Blue Lock season 2 episode 1: Ego’s ultimate gamble as the top six are revealed for the U20 showdown

Blue Lock season 2 episode 1, titled Tryouts, aired on Saturday, October 5, 2024, at 11:30 pm JST. In this episode, Jinpachi Ego reveals that the decisive match is Blue Lock Eleven against Japan's U-20 where the stakes are high, such that victory brings the players to represent Japan, and defeat signifies the end of Blue Lock. In this episode, the six top-ranking players form into three groups based on their ranking.

Yoichi Isagi is welcomed in Team A and attempts to find the "chemical reaction" with Rin. Meanwhile, various plots keep on between players who try to secure their spot on the team. The end holds a conclusion of selections, and it's game time.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers from Blue Lock season 2 episode 1.

Blue Lock season 2 episode 1: Ego picks the top 6 to teach players how to synergize with great talent

Blue Lock season 2 episode 1 starts off quite promising with an interesting dream sequence featuring Rin Itoshi and his elder brother, Sae. In this vision, they face each other in an intense duel, which marks Sae's incredible skills with taunting at the prospect of Rin leading the U-20 Japan team.

Sae declares that their dreams will end if he loses the upcoming match and thus smashes Rin's hopes for a while, giving a form of expression for the stakes at play in the competitive world of Blue Lock.

Transitioning from the dream to find Jinpachi Ego, General Director of Blue Lock, receiving a call from Hirotoshi Buratsuta. Buratsuta was optimistic that the match would rake in big bucks, especially since it involved Sae. Ego still believed that the misfit strikers he has currently could change Japanese soccer, which Buratsuta had doubts over.

After the opening theme, Ego declares that the match between Blue Lock Eleven and U-20 Japan, will take place in three weeks. The stakes are sky-high as a win will bring into the Japanese squad the right of entry for Blue Lock, but a loss will mean the end of the program. Yoichi Isagi realizes that this match might define his life and future.

As tensions rise, Jingo Raichi is frustrated over the 35 players who cleared the Second Selection process, asking who will make it to the final lineup. Then Ego reveals a strategic plan: focus on the six top-ranking players. These players Itoshi, Ryusei Shido, Tabito Karasu, Eita Otoya, Kenyu Yukimiya, and Sheishiro Nagi, will be grouped into three duos and become the core of the Blue Lock team.

Later in Blue Lock season 2 episode 1, Ego explains why such is the case: only Rin and Shido were capable of scoring against the World All-Stars, which settled them at the top. The rest must team up with the top six and compete in a series of five-a-side matches to win their spot for the U-20 showdown.

With only one shot at impressing, Ego stresses they should give importance to assertion and coexistence; the rest have no choice but to look at the top six as stepping stones and not as allies.

Isagi reflects on his choice, realizing that in this critical match, he needs to find a place. In the dining hall, amidst light-hearted moments, players argue over which person they should choose or not choose for the team, thereby bringing out the competitive nature of Blue Lock.

As the Blue Lock season 2 episode 1 progresses, we see how the protagonists interact with each other, for instance, Nagi being carefree and Shido aggressive towards Rin. This sparks the intense rivalries brewing beneath the surface.

We see Niko highlight the underlying theme of Ego's challenge, where he states that players need to learn how to adapt and synergize with great talent, a test of their ability to navigate through the fierce competition to be expected ahead. With the match looming, the stage is set for a showdown that may change their futures forever.

Blue Lock season 2 episode 1 closing events: Isagi decides to join Rin's team

The concluding moments of Blue Lock season 2 episode 1 are what shape Isagi's decision regarding team selection. He thinks about how hard it would be to prove himself next to Rin, acknowledging that it would be a huge burden.

Reo arrives, sharing his complaints about the relationship between the members of his team. He considered getting together with Nagi but after being overshadowed by Nagi he lost in the second round of selection to Isagi. He now feels that Nagi is totally out of his league and that attention to his weakness will only push Nagi further away. A feeling that Isagi can relate to better than him, making him even more vulnerable.

Grateful for Reo's insight, Isagi realizes his decision's substance was not in trying to pick the "right" but in making it right. He then vows to prove that choosing to join Rin's team is valid and worth doing.

The declaration of the results is for the next day: the voting has been finalized, and players are to be called into the hall. Isagi's decision has also been announced that he is going to join Team A with Rin; Bachira follows the same decision. Team B will be comprised of Barou, Raichi, Niko, and Chigiri, while Nagi assembles Zantetsu, Gagamaru, and Reo into his team.

The Blue Lock season 2 episode 1 ends as Buratsuta dismissively smashes the Blue Lock records, stating that these "nobodies" will never seize control of Japanese soccer as they set the stage for intense competition ahead.

Edited by Bharath S