Blue Lock chapter 253: Why does Kunigami want to defeat Shidou? Explored

With the release of Blue Lock chapter 253, the manga saw Kunigami Rensuke team up with Yoichi Isagi and Hiori Yo.

While he had been very cold toward his fellow Blue Lock contenders, when it came to defeating Ryusei Shidou, Kunigami immediately listened to Noel Noa's instruction and agreed to team up. So, why is Kunigami so vengeful toward the Paris X Gen striker?

The manga's previous chapter saw Tabito Karasu stealing the ball mid-air after it rebounded away from Hiori Yo. On stealing it, Karasu made a pass behind him to Charles.

Charles immediately made a pass to his ideal position. Surprisingly, Shidou Ryusei happened to synchronize with him as reached the ball's trajectory and headed the ball into the goal, scoring Paris X Gen's first goal.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers from the Blue Lock manga.

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Blue Lock chapter 253: Why is Kunigami adamant about defeating Shidou?

Ryusei Shidou as seen in the anime (Image via 8bit)

Kunigami Rensuke wants to beat Ryusei Shidou because the Paris X Gen striker was the person responsible for eliminating him during Blue Lock's second selection.

At the start of the second selection, Kunigami teamed up with Chigiri Hyouma and Reo Mikage. Unfortunately, they lost their very first game against the team of Isagi, Nagi and Barou.

Subsequently, Kunigami's team was reduced to just two, as Isagi's team picked Chigiri as their fourth team member.

Kunigami and Reo as seen in Blue Lock anime (Image via 8bit)

With only two members in the team, Kunigami and Chigiri were sent back to the second stage. There, they had to play a two-on-two match against another team. This team happened to be the pair of Igarashi Gurimu and Ryusei Shidou.

As fans knew, Kunigami previously wanted to become a hero, so he donned a moral and righteous way of playing football. Ryusei Shidou hated that and humiliatingly defeated Kunigami and Chigiri's pair with his aggressive and instinctual way of play.

Kunigami Rensuke as seen in the Blue Lock anime (Image via 8bit)

On beating Kunigami and Chigiri, despite Kunigami's weapons like long shooting and ambidexterity, Shidou picked Reo Mikage, effectively ending Kunigami's journey in Blue Lock.

The only reason Kunigami was still in Blue Lock was because he survived the Wild Card and reformed himself to become like Noel Noa. The defeat to Ryusei Shidou had a huge impact on Kunigami, as the Paris X Gen player not only eliminated him from Blue Lock but also destroyed his entire persona. That was the root cause behind Kunigami's new cold and distant personality.

Kunigami Rensuke as seen in Blue Lock chapter 253 (Image via Kodansha)

Since then, Kunigami has been quite a silent character. Even in the Neo Egoist League, he has gone cold, as it has been some time since he scored a goal. Hence, fans reckon it's time for him to shine against Paris X Gen, but as evident from Blue Lock chapter 253, the manga has other plans for him.

When Isagi and Hiori were thinking about how to tap into their peak performance in Blue Lock chapter 253, Master Striker Noel Noa interrupted them as he asked Kunigami to take away Ryusei Shidou's freedom in the game. The fact that Noel Noa specifically asked Kunigami to do it meant that he knew about their past.

Despite Kunigami's coldness towards his fellow Blue Lock contenders, he immediately accepted the instruction and teamed up with Isagi and Hiori in Blue Lock chapter 253.

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