Rensuke Kunigami/Synopsis

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

## Plot

### Introduction Arc

Kunigami 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 begins changing into his uniform.

While changing, Isagi walks in. Subsequently, Kunigami loses control of his shirt while taking it off, causing it to smack Isagi in the face. He apologizes and tells him to watch where he is going. Following this, Isagi is shocked to see Bachira sleeping on the floor.

After several minutes, 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 Igaguri is noted as the person who is "it" since he is (currently) the lowest-ranked person in the room. With no other choice, they decide to play this game. Isagi and some of the others are targeted by Igaguri.

However, Igaguri misses and admits the difficulty of this game. Fortunately, Igaguri, the current it, saw Bachira lying on the flaw and considered him an easy target. Igaguri aims at Bachira; however, Bachira surprisingly picks himself up. He goes into a handstand and kicks Igaguri in the face.

Everyone on Team Z was shocked by Bachira's actions. Subsequently, Igaguri complains as Bachira used violence on him. Bachira, however, points out that the only rule was to not use their hands. Thus, Bachira was not at fault. Nonetheless, Kunigami confronts Bachira's attitude and tells him he would rather play fair. Bachira then states that Kunigami was taking everything too seriously.

Now fully awake, Bachira looks around the room and wonders if there was someone among the team who also had a monster inside them. Just then, Kunigami is smacked in the face with the ball by Igaguri, who took advantage of the distraction. Pissed off, Kunigmai takes a powerful shot, showcasing his weapon. Originally aiming for Igaguri, Kunigami accidentally hits Isagi since he was being held down by Igaguri. He apologizes to Isagi since the ball was not meant to aim at him.

    Despite being warned earlier, Bachira hops on Kunigami’s back and restrains. Because of this, Kunigami's movement was limited by Bachira. Bachira then calls Isagi and tells him to aim at Kunigami. Frustrated by Bachira's foolish demeanor, Kunigami throws Bachira off of him in an irritated manner.

Bachira falls and lands on Igaguri, spraining the monk's foot. Meanwhile, Isagi, it of the game, sees Igaguri, who is unable to move because of his sprain. Nevertheless, Isagi passes by Igaguri and refuses to tag the weak. Bachira liked Isagi decision and agrees with him. Bachira then runs towards Isagi and takes the ball from him.

With 10 seconds left, Bachira aims to tag Ryosuke Kira. Kira narrowly dodges Bachira's efforts, and then Bachira sends the ball up in the air. Kira felt relieved, thinking that he has evaded Bachira. However, Bachira thinks to himself that he did not miss Kira. Instead, Bachira passed towards Isagi. Isagi then unconsciously kicks the ball back, hitting Kira's face. Subsequently, the timer runs out, with Kira being it.

The dormitory test ends with Ryousuke Kira as the eliminated player. The room then listens to Ego's explanation of the point of the game and why it relates to football. Ego's words resonate with the players. Furthermore, Ego comments that Isagi and Bachira's actions were the correct ones in this situation. He adds that this attitude is what he is looking for from the Blue Lock players. Bachira and the rest of the group watch as Kira angrily mumbles and shouts about his loss. They were also surprised by Kira's aggressive behavior as he leaves the room since he was portrayed as an easy-go-lucky guy before.

### First Selection Arc

#### Team Z vs Team X

Team Z is playing rock, paper, and scissors to see who gets to pick their desired position. Isagi wins the game and chooses to become forward. Shortly after, the match between Team Z and Team X begins. The game is set to last for 90 minutes with a break in between.

    Isagi, the forward, is having a hard time breaking through the opponent's defense. While thinking of a strategy to pass through, the ball is taken away from him by Raichi, a teammate. Kunigami then steals the ball from Raichi. As the two begin to argue and fight over the ball, they get ambushed by the opposing team, who try to steal the ball away while they are distracted. Due to this, all of the players in the field started playing for themselves. Nevertheless, one player was able to take the ball amidst all the chaos. Baro appears to steal the ball from his opponents and teammates. His skills overwhelm everyone, resulting in him scoring a goal.

To take advantage of Team Z's meltdown and selfish playstyle, players from Team X decided to pass all the balls to Baro to win. Nonetheless, Kunigami still continues to battle with Raichi and Igaguri throughout the game, making no progress in the score. Isagi, seeing Team X playing as a team, considered Team Z's win as hopeless and impossible. The game reached a score of 5-0 with Team X in the lead. To make a comeback, Bachira suggested that he and Isagi must score to win.

    During the game, Bachira successfully passed the ball to Isagi. Isagi drives the ball and believed that the only thing left to do is to surpass the goalkeeper. Much to his surprise, Baro appears, making Isagi doubt his chances of scoring. Isagi then starts to lose confidence in himself. Raichi and Kunigami then appear, asking for Isagi to pass the ball instead. Isagi believes that he should not pass the ball to survive Blue Lock.

Surprisingly, he unconsciously kicks the ball towards Kunigami. Kunigami kicks the ball and scores. Raichi, on the other hand, is furious at Isagi for choosing to pass to Kunigami than him. Unlike Kunigami, Raichi is unmarked and in a preferable location. After that, Baro calls Isagi talentless. Baro stated that a striker who chokes in front of the goal does not have what it takes to be one.

Even though Team Z scored against Team X, the opponents scored more than them. As a result, Team Z encountered its first loss in the first selection. After the match, Team Z goes back to its shared room to freshen up and rest. Suddenly, Ego appears on the screen and introduces the term “weapons” to the players. Ego notes that every striker has a unique weapon he can use to win any game.

After Ego’s announcement, each player identifies their unique weapons. Kunigami remarks that his left foot has a strong shooting power. After their tactical meeting, Team Z went through special training. The training aims to unify Team Z as a team. Likewise, players would also train their weapons for the upcoming trials they will face.

Following the special training, the players go to the dining hall to eat. While eating, Isagi reflects on what his weapon could be. After a few minutes, Kunigami appears. Kunigami thanks Isagi for passing the ball to him. Isagi then asks Kunigami why he plays football. Kunigami says that his reason is simple. He plays so that he can be a football superhero. Isagi noted that the resolution that Kunigami has is what he lacks.

    Kunigami then offers Isagi a plate of steak. Kunigami shows Isagi the **goal-exchange system**. He then explains that for every goal a player scores, you can exchange it for various stuff.

* 1 point for 300g sirloin steak.
* 3 points for a cellphone return.
* 5 points for a high-quality bed.
* 10 points for a day outside.

Kunigami shares the steak with Isagi, believing that he deserves half the credit for it. While eating, Kunigami asks Isagi why he passed to him and not to Raichi. Raichi, on the other hand, was in a better spot and unmarked. Isagi laughs and tells Kunigami that he passed unconsciously, like a reflex. Kunigami suggested that Isagi's weapon may be the ability to smell the goal.

#### Team Z vs Team Y

    The game between Team Z and Team Y begins. Following their “**I’m the next-9 tactic**,” the next striker is Kunigami. Kunigami's weapon, however, relies on his teammates to bring the ball to his zone while he focuses on staying unmarked. Thus, he can’t move on his own. Fortunately, a teammate passes the ball to Kunigami. Kunigami kicks the ball, hoping to score, but was blocked by two players from Team Y. The ball then continues to be stolen from one team to the other.

Nevertheless, Kunigami got the ball once more. However, he found it difficult to get past the opponent’s defenses. Struggling to pass the ball, Kunigami overlooked Niko's presence. Niko used this opportunity to steal the ball from Kunigami and pass it to his teammate. This shocked Isagi since he thought Niko would pass it to Okawa, who was great at scoring. The game continues. As each minute passes, Team Z is losing their chance for victory.

    Luckily, Isagi retrieves the ball from Team Y. With Isagi in possession of the ball, he drives it towards the other side of the court. Then, he passes to Kunigami. Desperate to stop Team Z from attacking, Team Y opts to foul than allow them to score a goal. Before being swarmed by the opponents, Kunigami passes the ball to Bachira. Bachira then sees Isagi asking for the ball. Bachira passes to Isagi. Soon after, Isagi receives the ball and scores a goal against Team Y.

After the match, Team Z was declared the winner. Kunigami then praises Isagi for successfully scoring the goal. Gagamaru asked Isagi if he knew where the ball was heading. Isagi, however, answered that he just ran because he wanted to score. Isagi adds that it may have been sheer luck. Bachira, on the other hand, tells Isagi that he saw Isagi, so he intentionally passed to him. Kunigami then remarks that he believes Isagi's weapon is "**goal scent**," but he's still unsure about his conclusion.

#### Team Z vs Team W

The match against Team W begins. According to their previous tactical meeting, Team W’s key players are the Wanima brothers. As a result, Team Z is cautious towards the brothers. Nonetheless, during the match, Kuon was able to score a goal.

    Serving as Junichi's spokesperson, Keisuke scolds his teammates for not being skilled defenders. The game resumes with a score of 0-1, with Team Z in the lead. Junichi has the ball, but it seems like he does not want to score. A half-hearted Junichi made it easy for Kunigami to steal the ball from him. Kunigami then passed the ball to Bachira. Seeing Kuon open and unmarked, Bachira kicks the ball to him. Fortunately, Kuon receives the ball and scores a goal. The score is now 2-0.

Shortly after, Kuon was able to score another goal. The score is now 3-0, with Team Z in the lead. All of these points of Team Z were scored by Kuon. Team Z is ecstatic, knowing that they are in the lead. Nonetheless, after a while, Kuon starts making several mistakes.

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.

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. 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.

With Team Z behind by one point, Kunigami tells the team to score at least one more point to have a draw. Then, they can save their panic and concerns for their next match. Kunigami then tells Isagi to pass the ball to him since he cannot win alone. Isagi, however, believes he should not kick towards Kunigami. Instead, Isagi smells a goal coming from Chigiri; thus, he passes to Chigiri. Chigiri runs past everyone and scores a goal against Team W. The game ended in a draw (4-4).

    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. 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 both Team W and Team Z, Kuon runs and escapes the playing field.

#### Team Z vs Team V

During their tactical meeting, Kuon tells him that he will not cooperate in the next game. Being the top scorer of Team Z, Kuon explains that he will not be eliminated even if Team Z loses. Following 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 games, Kuon believes that Kunigami or anyone from Team Z cannot score. Kunigami says to Kuon that he will do it. Tired of arguing, Kuon tells Kunigami to suit himself. He adds that he knows very well that football cannot be played alone. Kunigami asks what he means by that. Kuon answers that he, too, wanted to win the World Cup with his skills. However, one by one, his teammates started giving up on him and on football. Because of this, Kuon is willing to betray his teammates just to survive in Blue Lock. He says that he would not let his teammates drag him down again.

Soon after, the last game for the first selection begins. Before the match, Iemon, the tactician, announces their strategy to the team. Iemon states that Kunigami, Gagamaru, and Chigiri will be their key players since they are the team's best strikers.

    During the match, Kunigami retrieves the ball; however, Reo steals the ball from him.  Reo then passes the ball to Nagi. Nagi effortlessly receives the ball and scores a goal. Team Z was shocked after seeing Nagi’s skills. Nonetheless, Team Z sticks to their tactics, believing that it is the best choice for victory.

Isagi passes the ball to Kunigami. Kunigami, however, is not yet in his shooting range, so he moves closer to it. While moving forward, Reo, coming from Kunigami's blind spot, appears in front of him. Reo tells Kunigami that he studied every skill Kunigami has. Thus, Reo knows that Kunigami is not in his shooting range. Therefore, Kunigami is unable to score just yet. Reo then steals the ball and kicks again towards Nagi.

Nagi scores another goal. Slowly, everyone from Team Z started losing hope. Well, except for Bachira. Unaffected by Nagi’s scores, Bachira played happily against the opponents. While Team Z watched Bachira earn a goal against Team V by himself alone, Team Z started having hope.

After Bachira’s goal, Reo appears in front of him. Reo tells Bachira that he cannot score another goal against Team V. Bachira agrees with Reo. However, Bachira declares to Reo that he is not alone. Bachira announces to Reo that it is time for Team Z's revival and passes the ball to Kunigami.

Kunigami receives the ball. With Kunigami in possession of the ball, Reo shouts for his team to stop Kunigami from entering his shooting zone. Meanwhile, Kunigami sees that he is still far from his shooting range. Plus, several players from Team V are blocking his way. Gagamaru appears from Kunigami's sight and tells Kunigami to pass to him. In his mind, Kunigami believes that, as a striker, passing should only be his last resort. Stuck in his thoughts, Kunigami is startled when he hears Isagi shouting. Isagi yells at Kunigami, telling him not to panic. Isagi then tells Kunigami to take the risk like **a football superhero**.

    Thanks to Isagi's words, Kunigami goes back to his senses. Despite not entering his shooting range (28 meters), Kunigami tries to surpass his limits. He kicks the ball, hoping to score a goal. Team V tries to stop the ball; however, the ball seems to have an irregular course. A player from Team V notices that the ball is not spinning. Team V failed to stop the ball, earning Team Z a goal. The first half ended with a game score of 3-2.

At Team Z's Locker Room, the team is quenching their thirst and wiping away their sweats. Naruhaya, Imamura, and Igaguri are ecstatic, feeling hopeful. Igaguri then tells Kunigami that he was shocked to know that he had a long shooting range. Kunigami says to Igaguri that he was also surprised. Kunigami remarks that he may found a new intuition for a goal. Imamura jokes, saying that Kunigami surpassed his limits a while ago. Hearing that, Isagi remembers Bachira, who also went beyond his limits. Because of this, Isagi felt motivated to discover and create his formula.

    The game resumes once more. During the match, Isagi appears in front of Nagi, calling him naive. Isagi blocks Nagi, stopping Nagi from retrieving the ball. Then, Chigiri retrieves the ball while Zantetsu tries to catch up. Chigiri kicks the ball, but he hits the pole and misses. Fortunately, Gagamaru rebounded the ball. Reo supports their goalkeeper and stops Gagamaru's kick. Luckily, Kunigami retrieved the ball. In his shooting range, Kunigami kicks the ball, scoring a goal.

Isagi then notes that what happened was exactly how he imagined it previously. Understanding his weapons a bit, Isagi believes that he can use his eyes to see the field's future. The score is now 4-4.

With only 5 minutes left, the score is 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. On the other hand, 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 will be able to survive Blue Lock.

Team Z desperately yells at Iemon to stop the ball, or everything they've worked hard for will be destroyed. Suddenly, Kuon tackles Nagi, and this shocks Zantetsu. 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.

Reo runs toward Nagi, asking him if he was fine. Reo then yells at Kuon. Nagi tells Reo that he is okay. Zantetsu then calms down Reo, saying that if Reo gets another yellow card, he'll be out of the game. The game resumes with the free kick. Fortunately, Iemon's guess was correct, allowing him to stop the ball from hitting the net. Now the ball is loose, both Team V and Team Z tries to retrieve it. The fastest player from both teams, Chigiri and Zantetsu, race for the ball; however, Zantetsu is nearer. Zantetsu kicks the ball but is stopped by Raichi. The ball is sent flying.

The match resumes with Isagi in possession of the ball. It is all-or-nothing for Team Z. Isagi notes that he can see the field's future. He says that he knows who among Team Z can keep the ball rolling and running. It is revealed that Isagi is referring to Bachira, Kunigami, and Chigiri. Isagi says that the goal scent is coming from those three players.

Reo then appears in front of Isagi, telling him that he will put a stop to Isagi. Isagi believes that, for the last play, he will be the one to score. Isagi will see through it that he will be the one to kick the finishing goal. Before Reo can steal the ball from Isagi, Isagi passes the ball to Bachira. Nevertheless, before Bachira is tackled by the opponent, he sends the ball back to Isagi. Isagi then sees Chigiri and kicks the ball toward him. To stop Chigiri, Team V tries to outnumber him. To avoid the ball from being stolen, Chigiri passes it back to Isagi. With only 35 meters to the goal and 2 defenders in front, Isagi passes the ball to Kunigami.

    Suddenly, Zantetsu appears in between them. Zantetsu kicks the ball, making Kunigami lose the ball. Zantetsu tells Kunigami that he will not let him do his mid-shot. The ball is now loose, with both teams desperate to retrieve it. Fortunately, Raichi retrieves the ball. Raichi then passes to Bachira. Bachira, seeing Isagi asking for the ball, passes to him. Suddenly, Nagi appears in front of Isagi. With Nagi’s sudden appearance, Isagi lost his confidence. Consequently, Isagi noted that the goal scent was gone.

Meanwhile, Chigiri yells at Isagi to call his attention. Kunigami then tells Isagi to pass to him; however, Isagi does not want to. Isagi wants to score his own goal. Isagi then remembers himself scoring his own goal in the previous matches and Ego's words about the "formula" for creating goals.

Isagi believes that the missing puzzle piece is Isagi's trap piece. However, Isagi will automatically lose to Nagi since he is just a regular player when at trapping. With that in mind, Isagi rejects the idea of trapping the ball. Isagi then realizes that the final piece to complete his goal, his missing puzzle piece, was through a one-touch shot.

Isagi then does a direct shot. The goalkeeper of Team V failed to stop it; thus, earning Team Z another point. Soon Subsequently, the match ended, with Team Z earning the victory.

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 he is 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 has not forgiven Kuon yet. Raichi believes, nonetheless, that, thanks to Kuon grabbing Nagi's head, Team Z did not lose.

    Raichi then extends his hand and invites Kuon. Kuon comes closer and reaches for Raichi's hand. 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 will move past his betrayal with a punch. Igaguri, Imamura, and Iemon agreed with Raichi. Following this, Kunigami helps the fallen Kuon stand. Kunigami then invites Kuon to join Team Z as they rejoice in their win and survival at Blue Lock.

### Second Selection Arc

Kunigami teams up with Chigiri and Reo Mikage once he passes the blue lock keeper test. They lose their first game to Isagi's team and Chigiri joins Isagi. Kunigami eventually loses to Ryusei Shido team and Reo gets picked which means Kunigami is out. Kunigami eventually finds a way back by entering the wild card door.

## References

*Blue Lock* Manga: Chapter 2.
*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 10.
*Blue Lock* Manga: Chapter 11.
*Blue Lock* Manga: Chapter 13.
*Blue Lock* Manga: Chapter 14.
*Blue Lock* Manga: Chapter 17.
*Blue Lock* Manga: Chapter 18.
*Blue Lock* Manga: Chapter 21.
*Blue Lock* Manga: Chapter 22.
*Blue Lock* Manga: Chapter 24.
*Blue Lock* Manga: Chapter 26.
*Blue Lock* Manga: Chapter 27.
*Blue Lock* Manga: Chapter 28.
*Blue Lock* Manga: Chapter 29.
*Blue Lock* Manga: Chapter 30.
*Blue Lock* Manga: Chapter 33.
*Blue Lock* Manga: Chapter 34.
*Blue Lock* Manga: Chapter 35.
*Blue Lock* Manga: Chapter 36.
*Blue Lock* Manga: Chapter 37.
*Blue Lock* Manga: Chapter 38.