Blue Genes

Chigiri surges upfield with the ball, thinking of nothing but raw pace. Aiku, caught off guard, still manages to respond, and Chigiri reflects that he expected as much from the Japan U-20 captain. He concedes that Aiku may read the whole pitch better, but the right touchline, where the ground opens into a straight sprint, belongs to him. Knocking the ball ahead, he detonates past the captain and reels it back in an instant. The crowd recoils at his velocity while the commentators marvel at his acceleration.

Bursting into the in-zone, Chigiri is immediately picked up by Nio and looks to release the ball. He finds no one until Karasu arrives from midfield, refusing to spend the whole match defending. Chigiri threads it into a pocket for Karasu to collect, and Karasu calls the delivery flawless, only for Sae to slip in from behind and prod it away, having read the positioning to the inch. Nio praises the steal, and as the ball loops upward Gen Fukaku calls for the second ball, which drops to Rin.

Aiku instantly shadows Rin and admits he misjudged Blue Lock. He had pictured a squad of high schoolers obediently following their coach, but every one of them hungers only to score and rewrite his fate, a pack of starving beasts. Isagi calls for the ball, and Aiku braces for a quick exchange, but Rin loads a kick, feints toward Isagi, and prises open his own shooting lane. Aiku anticipates even this, knowing Rin's stronger foot is his right and that another copy of his brother's left-footed strike would be weak and wayward. He deliberately abandons the left, vowing to smother anything from the right and forcing Rin toward the poor option. Instead Rin strikes with his right foot across to the left, wrapping outside spin onto the ball. The surprise trivela from beyond the box stuns the stadium and slots home cleanly. Blue Lock edges ahead 2-1, and Aiku concedes that Japanese football has fresh blood in the mix, declaring Blue Lock the best.

Chigiri showcases blistering speed to slip past Aiku and put Blue Lock on the front foot. Rin finishes the sequence with a trivela strike from outside the area, and Aiku admits he underestimated the challengers, showing them genuine respect as Blue Lock takes a 2-1 lead.

"Blue Genes" is the 120th chapter overall and the eighth entry in Volume 14, part of the U-20 Arc. It was dramatized within Episode 32 of the anime and debuted in Japan on February 24, 2021.