Did Kunigami leave Blue Lock? Explained

Since the start of the Blue Lock anime, Kunigami Rensuke has been a fan-favorite character. His skills as a footballer were immediately apparent to fans after he became the top scorer of his team in Blue Lock's first selection. However, as per the final episode of the anime's first season, the hot-blooded forward has left the project.

The final episode revealed how Shidou Ryusei and Gurimu Igarashi's team managed to defeat Reo Mikage and Kunigami Rensuke's team in the second selection. Following that, Ryusei picked Reo to be on his team, while Kunigami got eliminated from Blue Lock.

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

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Did Kunigami Rensuke get ejected from Blue Lock?

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

Blue Lock episode 24 saw Ryusei Shidou reveal how he eliminated Kunigami from the project. Following that, one of the ending scenes of the anime showed Kunigami walking through a corridor, full of regret and sorrow. With this, the anime tried to make fans believe that the hot-blooded striker had left the project.

However, that was far from the truth. In reality, upon being eliminated, all the players of the second selection were given the chance to either leave the project or enter the Wild Card. This was also shown in chapter 94 of the manga as Kunigami Rensuke chose to enter the Wild Card door instead of exiting the building through the exit gate.

Ego Jinpachi as seen in the anime (Image via 8bit)

The Wild Card was a survival competition that saw all the candidates who entered the door be trained to be shaped like Noel Noa. While the other Wild Card candidates weren't revealed by the manga, it did show Kunigami emerge as the winner of the same. With that, the striker changed his entire playstyle and became a player possessing skills similar to that of the Ballon d'Or winner.

Upon surviving the gruesome training in the Wild Card, Kunigami managed to return to the project and play as a striker for Bastard Munchen in the Neo Egoist League.

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

While the reason why Studio 8bit decided to not show Kunigami enter the Wild Card gate was not revealed, it is to be expected that the anime studio wanted to keep Kunigami's possible return a secret. With that, the anime managed to create a sense of loss for fans, as they would be surprised when Kunigami eventually will return to the project.

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When will Kunigami Rensuke make his return in the anime?

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

Given that the second season of the anime is likely set to adapt the Third Selection arc and U-20 arc, there is a good chance that Kunigami Rensuke might return to the anime at the end of the second season. However, given the flow of events, there also lies the possibility that fans may not learn of Kunigami's time in the Wild Card until the release of a possible third season.

That said, there also lies the small possibility that the anime studio could choose to create some anime original scenes to show Kunigami's life during the Wild Card.