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xoxobluelock · 1 year

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Itoshi Sae, Physical Contact, and the Exceptions: Rin and Shidou

As of Chapter Ch 214, the only two people we see Sae allow to touch him are his little brother…and Shidou Ryusei.** Post (S)pain, it’s only been Shidou.

**I’m going to argue that Sae allows Shidou to jump on his back. And I mean 'argue' in the lightest sense.

Quick preface: Just organizing and posting notes I took on the subject for characterization in a fic (they are, therefore, biased). I’m not claiming that no one has ever touched Sae, just that the manga only shows a select few occasions. We’ll go in chapter and not chronological order. For the most part.

The first time the manga shows us anyone trying to initiate contact with Sae is with these two clowns (JFU President and U-20 “coach”) in Ch 107. Hardly surprising that Sae wouldn’t shake the hands of people he so clearly doesn’t respect.

Every expression in this panel is priceless.

Next up, Ch 111:

Aiku and his proposal are plainly of more interest to Sae than the JFU bozos, yet Sae nopes right out of Aiku’s ‘gentlemen's agreement’ handshake. And then threatens to nope out of the whole match if the U-20 Team can’t meet his standards.

We see Sae being rushed by celebratory teammates several times. Not once do we readers see any of them actually succeed in throwing an arm around him pre-Spain, in Spain, or post-Spain. Until Shidou.

Post Spain (Ch 116):

Sae has just scored a goal crazy enough to have Isagi think, “The leading actor in this game is Itoshi Sae!!” The crowd is going wild, the U-20 Team is rushing Sae in joy, …and Sae literally slaps them off: “Hands off, chumps.”

Poor Fox Kid and Not-Bokuto. They seem so darn sweet.

Now, a blast from the past.

Pre-Spain (Ch 123):

I don’t know about y’all, but I can so clearly see Little Sae ducking right out these guys’ arms—in a more humorously standoffish way. Like how we see Rin sidestep Isagi (coming right up!). An imagination is all we got here.

Spain (Ch 125):

Now in the mysterious (S)pain… Hopefully we’ll get more than a glimpse of it one day! Would Sae have dodged the Real Madrid Youth Team guys? Would he have numbly endured it? Would he have slapped them off? Etc.? The manga, again, leaves us to wonder. (My money’s on the second one.)

Once again, I’m definitely not saying Sae’s teammates have never succeeded in tackling him in celebration. Just that it’s notable we, the readers, don’t see it. Yet.

I’ll conclude with some pre-Spain Itoshi Bros cuteness, but let’s talk some post-Spain Itoshi Bros parallels first.

Ch 121

Poor Isagi. 😂 Rin sees him coming with a little “!” and dodges his charge like the plague with a grumpy lil “Hmph.”

Rin, now away from Isagi, goes right back to business in the next panel.

Ten chapters later, we have a Sae parallel.

Ch 131

Just like Rin, Sae sees a celebratory missile coming right at him with a “!” and a less than enthusiastic expression—yet Sae doesn’t dodge Shidou.

Shidou definitely takes off like a bat out of hell (ha). But do we really think Itoshi Sae of the New Generation World XI couldn’t have even sidestepped—like his little brother—if he’d really wanted to?

I think Sae allows Shidou his moment of clingy celebration. Especially in light of the Rin and Isagi parallel. Remember, this was immediately following Shidou’s unbelievable Big Bang Drive—a goal that had even Sae showing open surprise on his face (Ch 130). Shidou becomes the first one shown to have jumped on Sae in celebration.

(Real talk, though: someone please give Kitsunezato and Neru a high five!)

The next page…

Both pursuers of the Itoshi Bros end up with a hard impact on the ground, and yet….

Sae doesn’t tell Shidou to f— off after throwing Shidou off him. Shidou doesn’t get an icy “Hands off, chump” like Fox Kid and Not-Bokuto. Sae doesn’t stalk off (he actually lingers and seems to chat while Shidou just chills on the ground and gives him a lil thumbs-up). Sae tells Shidou, “You have to get a hat trick, remember? Then you’d get my number. Hands off until then, you horny demon.” Untillll being the operative word (...one of them, anyway 😅). Not only does Sae let Shidou latch on, Sae banters with Shidou.

This is outside the point of this post, but Sae looks…sad? nostalgic? when Shidou first jumps on him. It doesn’t last long, but it’s there. Perhaps relating to the panels I’m about to bring up. (Addressing what may have prompted Sae’s “Gross” and “horny demon” reactions + his punch/tackle is also outside the purview of this post 😅 Same with speculating on what the helllll these two were talking about below.)

Concluding with some Pre-(S)pain Itoshi Bros

Ch 123:

We see Little RinRin as the original No Touchy exception. And it’s so wholesome.

And Sae actually reaching out to Rin and being affectionate. Maybe we’ll see it again one day.

Ch 124

Look, the Itoshi Bros are capable of high fives! Or, they were, anyway.

Unlike Sae, we actually see Rin's teammates grabbing him in celebration, pre-(Sae’s return from) Spain.

In conclusion...

So far, the manga shows Sae breaking his general Kuzco Rule with only two people.

Pre-Spain, Little Rin was a very obvious exception. Post-Spain / currently and more subtly, Shidou is the only exception we've seen. Is it a respect thing? A soft spot? Emphasizing Sae is an "untouchable" player? Some combination?

As for canon… I really hope we see Sae and Shidou become friends. They’re both so alone but seem to bring each other to life. I also really hope we’ll see Sae accepting his teammates’ celebration one day. Just imagine Sae pulling off a crazy pass or stealing a goal at the World Cup, both Rin and Shidou rushing him in joy, the rest of the team on their tails! Or maybe something smaller, like just celebrating a cool move in practice. I think we’ll see it eventually. Just like I think we could see Shidou act as a bridge between the estranged Itoshi Bros.

You’ll find what notes / “meta” I’ve already posted under #xoxoBlueLockNotes. Will probably organize and post more somewhere in here!

PS: Check out @bluelockhalloweek for spooky Blue Lock fun! 🎃 Halloween is just around the corner!

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boinin · 3 months

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Batten down the hatches: Rin's ego is about to land

The latest chapters show Rin playing with an unfamiliar aura: what looks like swirling rivulets of water.

This represents the refinement of his ego and playstyle since the under-20 match. But what exactly are they going for with the swirling water? Here's my two cents.

Rin is strongly associated with water, specifically the sea. He grew up by the coast; he and Sae shared a love of watching the sunset over the water after training together. Those childhood memories are turbulent now, like dark clouds on the ocean's horizon.

It's here he realises that he can no longer play the puppetmaster football that helped him thrive in Blue Lock. As good as he is, it wasn't authentic... and it's nowhere near where he needs to be to compete with his brother, or even Isagi.

Rin's flow state is the most unique out of any others we've seen. Let's dig into it. All panels are from the official translation, which is important as the translation choices are 1) consistent and 2) likely chosen carefully.

In the dying moments of the match, Rin complains about feeling restrained. Being Itoshi Rin is eating him alive.

Cool, calm and aloof.

A genius. Prodigy. Puppetmaster.

Team player. Team captain.

Isagi Yoichi's partner. Shidou Ryuusei's rival.

Itoshi Sae's little brother.

The prospect of defeat rudely wakes him up. His pretence comes crashing down hard, triggered by his ineffectiveness in spite of the teammates around him. It's one of the best rugpulls in sports manga.

When the power of friendship comes knocking, Itoshi Rin tells it to fuck off and die.

What a glorious moment... and not just because it posits Rin as a Uchiha Sasuke kinnie. I prompt you to examine his eyes in this panel.

They're a swirling vortex of hate and destruction, befitting Blue Lock's angstiest character. The shape reminds me of this:

Satellite images of Hurricane Franklin and Hurricane Idalia, August 2023. Image credit: NOAA Satellites.

Rin's true ego, which he unleashes against Sae, is a storm.

youtube

Optional soundtrack for the rest of this post (because Rin 100% listens to this once it comes out in Blue Lock's universe).

Although it isn't portrayed visually as such in the under-20 arc, the metaphor fits Rin's evolving playstyle. What is more destructive, more uncontrollable, more senseless than a hurricane? A violent force of nature that we can predict but never avert?

When a storm approaches, all we can do is rank it, track it, then attempt to mitigate the inevitable damage.

In football terms? Sounds a lot like playing Rin.

It's even alluded to in chapter 250: the graphics for Rin's formation are similar to the satellite images of large storms.

Within the U20 match, there are exchanges that support this theory. Darai calls Rin's evolving playstyle arrogant and avaricious. The latter (meaning extreme greed) is evocative of a force that pursues what it wants without regard for anything in its surroundings. What it can't have, it destroys.

Niou is confident enough in his physicality to try withstand his opponent's attrack. Rin literally flips him into the air. Niou's hubris brings to mind all man-made constructs which are supposedly storm-proof... until a cyclone comes along and proves otherwise.

The contrast between Rin and Sae's egos are interesting. If we accept Rin's is a storm, i.e. a destructive force of nature that cannot be controlled, Sae's is the opposite despite being as impossible to defy. Sae's motif is defined in the manga as "beautiful destruction", plays and passes depicted in graceful data strings. Rather than natural, his playstyle is sleek and controlled, and dominant to the point of appearing pre-ordained by his opponents.

Their attitudes are equally different. While Rin drools and loses composure in the final minutes, Sae does little more than raise his eyebrows throughout the entire game. He's completely emotionless.

It's the extremes of human nature: animalistic rage versus robotic detachment. This time, the latter wins. Will Rin have an opportunity to face his brother again, with a better grasp on his ego? Here's hoping.

My final thoughts on Rin are speculative. How does one beat a storm? Not just endure—but subdue and calm one?

It's beyond human capability. The ability to control the weather exists only in myth and fantasy, and even then it's usually in the hands of powerful entities, not mere heroes or wizards.

Subduing something as powerful as a hurricane would require a god.

Is this Isagi and Rin's endgame?

Time will tell.

#blue lock #blue lock analysis #blue lock meta #itoshi rin #itoshi sae #isagi yoichi #i missed doing long analysis posts ❤️#this was fun to pull together #bllk analysis #blue lock spoilers #blue lock anime spoilers #boinin talks bllk #mine #long post

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zhe-awesome-me-blog · 1 year

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Itoshi Rin and Sae: a story in three parts

alternatively: how having a brother complex can ruin your life (but it's mostly that you both just have terrible personalities)

So in the midst of the world cup finals last week, I remembered—in a frenzy or some state like it—of the existence of the edgy soccer manga Blue Lock. And so I read it. And it sure was edgy.

One of the things that stood out to me were the Itoshi brothers, Rin and Sae, and how most of their relationship, its highs and its lows, were predicated on Rin simply having the world's biggest brother complex.

By the way: general spoiler warning for the manga up until about the VS Japan U-20 match (around ch 147).

Prologue

Before we get any sense of backstory for them, we're introduced to the Itoshi brothers on different occasions.

In ch 4, we first meet Itoshi Sae, a genius soccer player who considered to be the best in Japan. The first impression we get of him is that he has a terrible personality. and a foul mouth. He has no interest in entertaining the media or giving any serious to interviews, and he does not hold back on his arrogant demeanor, though in his case, it's actually justified by his ridiculous skill.

Rin is introduced much later than his brother, during the second selection arc, and is someone who is also incredibly skilled. While most of his motivations seem shrouded in mystery, we know that Rin is self sufficient and dislikes to rely on others.

Oh and I guess there's also his deal with his brother.

oh yeah rin-chan seems weirdly more on edge at the mention of his brother? haha i'm sure this means nothing

Rising Action

In ch 123, the curtain is pulled back.

Itoshi Rin loves his brother very much, loved his brother very much; he admired him above all else, and strove to become just like him in the future.

Even as a little kid, Sae has had his terrible personality: he already tells his interviewers to eat shit and doesn't hold back his arrogant attitude. Most importantly, however, is how, above everything else, he hates to lose.

A young Sae takes it personally when Rin is the one to get the lucky ice cream. i'm with him on this one i would also try to justify myself too much when my brother would get the lucky items. curse him.

But those things don't mean much at this stage, where Rin and Sae stick with each other, as close as two coats of paint. Sae obviously dotes on his younger brother and treats him nicely, which contrasts with his demeanor with others. So when they both notice that Rin also has the skills in soccer, instead of being mad at Rin for intervening during his game, Sae proposes that he plays with him.

how heartwarming. im sure these siblings will keep their close relationship in the future haha

And so they do.

For the few years to come, the Itoshi brothers are an unbeatable striker duo. They share a dream: to become the best strikers in the world, with Sae as the number 1 and Rin as the number 2.

They're quite close, and have trust in each other's skill. When Sae comments negatively on Rin's play, it feels more like constructive criticism (and even playful banter), rather than insult.

Sidenote, it's interesting to compare the brothers' different approaches to playing soccer.

For Rin, he mostly relies on his instincts. It's something I may have not mentionned earlier, but one of the defining aspects of Rin is that he's a character defined by his incredible luck. It's present in the lucky ice cream he kept getting, in the fact that he was born as the younger brother to the talented Itoshi Sae, and of course, in his way of playing soccer.

a frustrated Isagi asks Rin what he's missing (ch86)

Sae, on the other hand, doesn't have as much luck. He keeps getting the wrong ice cream and he plays in a much more methodical manner: Sae actively works hard to reach his goal, while Rin allows himself to be caught along his brother's current.

dependency

Regardless, Sae eventually gets scouted for his skill and goes away to Madrid.

In the meantime, Rin keeps holding onto the dream, the promise, he had with Sae. Though, even when he works hard for his dream, he does so by playing as Sae's replacement, in order to catch up to his brother. All the while, he keeps holding onto the idealized version of his brother that he has in his head.

Turning Point

After four long years, Sae suddenly comes back and,

He's exhausted. Rin points out how he lost some weight, but Sae also has prominent eye bags, and his face is sunken. Most importantly, he lacks the vigor he had when he left Japan.

It's also important to point out that Sae had come back earlier than expected, yet his first thought was to go see his little brother and inform him of the change in his dream. Because to him, it's important that Rin knows this; because that mutual dream of theirs is what matters the most to them.

And so he tells Rin of his newfound realization and decision. The world out there is huge, and there are plenty of more talented players out there, even better than the unbeatable Itoshi Sae, as strikers.

So, Sae decides that he's now striving to become the number 1 midfielder in the world, instead of the best striker.

And Rin...

He takes the news very badly.

Because, to Rin, all he's hearing is that his unbeatable brother, the one who hates to lose above everything else, has resigned himself from his dream of becoming no 1 striker, simply because there are others that are better than him.

To Rin, his brother had basically admitted that he's not actually the best.

Understandibly, it shatters Rin, as well as his idealized and out-of-date image of his beloved, talented, cool, older brother. He can't bring himself to accept what Sae is saying, so instead, he aggressively rejects this "new" Sae in front of him, and he refuses to ackowledge him anymore.

The thing is, though, not much has actually changed.

His older brother is the same victory-loving, defeat-hating Sae as he was before he played in Madrid; he's still the same Sae who dotes on his younger brother and wants to see him grow; he's still the same Sae who wants to become the best soccer player in the world.

All that has changed is that he saw that he plays better as midfield, so he changed positions.

To Rin, it doesn't make sense that his unbeatable older brother would change this part of his dream. To him, the very fact that Sae altered his plan is the same as giving up. He's still childish and has an all-or-nothing mindset.

But Sae, who is a bit older and who has now experienced the world, doesn't understand why Rin is so upset. After all, he still wants to be number one, and he still wants his brother by his side.

Rin retaliates.

as a way to deal with their argument, sae challenges rin

Admitedly, the stakes of their 1v1 are ridiculous, but a part of Sae wants to keep on believing in this childish dream of them becoming the best strikers. After all, it's his talented younger brother. Maybe there is a chance.

But there is none.

And it's when Rin becomes so desperate that Sae finally loses his patience and tries to knock some sense back to him. Because Sae is exhausted at this point, and his younger brother is spouting childish things. Sae wanted him to realize that, sometimes, what you're best at may not be what you initially believed it to be: something which Rin seemed incapable of accepting.

admitedly, he's being very mean about it. I guess he finally got over giving rin nice treatment just for being his little brother

He gets angry at Rin. He tells Rin to quit, because to Sae, this dream he has is something that he's been actively working for and advancing in. Meanwhile, Rin tells him that he was his sole reason for playing all this time. And it's not enough, because it's such a fickle reason.

The world is large and there are so many better players out there, that such a lukewarm reason meant that Rin was never serious to begin with.

So now, it's Sae's turn to reject his brother.

Outcome

All that their interaction in the snow had showed Sae was that his brother was not actually serious about football, after all. And because he's not serious, because he's so lukewarm, Rin will never reach Sae's level.

The thing is, Rin does outsmart his brother in one critical instant, though neither one of them meaningfully acknowledge it

The main problem with Rin is, well, his huge brother complex.

Okay, well, more seriously, Rin's biggest problem is that he bases his self-worth on his brother. Even when they officially separate, Rin's motivation for playing football is still centered on Sae. Actually, I don't think you can say that his initial reason changed that much.

As easily as Rin could pretend it, he can't think that his beloved brother being nice when they were younger was all just a lie. Because it wasn't. So now he's mad at Sae for turning his life upside down and leading down this path.

He claims he wants revenge against his brother.

ch 125

Rin says that he wants to break Sae "into pieces" and that he wants to destroy his dream, but what is the dream that he's talking about? is it the one about being the number one player, regardless of position? Or is it just that Rin wants to go back to those days they were playing together?

I don't think even Rin himself knows entirely.

His reason for playing has always been Sae. It hasn't changed: it's always been his brother. And truth be told, all Rin really wants is to gain back the affection of his brother.

To come back to the Japan U-20 match, Rin says that he wants to be his own person, that he doesn't want to be defined by his relationship to others. But he also holds onto any bit of affection he may get from Sae.

So much for a guy who claims that he hates his brother.

He allows his hostile exterior to break a bit after the match against the Japan U-20 team. For God's sake, he's so hopeful and wide eyed that Sae finally, finally sees how far he's come. That he'd compliment him for the first time in a lifetime,

but no.

rip rin-chan I hope one day he actually compliments you

Epilogue?

Besides the fact that Rin's resentment towards Isagi has grown tenfold now that the latter managed to snatch a compliment from his brother, there isn't more that has been added to their relationship after their match.

Honestly, despite all this meta that I wrote,

I'm still not over the fact that Rin's mysterious and tragic deal was that he simply has the world's biggest brocon and heavily depends on his brother's approval and love.

#blue lock #rin itoshi #sae itoshi #itoshi brothers #meta #analysis #long post #by the way if i made any mistakes feel free to tell me

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munv · 5 months

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𝗜𝗠𝗠𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗜𝗡 𝗘𝗦𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗦𝗬

𝗜𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝗱𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗕𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝗟𝗼𝗰𝗸 𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝘁𝗼𝘀𝗵𝗶 𝗦𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗲𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂? 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗶𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼?

You weren't sure what happened, one second you were peacefully asleep and the next you were being woken up against your own will with constant shaking and a pillow with such little willpower attempting to suffocate you. There had to be only one culprit to this treacherousness. Sae.

It was 3 minutes since he came into your room and 'he's still here', you note to yourself. Grumbling and sneering at the younger Itoshi on top of you, you finally complied with his wishes with a small subtle glare. "Is there a reason.." you took a sigh "that you've woken me up at like 4 AM?" You stared at the small round teal eyes staring right back at you searching for a reason. "..There's.." He dragged on the rest of his sentence in a small tone. "there's sounds coming from downstairs." he relented.

This wasn't really a surprise, considering how sometimes Sae would watch you sleep just so he could get an uprising out of you, it was a given at some point in his childhood he would encounter some "monsters." The only difference is that your parents never had to deal with this because you were mentally old enough to know no monsters were under your bed ready to tickle your toes and gobble your boogers.

"Whatever it is..it's not there. Sae." you figured that if you told him, he would come to the answer soon right? He was a small kid so it shouldn't be that much of a problem. "and go back to sleep, mom said you have to enroll in school soon-" "no." "sae.." he batted his small eyelashes at you, perhaps trying to sway you with his charm. nonetheless, it wasn't gonna work for you. "I'm not gonna go until you walk me there." an eyebrow irked at this newfound information. Just how spoiled could this kid get? "fine..now get off me. For someone so small you're crushing me" Gently pushing the boy off your lap you got out of the comfort of your bed, pulling the comforter off with slight hesitance.

Sae followed suit after watching you get yourself together; holding out his hand for you expectantly. You relented with another sigh. With how much this family had allowed you to sigh this year, you wouldn't be below believing that you already had white hairs coming your way. Grabbing the smaller eyelash boy's hand you both walked off into the night of the hallway. He inched closer to you the more in view his room came, were your hallways always this long..? Nah, must be your playful imagination at work again. That growling must also have been your imagination..

...

growling?..

"nee-san..." sae looked up at you with unknown emotion in his eyes. With a mind devoid of thoughts that scrambled away in fear you turned to your younger sibling. "Sae. Just keep walking. Whatever it is, it isn't real." You squeezed his hand in discomfort while dragging him along a lot more quickly than your initial set pace. Perhaps you were trying to convince yourself that it wasn't real. But your mind couldn't help but spiral into madness once again in your attempt to comfort yourself.

You died, and reincarnated- you don't even know if this world is real, and hell! you don't even know if this universe is completely normal. Just the other day you encountered some weird-looking people, and you're sure that the Japan you were born in; realistically speaking certainly does NOT have people born with odd eye and hair colors. Had someone been graced with such a thing in your old word, they would've put you in a damn lab thinking you were the product of some parthenogenesis or meta bioengineering..something along the lines.

By the time you both reached the end of the hallway, you let out a breath you didn't know you were holding in. Letting go of the smaller Itoshi's hand you turned to look at him once again, "Sae we're here." you whispered quietly in an attempt not to wake the other people in the house. He squeezed your hand, and just as you were about to reach for the door handle, that's when you heard it.

creak

"k..d-s..."

it sounded like a distorted voice down the hallway. And it seemed as if you weren't the only one who heard it since your little brother stopped all his movements as well, "sae..on the count of 3 we run into the room" From the corner of your eye you watched as the tall figure came closer. Slowly opening the door you both inched closer to the door. "one.."

He got into position

"two.."

It opened with little to no trouble thankfully.

In the part where you were supposed to say 3, Sae had already rushed into the room ahead of you. You took one last look behind you before rushing in as well and locking the door. Sliding down the wall you instructed Sae to drag a chair over in order to barricade you two in.

You were in for a long night..

ITOSHI OMAKE

The same morning, your father had come downstairs to the smell of his wife making breakfast. Entering the kitchen, he gave his wife a small kiss on the cheek, "morning dear.."

That was..weird..? Normally one of her kids would be the first ones down and considering it was 11AM, she didn't know if it was to be a good sign or not. She watched from the corner of her eye as her oh-so-lovely husband sat down at the island table to pour himself out some cereal looking stressed. "Ryu..what happened??" She gave him a questioning gaze noticing the sigh he let out.

"last night..I was working on the new tiles and when I came back upstairs.." he was on the verge of tears..the poor man. Ryu buried his face in his palms. "the-" his voice broke down into a sniffle. The woman came from the other side of the kitchen to gently pat his back, trying her best to give him at least some comfort. "they..ran off thinking I was a..creature(?)" he said almost as if he was questioning himself.

Your mother let out small fits of giggles, it can't have been that bad dear.."

"kids!" time to get up!" the woman climbed the stairs with the intention of waking up her two children for breakfast. "[Name]..?"she called. That's strange, normally if she called you'd pop right up. Making her way she decided to check the younger son's bedroom in hopes she'd be able to find at least one of you, only to be stopped in her tracks when she spotted yet another unfamiliar sight for this weekend.

"oh my.." she spotted you, but what she didn't expect was to find sae snuggled up against you. This was..a one in a life chance! she quietly but quickly took out her phone that once nested from the small pocket in her apron. "how cute.." she cooed and she took a photo. "I should have this framed.." she said as she quickly ran back out before closing the door gently

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lanternkiwi · 1 year

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this is gonna sound real weird but im rereading the second selection and i reread u20 last night- and i LOVE the sweat details in each player and how it showcases their differences

cant believe im about to make a post dedicated to sweat on soccer players but aye man not the weirdest thing in the world LMFAO also another long post i have a lot to say about these boys and their sweat

bllk manga spoilers- second selection, u20, and neo egoist league

first all, i love how the amount of sweat on each player determines skill level and power TO A CERTAIN DEGREE it’s like their level of sweat is their level of power they’re exerting if that makes sense

look at isagi in his match against the top three

this is only the start of the game and he’s already sweating because his weapon requires a lot of power. when rin does the same thing,

not a single bead of sweat in sight. it shows the gap between of them of them in the second selection. isagi had to exert a large amount of power to pull that kind of shot off, while rin’s was almost effortless it’s criminal.

even here with aryu

another shot that was so effortless it should be against the rules. isagi had already exerted power, running around, passing, and attempting another shot. even when bachira started making plays on his own, he started sweating

and this interaction between bachi and toki,

toki is using a lot of his physical power and bachi is using a lot of his as well to make those passes and trying to break away from toki. also toki is freaking the fuck out and was already sweating buckets before hand, which is why i said it showcases this to a certain degree. cause toki, poor boy, was losing his mind before the match had even started

nagi, bachira, and isagi are already sweating while aryu and rin are dry as hell right now. nagi, bachira, and isagi are working as a team, constantly putting out power and using all of their weapons. rin and the others were fighting independently. they weren’t thinking of playing as a team. and every move and play came effortlessly to them.

even with rin’s ego out and about, he wasn’t exerting nearly as much power as isagi was to sweat.

the three of them were using way more power than rin while he was hardly trying. he didn’t care about this match. he just wanted to move on and win.

sound familiar- this shit runs in the family bloodline fr

sae motherfucking itoshi. the one that EVERYONE points out for not having a single drop of sweat on him through his entire appearance in the story. sae is rumored to have meta vision and didn’t even think about using it in the u20 match what a demon. but i think everyone, at this point, knows sae was barely trying in the match so we’ll keep our focus on bllk’s eleven

now the u20 match is where everyone and their moms, literally was sweating bricks fr. but look at everyone’s difference at the start of the match.

isagi was running around the field and had a brief confrontation with oliver. chigiri was running around, trying to block or stall sae. gagamaru saved sendou’s shot and karasu was keeping defense in check. nagi and bachi still had yet to use their weapons.

the longer the match went on, obviously they got more tired and their weapons were taking a lot of power and they were getting fatigued. chigiri was SOAKING when they got him out of the game cause of his leg and how much he used his weapon, his infamous speed

but since a lot of them have improved since the previously mentioned second selection, take nagi.

normally, nagi would be sweating by now. but this shot, the shot that got them the first goal, didn’t cause him to break out in sweat like in earlier games.

look at the team v vs team z game

look how much he improved :((( he was already using a considerable amount of power, but since he improved so much as a player, he didn’t need so much to execute that shot in u20. this same comparison could be done for chigiri as well for another example.

anyways, the star of the show, rin. i think him, shidou, and sae obviously, had the least amount of sweat on them by the end of the match. however once rin’s ego TRULY comes forward, he was sweat way more than we’ve ever seen him. look at him at the start of the match

and here he is with his ego and flow state, exerting a new level of power we’ve never seen from him yet.

and now, i offer up the one and only

michael kaiser. in the two times we’ve seen the beloved kaiser impact, not a single drop of sweat in sight.

even when he’s using meta vision, no sweat

even isagi using meta vision has him wetter than oregon on a good winter day fr

isagi’s already using so much of his power and has been consistently using meta vision for as long as i can remember (this game istg) and michael has been consistently using it as well, without a single drop of sweat. it’s really unclear if sae was doing the same thing since we hardly got anything from his pov and his thought process wasn’t really known either.

it’s fitting that the new generation world 11 are this op and able to relax like that in games like that.

even the top five in the world are similar to them. like sae, they weren’t trying in the game. i dont wanna make this ridiculously long so just have this one comparison.

the top five after the match,

and our boys after the match. totally different and ALL of them are sweating, showing the gap between our boys and the top five. the top five are fine, they hardly put any efforting into the game yet our boys are completely winded and out of breath. ego mentioned that the purpose of that was to show the players just how much they need to improve.

anyways, that’s it. i like those small details like that hopefully i’m not looking too deep into it and i sound insane LMFAOOO but i love how their sweat shows their growth, improvement, and output of power.

#cant believe i spent two hours of my day finding panels and talking about guys sweating #typical for me tho tbh #isagi yoichi #rin itoshi #bachira meguru #chigiri hyoma #aryu jyubei #tokimitsu aoshi #michael kaiser #nagi seishiro #blue lock

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inluvwyouu · 1 year

Text

bllk boys as american high school stereotypes

✧.* notes— bc i’m a bored asf high school senior and just finished rewatching high school musical

ft. isagi yoichi, bachira meguru, nagi seishiro, mikage reo

(in pt. 2: chigiri hyoma, shoei barou, itoshi rin, itoshi sae)

warnings: none :)

isagi yoichi - the accomplished nerd

you cannot tell me this kid wouldn’t at least be ranked top 6% or smth

like he would definitely have his whole high school life and college career planned out using his meta vision or whatever

he would “devour” all of his tests, quizzes, concept checks, etc.

and not to mention that he plays soccer

i know for a fact dude would milk the soccer thing for all it’s worth on his college apps

like in every other sentence on his college essay he would be talking about his soccer trauma lmao

he would also be a part of so many other clubs just to have a stacked resumé

i feel like he would study a lot too like just because he wants to do well in school in general

he’s one of those nerds that’s not necessarily popular but everyone knows him because people talk about his grades and his rank and they look up to him and stuff

was definitely cancelled for a bit for calling one of his classmates a slur after getting a bad grade on a group project…

nagi seishiro - the “invisible” kid

he’s not actually invisible he just never shows up to class lmao

he shows up occasionally to get the bare minimum of school hours so he can graduate, and also shows up for test days because making up work is a pain

he usually just sits in the back of class and is either sleeping or blatantly playing on his phone but the teachers never say anything because they lowkey forget he exists

but somehow he still has perfect grades??

he doesn’t think he has a lot of friends because he thinks it’s too much energy to keep up with a social life

and yet he’s still pretty popular and was somehow dragged into a huge friend group without even trying

a lot of girls have hallway crushes on him and try to flirt with him but he doesn’t even notice

and if he does he just pretends he doesn’t.

he couldn’t care less about school and just goes because he has to and internally complains about wanting to go home the entire day

bachira meguru - the weird kid

i’m sorry i love bachira but he’d definitely be that one kid people laugh at in the hallways

not necessarily in a “he gets bullied” way but just like, he’s weird and he knows it, everyone else knows it, and he’s genuinely funny

he’s like the weird kid that everyone’s friends with if ykwim

but it’s also kind of sad because he has no real friends

his grades are good enough i suppose; he doesn’t really try but he’ll get into a pretty decent college so he’s fine

doesn’t take school all that seriously

definitely the class joker

and is the subject of teacher gossip pretty much everyday because they find him incredibly tiring to deal with

other kids have seen him talking to himself in the hallways so they’re kind of creeped out by him

he’s completely aware that people talk about him behind his back but he doesn’t really care because he like being able to make people laugh

mikage reo - the rich kid

this one is obvious lol

he’s always wearing luxury brand names to school like it’s nothing

like catch this man in the hallway in gucci shoes, a louis vuitton jacket, prada sunglasses, and spraying his chanel perfume everywhere because the hallway smells like shit

people become friends with him just in the hopes that he’ll buy them super bougie stuff for their birthdays or whenever

he’s literally a nepo baby so he doesn’t even have to do well in school to get into a good college

has girls falling for him left and right but he knows it’s just because he happens to be wealthy and genetically fortunate

definitely would be a popular kid that gets along well with everyone

he’s really modest about his wealth but also not modest at all at the same time

the teachers try to suck up to him because they’re adamant that he’s going to be successful in the future (and he probably will)

blows money on his friends every time they hang out and throws the best parties with expensive ass alcohol

#blue lock #bllk headcanons #bllk #bllk anime #bllk manga #blue lock anime #blue lock headcanons #isagi yoichi #nagi seishiro #bachira meguru #mikage reo #anime #isagi headcanons #nagi headcanons #bachira headcanons #reo headcanons

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thyandrawrites · 7 months

Note

So besides nagi and reo do yuo have any other fave character interactions? Or characters you wish would interact more with each other?

Cjhxbdbs sorry for the nagireo spam. It will happen again

But yeah! The dynamic that got me into reading the manga to begin with was the Itoshi brothers', and I'm still very much curious about it. Estranged siblings are a huge fave trope of mine, especially when the conflict boils down to a failure to see reality from each other's point of view. I like to think the Itoshi brothers have some level of miscommunication going on, much much worse than Nagi and Reo's, but I do think the parallels are there for a reason. Every now and then I get meta worms about them and add thoughts to a dedicated gdoc file, but there's still so much that needs clarifying imo. The flashbacks gave me some answers, but I'm dying to see Sae's side of the story as well because Rin is as much as a reliable narrator as Reo is when it comes to Nagi. And I don't believe for a second that Sae is as emotionless about the entire deal as he comes across to Rin. But I also think he's a huge asshole for how he left things between them.

I wish the manga would give us an episode Nagi-style dive into his thought process for how his dream changed and why he lost faith in Rin. There seems to be some level of mutual idolization turned sour on both sides, and while we know why Rin went from adoration to "hatred" (putting that in quotes because it's more complicated than pure loathing), we're left guessing about what made Sae want to cut Rin out of his life completely just over a soccer disagreement. My running theory is that in the heat of the moment he felt some degree of lied to as well, like their dream mattered so little to Rin, he wasn't willing to face reality and grow from it. I won't go into detail on this bc I would write an essay but. Just. Their relationship is... Messy and complex and that's my favourite shade of drama. Can't wait for them to face each other again to shed some more light on all this, and also hoping for an eventual reconciliation.

As far as established dynamics go I'm not intense about anything else atm. I used to like Isagi and Rin's dynamic, but I'll be real with you anon, I liked Isagi more when he had yet to grow that big head and huge asshole streak. I'm still anticipating the bm vs pxg match tho, and tbh I'm way more interested in Rin as a rival/foil than I ever was in Kaiser. I can't wait for Kaiser to disappear from the plotline actually.

Other characters I'm interested in... Well, I wouldn't call him a fave of mine yet, but I am curious about Shidou. There's more to him than violence and innuendos, and I'm excited to see his progress in the next match. His dynamic with Rin also amuses me greatly. I'd like to see more of those two, but also more of Shidou in relation to people in general. Gosh, I'd like to see him be friends with Bachira tho it will likely never happen. I think they have a lot of common ground on the loneliness front, and I hc that Shidou was also an outcast who played soccer alone cause he had yet to meet someone who could match his passion and intensity.

But because I like loneliness-bonding, I'm also drawn to Rin and Bachira as friends (and as a romantic pair too, as you've probably seen me share bachirin stuff). The fact that Rin saw through Bachira's longing for a human connection soon after meeting the guy always struck me, and the fact that Bachira can see right through Rin's loneliness in turn is interesting, especially since Rin refuses to acknowledge that he is.

Other bondings I'd like to see are Hiori and Rin (traumabonding over family), Hiori and Nagi (bonding over games and self-isolation), Bachira and Nagi (bonding over being silly little airheads with no brain-to-mouth filter), Nagi and Nikko (weeb to weeb communication), Reo and Kunigami (bonding over their relationship with failure and their crazy self-expectations), Reo and Isagi (as metavision rivals and midfielder-like play makers) and probably something else that I'm forgetting

In short: just pick all my favourite characters and put them in Situations™ with different people. There's a high chance I will be into it

#Ali replies #Blue lock

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bluelockednyx · 10 months

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Hey!! I loved your Rinsagi metas and posts. FINALLY someone in the fandom who doesn't infantilize Isagi and sees canon him. Yes Isagi is nice but not like.. nanase level friendly and nice. He's polite but a lil withdrawn and appreciates people's talents but absolutely will not let anyone walk over him. Also,exactly what u said, sadist Dom. Yes please.

And Rin, so many people reduce him to this one-dimensional character who's issues people treat like a joke. When that's not the case? Bachira at least knows his prblms, Rin has no idea at all. Like how horrible does your repression and mental state have to be that the guy that is literally suicidal tells you that you're in a worse place than him. Rin gives off high key depressed vibes.

It's a lot like Post WC kunigami which draws...interesting parallels esp when you look at pre WC kunigami and at how Rin seems a lot happier before the fight. I saw someone make that comparison.

What do you think? How do you think Rin would've been like if Sae had actually bothered explaining instead of what we got?

Also, any opinions on the Itoshi parents? We've only seen half their faces and nothing from them abt their kids's relationship. I mean, it kinda bothers me how we've seen the views of Isagi, Bachira, Chigiri, even Hiori's parents when he's not a main character, Yet we got no input from the Itoshis. Do they just not notice? Are they a bit neglectful esp since they let a 13 yr old Sae go to another country alone? Do they let their kids do whatever they want including fighting for a year? Who knows? I'll love to know your thoughts tho.

Again, thank you for the lovely metas which made me feel a little less alone in the fandom. Have a great day :)

Isagi stans, please rise up and help characterise him properly lmao

Stupid long response under the cut, as always.

Rant about my issues with the general fandom characterisation about Isagi. Sorry anon if this isn't what you wanted, I have a lot of Thoughts and Salt where Isagi is concerned, and I am Fandom Old who is growing incredibly sad with how divisive current fandom is over a whole host of things. Skip to Itoshi if you don't wanna read about Isagi + fandom musings. Skip to parents if you wanna read about my thoughts on the family dynamics.

Isagi is, for better or worse, the stock shonen MC. He's enough of a regular guy for the target readers, which are teenage boys, to identify with. As he's the MC, the story overall serves to validate and support him, so long as he fits the themes the author is working on, which for Blue Lock, is the concept of being the best at what you're doing, while also bringing out the best in others, and then working together successfully to achieve goals (i.e. the World Cup).

But, Kaneshiro-sensei's also a strategic writer. Isagi, because he's such a bland self-insert for the most part, combined with how he has a very weird form of Power of Heart, has wound up being an especially attractive character for those who like harem, or reverse-harem series. Which then, for better or worse, brings all the fujoshi fangirls around (the curse of so many attractive characters). But most especially the fujoshi fangirls who are a fan of all x MC ships. I am emphasizing all x MC here, because east Asian/gen Asian fandom, have grown incredibly restrictive and rigid about top x bottom dynamics, which is a whole host of other things and issues to talk about.

Look up any popular shonen jump title, you'll find that these shippers generally have the same tastes, and move around the same fandom circles. You'll usually find them shipping all x MC ships, from Izuku to Tanjirou to Yuuji to Naruto etc. Overall, how they characterise them never deviates all that much. It's the nice, 'innocent', naive, guy who is a bit of a pushover, and who has all the other hot characters wanting to get in their pants. That's where Isagi falls into as well, for these shippers. The more thorny and less 'nice guy' parts of his characterisation gets sanded down, though YMMV whether this is a skill issue by fandom or simply a cultural readership interpretation difference altogether.

On the Itoshi bros:

Yep, Rin has a lot of repression issues. I wouldn't go so far as to say that Rin has no idea at all about his issues (how else would he pick out Bachira's loneliness so quickly lol, also there's some hints from official guidebook), but he definitely lacks self-awareness. I also agree that he and Nagi seem to be on different areas at the spectrum of depression (Nagi being apathetic, Rin being hostile).

If there's anything to parallel Rin and Kunigami, I'd say that it's the 'loss of a dream' and 'loss of companions'. In the manga proper, Rin does seem happier before the fight with Sae, like how Kunigami looked happier pre-WC. However, the light novel shows that Rin was already repressing both himself and his style of football to imitate Sae long before then due to external pressures by his teammates and coach, and even more severely than Isagi, who also didn't have much of a relationship with his own teammates from Ichinan.

If Sae had tried to explain more than that one line about 'the world being vast', they wouldn't have such a strained relationship right now, honestly. While I don't think that Rin would have fully understood what Sae was trying to say because he lacked the experience and perspective, I do think he would have been more supportive, which would have been better overall, for the both of them. They were both idiots that night, lmao, though I do view Sae as having been punished by the narrative when he pushed his dream onto Rin.

About the Itoshi parents:

We know that Rin and Sae presumably used to share a room and a double bed as kids (albeit a fairly spacious one, from the looks of it), which makes me think that they're more likely to be middle class than upper class. Young Rin also accompanied Sae to his soccer practice games, rather than going off for other classes like say, art, which implies that his parents might not have been able to afford it. Sae also walked home with Rin, which further implies that they're parents are busy, though its more of a norm in JP. Possibly a double income household, to fund Sae, and later, Rin's coaching fees and time with the youth football squad. Also a household that seems to have no qualms about Sae, and later, Rin's rudeness and hostility, although they may tone it down around their parents. Sae must have picked his attitude up from somewhere.

I'm reluctant to call the Itoshi parents sending Sae to Madrid at 13 as intentionally neglectful, because there are cultural nuances there. I think the best parallel I can draw is parents from less-developed nations sending their children overseas from an early age to secure eventual permanent residency and establish a life in a more developed nation. Sometimes, home just isn’t good enough. And this is one of Blue Lock’s main story themes: that Japan’s football, as it is, isn’t good enough. They have neither the organizational structure, infrastructure, nor support to get the World Cup that Sae, Anri and possibly Ego, covets.

Sae's dream, and talent, is in football. He's been scouted by perhaps the most successful team in the Blue Lock world, with a world-class program for youths, and has been given the best chance possible, for any kid in his shoes, to fulfill his dream to be the best striker in the world. He's being sponsored, and he also left with a manager who would presumably, help take care of him whilst he was there. Sae isn't going there like say, Ashito from Aoi Ashi, who needed to go through a trial to even be considered for acceptance into the youth squad. He's going there as the equivalent of a golden scholarship student scouted for a potential future work placement, with the likely backing of the JFA.

What alternatives could his parents offer him if he stayed in Japan? His own speech to Sendou pre-blue lock vs U20 match encapsulates what could have been for him (Sendou is very much a foil to Sae, especially now that we know they're both redheads lmao). Being the best in Japan, a middle-of-the-road striker in the world, retiring with an average, albeit decent life. Sae's too egoistic, too talented, too greedy to be content with a life like that. I wouldn't be surprised if Sae had also begged his parents hard to let him go, since it's pretty much all he wanted as a kid.

That's without even taking into account the other problems his parents would face if they immigrated with Sae. How to take care of Rin and his education there, for starters. Rent and housing, finding jobs in Madrid where they likely can't speak the language, and face discrimination.

I think we don't get their parents faces because Rin and Sae's story, and their relationship with their parents, are simply emotionally distant. I don't think they have much parental control over Rin or Sae either. Sae's been more or less looking after himself/being taken care of by Real Madrid + his manager in Spain since 13, and Rin has been strongly implied to be in much the same shoes since Sae left, to a lesser extent. I doubt they know the more minute details about Rin and Sae’s school life and team experience, both within and out of Japan. I even doubt that they know that Rin and Sae had a fight, honestly, though I can also see them being the kind of parents who will let their kids sort things out between themselves.

Overall: Itoshi parents takes care of them physically (buys them material things, makes sure they have a home to stay in, have a physical caretaker in their place), but emotionally? Rin and Sae seem to be pretty much left on their own. No wonder their relationship with each other broke down, and what little relationships they have with others seem like such a convoluted mess.

Thanks for sending the ask! I love hearing from people what they think about the latest chapters, characters, relationships etc. I hope you have a great day too!

#niki answers asks #this got very long

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boinin · 22 days

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Blue Lock volume cover analysis

An examination of unusual features and chains among the 28 volumes released to date. Subject to revision.

Like this? Want to reference these points in your own analysis on Reddit, YouTube, wherever? Go ahead! A shout out to this post is appreciated. Straight up plagiarism isn’t.

Volume 8: Mikage Reo

Reo's chains are noticeably shaded green. Guess whose eyes glow green when they're fired up...

In addition, @thyandrawrites has a theory that Reo ties/reties his hair up as a way to maintain emotional composure. The volume covers tend to represent the character's personality or struggles in some sense. If so, this is an early nod to the emotional trials Reo endures during the series.

Volume 10: Tokmitsu Aoshi

No chain weirdness here, but Tokimitsu is surrounded by black gunk in his cover. This may be a visualisation of his anxiety and the way he copes with it: running at speed and bulldozing through his opponents.

Volume 11: Ego Jinpachi

Ego's cover depicts him totally immobilised by the four chains bound to his neck. To date, no other character has been more restrained by the chains. This likely represents that Ego's fate is utterly dependent on the outcome of Blue Lock. His cover also suggests that Blue Lock (and football) consume Ego's life.

Volume 12: Shidou Ryuusei

Shidou's chains have a blue glow, much like Sendou's in volume 27. This glow is far closer to Shidou's collar however. It could imply that Blue Lock is the beginning of Shidou's pursuit of football.

He's also depicted with demon wings. The collar or chains don't impede his movement significantly, unlike other characters. In addition to portraying his incredible physicality, this could also visually represent how Blue Lock has failed to subdue Shidou.

Volume 16: Oliver Aiku

Aiku's chains are wrapped tightly around his arm and he's pulling them taut. The chains themselves appear rusted and cracked, most notably on his collar. This could represent Aiku's relationship with football. He grew jaded with being a striker in high school. Becoming a defender, then the match against Blue Lock, revitalised his enthusiasm. Hence, the chain is holding fast: he's just as ensnared by football (and Blue Lock) as the others.

Volume 17: Itoshi Sae

Sae and his chains are bathed in radiant gold light, which is associated with both divinity and wealth. His chains crumble in one place, and remain barely intact. I offer two interpretations for this. Firstly: unlike the others, Blue Lock does not have a strong impact on Sae—his success as a footballer is completely independent of it.

Secondly: if we take the chain to represent Sae's footballing career, the crumbling chain could allude to a time when football negatively impacted him. Perhaps whatever happened in Madrid? But he came back stronger, as the rest of his chains appear even more golden.

Volume 18: Teieri Anri

Anri is the only character depicted without chains or a collar. While working with Ego is a prison sentence in its own right, the artwork suggests that her ambition and future isn't connected to the outcome of Blue Lock. It can also be interpreted as a nod to the hierarchy within Blue Lock. Anri is Ego's boss and thus, she is free while he is constrained. However...

Zoom in on the reflection on her phone screen. It appears to reflect a wide grin—which can only be one person's. Taking into account her passivity in chapter 247, this detail positions Anri as Ego's accomplice: willing to do his bidding, no matter how amoral.

Volume 19: Michael Kaiser

Kaiser's collar and chains are made of glass, through which his blue rose tattoo is visible. As chapter 243 told us, a blue rose represents the impossible to Kaiser. Glass chains suggests that his ego or ties to football are fragile, and could be broken easily. Symbolically, glass can also represent transparency. As a character, Kaiser is upfront about his talent and desires. Nobody is in doubt about his footballing mantra or his intent to undermine Isagi.

Volume 20: Alexis Ness

Ness's chains are entwined with blue rose brambles, all but for a short length to the top right of the image. While Ness came to love football independently, seeing it as magical, the rose brambles show that his connection to football is now inseparable from his devotion to Kaiser. It also reflects that Ness would not be a professional footballer without Kaiser, as per chapter 242/243.

Volume 24: Hiori Yo

Hiori is the only character shown holding the end of his chain, which is secured by a football-shaped weight. This suggests that Hiori himself is the one in control of his career, rather than external forces. Football is a burden to him, albeit something he can carry. Therefore, Hiori is not ensnared by the chains (or Blue Lock) to the same extent as other characters. Appropriate for a character guaranteed to succeed as a footballer, but who ultimately may not choose to pursue it.

Volume 25: Niko Ikki

Niko's volume cover is hilarious. I'll leave the explaining to Tomo-tan, who lays out the humour and genius of Niko's cover in this great Reddit post.

Volume 26: Don Lorenzo

Members of the New Generation World XI have no chill when it comes to their covers, and Don Lorenzo is no exception. His collar shows bite marks, as though chewed through. Gold teeth are good for more than caramel popcorn, apparently.

Lorenzo's chains are accompanied by what looks like electricity. This suggests that football reanimated Lorenzo from near death, as per chapter 216. It's a visual nod to his playstyle, which resembles the incessant pursuit of a zombie. Guess we can call him Snuffy's Monster.

Volume 27: Sendou Shuuto

A blue glow appears on Sendou’s chains, halted from travelling further by his fist. This may represent the threat Blue Lock poses to Sendou's footballing career. He's already been kicked as the striker of the national team; now in the Neo Egoist League, he must battle for a place on the new U20 line-up. No easy feat, as his sweaty face implies.

Another detail worth mentioning is that the trajectory of one of Sendou's chains appear to align with the chain Aiku's pulling in his cover. This similarity, and the fact that they're both holding their chains, may be interpreted as a nod to their status as former U20 teammates—likely the only ones that will make the new team, going off the latest NEL auction table.

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xoxobluelock · 1 year

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Shidou & Zlatan Ibrahimovic Similarities

I was looking into Shidou's Big Bang Drive and fell down the Zlatan Ibrahimovic rabbit hole. Turns out, Shidou and his favorite player share a number of similarities, including incredible bicycle kicks, play styles, backgrounds in Taekwondo, and ...abrasive personalities.

First, the Big Bang Drive.

Ibrahimovic is the first video result when you search "bicycle kick" for a reason. In a 2012 Sweden vs England friendly, Ibrahimovic pulled off what is widely considered a legendary bicycle kick goal—some have argued one of the best goals of all time—30 yards out. With the vid / gif and the manga panels below, I think you’ll see some similarities between Shidou’s Big Bang Drive here in Chapter 130 and Ibrahimovic's goal.

Below is a play-by-play, followed by background on Ibrahimovic and similarities he and Shidou share:

(I am not claiming the Big Bang Drive was based on Ibrahimovic's goal. I just think it's interesting. Also, you can find the "Egoist Bible" player interview in which Shidou states Ibrahimovic is his favorite player here, courtesy of 705point8 on Twitter.)

The goal starts with Sweden (Ibrahimovic's team) stealing the ball from England and passing long—like Sae did—to where only Ibrahimovic and two members of the opposing team are. Like how Shidou is going up against Reo and Aryu after moving on "reflex" toward the goal, knowing Sae would work his magic and get him the ball.

The goalie had come out from the goal, and heads the bounced pass away (like Gagamaru), but it isn't enough to get past Ibrahimovic. Or Shidou.

Shidou pulls off an overhead bicycle kick goal bonkers enough to have even Sae show some surprise on his face. Look how far away Shidou is! Is it 30 yards like Ibrahimovic's? Can't say for sure, but it looks damn close. Man, I can't wait to see this match animated!

Sae's face 😂

I'm no football expert—I’m running on Ted Lasso, Blue Lock, and a dream here—but is it possible that Shidou's Big Bang Drive might be an homage to Shidou's favorite player and his famous thirty-yarder? I think so. Or it's entirely coincidental, you decide.

...

Background + Similarities

Here's the man in question, recently and younger.

(Content warning: Ibrahimovic, like Shidou, is sometimes crude and violent, and has sexualized aspects of the game. The explanation below is far milder than what you’ve already read in the manga, just want to mention it.)

(Unless otherwise noted, everything below came from Ibrahimovic's Wikipedia page.)

If you read Ibrahimovic's Wikipedia page, you can see why Shidou is a fan:

One of the best strikers of all time? Three whole decades of playing football, a twenty year international career, still playing into his forties (though not always as striker now)? (We know how football is life for Shidou!) Brash and outspoken? Known for acrobatic goals? Making yellow and red cards fly like paper planes? Makes sense to me.

Notably, Ibrahimovic's been carded for the following:

Cursing—meh, pretty tame.

Literally slapping, elbowing, kicking, punching, and headbutting people—sometimes even his own teammates! Okay, now we’re on to something.

Grabbing his junk to taunt jeerers. Sexualizing things for no damn reason, just like Shidou! 😅 Ibrahimovic’s done this at least twice, I believe. And fairly recently, 2016 and 2019.

...

Perhaps the most interesting connection is Taekwondo. I had assumed Shidou had some degree of experience in Taekwondo after seeing his crazy form / flexibility in Chapter 88 and googling “axe kick." But what do you know? Ibrahimovic attended Taekwondo classes as a child and received an honorary black belt. Several articles either imply (The Athletic) or state (The Sun; Goal) that Ibrahimovic's black belt is not just an honor bestowed for highlighting Taewkondo, but also a real distinction he earned at only 17.

I'm saying: both Ibrahimovic and Shidou have some Taekwondo experience, starting in their youth.

(Ch. 102)

Ibrahimovic says: #Taekboll

See him in action on his Insta:

...

Reading further on his Wikipedia, Ibrahimovic definitely has the Blue Lock ego down. Here are some fun lil quotes:

“‘You bought a Ferrari, but you drive it like a Fiat.’ — Ibrahimović disparages Guardiola on how he was used at Barcelona.”

“He announced his arrival in idiosyncratic style by taking out a signed full-page advertisement in the Los Angeles Times that simply said, ‘Dear Los Angeles, you're welcome.’” (A WHOLE DAMN PAGE IN THE LAT—I can’t 😂)

“Post match, Ibrahimović stated he was ‘happy for Toronto because they'll be remembered as my 500th victim.’” (Such a dick, I love it.)

“‘Swedish style? No. Yugoslavian style? Of course not. It has to be Zlatan-style.’ — Downplaying the influence of his background, Ibrahimović describes his unique playing style.” (Okay, King JJ.)

“One thing is for sure, a World Cup without me is nothing to watch." (I dunno, bro, I enjoyed the last one.... 😂)

Here’s one that highlights another connection to Shidou / freedom in football: “I was sacrificed and no longer had the freedom on the pitch I need to succeed.” He literally said this about playing with LIONEL MESSI. But, ya know, fair point. Shidou and Rin had so much fun sharing the spotlight (and the ball). (Important to note that Ibra has also expressed admiration and respect for Messi.)

“…Ibrahimović announced he was to leave the LA Galaxy through his Twitter account, telling Galaxy fans ‘[Y]ou wanted Zlatan, I gave you Zlatan. You are welcome. The story continues...Now go back to watch baseball.’” (Baseball! The shade! 😂)

The actual tweet with what, I'm assuming, is a fan-edit he 'borrowed':

Not from Wiki: As recently as a 2021 interview, Ibrahimovic stated, "Deep down, I think I'm the best player in the world."

...

Alright, this got more involved than I intended. Going to wrap it up with some brief notes on play style and some fun facts.

Straight from Ibrahimovic's Wikipedia page: “Known for his strong mentality and leadership, as well as his extroverted and highly competitive personality, despite his success, he has been criticised in the media for his arrogance, aggression and rebellious character, as well as his lack of discipline on the pitch, in particular in his early career, which has led him to involved in confrontations with other players, some of his managers and even reporters.” Can definitely see why Shidou might feel some kinship with Ibrahimovic!

Wiki also notes ESPN described Ibrahimovic as "good in the air, quick, tall, strong and agile, he plays well with his back to goal and boasts some of the best finishing, vision, passing and ball control around.” Mr. Demon Wings / "Flying Killing Machine" Shidou is definitely good in the air (Ch 131). Ibrahimovic has Shidou by five inches in height, but Shidou is over six feet and is shown to be acrobatic. Shidou also has incredible game vision. Look at Mr. "My Weapon is 'Extreme Spatial Awareness!!" go (Ch 130)! And he plays well with his back to goal. "As long as I'm inside the penalty area, even with my back to it... I can find the goalmouth without even seeing it!!"

...

Lastly, Ibrahimovic is active and popular on social media—apparently the most followed Swede on Insta with over 55 million followers. He often signs posts with a 🦁. He doesn’t drink alcohol. He had a rough childhood. He's married and has two kids. Ibrahimovic also has a habit of referring to himself in the third person.

Phew. Okay. I got shit to do. You can tell where I got tired. I might revisit this later, especially if I come across anything else relevant to Shidou / Blue Lock. But since you made it this far, I'm begging you to read this article in The Athletic. It is so damn funny and interesting and weird, complete with talkshow appearances and everything—and it really highlights things like his sense of humor and ability to laugh at himself (on his own terms, at least). And makes you wonder just how much of his ego is a facade.

There’s obviously a lot more about Ibrahimovic and his decades long career. Like how he played in Sweden’s U-18 Team, multiple leagues, and World Cups; has scored a “perfect hat-trick,” etc., etc.. But I tried to give a brief overview of what seemed most relevant to Blue Lock and my favorite character.

Hope you found it interesting / helpful, too! Might get around to posting some of the notes I've taken on Shidou and Sae for a fic now that I'm finally free from Tumblr purgatory and can actually be seen in the tags.

Update: As of June 4, 2023, Ibra has officially retired. At age 41, after over 30 years in the sport. AC Milan sent him off in style, and he trended at #1 worldwide on Twitter for hours after the announcement. He's still very active on his socials and seems to be enjoying retirement, playing pickle ball and attending Coldplay concerts!

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bluelockednyx · 2 years

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Isagirin meta part 1

“You should aim to choose, rather than be chosen”

AKA Blue Lock, its focus on ‘egoism’, the impact of that philosophy and Kaneshiro Muneyuki’s + illustrator Nomura Yusuke’s opinion on what constitutes a good relationship in the series and how it ties into Isagirin/Rinsagi

An Isagirin/Rinsagi ship manifesto/meta. Spoilers up till the end of Blue Lock Phase 1, where Isagi and co. return to Blue Lock after the Blue Lock vs U20 match. Do note that I am flipping between both the JP tankabon for the OG text + official + fan translations for the english.

I’m going to preface by saying that I adore Blue Lock for all the reasons I also think it’s ridiculous: the hyper-competitiveness amongst fictional teenage characters in their pursuit of becoming the world’s best striker, all done in a glorified high-tech jail cell (which, as of the Neo-Egoist League arc, also serves as a reality tv show background!), where they are able to do and think of nothing but football and football only. Yet with all that, the series has chosen a fascinating take on its characters’ relationships with each other: the pursuit of a relationship, that prioritizes individual growth and independence, and where the characters, after separating, come back together stronger both individually and as a unit.

To start off with, a quick look at egoism, the main theme of the series.

What is egoism? It is the doctrine that human behaviour is motivated by self-interest, as per Merriam-Webster’s definition. Thus, from an extreme viewpoint, a fully egoistic person would regard oneself as the center of every interest, and every action made is done for one’s own benefit and one’s own benefit only, without any regard given to others.

In the context of Blue Lock, our main character, Isagi Yoichi begins to discover his own egoism through participating in the project. Over time, he learns to develop his skills while trusting in his ego, and on occasion even use other’s egos to his own advantage, and every step of the way he encounters/learns from his teammates and opponents in Blue Lock, then the U20, and as of now, the Bastard Munchen team.

And even with this hugely colourful cast of characters, Itoshi Rin still manages to stand out from the rest of the cast since his very first appearance, as well as Isagi’s first meeting with him.

As this is again, mostly a shipping meta, and an organisation of my thoughts about Isagirin’s relationship with the primary focus being the series’ narrative – Isagi’s egoism and his path to become the world’s best striker.

A note: I use football and soccer interchangeably throughout this series of posts. Fight me on my British English centric education. This is also very long (at least 5 parts, I'm still editing pics and whatnot), to say the least, because there are so many things to talk about where they are concerned in relation to the story.

As this is all about Isagi/Rin, I’ll start with Rin’s first appearance as part 1.

First impression (C40)

The first time Isagi (and we, the readers) meets Rin is in Chapter 40. Everyone is exhausted after the two weeks of physical training, and Ego has just announced that beyond the doors are the second selection trials. While everyone is hesitating over being the first to go in, Isagi included, Rin takes the initiative. We know immediately that this guy’s gonna be important: Rin appears larger than life by artistic positioning of his full body before the manga panels.

Isagi, along with several team Z members are immediately impressed by his first shot. Isagi calls it a ‘beautiful kick, a tall gentle curve’. He’s taken aback by the second shoot Rin makes, which hits the first. Rin declares his warm-up over and tells the AI system (or Ego?) to open up the doors, and becomes the first person to head inside the Second Selection Trial.

Upon seeing his surname, Igaguri immediately links Rin to Sae, who is, as of yet, a minor character who appeared early on in the story, and is already considered one of the top 11 players in the football world stage. It further reinforces Rin’s future importance in the series.

This chapter is the start, though definitely not the end, of Isagi’s, uh, fixation on Rin.

C44

Isagi’s the first person from Team Z to go through and complete the individual ability challenge. He teams up with Bachira and Nagi, (who leaves behind an upset Reo), and they head to the next stage, where they immediately encounter Rin, Aryuu and Tokimitsu, who’ve teamed up. Ego explains the rules, and emphasises that to play, both teams have to agree to the match-up. At first, Isagi is hesitant to clash head-on with Rin, Aryu and Tokimitsu, and Aryu, too would prefer to fight against better opponents rather than Isagi and co. Then Rin says he wants to win quickly and move on.

Rin’s self-centredness and stand-offishness is out in full focus here, and it almost causes a fight between him and Aryu. His speech about getting into the Japan U20 to crush Sae reveals his fixation on his brother, but at the same time incites/intrigues the other five present. Then we get this:

Neither Bachira nor Nagi seem to be all that keen to duke it out against the top 3. Contrast Bachira and Nagi’s reaction to Isagi’s upon seeing the top 3’s antics, and finally Rin’s declaration. Bachira’s amused, while Nagi looks a little perplexed, or perpetually bored.

But Isagi.

“But… my ego is telling me – I want to fight this guy! And most importantly… I want this guy!”

So yeah. The most important story theme to Blue Lock, one’s ego, and Isagi uses it in reference to wanting Rin. Okay, I’ll concede, he wants to fight Rin first and foremost, but, even within story and context included, this line is definitely an eyebrow raiser. And even in other fujoshi bait sports anime, this line is definitely a 'wow they laid it thick' moment.

At this point, Rin definitely couldn’t care less so long as he moves ahead. So they match up. The first 3v3 in Blue Lock is set.

C45

Game starts in a mini field, Isagi-Bachira-Nagi team score, but all it gets from Rin is a scoff. It’s in this match that Isagi encounters the concept of football being a deathmatch, and the field a battlefield.

‘This is… a battlefield.’

‘Soccer is a death match as far as I’m concerned.’

This is somewhat of a rehash of Ego’s speech in the earliest chapters of the series, when the 300 strikers were first gathered before him.

“True strikers tread a path of winning or losing everything… every single day, in order to keep on surviving.”

Isagi’s response?

"Interesting... I'll join this death match!"

C46-48

The match is quick, and brutally one-sided. Besides the first goal, scored from the joint effort of Bachira-Nagi-Isagi, Rin, Aryu and Tokimitsu score one goal after the other. Isagi struggles to keep up with Rin the whole time, and the game ends with Rin scoring thrice. Isagi hardly does anything worth mentioning, other than the first goal and successfully blocking one of Rin’s goals.

Chapter 48 is a real goldmine for this ship, and sets the course for Isagi’s future skills growth and character arc in the manga very deliberately.

‘Think you found a good space or something? At least go study how human eyeballs work, you trash.’

As the realisation of his impending loss sinks in, this is his reaction:

From a shipping perspective, Isagi’s whole response to the loss is spectacular. Note the blacked in panels of Isagi’s monologue of despair, the inevitability of losing dragging his movements down putting him distantly in perspective. Then note the switchover from black to white again in his monologue, down to the way his eyes widen, and the light in his eyes when Rin makes that final goal to trounce Isagi-Bachira-Nagi team 5-2. The monologue itself reads like a love confession, even with context.

‘We’ll lose. Are you kidding?! With my current capability… I can’t even measure… how much the difference between me and Rin is – I can’t tell… the difference is just that overwhelming… and despairing… Even so... why… In spite of the fact that we’re going to lose… my eyes… my heart… I’m completely smitten. by the beauty of the parable that his kick drew --’

In the OG Japanese, Isagi says his eyes and heart were stolen.

「敗北という現実とは裏腹に　俺の目は　��は　奪われていた　糸師凛のけり描く　その放物線の美しさに　―」

In this moment, Isagi should be absolutely devastated by the loss. Yet, he’s not. He’s hung up, he’s smitten, his heart is stolen by Rin's beautiful kick, which neatly bookends with the first time he sees Rin shooting back in chapter 40, where he was surprised and fascinated by the tall, gentle kick that Rin made.

And isn’t that fascinating?

I’ll be wrapping this up here for now. Part 2, covering the rest of the Second Selection Arc coming soon!

#blue lock #bllk #isagi yoichi #itoshi rin #isagirin #rinsagi #isagirin meta part 1 #rinsagi meta part 1 #otp: heart stolen by his beautiful parable

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bluelockednyx · 2 years

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Isagirin meta part 5

Part 1 detailing Isagi's first meeting and match with Rin here

Part 2 covers the rest of the Second Selection Arc, up until Rin, Isagi, Bachira, Aryu and Tokimitsu form a five man team here

Part 3 covers the 5v5 match against the world class players, as well as the Blue Lock Eleven tryouts up until Rin's kickoff in the Blue Lock vs U20 match

Part 4 covers the first half of the Blue Lock vs U20 match

We're now at Part 5 of this meta/manifesto. This section covers the remainder of the Blue Lock vs U20 match, the chapters of the mini-holiday they get after that, up until Isagi and co. return to Blue Lock for the start of the Neo-Egoist League arc.

Second Half (C126 - 148)

Isagi and Rin walk out together, and Rin immediately notices Shidou's presence on the field. They have their usual spat, with Shidou calling him under lashes junior (fourth nickname now, and third from Shidou) and a brocon this time.

(Isagi's seen enough of their fights that he panics right away).

Sae kicks off the U20 team's offense, and they get through to the penalty area with Sae, Shidou and Sendou. Niko gets a yellow card from blocking Shidou, who almost loses his temper and goes after him.

Sae successfully reins in Shidou's temper, and when Shidou demands the free kick, challenges Shidou's thinking. He gives Shidou advice about aiming for the 'most realistically possible' and 'ideal' play. Hearing that, Shidou concedes the free kick to Sae, and dashes on to the field. Chigiri is the earliest to notice and react, but fails to stop Shidou from scoring.

Isagi realizes that Sae and Shidou's teamwork was what he's been aiming for since the Blue Lock Eleven tryout match, based on Hiori's advice. Niko and Chigiri then gets subbed out for Reo and Hiori.

Blue Lock pushes through again. While Aiku defends Rin, Hiori passes to Nagi, who then gets blocked by Niou, (he's uncharacteristically grumpy too, because he lost an opportunity with being able to use Rin as rare bait), then swiftly passes to Isagi who’s been shadowing Rin.

Aiku blocks, and the U20 team counters. Sae passes to Shidou, but it gets intercepted by Reo who copied Aiku’s moves and sent the ball out of the field. When Sae passes to Shidou again, Reo irritates Shidou and successfully limits his scoring chances (guess all those matches with Shidou after losing to him in the 2v2 paid off). Gagamaru sends the ball back to midfield, but its intercepted by Sae, who passes yet again to Shidou. Shidou tries again, and after Gagamaru’s dive, manages to get into flow and score his second goal. Shidou, elated from the goal, jumps onto Sae’s back, and in true anti-touch Itoshi fashion, Sae immediately puts distance between them by unceremoniously tossing Shidou off his back (lmao).

Rin seethes from seeing Shidou and Sae's interactions. Isagi, on the other hand, runs up to Ego for advice, and Ego responds that Blue Lock has already won by making themselves known in this match.

And his response is, well, lukewarm, to say the least.

'The future doesn't matter. Losing here is the same as dying. And we're not gonna accept death just yet...! I only care about being the best in the world...!'

Isagi at his fiercest thus far, for sure.

In response, Ego substitutes Otoya for Barou, strengthening Blue Lock's offense. Rin too, has the team change tactics, telling the forwards to rush in and attack as they please.

'We'll win, even if we have to crush each other to do so.'

Rin and Isagi trade passes, until Rin passes back to Hiori. Seeing Isagi open, Hiori makes the pass, which gets stolen by Barou, who fails his shot. Yukimiya picks up the stray ball, and his shot gets blocked by Aiku, who gets into flow. We get Aiku’s backstory, then Rin gets the stray ball again. While Aiku moves in to stop him Isagi comes up to support Rin, and it prompts Aiku’s monologue that ‘they’re a duo so good it pisses him off’.

Rin ultimately doesn’t manage to get past Oliver, and the ball goes, once again, to Sae. Karasu stalls Sae, and the defenders mark the U20 strikers. Reo blocks Shidou well enough for Gagamaru to then successfully fend off Shidou’s latest shot, and Reo steals possession of the ball, sending it back to Nagi who's at midfield.

With the field in disarray, Blue Lock pushes forward, and Isagi monologues about finding the ‘thread’ of this match, to score his own goal. Karasu comes up to help the forwards, and Isagi passes to Nagi, who has to pass back to Isagi because of the defenders rushing in to press him.

Then Sae comes out, seemingly out of nowhere, to block Isagi, and he identifies Isagi as the ‘heart’ of Blue Lock, even complimenting Isagi’s intelligence. Isagi pushes forward, and as he attempts to shoot Sae upsets his balance. Three guesses as to who comes running in to help.

"Isagi!! Look at me!!"

Isagi passes to Rin, but Aiku blocks him. Then from the sides, Barou rushes in, steals the ball, and scores the equalizer for Blue Lock. Blue Lock celebrates the goal, and Barou explains how he got to that point.

Barou: ‘I just moved from start to finish with the intent of devouring you. When my style of focusing on you was read, I moved on to the next stage of that. Meaning I have to hunt the plays you made ‘when you evolved’. Not that I can predict what you’ll do when that happens. But I know for a fact that there’s a guy who can. Itoshi Rin. That guy would definitely react to however you evolved. By targeting that relationship, I could get in front of the goal… and I waited for when you would pass to Rin.’

Isagi: ‘So if you’re supposed to be moving while focusing on me… how do you visualize that? Stuff like Rin’s movements, positioning and all that…?’

Barou: ‘Huh? What are you on about, scrub? You and Rin are so synchronized you already look like one and the same.’

Isagi: ‘What?’

Barou: ‘It’s simple, really.’

Rin [background]: ‘…’

Barou: ‘To me… Rin is just another Isagi.’

Isagi’s expression matched mine as I read this bit, honestly. This is the natural outcome of Isagi and Rin’s mind reading, everyone, brought to you by Barou Shouei. Melding so well with each other that they basically become the other person (in Barou’s Isagi-obsessed mind, at least). And he's not the only one to do that, either. Nagi did it in the 4v4 match. Nanase did it in the Blue Lock Eleven tryouts. It's a legitimate tactic, y'all.

Isagi comes to the realization that to beat the U20, there needs to be a chain of ‘trances’, and he needs to move believing in the others overcoming their own challenges. Meanwhile, Itoshi the elder handily nixes the U20 coach’s plan of a new substitution, and Itoshi the younger seethes with frustration over not scoring again.

Last 15 mins of second half (C139)

Rin understands that at some point, the team, and the game, has begun to revolve around Isagi – from Karasu’s pass, to Nagi’s, then finally Isagi’s pass to he himself once Sae blocked Isagi, that got intercepted by Barou, leading to their 3rd goal. Rin’s furious, but also stressed and straining – see the teeth clench here, telling himself that he won’t be devoured by Isagi.

On the other hand, Isagi’s thinking about the exact opposite, how Rin is still the center piece of the match. Rin’s presence soaks up the attention of the U20 defenders, allowing Isagi to move freely around him, and it’s when Rin gets into gear that the rest of Blue Lock starts amping up their offense as well. He also understands that he needs to replicate the phenomenon from earlier to score successfully. Then we have the iconic page of the both of them thinking that they’ll devour each other and become the main star.

In response to Barou’s goal, Sae decides to turn up the heat and his game play. He easily blitzes pass Nagi, Isagi, Karasu and Barou, dodging Rin’s sliding tackle as well.

This stresses Rin further. Isagi's growing presence in the match, Sae's superior skill, the game that's almost over but still tied, with the possibility of Blue Lock's defeat at hand. Rin thus chooses to ‘synchronize’ with Sae, and figure out his intentions and method of destroying Blue Lock. Rin then accurately predicts Sae’s pass to Shidou, even getting himself hurt (that was a nasty collision) to stop Shidou from scoring. Even Sae is shocked by it.

Karasu tries to get Shidou carded for it, though the referee disagrees (nice try, though, Karasu).

Isagi immediately notices the change in Rin, realizing that Rin's moving with the intention to block/defeat Sae, admiring him for it and understanding that Rin is now evolving (like a pokemon)

Reo passes the ball back to Nagi at the midfield, and Isagi latches on to the changing game flow and circumstances, with the current evolution of Rin’s play style. And after a very long time of minimal presence in-game, Bachira comes up again (yes, I missed him a lot, Bachira’s fun).

Isagi gets the ball, and Bachira surges forward, taking what is normally Rin’s place on the field. Isagi is mindful of that, so much so that Barou spots an opportunity and comes in to steal. That prompts Nagi’s dissatisfaction (‘Quit it! After all Reo went to get the ball back for us!’ be still my Nagireo heart), and Bachira gains possession of the ball again. He bypasses the U20 defenders and shoots, but Sendou blocks his shot.

Having yet to catch up to Isagi and the others in the front, Rin defends the pass route from Sae to Shidou. Sae passes to the other U20 forwards instead, and when the ball goes to Sendou, Barou and Nagi block it with a spectacular head crash.

Isagi’s back to defend against Sae, who passes to Aiku. But just like when Aiku blocked him earlier, this time Rin intercepts Aiku’s shot with a sliding tackle.

‘Can’t believe you reached that, self-centered captain.’

‘Sorry, but I’m the little brother of someone self-centered too.’

As the game resumes with a corner kick off, Rin thinks that he has to overlap his thought processes with Sae’s as he struggles to beat his brother. Yet he’s also conflicted: he’s the only one who can keep up with and stop Sae, and if he doesn’t stop Sae Blue Lock will lose. However, if he focuses only on beating his brother, he won’t be able to score his own goals either.

Note the focus on Isagi’s back here.

Then Rin’s reaction:

C144: Libido

*looks at chapter title* uhhhhhh.....

Hiori’s gotten the ball, and as he’s prepping to pass, Rin comes in and steals the ball from him, blitzing past the rest of his teammates and surprising them. Realizing that the person whom he needs to crush is himself, Rin undergoes an evolution – entering his own ‘flow’, as it were. Sae too, notices the change in Rin. Isagi comes over to match up with him, but Rin ignores him, focusing instead of breaking through the U20 defenders by himself. He gets through Neru. Interestingly, as he goes up against Darai, he passes back to Isagi, who then passes back to Rin as well. Here, also, he stops Darai from turning with a hand and uses a backheel trap to stop Darai, He bursts through Niou’s charge. At this point, Nagi and Karasu have also both cottoned on to Rin’s change. Ego then notes Rin’s flow – a football that destroys hideously, one that uses his opponents strong points against them. A clear parallel and antithesis to Sae’s style of football.

Facing Aiku, the last defender, Shidou comes in and helps to block Rin’s assault (also a new nickname, which brings the count to five now? I think?)

Isagi comes to back Rin up, but Rin ignores Isagi. Shidou also calls Isagi ‘lover-boy’ here. So, with shipping goggles on, and after so many instances and chapters of people remarking on it I��m going to declare that Isagi is Not Subtle At All where Rin is concerned.

Rin makes the shot, but it doesn’t go through, and Sae gets the rebound, with one minute left in-game. Sae bypasses Isagi, Barou and Nagi. Karasu stalls him, and in this moment, Isagi notices Rin going in for yet another showdown with Sae, and gets a ‘prediction’ or ‘premonition’.

Meanwhile, Rin, still in his ‘flow’, finally gets the conversation with Sae he’s snapped at Sae for in their first showdown, but Sae is still cruel and disparaging to him, telling Rin that that’s as far as his ability gets, and that Rin would have been happier if he stayed home and the best Rin can ever do is live in his shadow. Rin violently rejects Sae’s words.

‘Stop trying to bind my ‘ego’ with words again!’

‘brother of a genius’ -- Sae

‘Partner’ – Isagi

‘Rival’ – Shidou

‘That list of values, so convenient to you people, has no place in my life. I’m not ‘something’ in any of your lives! I’m done being Itoshi Sae’s little brother!

I am me! Trust this indignation! Entrust your body to its destructive impulses! I am Itoshi Rin! The ‘egoist’!

C147 - 'last strike'

An evolved egoist Rin faces off against Sae, and wins. He gets the ball out of Sae’s possession, a feat no one in-game has managed thus far.

And that stray ball lands right into Isagi’s waiting arms (or legs, as it were).

Also the whole chapter??? A bomb in terms of the art. No words at all, besides the Itoshi siblings memory and the final narrative words declaring the end of the match, and consecutive double page spreads of Isagi making the shot, and getting the goal and win for Blue Lock.

C148 - C155 (After the end of the Blue Lock 11 vs Japan U20 match)

Blue Lock celebrates the win. Shidou questions Sae on why he didn’t pass to the front immediately. Aiku asks Isagi about his play. Isagi informs him that yes, he was aiming for Aiku’s blind spot, while looking for a place that he could score instantly. And finally, he believed that Rin would defeat Sae.

Rin watches Isagi shaking hands with Aiku, and Sae comes to talk to him again. But it’s not the talk Rin expects. Instead, Sae acknowledges and praises Isagi for being a striker that could even call forth Rin’s instincts, the striker that Japan was waiting for. Meanwhile, Isagi gets his moment in the paparazzi limelight, declaring that he would lead Japan to victory at the U20 World Cup.

In the locker room, Ego says that Rin’s awakening broke everything apart, and that only Isagi was able to respond to it, a mirror to what Barou said in the match about how he got his goal, about Rin being able to keep up with, and respond to Isagi’s evolved plays. He then tells them that things will get more heated in the future, and to prepare themselves. Anri informs them about the celebratory buffet she had prepared for them, and as everyone’s leaving the locker room, Isagi is the only one to notice Rin still lingering behind all alone. Bachira realizes this, then tactfully says that they’ll go on ahead, leaving Isagi to talk to Rin alone.

Isagi takes the chance to talk to an upset Rin, trying to comfort him, saying that the goal happened as much due to Rin’s efforts as his own trust in Rin… which, unfortunately, is the wrong thing to say to Rin right now. Rin declares Isagi his rival, and that he’ll kill him. Isagi maturely doesn’t escalate the situation further, telling Rin that he’s welcome to try and leaves Rin to cool down on his own.

Phase One of Blue Lock is thus complete. Blue Lock and U20 get two weeks off, and Isagi meets up with Bachira and Chigiri in Shibuya during this time. We learn that Blue Lock’s become famous, they run into what feels like half of the other Blue Lock members as well, jump Nagi at the arcade, come across the U20 team at karaoke, and have a bowling match with them. All in all, fun shenanigans.

[On a side note, Reo and co. were talking about a cutting-edge style summit, the stock market, and futures. This group is clearly the ones from the upper class.]

Halfway through the bowling match, Isagi leaves, and he meets up with his old friend, Tada, the one whom he passed to in the very first chapter of the series. When Tada says that Isagi was lucky in picking up the stray ball from Rin and making that last goal, it upsets Isagi, and he notices how he and his view of the world has changed significantly from Tada.

After this, we get the hint of Ego’s upcoming entertainment project with Blue Lock, phase two, before the story cuts to Rin.

Rin checks up on news about Sae, and muses over the match. He recognizes that he beat Sae, but he was one step short of something to score that final goal, and doesn’t know the ‘awakened’ him that beat Sae. He’s also still hung up that Sae acknowledged Isagi, and that Isagi ultimately ‘won’, and not him.

Back to Isagi: we see his parents supporting him, and Isagi, too, ruminates on his experiences in Blue Lock, before declaring that he wants to live in Blue Lock and continue pursuing his dream of becoming the best in the world. He gets the message of the restart of the Blue Lock project, and the arc ends with the Blue Lock members returning to the project’s site.

In summary for the Blue Lock 11 vs Japan U20 match:

The match’s main focus and character development was on Isagi, Rin, Sae and Shidou, with a bit of Aiku, though the rest of course gets some spotlight when they’re due.

We see Isagi and Rin’s developing teamwork on the field, as well as the increasingly fierce competitive tension in it, primarily instigated and upheld by Rin. Throughout the match, Isagi and Rin build up the team’s offense together, both through excellent teamwork initially, then ultimately, when the chance to score occurs, by pursuing their own thing. While Isagi targets Aiku as his main ‘challenge’, Rin’s focus from start to end, is almost solely on Sae.

Shidou subs in in the second half, and immediately, in combination with Sae’s plays, wind up putting Blue Lock 2 goals behind. It’s also the first time we see Shidou move so freely on the field, and enter flow. We learn his mindset towards the game, and though he falls off the radar somewhat after Barou gets subbed in as well, he still actively hinders Blue Lock’s efforts.

On Sae, we learn that he is clearly a step above the U20 members and the Blue Lock members. He successfully worked together with Shidou, the one person none of the other U20 and Blue Lock members could deal with. No one really successfully defeats him in this match, although Rin does become his biggest obstacle after Barou’s equalizing goal, and Rin’s win was at the very end of the match, after he awakened, and not, from the looks of C152, one that he himself can fully grasp the mechanics of. There are also many instances where Sae could have scored throughout the match, but chose not to.

Rin, too, is clearly still coming into his own as an egoist. Compared to the Second Selection Arc, and the pre-U20 matches against the World Team (where he was thoroughly outclassed) and tryout matches between the top six, this is where Rin is really pushed and challenged. As captain, he makes the tactical calls in game with the other Blue Lockers. He challenges Sae to a 1v1 and loses, and Sae mostly ignores him throughout the match up until the last thirty minutes. When the game clearly begins to revolve around Isagi, he starts to feel the pressure, further compounded by Sae choosing to step up his play. He’s pushed to his limits and is forced to choose – try to keep scoring himself and potentially lose the whole game, or focus on dealing with Sae for the sake of the team. He chooses the latter, which ultimately leads him to his ‘awakening’, but while Rin realizes that he doesn’t have to defeat Sae alone, as the rest of Blue Lock is there to back him up, he also finds it ‘disgusting’ (no power of friendship allowed here yet, folks). His choice to challenge Sae, and the added challenge his growing rivalry with Isagi causes him ultimately leads him to awaken as an egoist and get into flow.

Isagi on the other hand, is still very much the underdog here, despite how it seems with that last goal. He doesn’t get many chances at scoring a goal in the first half, and in 1-on-1 situations he never really comes out on top of anyone, and moves more as a supportive relay for Rin and the rest of the team overall. It’s only when Blue Lock gets cornered with Shidou and Sae’s combo, and Barou comes out, that Isagi gets to build up his plays to the point of getting to shoot a goal himself, which is reminiscent of Rin’s own play style in the Second Selection Arc. Even at that point, he loses to Sae (the shoulder tackle that broke his balance), and the equalizing goal ultimately went to Barou instead. In the last minutes, where Rin goes into flow, Rin also refuses his support and defeats the U20 defenders on his own, but fails to get the shot. He thus replicates Rin’s success in the 4v4 in the Second Selection Arc, by positioning himself accordingly to his belief that an awakened Rin would defeat Sae, and gets his day in the limelight as the hero of the Blue Lock vs U20 game.

The next part will be the final part of this meta, and details the ‘why’ of what draws me, personally, to the Isagirin or Rinsagi ship in Blue Lock, my opinions on the narrative importance of their relationship to the story of Blue Lock as a whole, and my own speculations and hopes of the future of Blue Lock's story development.

Update: Part 6 now completed

#blue lock #bllk #isagi yoichi #itoshi rin #isagirin #rinsagi #isagirin meta part 5 #rinsagi meta part 5 #otp: heart stolen by his beautiful parable

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