01x03 - Soccer's Zero

[bunniefuu]

Rock, paper, scissors!

Damn it! Isagi won!

Then, starting with Isagi, we'll each say
which position we want to play in.

I want to be the forward.

The first selection will involve
the of you in Building .

It's a kind of five-team round-robin.

Only the top two teams progress.
The rest will leave Blue Lock.

And those who are kicked out

will forever be ineligible
for the national team.

However,

the top scorers
from the three losing teams

will advance to the next selection.

If more than one player
has the most goals in a team,

we'll go by fair play points,

and the player with the least
penalty points will progress.

Will you prioritize your own goals
or the team's victory?

The karma of a striker is put
to the test in this first selection.

This is a battle about
creating soccer from zero.

The first match starts in two hours.
It will be Team X versus Team Z.

All right, everyone.

This is our formation for the first match.

We'll go for the win with Isagi
as our focal point at center forward.

Got it.

Isagi's ranking is super low.
Can we win with him as our focal point?

Stop complaining, Igaguri.

I don't want to play in defense.

All we got to do is win, right?

No objections here.

"All we got to do is win," huh?

Can you really play in goal?

I lost at rock paper scissors,
so I'll just have to do it.

"A battle about
creating soccer from zero"?

What did he mean by that?

It's almost time.

My life-changing match
at Blue Lock is finally about to begin.

BUILDING
CENTER FIELD

Here they come. Team X.

In the first selection,
all fouls will be called by VAR.

Building 's first match will be
a half-game lasting minutes.

Team X versus Team Z. Time for kick-off.

You scared, Isagi?

Let's have fun! Otherwise,
we'll lose. That's how soccer is.

Right.

He's right. There's no need to be scared.

My rank is . I'm rock bottom.

I just need to play

and climb up the ranks!

Should I pass it back
and build the att*ck?

Hey! What are you doing, Raichi?

The rules say
the top scorer goes through, right?

I don't care about the team.

I'm doing this my way.

Now you're talking, Raichi.

If that's how it works here,

I'll make no bones
about playing for myself.

Kunigami, I think we're
going to get along just fine.

What're you doing?

Let me in on it!

Hey! What about our positions?

Get out of my way!

You get out of mine.

Damn it...

You know, your physique ain't too bad...

You should pay more attention.

Huh? They're fighting
among themselves too?

What's going on here?

They're all only thinking
about themselves.

This is a battle about
creating soccer from zero.

Is this sorry bunched-up free-for-all

what he meant
by "creating soccer from zero"?

This isn't soccer.

What do I do?

Should I go join them?

He broke free?

Don't stand in my way.

Or I'll k*ll you.

TEAM X
BL RANKING: TH

I'll stop him.

He's here. Is he going left?

A heel flick?

Crap, he got past me.

I'm sorry, Kuon! He's heading your way!

-I got it!
-Don't sweat it. It's a two-on-one!

Two nutmegs in a row?

What the hell is he?

He's big and he's got skills!

I couldn't react...

Now hear me, suckers,
and remember my words.

For me, the ball isn't
my "friend" or any nonsense like that.

It's just a spherical servant
that exists solely so I can shine.

On the field, I am the king.

Is it even possible
to b*at a guy like that?

-Awesome!
-Nice play, Barou!

You're the goalie, aren't you?

Act like one!

But I've never done this before.
What am I meant to do?

It's only one goal. Let's calm down.

He's right. If we stick
to our positions and pass it around...

If we do that, then as the center forward,

you'll be the one who scores.

Losers should play in defense.

All you got to do is pass me the ball!

Hell no! Pass it to me!

-No, to me.
-No, to me! To me!

Team Z, resume the game.

Calm down.

The match has only just begun.

I mean, what are we even being tested on?

Regardless, we have to win.

As long as that guy doesn't get the ball...

Bachira! We'll at least
pass it around between us!

Huh? Igaguri, your position!

Are you dense, Isagi?
The top scorer on a team survives!

I'm never passing it to someone else.

-I'm sorry for your loss.
-Hey, hold it!

Now I get what this first
Blue Lock selection is all about.

It's a battle where you only
pursue your own ability to score!

Crap!

You suck. It's mine now.

You lost the ball? I'll k*ll you!

Igaguri, you dumbass!

Stay back, guys! We got to defend!

Hey, let's pass the ball
to Barou and support him.

See how the other team's
having a total meltdown?

Rather than chasing individual goals,
we just need to win as a team.

Good call. Barou!

Leave the right wing to me!

I got the left!

I'm leaving the defending to you!

This isn't good.
They're starting to get organized.

It's Barou. We got to mark Barou!

Who're you to tell us that, Igaguri?

Damn. We got to stop him.

You sure throwing so many
lousy players at me is a good idea?

It's no good.

If we leave Barou alone,

he'll scythe through our defense,
but if we only mark him...

-Look at all that wide-open space!
-...other players are left totally free!

Save it, Iemon!

All right! A second goal!

Thank you, King Barou!

Crap. We're going to lose at this rate.

They're already playing as a team.

-It's 'cause you lost the ball, Igaguri!
-But we're not coordinated at all.

Damn it, I can't do this!

They were all bunched-up too,
a while back.

He changed all that.

Barou's goal helped them to become a team!

This is a battle about
creating soccer from zero.

If we call this bunched-up,
free-for-all soccer "zero,"

then Barou's stunning play
isn't zero, it's "one."

Let's grab another goal!

A strategy to win
is then built around this "one."

And that's how a team is born.

Is this what he meant
by "creating soccer from zero"?

If it is, we're totally useless.

The bigger the goal deficit gets,
the more they think about themselves.

No one's in the right mindset to think
about how to get from "zero" to "one."

Meanwhile, the opponent's teamwork
keeps improving.

It's impossible.

This game is over.

We've... lost.

Man, all I've been doing
is running around.

There's no way we'll score five
in the next three minutes.

But maybe you and I can get one goal back.

Bachira...

At -, the other team's guard is down,
so we might make it work this once.

You in?

I'm in.

I will turn
this team's "zero" into a "one"!

I'll distract them,

then hit a long ball upfield
so you can take the sh*t.

Run, Isagi.

Straight to the goal.

Okay, Bachira.

I'm going to make this sh*t!

Huh? Isagi?

A comeback might be impossible,

but if someone scores a goal,

we can build the team structure around it.

That's what it means
to go from zero to one.

Surround him!

Bachira and I can score a goal together.

To win the next match,
that's what we need to do.

Right there, Isagi.

That's the light we need to lead Team Z!

Bull's-eye.

It's a one-on-one.

I'll score it!

Hey, Number .

Don't stand out more than me.

I told you I'm the king.

Try getting past me, sucker.

What's he doing here? Did he read my plan?

What do I do? Try to get past him?

But it's this guy...

In a situation like this, a striker would...

Isagi! Behind you!

Pass it to me!

-I'll sh**t!
-Here!

Do I pass? No.

I got to go for it!

If I want to live in Blue Lock...

If I want to live as a striker...

Huh?

Nice ball, Isagi.

There's no way
he'll score from that range.

Eat it!

I passed the ball...

What the hell are you doing, Isagi?
Why did you pass it to Kunigami?

I was more open than he was!

No... I was planning to sh**t.

But for some reason, my body just...

Are you stupid? Like, seriously stupid?
Who passes when they're shaping to sh**t?

Hey!

Stop that, Raichi!

We scored a goal!

Huh? Are you stupid, too?

Why should I be happy

someone who isn't me
scored a goal in a - defeat?

Didn't you listen to the rules?

At the end of the day,
it's the top scorer who goes through!

But he had a chance to score and passed!

Why the hell did you even come here?

I don't know...

But that pass was unintentional...

What?

Hey, Number .

If you get nervous in front of the goal,
you're not cut out to be a striker.

You have no talent.

Time's up.

In Blue Lock Building 's
first match, Team X wins -.

What am I doing?

Didn't I say I was going
to turn the "zero" into a "one"?

Am I...

unfit to be a striker?

First off, it was a mistake
to make Isagi the center forward!

In the next game, it'll just be me up top.

No, it should be me.
We can win if I'm the center forward.

I'm never playing
in defense again, you hear?

Losers can shut up.

What? Says the loser
who Isagi didn't want to pass to.

You want to go?

Do you?

If you get nervous in front of the goal,
you're not cut out to be a striker.

You have no talent.

Why did I pass?

I haven't changed at all
since I got here. Damn it.

To survive in Blue Lock,
what am I lacking as a striker?

-Just pass the ball to me!
-No, to me!

-Give it to me!
-Me. Pass to me.

That's enough, all of you!

Kuon...

Do you understand the situation we're in?

We're a team that's already lost once.

This first selection is
a five-team round-robin.

Only the top two teams progress.

Suppose all teams win two, lose two.
We'd all be on six points.

Which means, in order to advance,

we have to aim higher
and get seven points.

That's the likely cut-off line
that will decide who progresses.

So in short, if you lose twice,

it's a yellow light
that's about to turn to red.

We're already at the point where
if we lose the next game, we're done for.

If we don't get serious
about how we're going to win,

it really will be over for us.

Then, have you got any good ideas?

Well... No, not yet.

What the heck?
Then, what good is all this talk?

-But still, we have to do something...
-I have something.

I couldn't have scored that goal
without Bachira and Isagi.

That should show us the way.

Cut the crap, musclehead!
You just want to be the team's top scorer!

But it was amazing.

It was the best goal of the day, for sure.

-You're naked!
-If we just do that a lot, we can win.

Right, Isagi? Right?

Bachira...

Oh, please!

It was a fluky wonder goal.
You can't rely on that!

And come on, dude, stop streaking!

But seriously,

I really don't get how we can make
a team out of just forwards.

I don't think everything
that guy says is right.

Chigiri.

Ego talked about
how to "win" the World Cup,

throwing names like Cristiano Ronaldo,
Messi, and Cantona out there.

But none of those guys
have ever won the World Cup.

If anything,

him saying "This is a battle
about creating soccer from zero"

was some sort of hint.

Hey, everyone.

I don't have any strategies
that'll help us win,

but I might know
what it means to be at soccer's "zero."

So what is it, noob? Explain it to us.

In today's game, all anyone was thinking
about at the start was scoring themselves,

and that led to a bunched-up free-for-all.

That's probably what it means
to be at "zero."

Well, that really wasn't soccer at all.

That's true.

The thing that broke through
that "zero" was Barou's goal.

It acted as a catalyst,

creating a clear path for goals,
which led them to play as a team.

Barou used his talents to turn the "zero"
of chaotic bunched-up soccer into a "one."

Using that as a guiding principle,

a team can evolve
into a "" or even a "."

So what's required
is the power to produce that "one."

Only this irresistible trait
and talent can make it possible.

A striker is someone
who turns a "zero" into a "one,"

and the other positions
multiply it to "" and "," huh?

So did Ego add that rule

about the team's top scorer surviving
to make us figure that out?

Most likely.

Because of that rule,
our egos were exposed,

and we were forced
to play by and for ourselves,

without thinking about
positions or tactics.

And our egos have to clash
before we can truly become a team.

Soccer...

A team...

They are created
by an irresistible striker.

That must be Ego's message to us.

Yes, very good. You're on the right track.

Hi there, diamonds in the rough.

The second match
in Building just finished.

Team V b*at Team Y, -.

What? -?

Wow.

You're on the right track,

but it seems you still have no idea
how to turn zero into one.

First, let's talk
about this country, Japan.

The Japanese love
to have roles allocated to them

so they can just complete their tasks.

As an example,
take one of the few major sports

where Japan is on par
with the rest of the world.

Baseball.

Its inning system has
distinct periods for offense and defense,

and there's no
physical contact out in the field.

Each role is clearly defined
in this sport,

and it fits
the Japanese psyche like a glove.

That's why we're so strong at it.

But that's not the case in soccer.

It has an open field
where offense and defense alternate

as the situation demands.

And it can be very physical.

In this sport, you can't win by simply
doing the tasks you've been given.

Which is why you need personal skills.

Individual skills.

In Japanese soccer,
the positions we can be proud of

are our midfielders and full-backs.

They work like dogs for the team.

They turn the "one"
created by the striker into .

Without the devotion of those players,

Japanese soccer
wouldn't be where it is now.

Therefore, there will be no revolution.

So diamonds in the rough,
overwrite your consciousness.

In soccer, scoring a goal means
destroying the other team's structure.

Which makes a striker a destroyer.

The act of scoring
is a revolution on the field,

where you wreck the other team's order.

Diamonds in the rough,

do not let yourselves
get trapped in by the notion of roles!

Or you won't create one from zero.

Take up your w*apon, strikers!

Identify it clearly.

Which w*apon will you use
to mess with the other team,

make them yield, and destroy them?

Think hard about what you can do
with your body and your mind!

It's always your w*apon that kick-starts
this revolution known as scoring!

Victory can only exist
once you get beyond that.

A w*apon...

That's the breakthrough we need
to win in this first selection.

Blue Lock, Additional Time!

"A DAY IN BLUE LOCK"

WAKE UP

Hey, Bachira. It's morning.

MEGURU BACHIRA
YOICHI ISAGI

Hey, pass... King Kazu...

WARM UP & TRAINING

RENSUKE KUNIGAMI

That's the master
of the training room, Kunigami Kinnikun!

TEAM TRAINING

Leg cramp!

Don't be ridiculous.
That's the fifth time today.

You're trying to skip.

No, it must be broken!

A full-body muscle strain
and compound fracture or something!

GURIMU IGARASHI

Don't eat with your damn fingers!

So gross! Use your chopsticks!

Okay.

Let's get those hands clean, shall we?

Are you his mom?

It's Mommy Kuon!

What you up to, Chigiri?

Hair care.

HYOMA CHIGIRI

What you up to, Imamura?

YUDAI IMAMURA

BEDTIME

Is he supposed to be sleeping?

Crazy posture.

I knew he didn't have a broken bone.

Lying brat.