Blue Lock just isn't regular sports anime. It's basically a gladiatorial arena where the prize is a jersey and the penalty is a dead career. But everything changed when we hit the Blue Lock U-20 team showdown. This wasn't just another internal trial. It was a "winner takes all" gamble where the fate of the entire project—and the traditional Japanese football structure—was on the line.
If you're just catching up or re-reading the manga for the tenth time, you know the stakes were massive. Basically, if Blue Lock lost, the program shut down forever. If they won? They get to hijack the National Team.
It's crazy.
What Really Happened With the Japan U-20 Team?
Most people think of the Japan U-20 team as just a bunch of "fodder" characters meant to make Isagi and Rin look good. That’s a mistake. Before the Blue Lock boys showed up, these were the golden children of Japanese soccer. They played "boring" defensive football—what Ego Jinpachi calls "the soccer of a small island nation."
But then Sae Itoshi showed up.
Sae is the real deal. A member of the New Generation World XI. He didn't even want to play for Japan because he thought the strikers were trash. Honestly, he wasn't wrong. He only agreed to join the U-20 side on one condition: he got to pick one player from Blue Lock to join him.
He chose the "demon," Ryusei Shidou.
The Roster That Almost Ended Blue Lock
The original U-20 team was built like a fortress. They had the "Diamond Generation" defense, led by Oliver Aiku. If you haven't seen Aiku in action, the guy is a monster. He has "Total Instinct" and can basically read the entire field like a heat map.
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Here is who actually started for that Japan U-20 side:
- Oliver Aiku (Captain/Center Back): The heart of the defense.
- Sae Itoshi (Midfielder): The genius playmaker who makes everyone else look like they’re moving in slow motion.
- Shuto Sendo (Forward): The supposed "Ace," though Sae treated him like a benchwarmer most of the time.
- Teppei Neru (Fullback): The speedster.
- Miroku Darai & Kazuma Nio: The other defensive specialists who made the "Iron Wall."
The first half of the match was basically a stalemate because Aiku’s defense was so tight. It wasn't until the second half, when Sae finally brought Shidou onto the pitch, that things got truly life-and-death.
The Shidou and Sae "Chemical Reaction"
Let’s be real: Shidou is a nightmare. He’s violent, he’s unpredictable, and he talks about "fertilization" way too much when he scores goals. But when he paired up with Sae Itoshi, it was the most beautiful thing on the pitch.
Sae’s passes are so precise they’re almost impossible to receive. Most strikers can't even touch them. But Shidou? He doesn't need to think. He just moves on reflex.
This duo almost destroyed the Blue Lock Eleven. Every time Sae touched the ball, the entire Blue Lock defense panicked. Even Rin Itoshi, who is obsessed with surpassing his brother, couldn't stop them. It took a literal miracle—and some "Luck" from Isagi—to pull through.
Why the Blue Lock U-20 Team Victory Matters Now
The match ended 4-3. It was a nail-biter. But the aftermath is what really changed the series. Because Blue Lock won, the Japan Football Association (JFA) had to hand over the keys.
The old U-20 team? They didn't just disappear.
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They got absorbed.
In the Neo Egoist League (NEL) arc that follows, we see the former U-20 players like Aiku, Sendo, and Darai fighting for their lives to keep a spot in the new Blue Lock U-20 team. It’s no longer about being the "best in Japan." Now, they have to prove they can play on a world stage.
Aiku, specifically, has become a fan favorite. He realized that the Blue Lock strikers were exactly what he’d been waiting for—players who would actually challenge him and make him "bloom."
Common Misconceptions About the Match
I see people online saying Rin "lost" to Sae.
Technically, Sae admitted at the end of the match that the "heart" of the team’s victory was Yoichi Isagi. That’s what broke Rin. It wasn't that he couldn't beat his brother; it was that his brother finally acknowledged someone else as the future of Japanese soccer.
Also, people forget how much work Gin Gagamaru did. The man went from being a striker to a world-class goalkeeper in about five minutes. Without his "Scorpion Kick" saves, the U-20 team would have scored six or seven goals.
What’s Next for the New National Team?
We are currently heading into the U-20 World Cup. The roster is being finalized based on the "salaries" players earn in the Neo Egoist League.
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It’s a different game now.
The Blue Lock U-20 team isn't just Isagi and friends anymore. It's a hybrid of the best egoists and the most refined defenders from the old guard. If you’re following the manga, the current bids are insane. Rin and Isagi are neck-and-neck, while players like Barou and Kunigami are breathing down their necks.
If you want to keep up with the specific rankings and who is actually making the cut for the final 23-man roster, you need to pay attention to the auction updates after every match in the NEL. The current Top 3 are basically locks, but the battle for those final spots (20 through 23) is where the real drama is.
Go check the latest manga chapters to see the current bid rankings—it changes every single week and the point gaps are getting tiny. Honestly, watching the former U-20 captain Aiku try to hold his own against world-class strikers like Michael Kaiser is the best part of the current arc.
Keep an eye on the "Flow" states. That’s the key to the World Cup. If Isagi can't trigger it at will, the world stage is going to eat him alive.
Actionable Next Steps:
To truly understand the tactical shift of the team, go back and re-read Chapters 147-151 of the manga. This covers the immediate fallout of the match and the first time we see the "New Japan" rankings. You'll see exactly how the JFA's power shifted and why the Neo Egoist League was the only logical next step for Ego's project.