#BLUELOCK MANGA

[sl-vega]

✮⋆｡ MEMORIES OF YOU

pairings: Itoshi Sae, Itoshi Rin, x [FEM!] Reader

genre: fluff, oneshot(s), drabble/imagines, established relationship (for some), implied angst if you squint (?), first love, post-u 20 arc, canon compliant

synopsis: in which their friends stumble across photos of you, their first, and only love

CW/additional tags: mild language, potententially ooc, Google translated Spanish in sae's part, English = Japanese in this, might make more scenarios with other characters if people request it

ITOSHI SAE

Sae was slumped across the cushions of his couch as Shidou rummaged through some of his storage boxes.

The other boy had been rather insistent on coming over to his new appartement, and helping him properly move all his stuff into his new living space.

"So does this mean I can finally move in with you?~"

"Keep dreaming."

Shidou pouted, giving Sae uncharacteristically begging eyes, almost like a sad lost puppy, naturally he didn't fall for this and settled for returning his pathetic look with his signature cold glare.

He simply gave him a sickeningly sweet smile in return, and continued taking objects out of the boxes, among the possessions were a lamp, a few photo frames, and an album.

Ryusei's eyes widened in surprise as his eyes came into contact with the book.

"Oh, what do we have here?"

Shidou said with a slight lilt in his voice clearly intrigued. Sae lifted his head from his phone to see what Shidou was doing, surely if something of his managed to pique the interest of Shidou's filthy mind, it would probably be in his best interests to throw it out-

Is what Sae would've said before he spotted the photo album in the taller boy's hands, Shidou fingers gingerly opening the front cover.

Sae reacted before he could even think.

"Put it down."

His voice is cold and sharp, not threatening, more defensive-scared almost, if he was even capable of fear that is.

Shidou's eyes widened momentarily at Sae's reaction before his face shifted back to his usual shit eating grin.

"Why Itoshi? Got some dirty photos you don't want me seeing? I promise I won't tell y'know."

Sae rolled his eyes and grabbed the album out of the blonde's hands.

"They aren't dirty, for your information."

He paused, as he looked at the cover of the book, dust was collecting on it, and there were a few marker stains that he couldn't get off.

"I'd just rather forget about them..."

He muttered, as he gently stroked the spine of the book with his thumb.

"Why'd you keep it then? You seem awfully attached to it."

Shidou's voice dropped lower and took a momentarily more serious tone before switching back to his flamboyant and teasing demeanor.

"I'm kinda jealous of it~."

Sae rolled his eyes, more playfully this time. He opened the book-making a point to hide the rest of the pages from Shidou's view-and took out a single photograph and handed it to him.

It was a photo of Sae and you. He didn't talk about you much, but he maybe he should change that.

"You clearly won't stop bothering me about it."

He waved the piece of paper before Shidou prompty snatched it and eyed it carefully, his eyes widening.

It was a photo of the two of you by some beach in Spain, hands interlocked, and a rare smile on a younger Sae's face. You were wearing a white sundress with a hat as you ran across the shoreline, taking Sae right along with you as the two of you stumbled across the sand together.

He remembered that day crystal clear, you brought a Polaroid camera with you and you got one of the locals to take the photograph for you. You had forced him to take a break from constant training, and before he knew it. He was far from Madrid in that moment, just you, him, and the ocean.

Shidou's eyes flickered with a brief moment of sincerity, Sae looked genuinely happy in the photo.

"And here I thought I actually had a chance with you."

Sae blushed, yet another look that Shidou wasn't used to seeing on him.

"We aren't-She wasn't-"

He stuttered, unable to express the nature of his relationship with you. Sure he had thoughts, but he never acted on them, which he regretted.

"Aww, so Mr. Itoshi Sae had an unrequited crush back in Spain? How tragic."

Shidou teased as he fidgeted with the sides of the photograph still in his hand.

"It wasn't unrequited."

Sae replied, quicker than he should have.

Shidou quirked a brow in response.

"Care to elaborate?"

Sae sighed, memories of you flooding back into his brain. Repressed feelings that he had long since left for time to slowly erode, yet a single reminder brought them all back.

"We... ran into each other a lot back when I was still in Spain."

He trailed off, recalling when you first interacted.

Sae was around fifteen when he first met you, he was at a cafe in the city, when he was on an annoyingly mandated week long break, issued by the heads of Real Madrid themselves. It just happened to align with the holiday of your school, and the cafe was a pretty popular spot among the locals. It was crowded, with students and several other adults given the day off. From what Sae remembered, you didn't come with the intention of being with a friend, but rather to spend time alone, it was rather difficult though with how many people were currently in the cafe. So before he knew it, a stranger-albeit a very pretty one-had sat right next to him, drink in hand. You only realized you were sitting next to him after you had actually made yourself uncomfortable. "Oh, lo siento, ¿está bien si me siento aquí? Hay mucha gente aquí…" You seemed to have muttered a quick apology in Spanish, while he had lived here for the past two years, he was ashamed to admit that his fluency in this country's native tongue was rather rusty. He had mainly prioritized learning all the needed terminology for soccer and for any interviews, but he could tell that you were apologizing, and probably asked him if you could sit with him. He tried to muster together a coherent response "Está bien... no me importa...?" He trailed off, unsure if what he said was right, or if you could even understand him with his heavy Japanese accent. Your eyes blinked in surprise, maybe he completely butchered that without knowing. Then your eyes widened in surprise for a moment, almost as if you just pieced together something about him. "Ay dios mio! You're Itoshi Sae! I knew you looked familiar!" You responded, in Japanese this time, almost as if it was second nature to you. "You speak Japanese?" It was more of a statement rather than a question, he sounded impressed, it had been a long time since he's actually been able to converse with someone else in his own language. You nodded, eyes sparkling, still clearly hung up on his identity. "I took some classes online, sorry if I'm hard to understand." You weren't hard to understand at all, sure, it was tinged with a slight accent, but if anything that just added to your charm. "I'm (Y/N), huge fan." You extended your hand to him, a bright smile adorning your already beautiful face. He took your hand and shook it. "Sae." He responded, his usual nonchalant tone fading. "You already know that though..." Was he blushing? You giggled at his sudden bashfulness, your laughter was a sweet melodic sound, it was almost embarrassing of how much it affected him. "You know, I'd thought you'd be a lot colder in person, you're actually really sweet huh?" You laughed once more, and this time, Sae actually cracked a grin.

Sae finished his story to Shidou, his friend had listened intently.

"Aww, so you were whipped from the start?~"

Shidou teased, smirking at him.

"Care to share more? I'd love to learn more

He asked, a slightly playful lilt to his voice.

"If you score another hat trick next time I might just tell you."

Sae responded, his playful tone contrasting his nonchalant demeanor. Shidou smirked, clearly pleased by the offer.

"And will you let me move in?~"

"Maybe."

Sae smiled, gentle and hidden. Maybe it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. After all, it would give him an excuse to talk about you once more.

"If you score another hat trick next time I might just tell you."

Shidou smirked, clearly pleased by the offer.

"And will you let me move in?~"

"Maybe."

Sae smiled, gentle and hidden. Maybe it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. After all, it would give him an excuse to talk about you once more.

BONUS; TRANSLATIONS (potentially inaccurate)

"Oh, lo siento, ¿está bien si me siento aquí? Hay mucha gente aquí…"

╰┈➤ "Oh, I'm sorry, is it okay if I sit with you? It's super crowded in here..."

"Está bien... no me importa...?"

╰┈➤ "It's okay...I don't mind..?

"Ay dios mio!

╰┈➤ "Oh my God!"

ITOSHI RIN

"Bachira! I swear to God if Rin kills us because of this-"

"Lighten up Isagi! He's not gonna catch us."

It was a miracle that Rin had already agreed to Isagi and Bachira coming over to his place, though it was more because his mom was constantly nagging him about "needing more friends" or "being more social with the rest of the boys from Blue Lock"

Of course Bachira took this as an opportunity to snoop around Rin's room.

"If we find anything too private, we'll just put it right back and pretend we never saw it, simple as that."

Isagi sighed, bemoaning their current actions against their teammate's own personal life.

"You make it sound like Rin of all people would actually have something incriminating to hide."

Bachira shot him an unimpressed look.

"Are we talking about the same Rin? I'm like 90% sure the guy has some kind of criminal record, I wouldn't be surprised if he had a dead body hiding around in here somewhere..."

He continued looking around the room, glancing at crooks and small gaps in-between shelves as if some hidden treasure was stuck in them.

"Bachira you aren't going to find anything-"

Isagi was promptly cut off by Bachira, who in fact, found something.

A photograph taped to the side of Rin's closet, it seemed a little old, and dusty, but it looked well taken care of.

"Rin never striked me as the sentimental type..."

Bachira flipped the photo back and fourth in his hands before actually focusing on what the picture itself was holding.

Of course before he could actually view the photo himself, it was quickly snatched from him.

Rin was back, and he gave Bachira his signature cold glare, that probably translated into "One more wrong move and I'm throwing you off a cliff in your fucking sleep." or some worse same intentioned threat that Rin would probably use.

"What were the two of you doing?"

Rin asked in a condescending, accusing tone, and rightfully so.

"Rin, we're sorry-"

Isagi was about to apologize, but then Bachira fell to the floor, gripped the younger Itoshi's leg and wailed out a far more incoherent apology than his friend.

"I'm sorry Rin-chan! I promise I won't do it again!"

He was wailing at this point, a string of even more whiny apologies coming from him.

Rin shook Bachira off his leg and sighed.

"It's fine..."

He murmured as he trailed off, his attention completely stolen by the photograph he had just took back.

It was a picture of the two of you at the beach, he was around fourteen in this photo, it probably took place during the final months of his last year at middle school. The two of you had gone on a stroll by the ocean earlier before finding a resting spot nearby. You had pulled out a camera out of nowhere and snapped the photo almost without Rin notcing. You were flashing a big smile at the camera, while Rin's face was nuzzled into your neck, clearly camera shy. If you looked closely however, you could spot the blush slowly creeping up his cheeks.

Without noticing, Bachira had gotten a little too close for Rin's comfort. The older boy's head rested on his shoulder as he ogled the picture alongside him.

"Is she your girlfriend or somethin'?"

Rin shoved Bachira off his shoulder, the other boy laughed as he stumbled away.

"Shut up... she's just a friend."

"I dunno, the two of you look awfully cozy in that photo~"

If only you saw the others...

Rin had held on to the photo for longer than he would like to admit, the two of you hadn't talked for a while, especially after graduation.

But now that his annoying lukewarm teammates had decided to scour around his room for no reason, Rin was met with a wave of memories.

All of which were about you.

The most prominent memory he had of you was the day of middle school graduation.

The cherry blossoms were in bloom, and the third years were about to assemble in the auditorium for the farewell ceremony. Several of Rin's classmates were gushing about graduation, and how they would miss each other, some were already planning methods of communication after moving on to high school. Another hot topic of conversation among his classmates (mainly the girls) was the topic of button giving. In Japan, a guy giving the second button of his uniform to a girl on the day of graduation was essentially a love confession, Rin thought that the tradition was rather stupid. For one thing, he had no time for romance when he was trying to become the best in the world, nor did he have any interest in the subject. Or as he would say 'everyone here is way too lukewarm for my tastes' Well, that's what he would have said if he wasn't so preoccupied with you, but here he was, just outside of the auditorium, fidgeting with his uniform trying to get a button off. Normally the girl would have to ask the guy for the button, but Rin was never one for tradition-then again he was already going along with this stupid love confession so there was a first time for everything-and it didn't look like you were going to talk to him anytime soon, you were constantly hanging around with your friends for most of the day, so he never found the right time. So he didn't know what came over him when he dragged you aside in some secluded area of the courtyard, all his courage had been used up in that very moment because of that moment, he had been reduced to a blushing and bashful mess. "What did you need me for RIn?" You asked with curious doe eyes, clearly oblivious to the fact that there was a button missing from his uniform. Rin gave you a blank stare for a few minutes, taking in your appearance. Your hair was adorned with several hair pins, all engraved with special patterns and decorated with pretty charms. You were wearing make up today, not super noticeable, but noticeable enough for it to enhance your natural beauty. "Rin?" You called his name, snapping him out of his thoughts. Oh right, he was supposed to give you the buttton "Can I have your hand for a second..?" He asked bashfully, you extended your hand to his, this time, you were blushing as well. You muttered a quick 'sure' as you avoided eye contact with him. He gently dropped the button into your hands. "I-I wanted you to have this." This time, Rin was looking directly into your eyes, the same cold teal that always seemed to have no light behind them, but this time, they were filled with warmth and sincerity. The two of you stood in silence for a few more moments, before you heard the teachers calling you and the rest of the third years over for the ceremony. As Rin walked into the auditorium with the rest of his classmates, one of his teammates from the soccer team leaned down and whispered something in his ear. "So who's the lucky lady Itoshi?" He turned to his friend, noticing that his button was missing too. Rin simply shrugged, feigning nonchalance and muttered; "Wouldn't you like to know?" That graduation photo captured a very rare smile from him.

Bachira accidentally knocking something over promptly snapped Rin out of his nostalgia.

"Oh my God you're actually smiling in this photo?!"

Bachira waved Rin's middle school grad photo in his face, clearly shocked by the notion that the younger Itoshi could actually feel happiness.

Suddenly, Rin's mother came into his room.

"I know, it's one of the few photos I have of him that actually feature him smiling."

She sighed.

"Anyways, I just made dinner in case you boys are hungry."

Mrs. Itoshi smiled at the boys.

"And maybe you could tell them all about (Y/N) hm?"

Rin's face grew very hot all of a sudden.

God, he was in for it now...

[angelwolf745]

[P2] Blue lock Boys & their (I assume) love-trope.

[P1] Nagi, Barou, Rin, Sae, Shidou, and Aiku

Characters; Isagi, Bachira, Kunigami, Chigiri, Reo, Kaiser

Isagi - From Unexpected Collision to Love-at-First-Sight

Bachira - Beast Boy to Raven love : “Hey there mama~”

Kunigami - Separated Childhood-Friends to Lovers; “Kunigami? I could hardly recognize you.”

Chigiri - Medical Student (Field Assistant) x Athletic Soccer Player; “My knee is acting up…” [that’s a lie, he just wanted to see you]

Reo - Broke but Independent girl to Rich yet Dependent boy

Kaiser - “Everyone knows me” to “Who are you?” spark-love

[kusukuna]

im so confused over ppl being surprised that kaiser is an asshole... he was since the beginning are y'all ppl blind 💀

plus ofc someone who has experienced the years of abuse he had, he would turn out not a great person since he got no mental help after what had happened (not an excuse, an explanation)

I still like him cuz i understand his character unlike some of y'all

[wilhelm-laugh]

the funniest moment of the Ubers match is still the way Isagi went “Niko how were you able to stop me??”

and Niko just going “I followed the ball? With my eyes??”

[redrocketpanda]

If you want me... come and steal me

There does not exist a more powerful moment in bluelock

[shoyoackerman]

Can they just draw isagi and kaiser hate fucking already please jfc might help him get over isagi 😭 like that man is so unhinged and obsessed with Isagi it’s not even funny anymore. Bro is out here deliberately choking himself? 💀 fuck soccer give that boy the Shidou treatment already please

[3rdgymbros]

[aesterblaster]

Just some more Blue Lock reaction images

[ireneyourbabe]

Noel is not shallow and absolutely not stupid, he wants everyone to have an equal chance to prove themselves.

Isagi was a bad player once, and now look at him. Sometimes I feel like we're not reading the same manga from the same angles, the hate Igaguri gets is unreasonable.

Noel led BM to consecutive victories thanks to his plans and motivation for the players☺️, especially Isagi and Kaiser.

Yes, he doesn't appear much, yet he makes a difference in secret and lets the players discover themselves and their potential alone. you guys act as if you didn't see when Igaguri was training with Kyoura under Noel's supervision in that one panel 🫤

Noel isn't a shallow person to leave a player behind him, not everyone is born talented and he knows that very well, Igaguri will cook one way or another.

Noel isn't the best yet he's not the worst as some people claims

[goandwatchaot]

Auf die Knie

[sl-vega]

⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ I DON'T KNOW MUCH, BUT I KNOW I WANT YOU

pairing: Hiori Yo x [FEM!] Reader

genre: fluff, first crush, oneshot/drabble, hiori character study if you squint, classmates to lovers, pre-bluelock au, canon compliant

synopsis: hiori knows something is wrong with him when he can't focus during practice, or during games, or during anything really. he initially pins the blame on you, you're the only thing occupying his mind whenever he tries to do anything. karasu says hiori's got it bad (aka he's in love) but there's no way, ...right? (or in which our cyan haired prodigy tries to figure out his very obvious feelings for you, and karasu teases him like the amazing friend he is)

CW: mild language, potentially ooc hiori and karasu, mentions of toxic/controlling parents (I mean it's hiori what do you expect?) 

part one // part two

The whistle sounded, and the match came to an end, and Bambi Osaka Youth had...

Lost actually.

Normally Hiori would've been worried about his parents' reaction. How they would make sure he got even more practice than usual, and how his mother would put him on another excessive and controlling diet.

Normally Hiori would be dreading the walk back home, already feeling the disappointment radiating off of his father, even if they weren't present at the match itself. The fear that maybe today would be that day that his parents would stop loving him, the day where his facade would finally shatter. The day that he would finally fall off the thin tight rope that he had been clinging to his whole life.

But today, his thoughts were anything but normal.

The only thing plaguing his mind was you, some pretty girl that became his seatmate in school a few weeks ago.

He spotted you before heading to the change rooms with the rest of his teammates today, and his mind reverted to the dumb fantasies he always got whenever your were around.

They usually consisted of him holding your hand, giving you your favorite flowers, or sometimes they were just snapshots of you.

Your smile, your voice, anything and everything about you drove him crazy.

Not that he would ever admit it.

Hiori's developed a sixth sense to your presence, even during the short time that's he's known you. He doesn't know why, nor does he know the name of the feeling that makes his heart jump to his throat whenever he hears your laugh, but he's always certain whenever you're nearby.

He decided to risk a glance, and lo and behold, there you were, chatting with a friend about something. Your face lit up at something that she said, and you playfully swatted her arm in retaliation to something.

"It's rude ta' stare ya' know."

With a mere brush of shoulders, Hiori's attention was drawn away from you, and to his raven haired teammate instead. Karasu leans forward to get a better look at you, quickly analyzing your behaviour and mannerisms before turning back to his teammate.

"So that why you've been so distracted lately."

Karasu looked at Hiori with that shit-eating grin of his. That same face he always makes whenever he sees right through him. It was almost concerning how well his upperclassman seemed to know him.

"If ya' like her so much, you should just talk to her."

"I- I don't like her."

"Those starry eyes of yers' say otherwise."

Hiori looked away and tried his best to hide the red hue that spreads across his face. Of course there was no point in doing so since he was dealing with the ever-so-lovely Karasu Tabito, but he didn't need his teammates calling him out.

Not yet at least, he didn't even know what was going on in his own head, or heart for that matter.

Their coach called them over, everyone was about to be granted leave, the two of them walked over and positioned themselves next to the rest of the team, and coach went on about how they shouldn't slack off during practice or somethin'

Not that Hiori could care, seeing as how you were only a few meters away from him, some cheaply painted fence being the only thing standing in between the two of you.

Coach kept lecturing and scolding them, but Hiori's gaze kept wandering back to you.

Why were you here? Were you watching the game? Were you watching him? Did you like soccer? Had you watched his other games before? If you did, how has he not noticed yet? Maybe one of his teammates knew you personally. Wait- what if you were dating someone on the team?-

Hiori doesn't know why, but the thought of you being taken gives him a sinking feeling.

Suddenly he felt a blunt kick against his ankle. It's Karasu, of course.

"What the fu-"

"Not my fault yer' too busy ogling at her to concentrate, consider this a favour."

The older boy quickly cut him off before any crass language could fall from his lips, and Hiori's focus returned to whatever their coach was saying, but his superior's words simply entered one ear and exited the other.

His mind was still filled with thoughts of you, and only you, and when he saw you leave with your friend from the corner of his eye, he felt that same sinking feeling again.

When their coach finally dismissed them, Hiori was tempted to try and catch up with you, but he doesn't dare, Bambi Osaka lost, which was already enough to get a scolding from his parents, but coming home late? 'Cuz of a girl no less?

Yeah, he wasn't that reckless, even when it came to you

Though that same sinking feeling returns when he saw your figure slowly leave his vision, already missing your presence.

Apparently his gloom was evident, because the second he returned his focus back to his teammates once more, he was met with Karasu and that God forsaken look of his.

It was still incredibly concerning of how easy it was for his senior to pick him apart with a simple glance.

"She's gonna think yer' some creep if ya' keep staring at 'er like that."

"Shut up ya' stupid crow."

Karasu took a few steps forward, but slowed down his pace because he was waiting for Hiori to follow him. He had actually gotten the approval of his parents to take the train back home with Karasu. Hiori didn't know how, but he wasn't complaining.

The younger boy followed him, as they walked off the field with the rest of their team.

Everyone exchanged farewells before dispersing into their own groups, some walking home and others heading to a local convenience store or cafe to wind down.

And that left Hiori and Karasu to walk to the station, Karasu leading the way, and Hiori following him like a puppy.

The walk was silent for quite some time, the only prominent view being Karasu's back facing towards him.

Of course, Karasu couldn't keep that big mouth of his shut, and it seemed like today was no different.

"So what's she like?"

"What do ya mean?"

Karasu rolled his eyes and gave him an unimpressed look.

"That girl."

Hiori paused for a second, he actually didn't know that much about you, he thought you were really nice, and pretty, and you always lent him your stationary, even though you forgot it on some days. You even let him keep a turquoise glitter gel pen of yours since he seemed to like writing with them so much.

"It matches your eyes."

He distinctly remembers your words from a couple weeks ago, when your hands brushed as you gave him the pen, and the way you smiled when you pulled it out of your pencil case. The pen's ink was halfway finished but there was still a substantial amount left.

"Lemme know if you need another!"

He wouldn't admit it but he exclusively used that pen for all his assignments from that day forward.

Suddenly he heard Karasu clear his throat, snapping him out of his daydreams and back to reality.

"Uh, she's..."

Hiori paused once more, trying to think of a word that could actually do you justice.

"....nice?"

"So ya don't know anything about 'er other than the fact that yer' whipped for 'er?"

He was taken aback by the blunt statement, but it was true, other than the fact that he knew that you were nice, he didn't know much else about you.

"Must be one hell of a gal if she can get the attention of our local prodigy without tryin'"

Hiori playfully swatted his shoulder.

"I told ya not to call me that! But yeah, she is."

Maybe Hiori didn't know much about romance, or about you, but there was one thing he knew for sure.

If it came to you, he was willing to change that.

[angelwolf745]

Blue lock Boys & their (I assume) love-trope.

[P2] Isagi, Bachira, Kunigami, Chigiri, Reo, Kaiser

Characters; Nagi, Barou, Rin, Sae, Shidou, and Aiku.

Nagi - The Sleepy Bf + Energetic Gf

Barou - The Cinnamon-Roll to his Hot-Head

Rin - The “He doesn’t like me” girl to, “You’re all I think about” boy

Sae - Fell first gf + Fell harder bf

Shidou - The Demon bf to his Angel gf

Aiku - Mr. Flirt + Miss. Fluster

[actual-howlinglikeaseaturtle]

Spot the fucking difference

[wilhelm-laugh]

I gotta be honest, I despised Shidou on sight the second he pulled up in the anime (because Kunigami) but after reading the manga he really won me over. And it’s not even because of *gestures vaguely to whatever him and Sae had going on* but because of how in love with football he is. Bro really said every cell in his body exists to score goals. He said football is an act of LIFE. I don’t even care that he’s a pervert about it, that is so fire?? After all that talk about “this is a battlefield” and “losing here is the same as death” it’s so refreshing to see someone who doesn’t bring some emo ass attitude to every game and just has a great time. In many ways his independent play style is a lot like Bachira. He’s not trying to prove anything, he plays because it’s genuinely the only thing he loves to do and he can enjoy it regardless of whether anyone cooperates with him on the pitch or not. And I applaud that.

[redrocketpanda]

Bachira Meguru being a totally normal heterosexual boy with his good friend, Isagi Yoichi

[sylphid187]

Chap 1 VS. Chap 226:

Development of Isagi Yoichi

SPOILERS

Dwelling on the "What-Ifs" and producing results...

The "what if" scenario in Chap.1 came from a very unsure Isagi who questioned Ichinans ideals but still went with it anyway-so that layer of doubt and asking "what if" ate at him even after they lost. He was stuck in that loop of asking, "Could it have been different IF i took the shot instead?"

Now in NEL, Isagi himself is saying that what ifs dont mean sht if you can't produce results. And that his plans are just that - plans - if he can't bring them to life.

Instead of dwelling on it and making excuses, he acknowledges that something didn't work or there's a missed opportunity,so he has to try something else to MAKE it work.

Going back, he conformed to Ichinan's ideals when he passed the ball in that match even when he knew could score because that was the philosophy. Now, Isagi's monologue is him saying, "I'm doing this my way. If you dont like it, then do something about it."

"Your individuality is stiffled." Isagis has been there and done that before Blue Lock. So he knows that how the Ubers are playing, mindlessly executing Snuffy's plans-is stunting their individual egos. Which is why he's so disappointed when he realizes that Barou - the self-proclaimed king wasn't giving him a challenge.

Barou ignites his ego after he realizes that, too and realizes that yeah, Snuffy's tactics are good - great even- but what was the point if they couldn't score?

I really enjoyed this chapter because it kept bringing me back to chap 1 Isagi and just seeing all these panels of him growing 🥺 He's slowly turning into that striker he's always wanted and surrounded by people pushing him to his limits. He went from almost giving up, pre-Blue Lock, to realizing just how big of a potential he has and how his dreams can be attained. 😭