Matsuyama Tenshi/Synopsis

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

## History

Since he was a child, Matsu has carried a sketchbook with him to draw and create stories. Until one day, around the age of 10, he saw some teenagers playing football. As much as he didn't understand anything, the aura he felt emanating from the field was enough to grab his attention. How could they be so immersed in just running across a field chasing a ball?

Inspired by that aura, day after day he went there to watch those people playing, and he took notes on his discoveries, in addition to creating characters and stories based on the matches. Noticing Matsu's presence almost every day at the edge of the pitch, a talented foreign striker who played for Hikari Gakuen, decided to find out what the records in the “notebook” were about. He was impressed by the story and notes, but said that if Matsu didn't take the field, he would never truly understand the "magic of playing football". And so, almost by force, Matsu was brought into the field to play with them.

The experience was a disaster. Matsu seemed to have great ideas, but he couldn't put them into practice. Soon he noticed the impatience of others with him, and soon threatened to leave the field in frustration until Ravi interrupts him saying he should stop trying to imitate him and start looking for his own football. Intrigued, the other players asked Ravi at the end of the match, why he insisted so much on that boy, since he had no talent for football. Ravi said that if they had seen the notebook and looked deeper, they would have understood that they were looking at a promising player capable of dictating the tempo of the game with his analytical skills.

Matsu started playing with them every day and soon confirmed Ravi's theory. As time went by, his football addiction grew, and he began to watch games, research tactics and clubs history, deepening his knowledge more and more. Matsu finally makes it to middle school, also through Hikari Gakuen, and soon joins the school's football team. On the field, he and Ravi became an unbeatable duo at regionals, until Ravi's family had to return to Spain, interrupting their dream of playing together at nationals. Under the promise of one day playing with his friends again, Ravi moved to Europe, and shortly afterwards he was announced as a member of FC Barcha Youth.

Buoyed by his former duo's success, Matsu arrives as a sophomore in high school to compete in nationals. Despite being one of the highlights of the team in the attacking midfield role, Matsu became a very tall player with a strong physique, and was soon tested to play as Center Forward, fulfilling a Target Man role. At first the change seemed positive. Matsu managed to hold the ball in attack, and participated much more often in the chances created by the team. However, Ravi's absence weighed on the team, and in the first rounds they were eliminated.

In the regional tournament of the second half, the team managed to advance, even with tight scores. It was a team that won by just one goal difference and that bothered Matsu deeply. It wasn't fun playing football like that, it was like the team didn't know what they were doing other than fighting desperately for the ball. In the last qualifying match, Matsu couldn't do anything on the field. His team didn't work in any sector and the ball barely reached him. They said that the light (Hikari) of the team had gone out, or rather, gone to Europe with Ravi Martinez.

Frustrated and disheartened by football, Matsu went to have a talk with the team's coach. He felt like his game was on hold. It was as if he was a hostage of his own team playing in that position and that there was no point in having a physique to be a reference in attack, if the ball did not reach him. But the coach's response was painful. If he wasn't ready to change, he had better give up football. The so-called modern football demanded movement and intensity and with that physical type and style of play, Matsu would hardly survive. That his few chances would be playing in defense or as a man in the area, but to survive in these positions, Matsu would have to accept the change completely and completely rethink the way he saw football. Matsu didn't even have the energy to react.

Hours later, upon arriving home, Matsu discovers that he was invited by the Japan Football Association to participate in the Blue Block Project. And decided to go to the event. Upon hearing Jinpachi Ego's lecture, Matsu decides to give the project a chance, that would be the last chance he would give to football. Today he is unsure about his future and is still torn between a career as a professional athlete and an artistic career, but whatever his choice, he hopes to inspire people across the world.

## Plot

### Introduction Arc

After Jinpachi Ego's speech, Matsu agrees to participate in the project and signs a consent form. Soon he finds himself on a bus with the other 299 high school students who agreed to participate and after a few hours they finally arrive at the facility. Once there, they have their personal items, such as cell phones and wallets, confiscated and given a uniform with a number and letter. Matsu received uniform 293 with the letter Z on the right shoulder, as well as directions to find room Z.

When Matsu receives his uniform and goes in search of Team Z's room, he bumps into Zen'Yuu, who seems to be humming some music. They had already faced each other in high school for the Hyogo championship in the National qualifiers, and upon realizing that both were assigned to the same team, he decides to talk to him. Zen'Yuu didn't remember Matsu's name, but he had the feeling that he had already played against Matsu, due to his physical size.

Upon entering Team Z's room, they realize they were the last to arrive. In a corner of the room, they see three famous regional players talking, Ishizumi Tooru, **The Prince of Kurogawa Gakuen**, Ginshi Betsuno, **The Ace of Kesshō High** and Kairu Saramadara, **The Shonan's Predator**.

Across the room, Dan Zaitsu donned his uniform, with his characteristic angry face. While in the middle of the room, looking at the ceiling with a blank expression, was Tetsuhara Juon. In another corner, looking to analyze the players and wearing glasses was Takeda Yuuma.

Waving to Matsu and Zen'Yuu was the unsure Hirata Densuke. Besides them, Noumin and Chouzou were talking about something, but with a hostile expression. And finally, Junjou was sitting meditating, leaning against one of the living room walls.

A short time later, Ego appears on a big screen welcoming the players to the room. He explains how the Blue Lock ranking system works and the benefits of participating in the project. According to him, the top 5 players at the end of the project will be guaranteed a spot in the Japan U-20 squad for the 2019 U-20 World Cup. However, whoever does not survive until the end will be permanently barred from playing for the Japanese squad. After the explanations, the first test of Blue Lock is announced, a game of tag.

Matsu is trying to process all the information he just received. At first, he is worried about being placed in the supposedly lowest ranking team, but soon he tries to reassure himself, understanding that if he doesn't survive, it's because football maybe wasn't really for him. It was one more motivator to fight with all your might.

Suddenly, a ball lands in the center of the room, and Nounin Towa is declared the person who is "it", as he has the lowest rank among everyone in the room. With no other choice, players decide to play this game of tag. Towa spends some time trying to hit the lower ranked players, until he finally sees his strategy working after Hirata Densuke trips while running. From then on, the game becomes more chaotic, with a succession of disastrous moves that work out. Densuke manages to reach Gabari, and hit him at a short distance, even though this puts himself in danger, he manages to jump right after dodging the ball, which randomly hits Junjou's back and deflects into Saramadara's legs, who quickly performs a spin before falling and slamming the ball into Towa. The timer beeps, and everyone discovers that Tounin Towa is the first to be eliminated from the project. Not taking too many risks throughout the game, Matsu is relieved to have survived the first test.

After the dorm test, the team spent a few days training and assimilating to the way of life in Blue Lock. Matsu noticed that his fitness was lagging behind nearly half of the team, with him not being able to run long runs and in a lot of pain, which brought up his high school coach's words once again. In a moment of dismay, Matsu sat in the corner of the room to rest, until he was joined by Zen'Yuu. They talked about the performance of the team's players and their dismay soon gave way to excitement, as they realized that even those more physically prepared still had their weaknesses in some aspects.

In the cafeteria, Matsu is seen eating deep fried chicken, and thanks for being in a minimally acceptable ranking on the team to the point of eating something he likes. Together with Zen'Yuu, they spend a few hours theorizing about what kind of tests they will face. After a while, they return to the dorm, where Matsu quickly falls asleep due to exhaustion.

### First Selection Arc

#### Team Z-2 vs Team X-2

After a few days, another test is announced. This is the First Selection, a soccer tournament with consecutive points. Jinpachi Ego says players should "rebuild their football knowledge from scratch", which once again brings the former coach's words to Matsu's mind. Understanding that the team will only be formed by attackers, Matsu is a little apprehensive, but does not expose any ideas, leaving the team to choose what the organization method will be. After a few minutes of discussion, Matsu ends up being placed in defense as a central defender.

The match against team X starts in complete chaos, with all players fighting for the ball. Matsu positioned in defense watched it completely frustrated, it was a feeling similar to his last months playing for Hikari Gakuen, but at an even lower level. Once again he felt that there was nothing he could do on the field, but throughout the first half he managed to see the field well due to his position at the back. The match went into the break tied at zero to zero, and during the break Matsu and Zen'Yuu talk about the possibility of collaborating with each other during the second half.

When the second half began, Matsu found an opening to advance and received a pass from Zen'Yuu, without trapping, he made a direct pass that crossed the opposing defense and reached Tooru, who made a quick dribble and a accurate shot into the goal. From that goal, Matsu, Zen'Yuu and Tooru start to make triangulations, and Tooru scores another goal, this time with assistance from Zen'Yuu. Gradually, the team was structured, but saw its opponent not be discouraged. The game ended in a 6-3 victory. Although Matsu was only directly involved in the first goal, playing in that lower back position saw football being fun for him again.

#### Team Z-2 vs Team Y-2

After the match, Team Z is celebrating the victory, completely changing the hostile atmosphere that was there at the beginning. And soon they start talking about the game, while some players are just celebrating their goals, Tooru says that the victory was only possible due to the combination of Matsu and Zen'Yuu. Betsuno tries to go along with the speech saying that everyone has to give in so that the whole team can shine individually, that this is how football works and why they won. Until Matsu finally decides to speak up. He says that Betsuno's thinking isn't completely wrong, but that they doesn't have to give in. For everyone to shine, everyone needs to be able to find a way to play to their strengths.

After this speech, Jinpachi Ego quickly appears on the screen praising Matsu and Tooru's reasoning. He gives some insight into the mindset players should have, and explains that thinking about strengths is a concept he calls "Weapon". And that is part of the self-knowledge process of every player. That they will only be able to progress in football if they understand what their own weapons are. Players decide to share their Weapons to decide which will be the best formation for the match. Matsu says his weapon is ball control and creativity.

After sharing their weapons, the team performs some training to improve synergy and little by little they notice progress in their way of playing. Finally, the moment of the match against team Y arrives. The match starts a bit slow, with both teams losing possession of the ball and having difficulty finding space for finishing. Matsu is on defense and once again the team finds itself tied at zero to zero at halftime. For the second half, Matsu makes a suggestion to the team. He suggested that he swap positions with Tooru, who was playing Left Winger, so that they would have more chances to control the ball in the offensive sector. Some players complain and take the opportunity to contest their positions, wanting to play in the attacking sector. After a few minutes of screaming and protesting, Tooru decides to trust Matsu's intuition and starts playing defense.

With Matsu on the attack, team Z started to retain possession of the ball on the left wing, until in a corner kick taken by Betsuno, Matsu caught the ball in a volley, placing it in the left corner of the goalkeeper, opening the scoring for the team Z. Chouzou is extremely frustrated to see Matsu scoring a goal he imagined himself scoring, and starts arguing with Matsu, saying that his plan was just for him to steal goals. That it wasn't fair for Matsu to stay on offense while he continued on defense.

The discussion ended with more position switching and Chouzou was finally given the chance to play as Center Forward. But in the first move after the exchange, with a lack of attention on the defense, Haiji ties the game for team Y. Around 30 minutes into the match, the game continues to be disputed again, until Tooru makes a long pass from defense to attack , Matsu dominates the ball with his thigh, adjusting it to Chouzou, who tries a shot placed in the angle. However, in the middle of the way, Saramadara deflects the ball with his head, stealing the goal from him.

Chouzou starts to argue with Saramadara, and due to his aggressiveness he ends up receiving a yellow card. The match restarts and Haiji tries once again to take advantage of the defense's inattention, but Juon performs a perfect sliding tackle and runs with the ball to the attack, trying to stand out in the final minutes of the match, he tries to shoot a cross from outside the area for right wing but is blocked by two defenders. After the block the ball goes up, and he tries to head it from there into the area, the ball comes out very strong and falls towards Junjou, who had forgotten his position change for defense. Without thinking twice, Junjou tries to hit the ball anyway, hitting it with the shin of his leg increasing the score to 3-1.

In the last move of the game, with the three minutes of additional time, Haiji goes alone at speed and manages to reduce the score, the match ends in 3 to 2.

#### Team Z-2 vs Team W-2

Back at the dorm, Ego announces the results of the round. Team Z and Team W are tied on 6 points, but Team Z has a slight advantage having conceded 2 goals less. Below them, in third place is Team X, with 3 points, and finally in last place, Team V and Y with only 1 point. Also, the Team Z rankings are updated again, and Ego suggests that those unhappy with their ranking should score goals, as only then will they be recognized. With a goal and an assist, Matsu moved up one spot, and is now at #268.

In Team Z's monitoring room, players gather to review their latest matches and those of their upcoming opponents. Saramadara recognizes Otoya as a prodigy who has his fame in the national championships, while Tooru says that Karasu and Hiori are extremely talented and experienced players, as they are part of Bambi Osaka's youth team. The team decides to test their new formation and by vote, Matsu won the spot as center forward with the role of pivot for the team, acting as a Target Man, just like in his last competition for Hikari Gakuen. After the meeting, the players get ready to sleep, but Matsu spends a few more hours analyzing the matches.

The match against team W begins, and with a few minutes of play Hiori and Karasu make a quick move that ends with a pass from Hiori to Otoya who receives the ball at speed, overcoming the defense and opening the scoring. Team Z tries to remain optimistic and starts a play with Zen'Yuu and Betsuno, but Karasu soon steals the ball, passes it to Riku Hoshino, who arranges for Tatsuya to expand the score, Team Z's plans are completely frustrated and the match is 2-0 in the first 15 minutes. With the team on the verge of collapsing, Saramadara makes an individual play and receives a free kick at the edge of the penalty area. Zen'Yuu catches the ball and scores a free-kick, making the score 2-1.

On the next move, Saramadara once again makes a solo move, but is blocked by Hiori. The ball falls to Matsu, who performs a spin threatening the kick, and rolls the ball backwards for Saramadara's kick, which ties the match. In the last bid of the first half, Hiori once again exploits the speed of Otoya, who scores his second goal in the match, leaving the score at 3-2 for the W team.

After the break, both teams remain in the same formation. The game is a little stuck, until Mizuki steals the ball from Tooru, passes it to Karasu, who dribbles two players and finishes with a well-aimed shot from outside the area, expanding the score to 4 to 2. At 25 minutes of the second half. Without giving up the match, Zen'Yuu and Yuuga advanced with an exchange of passes through the midfield, but found it difficult to break through Karasu's defense. After a tackle for the ball, Dan Zaitsu avoids the ball from going out the side and makes a cross even though he is down, the ball arrives for Matsu who performs a beautiful dribble in the opponent's defense with a roulette that becomes a pass for Zen'Yuu, who similar to Otoya, infiltrates through the defense and scores his second in the match.

At 30 minutes, understanding the difficulty of the team to advance, Matsu retreats to the midfield to face Karasu and help to arm the team. The team starts to have more possession of the ball, and after a good move by Matsu, Zen'Yuu manages to give a pass to Tooru, who clears the scoring and scores a great goal from outside the area, tying the match at 4-4.

At 45 minutes, the game remains balanced. Even goalkeepers making important saves. Betsuno manages to leave the markers behind and passes to Tooru who is positioned to shoot first, but sees two defenders in the way, due to hesitation he ends up being disarmed and the ball slowly comes towards Matsu, marked by Karasu. Matsu runs towards the ball and performs a low finesse shot as if it were a pass into the goal, with the ball passing between Karasu's legs. Team Z conquers an incredible comeback from Team W, with only the additions remaining.

When everyone least expected it, Kanzen, who until then had not stood out in the match, went up to the attack and performed a kick with a perfect curve at the angle, after a block by the defense. The match ends 5-5.

#### Team Z-2 vs Team V-2

After the end of the match and the celebration for having qualified the whole team, the players had their ranking updated once again. Matsu continued in the same position.

For the match against Team V, the team plays lighter, but still with the necessary competitiveness, since it is worth the first place in the group. As a result, we have an extensive score of 7 to 2. With 6 different scorers for the Z team, in addition to 6 assists from different players. Even Densuke had the opportunity to play outside the goal, taking turns with Junjou. At the end of the match, the rankings were updated once more, as well as the leaderboard.

Teams Z and W accumulated the same amount of points and had the same goal difference, however, as team W scored 2 more goals, in the tiebreaker criteria they were in first place. Regarding the Ranking, Matsu rose one more position, staying at #267.