The following contains spoilers for Episode 23 of Blue Lock, "Luck," now streaming on Crunchyroll and Netflix.
This week was the penultimate episode of Blue Lock, and it began with a huge surprise right out of the gate - the white team lost. Last week, "Voice" ended with a cliffhanger, where it really looked like Bachira could score the winning goal for the White Team and send the Red Team - Isagi's team - packing, and Isagi was the only thing standing in his way. Since Isagi is the main character of the show, it would have made sense for him to not only stop Bachira's goal, but go on to lead his team to victory.
However, that is not what happened at all. Isagi was able to stop the shot, but the ball fell to the feet of Rin, who was then able to score and the winning goal for the White Team. Within five minutes, the Red Team had lost the match, and Isagi was chosen by Rin as the fifth member of their team to move onto the 3rd selection. Isagi left behind his old squad mates Barou, Chigiri, and Nagi, and went forward with his new ones. He had settled into a rhythm with the other three and expected to go on with them, but everything changed surprisingly. What new challenges does he have to overcome as the first season of Blue Lock comes ot an end?
A New Team
Bachira is the only person on the White Team who Isagi has played with before. He and Bachira are able to match up their plays and strategies because they have practise doing so, and are something between friends and enemies at the moment. They work and play well together, and had expected to be on the same team again ever since Bachira was first chosen to move on without Isagi earlier in the second selection. As we saw last week, though, Bachira also has evolved and changed into a better player than the last time they played together.
Aryu and Tokimitsu, though, are totally new to Isagi. He did play against them in that fateful first match in the second selection, but that was his only chance to interact with them before now. Already, their personalities are clashing a bit, though Tokimitsu and Aryu did welcome him to the team after the match. Whether Isagi can find any chemistry with them remains to be seen, though, as they are both eccentric characters and unlike anyone Isagi has had the chance to play with before.
Rin Itoshi
Rin Itoshi is a challenge all by himself for Isagi. Rin has been painted as the best player in Blue Lock, and the only one who has a similar skill to Isagi himself. That was why Rin chose Isagi to be the one to move forward with the team, when in the previous match he just let the other two choose. He is the leader of the White Team, making most of their decisions, and does see himself as the best player in the program.
Isagi sees Rin as his top rival now, and even told Rin as much in "Luck." He feels he has a lot to learn from Rin, and wants to "devour" his skill next to continue to evolve as a player. However, Rin has very little patience for Isagi, especially his endless questions that Rin finds pointless. Rin is not a social person at all, and prefers to keep to himself. It is going to take a lot for Isagi to learn his secrets, and to find any chemistry with him on the field. If the two remain pitted against one another endlessly, it will be nearly impossible for them to actually work together.
The World Five
The most obvious challenge in Isagi's path is the 3rd Selection itself. As promised by Ego, the White Team now has the chance to play the World 5, a team made up of five of the top international players from around the globe. The White Team only had one night to prepare for this huge match, coming right off their intense match with the Red Team. That leaves little time for Isagi to get to know his new teammates and form any kind of strategy.
On top of that, the World 5 are known as that for a reason. They are already playing in the top leagues in their countries, and the Frenchman Julien Loki even plays for the French National Team at age 17. Isagi is only 17 himself, and is doing Blue Lock so that he can play for Japan. Julien Loki has already achieved his dream! The five show at the end of "Luck" that they are not worried about their match against the White Team at all, and already feel they are the better players.
The last episode of Blue Lock will be next weekend, and it will focus entirely on the match with the World 5. Isagi will have to learn to work with his new teammates very quickly, especially Rin, if they want to survive. Episode 23 ended with a quick goal by Rin and Bachira right from the start, so the other thing Isagi will have to do is prove himself as the best. After all, all five of them will not go on to be the victor in Blue Lock - there will only be one, and Isagi still has a lot to overcome if he wants that person to be him.