In the debut episode of the highly-anticipated sports anime Blue Lock, the show starts with a tense high school football game with two teams fighting for the chance to qualify for the finals. Kira and Isagi are the main strikers of the competing teams who are trying desperately to take their teams home. With the goalpost a few meters away, Isagi opens a chance for his team to equal the scores with their competitors to take the match into a penalty. Unfortunately, in the very last moment he passes the ball to his teammate who misses his shot after which Kira scores another goal taking the score to 2-0.
Following the sad defeat, Isagi returned home only to find a special training invitation by the Japan Football Union. The very next day he reached the JFU headquarters to find Kira also there. When they entered the conference hall, the two strikers were surprised to see the most talented strikers from Japan also waiting for their opportunity there. Soon the meeting began and a man named Jinpachi Ego addressed the aspiring footballers. In his long speech he argued that Japan has been unable to win a world cup so far because of a lack of an egotistical striker who takes it upon himself to win the game.
Jinpachi firmly believes that camaraderie and teamwork alone is not good enough to make a world class team. He stresses on the importance of getting the result with any means necessary sort-of approach. While his speech confuses some and infuriates others, Isagi can’t help but run in the direction of his dreams inspiring other strikers from Japan to follow suit and join the program designed to train the future generation of egotistical strikers who will win the world cup for the country.
All these talented young men are then taken to the Blue Lock, a facility designed especially for the training of the ideal Japanese striker. Soon after their arrival, Isagi is sent to a room where he finds eleven other players including Kira. Jinpachi addresses the strikers and leaves them in a tense situation by announcing that they will be playing a game of tag using football. However, the person who is “it” at the end of the game will not only leave Blue Lock but won’t be allowed to represent Japan ever in their lives.
With their careers on the line, the young strikers start playing the game with all their heart. Gurimu, who is ranked the lowest, starts the tag match as he is “it” by default. In his desperation he tries to hit anyone but fails, eventually deciding to target Bachira- who appears to be still sleeping. However, it turns out that he is just as attentive as anyone else and kicks Gurimu on his face. Luckily, Gurimu manages to hit Rensuke when he is distracted, who in turn accidentally hits Isagi. At one point in the game, Isagi has the opportunity to eliminate Gurimu who sustains an injury while playing.
However, he refuses to do that and vows to target someone ranked higher than him. Bachira likes Isagi’s mindset and takes the possession from him to try and eliminate Kira, who manages to dodge a few times. However, Bachira in the last few seconds of the game passes the ball to Isagi, who hits Kira. The time then runs out as Kira sits on the ground in shock and disbelief as he realizes that he has been eliminated from Blue Lock and lost the opportunity to play for his country forever.
It goes without saying that Kira who is considered the best talent in the country has worked all his life with the hope that he will one day get to represent Japan on the international stage. However, a simple tag game sealed his fate, not only sending him home but also forcing him to rethink his life’s purpose. The episode is in a way a great window into the often-ignored majority of dreamers who never get to accomplish their life’s biggest goals because of one unlucky day. Kira’s elimination encapsulates the frustrations and heartbreak that millions experience, but their pain often gets ignored in a fast-paced world.
