My weapon is my magnificent shooting techniques.
And my motto is "Sexy soccer!"
Mine is getting in behind.
Mine is... being physical.
I'm an all-rounder.
Mine's my "never give up" attitude!
Mine's the power in my left-footed shots.
Mine's my speed and technique.
Mine's... dribbling...
"Dribbling."
Mine is my jumping.
Who's next? Isagi?
Well, my weapon?
Oh, I wonder what it is...
Your passing?
No, I can't say that as a striker.
The fact you don't even know means you're doomed. Next!
Wait, hold on...
Well, tell us when you think of something.
Last of all, Chigiri.
Not telling.
But that's the whole point of this conversation.
I know, but I don't want to say it.
What the hell? Let's just ignore the selfish queen over there.
Guess we'll have to.
Anyway, a striker needs a powerful weapon
and how you make use of it is important.
But if everyone just does what they want, won't it end up like the last game?
Can we really win by doing what Ego told us to?
Even with weapons,
if we aren't coordinated, they're meaningless.
Can't we come up with a strategy where all of us can shine or something?
I see.
Yeah, this might work. This way, we'll all get an equal chance.
With this strategy, we might win.
It's called...
Operation "'Next Up, It's Me' Eleven!"
Lame name.
Time it so it gets to me here!
Okay!
It's not like we're a team all of a sudden.
Not like that. I want it to feet.
Okay. Stop whining.
Isagi, don't drop back!
Hold the line!
Got it.
Lose and your soccer career is over.
I feel this simple fact has made us come together as a team.
NATTO
I'm super late for dinner.
It's been a week since I came to Blue Lock.
Honestly, nothing's helping my confidence.
I don't have any weapon I can be proud of.
You have no talent.
Maybe I don't have a weapon...
I'm tired of natto.
Good work today, Isagi.
Kunigami.
You're still getting natto?
That's just how it is when you rank near the bottom.
Hey, wait... You haven't had dinner yet?
I just ate.
I came to talk to you.
What about?
I never said thank you.
For what?
Thanks for the pass.
Oh, in the last game? That's all?
Yeah. I believe in doing things the right way.
Anyway, that's all. Good night.
Hey, wait a minute!
Kunigami, why do you play soccer?
What kind of a question is that?
Oh, it's just...
You have lots of weapons I don't.
Like your shot power and your strong frame.
So I was just wondering
what an amazing guy like you thought about.
Jeez, what am I saying...
I'm sorry. It feels like I'm embarrassing myself here.
Forget I asked. Good night.
That's easy.
I'm going to be a soccer superhero.
Huh?
When I was small, I didn't look up to Sentai heroes, robots, or pirate kings.
I idolized strikers who ran about on green pitches
and scored goals to win games.
Those players weren't fictional.
They were real-life superheroes who excited me and gave me courage.
That's who I want to become.
Are you serious?
Deadly. I don't care if someone thinks it's silly and laughs at me.
I'm not embarrassed at all.
To achieve my dream, I will fight the right way and take on the world.
Man...
He has a really strong resolve, unlike me.
That's cool.
You're so badass.
Isagi, you want some?
Huh? A steak?
What?
BL RANKING: 274TH MENU: NATTO
The goal bonus list is up there.
If you score a goal, you can trade your points for prizes.
Cell phone? Bed? Yes, please.
A "One day outside Blue Lock" pass?
I owe half of that goal to you.
So half of this meat belongs to you.
What? Are you serious?
It's been so long. No more natto!
But why did you pass the ball to me back then?
I'm pretty sure Raichi was more open,
so I was wondering why you passed it to me when I had defenders around me.
Oh, right. It was sort of unconscious.
Like a reflex or something.
Even if I'd passed to Raichi,
it didn't change the fact Barou was in front of us.
So I suppose I smelled a goal if I could just set you up for a mid-range shot.
I knew how powerful it was from experience.
You "smelled" a goal?
Maybe that's your weapon.
Being able to make instant decisions is more impressive than you may think.
Man, this is crazy good!
Eat up, Isagi.
Oh, sure.
Oh, wow, it's hella good!
Right?
Thanks, Kunigami. This really cheered me up.
You're such a nice guy.
Shut up. I didn't do it to be "nice."
You don't take compliments well, do you?
Oh, whatever. Let's just eat and head to bed.
And our next game...
We're going to win it for sure.
Yeah!
"BLUE LOCK" BUILDING 5 MATCH 4
Here they come.
Team Y.
Like us, Team Y lost their first match, so their backs are against the wall.
They'll be desperate.
We need to keep a close eye on their Number 9.
His shooting's off the chart.
Kumamoto prefecture's top scorer...
Okawa Hibiki.
Let's go, guys!
Yeah!
But this time, we concocted a plan.
Let's have faith our practice will pay off.
Even if we have to die for it, we will win, Team Z!
Yeah!
All right.
The key to this plan is the weapons Ego talked about.
This is an ultra-offensive system
that makes the best use of all our weapons.
But if each of us uses our weapon with no real plan in place,
we'll just crumble.
So we'll divide up the clock and take turns as the front man.
To spotlight one guy's weapon, the rest of us will create a formation around him,
and support the type of soccer he wants to play.
I guess it means we all get an equal chance,
but what order do we go in?
What if we do it by rank?
What about the other positions?
Switching all of them would be way too confusing.
No, we can all just rotate one position clockwise.
The next one's close enough that it won't be a problem.
From a defensive perspective,
it's too risky for all 11 of us to take turns in goal.
We have to win this, so I'll stay as the goalie for the whole game.
I don't mind staying in defense.
You lack self-assertiveness, which means you got no talent!
I'd rather not do it like this,
but just this once, I'll go along with your plan.
Me too.
Okay, so everyone except Iemon and Chigiri will rotate positions every ten minutes.
Instead of "Operation 'Next Up, It's Me' Eleven..."
You ready?
We'll call it " Operation 'Next Up, It's Me' Nine!"
Bachira's weapon is his dribbling.
It's a solo tactic, where he gets as far upfield as he can by himself.
It's an egoistic tactic only available to someone whose weapon is overwhelming.
Make it a two-on-one!
Don't let him through!
Will two be enough?
I'm coming through.
There are three of us. I've done my homework on your dribbling.
You're not bad, Mr. Bangs.
In that case, I'll pass it back.
Right!
They blocked his potential routes and used a third person to steal the ball.
Keep an eye on their Number 8!
Got it!
-They couldn't have improvised this. -Number 9 inbound! Mark him!
They're also working on a plan.
And why wouldn't they be?
Just like us, if they lose, they're out.
-Bachira, go again! -Okay.
Incoming down the wing!
Don't give them space!
Our plan is a super aggressive one that uses each player's weapon.
Their plan is to defend and nullify our weapons.
Bachira's dribbling is proving effective.
And what's more, we have eight more weapons up our sleeves.
If we keep this up, we'll find an opening.
We can win!
Hey, that's ten minutes!
Okay!
Wingers, move up!
BL RANKING: 266TH
Kunigami's weapon is his left-footed mid-range shot.
He'll run straight to the front line,
linger just outside the crowded penalty area...
Just like we practiced!
He'll receive the pass...
-Shoot! -Now's your chance.
...and blast the ball along the path we create for his shot!
His shot was blocked?
It's clear!
Their defense is really tight.
Bachira, let's build once more.
Okay.
Eliminate the space in front of the Number 9.
Make it a two-on-one!
They're not attacking at all.
And Okawa's been so quiet.
He's the only one not defending. But what is he waiting for?
Nice pass, Bachira.
I'll score it this time!
Ah, damn it! Not again!
Get the second ball!
Oh, crap. So that's why.
Yup, this is what I was waiting for.
We weren't overwhelming them at all.
They drew us onto them!
Their aim was...
What took you so long, Niko?
Counting on you,
Okawa.
A counterattack!
They got us.
The target was Kumamoto's top scorer...
Okawa!
Here he comes!
-Yeah! -Nice shot!
There's the first goal!
They were looking for an opening so they could use Okawa Hibiki's weapon...
his outstanding shooting.
You were meant to be marking him, Naruhaya! Don't just let Okawa run free!
I can't stop him by myself!
We need two to stop Okawa!
It's clear now.
Their plan is to drop back and defend, then steal the ball and counterattack.
If we don't find a way to stop Okawa, we have no hope of winning.
Let's get another.
Let's not dwell on it. It's only 1-0.
He's right. We still have time.
We're counting on you, Kuon!
Kuon's weapon is his jumping.
BL RANKING: 268TH
He challenges for the ball, wins it, and lays it off to start the attack.
-Surround him! -Make it a two-on-one at all times!
Damn, they're making this tough.
Your feet aren't moving.
Here he comes!
Passing it around in his own half?
Oh, right.
Now that they're ahead, they're in no hurry to attack.
They're running down the clock.
This is bad.
All right! It's Raichi time!
Just keep passing me the ball.
I'll take care of the rest. You got that?
TIME LEFT OF HALF-TIME
Are you shitting me? Get the ball back, damn it!
They had possession for the whole of my ten minutes!
My first five minutes were wasted, too.
They were over before I could do anything.
You say that,
but what do we do if we try to win it, fail, and Okawa ends up with it?
But we're going to lose at this rate!
If we lose, we're done! Don't you get that?
But if they score another, we're as good as lost, too!
Think about it!
Stop fighting.
I hear even the pros have a hard time breaking down ultra-defensive teams.
To win, we have to be more aggressive in the second half.
But you know, is this plan even going to work?
If our weapons are ineffective against them, we'll just die a slow death.
You can't even tell us your weapon, so stop your damn yapping!
To improve our chances of winning,
instead of wasting time on useless weapons,
I'm saying we should focus on Bachira and Kunigami,
whose styles annoy the other team.
Who're you calling "useless"?
Stop arguing.
It's riskier to change the plan at this point.
I'm certain it'll be harder for them to figure out countermeasures
if we keep switching up our tactics.
Our attacks are not useless.
Don't fear Okawa's counterattack.
We'll keep on attacking!
Let's resume "Operation 'Next Up, It's Me' Nine!"
It's our best course of action!
-Yeah! -Got it!
Do we really have a chance of winning like this?
SECOND HALF BEGINS
Kick it back! Don't force the issue!
Make them run!
Nothing's changed since the first half!
Damn it. It's meant to be my time to shine,
but I can't even get on the ball.
If I press, they evade.
But waiting it out won't get us anywhere.
To me, soccer is exactly like romance.
This current situation is kind of like...
when a girl's out of your league!
On the face of it,
she's tough to win over, but in reality, she has zero experience.
And once she falls for me, she's head over heels.
That girl is Miss Team Y!
Once Miss Y falls, she'll be an easy mark.
It's mine!
Damn it all!
Your pressing didn't go to waste.
That's ten minutes!
My turn next.
BL RANKING 271ST
Nice! We finally got the ball!
Switch positions! Get into the Gagamaru formation!
Seven minutes into the second half. A goal would be nice right about now.
-Counting on you, Isagi. -Right!
Gagamaru's plan starts with me out on the wing.
I'm aiming to hit an early cross
into that near-impossible space in front of the goal.
Oh, crap. I overhit it.
He'll reach it. His weapon is his incredible agility.
So close!
Stick with it! It's a corner!
How'd he even get to that?
Corner incoming!
Darn. I'll try again.
That was amazing. His weapon will work. We got this!
What was that just now?
Was it Okawa?
This chance might turn into a disaster if they get the ball and counter.
Get it together, Isagi!
It's a corner! Get into position!
Flood the box!
Doesn't matter how it goes in! Just score!
That's right.
If we don't attack now, then when?
This is the first chance we've had.
Our first chance...
Oh, I see.
This premonition comes from...
Isagi?
It's mine!
We misread the situation.
The one who was crushing our chances...
The one who's been calling the shots and feeding killer passes to Okawa...
-Aw, shit! -Nice, goalie!
Let's counter!
Crap! We sent too many forward!
If they get the ball to Okawa now...
It's here!
The uneasy premonition I felt was coming
from the beating heart of Team Y.
That's you, Niko!
Nice, Isagi!
If we can shut him out, Team Y dies.
So now's our chance!
I know I can make this shot!
Crap!
I missed.
Yeah!
Hell yeah! We caught up!
Nice pass, Isagi.
Gagamaru?
It was supposed to be a shot.
We're level!
Damn, I got all happy over someone else's goal.
The scores are even now.
I'm amazed you reacted!
Gagamaru, that was awesome!
One more goal. The comeback win is on.
Yeah!
You caught on, huh?
Without you, we could have countered and killed off the game.
I won't let you run free now.
We will shut you out and win this game!
You have the same eyes as me.
But you can't beat me.
I'm the one controlling this game.
Just you wait, you bastard with bangs.
Blue Lock, Additional Time.
Hey, what do you think the other guys get for their main dish?
Bet it's better than our natto and pickled radishes.
Let's investigate!
What? I get stir-fried veggies.
Perfectly well-balanced!
I'm beyond jealous!
I get curry.
The king! The perfect dish to have with rice!
Namaste!
Hey, Kunigami, wanna trade dishes?
We'll give you natto and pickled radishes for it!
Please! Just this once!
We want to experience the taste sensation that is curry!
Jeez, if you want it that badly...
Just this once.
Seriously, you're a god!
The god of curry, Kunigami!
I want curry, too.
Trade with me, Kunigami.
Which would you rather choose?
I'm honored that you picked me.
TRADE MATCH MADE
I knew this would happen!
Namaste!