Episode 10: Just the Way It Is

Furious that a ten-man Team Z has drawn level, Kuon taunts Team V for being outplayed. Mikage, refusing to be his parents' plaything, drives forward but finds every lane sealed by Raichi and Isagi, and his nerve wavers. Watching Mikage's fear, Nagi drops back and demands the ball for the first time, startling Isagi. He lobs and nutmegs Igarashi, feeds the wing to Tsurugi, then calls for a return pass into the box and finishes from a razor-thin angle to make it 4-3. Nagi confesses that his dull life has cracked open, and he names his new ego "curiosity."

Team Z debate defending versus attacking, with Raichi insisting strikers must keep pressing. When Bachira releases Chigiri down the flank, Isagi steps in front of Nagi and lets Chigiri run, sparking a sequence he had already simulated in his head. Chigiri's shot deflects off the post, Gagamaru's rebound is blocked by a returning Mikage, and the loose ball drops for Kunigami, who lashes home the equalizer. Isagi grasps that his weapon lets him run full simulations of everyone's abilities, letting his eyes and mind read the field's future.

A flashback shows Kuon founding a club at Kitsunezaka High, only for his teammates to slack off and admit they never shared his hunger for Nationals. Branded overbearing, he decides friends are a burden and accepts his Blue Lock invitation.

With little time left, Kuon realizes a draw would send Team Z out in third and, on rank, advance him over the tied Kunigami. He wishes for nothing to change so he need not act. Yet when Nagi bumps past Isagi and lines up a certain goal, Kuon suddenly hauls him down, taking a red card so the fight can continue. He claims he did it purely for himself and his own dream of becoming the world's best striker, and the team fires back that they intend to win. Raichi punches him, then accepts him.

In the closing minutes Team V attack the restart: Iemon saves Mikage's shot, Raichi blocks Tsurugi's rebound, and Nagi chips a soft effort over the pile-up. Gagamaru scrambles it off the line onto the crossbar, and the ball rebounds to Isagi as Kuon roars at him to go, both sides sensing the final chance.

Part of the First Selection Arc, the episode uses Chaos ga Kiwamaru and WINNER as its themes. The Additional Time bit, "Team Z Impersonation Championship No. 2," has Gagamaru mimic Baro, Isagi impersonate Igarashi complaining about pickled radish, and Kunigami win by dripping water into his eyes to recreate a tearful, defeated Niko.