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Blue Lock episode 3 was finally released a couple of hours ago for fans of the franchise to enjoy. Isagi and the rest of Team Z faced their first real opponents inside the Blue Lock project. Lamentably, their first encounter was far from what the players expected.
Last week’s episode focused on Jinpachi explaining to the strikers how the Blue Lock project would work. Fans were also introduced to the egoist monster living inside Bachira. Blue Lock episode 3, titled Soccer’s “Zero”, showed Team Z’s match against the powerful Team X. Keep reading to learn more about the highlights of the episode.
Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers for Blue Lock episode 3.
Isagi began doubting his abilities in Blue Lock episode 3
What happened in the last episode?
Blue Lock episode 2 started with Jinpachi kicking out of the project the players that were tagged at the end of episode 1. The remaining players went on to have a physical test to see what their new ranking would be. Isagi and Bachira had a conversation about the monsters that dwelled inside them. The episode ended with the revelation that the players would compete in a tournament.
Episode 3: The first match begins
Blue Lock episode 3 began with the members of Team Z playing a game of rock-paper-scissors to see what position they would play in the first selection tournament. Isagi won the competition and chose to be the forward. In a flashback, Jinpachi explained that only 10 teams out of 25 would move on to the next stage. However, the two best players of each losing team would be rescued.
Back in the present, Team Z was seen getting ready for their match, with most strikers complaining about the position that was given to them. Isagi wondered why Ego told them to create a new type of soccer during the match. The players entered the field, waiting for their opponents, team X. A few moments later, their rivals arrived, all of them surrounded by a dark mist.
Before the game officially began, a voice told the players that they would play a 45-minute match where every foul would be recorded. Isagi was looking nervous, so Bachira tried to calm him down by telling him that they should simply have fun. Once the game began, Isagi tried to kick the ball, but Raichi took it from him.
Kunigami and Igarashi soon joined in, trying to keep the ball for themselves. They all claimed that only the best players of each team would survive, so they needed to score the most goals. Moments later, the players of Team X joined the fight for the ball. Isagi was left in shock, wondering if this was the football that Jinpachi wanted from them.
King Barou
Blue Lock episode 3 continued when a member of Team Z, Barou, took the ball for himself and began running towards the goal. Team Z’s defense tried to stop him, but he was too skilled for them. Without looking back, Barou claimed that he would win the match by himself, as he did not care about his team.
The members of Team Z began fighting, unable to come up with a strategy that would satisfy them all. The same voice that explained the rules warned them that they needed to keep playing. Isagi once again tried to kick the ball, only for Igarashi to take it this time. Gurimu stated that he realized that the objective of the game was for them to demonstrate their abilities while playing alone.
Sadly, Team X began to work together and took the ball from Igarashi. They immediately passed the ball to Barou, who kept running towards the goal with a serene expression. Raichi, Kunigami, Isagi, and Gurimu tried to stop him, but that left the rest of Team X open. Barou passed the ball to another one of his teammates, who scored another goal.
From zero to one
Blue Lock episode 3 went on to show the members of Team Z fighting each other. Isagi looked over at his teammates, wondering why they could not work together as Team X. Suddenly, he realized that the only reason Team X was capable of working as a team was thanks to Barou’s goal. The imposing athlete gave his team the motivation to work together.
Isagi understood that when Jinpachi mentioned creating soccer from zero, he was referring to scoring a goal. They needed a player that could turn their zero goals into one, to inspire the rest of the team. Unfortunately, Team X only continued to get better, scoring three more goals. None of the members of Team Z had any hope of winning the game.
Yoichi was approached by Bachira, who told him that they could not score five goals in three minutes. However, Meguru had another idea. He and Isagi would work together to score a goal each, preventing them from being eliminated. Yoichi agreed with Bachira’s plan, and both boys’ eyes were filled with egoism.
The game resumed once Isagi passed the ball to Bachira and began running towards their opponent’s goal. Meguru protected the ball until Isagi was ready to receive it once again. Bachira kicked the ball over Team’s X heads, allowing Isagi to take control of it. The black-haired boy continued running towards his objective but was stopped by Barou.
Yoichi froze, uncertain about what to do next. Behind him, Raichi and Kunigami were asking for the ball, as they could score without any issue. Isagi tried to ignore them and prepared to strike, only to suddenly stop and pass the ball to Kunigami. The orange-haired boy was surprised but managed to score a goal nonetheless.
Find the right weapon
Blue Lock episode 3 continued with Raichi grabbing Isagi by the collar of his shirt. The silver-haired athlete was furious, demanding to know why Isagi passed the ball to Kunigami instead of him. Yoichi tried to explain that he was not going to pass the ball, but his body moved on its own, angering Raichi even more.
Barou approached our hero, telling him that he had no talent as a striker, due to the fear he demonstrated in front of him. Isagi took the words to heart, wondering if he was truly not fit to be a part of the Blue Lock project. Seconds later, Team X was declared the winner of the match.
Team Z returned to their locker room, complaining about their overwhelming loss. Raichi kept attacking Isagi, claiming that he was unfit to be their striker. Kuon screamed for his teammates to calm down. He explained that they urgently needed a new strategy because another loss would mean they were out of the experiment.
The members of Team Z began wondering if Jinpachi gave them a hint about how to win when he told them to create soccer from zero. Isagi told his teammates what he figured out during their last match. The free-for-all fight that occurred when the game started was the zero Jinpachi was referring to. Barou’s goal became the one that helped his team work together.
If they wanted to work as a team, they needed to find someone that would turn their zero into one. Ego appeared on their locker room screen, claiming that Isagi was close to figuring out the truth. The man explained that the team was still missing something, which was stopping them from winning. To help them understand better, Jinpachi compared soccer to baseball.
In baseball, each player is assigned a role. Soccer, on the other hand, has roles that are constantly changing, which goes against the nature of Japanese society. To create soccer from zero, the athletes would need to forget all about roles. Blue Lock episode 3 ended with Ego claiming that the players needed to focus on their skills, not their position.
Final thoughts
Blue Lock episode 3 was a chaotic experience that truly demonstrated the true purpose of the Blue Lock project. Jinpachi knows that these young athletes are motivated by their egos. The man wants the players to understand how to harness that ego to help their teams. They may still be competing against each other, but they need to work together to survive.
Isagi was the first player, at least in Team Z, to understand what Jinpachi was trying to say. This will greatly help Team Z in their remaining three matches. The boys will understand the need to work together while also feeding their egos. This is a complex subject that will become easier to understand during the next episodes of the series.
