#bllk manga spoilers

[galaxynajma]

Kaiser is so babygirl this chapter

[emmie-writes-stuff]

So, we all agree that Shidou and Charles are brothers right?

Like

They’re brothers

Even their nicknames: Shidou- Demon and Charles- Imp — work like that

An imp is like a mini demon, just a little bit more playful than the demon

So yeah, Shidou and Charles are brothers and I’ll fight anyone who disagrees

[gachagon]

The recent chapter of Blue Lock with Ness really reminds me of when Bachira first came to the realization that he was being left behind by Isagi, and that if he didn't find a new way to become useful soon than their whole rivalry would just come to an end because there'd be no point in "competing" with someone who's so clearly better than you.

Back then, Isagi had left Bachira for Rin, and now we see the dynamic from an entirely new relationship. Kaiser has "left" Ness behind for Isagi.

Though I think we will see things play out very differently than before. Instead of Ness evolving on his own, I feel like he will just be left behind here instead of proving himself to be useful. Or he will make a mistake and cost everyone the game somehow.

In my honest opinion, I think Ness' issue isn't that he lacks an ego but rather that he lacks motivation outside of Kaiser. He doesn't actually know what he would do if he didn't have Kaiser with him, he can't really picture himself making plays if Kaiser's not there. In a way, I think Ness only feels his own ego when he is with Kaiser.

Kaiser is his drive and motivation and in a way, Kaiser is Ness' "ego". He's the reason Ness feels confident in his ability to play, he has no real reason to play soccer if he can't play soccer with Kaiser.

We've all wondered who was going to initiate this break up first, I just didn't think it'd be Kaiser who would cut these strings off T_T It stands to reason then that the thing that Ness would need to grow isn't to be so unhealthily attached to someone else.

I've long since theorized that Ness' character arc is tied to the whole "scientific method" and science motif of his backstory, I've always thought it'd be cool if he adopted the abusive, clinical science nature of his household in his own way of playing soccer. And I think it'd be good for him because the person he admires the most did the same thing in a way.

Kaiser turned the blue rose from a constant reminder of his terrible childhood into a sign that he could make the impossible, possible. And in this very same match, we can see that the rose has been replaced with the actual crown on his hand instead, it's still an egotistical symbol but it's still a reference to his own past in a way.

During the scientific method, you have to "fail" first before you can succeed. And it's normal to have many wrong theories before you come to the right conclusion. So, I think Ness has to "fail" a lot before he succeeds here.

I also just think it'd be more interesting that way because if we get the cookie cutter "I'm going to suddenly find my own ego here and now!" thing that we've gotten for every other side character, I think it'd cheapen Ness' potential. The match has dragged on really long too so I think next chapter, we will either get Ness "failing" again and coming to the realization that he can't be so dependent on others anymore, or Ness will suddenly "gain an ego!" and it'll just be a repeat of past arcs (which I'm hoping isn't the case T_T)

[marcysdreamydays11]

DAMN SNUFFY WAS PULLING BADDIES IN HIS PRIME AND SENDOU STILL CANT SCORE A PINUP MODEL(bitch you have one Oliver Aiku ..just oil him up same thing .)???

[dandelioneffect]

The enemies all uniting on Shidou haterism so they can hate on each other easily without him in their way 😭

[prettyboykatsuki]

the post:

the manga in question

[miraclesnail]

lorenzo is so supportive I need more of that energy 🥹 I need more of my funny little tall zombie defender

[the-lazyyy-artist]

THE NEL IS FINALLY OVER!!!

THEY ENDED IT WITH NESS' PASS (which I believe was supposed to be for Kaiser) AND ISAGI RECEIVING IT WITH HIS FCKING TWO GUN VOLLEY, SCORING 3-2 AND ENDING THE BM VS PXG MATCH.

WHAT THE FUCK!!!!

[rottiens]

GUYS???1! JDFDJHFBDJ BABY ISAGI, PLS HOLD MY HAND RN.

[iniyaas]

I genuinely don't understand what Ness is expecting of Kaiser anymore?

See, Kaiser is actually praising(?) Ness here:

He is warning Rin that he is gonna get bitten by Yoichi and the stray dog- Ness. which yes, Rin did overlook Ness gaining on him and does lose the ball.

And yet, Ness' reaction is: "What do you think of my press, Kaiser?!"

Whereas Kaiser never said that his presses or passes were bad or anything? In fact, I am pretty sure he has been watching Ness' moves; cuz he noticed Ness pressing in before Rin or Isagi. all he said was that they won't maintain their one-to-one coordination anymore.

Leaving 'find your new master' and all the edgy teenager talk aside, the so-called "Kainess breakup" boils down to this, right? Kaiser wants to open up his options and include the other players into his play style--which is not necessarily a bad thing? Soccer is, yes, a team sport; how are they going to play a team sport with just two people? In fact, won't Ness, being a midfielder, have more scope for performance too, if he passes to others, not just Kaiser? idk.

Okay, but what is super funny to me in this whole "breakup" is: Kaiser really thought he took in a dog, made him his pet, but now he has abandoned him on the streets again -> Status Updated: my dog is a stray dog again/ UP for sale lmao

poor Ness is so in the habit of being patted and praised "Good boy, Ness" after every pass or smth; so he goes to Kaiser for the same but gets this:

Find a new master who'd pat (squeeze? crush?) his head and go Good Boy, Ness! I am sad for you, Ness--but I guess I can't relate to being so obedient to someone your age?? Love is one thing, admiration is another; but this is ??? what exactly?? obsession maybe? praise kink?

adding: this post by @/riririnnnn [I wonder if Ness is still going to blame Isagi for everything.]

something else I am curious about, and don't understand is this:

See, Ness is super happy for Kaiser getting an offer from Re Al!

When Kaiser was cartoon-villain-monologuing about Isagi (so cringey it was reidiculous, Kaiser what the fuck was that), Ness got frustrated that Kaiser is looking at someone else, not him??

And yet, if Kaiser does accept Re Al offer and leaves for that club, Ness will be left behind alone at Basmun? if Kaiser leaves for Re Al, he will obviously form new partnerships there, and never look back at Ness anymore? So, where does that leave Ness? Is he not thinking that far, or does he believe Re Al will extend the offer to him as well? They have Sae already-the best midfielder in U-20! Why would they take in Ness? this is not an extra buy-one-get-one-free package with Kaiser?!

What would Ness do if Kaiser actually left for Re Al?!!!

That's why I want Ness to stop searching for yet another master and live as a stray dog who is loyal to no one.

Of course, it'd be super difficuly to change his style after passing to one striker all along, but it's not too late. he can change if he tries, he has more than enough specs to do it.

After all, even on their first meeting, Kaiser commented:

[galaxynajma]

I love how self aware Kaneshiro is

[emmie-writes-stuff]

After months of waiting, finally

Ex-fucking-scuse me part three

[3rdgymbros]

Marc Snuffy, after coming to Blue Lock:

[marcysdreamydays11]

Snuffy deserves a hug wtf he's so underrated snuffy is probably one of my favorite coaches for the team

[boinin]

Been a hot minute since I got egg on my face. Here's a little speculation on the upcoming Blue Lock chapters (293 and 294) for funsies ahead of leaks dropping.

🚨 Blue Lock Manga Spoilers!

The next two chapters will likely round off Volume 33 of the manga, so it's nearly a given that the PXG v BM match will end in that span.

What's been established ahead of the final score?

1. Isagi, Kaiser and Rin are an even match for one another. On several occasions, they've each attempted to score, but have been thwarted by each other. Their head to head battle has resulted in a stalemate.

I don't disregard the input of other players, like Shidou, Charles, Hiori, Yukimiya or Karasu. But this trio are driving every attack. It's their narrative so to speak.

2. Ness is evolving, even though Kaiser and Isagi have disregarded him.

Kainess is over y'all 🙌🪦 It was long overdue, but Ness learned rather painfully that he can no longer serve Kaiser the way he used to.

I'm excited for what this means for Ness as a character, but I'll stick to game speculation for now. In its narrative, this match has all been about determining who the "hero" of the Neo Egoist League is. Two unbeaten teams, the two highest bid players, squaring off for dominance.

3. The fate of the rivals

Without doubt, Isagi and Rin have proven their bid value and then some, but it's hard to envision either one emerging as the single victor with how closely matched they are. Rin in particular has been a force of nature in this game, but... he's too good a character to peak at this point of the overall story. Not to mention, he'll be around for the World Cup arc. My sense is, he needs more setbacks before he reaches his final form. This bad boy can fit so much angst *slaps roof*

As for Kaiser, he's been dragged into the Rinsagi storm and become collateral damage. Winning's no longer a matter of malicious fun for him - Kaiser has been upstaged, and his ego has shattered as a result. His character arc has been resolved for now. In short, my first prediction is: neither Rin or Kaiser will score in the coming chapters.

Instead, I speculate that it'll be teammates outside the trio's bubble that set a goal in motion. Specifically, Ness... and whoever he decides on.

4. The theme of evolution will prevail in this match.

Few characters remain unchanged by their journey through the Neo Egoist League, particularly in this match. Isagi symbolises change and adaptation overall within the series, but let's talk a little about who else in BM has undergone evolution:

Hiori finding his own ego and becoming a "producer" of goals;

Yukimiya asserting his "protagonism" and "beating" Isagi by cinching the final goal against Manshine;

Igaguri having his long-running optimism finally crushed by Noa, leaving him used and benched for good.

Raichi begrudgingly accepting a non-striker position, recast as an integral member of the team's midfield defence.

GOATgamaru suffering from success and dooming himself to the goalposts for the rest of the franchise /jk

Kiyora and Kurona were unknown to us prior to the NEL so it's harder to document how they've evolved, but even Kurona's shown growth in keeping up with Isagi.

As Yukimiya and Hiori both reflect in chapter 291, that's what BM's about: Isagi's relentless change, and their own drive to keep up with him. Not as friends, but as rivals that thrive off the competition.

Really, there are only two characters in BM that haven't changed since the NEL arc began. Let me draw attention to a key interaction of theirs from way back in the Barcha match (chapter 159):

5. Shock factor: Kunigami and Ness?

It sound stupid to present Kunigami as an example of a static character, but bear with me. Prior to his elimination in the second selection, Kunigami was the sole character among the Egoist Four who hadn't experienced either significant setbacks or a moment of explosive growth. Because he's my babygirl, I talk at length about his journey pre- and post-Wild Card in this post. Specifically, I discuss how static his development was under the heading "Inert hero: Kunigami's arc".

Of course, because a great source of angst is to put characters into scenarios that actively clash with their ideals, Kunigami ended up in Wild Card. The pure-hearted hero who believed in teamwork, routine and sticking to his strengths was forced to rethink everything he believed in service of his dream of becoming a superhero. The boy who emerged was not the same as the one who'd entered.

We still don't know what happened to him, so while I hope we'll find out what Wild Card was, I'm choosing to dwell on how little Kunigami has changed since his return in chapter 155.

Kunigami came back quiet... and grumpy, to put it lightly. He's a test subject, tasked with the dual purpose of being a facsmile of the world's best player and a catalyst for his surrounding teammates.

The thing about catalysts is, they're meant to remain inert while everything around them changes.

So that's what Kunigami has done. Scoring against Barcha and Manshine didn't yield any additional growth for him as a character. It showed how he's changed since the beginning, but there's limited evidence of him evolving subsequent to Wild Card. Rather, he's succeeded in driving Isagi forward with each goal.

Chapter 213 suggested that the lovable Rensuke of yore might yet be somewhere under all that hair and muscle, but that part of him hasn't been spotted since. He was ineffective overall in the Ubers match, despite nominally acting as another threat to the Italian defence. So far against PXG, he's succeeded at keeping Shidou at bay and flashing dem WC gains, but little else. Even so, Isagi's all too aware of his talent and skill.

He's a static character that had a significant reintroduction arc who's conceptually at odds with this final match's theme: evolution. And Kaneshiro dropped him right in front of Isagi's nose in the latest chapter:

Seeing Kunigami has prompted a realisation for Isagi: he's gone Gojo-Saiyan and the puzzle pieces are taking off. Now, he could be cooking up anything, but I'll repeat the beats the story has provided until this point in time:

The dominant power of evolution as a theme;

Main rivals Rin, Isagi and Kaiser have reached a stalemate that even their teammates cannot break;

Isagi's awareness is drawn to Kunigami, a character who has yet to experience evolution in this match or throughout the NEL;

Meanwhile, Isagi is unaware of Ness's pending evolution, another character whose arc is currently open-ended;

Every other fielded player for BM's has either significantly evolved during the NEL, been developed in some way, or at least don't function as an open cliffhanger.

For the PXG boys, look: there are open questions for plenty of them. We know little about Karasu, and not one thing about why Shidou's... Shidou. Nanase's story has only really begun, while Zantetsu and Tokimitsu are scarcely more than side characters in the main manga. While I believe they'll all get further development in the manga, EpiNagi or a light novel, I don't see this happening in the next two chapters.

And so, to prediction number two: BM are going to win this match. They've got storytelling armour! Which is why I'll speculate a moment longer.

Kaiser and Isagi are unlikely to part ways with their differences resolved. I'm getting meta here, but there's no way in hell Kaiser isn't making a comeback as a levelled up boss in a future arc. Toxic yaoi sells, after all 💙 So Kaiser isn't scoring, and my sense is, it's about 50:50 odds whether Isagi will score or not. With Rin on his ass at all times, he might not succeed in scoring personally... but the odds of him at least orchestrating the last goal are substantial.

Isagi already pulled off a team-up with Hiori and Kunigami for his two gun goal in chapter 257, and he may well attempt something similar in the next chapter. There are a couple of unpredictable elements though: one being that Kunigami cooperated before to return Isagi's assist in the Barcha match, as I'd part-predicted in my earlier analysis. It's unlikely he'd act so selflessly again, and I can't see Isagi particularly wanting Kunigami to score with his assistance.

The other is Ness and his brewing evolution, which could go two ways: will he seek to become the star himself, or find a new emperor to serve?

I personally don't see Ness scoring. I'd be happily surprised if he did so, and I'm sure Kaneshiro would have good reason for it besides shock value. But Ness attempting to become a striker has the potential to retread what Hiori went through in the Ubers match. Nor does he have the inclination; IMO Ness still lacks the resolve to chase his only glory. Yet, with his time in the manga coming to a close for now, he's due for significant character development.

What I can see is him becoming the key driver of the next goal, possibly as a result of an oversight by Isagi. The real question is, who would he pass to?

If his type is tall, emotionally unavailable fair-haired men, then does Kaneshiro have a treat for him...!

Last prediction: Ness supports Kunigami in making the final goal of the Neo Egoist League... pissing off all of Isagi, Rin and Kaiser in the process.

It just... fits. It would hark back nicely to their exchange in the Barcha match and show how far Ness has come. For Kunigami's part, for better or worse, it would validate his Wild Card ordeal... something to unpack before or during the next arc. But all to be revealed, as we wait for chapter 293 to drop.

---

This started as a crack theory and I am under no illusion that eggs may come my way this week. But I would really enjoy this as a finale to the match!

In any case, thanks for reading... and roll on the leaks 👀

[jester-likes-sharks]

i heard kunigami is getting benched so i bought the plushie to make myself feel better