Recap of “Blue Lock” Episode 1 and an Explanation of Its Ending
Isagi Yoichi, a young man with dreams of becoming a professional football player, is the protagonist of the first episode of “Blue Lock,” titled “Dream.” In this episode, Yoichi receives a letter from the Japan Football Union inviting him to their headquarters for specialized training. Later on, he finds out that some of the best footballers from across the island nation have also been invited there to participate in the search for the next striker for the Japanese national team, the one who will help Japan win the world cup. The following provides detailed information regarding the conclusion of the first episode of “Blue Lock.” SPOILERS AHEAD!
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Blue Lock Episode 1 Recap
Ichinan and Matsukaze Kokuo face off against one another in the championship match of the tournament held in Saitama prefecture in order to determine who will advance to the national competition. The latter currently holds a 1-0 advantage over the former, and the remaining minutes of play are winding down. Ichinan’s striker Isagi Yoichi is finally given a pass, and he outwits all of the opposition’s defenders to bring the ball within striking distance of the goalpost. However, he makes the decision to pass the ball to his teammate who is in a better position, but his teammate’s shot is off by a few inches and he misses the opportunity. Matsukaze counterattacks, and just a few moments later, thanks to the efforts of their striker Ryosuke Kira, they score another goal, ensuring that they will win.
When Isagi finally got back to his house later that day, he found a letter from the Japan Football Union inviting him to a special training session. The next day, he pays a visit to their office and finds out that several of the most talented football players in Japan have also been invited. After some time has passed, Jinpachi Ego comes to meet the players and reveals to them that he intends to transform one of them into the best striker in the world so that Japan can finally win a world cup. According to him, the nation does not lack teamwork or camaraderie, but it has historically never had an egotistical striker who takes it upon himself to perform on the big stage when it matters the most. He says this is because the country has never had an egotistical striker.
A great number of the footballers there are insulted when he minimizes the importance of teamwork while extolling the virtues of individual greatness. Particularly offended is Ryusoku Kira, who reveals that he is a supporter of some of the Japanese players that Jinpachi disparages. However, his words have no impact on him, and Jinpachi asserts that anyone who wishes to leave can return to their homes. However, he has recently accepted the responsibility of leading Japan to a victory in a world cup competition, regardless of the consequences. Jinpachi succeeds in persuading the majority of the aspiring players present of the validity of his argument by providing insightful examples of some of the greatest football players in the world who were self-centered on the field and thought little of the team.
The three hundred most promising strikers from Japan accept Jinpachi’s offer to compete for a chance to become the best in the world. This decision was made while the strikers were hearing a promise of greatness ringing in their ears. They are quickly transported to a location that is referred to as the Blue Lock. Isagi is then instructed to proceed to a particular room at that point. Kira-kun and a few other strikers are seen waiting for an official update from the association when he arrives, and shortly after that, Jinpachi communicates with them through video conferencing. The anxious players at the Blue Lock facility are told by Jinpachi that they have all been ranked according to his arbitrary and biased decision, which was combined with a rigorous quantification of their abilities. Jinpachi says this to calm their nerves.
However, these rankings are subject to change in the future depending on how well the strikers perform in both practice drills and actual games. After everything is said and done, the top five teams will be invited to compete in the U-20 World Cup in Japan. But to everyone’s surprise, Jinpachi also adds that the football players who lose at Blue Lock will also lose the opportunity to represent Japan in the future. This news came as a complete shock. In order to kick off their training, Jinpachi organizes a game of tag with a football and informs the participants that the person who is “it” at the end of 136 seconds will be kicked out of the facility. The game lasts for 136 seconds.
Isagi had a conversation with a young and driven individual by the name of Gurimu Igarshi before Jinpachi began using video conferencing to communicate with the players. Although he comes from a family that operates a temple, he has no interest in taking over the family business and instead wants to pursue a career in professional football. Therefore, Blue Lock represents his one and only opportunity to realize his seemingly impossible goals. If unfortunately he fails, he will never have another chance in his entire life to represent Japan in football and will miss out on that opportunity forever. At this point, each and every aspiring player in the room is aware that the stakes are high, and that they must give their absolute best performance on the field.
Blue Lock’s Details
Blue Lock (Japanese:, Hepburn: Bur Rokku) is the title of a manga series that was created in Japan. The series was written by Muneyuki Kaneshiro, and Yusuke Nomura was the artist. Since August of 2018, it has been published in Kodansha’s Weekly Shnen Magazine in the form of a serial. In October of 2022, the premiere episode of Eight Bit’s anime television series adaptation aired.
In the year 2021, the shonen category of the 45th annual Kodansha Manga Award was given to Blue Lock.
Plot of Blue Lock
The Japanese national team competed in the 2018 FIFA World Cup and ended up finishing in 16th place. As a direct consequence of this, the Japanese Football Union decided to employ the soccer mystery known as Ego Jinpachi. Blue Lock is a training program that he devised with the goal of producing the most egotistical and dominant striker in the history of the world. This is his grand strategy to bring Japan to the forefront of the entertainment world. Those who are unable to pass the Blue Lock test will never be allowed to represent Japan again. An unheralded high school soccer player named Yoichi Isagi, who is uncertain about the way he should play the game, makes the decision to participate in the program in the hopes of becoming the best player in the world.
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Who is the First Player to Leave the Blue Lock Arena?
Because Gurimu has a rank of 300, he is “it” by default, which means that he is the one who must start the game. At first, he makes an effort to target Isagi because he also has a low ranking; however, after a while, he makes an effort to target anyone he can. Gurimu’s bad luck continues as he repeatedly misses his shots, and he understandably starts to freak out as a result. Then his eyes fall on Bachira, who seems to still be in a deep sleep state at this point. But just as he was about to kick the football in his direction, Bachira flipped and landed a brutal kick on his face, which caused him to fall to the ground. He is able to avoid getting hit, but Rensuke does not approve of his rough approach, so he warns him not to play dirty and tells him to avoid getting hit in the future.
Gurimu is successful in hitting Rensuke with the ball while he is distracted by the others. On the other hand, Rensuke does not hesitate for very long before he accidentally hits Isagi while he is aiming for Gurimu. Isagi takes a deep breath and musters all of his bravery before pursuing the other players even after the ball hits him square in the stomach. In the end, he manages to corner Gurimu, who is unable to flee because he injured his leg during all of the commotion and is unable to run. Isagi has the ability to easily eliminate him, but he chooses not to do so because he is thinking about the last match, in which he decided to pass the ball. He has the impression that he does not want to be the same person he used to be, and he knows that in order to achieve his goal of becoming the best in the world, he will need to defeat players who are more skilled than he is.
Bachira is moved by his determination, and as a result, he makes the decision to wrest the ball away from him. After that, he moves on to make Kira, who is consistently regarded as one of the most talented players there, his target. Despite the fact that Kira is able to avoid a few of the attacks, Bachira ultimately kicks the ball in the direction of Isagi, who happens to be in the perfect position at the exact right time. As the football comes to him, he does not hesitate and eliminates Kira in the very last seconds of the tag game, which results in him being the first striker to leave Blue Lock.