Yoichi Isagi and Sae Itoshi as seen in Blue Lock episode 24 (Image via 8bit)

Blue Lock episode 24: Kunigami gets eliminated, Blue Lock XI vs Japan u-20 gets established

Modified Mar 25, 2023 21:02 GMT

Blue Lock episode 24 marks the end of the anime's first season. The second selection has finally come to a close as the 35 qualifying players were revealed at the end of the episode. With that, the candidates were introduced to a new hurdle, as the entire Blue Lock project was at stake.

The previous episode saw Rin defeat Isagi's team with his luck-infused winning goal. Following that, Rin picked Isagi to be on his team; however, Isagi wasn't convinced that luck was the determining factor for that match. Nevertheless, the new five-man team faced off against Team World Five as Isagi and Bachira's chemical reaction worked as a decoy for Rin.

Blue Lock episode 24: Ryusei Shidou makes his first appearance

Rin Itoshi as seen in Blue Lock episode 24 (Image via 8bit)

Blue Lock episode 24, titled The Time Has Come, opened with the match between Team Blue Lock and Team World Five resuming after Rin managed to score the first goal by making use of Isagi's movements as a decoy for himself. While Aryu and Tokimitsu were impressed by Isagi, Bachira, and Rin, they wanted to be a part of the attack as well.

However, when the match resumed, Team World Five quickly overturned things, starting with Julian Loki, who used his speed to leap past the opposing team to score the equalizer. Following that, each of the World Five started displaying their talents, making the score 4-1.

Barou and Chigiri greeting Isagi in Blue Lock episode 24 (Image via 8bit)

While the entire Team Blue Lock had given up, Rin believed that they could still win the match and thus challenged Leonardo Luna to a 1-on-1 win. Leonardo managed to get past Rin with a nutmeg, following which he scored the winning goal. After the match, World Five revealed how the match was only meant as an assessment and Team Blue Lock wasn't meant to win that match.

Later, during a meeting with JFU executives, it was revealed that Ego Jinpachi was paying each player 100 million, along with one million each for every goal they score. Considering how absurdly costly the Blue Lock project was turning out for JFU, they wanted to shut it down. That's when Ego proposed the idea of a big match to gain complete control over Japanese football.

Ryusei Shidou as seen in Blue Lock episode 24 (Image via 8bit)

Elsewhere, Rin's team had come to realize how the goal of becoming the world's best striker was far off, but still a possibility. Following that, they spent their time learning English to play on the world stage. During their study session, Anri Teieri announced that the second selection had come to an end, and all the qualifying candidates were to assemble in the central room.

Only seven teams managed to get past the second selection, meaning that only 35 players made it to the third selection. As expected, the first team to qualify was Rin's team, following which other teams arrived. Some of the notable players were Chigiri, Barou, Nagi, Zantetsu, Niko, Wanima, Raichi, and Gagamaru.

Kunigami Rensuke as seen in Blue Lock episode 24 (Image via 8bit)

With most of his friends having qualified, Isagi was happy, however, Reo and Kunigami were yet to qualify. When the final team was revealed, Reo and Igaguri appeared to have qualified, but Kunigami appeared to have been eliminated. Isagi could not believe it, but the player who eliminated him, Ryusei Shidou, was adamant that Kunigami lost due to his hero-like personality.

Following that, Ryusei tried attacking Isagi, but Chigiri came to his rescue. As matters were set to get worse, Ego Jinpachi interrupted them as they had more important things to discuss. He revealed how the entire Blue Lock project was at stake due to JFU's decision to cancel it.

Yoichi Isagi as seen in Blue Lock episode 24 (Image via 8bit)

However, Ego managed to find hope for Blue Lock as he established a match between Blue Lock XI and Japan's u-20 team led by Itoshi Sae. This match is part of the third selection as winning it could guarantee a spot in Japan's u-20 team for some of the Blue Lock candidates. With three weeks to spare for the match, Ego will soon have to decide on the starting lineup.

Final thoughts on Blue Lock episode 24

Blue Lock episode 24 saw the end of the first season as the anime managed to end things on an exciting note. Given that the second season has already been announced, fans can soon expect to hear news about a possible release window. However, it seems like the film might be released before the second season itself.

Edited by
Babylona Bora