The Blue Lock anime series features Yoichi Isagi, a striker with the fastest personal growth of all players. At the beginning of the series, Isagi ranks the lowest among strikers in the Blue Lock quarantine system, but he quickly evolves. In episode 20, Isagi is the only player willing and able to face off against the system’s top-ranked striker, Rin Itoshi.
Blue Lock is a unique quarantine system that aims to create the best Japanese strikers in the world. The system encourages individuality, allowing players to use cheating and betrayal to gain advantages. Players are often forced to rapidly adapt to changing relationships between teammates and opponents.
Despite the emphasis on individuality in Blue Lock, the key to winning is understanding and working together with your teammates. This is by no means an easy task considering the close friendships between players can quickly come to an end, just as Nagi and Reo’s friendship did. In contrast, players who initially meet as opponents, such as Isagi and Nagi, can quickly become teammates.
Isagi’s ability to form friendships and turn rivals into teammates is a major advantage, along with his spatial awareness skills that allow him to see the field clearly, a trait shared by Rin Itoshi. Additionally, Isagi is skilled in straight kicks, improvisation, and mimicking the skills of other players. However, Isagi’s abilities extend beyond ball skills as he is also capable of uniting the players on his team. For this reason, Isagi has the potential to become the team captain.
Isagi faced a significant challenge when he was forced to play on the same team as Barou, an authoritarian and uncooperative player who put himself above the team. Barou refused to cooperate with Isagi, almost causing their team to lose. However, Isagi did not give up and found a different approach to engage Barou and win the game.
Isagi and Nagi formed a partnership, and they relegated Barou to a secondary role on the field. With no other option, Barou had to acknowledge Isagi’s skill and cooperate. During the game, Isagi frequently used insults and provocations to motivate Barou, and it worked. Barou unlocked his potential, becoming adept at ball dribbling, and scored a goal. After their victory, the team analyzed the game and praised each other’s individual abilities, both personal and as teammates.
Isagi’s ability to unite the other players in his team proved to be the key to their success. Through his leadership, he helped overcome the obstacles presented by Blue Lock’s individualistic system. In conclusion, Yoichi Isagi’s journey to become the best striker in Blue Lock is a riveting tale of personal growth, teamwork, and leadership.