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With the release of Blue Lock episode 2, which took place a couple of hours ago, Yoichi's journey has truly begun. The project has already started, and the athletes that are partaking have already experienced how cruel it can be. Yoichi realized that he cannot win the experiment without letting his egoist impulses take over him.
Last week’s episode focused on the introduction of Isagi Yoichi, our protagonist who wants to become the best striker in the world. It also gave fans their first taste of the ruthless training that our heroes will be subjected to. Blue Lock episode 2, titled Monster, showed fans the aftermath of the tag game Yoichi and his rivals had to play during the previous episode.
Continue reading to learn more about the highlights of this intriguing episode.
Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers for Blue Lock episode 2.
Sae made his first appearance in Blue Lock episode 2
What happened in the last episode?
Blue Lock episode 1 began with Yoichi lamenting having lost the regional tournament his team participated in. After arriving home, the boy received a letter inviting him to an experimental training regime created by the Japanese Football Union. Isagi joined the Blue Lock project to become the world’s best striker, betraying one of his friends in the process.
Lock Off
Blue Lock episode 2 began with the Japanese Football Union members talking about the country’s defeat in the 2018 World Cup. A woman named Teieri Anri claimed that the country would never win the tournament without the help of Ego Jinpachi. Another member, a man called Buratsuta Hirotoshi, told her that she would be responsible if Blue Lock failed.
Back in the facility, Ryosuke asked Yoichi why he chose to eliminate him from the project. Yoichi tried to justify himself, claiming that he was simply trying to remain in the competition. The blonde athlete was about to scream at his former friend when Jinpachi appeared on the screen. The man told Ryosuke that he was out of the experiment, ending his career.
Kira tried to argue with Jinpachi’s logic, telling him that the game of tag they just played had nothing to do with football. Ego replied by stating that every aspect of the game was designed to imitate a real soccer match. The area they were playing in was as big as a penalty zone, the game was testing their special awareness, and the time limit was purposely small to force the athletes to think fast.
Jinpachi explained to Ryosuke that in his attempt to prove his experiment wrong, he forgot that his career was on the line. Instead of hitting someone else before the time was over, Kira remained shocked, lying on the ground. With nothing else to say, Ryosuke left the room, but not before looking at Yoichi with fury in his eyes.
Blue Lock begins
Blue Lock episode 2 went on to show Yoichi wondering why he allowed his egotism to take over and betray his friend. He approached Bachira, asking why he trusted him to kick the ball at the last second. The smaller boy told our hero that he knew he would kick the ball since his face reflected the conviction to win.
Gurimu complained about the experiment, calling it ridiculous. Jinpachi, who was still listening, explained that the test was designed to show them how a professional football player feels when he wins over his opponents. He wanted the excitement of victory to fill the young athletes’ minds, pushing them to keep winning.
He congratulated the eleven remaining members, revealing that they would be known as Team Z from that moment on. Later that day, the members of Team Z were taken to a room where they would perform a physical evaluation. Yoichi was running on a treadmill alongside Gurimu and another boy named Jingo. The latter mocked his teammates because they could not keep up with him.
Once they were done running, another member named Kuon approached Isagi to give him a water bottle. The next test was designed to see how high the players could jump. Isagi and Kuon were partnered for the evaluation, and our protagonist was shocked at how high his teammate could jump. Kuon asked Yoichi if he was not feeling all right, causing Isagi to feel even more intimidated.
When the evaluations were done, the boys headed down to the cafeteria to receive their meals. Every member of Team Z was given a bowl of rice and a portion of miso soup. However, they were also given a third dish based on their ranking. The higher you were ranked in the competition, the better your third meal would be.
Bachira’s monster
Blue Lock episode 2 continued after the athletes returned to their rooms to sleep for the night. Yoichi was unable to rest due to the constant reminder that he had one of the lowest rankings. If he wanted to survive the experiment, he would have to train harder than the rest. The black-haired boy headed outside to train alone but encountered Bachira, who wanted to train with him.
The two headed to one of the training fields inside the facility. There, Isagi asked Bachira why he was so certain Yoichi would eliminate Ryosuke. Meguru told our hero that whenever he played soccer, a monster would always talk to him. The show cut to a flashback of Bachira playing with his high school team.
Just like Isagi in the first episode, Meguru had to choose between scoring a goal by himself or passing the ball to his teammate. Sadly, he took too long to think about the issue and lost the ball. Back in the present, Bachira continued talking about the monster and told Isagi that he knew he had one inside of him as well.
Yoichi was confused by his teammate’s words but felt excited nonetheless. He allowed the monster to take over and ran at Meguru to take the ball from him. Before they could truly begin training, they were called back to their rooms to learn what their new ranks were.
The first selection
Blue Lock episode 2 went on to show Isagi and Bachira entering Team Z’s room. Gurimu greeted them and informed them about the ranking changes. Yoichi noticed that his badge now displayed the number 274. Immediately after, Jinpachi appeared on the screen once again. Jingo complained about the food and the condition of Team Z’s training facilities.
Ego informed the boy that their food and equipment were so bad due to their low ranking. The players participating in the Blue Lock project were divided into 25 teams. The teams were divided into five groups, each residing inside a different building. Team B, which contained the best players, had the best food and training equipment.
If Team Z wanted to have better living conditions, they would have to keep advancing in the competition. Before any more complaints could be brought up, Jinpachi informed the players that the first selection of the Blue Lock project would be commencing.
A new Japanese hero
Blue Lock episode 2 continued outside the Blue Lock facility with a young man named Sae Itoshi. The red-haired man was giving an interview to a Japanese reporter about his career as Real Madrid’s midfielder. When the reporter asked if he was thinking about joining Japan’s national team, Sae replied that he did not want to play in a weak team like that one.
Without warning, Sae walked out of the room, leaving his manager and the interviewer behind. As he walked down a corridor, he came across a JSU press conference about Blue Lock. Anri and Hirotoshi, the board members from earlier, were explaining the project to the media. Unfortunately, the reporters began criticizing the experiment.
Anri got angry and screamed that the reporters’ attitude was exactly why Japan could not win the World Cup. The woman claimed that Japan was a powerful team but lacked the motivation of a true hero. Back in Blue Lock, Jinpachi explained to the players that they would all be playing in a tournament to see which two teams advanced to the next selection.
Ego reminded the young men that soccer began as a sport where every single player was a striker. To win the tournament, they needed to go back to the origins of the sport and let go of the notion they had about soccer. Blue Lock episode 2 ended with Sae telling his manager to cancel his flight back to Spain, as he wanted to see who would win Blue Lock with his own eyes.
Final thoughts
As expected, Blue Lock episode 2 kept the same quality level as the first episode. The plot keeps getting more engaging, and the animation is stunning to look at. Studio 8bit did a magnificent job adapting the events of the Introduction arc of the manga.
Fans are now aware of exactly how the Blue Lock project works, motivating the players to embrace their egotism. We also saw a glimpse of how Ego’s mind works. At first, the man can seem to be slightly out of his mind. Nonetheless, he knows exactly what he is doing and how to get the best results.
The first selection tournament will officially commence next week. Once it starts, fans will witness what Blue Lock is all about, with intense football matches and teammates betraying each other left and right. The fandom only hopes that the third episode will maintain the quality of Blue Lock episode 2.
