Summary
Muneyuki Kaneshiro’sBlue Lockis a captivating sports series that captures the painful and sacrificial journey toward achieving greatness. It follows Isagi Yoichi and some of the most talented footballers from all over Japan who dream of becoming the best and helping their country lift the World Cup.
Filled with drama, action, and unexpected twists, the manga delivers an enthralling narrative capturing the cost of greatness and the sacrifices required to accomplish it. It’s worth taking a look at the different arcs of Kaneshiro’s manga while examining them based on their impact, contribution to character development, and emotional depth.
1Introduction Arc
Isagi’s Heartbreak And The Once-In-A-Lifetime Opportunity
After a shameful performance in the 2018 World Cup, a meeting is organized by the Japan Football Association. Although the members see the sport as just business, Anri Teieri proposes a plan to turn the country’s fate around in the World Cupwith the help of coach Jinpachi Ego.
Meanwhile, in the national high school football qualifiers, a young boy named Isagi Yoichi blows up his chance to make it to the nationals. Heartbroken and depressed, he arrives home to find a life-changing opportunity from the Japan Football Association. A letter inviting him to a Player Improvement Project soon gives Isagi another shot to achieve his football dreams.
2First Selection Arc
Jinpachi Ego Takes Youngsters Under His Wings
Following one of the biggest disappointments in his life,Isagi arrives at Blue Lockto find himself among some of the best strikers in Japan. As Ego pushes his mentees to chase greatness, his hunger for success surpasses his wildest imagination.
If I don’t change, I’ll still be the same person. I came here to change my life. I came here to become the best in the world. Unless I beat someone stronger than me, nothing will change.
Despite being overwhelmed, Isagi pushes himself to coexist among the best of the best only to realize he has a long way to go. But the competition does not intimidate him. Instead, it becomes fuel for pushing him to greater heights.
3Third Selection Arc
Blue Lock Players Compete To Play Against Japan’s U20 Team
As the first five players to pass the second selection, Isagi, Rin, Bachira, Jyubei, and Tokimitsu earn the chance to get a taste of what it’s like playing against the best in the world. The Team World Five consisting of France’s Julian Loki, Spain’s Leonardo Luna, England’s Adam Blake, Argentina’s Pablo Cavasoz, and Brazil’s Dada Silva are invited by Jinpachi to play a friendly game with his mentees. Although the Blue Lock team starts by scoring the first goal, things go downhill from then on.
The Team World Five crushes Isagi and his team by scoring four consecutive goals. In the aftermath of the game, Jinpachi is summoned by the Japan Football Union and grilled for his lavish expenditure on the Blue Lock project. To demonstrate the program’s potential,Ego decides to arrange a game against Japan’s U20 team, to prove that his efforts are result-oriented.
Interestingly, Jinpachi already has the team’s core in his mindwhich he names the Top 6. The remaining players at the facility must compete against one another for an opportunity to play the high-stakes game by proving that they can coexist and surpass these top footballers. The third selection arc focuses on Blue Lock players who fight desperately to make a mark by surpassing their past limitations and evolving their game.
4U-20 Arc
Blue Lock Project Fights For Its Survival
After some exciting and high-pressure games in the Third Selection, Jinpachi Ego picks the best players who can coexist with the Top 6. The Blue Lock team then prepares for a high-stakes match against Japan’s U20 team with the project’s future on the line. If the ragtag side of eccentric players wins, they can highjack the U20 team and get one step closer to achieving their dreams.
My singular interest is in becoming the best in the world. There is a fundamentally different depth to our greed.
Unfortunately, Isagi and his crew are up againstJapan’s greatest treasure, Sae Itoshi, whose prodigious talent has earned international recognition.By teaming up with Oliver Aiku’s most trusted players, he has formed a formidable side that is tough to beat. With the crowd cheering for Sae and his side, Blue Lock Eleven faces an uphill battle, a game that they can’t afford to lose. The U-20 Arc captures the drama that unfolds as Jinpachi Ego’s mentees play against Japan’s most skilled players, with their careers on the line.
5Second Selection Arc
Jinpachi Ego Pushes His Mentees To Their Limits
125 players from all over Japan successfully passed Jinpachi Ego’s psychological and technical evaluations to make it to the Second Selection. The new challenge is categorized into four stages and tests candidates on varied parameters including adaptability, under-pressure performance, decision-making, and teamwork. Players are expected to excel not only individually but also bytaking advantage of their crew’s weapons.
Each footballer at Blue Lockis pushed to bring out their best with the knife of eliminations hanging over their heads. The circumstances of the second selection are such that players evolve dramatically and become competitive monsters who seem unstoppable. No other arcs capture the growth, intensity, and raw transformation of the players quite like the Second Selection arc, where their talents and egos fuse to forge new footballing geniuses.
6Neo Egoist League Arc
An International Showdown For Achieving Greatness
After making a mark against Japan’s U20 team, Jinpachi and his mentees prepare for the second phase of the Blue Lock project. With their eyes set on the U20 World Cup, a unique tournament is organized where top players of the same age group from Spain, Italy, England, Germany, and France arrive at the facility.
Each Blue Lock player gets to choose the country they wish to play for and demonstrate that they belong on the international scene. Their performances in the tournament will determine whether they will get picked for the U20 World Cup or not. The Neo Egoist League arc pushes the competition to a whole new level, helping the players reinvent themselves and achieve new heights.
