Wataru Kuon/Synopsis

**Table of Contents**
History • Introduction Arc • First Selection Arc • Second Selection Arc
References
## History

A young Kuon shows his schoolmates their football club registration. Now that Kuon and his friends have 11 players, the school allowed them to create their own football club. With that, Kuon and his clubmates are ecstatic. Kuon remarks that with a bit of pushing, they can win at the nationals. One of his clubmates laughs at him and tells him that his dream is too high to reach. Kuon rebuttals, saying that if they want to play football, they should aim at being professionals.

Kuon's football club wins one game after another; however, it was only in the beginning. Slowly, some of Kuon's teammates stop attending practice. Then, during some matches, some won't get to their proper places. After losing several games, Kuon confronts the team. Kuon then reminds the team of their goal to go and win the nationals. His clubmates laugh at him, saying that Kuon's taking football too seriously. Kuon is shocked to hear that, especially since they shared the same dream of going to the nationals before. His clubmates then said that a feeble team like them cannot compete with the other teams that made it to the nationals.

   His clubmates then say that Kuon is too much. They add, saying that playing football with Kuon is no fun. Because of this, Kuon realizes that he was the only one seriously playing football among his clubmates. He goes home tired and sees an envelope at the table. Kuon opens the envelope and sees that it was a letter addressed to him. The letter was an invitation for a player improvement project called Blue Lock. With a new resolve, Kuon vows to win even if he has to do it alone.

## Plot

### Introduction Arc

Kuon attends the initial Blue Lock meeting and agrees to join the program like the other 299 high school forwards. When he arrives at Blue Lock, he receives his uniform and training gear like everybody else. He then goes to his designated room and awaits what's next while sitting on the far side of the room.

   After entering Team Z's shared room, Ego appears on the screen and greets the players in the room. He explains their current room situation and the Blue Lock ranking system. Ego also explains that the top 5 players at the end of Blue Lock will have a guaranteed spot on the Japan U-20 team for the U-20 World Cup. Nevertheless, there are also consequences to joining Blue Lock. To elaborate, players who lost at Blue Lock would be permanently barred from ever playing on Japan's National team. With those details, the first test of Blue Lock is announced. For the dormitory test, play a game of tag.

Given a limited amount of time, the "it" of the game must pass the ball to someone else and hit them. Once the time runs out, the last "it" would be eliminated from Blue Lock. Shortly after, a ball drops in the center of the room and Gurimu Igarashi is noted as the person who is "it" since he is (currently) the lowest-ranked person in the room. By the end of the dormitory test, Ryousuke Kira was tagged. Thus, Kira is eliminated. The 11 players in the room will now live there together as a group called Team Z.

Afterward, Team Z spent the next few days training their bodies to condition themselves into the way of living at Blue Lock.  Following the training, Ego announces the new rankings in Blue Lock. He then informs Team Z that they are currently the lowest-ranked team in the facility. Lastly, Ego reveals that Blue Lock will be having its First Selection soon.

### First Selection Arc

#### Team Z vs Team X

Team Z plays rock, paper, and scissors to see who gets to pick their desired position. Isagi wins the game and chooses to become the center forward. Shortly after, the match between Team Z and Team X begins.

Several minutes have passed the field is in complete chaos. Team Z desperately tries to stop Baro from his tracks. Isagi positions in front of Baro to stop him. To pass Isagi, Baro does a heel flick. This move amazes Isagi, making him unable to react quickly. After that, Baro was able to pass Kuon and Imamura with nutmegs. Baro then kicks the ball towards the net. The goalkeeper, Iemon, failed to stop the ball, resulting in the goal of Team X.

   While Team Z was still focusing on scoring by themselves, Team X slowly understood that they can win through cooperation. Thus, players of Team X started passing the balls to Baro. While Team Z was stealing the balls from one another, Team X formed a team to allow Baro to score goals. As a result, Team X won the match.

After the game, Team Z is changing their clothes, and Raichi states that Isagi's failure as the center forward and striker resulted in the team's loss. Raichi notes that he should be replaced with Isagi. Naruhaya agrees but believes that instead of Isagi and Raichi, he should be the main forward. Kunigami, however, notes that Isagi and Bachira's actions led to his goal. Nevertheless, Team Z becomes chaotic, with each player claiming that they should be the striker in the next game. Kuon then scolds Team Z. Kuon explains how troubling Team Z's situation has been after losing to Team X. Kuon reveals that losing in their next match will result in Team Z's elimination. Thus, it isn't time for them to be thinking of their selves alone.

Because of this, Team Z slowly calmed down. Team Z then begins to wonder what Ego intends for them to learn during First Selection. Chigiri remarks that it may have been related to playing football from scratch to work on each player's foundations. Isagi then says that he has a hunch on what Ego meant. Team Z begins to ponder on Isagi's words and agrees on his hunch. Isagi finishes by stating that Ego might have purposely made the rule to allow the top scorer to survive even if the team loses. By doing so, every player will want to display all of their capabilities and will, ultimately, cause chaos and a clash of egos. Subsequently, it will also create or show a striker that could be the foundation.

After Isagi's remarks, Ego appears on the TV and notes that Isagi's train of thought is on the right track. To be a top-notch striker, Ego states that one must have a weapon he utilizes and optimize. Following this, Team Z began to wonder what their weapon could be. Shortly after, each player identifies their unique weapons. Kuon notes that his weapon is his exceptional jumping power.

#### Team Z vs Team Y

Taking the lead in strategizing, Kuon tells the team that each player must learn how to utilize their weapons to the fullest. Iemon then asked if Kuon's suggestion will not result in a playstyle similar to their performance in their previous game. Back then, Team Z's greedy and selfish playstyle led to the ultimate demise of the team. To avoid having a chaotic and self-centered match, Kuon suggests the "**I'm the next 9**" tactic. Each player will have 10 minutes to be the striker and display their weapons. After the strategizing, Team Z went through special training. The training aims to unify Team Z as a team.

The following day, Kuon then tells Team Z that Team Y is in a similar situation with them. Like Team Z, if Team Y loses, they will be up for elimination and unable to recover. Also, Kuon warns the team to watch out for Hibiki Okawa, rank 254.

    Several hours passed, and the match between Team Z and Team Y begins. Team Z is employing the "I'm the next 9" strategy. Currently, the next forward will be Kuon. To fully utilize Kuon's power, Team Z attempts to pass the balls at a very tall height to put the opposite team at a disadvantage. This, however, proves to be difficult since Team Y has an excellent defense. Nevertheless, Isagi was able to realize a vital information in the match. Apparently, Team Z should focus on Niko, not Okawa. Niko was pulling the strings and calling all the shots all along.

As the sport continues, 45 minutes have passed. Inside the breakroom, players of Team Z are shown having mixed emotions, none of which is positive. With a score of 1-0, Chigiri questions if the "I'm the next 9" tactic is effective. Chigiri's doubts angered Raichi. Raichi believes Chigiri is in no place to complain, seeing that Chigiri chose to conceal his weapons from the team. Once again, Team Z is in dispute. Kuon steps us to stop the conflict. Kuon argues that their current strategy is working and that there is no need to change anything. Isagi, in his head, wonders if doing nothing is the right choice.

The match resumes, marking the start of the second half. During the game, Isagi is starting to understand Niko’s weakness. Isagi remarks that Niko would always pass instead of scoring by himself. Isagi used his hypothesis to counter Niko. Soon after, Isagi has the ball. Isagi then scores a goal. The match ended with a score of 2-1, with Team Z in the lead.

#### Team Z vs Team W

    Kuon arrives late to the monitoring room after taking a long bath. Kuon tells the team that for their next game, they will follow an improved version of their tactic. Kuon calls this new strategy "**the 3x3 all-stars**" tactic. Iemon and Chigiri are not part of this tactic. Instead, Iemon will be the goalkeeper, while Chigiri would rather stay on the defensive again.

After several hours, the match between Team Z and Team W starts. While Keisuke is busy threatening Chigiri, Isagi steals the ball from him. Isagi tells Chigiri to ignore the twins' threats and warnings. The ball is then passed from one player to the other in Team Z. Kuon receives the ball last and scores a goal. After that, Isagi declares to Chigiri that he does not care about Chigiri's past. Instead, Isagi sees Chigiri as who he is now.

Thirty minutes have passed in the first half of the game, and Kuon has scored a total of two points. Following their new tactic, the three forward players will be Gagamaru, Raichi, and Naruhaya. To stop Naruhaya, who has the ball, Junichi grabs Naruhaya's jersey. Because this is a foul from Team W, Team Z is given a free kick. Bachira, doing the free-kick, sees his target. Instead of scoring by himself, he kicks at a height advantageous to only one player, Kuon. Kuon hits the ball with his head, scoring another goal. The new score is 3-0, with Kuon scoring all of those 3 points.

After half-time, the second half of the game starts. Raichi has the ball. Kuon then tells Raichi to slow down and asks for the ball. Raichi says that Kuon better gives it back to him later. Shortly after Kuon received the ball, Keisuke appears from Kuon's back and steals the ball. Raichi gets mad and calls Kuon an idiot. Keisuke then passes to Junichi, and Junichi tries to score a goal. This surprises Iemon, making him too late to respond to Junichi. Junichi kicks the ball and scores.

    Kuon tells his team to not panic over one score. Oddly enough, Kuon kicks the ball to Isagi, but his pass back was short, allowing Junichi to steal it. Junichi strikes again, changing the score to 2-3. Meanwhile, Raichi shouts at Kuon for being reckless. Kuon apologizes wholeheartedly, making the others accept his mistakes. Nevertheless, Isagi saw Kuon smile cunningly after his teammates have dispersed. Isagi is left confused as to why Kuon smiled after having the opponents score twice.

    Desperate to know the truth, Isagi confronts Kuon, asking him if he betrayed the team. Before Kuon can answer, the twins tell Isagi that his guess hits the mark. Keisuke tells them that Kuon shared with Team W everyone's strengths and weaknesses. It is then revealed that Kuon met with Team W when Team Z was strategizing. As an excuse for being late for their meeting, Kuon told his team that he took a long bath. Raichi, provoked by the sudden revelation, attempts to punch Kuon. Because of his violent behavior, Raichi is given a yellow card. The other players are then asked to return to their specific positions to resume the game.

Igaguri then asks Kuon why he betrayed the team. Kuon calls the team stupid for believing that they could win against the opponents. Kuon then tells his teammate that he will be Team Z's sole survivor (through a top scorer). Unlike before, this match will now be a 12 against 10 game. Kuon tells Isagi that he believes Team Z's victory and survival are unlikely. So, in exchange for leaking their weapons, Team W will allow Kuon to score 3 goals; thus, making him the striker with the most goals on the team. Kuon believes that bonds like teamwork won't work in Blue Lock. Ego is what will secure one's chance of winning and survival. Kuon explains that his ego derives from winning from betraying others.

Frustrated by Kuon's sudden betrayal, Isagi vows to get his revenge. Unfortunately for Isagi, Kuon also leaked his weakness. Keisuke and Junichi guard Isagi, preventing him from passing the ball to his teammates.

The heated battle resumes, with the ball being stolen from one team to the other. Successfully stealing the ball from Junichi, Kunigami and Raichi kicked the ball towards Imamura. With a score of 4-3, Team Z desperately tries to score another goal. Meanwhile, Isagi feels that they can't break through the opponents' defense. All of Team Z's weapons have been disarmed by Team W's defense. Kuon comes up to Isagi and tells him to give up already. With only 3 minutes left, Kuon tells him that they can't win.

    After several seconds, Isagi retrieves the ball. He looks around the field to find someone he can pass the ball. Then, he kicks the ball. Isagi's pass confuses Team Z since no one is in there to receive it. Keisuke and Kuon laugh at Isagi for making a foolish mistake during a critical moment. On the contrary, Chigiri, running at full speed, catches up with the ball. Chigiri, passing Keisuke and Kuon, drives the ball towards the net. Being the fastest player in the field, no one can catch up with Chigiri and his speed.

Chigiri scores a goal. Subsequently, the match was declared over. After that, Team Z runs to Chigiri's side. Igaguri tells Chigiri that he feels relieved having a teammate with an excellent and reliable weapon.

On the other side of the field, Kuon is getting kicked and stepped on by Team W. Team W believes that Kuon hid information about Chigiri's weapon so that Team Z could win. Although this was not the case, Team W ignores Kuon's explanations. Keisuke, angry at Kuon, shouts that he'll get his revenge on him. To prevent any more violence, Isagi and Kunigami stop Keisuke. Meanwhile, to avoid any backlash from Team W and Team Z, Kuon runs and escapes the playing field.

#### Team Z vs Team V

Following the match, the players go to the dining hall to eat. In the fifth stratum dining hall, Kuon is seeing talking with 3 strangers. Kuon is negotiating with the key players of Team V. Kuon suggests leaking information about Team Z. In exchange, Kuon will be allowed to score some free goals. Meanwhile, Team Z is frustrated and angered by Kuon's second betrayal. Kuon asks the three players if they find his proposal interesting.

The three players, however, reject his offer. Zantetsu, one of the 3 players, tells him that doing so means losing his merit as a player. Continuing his explanation, Zantetsu uses several words inaccurately grammatically. Reo tells Zantetsu to stop acting smart and calls him "**Dumb Zantetsu**." Reo then calls Kuon spineless and lame. Nagi then says to them that this meeting is annoying. He tells Reo that he wants to leave already. Reo walks out of the cafeteria while giving Nagi a piggyback ride. Zantetsu follows the two. Desperate to survive the first selection, Kuon stops the three, telling them that he has more to say. Nagi snarks at Kuon, saying that those who can't win even after doing their best are weak and are just meant to lose. Nagi suggests quitting Kuon.

After the match against Team W, the group goes back to their shared room. Imamura then recommends having a tactical meeting before the game. Hearing that, Raichi remembers their former tactician and his betrayal. He comes near to Kuon and tells him he hasn't forgiven him yet. Out of anger, Raichi strangles Kuon. However, before things go out of control, Isagi stops Raichi. Frustrated, Raichi asked Isagi if he feels sorry for the strangled Kuon. Isagi tells Raichi that the team needs Kuon to win. Missing a player would lead to the ultimate loss of Team Z. Hearing this, Kuon says to Isagi that he won't cooperate in the next game. Being the player with the most goals, Kuon explains that he won't be eliminated, whatever the outcome may be in the upcoming match.

    Because of this, Kunigami says that Kuon's survival is still unsure. If Kunigami scored three more goals, it would mean that he scored a total of 4 goals, making him the top scorer. Kuon laughs at Kunigami. With an 11 against 10 play, Kuon believes that no one from Team Z could score against the undefeated Team V. Nevertheless, Kunigami says to Kuon that he'll do it.

Tired of arguing, Kuon tells Kunigami to suit himself. He adds that he knows very well that football can't be played alone. Kunigami asks what he means by that. Kuon answers that he, too, wanted to win the World Cup. However, one by one, his teammates started giving up on him and on football. His teammates believed that the World Cup was too high to dream of. To them, the World Cup was an unreachable goal. Because of this, Kuon is willing to betray his teammates just to survive in Blue Lock. He says that he won't let his teammates drag him down again.

Ego then appears on the screen to explain the mechanics for the immunity of the top scorer of every losing team. Ego tells them that the winner would be decided based on their standing in the Blue Lock ranking. Thus, the player with the higher rank will be deemed the top scorer, regardless if he has two or more players with the same number of goals and yellow cards. Ego then shows the updated rankings. Now, the player with the highest rank in Team Z is Kuon. Followed by Chigiri, Isagi, Kunigami, Gagamaru, Bachira, Iemon, Raichi, Imamura, Naruhaya, and Igaguri, respectively.

Raichi furiously asks why a traitor has the highest rank. Ego tells him that the rankings only depend on the number of goals scored, regardless of the player's means of scoring. However, Ego considers Kuon, as a striker, the filthiest scum in all of this facility.

Several hours passed, and the team begins its tactical meeting in preparation for the final match. Leading the discussion, Iemon reveals to Team Z the key players of Team V. After Iemon's announcement, Raichi tells Kuon to do nothing for the whole game. Kuon will stay in the halfway line glued to the floor. Raichi then threatens Kuon, saying that if he leaves his mark, he'll make sure (through violence) that Kuon won't be able to move after. Kuon snarks at Raichi and tells him that he's not interested in helping Team Z to win. Plus, Kuon believes that, since he's the team's top striker, he doesn't need to risk anything to survive the first selection.

Shortly after, the match between Team Z and Team V begins. Team Z needs to win this game to survive and pass the first selection; however, it will be difficult since Team V remains undefeated in the fifth strata. The match against both teams was heated. Nevertheless, although Team V was a difficult opponent, Team Z managed to score a few goals. With that said, the score is 3-3.

Seeing the score, Kuon is shocked and confused about how Team Z caught up with the undefeated Team V. He wonders how Team Z can fight against Team V with only 10 players. He then screams at Team V, telling them to stop messing around. He then says that Team V should be embarrassed to have a difficult time against only 10 players. Reo then calls Kuon trash and tells him to shut up.

    Several minutes have gone by, and only 5 minutes are left. The score is now 4-4. Kuon is in awe of Team Z, managing to catch up with Team V even though they are disadvantaged. With only 10 players, Team Z is one by one improving their football. However, because of Nagi's sudden awakening, Team Z is struggling to score one more goal. Right now, both Kuon and Kunigami have scored 3 goals with no fouls.

However, Kuon is currently the top-ranking player. With that in mind, Kuon will be the only one to advance if Team Z loses in this match. So, if Kuon just stays in his place doing nothing, he'll be able to survive Blue Lock. Meanwhile, Zantetsu has the ball. Zantetsu passes to Nagi. Isagi runs toward Nagi, trying to stop him from scoring. Immediately, Nagi traps the ball with his back. Isagi remarks that Nagi's skill is out of this world. In an instant, Nagi has left Isagi. Nagi runs until he is in front of Iemon. Suddenly, Kuon pulls Nagi's head. Team Z is shocked. The speaker rings, informing Team V and Team Z that Kuon is handed a red card. Kuon is ejected from the game, and a free direct kick is given to Team V. Isagi is shocked at Kuon and asked him why he did that. Kuon answers, saying that by stopping Nagi, Team Z can still fight. There's only a minute left in the match.

    Reo runs toward Nagi, asking him if he was fine. Reo yells at Kuon. Nagi tells Reo that he's okay. Zantetsu then calms down Reo. Zantetsu reminds Reo that if he gets another yellow card, he will also be out of the game. Reo reluctantly agrees and asks what kind of malicious tactic Team Z has. Kunigami tells Reo that he also didn't understand why Kuon did it. Kuon says that he just did what he had to do. Igaguri then tells Kuon that, because of what he did, Kunigami is the top striker. If the match ended in a draw, Kuon will be eliminated. Kuon tells Igaguri that he knows. Kuon then says to Team Z to do everything to win so that Kuon still has a chance to become the best striker in the world.

The game resumes, and Team Z finds it hard to score another goal. Behind the scenes, Kuon was watching the match. Kuon says that he did not commit a foul to help team Z. He felt that, instead of winning by doing nothing, there was something more important he needed to realize. When Kuon looks at Team Z's fighting spirit, he declares that he won't let himself become a person who'll just stand by and watch. After that, Kuon yells and cheers for Team Z, shouting that they can do it.

    Likewise, Team Z does not disappoint. Isagi scores the final goal in the game, resulting in the win of Team Z and the first loss of Team V. After the match was declared over, Team Z regroups and rejoices. On the other side, Kuon watches Team Z rejoicing after their win against Team V. Kunigami calls Kuon and tells him to join them. Kuon rejects his offer and tells him that it's fine. Kunigami tries inviting him again; however, Raichi tells him to stop.

Raichi says to Kunigami that no one can erase the betrayal that Kuon did. Plus, Raichi notes that he hasn't forgiven Kuon yet. Raichi believes, nonetheless, that, thanks to Kuon grabbing Nagi's head, Team Z didn't lose. Raichi then extends his hand and invites Kuon. Kuon comes closer and reaches for Raichi's hand. But, before Kuon can touch his hand, Raichi punches his face. This shocks everyone in Team Z. Raichi then says that he hates Kuon, but he'll move past his betrayal with a punch. Igaguri, Imamura, and Iemon agreed with Raichi.

    After that, Kunigami helps the fallen Kuon stand. Kunigami invites Kuon to celebrate together. Kuon then apologizes to Kunigami. Subsequently, the buzzer rang, announcing the results of the first selection. With the end of the first selection, Team V and Team Z survived. Plus, the top strikers of Team W, Team X, and Team Y will also advance. Junichi Wanima (6 goals), Ikki Niko (4 goals), and Shoei Baro (10 goals) are the top strikers.

In Team Z's room, they celebrate their win against Team V and their survival in the first selection. Kuon asks if someone can get some drinks. Bachira and Isagi volunteers. Soon after, bringing the drinks that Kuon requested, Bachira and Isagi enter Team Z's room. Upon entering, they see their teammates sleeping on the floor. Everyone was exhausted after playing and celebrating. Next, Team Z will have to face the upcoming challenges.

### Second Selection Arc

He was never seen again after the first selection, he presumably did not pass the second selection.

## References

*Blue Lock* Manga: Chapter 34.
*Blue Lock* Manga: Chapter 2.
*Blue Lock* Manga: Chapter 3.
*Blue Lock* Manga: Chapter 5.
*Blue Lock* Manga: Chapter 6.
*Blue Lock* Manga: Chapter 7.
*Blue Lock* Manga: Chapter 8.
*Blue Lock* Manga: Chapter 9.
*Blue Lock* Manga: Chapter 9.
*Blue Lock* Manga: Chapter 10.
*Blue Lock* Manga: Chapter 11.
*Blue Lock* Manga: Chapter 12.
*Blue Lock* Manga: Chapter 12.
*Blue Lock* Manga: Chapter 17.
*Blue Lock* Manga: Chapter 18.
*Blue Lock* Manga: Chapter 19.
*Blue Lock* Manga: Chapter 20.
*Blue Lock* Manga: Chapter 21.
*Blue Lock* Manga: Chapter 22.
*Blue Lock* Manga: Chapter 22.
*Blue Lock* Manga: Chapter 24.
*Blue Lock* Manga: Chapter 26.
*Blue Lock* Manga: Chapter 33.
*Blue Lock* Manga: Chapter 34.
*Blue Lock* Manga: Chapter 35.
*Blue Lock* Manga: Chapter 36.
*Blue Lock* Manga: Chapter 38.