.
Sorry, it's already in my belly! So good!
You won't get away.
Isagi, hide your food!
Nah, they wouldn't want ours.
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Team Z
Sleeping Chamber
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I haven't got time for sleep!
If I don't do something, I'm sure to get "locked off."
Everyone's better than me. I don't see how I can beat them.
Isagi.
Training alone?
Huh? Uh, yeah...
Then, want me to train with you?
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Team Z
Training Field
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Hey, Bachira.
Hm?
When we played tag, you passed the ball to me.
Yup.
Why did you think I'd aim for Kira-kun?
Well... I guess it's because...
There's a monster inside of me.
Go!
National High School Soccer Championship
Namikaze
Arashi Technical High
Bachira!
So slow.
No, the monster would...
Bachira!
Pass it!
You can't beat the monster like that.
Hey, what are you doing? You held onto it too long!
Stop ball-hogging!
A "monster"?
What do you mean?
When I'm playing soccer, the monster comes out and talks to me.
"Score a goal."
"Weave about more."
But in that moment, the monster said to me: "Pass the ball to Isagi."
"There's a monster inside him too," it said.
A monster?
When I play, I listen to its voice. That's all there is to it.
You hear it too, right? The monster's voice.
What the heck is he talking about?
Though, when I kicked the ball... In that moment, I didn't recognize myself.
I want to know what this "monster" inside me is.
Maybe finding that out will give me a clue on how to survive Blue Lock.
Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Noel Noa...
All amazing players have monsters inside of them.
It must be what proves you're a striker.
That's what I believe.
So Isagi...
I'm glad I came here because I got to meet you.
'Kay, let's try it again.
Sure.
What's wrong with this guy? He's talking nonsense.
But...
Come at me.
He gives me...
...courage.
Yeah, that's it! That's how your eyes looked at the time.
I'm going to survive this.
The results of the fitness tests have been assessed.
Please return to your rooms and confirm the latest rankings.
Tch.
Hey, Gagamaru.
What rank are you? Tell me!
Hey, Isagi.
Look at this.
I shot way up from my old rank of 300.
See? I'm at 275 now.
What? That's amazing.
Oh, you did, too. Look.
Whoa.
You're still one above me?
You're my rival, huh?
Well, well.
Hello there, diamonds in the rough.
How are you enjoying life at Blue Lock?
Cut the crap!
Do you really expect us to improve in this crummy environment?!
Yeah, what he said. I want better food.
The environment's crummy because your soccer skills are crummy, duh. Idiots.
What?
Let's talk a little bit about Blue Lock.
In this facility, a total of 25 teams from B down to Z
are split into five groups, one per building.
1
2
3
4
5
Oh, and by the way...
Each team lost one person after the game of tag, so there are 275 players left.
Buildings
Guys
What? So I'm still dead last?
I was happy for nothing!
Your rank decides your team.
Ranks 1 through 11 are in Team B, ranks 12 through 22 are in C...
In short, you Team Z guys are the lowest-ranked in Building 5.
5
1
5
2
1
3
2
4
3
4
5
These guys are in the lowest group?
Tsk. Don't lump me in with these losers.
What?!
Who you callin' "losers"?
Hey now, let's calm down.
Higher-ranked players eat gourmet food and get to train in better buildings.
In here, the best soccer player is king.
If you want a better environment, win your way up.
All righty, then.
Let us begin the first selection.
5
Itoshi Sae-kun.
Editor-in-Chief
Nihei Shusaku
You were a genius midfielder in the academy of one of the world's top clubs, Royale.
But regulations stopped you from playing in the first team, so you returned to Japan.
Does this mean we'll get to see you play in the domestic league?
Over my dead body.
If I have to play in a country like this, I'd rather play with college kids in Germany.
New Generation One of the World's 11 Heroes
So, uh...
Do you have dreams of representing your country at the international level in the future?
None whatsoever.
The national team of a weak country like this one will never be the greatest in the world.
My dream is to win the Champions League.
There isn't a forward in this country who's good enough for my passes.
I was born in the wrong country.
Hey...
Gimme a break.
This won't do, Sae-chan! The media's going to hate you.
So? This country doesn't matter to me. I only came back 'cause my passport expired.
I know that, but...
JFU Japan Football Union Press Conference
Oh yeah, I heard the JFU was holding a press conference today.
So that's how we plan to train up a striker who can lead Japan to a World Cup win.
JFU Japan Football Union Press Conference
Through this Blue Lock project.
Even if you do produce a top striker, how can you guarantee Japan will win the World Cup?
Are you saying it's okay to ruin the lives of 299 people just for one person's sake?
Didn't their parents object?
Well, uh, that's...
We respect the opinions of the players themselves.
And their parents have signed consent forms...
"Ruin the lives of..."?
Exactly!
For Japanese soccer to move forward, we need this crazy project!
Don't you all want to see it?
The moment this hero of Japanese soccer is born.
The first selection will involve the 55 of you in Building 5.
5
It's a kind of five-team round robin.
Only the top two teams will move on to the second selection in this survival match.
So the eleven of us on Team Z will play as a proper team?
We're all forwards though.
Why don't you be the goalie? You have the face of one.
Don't. I can't say no when people ask me to do something.
Then, I'll play center forward.
Huh? No, I will.
No, me.
No, me! I will!
Igaguri, you can be in defense.
What?!
A team made up of eleven forwards? That's crazy talk.
Listen up.
Soccer was originally a sport all about scoring.
You've been stupidly imprinted with the notions of positioning and tactics,
but all of those roles only evolved over time.
Soccer initially started out with every player being a striker.
So play soccer as it was originally.
Create soccer from zero with your brains.
"Create soccer from zero"?
Japanese soccer has improved at an incredible rate in the last quarter-century,
even compared to the world standard.
Just one more step, and we'll be on par with the world's top teams.
Soccer fans around the world can see that happening.
That's how much Japan has improved.
But to take that extra step, it's time for current Japanese soccer to die.
The dream of simply playing in the World Cup has served its purpose.
So now is the time to dream a new dream for Japanese soccer.
Abandon what you've believed to be common sense until now.
Shove new notions into your brains.
What we really need right now for Japan to become the best in the world
isn't the teamwork of eleven players.
What we need is one hero.
Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar...
Soccer can evolve endlessly if a hero like that exists.
To stop him, new defensive systems are created.
To top him, new tactics are born.
One person's play can change a team, a country, even the world.
That's the kind of sport soccer is.
This is a new stage for Japanese soccer.
The main characters are not us adults, who have forgotten how to dream,
but these youngsters, who are still nobodies.
Do you have the courage to dream a new dream of winning the World Cup?
Are you ready to fight?
It's all there...
In Blue Lock!
This press conference is over.
JFU Japan Football Union Press Conference
What bullshit!
Is this how you treat young talent?!
JFU's gone crazy!
Sae-chan, we'd better get going. The flight back to Spain is—
Cancel it.
What?
I want to see what kind of idiot's going to be born in this country with my own eyes.
Here they come. Team X.
I'll be the one who survives!
A
Blue Lock, Additional Time!
Additional Time!
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Lost in Prison
Isagi Yoichi
Bachira Meguru
That's extra training done with.
Whew, I'm beat.
Wait, which one was our room again?
If we try every door, we'll find it eventually.
No, that's the changing room and bathroom, Bachira.
Huh?
Blue Lock's so huge, it's like a maze.
The map says it's over here...
It's this way, Bachira.
Well? Well? Well, well, well?
I told you that's the bathroom!
The monster inside me is saying, "I can't hold it anymore."
Then just go already, idiot!