Premier Date
28-05-2025
Spoiler Alert: The following contains minor spoilers for Blue Lock vs. U20 Japan, Episode 1, “Tryouts,” now streaming on Crunchyroll.
Season 2 ofBlue Lockwastes no time in starting with a highly explosive confrontation that increases tension between the next match between theBlue Lockstrikers and the U-20 Japanese national team. The first episode, “Tryouts,” gives a primer on what’s going to prove an arc full of internal rivalries, high-stakes soccer, and even some more dramatic confrontations. What really makes this episode stand out, however, is not just the pacing and the action, but it’s also where it starts building on the themes of ambition, teamwork, and rivalry.
One of the central plot points of this episode revisits the intense rivalry between the two brothers-namely, Rin Itoshi and his brother Sae Itoshi. The reason it seems that there are so many layers of personal stakes in the match is that it feels like Rin wants to surpass this prodigious sibling. The brothers create a palpable sense of tension in their animosity toward each other, and this dynamic will likely be center-stage throughout this current season.
The Calm Before The Storm
Selecting Teams To Draw Out Their True Potential
The episode starts with a flashback between the Itoshi brothers having a match to determine their dream. The episode moves forward to the participants of Blue Lock preparing for a match that could well change their future. Where they are once again reevaluated based on their performanceagainst the top elite playersand ranked accordingly. The top 6 are chosen and separated into three teams of two players. While the remaining players are instructed to choose which team they want to join and compete against other teams.
Pacing in this episode balances character development with the setup of the highly awaited showdown. This episode isn’t full of action, but in terms of building anticipation for what’s to come, it does its job well. The episode is a very slow burn that pays off well in showing how much is at stake for each of these characters. All personal rivalries and shifting team dynamics keep them tense as one gets invested in how these relationships will impact their field performance.
What’s on Stake
JFU Not Happy About This
For the players in Blue Lock, this will be no normal match but a fight for survival in the program. While the underlying concept of Blue Lock is based on finding the next star striker for Japan, the rest of the players in this particular match will get tested by playing different roles on the field. That is bold; it adds more layers to plot development. Another point the episode makes is the increasing distance between players of Blue Lock and the U-20 Japan team.Not everyone in the Japan Football Associationis happy with the idea of this experiment called Blue Lock taking over the field. Which shows that a war is coming, not only on the football field, but also a war of ideologies in the back.
Studio Proving Fans Wrong
Since the release of the trailer, fans were left with unease and shared their discernment about the drop in the production and animation quality and thought they might have relied too much on CGI and the flow of the series was not up to standards. But it turns out that that might have just been the case for the trailer and the actual show’s animation, and, for the most part, the darker and more detailed art style works better to encompass what’s actually at stake here for Blue Lock and how the players are determined to prove themselves more than ever. And this will only get better from this point onwards as the series continues.
Regardless, the episode shines by delivering somestrong, strategic, and team-driven moments. What really gives it an added depth of complexity, especially, is the focus on how each of these players fits into the overall structure while all trying to outshine one another to become the most important part of the team. That intensity in the dynamic between Ego, the coach, and the top six players adds to it, as he then pushes them to hold their ground while still encouraging the rest of the players to challenge them.
What’s Coming?
The first episodes generally do a great job of setting up what is to come in the season. That should mean every fan expects fast and full-of-nail-biting matches between theplayers of Blue Lockand one of Japan’s strongest youth teams. This season will not only have heart-jolting soccer matches but also moments of personal growth when the characters keep developing both as players and people. The sense here is that all have something to prove; not only are the Blue Lock players out to prove it, but also, for the U-20 Japan team, it might prove an insurmountable challenge to take on a team that is so utterly focused on strikers.
I’m going to prove the path I’ve chosen isn’t a mistake - Yoichi Isagi
What’s more exciting, however, are the new rivals that come into the mix and further character arcs for some of the existing players. For what it’s worth,Isagi is particularly stuck between his desireto help others and his need to ensure his presence on the field. This inner turmoil is going to be huge this season, and it will be cool to see the other players as they try to handle their own pressures.
The Perfect Comical Room Selection Ending
True toBlue Lockfashion, the episode ends on a high end, leaving the fans delighted with a hilarious and unexpected after-credits scene featuring the top six Blue Lock players. That lighthearted moment provides relief from the tension that went on during the main episode and is a reminder that, though the stakes are high,Blue Lockstill knows how to have fun. The scene helps maintain the balance in tone and provides a breathing moment for the viewers before submerging back into the chaos of the match. If that’s anyindication from the premiere alone, this season will push its characters to the breaking point, all while examining truly what it means to be the best.
Blue Lock
Cast
Based on Muneyuki Kaneshiro’s soccer manga, Blue Lock revolves around a program to develop a world-class Japanese striker. Just about qualifying, Isagi has to face off against the nation’s best young talents and survive selections, while constantly growing as a player.
