Rin's awakening in Blue Lock season 2: Manga vs. Anime

Modified Dec 30, 2024 19:30 GMT

Rin's awakening in Blue Lock season 2: Manga vs. Anime (Image via 8bit and Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yusuke Nomura/Kodansha)

The Blue Lock season 2 finale, released on December 28, 2024, featured Rin's awakening. The football player realized his flow state, after which he became unstoppable. To some fans' surprise, his awakening was pretty different from how it was in the manga, especially in how Rin's dialogue was altered and some visual differences.

Rin's eyes changed colors only after his flow state awakened, and the anime changed early. This was followed by the player's dialogues, some of which were displaced and some taken from a future flashback. After Team Blue Lock's win, Ego's speech was brief in the anime, and so was the last encounter between Isagi and Rin, which might even be considered an injustice.

Disclaimer: Any opinions expressed in this article solely belong to the author.

Blue Lock season 2: Exploring Rin's awakening in the anime, as compared to its manga chapters

Itoshi Rin as seen in the anime (Image via 8bit)

Blue Lock season 2 finale (episode 14) commenced with Rin realizing his inability to become a better player because he depended on his teammates. This monologue was kept simple in the anime, although it was detailed in the manga, where the player ridiculed himself for falling this low for someone who wanted to become the best.

After realizing this, Rin entered a heated state, which was showcased through eyeballs that looked like 'Rotary cutters' and black sclera (the white part that covers the eyeballs). Everything was the same in the manga except the sclera, which was kept white instead of black. This might be done in the anime to build a contrast with the unusual eyeballs.

After awakening his flow state and marching towards the goal, Rin had a flashback of his younger self holding toys. This was a future flashback in the manga (not present in the one parallel to the manga chapters).

Entering the final battle between the Itoshi brothers (where everything was shifted to a landscape view), there was a dialogue alternation that might be more impactful than the manga. In the manga, Sae ridiculed his brother to keep living in his shadow.

However, in Blue Lock season 2, Sae claimed that Rin couldn't continue playing football without using his brother as an excuse. Although this changed the narrative, it was more effective when compared to the source material. After this conversation, Sae saw a flashback of his past, when he was proud of Rin. This appeared a few chapters before in the manga.

Lastly, as some fans might have already noticed, the final one-on-one battle between Rin and Sae in the Blue Lock season 2 finale was improvised compared to the manga. Following Team Blue Lock's win, everyone returned to the waiting room, where Ego encouraged his team. However, some of his dialogues were changed in the anime.

In the manga, Ego specifically appreciated Rin's flow state awakening and Isagi's last-second goal. However, none of this happened in the anime. After the post-credits, Rin declared Isagi his rival, but the anime failed to execute this moment. In the manga, this moment was one of the coldest, as demons appeared before Rin. However, the anime failed to make it as impactful.

Final thoughts

The anime and manga have pros and cons regarding Rin's flow state awakening in Blue Lock season 2. Studio 8bit might have made a good move by going freestyle with Rin's awakening, as they introduced necessary elements. The same could be said about the finale episode, which was a treat to watch in general.

Related Links

Edited by Shreya Das