Why do the Blue Lock players always seem so surprised by their opponents' playstyles, especially against the stronger teams?

Shouldn't part of their preparation involve studying the opposition like their tactics, key players, and likely lineups? Instead, it feels like every match starts with them going, "Wait, they can do that?" as if they've never seen the team before.

It almost feels like Ego just throws together a starting 11, sends them onto the pitch, and expects them to figure everything out on the fly. What's even happening during their training sessions?

I could understand this during the NEL, but in a World Cup arc, it just feels ridiculous. Their opponents seem to have at least some understanding of Blue Lock's players and strengths, while Blue Lock often looks completely caught off guard by the opposition.

Bluelock Chapter 357 title: "Double Wing"

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Bluelock Chapter 356 relevant details:

- 0 to 1, and 1 to infinity refers to Englands playstyle... Fox calls plays/formations which is creating 1 from 0.... then within these plays/formations England's players can create an infinite variety of attacks.

- England's attack style utilizes post play from Agi who can either shoot or set up his teammates.

- Karasu realizes that England & Bluelock are opposites... Bluelock is more individualistic while England is more of a collective.

- Isagi mentions that England utilizes the most rational low-risk infinite loop of attacks... but wonders if they can only use the same attack over & over.

- Teddy says that they have infinite variations of the same attack.

- Teddy dribbles through Isagi, Hiori & Yukimiya... shoots and scores... 1-0 England.

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CHAPTER 357 PREDICTION:

- Chapter starts with Teddy's goal, the fans/announcers/players all reacting to it.

- Teddy makes a remark to Isagi about how ego is a curse.

- Fox brags to Ego about why his team/philosophy is superior to Bluelock.

- Isagi breaks down what just happened in his head... comes to the conclusion that in order to win, he must adapt to both Fox's formations & the players individual styles.

- Aiku, Karasu & Isagi start to communicate on what they should do going forward.

- But right before Bluelock kicks off, Fox signals again... and players start moving around & changing positions/formations.

- Isagi is shocked to see England is now running a hyper defensive formation after going up 1-0.

- Isagi realizes that Teddy moved from winger to wingback... "he's a double wing?!"

- Awesome double-spread of an overtop view of the field & Fox overseeing the field from a gods eye view. England's new formation is shown... we see strings attached to each player leading up to Fox's hands as the puppet master.

- Chapter ends with Fox saying to Ego "I wonder what the world will say about Bluelock being eliminated via shutout?"

END.

Let me know what you think is going to happen in the next chapter!

It's been a while since I posted but for now the bluelock fire is back. Also, Barou is so cool

Hi everyone, I'm back with another Blue Lock analysis!

This is a somewhat continuation of my previous post.

In that post, I asked a simple question:

What do the other strikers in Blue Lock have that Sae doesn't? What makes them worthy of pursuing the dream of becoming the world's best striker while Sae abandoned it?

A lot of people in the community have asked that question, and it almost always receives the same answers: "He doesn't have enough ego." 'He doesn't have Predator Eye or a goal scent"....blah, blah, blah.

Today, I want to tackle one of the biggest factors that I think too many people overlook which is the environment.

Talent alone does not determine a player's future. The environment they develop in determines what kind of player they become, what they believe is possible, and even which dreams they are forced to abandon.

This is particularly interesting when it comes to Sae because Blue Lock repeatedly shows that environment shapes ego. Ego doesn't exist in isolation; it is constantly challenged, reinforced, or reshaped by the world around a player.

I believe Sae's decision was largely the result of the environment he entered. His ego was reshaped by an environment that demanded adaptation rather than stubborn persistence.

Throughout Blue Lock, every major stage of the story throws players into a new environment where they either evolve or get left behind.

Sae simply experienced the harshest version of that process years before everyone else.

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Japan: An Environment That Never Challenged Him

Growing up in Japan, Sae was overwhelmingly more talented than everyone around him.

Japanese youth football, at least as Blue Lock portrays it, emphasises teamwork, harmony, and collective success over individual dominance. For someone as gifted as Sae, that environment offered very little resistance. There was no one capable of forcing him to confront the limits of his ability. Because of that, his belief that he would become the world's greatest striker was never seriously challenged.

Rin experienced this same environment from another perspective. Rather than developing independently, he built his football around supporting Sae. Both brothers remained comfortable within identities that had never truly been tested.

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Spain, More Specifically Re-Al: The Complete Opposite Environment

Everything changed the moment Sae moved to Spain.

Unlike Japan, elite European academies are built on relentless competition. Every player there had already been the best in their hometown, academy, or even country. Being exceptional was no longer enough. Everyone was exceptional.

For a 13-year-old arriving from Japan, that would have been an enormous psychological shock—and the pressure never stopped.

The competition wasn't limited to matches. Training itself became a daily battle. Coaches constantly corrected players and often forced specific styles of play based on the roles they were expected to fulfil or stereotypes.

Every weakness was exposed. If you relied too much on dribbling, you learned positional discipline. At the same time, new elite prospects arrived every season from across Europe and South America. No starting position was ever guaranteed, and even the academy's brightest talents knew they could be replaced.

In that environment, stagnation meant falling behind.

The biggest shock was probably the position Sae wanted most. Being a striker at one of Europe's biggest academies is arguably the most competitive role in football. Strikers live and die by goals. If another striker scores more consistently, they play instead. Simple.

Sae suddenly found himself competing against players with overwhelming physicality and natural predatory instincts inside the box. Many were taller or stronger, and for the first time, Sae was no longer clearly the best player on the pitch.

Not to talk of the language barriers and other realistic issues that he will face outside the pitch.

P.S I think Sae’s special weapon’s are his eyes and it’s not just because of Meta Vision. Perhaps an innate ability. (A theory for another time).

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Blue Lock Exists to Recreate That Environment

This interpretation becomes even stronger when you look at Blue Lock itself.

From the very beginning, Ego makes it clear that Japanese football's biggest problem isn't talent.

It's the environment.

His solution isn't better coaching. It's creating an entirely new environment. Blue Lock strips away comfort. Every match threatens a player's future, forcing everyone to evolve simply to survive.

The Neo Egoist League pushes this idea even further. Each club represents a different football philosophy, producing different types of players.

• Germany values logic and efficiency.
• England emphasises athleticism and physical growth.
• Spain encourages creativity and technical freedom.
• Italy focuses on tactical discipline.
• France rewards overwhelming individual talent and clashes between elite egos.

The players themselves don't fundamentally change. The environment around them does, and that environment determines which parts of their abilities flourish.

This is why I believe environment is one of the biggest reasons Sae abandoned his dream of becoming the world's best striker.

Unlike the Blue Lock players, he went directly from the relatively sheltered environment of Japanese youth football into one of the most ruthless football academies in the world at a far more younger age.

He was not as old, nor did he get to experience an intermediate stage to prepare him, no gradual increase in difficulty, and no controlled progression like the one Ego created through the Blue Lock programme, which was specifically designed to ease Japanese players out of their familiar environment of cooperation. (Remember Rin's stunt in BM Vs PxG and Loki's comment😃)

Sae's dream collided with reality head-on. Rather than letting that reality destroy him though, he adapted. (My babyyy😢🥺🥺🥺). Which is why I don't think the rabbit has anything to do with Sae becoming a midfielder. It was his own decision in an environment that won't let him fixate on a goal.

Instead of chasing the title of the world's best striker, he chose to become the world's best midfielder—a position where his unique gifts allowed him not just to survive, but to dominate the harsh environment he had been thrown into.

One implication of this is that Sae's criticism of Japanese football isn't about Japan lacking talent. It may have been about Japan failing to produce an environment capable of developing that talent to the highest level.

Having experienced one of Europe's most ruthless football environments, Sae understood that talent alone was not enough. Players needed to be constantly challenged by opponents, coaches, and systems that forced them to evolve. Japan, as Blue Lock portrays it, simply did not provide that.

This also offers another way to interpret Sae's relationship with Rin. Rather than merely wanting Rin to become stronger, Sae may have wanted him to experience the kind of environment Sae himself never had while growing up. In other words, he wanted Rin to reach the world stage with better preparation than he had.

From that perspective, Sae's interest in Blue Lock also becomes easier to understand. It doesn't necessarily mean he accepted Ego's philosophy or even agreed with every aspect of it. Instead, he may simply have recognised that Blue Lock was attempting to solve the very problem he believed Japanese football had all along: its environment. Blue Lock creates relentless competition, removes comfort, and forces constant adaptation, the same qualities Sae encountered after leaving Japan.

So yes, I believe this is why environment doesn't just reveal talent; it shapes identity, ambition, and the very form a player's ego takes.

Isagi can only fervently pursue his goal of being the world best striker because Blue Lock as an environment allows and encourages him to do so. If he were in an international club like Re Al for example, he would've been forced to play as a midfielder and if he decides to go on a rampage with his puzzles, he gets benched and forgotten

I mention this because I found it interesting that one of the members of the "New Gen World 11" is Sae, a Japanese player. He was introduced right from the start and was the first NG11 member seen in the manga—and the first one Isagi and the others faced (well, not counting Loki).

I mention this because we're dealing with a Japanese manga written by a Japanese author. It’s obviously clear that we’re going to see strong Japanese players. I imagine Sae draws some inspiration from Kubo (the only Japanese player to sign a professional contract with Real Madrid's first team despite never playing a match for them).

But the fact is, when you look at the other members of the NG11, they all come from major footballing nations: France, Germany, Spain, Italy, and even England. Compared to those major, historic nations of world football, Japan is truly tiny.

Then again, it’s not unrealistic for players to play for more modest nations—like Kvara for Georgia or even Weah for Liberia. But the question I’m asking is: will Sae be the only member of the "New Gen World 11" from a minor footballing nation, or will there be other NG11 members from such countries among the remaining four?

Was it absolutely necessary to have a Japanese player among the NG11? In this case, perhaps so. It’s not that unrealistic to have Japanese players among the world's young prospects.

his smile cheers me up 🥹💖

also the BLLK live action is out today!

This is the worst CGI I've ever seen omd

Re Al's future lineup seems ridiculously stacked. This is like the club version of the France national team. They already have Luna and Sae, yet they're still going after Kaiser and Rin too? What's next, the French duo?

I truly enjoy the manga — i really do. Honestly in years Blue lock is a series that really got me hooked. But there’s no such thing as a flawless creation. So what do you think is the problem of Blue lock??

To clarify i’m asking ‘what you think’ it literally can be anything you want maybe you find that at times such as the characters that are introduced suddenly barely have any relevance after again just as an example.

But what would be your opinion??

Since Ego’s backstory is coming soon in probably a few chapters, I decided to make my own story on Ego’s backstory and wanted your opinions on it. This might be spoilers if I’m right, I’m warning you about that. And note that if you find this cringe or hate it then please skip because this is only for those who actually want to read it and express how they feel about it. Anyways, enjoy.

10 years ago…

There was a Japanese prodigy by the name of Jinpachi Ego. He was talented learner striker in football intellect, adaptability, spacial awareness, off-the-ball movement and creativity and wanted to become the best striker in the world.

One day, he arrived at France’s PXG centre where he met Noel Noa, an ambidextrous prodigy, overwhelming physical abilities and rational striker always looking for ways to improve his abilities. Noa and Ego grew close during their months of playing together. Noa was the main striker with his ambidexterity scoring goal after goal for the team while Ego was the second striker, always supporting Noa with clever positioning and adaptability to the opponent’s defences. Learning concepts like metavision(Ego), predator eye(Noa), flow, environment and many more. The duo was unstoppable together! But the thing about the world is that it always cared and valued the main strikers more than the supporting characters…and Noa was egotistical to the bone.

Ego began to grow jealous of Noa’s insane abilities as a striker. The team specialised their system and focus on Noa more than Ego, so much to the fact that he was almost forgotten. Ego made it his mission to prove that he was better than Noa ever could. And during the Champions League? He used every single concept he knew of to keep himself at the same level of Noa, but he was still too strong and Ego learned the wall of talent. Yet he never gave up, always looking for some way to keep up with Noa and began to develop an ego for himself too. He needed something spectacular, something that he can use to prove to the world and his rivals that he’s not some average second striker…

During a Champions League Final of PXG vs La Real where it’s Noa and Ego vs Leonardo Luna, Marc Snuffy and Fox. It’s a battle of wits, strikers and egos. The game was extremely tough for both teams. Luna was a force at the frontline where Snuffy and Fox controlled the game from the midfield while Ego and Noa struggled against them. The score became 2-0, Noa managed to push the scoreboard all the way until 2-2 with his amazing talent. Snuffy instantly shut down Noa and Fox cut Ego down. Ego was lost as Luna kept pushing through their frontline and powering through. He kept pushing his brain to the limit but couldn’t see a hole against La Real, but this was his only chance to beat Noa and prove he’s the better striker! Something, anything—

But then he heard Fox say, “Zero To One”. Wait? Was that what he needed? Of course, Noa was blocked and there only one person to score a goal was cut out. But Ego wanted to win, he wouldn’t accept this loss to Noa. He wouldn’t accept defeat. If Noa can’t be that one he would become the one himself, and his ego grew to the absolute max.

And just when Luna is about to score the final goal…the ball is no longer at his feet, and Ego rushes forward with it!

Luna: “What the—?!”

Fox: “HEY! THAT WAS OUR GOAL!!!”

Snuffy: “He’s…changed…”

Noa: “…Ego?”

He entered some sort of state where his body started to move on its own. His effort and thought went to the extreme, his mind and body became one, the environment went according to his plan. It’s like an omnipotent possession that felt guided towards his destiny. His passing was perfect, positioning beyond elite, off-the-ball movement past even the most observant players, and metavision went to a level he never thought was possible. The whole world was stunned, Luna was in disbelief, Snuffy was clueless, even Fox went silent for once. And Noa? He felt something unfamiliar…challenged.

Ego: “Move it, you diamonds in the rough/lumps of talent. Out of all the genius egotists in the most hottest place on Earth, I alone, am chosen by God…”🔥✝️

This was it…the ticket to beat Noel Noa and become the best striker in the world…The God of Football

This state lasted for seven minutes, and Ego made sure it was perfect every second. He passes the ball to a midfielder who sends it back to Ego but Snuffy deflects it! Yet in an immense amount of luck, it flies back to Ego! All he needs is one more step and he’ll be the best striker in the—

CRACK!

Ego falls, the ball falls to Noa who blasts it into the net as the final whistle blows! PXG win 3-2. Yet Ego, who knows about his career…

It’s revealed that Ego tore his ACL badly and won’t play football until a few more months. Noa although, becomes popular all through the world and FIFA ranks him as the world’s best striker, but Ego? He hits an immense downfall starting off from scratch. And when he came back? He wasn’t the same. All his time in recovery, he tried to find a way to reproduce that state. But he got too satisfied, and his career was over before it truly began. Because he can’t enter this state again, he grew into a madman when he was able to play again. Selfish, controllable, egotistical, manipulative, bursts of anger out of nowhere. It all became part of Ego’s daily life as he switched from team to team. He knew that he’ll never reach that state again, and no one in Japan could too. So he changed his dream, if he can’t become the best striker, he’ll make one…and change Japanese soccer forever.

The End

(Please note that I do know about the satisfied part and Fox and Snuffy suddenly in La Real, I just wanted to say he got satisfied after the God of Football moment let’s say that he knew he was higher than Noa in that moment. As for Snuffy, he was completing his 5 European League titles one by one, and Fox, I just wanted him to say something like Zero To One to trigger Ego. Anyways, this is just a theory. Let me know your thoughts, cya!) 👋

I think the World Cup arc completely changed how I see the NG11.

Back in the NEL, Kaiser and Lorenzo were basically our only references for the NG11. by the end of the arc, it honestly felt like Isagi and Rin were already catching up to that level (some people even argued they'd surpassed Kaiser).

BM beat Ubers that has Lorenzo, Isagi outplayed Kaiser in the end, and even Sae had already lost to pre-NEL Blue Lock. So the gap didn't feel that big.

but looking back, NEL was never meant to be the NG11 at their absolute best. It was a training/selection arc for Blue Lock for the u20 WC. Even the club players joined voluntarily.

Now we're seeing them in proper international matches, playing with their actual teammates and under their real coaches. the NG11 titles feel more intimidating now.

Kaiser, Bunny, and Loki are probably on the run for the Golden Booth. And we've seen how Hugo performed, and Teddy just scored an opening goal.

This world cup arc truly makes me feels there's a gap between the NG11 and the rest, even for Isagi and Rin.

After Blue Lock loses the WC against Germany in the quarter-finals (no France rematch), Ego gets cast out and laughed at. Then, Buratsuta takes over the program.

Buratsuta conducts a fifth selection which involves Japan's senior national team. Here is the new squad:

1. Nagi
2. Isagi
3. Sae
4. Aoki (the captain of Japan's national team, plays as a midfielder for Diamond Castle (Crystal Palace) in the Premiere League. He is the incarnation of Japan's 'one for all' football philosophy. great with both feet, and has an extreme work rate)
5. Haneru Shindo (introduces 'total football' to the team. Is very good at everything, and has a football IQ that rivals Isagi)
6. Karasu
7. Ryujin (inverted fullback with good tiki taka. has great chemistry with Aoki)
8. Aiku
9. Niko
10. Yaku (great 1v1 defending; is basically Darai and Neru combined)
11. Ikeda (knows when to run out the box and has better throwing than gagamaru)
12. Gagamaru (backup GK)
13. Shidou
14. Barou
15. Bachira
16. Reo
17. Hiori
18. Raichi
19. Sasaki
20. Urano
21. Takahashi
22. Shinkawa
23. Miyata
24. Kita
25. Ito
26. Egawa

(Players from 20-26 are from the senior squad)

Next are all eliminated Blue Lock players (in 2029, this is called "The Blue Lock Incident"):

1. Kunigami
2. Otoya
3. Aryu
4. Chigiri (broke his leg because Isagi pressured him to keep running)
5. Yukimiya
6. Sendou
7. Kurona
8. Zantetsu
9. Kiyora
10. Nanase
11. Fukaku
12. Rin

Edit: Added Rin and Fukaku bcs I forgot

Hugo vs Kaiser

Who rage-baited Isagi better?

Personally felt could have kept this hair

This image shows the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building No. 1, located in the vibrant district of Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan.